"My Wicked Enemy" by Carolyn Jewel

Carson Philips is on the run from her guardian/employer, Alvaro Magellan... a dangerous man who is either a psychotic murderer or an evil mage out for power at any cost. Carson's only hope is the mysterious Nikodemus, who claims to be a demonic warlord and professed enemy of Magellan. But Nikodemus seems as likely to kill her as help her, and he's got some problems of his own to contend with -- starting with his undeniable yet forbidden attraction to Carson.

At first I loved this book. Then I didn't. And then I did, again. The story starts out strong, plunging right into the plot and quickly introducing the main players. About the middle, things slow down and get a little confusing, but the action picks back up and finishes satisfactorily. The plot is a little basic -- in truth there isn't a whole lot going on -- and some elements don't quite come together, so this definitely reads as the first book of a series; nevertheless, the entertainment value is moderate to high. The strength of this book really lies in it's intriguing set of characters. Fans of J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood will love the cast of badasses found here, especially Xia, the biggest, baddest mother of the group. This is also a very sexy book, with the temperature ranging from sizzling to scorching all the way through. However, there's a blatant tone of kink here and there, so if you squick easily you'd probably be better off passing on this one. As for me, I will certainly pick up the sequel next summer, tentatively titled His Wicked Witch, which focuses on Xia.