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Carpe Demon: Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom (Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom Series #1)
Unavailable
Carpe Demon: Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom (Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom Series #1)
Unavailable
Carpe Demon: Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom (Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom Series #1)
Ebook379 pages5 hours

Carpe Demon: Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom (Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom Series #1)

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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About this ebook

“Ninety-nine percent of the wives and moms in the country will identify with this heroine. I mean, like who hasn't had to battle demons between car pools and play dates?" Jayne Ann Krentz, New York Times bestselling author

Kate Connor is your average, everyday mom with two kids, a husband, and one very big secret ... she used to be a Demon Hunter. Now retired, she's more interested in the domestic than the demonic. So when she catches sight of a demon in Wal-Mart, she tells herself it's some other Hunter's problem. But when that demon attacks her in her kitchen, retirement is no longer an option.

Now Kate has to kick a little demon butt, figure out why the creatures are trying to take her out and take over her home town, and at the same time take care of her 2 year old, deal with a hormonal 14 year old, and try to keep her past a secret from her daughter and her husband.

She's a little out of practice, but hey ... if she can juggle two kids and an impromptu dinner party, ridding the town of demons should be a piece of cake. Like the saying goes, Carpe Demon ... and Kate intends to do just that.

RAVES FOR THE DEMON-HUNTING SOCCER MOM SERIES

Carpe Demon:

"I LOVED CARPE DEMON. ... It was great fun, wonderfully clever."—Jayne Ann Krentz, New York Times bestselling author

"This book, as crammed with events as any suburban mom's calendar, shows you what would happen if Buffy got married and kept her past a secret. It's a hoot."—Charlaine Harris, New York Times bestselling author

"I welcome the novels that decide to be utterly over-the-top and imagine paranormal and superhero lives for their chick- lit heroines. Take Carpe Demon ..." —Detroit Free Press

"Sprightly, fast-paced . . . readers will find spunky Kate hard not to root for in spheres both domestic and demonic."—Publishers Weekly

"Smart, fast-paced, unique ... a blend of sophistication and wit that has you laughing out loud."—Christine Feehan, New York Times bestselling author

"You're gonna love this book! A terrific summer read with lots of humor and crazy situations and action."—Fresh Fiction

"This book was so much fun to read. I highly recommend this exceedingly entertaining read!"—Midwest Book Review

"A+ ... I am very ready for the next installment in Kate Connor's life."—The Romance Reader's Connection

"Kenner scores a direct hit with this offbeat and humorous adventure ... Car pools and holy water make an unforgettable mix."—Romantic Times

California Demon:

“Kenner continues to put her fun, fresh twist on mommy-lit with another devilishly clever book.”—Booklist

“Plenty of action and humor. Kenner is at her irreverent best . . . delightfully amusing.” —The Best Reviews

“More witty, funny, and poignant adventures from the marvelous Kenner.” —Romantic Times

Demons Are Forever:

“[A] wonderful author...a fun premise...excellent characterization, intriguing stories, and snappy dialogue.” —Fresh Fiction

“This is the third in Kenner’s splendidly creative series featuring Kate, whose wickedly amusing adventures in demon hunting are a pure paranormal delight.” —Booklist

“This chapter in Kenner’s first-person, kick-butt adventures takes a darker turn, and a more serious tone, as Demon Hunter Kate Connor faces long odds and emotional turmoil. The terrific Kenner grabs you and doesn’t let go!” —Romantic Times

Deja Demon:

“A delightfully different take on the paranormal romance theme that will leave fans thirsting for more.” —Monsters and Critics

Demon Ex Machina

Pax Demonica

LanguageEnglish
PublisherJulie Kenner
Release dateDec 7, 2012
ISBN9780988684409
Unavailable
Carpe Demon: Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom (Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom Series #1)
Author

Julie Kenner

Julie Kenner's books have hit bestseller lists as varied as USA Today, Waldenbooks, Barnes & Noble, and Locus Magazine; have won numerous awards and have been lauded in industry publications such as Publisher's Weekly and Booksense.  Julie writes a broad range of fiction, including sexy and quirky romances, young adult novels, chick lit suspense thrillers and paranormal mommy lit.  Visit her online at http://www.juliekenner.com

Read more from Julie Kenner

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Reviews for Carpe Demon

Rating: 3.509009021621622 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Pretty funny.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Decent quick read. It was interesting to see how the main character attempts to segregate her current life with her past & present demon hunting. Try as she might, the demon hunting encroachment interfering in her personal life will be a losing battle as the series moves forward I bet. Good character development and a strong plot and storyline. The marital relationship conversations could be improved upon but overall a good 1st in series book. Also had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook. The narrator did a great job with giving each character their own voice - only a couple of mess ups when the dialogue between characters was short.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Decent quick read. It was interesting to see how the main character attempts to segregate her current life with her past & present demon hunting. Try as she might, the demon hunting encroachment interfering in her personal life will be a losing battle as the series moves forward I bet. Good character development and a strong plot and storyline. The marital relationship conversations could be improved upon but overall a good 1st in series book. Also had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook. The narrator did a great job with giving each character their own voice - only a couple of mess ups when the dialogue between characters was short.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    If your a fan of Buffy or any other vampire series, this book is fun! Its a "real" look at a fantasy world. What would a demon hunter do if they retired and then got drawn back into the life?I thought the character was real enough to be you or I. It was serious and funny with a mix of good and bad.I recommend it if you want a fun read with a little mystical thrown in.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The Book Report: Retired demon hunter, remarried widow, and mother of a teen and a toddler Kate Conner is forced out of her 'burbsy life by The Call of Duty: San Diablo, her hitherto peaceful adopted hometown, has attracted the attention of major baddie demon Goramesh, who wants something that he can't get because it's hidden within the sacred ground of the town's amazingly well-protected cathedral. Goramesh has targeted Our Heroine because she, as a Hunter, must be neutralized, thinks Kate's Vatican handler. She is sent a new handler, whose arrival in her home coincides with a demon attack and a cocktail party in aid of her new husband's political ambitions...and the handler happens to be showing signs of demonhood hisownself....Hijinks ensue, Good (or Catholicism, anyway) triumphs over Evil, and middle-aged mama Kate unretires because, as TV has taught us, once a target for demons, always a target for demons.My Review: Many points off for homophobia p15, "...realized {her son} had been completely mesmerized by four gyrating Australian men. If he were fifteen, I'd worry. At twenty-five months, I figured we were okay." That might be funny to the author's straight-mommy readership, but it shouldn't be. Having a gay son is grounds to worry? Really? And why is that, exactly?Many points off for assuming the world is Catholic in multiple places around the text. Many points off for out-and-out lifting the structure of her demon-world and its fighters from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." And lastly, a minor deduction for the main character's use and abuse of a long-suffering, and I do mean suffering, best friend. Why that lady puts up with this self-involved fool is beyond me.I started this book with very high hopes. I lost most of them on p15, as mentioned above. Then it was down to "finish or abandon?" debate...the only reason I review the book is that, in the end, I did finish it, and the ending was reasonably not-sucky. Go ahead and read it if you're an insensitive straight-supremacist man-hater. You'll laugh your socks off.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Listened to this book well over a year ago, I think. It was an entertaining story and I like the characters this author created. I enjoyed the 2nd book better though. And I look forward to listening to the next installment in the series.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Kenner has a wonderfully sarcastic, funny tone throughout the book. The protagonist is a mother of two who kills neighborhood demons. There are four books in the series, thus far. Each book has a major demon to battle, and throughout the four books, the protagonist struggles to solve her first husband's mysterious murder. Fast, hilarious read, and I highly recommend, even to those who don't normally read from the fantasy genre.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The premise of the book drew me in, the content kept my attention. I liked the idea of the book and the author came through with the story itself. At the beginning of the story, Kate Connor is a wife and mother. She has pushed her old life to the very back of her mind. Demons in the area have pushed it back to the forefront. In order to protect her family and her town, Kate must begin to hunt demons again.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Two minute review for "Carpe Demon" by Julie KennerWow, I never want to be a soccer mom. It is not the demon hunting that would kill me. It is the constant stresses of motherhood; Juggling a million errand, soothing everyone elses hurts, trying to read the mind of your teenager, keeping up with your frenetic two year old and being your husbands caregiver that would kill. The woman did not have two seconds to herself. Kate Connor is a great demon hunter but an even greater mom. Good book, very fast read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    My first thought while reading this is that I miss Buffy. Buffy the Vampire Slayer remains one of my favorite television shows ever. Carpe Demon initially caught my eye because someone prefaced their description of the book by stating that it was as if Buffy had grown up and gotten married. That one sentence was enough for me, and I was not wrong.As you can imagine when discussing a book about a retired demon hunter who now happens to be a mother, the book is meant to be what it is: light, carefree, fun and yet suspenseful. Ms. Kenner makes women everywhere thankful that we do not have to add "hunt demons" to our own to-do lists, and yet, we sympathize with Kate as she struggles to find balance in her shifting world. I personally adore how Ms. Kenner shows motherhood - the constant worry offset by doing the best we can to keep sanity at bay, the very unglamorous aspects of motherhood, and the occasional use of television as a babysitter. Mothers everywhere can relate, even if we do not have murderous demons jumping out at us when we least expect them.There was a surprisingly strong religious note to the book. In hindsight, demons and faith tend to go together, but in my experience, most authors do not include demons and a strong faith in God together in the same book. I wonder why that is, now that I think about it, for I did not find the discussion a turn-off. For, if you understand that demons are metaphors for the world's evils, then Ms. Kenner is just enforcing the need for faith.Carpe Demon is a quick read, one I thoroughly enjoyed. I found myself chuckling at Kate's plight but completely understanding her need to protect her family and friends. Mothers everywhere do the same thing each and every day, just not against high demons or hell hounds. In Kate, Ms. Kenner has a character to which most mothers can relate. I, for one, am definitely interested in reading the sequel. And if I happen to reminisce about Buffy, then so much the better!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was a really fun read! I enjoyed it tremendously!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    It was an OK, fun read, but I'm not in a rush to get another. The busy soccer mom - demon hunter thing was cute & amusing - once. The next book could go either way, but I doubt it will get much better. The base she has to work from seems a bit too static. The writing was mildly amusing, but never made me chuckle out loud. Not bad, but I could easily put it down.The characters were pretty well done & interesting. She certainly has the whole suburban house wife thing down well from what I could tell. I got the sarcasm when her 2 year old 'helped' her clean up, but she wrote that it was sarcastic. Redundant & typical of the book. The plot was neither original nor particularly imaginative. Figuring out who the bad guy was & how the book would end was easy. It was just a matter of waiting around for her to go the long way round the block to get there.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I liked this book. The style reminded me a little bit of MaryJanice Davidson's, but without all the shallowness of Betsy from the Undead series. I think Mothers will relate to it even more than I did since I've never been either a mom or a "soccer mom" myself. The story itself was fun, not too heavy, with a good mystery to boot. It was hard to put down and the surprise ending snuck up on me.Though this is the first book I've read by Julie Kenner, NeedSun had sent me some others from her Protector (Aphrodite) series, so now I'm looking forward to reading those while waiting for the 2nd book in the Demon series, California Demon: The Secret Life of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom, due to be published June 2006.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Here's the setup: imagine a Buffy type, specifically a highly trained demon hunter, long retired from the Forza Scura, immersed in suburban domesticity in sleepy California town, until one day a demon crashes through her kitchen window. Somehow she's got to find out what the demon Gorgamesh wants to find in her town, get back in shape, hunt down her town's rapidly-expanding population of demons, drive the carpool, and help launch her husband's political career.Review: Kenner has a nice light chick lit touch with a good sense of humor and timing. It makes me think of "Bewitched".
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    What Would Buffy Do? If she was suddenly called out of retirement? Oh, and she is married with 2 kids? And no one knows she used to be a demon slayer? This is a funny book that will appeal to many readers. If you don't usually read paranormal, but like funny books about domestic life, give it a try.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I found this at the bookstore and just had to get it. I was planning on sharing it with my sister, who is a big Buffy fan. But when I started reading through it, I was hooked! It's just so different from what I usually read. It was funny and exciting and yet pretty believable. Not a lot of gore or any vampire love scenes, or anything, which is fine by me. But a clever storyline and an appealing main character. I will definitely look for the next one in this series.CMB
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Not terribly original or deep, and Kenner telegraphs her moves from a mile away, but a fun read all the same. [2007-1-27]
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Mediocre book that really felt like the author was using this book to set up the first in a series. Not all that impressed...
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    WOW.

    What a phenomenal book. Reading it was like looking through a portal in the Joss Whedon world to a time where Buffy is 35 or so, and has two kids, a minivan, and Lawyer husband.

    After finishing a book and being unprepared with a new one, i walked into Murder by the Book, a local bookstore, and decided to peruse their selections. i was attracted by the title and the back cover description, but was unsure if i would like the writing style as that is often times hit or miss and rarely in between. one page into the book i walked over to the counter and bought it. ONE PAGE and i was already addicted.

    Kate is just your ordinary housewife, juggling kids, church responsibilities, and housework, but juggling them like a center ring circus act pro. She has been in retirement for 14 years and living in a quiet California town. Widowed and remarried, she has a 14 year old daughter and a 2 year old son.

    Raised by the Vatican after being pulled from an orphanage, she was taught unconventional school-work and fighting skills, and began hunting demons across the globe in an effort to eradicate evil. That life was behind her though, or so she thought.. When an old geezer dies and his soul leaves his body, his yet living flesh becomes host to a demon. After crashing through Kates window, right before a big dinner party, she has to come out of retirement, kill the demon, hide the physical corpse, and STILL serve a party of eight with all the flourish and class of a Lawyer/aspiring politicians wife.

    and that is in the first 20 pages…..
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    There is not one part of this book that you don't already know from reading the description. It is Buffy bitching about wanting a normal life at her very whiniest. I regret the time wasted reading it.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    WOW.

    What a phenomenal book. Reading it was like looking through a portal in the Joss Whedon world to a time where Buffy is 35 or so, and has two kids, a minivan, and Lawyer husband.

    After finishing a book and being unprepared with a new one, i walked into Murder by the Book, a local bookstore, and decided to peruse their selections. i was attracted by the title and the back cover description, but was unsure if i would like the writing style as that is often times hit or miss and rarely in between. one page into the book i walked over to the counter and bought it. ONE PAGE and i was already addicted.

    Kate is just your ordinary housewife, juggling kids, church responsibilities, and housework, but juggling them like a center ring circus act pro. She has been in retirement for 14 years and living in a quiet California town. Widowed and remarried, she has a 14 year old daughter and a 2 year old son.

    Raised by the Vatican after being pulled from an orphanage, she was taught unconventional school-work and fighting skills, and began hunting demons across the globe in an effort to eradicate evil. That life was behind her though, or so she thought.. When an old geezer dies and his soul leaves his body, his yet living flesh becomes host to a demon. After crashing through Kates window, right before a big dinner party, she has to come out of retirement, kill the demon, hide the physical corpse, and STILL serve a party of eight with all the flourish and class of a Lawyer/aspiring politicians wife.

    and that is in the first 20 pages…..
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Buffy sure has grown up. This book, the first in a series, follows Kate Connor, a mother of two in San Diablo, California. In her youth, she was a demon hunter with a secretive branch of the Vatican, and she thought she had retired... until a demon comes crashing through her kitchen window. Now she must hurry to get back into ass-kicking shape and figure out exactly what the Big Bad is looking for.This book is fun and quick-paced, and it reminded me a lot of the teen thrillers I used to read as a kid (Christopher Pike, Diane Hoh, Richie Tankersley Cusick). It also shared a lot of the humor of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, something it was obviously playing off of. If you enjoyed watching Buffy, this book will be right up your alley.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Cute concept. Kate Connor is a former demon slayer – a la Buffy Summers – who is now a housewife with three kids, including a toddler. She thinks she’s safe until a demon comes through her kitchen window just hours before a big dinner party. So, she kills him and hides him in the pantry. It goes downhill from there.Very clever story, really enjoyed it.