Yeah, not only am I back on my Monster Smut bullshit, but it’s Katee Robert Monster Smut at that! This is the second book in the A Deal with a Demon series, where human women make a deal with a demon (duh!) to get whatever they want after they serve seven years in the demon realm. In this case, the women are auctioned off to the half-human lords of the different monster realms. They are not allowed to be harmed or coerced into doing anything they don’t want to do.
Catalina made a deal with the demon Azazel to get a ton of money. When she is paired off with the Kraken King, Thane, there are sparks, but they also kind of hate each other. Thane is still mourning the loss of his husband from five years ago, so though he is attracted to Catalina, he keeps pushing her away. She has serious abandonment issues and grew up with a cold, perfectionist Mother, so she is more attracted to Thane BECAUSE he pushes her away. Eventually, they learn how to actually communicate with each other and fall in love.
Though this was a short book, Katee Robert created a well-written love story. This touches on grief, new love, and abortion, all of which are handled very sensitively. I am a sucker for anything she writes. Also, can we talk about the cover art for this series? It’s a throwback to 80s Romance Novels and I am HERE FOR IT!
CBR 15 Bingo – Strange Worlds. Catalina is a Human who is first taken to the Demon Realm, where she stays in a magical castle, and then to the Kraken Realm, which is mostly underwater. Also, she can’t swim, so she is very much out of her element.