Jesse James Dawson may not have the magical chops of his fellow warriors, but he makes up for it in kendo skill and sheer chutzpah. He risks his life time after time taking on the contracts of those who have sold their soul to a demon then negating that contract by sending the demon back to Hell one slice at a time.

It has been a rough summer for Jesse and those around him. He is having a lot of trouble shaking off the most recent of his battles, when he came inches from dying. He's doing his best to keep things on an even keel, having his annual barbeque and snarky t-shirt contest, heading off to the wilds of Colorado with his buds on their annual camping (and paint ball war) trip but he is riding close to the edge and he knows it. Then his own personal demon shows up with warnings of trouble on the way, but how can he trust a demon to tell the truth? There has to be some hidden agenda involved and Jesse is not going to wreck his buddies' trip on the demon's say so.

This is the first book I've read by K. A. Stewart, and I regret the time wasted before discovering her work. She has created an urban fantasy with the same touch of darkness I found in Butcher's Dresden series but instead of the champion looking in on the lives of those he protects, Jesse is surrounded by family. He is a father of a little girl, husband of a wonderful witch of a wife, and closely connected to his brother and some really great friends. It makes his life so much more complicated, but also keeps him grounded in what is important, and makes him an unforgettable character. Stewart also has a wicked sense of humor which I find irresistible, especially when mixed in with impeccable plotting and a story crammed with danger written with razor's-edge intensity. (One of those t-shirt slogans is going to wind up on my husband's grilling apron, too.)