WHERE DEMONS FEAR TO TREAD by Stephanie Chong

WHERE DEMONS FEAR TO TREAD 

by Stephanie Chong

Series -  The Company of Angels, Book 1

Genre:  Paranormal Romance

Publication Date:  August 23, 2011

Fledging guardian angel and yoga teacher Serena St. Clair dares to enter Devil's Paradise nightclub on a mission—to retrieve the wayward Hollywood "It Boy" she's assigned to protect. But she's ambushed by the club's owner, arch demon Julian Ascher. The most powerful demonic entity in Los Angeles, Julian is handsome as sin, a master of temptation who loves nothing more than corrupting pleasure-seeking humans. He won't release the lost soul Serena is supposed to guard. Unless she accepts his dangerous wager…

After the disastrous way his human life ended, Julian vowed that no woman would get the better of him again. Yet this sexy-sweet angel, smelling of fresh ocean air and happiness, triggers centuries-old feelings. Now, their high-stakes game of seduction, where angels fall from grace and where demons fear to tread, will lead them either to an eternity in hell…or a deliciously hot heaven.

Serena St. Clair is a fledging guardian angel from the Company of Angels.  She died a year ago at the age of 23 saving a family during a car crash which cost her life. For her sacrifice, she was given another chance at life and has become an angel to try and guide people on the wrong path to the right one. Nick, a Hollywood star is her first assignment.  Serena is trying to save Nick with her yoga instructions and her own innate goodness, but since Nick is in love with her, it makes it more challenging because she cares for him as a friend and he resents that.  Nick has been losing his way to drugs, alcohol and women, and hangs out in a nightclub owned by Julian Asher, the most powerful arch-demon in Los Angeles. Serena decides that she's willing to take the chance and enter Julian's nightclub to try and save Nick. 

Serena becomes entangled in Julian's web of schemes when he threatens Nick's life, the life of her brother (her brother has no idea that Serena is an angel and cannot know that she's back from the dead, which makes it worse because she can't warn him), and the life of Serena's roommate and fellow guardian. Julian decides that there is something about Serena that he's attracted to and he does not like it.  He decides the only way to get rid of Serena is to corrupt her too so he blackmails her into spending a week with him.  

This is the ultimate battle between good and evil; a demon and an angel. Both of them are incredibly attracted to the other and as they spend the week together and start to learn more about each other.  Their feelings are at-odds with both of their jobs and they are both torn and confused as what they should do.

I really enjoyed the story, as well as, Julian and Serena.  Serena is truly good person, which is why she was chosen to become an angel.  Her life ended way to soon, before she ever had a chance to really live.  She is a very responsible person and is trying to do the right thing when it comes to Julian.  She is scared and excited about the way Julian makes her feel and her superior is being deliberately vague in how Serena should carry out her assignment and handle Julian.  Serena know something more is going on, but no one will give her any more information.

Julian is a total bad boy.  He is extremely bitter from being betrayed by a woman he loved that resulted in his human death, and led to his becoming a demon.  But as Julian spends the week with Serena, it is not Julian corrupting her, but Serena corrupting Julian.  Serena makes him want to be a better person.  I loved the interaction between the two of them during their week together at the hotel.  Although Julian keeps telling himself he's wooing her to corrupt her, you can see he has some very intense feelings for Serena. 

This was a great book.  I could not put it down because I was dying to know what Julian was going to do next to woo her, and if Serena was finally going to give into her feelings.  There is more to the storyline of Julian and Serena's relationship but I don't want to spoil anything so you'll have to read the book to find out.  J

I definitely recommend this book and I am looking forward to the second book in the series. "The Demoness of Waking Dreams" which is expected to release in February 2012.