Book Review: Devil Without a Cause (Devil’s Bargain, #1) by Terri Garey
Devil Without a Cause (Devil’s Bargain, #1) by Terri Garey. © 2011 Avon. ISBN 9780061986390. Mass Media Paperback. Paranormal Romance / Urban Fantasy. 371 pages. Source: finished copy provided by the publisher.
Back Cover Blurb: Faith McFarland is in need of a miracle. So desperate to save her sick child, she’s willing to make a deal with the Devil: steal a ring worn by Finn Payne, the bad-boy rockstar who long ago sold his soul for rock ‘n roll. Temptation and seduction become necessary evils, yet Faith’s salvation means Finn’s damnation . . . because the ring is all that stands between him and Hell. Falling in love was never part of the bargain, but now that they’ve tasted heaven in each other’s arm’s, can they convince the Devil to give up his due?
Review: Readers of Terri Garey’s Nicki Styx novels will no doubt be familiar with this world and with our Devil—Samuel or Sammy as Lilith calls him but really he goes by a myriad of names …. including the infamous Lucifer and Beelzebub—but this was my first introduction and this book does a brilliant job of hooking you from the beginning. I read it in one night.
I much preferred this book’s world-building to its romance of which I had a hard time believing, but the world-building was definitely enough to bring me back to its sequel (I really enjoyed how Greek gods made cameos) and also to trying out the original Nicki Styx novels (her name was dropped just enough to pique my interest—which was probably done on purpose). I think I enjoyed Sammy’s history and mystery much, much more to Faith and Finn‘s storyline. Perhaps I have a little sympathy for the devil?
The other disappointments I had were with Gabriel and Faith. Both felt flat to me. Sammy’s gravitas and mystery (and that delightful poisonous streak) kept me flipping the pages, though Finn helped too; his past was interesting. 4/5.
