PRE-RELEASE REVIEW: DEVIL TO PAY BY RENEE BERNARD

(Eternity Gambit, #1)

Genre: Romantic Comedy with Paranormal Elements

Cover Blurb

Being the Devil is a job no one wants. The hours are terrible, the workload unbelievable and frankly, customer service is a nightmare. You’re blamed for everything and liability is no joke when you’re the Lord of Darkness. As a result, turnover for the position is fairly high. The current Lucifer is the seventh lucky one to lose the ultimate lottery and land the title.

Truthfully, there’s very little evil to be instigated.  Free will and a bad history of twisted mythology takes care of all of it–so the guy behind the black onyx desk is generally just the unhappy Archangel left filling out paperwork and doing his best to keep the Big Boss happy. And for Lucifer, forget about dating.  It’s a long, dry run, unless you’re into the women that might be into you–and frankly, the current Lucifer isn’t too turned on by ladies wearing spider web stockings and red Jell-O in their hair.  Not that he blames a few of his predecessors with embracing the Goth hooker thing, but–an Angel has to be true to himself.

So when Lucifer accidentally bumps into a mortal woman who makes him rethink the wisdom of not applying for that maintenance position in Purgatory, it’s a roller coaster ride.  Love can make anyone crazy. And Lucifer is determined to see if he can make it snow in Hell if it will polish up his wings enough to win the girl and get himself fired.

Release date : 8 August 2014

♥♥♥♥♥♥

When I received a copy of this book from Renee Bernard, I was rather intrigued by the curious comment that accompanied it…”It’s NOT a historical romance but I’m hoping it makes you smile”.

This book was not only a complete departure from anything Ms Bernard has ever written before, but also a complete departure from anything I’ve ever read before. Well, did it make me smile? YES! Did I enjoy it? YES!  ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!

I love Ms Bernard’s imaginative and fun take on the generally accepted idea of hell. She has created a unique world populated by a wonderfully diverse group of offbeat characters.

Lucifer (Luke) may be CEO of H.E. LLc., but whoever heard of the Devil loving ballet or treating his demonic workforce with respect even allowing them office parties and karaoke machines! Caring, sincere and honourable, this Prince of Darkness is seriously flawed.

The romance is sweet and funny (definitely no hot, sweaty sex) as Luke woos the no-nonsense Jayne in a charmingly old-fashioned way…flowers, dinner, dancing. Luke has such an endearing quality and I adore the scene where Jayne spots the spider plant he has acquired because she told him he needed some greenery in his office.

I realize it’s a bit puny but I’m assured these things grow. And the red coffee cup is a nice touch of color. Do you…like it?”

Jayne’s reactions to situations and her inner thoughts are priceless.

Is there a remote infinitesimal chance I just tried to pitch PR services to Lucifer, Prince of Darkness and Overseer of Hell?

The secondary characters – Luke’s Personal Assistant, Malcolm…love his demonic humour; the poker playing Archangels Azrael, Uriel and Michael; Jayne’s best friend, Eliza…her idea of a fun day out never involves shopping; Jayne’s mom, the kind of mom everyone should have – all serve to enhance the story.

The dialogue sparkles and there are plenty of great one-liners like this…

So cry in your cocktails all you want, Lucifer, but I don’t think eHarmony is taking applications from the ninth circle of Hell these days.”

There were moments that had me giggling…the Archangel of Death playing a game of miniature golf; Archangel Michael giving a performance worthy of an Oscar. The overall light tone of the story lends the more poignant events a greater impact.

How I imagine Luke…

 “Hi! I’m Satan! Would you be my girlfriend?”

How I imagine Jayne…

Gee, Mom and Dad! I’m dating Satan!  Want to give me your blessing?

Memorable moments:

Oh, man… If the Marlboro Man, Fabio and the guy who played Thor were put into a blender, they could be this guy’s ugly sidekick. 

“A-a demon? Really?” Jayne couldn’t help the shock that crept into her voice. “I mean, sure—demon. Why didn’t I guess that?”
“Granted, we don’t physically resemble our bad image in the press.” He shrugged as if casually discussing baseball scores. “But what an inconvenience that would be! Sulfur fumes and maggots would make it awfully hard to function, don’t you think?”

“Are you…humming to yourself, sir?” Malcolm asked.
“Hmmm. What?” Lucifer looked up from his desktop and the productivity reports of Hell’s various departments. “No. I’m the Prince of Darkness, Malcolm. I don’t hum, whistle or sing.”

Devil to Pay probably isn’t perfect but it was so entertaining, romantic and funny that I really didn’t notice. Now I’m anticipating more hi-jinks at H.E. LLc. with the future books in the series.

REVIEW RATING: 5/5 STARS

SENSUALITY RATING: SUBTLE

My sincere thanks to Renee Bernard for sending me a copy of  Devil to Pay in return for an honest review.