I liked the title, bought into the advertising blurb, and read the book. I even overlooked its cover. I rarely select books with cartoon covers. They always seem to be trying too hard, practically screaming that they will be absolute laugh-riots and readers will love-love-love them. Well…wrong, wrong, wrong. I didn’t.
I can’t decide what genre this book belongs in. The story is not a romance, isn’t a thriller, there’s no mystery. It is not funny, although parts of it pretend to be. And while there’s plenty of churchiness, complete with religiosity, it is not a Christian book, nor any other religion, for that matter. Not even Wicca, for all that there’s a resident witch who is actually more of a bitch than a witch. [Pardon my language, please] It could be deemed paranormal, but it’s trying for slapstick a bit too much to fit in well with most of that particular genre. I had such hopes for this book. What’s not to enjoy? A jilted woman. A cheating ex-husband…with the wife’s ex-best friend. A need for revenge. And a cute, vengeful demon to help that revenge along. Could have been delightful. It wasn’t.
The writing is uneven, the pace is slow, the characters dull, and the plotline was left on some roadside. Erin is the jilted ex-wife who accidentally calls up a demon when she curses her cheating ex-husband. Undeniably implausible…otherwise, we’d be neck-deep in demons let loose by cursing ex-spouses. However, the reader can suspend disbelief and plod on.
We meet Erin’s mother, Joyce…who is weirdly trippy, telling her daughter in chapter 2 that Erin and Mark (the cheating ex-husband) are a great couple. She doesn’t see the couple as split up, let alone divorced, and what are people in church thinking…??? Whatever purpose the mother serves is well hidden. Maybe she’s the voice of smalltown Christianity. I don’t know…. Okay…the reader can once again suspend disbelief and move on.
Next, we meet the demon, Andro-something (because Erin can’t remember Andromalius); she calls him Andy. He’s a Great Earl of Hell but apparently Hell doesn’t follow the same royal rules as Earth. Andy’s buddy-demon, Phoenix, is a duke, yet allows Andy (a mere earl) to order him about. Okay…suspend disbelief and move on.
We meet Raya in chapter 6, with whom Erin works, and who is revealed to be a witch powerful enough to conjure up and evaporate demons without even a twitch of her nose. Huh. She’s rude and borderline obnoxious, all in the name of good, clean fun, I suppose. She can conjure and dispose of powerful demons but can’t help move teaching equipment and supplies from one classroom to another. Okay, suspend disbelief and move on.
Except I came to the end of my rope of suspended disbelief. I finished the book but that was pretty easy to do because It’s blessedly short – if a book about a demon can be called blessed – and is a natural candidate for speedreading.
I rated it 2.5 stars and rounded down. I could create a list of plausible reasons for the low rating, but the truth is I’m angry. The premise was…and still is…great. Think about it: a hunky demon comes to Earth to help heap revenge on a cheating ex. Wow: demon-revenge. And the ex-husband really is a terrible sort and so easy to dislike. And wouldn’t it be supremely cool if Andromalius and Erin fall for each other? So…all the elements are here for a fine afternoon spent curled up in a comfy chair with hot cocoa and some chocolatey goodness…and for company, a book with a great premise and even greater advertising. BUT…the good time never materializes. What a waste of a most excellent premise. Not to mention a most excellent demon’s name, Andromalius. That’s why I’m angry. So much promise. And so little delivered.