We first met Mac in Holly and Alessandro's adventure, Ravenous, when he was just a simple detective who picked up the wrong (the very wrong) dame at the bar. He wasn't a bad guy, and until he decided to do some pretty bad things, I liked him a lot. At the end of the book however he ended up in the Castle, a sort of...purgatory I suppose for supernaturals.

And this shouldn't be necessary, but spoilers for the first book.

A year has passed since the events of Ravenous and Mac is back out in the bright world looking for a purpose and redemption. The spell that had been the death of his demon-mistress Geneva (long may she rot) had drained most of his demonic needs for souls. Sadly it didn't make him completely human so he's struggling much like a former alcoholic or junkie does. Except former alcoholics and junkies don't have to worry about a vampire law enforcer hunting them down in case they fall off the wagon. Thrown back into the Castle, Mac runs into Constance and from there his whole world shifts.

Much like the first book this isn't strictly about Mac and Constance's relationship, but interweaves their budding relationship with the trials of Alessandro and Holly's continued relationship, Holly's elder sister Ashe's return and crazy crazy shenanigans in the Castle. Someone is creating havoc in the Castle, more then usual that is, and that in turn is creating havoc for everyone else involved.

Mac of this book is the Mac I loved in Ravenous--he's witty, he's charming and he's got that Detective Noir vibe radiating off him. Constance was very intriguing. Technically a vampire, she was tossed into the supernatural infested Castle before she drew blood so she's got the fangs, but not the powers. Her first meeting with Mac had to be one of the funniest things ever. Basically it went from a heavy make out session to Constance: 'Just let me bite you' Mac: 'No!' Constance: 'Come on!' Mac: 'No means no!'

Despite his hating to perpetuate the vampire stereotype of the brooding undead in the night, Alessandro does a lot of that this book. Mostly because Holly's sister Ashe--the vampire slayer--does her level best to make him doubt that he's making Holly happy. She'd rather be cutting off his head or staking him, but she settles for extreme emotional abuse.

Ashe was so...something. If Jane Lynch was a little younger I could see her playing Ashe in a movie/tv version of Scorched. Tough, conflicted and this side of mentally unhinged Ashe can't fathom why Holly has forgiven her for what happened if she can't forgive herself. Really her and Alessandro should have had plenty in common--they both really like to dwell in brooding self-pityland filled with regrets for past injuries and mistakes.

The plot is a little more complex this time, involving a larger variety of players and consequences. I will say that Mac gets to redeem himself, Alessandro stops brooding long enough to take a good hard look at things, Ashe...stops trying to kill Alessandro every time his back is turned and Holly manages to surprise Alessandro. I mean completely surprise him.

Book 3, due out in July 2010 at the moment, is titled Unchained and the excerpt reveals it to be centering around Ashe and Reynard (a Guardsmen Captain from the Castle). I sincerely hope that a future book revolves around Constance's 'son' Sylvius since I grew rather fond of him. ( )

While it includes the main characters from Ravenous, the vampire Alessandro and witch Holly, and introduces Holly's sister, vampire-slayer Ashe, the primary characters are Mac and Constance. Mac and Constance both struggle with their in-between identities: Mac is neither fully human nor fully demon, and Constance was imprisoned in the Castle before she finished Turning into a vampire. They find in each other kindred spirits and the missing pieces of themselves.

Unfortunately for them, while they're trying to resolve their personal identity issues, the Castle itself is in crisis. Whole regions are disappearing, the ties that bind Castle society together are falling apart, and it all seems related to Constance's adopted son, Sylvius and the missing Avatar.

What I really liked about this story is that the characters have to deal with some really crummy situations, some of them caused by their own poor choices, but rather than whining about it they accept the responsibility to make things better for themselves and for others. As Mac says in one part, "if life hands you giant squid disease, make calamari."

There are enough open elements that it feels a bit soap opera-y, but it can be read as a stand-alone novel. There are some dark parts, but nothing too gross, and it drags a bit in the middle. All in all though, a good read. ( )

I read Ravenous before I started reviewing, so I didn't do a review for it. Do you need to read it before this book? No, I don't think you do. You could if you would like to get just a little bit more idea of the background but I don't think it is needed to get into this story.

Mac returns to Fairview a year after the big show-down, which killed the female demon who made him the demon he is now - or what is left after Holly Carvers' spell that left him strong as his demon and very hungry but not able to eat human souls. Alessandro Caravelli has been waiting Macs return... to kill him, as punishment for his involvement with the demons against all other supernatural creatures trying to live peacefully with the humans and against the humans as well.

Alessandro seems to have softened some with living off his love with Holly now as apposed to feeding on blood, and puts Mac in the Castle - a supernatural prison. In the Castle Mac learns more of the Castle and its inhabitants along with finding a case that calls to his human nature. The Castle itself is in danger of failing. I start to feel for Mac in this book. He is just an innocent man who got mixed up with the wrong girl in the last book and now has to suffer as an unwanted demon. But Mac starts to find his way.

There is not as much in this book with Holly and Alessandro. These two are a wonderful couple (witch and vampire) and I really started loving them in Ravenous. You do get to meet Ashe, Hollys' sister. Now, you thought you had it bad with the in-laws? Try being Alessandro, living with probably the most powerful witch to live from a family of witches and her sister... being a vampire slayer.

I really enjoyed the tremendous amount of possible angles to the storyline here in the beginning. There was a good bit thought to happen with five great characters storylines. I really enjoyed getting all the different views in the beginning. Then, getting into the book it seemed to slow down in the storyline for me. It seemed that Holly, Alessandro, and Ashe got put on the back burner with Mac and Constance being the front line of the story. Which I loved learning about this couple, but I would have liked more from the others.

It was also given that the Castle is a very dangerous place, but I was expecting more from the Castle than I got. Then I got to the last seventy to eighty pages and the story picked up wonderfully again. I got here what I wanted from the Castle and got to have my favorite characters in the action as well.

The couple Mac and Constance was hard for me to accept at first with the way they got together. It seemed a little rushed or pushed, but by the end of the book they were perfect together.

In the end of the book I loved all the characters and all seems great... for a time. There is an opening to go into a book three. I will pick up book three because I have liked these characters again and the author has left me with hope for book three to have great possibilities. ( )

Amazon preorder,Amazon received