Review: Playing With Demons (The Devil’s In The Details, #1) by Cally Edwards

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Review

“I was finally seeing all the shades of grey between the black and white, and there was beauty in the darkness.

4.5 stars

Wow, this book came out of nowhere and just rocked my world!  I was so intrigued by the blurb of this book, and from the moment I started I was completely hooked. A paranormal romance that is exciting, intense, funny, emotional and gorgeously romantic, this is a really entertaining read, and I loved it!

Grace Campbell was raised amongst the Nephilim – a race of angel/human offspring charged with protecting humankind from the demon threat that they are completely oblivious to. But Grace is different – she is half Nephilim/half demon, and though that gives her skills that her colleagues don’t possess, she hates her demon half and she has dedicated her life to fighting for the good guys. But Grace’s latest assignment is about to change everything. She is being sent to hell – literally.

With her demon blood making her capable of crossing the wards into Hell, Grace is being sent to enter a tournament where she will battle for her life, and hopefully return the prize to the Nephilim. But before she can do that, she needs to acclimatise, and who better to help her do that than the dark Lord’s crew of seven elite warriors, and Lucifer’s son himself, the darkly sexy Zadeon. Grace has no clue what she’s in for, and everything she ever thought she knew is about to be turned completely upside down.

I was falling apart quicker than I could catch the pieces. I knew even if I could, they would never fit back together the same way.

I loved the world that Edwards has created. Not only is it interesting with wonderfully developed characters, but it takes long-held beliefs and flips them on their head, revealing a different perspective to the age-old battle between heaven and hell, angels and demons, good and evil. It’s a really intriguing twist that I enjoyed exploring.

And the characters that Grace meets along the way are just fantastic! From the funny to the stoic to the flirty and the badass, they are a fantastic bunch, each with their own interesting story, and I really enjoyed getting to know them.

But most of all, there is Zadeon, and oh holy damn. The Prince of Hell is smart, powerful and gorgeously sexy, and against all odds, he wants Grace.

“It appears I’m only interested in stubborn, fiery, little hunters, sent to infiltrate my home and take down my kind.”

The chemistry is fantastic, the sexual tension sizzles and though the sexy time is pretty subdued, I loved this romance! There’s no stupid or unnecessary angst – the attraction is there, it understandably takes them a bit of get on the same page, but once they do it’s functional and intense, with a possessive, protective alpha demon and his smartass, snarky badass heroine, and I love them together!

“I want you, Grace. And you want me. That makes you mine. And I’m not ready to give you up.”

There’s action galore as Grace battles her way through the tournament, as well as involving herself in the investigation into mysterious kidnappings that are impacting the underworld. And as Grace spends time with her new friends and explores her new world, she finds herself questioning her past, who she is, and her entire belief system, and the emotion of that journey is really beautifully written.

I may have been left standing alone, sacrificed and left for dead by the very people I had trusted, but I had learned a valuable lesson, and in doing so, freed myself.

The story ends well – if a bit abruptly – but this is only the first of the The Devil’s in the Details series, and with such a strong start, I can’t wait for more!

4.5 stars.

An Advanced Reader Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

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