CLAIMING THE EVIL DEAD by Mary Abshire

Blurb:

Half-demon Jessie Garrett is searching for an evil vampire that's been preying upon children. She wants to claim the rogue vamp's soul and send it to hell. To find the dead man walking she must partner with another bloodsucker, Drake, even though she doesn't trust him. While Jessie works with Drake, she learns not all vampires are killers and discovers the cold-blooded vamp is a temptation too difficult to resist.

After the fiend abducts another child and Jessie has a near fatal experience with vampires, she turns to Jeremy, a demon she bumped into at a club, and makes a deal with him for his help. Drake disapproves, and Jessie soon finds herself wedged between two volatile creatures. When the chance comes to save the child's life and claim the evil vamp's soul, she must decide whom she can trust—a vampire who cools her feverish desires, or a demon hell-bent on seducing her.

oOoOoOo

Claiming the Evil Dead is a sizzling hot, action packed urban fantasy romance.  The story is told from the first person point of view of Jessie, a half-demon paranormal investigator.  Jessie is a kick ass heroine with an amazing ability.  She ingests the souls of the evil dead by sucking their ghostly forms into her mouth and sends them to hell.

The vampire Drake is in desperate need of Jessie's special gift.  Drake is challenged with finding and exterminating the vile vamp Alexander, who has been preying on children for the past century.  Drake wants Jessie to dispose of Alexander's wicked spirit.  Locating Alexander proves to be far more complicated than expected, so Jessie enlists the help of a full-blooded demon name Jeremy against Drake's wishes.  Demons and vampires don't mix, but they agree to work together nonetheless.  The three of them are soon racing against time to rescue Alexander's lasted young victim before it's too late...

My favorite part of the book was Jessie.  She was an amazing heroine.  Strong, confident, smart, yet troubled by her past.  She saw evil and kicked its ass.  I was fascinated by her "soul swallowing" ability.  The path to hell was through her stomach, which I thought was very clever.  Jessie was also conflicted over her demon-half.  Was she doomed to hell simply for being half-demon, or would she be judged by her own actions instead?

Claiming the Evil Dead captivates from beginning to end with strong world building, a fast paced, suspenseful plot, and sexy, intriguing characters.  The great chemistry between Jessie and Drake (plus some very steamy vamp on demon love) will not disappoint.  For romance lovers there is a satisfying happy ending while setting up book two in the Soul Catcher series.  I can't wait to see what comes next for Jessie.  I received a copy of this book free of charge from the author as part of her book tour.