a_reader_obsessed's review against another edition

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4.0

4.5 Enthusiastic Hearts

Admittedly, I’m not a ready and willing reader of stories involving the devil because of the doom and gloom themes that are typically pervasive. However, since this is narrated by Greg Tremblay, I took a chance because sometimes I’m all about broadening my horizons right? Well, I came out the winner for this is probably the most consistent anthology I’ve ever read as it provides compelling stories about those trying to do the impossible for a second chance.

I started out a huge fan of four of these authors, and I am now officially a fan of the other two! Not one of these six gals drops the ball, each presenting their unique brand of creativity!

Again, I thought Greg Tremblay was fabulous to begin with, but he really showcases his talent for accents here, just further solidifying himself as one of the top narrators around!

Internal Affairs - Jordan L Hawk - 4 Hearts
SpoilerA sassy, quasi-rom/com look at the underworld and the crossroads demons who serve to capture souls.

Newbie demon Ralgath, makes the rookie mistake of giving a contract that’s too good to be true. He’s a lot blinded by lust and allows Chess to become a powerful paranormal slayer to fight evil. Such perks aren’t supposed to be given, and poor Ralgath’s relegated back to hell to serve all of eternity in the torturous department known as Administrative Intake. When the opportunity to redeem his reputation is offered, Ralgath must ask for help from the very person who made him stray.

Fun and funny, the attraction between Ralgath and Chess hasn’t dimmed. A fast paced adventure to solve a mystery and bonus points where they end up saving each other!


Collared - TA Moore - 4.5 Hearts
SpoilerMy first Moore and certainly not my last!

Gritty, brutal, this is a world where hell never rests at trying to corrupt, slowly and insidiously spreading its darkness.

Jack is a condemned priest who’s been serving the demon Math, for years. Understandably, he regrets his past decisions but can’t help being enamored by Math who basically holds him prisoner. When given the chance to get his soul back, it’s not a difficult decision to make - a decision he can’t say no to nor does he want to.

This was dark and violent and disturbing but not short on the eroticism as the moral compass is tested over and over again. Bittersweet, not quite a romance, this surprised me in a good way as a twisted reveal shows the potential of what could be unraveled should Moore choose to continue with this unconventional storyline.


The Counterfeit Viscount - Ginn Hale - 4.5 Hearts
SpoilerMy debut read from this author and I’m impressed!

Bridging historical and fantasy, this is a world where descendants of demons perpetrate the human world, always deemed less but always wanted and used for their extra abilities and magic. Here we meet Archibald, a human bastard who sells his soul to the charming Nimble, to enact revenge on an evil uncle. What slowly unravels is a plot that has far- reaching repercussions, not just for Archibald but for the underprivileged and many more innocents caught in the crosshairs.

Full of mystery and intrigue, this smartly shows class and species divide and the carefully laid out plans that can all go awry. Effectively complex, along with an equally swoony sweeping romance (with nice smexy) and an ending that brought a huge smile to my face.


11:59 - CS Poe - 4 Hearts
SpoilerBrilliant in execution, I’ve not read anything other than short stories from this author, but the lady sure can create quite the gripping tale, and this was no different.

On the cusp of death, Asuka agrees to sell his soul in exchange to battle a terrible foe and never to dream again. Reality is slowly being overtaken by an unrelenting force, killing those brave enough to sleep and succumb to their nightmares. For five years, Asuka’s been going through the motions of fighting an unwinnable war, slowly losing ground as the human world is being methodically destroyed.

When Asuka’s interest is sparked for the first time in a long time by an tenacious young man, he feels a tug that might compel him to care once more. Thus, when the devil asks for his help in return for a chance to desire and want again, Asuka has no choice but to take up the dangerous challenge.

Full of action with vivid imagery and an interesting take on time and realms, this makes a very ingenious, satisfying full circle.


Wonderland City - Rhys Ford - 4 Hearts
SpoilerAn extended look at the wonderful world of Wonderland, where Alice is long gone and the fate of the White Rabbit, Mad Hatter, and the Queen of Hearts takes a different turn towards something so much worse.

Here, Wonderland houses those who trade their souls for a chance at a different life, and Xander has carved out a very very hard fought existence. Though he would love to be with the prince Jean Michel, too many extenuating circumstances (not to mention his own stubborn independent self) keep them apart.

However, danger threatens Wonderland's very existence when a devil makes a terrible mistake, and Xander must ask for Jean Michel’s aid to prevent the unthinkable. If he wins, he just might lose the very thing he wants the most.

This was classic Ford, who never fails for me when she writes fantasy with a grumpy antihero to root for. Action filled, high stake consequences but always with a rewarding win!


Dark Favors - Jordan Castillo Price - 4 Hearts
SpoilerNo doubt JCP is original, as this envisioned world shows the many many people who have gotten ahead by owing and asking for favors - a form of currency to get what they want in exchange for their eternal soul.

After years of not playing the game, Johnny accepts the rare favor from the devil himself, longing to be blissfully ignorant again. What he doesn’t expect is the surprising high stakes task he’s agreed to do. When Johnny hesitates, it’s just the opening for someone to throw a wrench into his well laid plans… a very sexy wrench at that.

JCP does not fail on the eroticism here and definitely brings about an unusual conclusion to Johnny’s dilemma but one that is no less satisfying.


Thank you to the authors for the audio in exchange for a honest review

pshelling's review against another edition

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3.0

Collared by TA Moore and Dark Favors by Jordan Castillo Price are at least high 4s for me, very worth it for those two alone.

bronwynheeley's review against another edition

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4.0

not finished full anthology yet, however it was stressing me having on my TBR pile when I'm not going to be getting back into them anytime soon

story 1, 4 stars - very cute, really enjoyed it
story 2, DNF - I couldn't get passed him lusting over a corpse, sorry I think, but yeah nah.
story 3, not read yet
story 4, 3.5-4 stars - loved the world/plot more then the romance, written in 3rd person present tense
story 5, not read yet
story 6, not read yet

teresab78's review against another edition

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4.0

Devil Take Me


Overall, it had some good stories, however none of them wowed me the way I expected from three of my favourite authors, which was a bit of a let down but entirely my perception. I don’t know if I just wasn’t in the right frame of mind or what. I’m not usually squeamish but as a whole this anthology was super dark with not much romance or even sex (in fact there was hardly any sex at all). It was definitely fit for an October release as I would class 3 of the 6 stories as horror. They were all imaginative and I’m sure many others would absolutely love all the offerings. For me, I don’t think I would read the book again.

*i was given this with no expectation of a good review


Infernal Affairs by Jordan L Hawk- 4 stars

Quick paced with an interesting premise. I really liked the humour and action. I didn’t buy the “I love you”s but did feel the attraction and potential so I could over look it. I wasn’t sure how they’d pull off being together, but I really liked the solution of the end. I would have liked a little more descriptive detail of the mc’s; I had a little trouble imagining how they and the dog both looked.


Collared by TA Moore - 2 stars

I really didn’t like this story and had a really hard time with it. There was no good in it what so ever, everyone was evil. I don’t usually mind a little gore and macabre in my paranormal but this pushed even those boundaries. I was confused for most of it and there was no romance - only sick twisted feelings. There are a lot of details missing to make complete sense of the story. If it wasn’t part of an anthology I would have DNF it.

Counterfeit Viscount by Ginn Hale - 4 stars

I quite enjoyed this story. The alternate universe was interesting and I would have loved a little more backstory to the world. I could definitely see a sequel with Archie and Nimble on other cases. The descriptions were rich and I was firmly put in the story.

11:59 by CS Poe - 4 stars

This story is told in a unusual voice that actually works quite well for this story. Very fast moving; I could see this as a movie. It was really imaginative. I would have liked a little more pre and post story.


Wonderland City by Rhys Ford - 4 stars

There is lots of action in this reimagined Wonderland. Many interesting characters and much gore made this a grittier world. I would have liked more of the romance but was still able to connect with Jean Michel and Xander though I wasn’t quite sure why Xander resisted the relationship.


Dark Favours by Jordan Castillo Price - 4.5 stars

This was my favourite of the stories. I felt more connected and I felt the attraction between the main characters more. I liked the idea of trading favours and granting favours to gain power. It was imaginative. It didn’t have as much gore as the other stories did, which I appreciated.

marlobo's review against another edition

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The first story took me four days to finish it, and it bored me until yawn. The second story drove me away as soon as I read the blurb.

The paranormal genre saturated me years ago; today, I read it very little, and that little bit sure is not about vampires, dragons, or demons, from which I run at top speed.

It's a clear case of personal tastes, and that's why I don't rate this book. I should have paid more attention to the dominant theme of the anthology, without letting myself be dazzled by authors' names, before buying it.

roxanamalinachirila's review against another edition

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5.0

They've sold their soul to the devil - but now the devil wants to sell it back, in exchange for a favor.

This anthology is quite solid. I'm not saying that it's perfect, but I've loved the sheer variation involved, especially considering that every single novella starts from the same premise, the one up above.

Jordan L. Hawk's "Infernal Affairs" is the fluffiest of the bunch. We have a devil working in Infernal Affairs, who manages to botch his very first deal with a human - luckily, there's a lot more going on and the devil gets to redeem himself, if he can enlist said human's help to kick ass. The story is cute, it takes place in the present day and it contains the doggiest infernal hound ever. Also, her hell is the least hellish of the whole. It's a nice romcom, which makes it somewhat at odds with the rest of the anthology (and I realized that even though I love Jordan L. Hawk's stories usually, this time I... thought this one was ok).

T.A. Moore's "Collared" is one hell of a different beast. It's a thriller/horror where hell rots its way through the world - the main character is a former priest who sold his soul, then tried to kill himself, only to be brought back undead. It's disturbing in the way the world festers and turns into a nightmare - and I loved it.

Ginn Hale's "Counterfeit Viscount" is an alternate history sort of story - all the demons in hell came up to earth to redeem themselves, and now their descendants live as subhuman citizens who occasionally dabbles in the dark arts. Archie is impersonating his dead friend and cousin with the help of such a devil, wanting nothing other than to bring down his uncle, the shit of a man who sent him and his dead cousin to fight in a war when they were children. It contains plotting, schemes and houses with trap doors.

C.S. Poe's "11:59" is a story which I forgot was part of this anthology because I forgot it contained a pairing. Not that it bothered me much, I didn't buy the book for the smut. Anyway, Asuka traded his soul and dreams to the devil a long time ago, and only realized too late that "dreams" included things such as hope. The world's run over by nightmares which become real, killing people both from the outside and the inside - and it's gotten so out of hand, that even the devil is worried. Luckily, Asuka can't fall prey to inner nightmares (no dreams, remember?) which makes him perfect to destroy the root of this madness.

Rhys Ford's "Wonderland City" takes place in Lewis Carroll's Wonderland, which is a pretty terrifying place, where queens are mad, white rabbits are killers and human children can wreak havoc just by existing. It's quite creative, even if a bit disturbing.

"Dark Favors" by Jodan Castillo Price has a world in which the devil chooses his own, and they trade in favors of all sorts. And now the devil wants one of his own to kill one of the Chosen. The world building's pretty good, but I'm not so sure about the action or the romance. Something seems off, but I'm a bit too tired to analyze what.

rainbow_grace's review against another edition

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4.0

Some good, some... not

I absolutely loved most of the stories in here. A couple weren't so great. The 2nd one had me skimming, hoping it would be over soon.

imanewreader's review against another edition

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5.0

i've never been a huge fan of anthologies/short stories. i usually need more than 100 pages with the character to be invested and interested in their story and the plot.
i bought this book because the 3 authors were highly recommended to me and i wanted to get familiar with their writing.
unfortunately, this book didn't do it for me. but i'll try longer books by these authors for sure !

the stories seemed interesting. but not enough to grasp my attention.
also, i am not big on demons, hell and devil stories.. so no big news. but i really thought this book would change my mind.

hartd's review against another edition

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I've only read two stories in this anthology so far, and I'm going to set it aside for now. I'm writing a review because those two stories were both amazing! I'll update this review if I continue reading.

Infernal Affairs by Jordan L. Hawk

This is a fun and fast-paced story, with some standard urban-fantasy stuff alongside some new ideas. I am already a fan of his, so I'm definitely heavily biased, but I absolutely loved this story. It's hilarious; I have a ridiculous sense of humor, yet somehow, it's on my exact comedy wavelength. I also found this story super hot, probably because Chess seducing Ralgath is a key plot element, even though the sex is not too explicit (which is unusual for this author). The emotional connection between these two built slowly, and I found it totally believable. Ralgath and Chess are a really appealing pair. I also thought the villain was pretty fabulous! This feels like the start of a new series, and I sincerely hope it is.

Counterfeit Viscount by Ginn Hale

I also really like this author. I always feel so immersed in the worlds she creates. This is set in the same world as Wicked Gentlemen, which I haven't read yet, but I didn't feel lost at any point. I loved the atmosphere (it reminded me somewhat of Sunless Sea, which is always nice). As is usual with this author, the romance is just one of many things happening in the plot. But there's a strong feeling of romantic tension, and the way that tension was resolved surprised me, in the best way. The plot is partly about privilege and (fantasy) racism, which sometimes feels like commentary on the real world, yet is not heavy-handed.
SpoilerArchie loves Nimble, but he has also spent a long time seeing Nimble as ultra-powerful, (sort of) because of his race, instead of as a full person with both strengths and weaknesses, which is a form that real-world bigotry can take. But Archie does come to love Nimble for who he really is.
This is a long story, with an almost leisurely feel to it, yet I still wanted more - so I'll have to read Wicked Gentlemen very soon.

claudia_is_reading's review against another edition

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5.0

Infernal Affairs by Jordan L. Hawk
Oh, this one was fun! I mean, the whole thing was hilarious and still manage to be full of suspense. Ralgath and Chess are wonderful, but Fluffpaw? Fluffpaw was adorable :P
The feelings growing between the MCs felt real and soon, I found myself wishing with all my heart that they will be able to find their HEA.
No surprise, really. Jordan L. Hawk always manages to bespell me ♥

Collared by T.A. Moore
This one is complex and you know from the beginning that it won't be a traditional romance. I love the way each of the characters is flawed, and yet you get them, you understand and care for them. A true noir crime set in a paranormal Universe, genius! The darkest of the bunch, but really, really good.

Counterfeit Viscount by Ginn Hale
A romance born between bullets and tops hats, this is a great story, truly delightful. And putting it after 'Collared' was an excellent choice.

Wonderland City by Rhys Ford
A twisted version of 'Alice in Wonderland', full of exciting adventure and romance. I haven't read a lot by this author, but this story certainly makes me want to read more :)

Dark Favors by Jordan Castillo Price
Oooooookay. I love the world-building in this one, and I really love the story. But the romance? I'm sorry, but nope. The sex feels too rapey for my tastes and I simply couldn't get over it.

And about the narration, Greg Tremblay does a fantastic job with this anthology.



11:59 by C.S. Poe
Oh! I love the concept of this story. I love that, in a world populated with human nightmares, the one man who can't dream is the hero. And I love that Merrick is the key to solve the whole thing.
I like the nod to Greek mythology, I like the way Asuka is presented as a worn-out hero who keeps going after monsters just because it's what he does. And I love how Merrick changes it all for him.
This is the first paranormal/fantasy I read by C.S. Poe, and I loved it.