A Devil in the Details: A Jesse James Dawson Novel (Jesse Dawson)

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A Devil in the Details: A Jesse James Dawson Novel (Jesse Dawson) [K. A. Stewart] on donnsboatshop.com *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. View our feature on. Editorial Reviews. From Publishers Weekly. Starred Review. This crackling series launch hits the trifecta of strong story, characters, and prose. Jesse James.

The review must be at least 50 characters long. The title should be at least 4 characters long. I'll probably give it another chance when book 2 comes out, but I'll stick to getting it from the library, I don't think I liked it enough that I would want to buy it. Jun 19, Snarktastic Sonja rated it really liked it. Ok - this one is really 4. This one was a rare gem to me. It hit all the right buttons. It has a loving relationship - no triangles, no "will they or won't they" or "when the heck are they gonna get around to it"s.

It is a given. It has relationships beyond "the" relationship. There is a young daughter. There are 2 bosses. There is a brother. Lots of room for love to abound here. There is ONE sex scene. And, it is MY kind of sex scene.

A Shot in the Dark: A Jesse James Dawson Novel

The closed door kind. D The Ok - this one is really 4. D There is sarcasm. A TON of sarcasm. There is a mystery. Which I totally did not solve. There are battle scenes. The world developed is all too real. And, it all takes place in Kansas City! I recognized all the landmarks. This happens very rarely. I will definitely push forward in this series. Mar 15, Blood Rose Books rated it really liked it. In her debut novel K. Stewart bring us into the world of Demon contracts for a Human's Soul and the Champions of the world who fight to get them back.

Enter an ultimate battle of Good vs Evil. Jesse James Dawson is a Champion, he helps those individuals who have sold their souls to a demon, for a wish. However, there is always a cost to save another person's soul. A battle to the death, with a set of rules of course. Each time Jesse fights a demon his own soul is on the line, and he has everyth In her debut novel K. Each time Jesse fights a demon his own soul is on the line, and he has everything to loose. Only relying on his samurai practices he does the ultimately battle of good vs evil for the human soul.

However, there is trouble brewing within the Champion world. Champions have gone missing and there is no information as who they were helping and whether they are alive or dead. All the Champions are told to be wary, someone has changed the rules of this dangerous game and if Jesse cannot figure out the new set of rules, his next battle may result in him loosing his soul. Stewart has created something different on an old saying "be careful what you wish for". This book starts you off right in a battle sequence, so how could it not grab your attention, plus Jesse is battling for the soul of the President makes you wonder what he traded his soul for, maybe winning an election.

Also the demon that he is fighting also grabbed my attention as it was not your typical demon well mainly in the paranormal genre the Demon is some hunky looking man or women, this is drastically different I talk more about the demons further on. The Champion concept kind of reminded me of the league of extraordinary gentlemen, with less powers, however the book does not go into too much detail as to what powers some of the other champions have and I hope that Stewart explores this in future books.

Jesse, is the rare one and I mean only one in the league as he does not have any powers, his wife, Mira, is the powerful one in the family as she is a witch. You also get a sense that his daughter, Annabell, has some form of powers as she is always asking her Dad if he is going to come back to her tonight, or to be careful. I think that this might be something that Stewart may develop in future books.

Mira appears to be a fairly powerful witch as she is able to create wards for the house and Jesse, as well as perform other spells that I do not have a name for. I enjoyed that the individual with the powers in the book is the person who is not fighting the Demons, well unless you count hurricane Annabell. This is a male lead book, but this did not take away from the story for me. Jesse is a great character, he is the perfect mix of bad-ass Samaria a Scottish Samaria to be more specific, lol and father I know a very interesting mix. His appearance is one that may have you walking on the other side of the street but he has a good heart well most of the time.

He has a great whit, that had me laughing, but he is honourable and is willing to help those out who are truly regret selling their soul. I think the best part about Jesse really is his lack of power and relying on his human powers and skills with different blades in order to fight the demons. He is also different from the typical demon slayer in the fantasy or paranormal genre as he is not over steroid males like many of the male leads in this genre Jesse is the first one to let you know that he is not small, just Wiry. Trust me this leads to some funny moments. The Demons that Stewart has created are interesting as well, though their practices are like those of lawyers.

They key in on every detail in a contract that is made and are always trying to find the loop hole.

There are several different classification of demons and they range in power. The amount of power that they have determines what type of form they appear on the human plane. For example, at the beginning he is fighting a Scuttle as Jesse calls them so it appears, what I pictured as a giant crab. The higher on the scale the more sophisticated the form of the demon. It also makes me wonder what Axel, a demon who Jesse associates with on an almost daily basis, form is as he is able to take over creatures bodies. Axel is a very scary demon, as he acts as Jesse's friend, but Jesse always has to keep in his mind that Axel is ultimately after his soul.

So Jesse needs to tread carefully especially with how he words or questions Axel as he could inadvertently enter into a contract. Stewart really brings new life to be careful what you wish for saying, as there may be someone or something there that can make your wishes and dreams come true, and it is probably not worth the consequences. This book kept me interested throughout. I think Stewart has an easy yet detailed writing style, that kept me reading and wanting to see what will happen next and that includes picking up the next book in this series.

Jul 06, Soo rated it liked it Shelves: The humor in etched into the little preview and the start of the book was a nice hook to snag my interest. All in all, I really like the characters that make up the story but the lack of applicable knowledge about 'samurai' philosophies, fighting, armor and weapons was a total turn off. These elements are the core pieces that make up more than a third of this book and that made the reading a bit painful at times. Not a lot happens in A Devil in the Details. You get a good look at Jesse James Daw The humor in etched into the little preview and the start of the book was a nice hook to snag my interest.

You get a good look at Jesse James Dawson, his family, relevant friends and how he got into the demon fighting business. The whole book is a simple setup for the series that lays out the ground rules for how it'll work. Unfortunately, the story sounds like a woman writing a story about a man.

I prefer to read my stories and not think about the writer at all except to key in their particular style for the story in my hands. I enjoy getting a handle on how and why a writer chooses to weave a story with their words. What kind of response they're looking to pull from the reader and how they create the story that will play in my head. I don't really want to think about the writer as a person hanging over my head as I read the story. I want to be involved in the story. That's hard to do when I have to keep reminding myself that: Except when he comes off like a female trying to act like a guy.

I would have liked the book more if it was about a spunky female defending humanity against demons because that would have been more believable. Do not read this book if you think it's going to be a ton of action involved. That's probably in book two. The opening totally fooled me into thinking that a lot of things will happen in the story. I was totally hoodwinked. It's a cute story. The characters are fun. The author did a nice job at trying to make a down to earth character that's also a badass hero. The relationship Jesse has with his wife and daughter is coo worthy.

I wonder if anyone picked up on the fact that he doesn't tell pertinent information to his wife when he should. Wave aside the whole macho 'I don't want to tell her I'm injured' bit and let's focus on the fact that if his life is endangered, it does not take a genius to figure out that those close to him would be in danger. Magic is cool for defending against certain harm. It doesn't work for everything. I kept waiting for Jesse to do something about that and it never happened. This seemed completely out of character and drove me nuts while I was reading the story.

I like this story much more than a few others I have read in the past few months. It has a lot of promise.

I may pick up the next book at some point in the future when I have a more forgiving attitude. Feb 19, Shelley rated it liked it Shelves: Every once in awhile a story comes along that has a male lead character that changes your prospective of the Fantasy genre and into trying something new for a change. This, to me, is that story. I still prefer female leads, but this story is so very unique, that it surprised me how well I liked it, and will definitely look forward to the next release, A Shot In The Dark, once it is released in July Our lead character is named Jesse James Dawson.

His father had a thing for Every once in awhile a story comes along that has a male lead character that changes your prospective of the Fantasy genre and into trying something new for a change. His father had a thing for westerns. Jesse was a wild child growing up, and ended up in the right place at the right time, and changed his ways and most likely his life as well. Jessie is father to 5 year old Annabelle and husband to Mira who is a powerful witch.

He works as a retail clerk at a store called It. He has a black belt in karate, jujitsu, and is a modern day samurai, and he's one of the last remaining demon fighters in the world. The family dynamics are what really caught my interest in this story. Sure the demon slaying was interested as well, but I haven't really found another story like this in a very long time.

Jessie puts himself at risk for others, but Mira is right there standing by his side and helping him with her magical protection, and even diving in when one of their friends, Miguel, turns up missing and presumed dead. Cole, it seems, turned out okay, and thanks to Jessie got a nice career as a police officer. Cole only played a background part in this story, so, we really can't tell if the brothers are actually close or not. Another charater of interest is Ivan Zelenko. Ivan is a Ukranian who put together the organzation that is responsible for slaying demons, and their training as well.

Most of his champions are men, with the one exceptioin of Svetlana who resides in Eastern Europe, and for whom we don't get a chance to meet as well as the other champions.

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Ivan has at his disposal a network called the Grapevine, which is supposed to be hacker safe. It's a way for all champions to keep in touch with Ivan, and to get their next assignments. Jessie tells us that you don't really kill demons, you wear them down until they lose the strength to hold onto this plane. There are 5 levels of demons: Each more powerful than the other. After Jessie beats the Giant Crab demon, he ends up spending the next 3 weeks in the ICU, and is out of commission while he heals from his extreme injuries.

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We learn that he has a plethora of other injuries from battling demons. Good thing he has a good doctor he can deal with; Dr Bridget Smith, and ex lover. Jessie then takes a job from a baseball player named Nelson Kidd, who throw the story for a loop at the end. He sold his soul to a demon in order to remain active in baseball, and not washing up. During this time, Jessie finds himself being tracked and hunted by an unknown demon, who it appears, has also gone after two other champions and killed them. At the same time, another demon named Axel, continues to try to tempt Jessie into giving up his soul.

Personally, I found Axel aggravating, and one of the reasons I lowered my rating on this story. He has information that can help Jessie, but being a demon, he's just to stupid to be allowed to live. Everyone who enjoys a good yarn of a story, with a family dynamic that is a beautiful thing to read about. View all 4 comments. Jun 25, Darcy rated it it was amazing Shelves: Sometimes when you add books to your TBR list you aren't really sure about them, but they look interesting so you figure why not add them. Then days, weeks, or even months go by and you see a title and you wonder why you added it, but then you are at the bookstore or library and you see it there so you grab it, not really expecting much.

That is what happened with me and this book. As I started to read it I even thought it would be one that I wouldn't be able to finish, but soon after the second Sometimes when you add books to your TBR list you aren't really sure about them, but they look interesting so you figure why not add them. As I started to read it I even thought it would be one that I wouldn't be able to finish, but soon after the second chapter I was won over by the book.

What I find so appealing about this book is that Jesse is "normal". He has a crappy job, has a wife and kid, drives a POS that he loves dearly, but he also battles demons as a normal guy. No super healing, so super strength, just his brain and his muscles. So how does a seeming normal guy have a job in which he battles demons for peoples souls, well it is all because of his little brother. We all have those siblings where we would do anything for and that is the case with Jesse and Cole.

Cole's son was dying, he couldn't or wouldn't let that happen so he made a deal with a demon, his soul for his son's life. Afterward he realizes just how deep he is, so he goes to his older brother and Jesse takes care of things. This is how he discovered a world he didn't know existed, one in which there are champions that fight for people after they make stupid, selfish, or desperate choices they later regret.

Jesse wasn't always such a good guy, but after some stupid actions of his own as a teen his life takes a much different path, one in which being a champion seems like a good choice. There is also an organization for these champions, headed by Ivan, a guy I hope we can learn more about in later books. They even have a computer geek that seems interesting. Jesse has a core group of people that he depends on to help him in his unusual profession. Mira, his wife, is also a witch and for some reason scares everyone, provides protection spells along with her unwavering support.

His 2 best friends, one who is a blacksmith, providing armor and weapons, the other an EMT, who goes along with him to his battles, providing much needed medical care after. There is even a demon who is more than he seems, at times causing Jesse to forget just what he is. This book is simple in is execution, there is no big massive world building, no new learning of languages, just a good old fashion battle of good vs.

I can't wait for the next book!! Jun 26, Cathy rated it really liked it Shelves: I liked this one a lot. It felt like a very well-established world that we were just invited into, it just had a different tone than a lot of urban fantasy books. It also came from the author's choices in establishing Jesse as a somewhat more mature man, not a young kid just starting out. He's around thirty, married and madly in love with his wife, Mira, a powerful magic user as well, and they have I liked this one a lot.

He's around thirty, married and madly in love with his wife, Mira, a powerful magic user as well, and they have an adorable five year-old daughter, Annabelle. He's in the prime of his career as a Champion, helping people who've sold their souls to devils, reclaiming them by literally fighting for them.

I likes the story and the twists, I liked all of the supporting characters, including Jesse's mentor, Ivan, a tough former probably-Soviet or Eastern Block agent of some sort, and Mira's best friend and Jesse's ex, Dr. It was a little too convenient that Jesse's old neighbor and best buddy, Marty, was a welder with a passion to be a blacksmith, but it did explain how he took care of his swords and armor. And most intriguing of all was the demon, Axel, who was either trying to steal Jesse's soul or trying to help him by telling him that something sinister was going on beyond the normal contract he expected.

It was a good set up for the next book. And again, with all of these characters and situations there were so many touches that made it feel real and down to earth, such as the mention of how bad the padding in the armor smelled of sweat and blood, that no matter what he did he could never get it clean. It was just another thing made it feel really real.

There was a lot in this book that felt more mature than I expected from a new author. It wasn't perfect, there were some pacing issues, but overall I really like Jesse and this situation the author has established and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next. Feb 20, chucklesthescot rated it liked it Shelves: This book had the potential to be something really great and I was a little frustrated that it didn't fully deliver on it's promise.

It was still a decent and well written read though. Jesse is one of a dwindling group of warriors that can be hired to fight demons to save the soul of the client from being taken. So if you do a deal with a demon and change your mind, Jesse can fight the demon in your place and hopefully win your soul back. Jesse is a good hero because he is flawed, funny, and for This book had the potential to be something really great and I was a little frustrated that it didn't fully deliver on it's promise.

Jesse is a good hero because he is flawed, funny, and for a pleasant change, is married with a kid. It makes him seem more like a normal guy with a strange job, and it was nice to see something a little different. He has a good personality and that is important for me in an MC. The book starts with a bang as Jesse endures a brutal fight with a demon, and this was very well written and entertaining. I also liked the big fight at the end of the book which was clever and well thought out. The world building was solid, the writing was good and the author had a clear idea of where they were going and what they wanted to deliver.

A Devil in the Details (Jesse James Dawson, book 1) by K A Stewart

There was plenty to like about this book. Where it fell a bit for me was spending way too much time with Jesse as a family man, with an annoying and very hyper child that got on my nerves. I hate children at the best of times so this was pretty irritating. It caused the book to become pretty slow after that initial fight scene.

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It took to page to negotiate his next fight, which then doesn't take place until page There needed to be something other than his family life to fill in between the fights to keep the reader engaged. So while I liked the character, the plot and the writing, I don't see me continuing with the series, based on how slow this book went in the middle-unless I get the chance to borrow it from a friend. Aug 09, Kati rated it liked it Shelves: Nice action, intriguing story - but some things just didn't click for me.

The fact that Jesse didn't know Esteban despite having attended Miguel's wedding. The fact that Jesse was all about honor and the rules - but God forbid, if Axel the Demon insisted on adhering to them; it proved that Jesse wasn't honorable, but a simple hypocrite.

The way he kept repeating that Mira would kill him. The fact that he kept moaning and whining about how bad his life style was for his family - either 2. The fact that he kept moaning and whining about how bad his life style was for his family - either change your life or shut it, buster! The fact that he didn't mention being hurt or being followed to anybody!

So, despite some positive things, the book left me feeling And actually sorry for Axel the Demon! Sep 21, Contrarius rated it really liked it Shelves: It's refreshing to see a hero who is an unashamedly noble man.

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Jesse follows bushido, has a wife and a daughter, no dark tragic history, no half demon heritage, no nuthin awful. He's not a Gary Stu or a paladin by any means, just a good imperfect guy who is trying to do the right thing. Sometimes I feel as though the author is trying a little too hard to be funny, and perhaps because of the hero's nobility there isn't as much emotional or moral complexity as there might be in some UF, but these t It's refreshing to see a hero who is an unashamedly noble man.

Sometimes I feel as though the author is trying a little too hard to be funny, and perhaps because of the hero's nobility there isn't as much emotional or moral complexity as there might be in some UF, but these two books A Devil in the Details and its sequel, A Shot in the Dark are still entertaining.

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It will be interesting to see where Stewart goes from here. Jan 13, Denise rated it really liked it Shelves: Ever since his brother got himself in trouble making a bargain with a demon and Jesse had to wager his own soul in a deadly duel with the demon in question to get him out of it, he's been working as a champion: Putting his soul on the line, over and over, to help others who have foolishly entered into bargains with demons.

There are only a couple of handfuls of champions operating all over the world, keeping in touch through a loose organization aided by the marvels of the internet - and now sev Ever since his brother got himself in trouble making a bargain with a demon and Jesse had to wager his own soul in a deadly duel with the demon in question to get him out of it, he's been working as a champion: There are only a couple of handfuls of champions operating all over the world, keeping in touch through a loose organization aided by the marvels of the internet - and now several of them die in unusual battles in short succession.

Something dangerous is going on, and it may be coming for Jesse next. This was a great series opener, lots of action and characters I very much want more of. Having a husband and father as the protagonist makes a nice change from the usual lone ranger types populating the genre, and I really loved Jesse and his modern day samurai philosophy.

Looking forward to reading more from this series! I found myself enjoying this very much. It starts off with action, lulls in a few spots, but has enough action to keep me satisfied. He is a different type of hero than what I am used to reading in UF and PNR in that he already has a family, so there's not that true romance element there, but it's obvious he loves his family and adores his wife.

He can fight, obviously, but I found myself enjoying this very much. He can fight, obviously, but that has to do with being enrolled in martial arts during his misspent youth. He is quite talented at it, though and he needs to be considering what he tends to fight are demons. As I said above, there are some lulls in the story.

We see a lot of Jesse's home life as well as his work life, but there are still moments during those times that are relevant to the overall story. Such as the visits from Axel, who just so happens to be a demon after Jesse's soul. He seems to be pretty persistent in that. Why does he want Jesse's soul so badly, anyway? I found Axel to be interesting. He seems to want to warn Jesse about something going on with the demons, but of course, he insists he can't do so without getting something for the information. While Axel may not be the ultimate big bad that I have a feeling is out there, I have to agree with Jesse's decision not to make a bargain with him.

I have a feeling it might come back to bite him in the ass, but what can he do? The things Axel asked for aren't things that I can see someone like Jesse giving up to a demon. A lesser person might, but not Jesse. I'm looking forward to seeing how that plays out. Another character I was intrigued by was Paulo. I knew I guessed right regarding his identity, but I was still pleased when I turned out to be right. I like that he will be sticking around. Better for Jesse to try to improve his fighting skills than letting the boy go off on his own and get himself killed.

I'm hoping to see much more of him in the future. I also really liked Jesse's wife Mira. No wilting willow is she. She's easy to like. His daughter Annabelle is just too cute. I loved Ivan, too and all of his broken English. Like Jesse, I didn't suspect the person behind the circumstances that ended up with the other Champions dead. I thought it was related to whatever was going on with the blue Ford Escort that seemed to be hell bent on taking Jesse out, but that seems to be something entirely separate.

I'm really curious to know what that is all about. I have a feeling we'll be seeing that guy who got away again at some point. While this wasn't the most exciting book, I thought it did a nice job of setting up the world for the series and I just plain love Jesse.

I will definitely be continuing on with the series. Oct 28, Richard rated it liked it. I'll start of by saying I rather enjoyed reading this book, the concept for the story is very good and I liked the way the characters interacted. Now, the bad part, my rating figures more along the angle that while a fantasy novel the main character is just too out there for my liking I can't picture him as someone believable. We have an early 30 something, teenage thug turned philosophical American Samurai wannabe, who has his own Japanese meditation garden, and wields Katana's made by one of h I'll start of by saying I rather enjoyed reading this book, the concept for the story is very good and I liked the way the characters interacted.

We have an early 30 something, teenage thug turned philosophical American Samurai wannabe, who has his own Japanese meditation garden, and wields Katana's made by one of his best friends in college who decided it was his mission in life to be an old world style blacksmith. Our main character Jesse also has a wife whose a witch, and a daughter. Main character aside, the story is told well and while predictable at times, it does a good job at making you want to invest more time finding out what happens next.

I'm likey to try the 2nd in the series just due to the parts I liked about it but I'm not sold on the lead char at all.

A Devil in the Details

Sep 07, Annmarie rated it really liked it Shelves: Hey, this was a promising start to a new series! The main character is Jesse, a martial artist who is a "Champion", one of a few people who fights demons of behalf of individuals who regret the loss of their soul after they've sold it to the devil.

He discovered this world previously after his brother comes to him for help, having sold his own soul to save his child. Pretty strong action story about Jesse's latest client and the mysterious disappearance and probable death of two other Champions, Hey, this was a promising start to a new series! Pretty strong action story about Jesse's latest client and the mysterious disappearance and probable death of two other Champions, plus a stalker in a blue Ford, and an untrustworthy demon who keeps showing up in Jesse's back yard to play chess and to presumably cultivate Jesse's soul. Great protagonist - he's a smartass, is married, loves his little girl and wife a Wiccan who has her own strong personality , has to work a day job at a funky t-shirt shop to support the family, and follows bushido philosophy.

The last fight scene could have been a little longer, felt slightly anticlimatic, but it's a great book. I might be biased in favor, admittedly, because of the smartassery and the realistic bushido details and the way Jesse gets hurt as one would without having it "magicked" away.

Dec 21, Kari Chapman rated it it was ok Shelves: This book has a lot of promise to it. It features a smart-ass white knight who fights to help those around him, even if they don't necessarily deserve - I kept thinking back to early Harry Dresden while reading this. Jesse was a young punk who turned his life around when he got involved in martial arts.

Now he tries to follow the way of the Samurai and fights to help people break contracts they've made with demons.