Red Demon grabs us and draws us right back into the thick of the Spartans and their battles to not only defeat demons, but to survive the machinations of the Greek gods. The Gods of Midnight series is an auto buy for me with a wonderfully drawn cast of both human and Spartan characters – with the odd demon and Greek god thrown in for good measure.

Red Demon very much draws on past books, particularly Red Kiss, so make sure that you’ve read this first. It really is essential.

Aristos (Ari) loved Juliana over a century ago, but his heart was torn to shreds when she drowned. Since then his focus has been on working with his brother Spartans and protecting humans from demons, with little hope or comfort for himself. The stakes for the Spartans have risen considerably since their battle with Ares on the banks of the River Styx in Red Kiss, with Ares determined to do all he can to destroy the Spartans – including bringing Juliana back to life through the power of a Djinn.

Deirdre Kinght set herself a difficult task with Juliana. She’s a Victorian era Southern woman, trying to remember why and how she died, assimilate into the modern and convince Ari that she still loves him. So, she’s pretty confused – and at times so are we. She moves from being the mannered Lady to being a sexy siren, and back again, far too rapidly and it’s hard to really like her.

Ari, well now that’s a different story! Yes, I rather like Ari *grin*! In part this is because in past books he has been such a good friend to River and now we finally get to know him better – and goodness those wings are pretty amazing.

However the real strength of this book comes from the entire cast of characters, most of whom have their time to shine. Emma, Daphne, Nikos, Leonides, Mason, River, Sophie … all of them add to the delightful banter and charm that draws me to this series. Their concern for one another and obvious commitment as warriors guarding each other’s backs is so compelling that any specific plot or character annoyances are forgiven. We’re left with simply a really good book in a riveting series.