Title: Demon's Bride
Author: Zoe Archer
Genre: Historical Paranormal Romance
Series: The HellRaisers #2
Publisher: Zebra
Number of Pages: 370
Source: Sent to me from the author
Leo Bailey may have been born to poverty, but ruthless business sense and sparkling intelligence have made money worries a thing of his past. It doesn’t hurt that the Devil himself has granted Leo the ability to read the future.But even infallible predictions are a déclassé commoner’s trick to some members of the ton. They’ll never see Leo as their equal—one good reason to prove himself their better. And a noble marriage is an obvious start.
Bookish Anne Hartfield, daughter of a baron, is hardly the flashiest miss on the marriage market. But her thoughtful reserve complements Leo’s brash boldness in an attraction neither can deny. A whirlwind courtship sweeps Anne and Leo into a smoldering marriage before either can believe their luck. But happiness built on Leo’s dark powers can’t last. Soon, Anne will have to save her husband…or lose her heart. (goodreads)
Bookish Anne Hartfield, daughter of a baron, is hardly the flashiest miss on the marriage market. But her thoughtful reserve complements Leo’s brash boldness in an attraction neither can deny. A whirlwind courtship sweeps Anne and Leo into a smoldering marriage before either can believe their luck. But happiness built on Leo’s dark powers can’t last. Soon, Anne will have to save her husband…or lose her heart. (goodreads)
This is one of those books that I really wanted to love, but had some issues with it; the major one being that I had a hard time buying into the romance. That being said however, I still really liked the heroine & hero. Anne was feisty, independent & not afraid to think for herself. All things I love in a heroine. I liked that she was into maps, and felt just out of place as Leo did. I also enjoyed that we got to see her progress from someone who was unsure of herself to someone who had power and wasn't afraid to use it. Leo is everything I normally love in hero-an alpha who is all jerkish on the outside, but on the inside as a heart of gold and wants to do the right thing.-even though it takes him awhile to realize it. I liked how the two had a real relationship, and there were some pretty hot love scenes, but I felt like something was missing to buy into their sudden love.
Not being familiar with the first book, I felt like the romance almost took second place to overall story arc. There were some really cool things that happened with the overall story that I wasn't prepared for, but I didn't understand why the guys felt so betrayed by Lord Whitney leaving their group and upset with the fact that he was trying to convince them that their powers were evil and that their soul was in danger of being lost to the devil. I had a hard time with this because you knew that Lord Whitney was right and the other guys were just too blind to see, and it was just a matter of time before the hero of this book, Leo came to his senses and realized that maybe, just maybe Lord Whitney was right.
I enjoyed the ending of the book, and honestly I am interested in seeing where this series will go, because the ending was unpredictable and I liked that. Even though I had trouble with this book, I really do want to read more of this author because I liked her writing style. No matter how well a book in a series works as a stand alone, it's always helpful to read the others one that come before it, and I wish I had done that with this book. I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more.
Barrons Hero Hotness Meter: Medium
Rhiannon Kick Ass Heroine Meter: Medium
Martini Sigh Meter: Medium
Curran Crush Meter: Low
Finn Sidekick Meter: Medium
