Devilish by Tricia Barr

Devilish by Tricia Barr is an erotic paranormal romance and will be enjoyable to fans of the genre. The Devil as an anti-hero makes the basis of his myth tragic. A spin on the fallen angel's mythology kept me interested and engaged. In the love story, the Devil was appealing and highly seductive.

The Devil found his way out of hell and to the world of man. He crash lands in New York City and the world's reception is wary. Felicity meets with the Devil representing the New York Times to obtain an interview about the reason for his presence. The Devil, or Lucifer as he prefers, gives minute details of his story to Felicity over the course of several dates that they share. In addition to sharing his tale, he vows to Felicity that he will win her affections.

Hearing the lore of Lucifer's existence is what you would expect it to be with a few embellishments. A lot of thought went into keeping the Devil in a familiar position while making him empathetic. We discover Lucifer is not the epitome of evil. Instead, he is charming and sexy with some roguishness that pairs well with the bad boy aura. Lucifer is often mischievous, but he never takes on a demonic guise. In a nice twist, we discover Lucifer's downfall was caused by an expected force. Devilish inserts unique touches on the Devil's legend that maintains the intrigue. The interpretations of hell itself and Lucifer's method of escape aided in substantiating his humanity. I was charmed by this version of the Devil.

Felicity, I had a hard time respecting as the heroine. Felicity is a virgin at the start of the story. There is nothing wrong with that in reality although I find it overused as a romance trope. Her lack of desire for the men she has met is the self-professed reason for abstinence. Felicity immediately gains a spark with Lucifer and subsequently fights it. At one point it even occurred to her Lucifer forcing the issue would be preferable to giving in to her need for him. I interpreted she was not afraid of Lucifer only of the desire she felt, but it was admittedly a bit unclear. I typically enjoy stronger female characters who are firm with what they want, or what they don't and that remain true to themselves.

Felicity gives in to her desires and sleeps with Lucifer. On the day that occurs, she uses sexual guile to seduce another man for information. This scenario is wrong for several reasons. She has a deadline but the decision is dangerous, and that fact never occurred to her. That man could have ended her life without a second thought, and no one knew what she was doing. Her decision to obtain a goal through sex was a discredit. They did not fully procreate, but it felt wrong considering her feelings toward sleeping with Lucifer and the fact she just lost her virginity. Even with the issues I had, I found the book immersive and there existed astonishing chemistry between the characters.

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Torched by Donna Grant

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Torched by Donna Grant is the newest in the Dark Kings series.  Torched centers on the Dragon King of the Silvers, Ulrik, who was stripped of his powers and banished from the rest of his Dragon King brethren long ago.  Reading Torched as a stand-alone is possible, but with the background interactions involving Ulrik throughout the series, I would not recommend it. Ulrik has been evolving throughout the past several books, leading him to a place in Torched where he can take on his enemies, and possibly find a purpose beyond his need for vengeance.

I have long awaited Ulrik's story. I enjoy a protagonist that struggles with their darkness within and needs a good redemption.  Ulrik is one of these characters. Ulrik has been seeking revenge against the Dragon King of Kings Con, even though Con had his reasons for causing Ulrik's centuries of solitude without his magical essence. In Torched Ulrik allows himself to act on his feelings for the Druid Eilish who is responsible for unlocking his magic. In allowing himself to feel something other than hatred Ulrik finds some peace and reassesses what he wants from his future.  The series has shown the bond between Con and Ulrik remained and Ulrik finally admits to himself that it sucks to stay murderously angry with your best friend.

My final assessment is this installment of the Dark Kings series is well worth reading.  I read about the Dragon Kings for its urban fantasy elements and the massive subplots that have been developing as far back as the Dark Sword series with the Dangerous Highlander.  I love interconnecting plot lines, and the overall narrative is continuing to advance toward its apex. I am eager for its conclusion. The characters in the Dark World are a family with deep emotional ties. They care for and keep each other safe.  It is satisfying to see one of their central exiled characters has found a way to become part of that family again. The paranormal romance aspect is just as good as it always is.  Admittedly Ulrik is my type of alpha male, so I had no problems engaging in the passion between Ulrik and Eilish. There were a few moments I felt the lack of an emotional bond between them but came to the decision that could have to do with Ulrik's state of mind.  All opinions are mine and may not be identical to others. I urge all readers to come to their own conclusions.

The Big Alpha in Town by Eve Langlais, Milly Taiden, Kate Baxter

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Big Alpha in Town contains short stories that revolve around shifters finding their mates. Bearing His Name by Eve Langlais involves Ark finding his mate Jade. Jade believes Ark impregnated her sister, and Ark strives to convince Jade otherwise. Owned by the Lion by Milly Taiden centers around Keir finding his mate Ally.  Keir hopes to gain Ally's love before revealing to her the depth of his ties to her. No Need Fur Love by Kate Baxter centers around Owen finding his mate Mia. Mia finds Owen looking for a one-night stand, and is shocked to discover their immediate bond. Problems arise for the couple when Mia's father is unsupportive.

I enjoyed the romantic snapshots contained in Big Alpha in Town. All the characters were likable, and taking part in their relationships was entertaining. Out of the three short stories in Big Alpha in Town, my favorite was Bearing His Name. Ark was a strong alpha male but to me never felt too arrogant.  I found him, and his entire clan for that matter, charming and hilarious.  The other two stories were enjoyable as well, but my favorite tales are those with a good dose of humor throughout them.

Compilation novels present an excellent opportunity to try an author's writing style. I have since pursued other works of those authors unfamiliar to me, and I recommend giving them all a try. I received an ARC copy from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for my honest opinion. All opinions are my own and may not be identical to others. I urge all readers to come to their own conclusions.