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Book Review of Working for the Devil (Dante Valentine, Bk 1)

Working for the Devil (Dante Valentine, Bk 1)
reigners avatar reviewed on + 9 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3


I am a sucker for paranormal romance, and while I knew from reviews that it was quite light on the romance, I was still very interested. Luckily, I was not disappointed at all.

Dante is a very strong female character, but she feels more real than other similar characters I've read (Anita Blake, Mercy Thompson). She's tough, but it's not unbelievable. She gets tired, pissy, and has moments where she needs to cry. I like that mix.

I also like that the book was obviously set in the future but it didn't feel like "oooh, look, I'm talking about fancy things I know nothing about cuz it's the FUTURE". The talk about slicboards and hovers and tattoos on the cheeks to identify psychically gifted folk were placed where it needed to be and not trying to take center stage.

The relationship aspect of the book was a bit weak, but I felt like it took the space it needed in the book. I do wish that it was developed better somehow. It seemed slightly forced at times that they would be together. You could see slight hints of Jaf becoming connected to Dante, and those felt realistic. But from Dante's side, it just seemed somewhat unnatural.

I also really liked the dialogue. When you're in the middle of a fight for your life with demons, I would imagine there would be cussing and frustration. Maybe it's just because I swear like a sailor myself, but I liked that her language seemed to match her "profession". Other books in similar genres that I've read seem to go into Ye Olde English land, or Hip-Hop street slang. This was definitely more ME, and it helped me get into the story more.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The world that was created was very well thought out, the characters were interesting, and there was definitely no Happily Ever After. I dug it. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series.