Surviving Demon Island

I've read Jaci Burton before, so I decided to try the first book in her latest series. Surviving Demon Island turned out to be a very nice read: 4 out of 5.

What's America's top female action star doing on a tropical island shrouded in secrecy? To Gina Bliss, competing in a survival-type reality show is a nice change from fending off on-screen villains. Until she meets real-life action hero Derek Marks. A survival specialist in a tight black T and sexy stubble, he's arousing every bad-boy fantasy she's ever had . . . and testing her survival skills to the max.

Martial arts, jungle warfare--Derek's done it all. But his latest mission is more dangerous than a stick of dynamite. Try telling that to the sexy, adrenaline-pumped acress who's got his libido racing off the charts. As the heat rises between them and real-life violence erupts, suddenly Derek and Gina are on the run . . . and when they uncover a secret so explosive it could blow the lid off their so-called reality show, these two unlikely heroes are about to discover what surviving's really about . . .

In a subgenre--paranormal romance--where you see a lot of the same old thing, Surviving Demon Island offers a fresh look at a demon world. The book starts out simply enough: Gina is offered a chance to participate in a new reality series. We see her desire to do something new and exciting. What she gets is a world different than she ever expected, one that's turned inside-out.

She also gets Derek.

It's clear from the beginning that Derek is in on the secret, that he knows what's going on behind the scenes. There's also the classic man-and-woman-at-odds attraction between them. Still, the story offers some interesting surprises: two in particular toward the end notch up the conflict. And I loved the way Derek and Gina's relationship heats up. :)

This is my favorite of Burton's books (those I've read, anyway), and it's built on a fascinating premise. I'm very excited to read the next book in the series.