Damned if You Do (PIU’s Review)

Title: Damned if You Do
Author: Marie Sexton
Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
Release Date: June 14th 2016
Genre(s): Contemporary/Supernatural
Reviewed by: PIU
Heat Level: 2 flames out of 5
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Blurb:

The path to temptation is paved with a hellish amount of paperwork.

Soul acquisition is a drag, but if Abaddon doesn’t catch up on his quota, he could be demoted to scooping poop for the Hounds of Hell. With a deadline hanging over him, he heads for the Bible Belt, looking for the perfect combination of sweetness and challenge.

Seth is a blind musician, part of a traveling tent revival. He’s cute, mystically talented, and quotes the Bible at every turn. His soul is pure enough to fill Abaddon’s quota for months to come, and Abaddon is determined to claim it.

The problem? There’s the revival foreman who watches Abaddon’s every move. Then there’s the mystery of Seth’s many unusual talents. Lastly, there’s Abaddon himself. He’s beginning to like Seth a bit too much. Maybe Seth deserves something better than damnation.

But Hell’s agenda isn’t negotiable, and time is running out. If Abaddon doesn’t play his cards right, he could condemn both of them to the worst fate of all—an eternity apart.

This book is just the most adorable and sweet demonic novel that I have ever read. Mostly I steer clear of hyper religious stories, but this book just gave an all new look to the underworld and heaven/hell dynamics. The story is about a demon pursuing a human for his soul and then falling in love with the said human despite of all the strict “no-no” rules of the HELL. And who will be able to resist such a unique forbidden romance??? NOT ME! Besides that, the story has two of the cutest MCs ever and be warned…. LOTS OF SNAKES!*yikes* So yeah! this book is a pretty unique and entertaining read.

Abaddon is the worst demon in the history of HELL. He is a demon with a CONSCIENCE . Abaddon has been falling behind in his quota of souls and now he has to hurry his ass up and fill it or he will get demoted. The only soul that gets his attention is of a young, blind musician who travels with a revival group. This soul is Abaddon’s big ticket to snag a promotion complete with a “corner office”. Imagine his dilemma when Abaddon’s conscience kicks in on meeting Seth and he gets more worried about dragging Seth’s soul to HELL than his pending demotion.

Seth is different than any human Abaddon has ever met. He is a devout Christian who can quote the entire bible. He is also a talented musician, who can play about any instrument like a maestro. Seth has total faith in GOD and he believes that everything that has happened is totally as per GOD’s will. So all in all Seth has the sweetest soul, a devil can never resist! Abaddon’s pursuit of Seth’s soul turns into a beautiful journey of falling in love, self-sacrifice and heavenly intervention.

This was a very unique read which is sweet and at times really funny. The entire rendition of HELL is an awesome way of showing how dreary, boring and soul sucking HELL can be. There is always huge paperwork, the subway smells, rules against making friends and last but not the least, you cannot laugh at all. So Abaddon pretty much hates it there but hey, once you make a deal with the Devil, you are stuck!!!

I adored Abaddon the most. He is the sweetest and also the worst Devil in all of HELL. His unusual friendship with his prey is just unconventional and so darn CUTE. Devils are known to be great tricksters but Abaddon lacks that quality completely. He is always upfront with Seth about who he is and what he wants. He bends all the rules to be with Seth. The friendship between Seth and Abaddon grows gradually to love and Abaddon is ready to risk the deepest dregs of HELL if it means he can spare Seth’s pure and innocent soul. TRUE LOVE*sigh*

This read was pretty short. I wanted more of Abaddon and Seth and maybe a little more steam too. Abaddon and Seth are the sweetest couple ever but a few more sexy times would have been highly appreciated. This read have a lot of bible quotes but don’t get alarmed. The quotes are a part of who Seth is and you would never feel that you are getting preached. So, that was pretty refreshing.

All in all, Damned if you do is a sweet romance of opposites attracting and self-sacrifice in the name of TRUE LOVE.

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