I enjoy demon romances, but every once in a while the world of fantasy can be a little hard to follow and can also cross boundaries with which I am not comfortable. Eve Silver’s Demon’s Hunger does both of those things.

Dr. Vivian Cairn, a professor of anthropology, goes on sabbatical when she begins to lose large chucks of time during which she has no memory. She also feels as if someone is watching her constantly. While she chalks most of it up to stress, she still can’t explain her ramped up libido, especially around Dain Hawkins, a well-known financier who asks her to take a look at a bone, most likely a mysterious demon bone.

Unbeknownst, initially, to Vivian, Dain is a member of the Compact of Sorcerers, a group of men sworn to protect the human realm against demons and hybrids trying to use it for their own nefarious purposes. Since the death of his own wife and child, it is his sworn duty to kill all things demonic and to protect those in need. His meeting with Vivian proves that she needs his help, especially when he has to fight a full fledged demon in her basement.

Not only are demons after Vivian and a strange collection of bones in her possession, there appears to be a connection to a larger plan that the Compact must decipher. To make matters even more dire, random men are dying in gruesome ways, each missing particular body parts. Each member of the Compact picks up strange vibes from Vivian and evidence builds that Vivian might be the very thing Dain hates most. Still, despite his suspicions, he feels possessive towards her and the attraction between them is stronger than anything he’s ever encountered. For Vivian, her feelings are the same and she can’t seem to get enough of him.

The action of this book seems to take place in about a week, which is one of the things that bothered me since I wonder how two people can get so strongly attached in such a short period of time. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t and, unfortunately, I couldn’t buy it here. Also, the most intriguing character in the book is Araminta, Vivian’s mother, who is cold and distant but holds secrets that Vivian can’t imagine.

Additionally, there are so many POVs in this book – six of the first eight chapters begin with a different POV, not to even mention the rampant head hopping – that it’s tough to keep things straight. In terms of dialogue, there were a few too many phrases like “my man” popping up enough to be annoying. And going back to those boundaries I mentioned: Like any reader, I have my personal lines and the the descriptions of the murders came close to crossing them.

On the positive side, the love scenes are intense and I also liked both the hero and heroine just fine. However, these just weren’t enough to make Demon’s Hunger a book I can recommend.