A Book in My Back Pocket

Ever wish you could conjure your own personal genie from a bottle to grant a few wishes or change the course of your life? In the case of Kendra Carter, it is a demon and she doesn’t summon him from a bottle, she calls him up from 514-year-old grimoire called the Delomelanicon. The difference in Kendra’s case, is that she summons her demon unconsciously and without understanding of the book’s power.

Devyn Quinn has the ability to develop characters for her stories that are deeply “wounded” and just when you think all is lost, she pens plot twist that results in their redemption. I’ve read a number of Ms. Quinn’s novels and I have to say, I think Kendra is one of her more ‘damaged’ heroines; however it makes the conclusion of her unusual story all the more sweet.

Possession

Kendra Carter has hit rock bottom, she has just been released from hospital following a suspected suicide attempt and “nervous breakdown”. She returns to the family mansion she shares with her stepbrother Gerald and his wife Jocelyn to find he has purchased a rare leather-bound book that has a faded title in Latin meaning “To summon darkness…” Gerald has always had an interest in demonology and the relic is steeped in history and mythology. The grimoire is kept in a glass lectern in the library and as Kendra discusses the book with her stepbrother she feels a magnetic force drawing her toward it. In fact, she feels an unseen force caressing her mind, seducing her.

Kendra loses consciousness and when she awakens, she is alone and feels a presence emanating from the book, calling to her, she approaches the lectern and the glass shatters.

“A crimson-shaded mist streamed around the grimoire, unfettered by any force. With a great, shuddering heave, the cover slowly opened. Several pages followed, turned by an invisible hand. The book faded away as the mist took on substance, thickening and taking on a distinct shape. Wafting closer, it settled in front of her. Thicker and denser, the sent of hot musk grew more intense. The glimmer of an actual figure evolved, assuming a new solidity. A six-foot hunk of demon materialized.”

Possession © Devyn Quinn

The demon introduces himself as ‘Remi, the bringer of revelation’, and Kendra discovers very swiftly that he knows her inner most secrets and understands her loses. He also proves to be an unbelievable, consummate lover. The love scenes penned between Remi and Kendra are explicit, intense and sensuous. He is very powerful and has the ability to manipulate matter and time. As always, Devyn Quinn’s graphic imagery astounds me and the encounters between Remi and Kendra are no exception, in one particular scene he calls to her from inside a beautiful picture and she is able to step through and enter the scene to be with him.

Kendra has horrendous emotional baggage to work through, 11 months earlier, she was involved in a motor vehicle accident that cost her father his life and left her scared emotionally and physically. She has been prone to memory lapses and at first believes that Remi is a figment of her imagination or dreams and that she is truly going mad, especially when he turns up unexpectedly at the most inopportune moments and no one else can see him.

Gerald Carter proves to be a positively malevolent, creepy, sociopath. He is handsome, a womanizer and extraordinarily manipulative. As the extent of his depravity and involvement in the reason for Kendra’s emotional problems and memory lapses are revealed I really hoped he would get what was coming to him. Thankfully, Ms. Quinn didn’t disappoint.

Jocelyn, Gerald’s wife, is written as an intelligent businesswoman and while she is a secondary character, plays a pivotal role in what is a riveting plot twist.

The climax of this story took me completely by surprise because while Remi does save Kendra, it isn’t in the way you may expect and at the end of the day they are both forced to make the ultimate sacrifice. The question is, do they survive to enjoy what develops into a soul deep love?

“Possession” is a dark, intensely erotic paranormal romance, but also a psychological thriller that is riveting and suspenseful. Ms. Quinn’s stories haven’t disappointed me yet.