The Demon's Daughter by Emma Holly

The Demon's Daughter has been sitting in my tbr pile since last year. I finally picked it up last week and wondered why I'd waited this long!

It's an unusual mix of the past and the future, being set in a Victorian setting where people have gained access to advanced technology through the ‘demons’ they’ve come into contact with. The Yama aren't actually demons but a very different race which inhabits this same alternate reality.

Here's the basic synopsis, taken from the Booklist review: "Inspector Adrian Philips has long felt on the outside. A human who has been "enhanced" by Yamish implants in order to police the rougher parts of town, he is feared by his coworkers and has been spurned by his former wife. After a fight leaves him wounded, he finds himself in the care of the infamous artist Roxanne McAllister. Despite social norms that say they aren't a good match, each finds in the other the sense of home they've longed for..."

Adrian is a gentler hero than I'm used to reading in this kind of book. He's strong but has this vulnerability that's very sweet. Roxanne is a great heroine, smart and capable but not hard, someone whose side I was on from the start. What I liked best is that these two don't have silly misunderstandings. They're very upfront about the things keeping them apart.

And last but not least, the sensuality is so hot I'm pretty sure I had steam coming out of my ears. *g*

I'll definitely be picking up Prince of Ice, another book set in this alternate reality, when it releases this November.