My Wicked Enemy: Number 1 in series (My Immortal) [Mass Market Paperback]

I really enjoyed 'My Wicked Enemy', right up to the point fairly near the end when our heroine added a second man to her bed. This seemed an almost entirely gratuitous and pointless scene for the overall plot and didn't fit in well with the idea of one-man-one-woman that the rest of the book suggested and overall with the sexual content of this kind of book. After that scene I rather lost faith in the book and I imagine this might be a criticism from other readers.

Apart from this scene the overall storytelling was very good in this book. Carson Philips, a young woman, is on the run after discovering her guardian has murdered someone. She is accosted by an unknown but rather handsome man who tells her that it's his job to kill her because she's a witch. She doesn't know the first thing about this and eventually Nikodemus, a four thousand year old fiend, realises she's telling the truth. Carson has escaped from the evil mage Magellan and has taken an important artefact with her which Magellan needs for a dodgy ritual to gain the power of a fiend for himself. Nikodemus has to get Carson up to speed very quickly with the strange world in which she now finds herself.

Carson and Nikodemus continually have to dodge people trying to kill them, mostly fiends who are bound to their mage-masters despite being desperate to be free. As Carson's fluctuating powers begin to increase she finds that she has an unusual ability to rescue these people from their mage-bindings. But can Carson and Nikodemus keep themselves safe from all those trying to kill them, and can Carson survive all the events that happen to her?

Overall this was a good read with a love story which was generally believable, particularly the parts where Nikodemus realises he is going against cultural rules and breaking taboos with his relationship to Carson. Of course the above-mentioned three-in-a-bed scene rather killed the romance side of the book for me (clearly I'm a traditionalist) but apart from this the story worked well overall. Carson was a rather weak and inept character at times, at others she seemed strong if rather impetuous. Nikodemus was a little hard to get to know, despite hearing most of the story from his viewpoint, but some of the side characters were interesting and added spice to the story. I just wish the author had left out THAT scene.

Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book © Helen Hancox 2008

I feel Ms Jewel is not sure how to take this series. I couldn't sympathise with the hero, Nikodemus, he couldn't see what's in front of him most of the time.I keep saying to him ' oh! come on surely you can change your mind now about Carson' And the heroine, Carson(please that is soooo... a masculine name)seem so wishy, washy.
It took me some time to get into the book, Ms Jewel keeps the pace going fast which is good.
I only hope the next story gets better.

I picked this book at the library and enjoyed the leading mans character and one part where he's wondering whether her stare is 'Thank you for the compliment' or 'Come any closer and I'll scream'. I liked a lot of the book, but when they brought in the sex it all kind of got strange.
It was explained as that his species find sex as a pleasurable thing and that many of the people will be attracted to their leaders, whether male or female.
It was strange to me and negated this 'she's my woman' thing that the leading man had going on when he watched his lover have sex with another man. Again, it's explained away as that this man has had no contact and by being with her, then it will bring him back. Also, the leading man went into her mind and so her mind was filled with him and not the man she was currently with. Also, you kind of get the feeling that these two will sleep with other people in the future and negates what these books are meant to be. Let's face it, they are designed for hopeless romantics who like a bit of smut. I am one of them!! I really liked the book until they started switching partners and though it was explained at it's just who they are, it ruined the book for me because we were supposed to be routing for this couple. I have nothing against being experimental, to each their own, but it ruined the book for me.
I did find it funny, that the sex scene with this random guy seemed more pleasurable to her than her own 'true love'.
If your looking for something to get the blood flowing, then read the book. If your looking for a good love story... don't get too invested.