The Mephisto Mark

The Mephisto Covenant #3

by Trinity Faegen

Orphaned at six and sent to live with abusive relatives in Bucharest, Mariah learned early in life to box up violent, agonizing memories and put them in permanent mental storage. Now almost nineteen, she has a paying job, a tiny apartment, and a plan to attend university. She loves her independence and is steadily overcoming her past, but when an enigmatic stranger walks into the pub where she works and the trajectory of her life changes yet again, she begins to wonder if she’ll run out of mental shelf space.

The only females unafraid of the Mephisto brothers are the extremely rare Anabo, born without Original Sin. Over one hundred years ago, Phoenix was first to find one, but he made a fatal mistake and she was murdered by his oldest brother and enemy, Eryx. Phoenix soldiered through the next century wrapped up in grief and guilt, his only outlet planning takedowns of those who pledged their souls to Eryx. When one of his brothers brings Mariah to Mephisto Mountain, he’s torn between his instinctive, powerful need to pursue her, and his certainty that he can never have her.

Drawn into the world of the Mephisto, Mariah sees the pain and misery Eryx unleashes on humanity, and the boxes in her mind begin to fly open, one by one. All that keeps her from slipping off the edge is her unlikely, sexually charged friendship with Phoenix. He’s incredibly screwed up; she’s completely broken. It would take a miracle for them to find happiness. Then Eryx brings the war for Hell to a whole new level, forcing Mariah and Phoenix to make a choice that will bind them together for all eternity, or rip them apart forever.

The Mephisto Mark is third in The Mephisto Covenant series, but is stand-alone. A New Adult title, this story contains graphic language and sex, as well as references to past child abuse and sexual assault.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal Romance, Paranormal, New Adult, Young Adult, Demons

333 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 24, 2013

About the author

Trinity Faegen is a multi-published RITA winning author who also writes romance as Stephanie Feagan. A practicing CPA who loves travel, books, and smart guys, she lives in the outback of west Texas with her husband and a mean cat. For bonus content and more about the Mephisto, please visit her website at www.trinityfaegen.com.
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Trinity...

Reviews

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 STARS!

GENRE: NA/PARANORMAL ROMANCE/MYTHOLOGY.

SEVEN BROTHERS. ONE BETRAYAL - THE WAR FOR HELL IS 
ON.

The Mephisto used to be 7 immortal brothers who are sons of Hell. Now 6 remain ever since their oldest brother, Eryx, betrayed them and turned evil. Eryx persuades people to give him their soul in exchange for something they really desire, and each time it makes him more powerful. His mission is to become so powerful he will be able to defeat Lucifer himself and take over Hell...and that is where the 6 Mephisto brothers come in - to kill the lost souls and stop Eryx.

But because the Mephisto brothers are sons of Hell, God can not hear them and they are doomed for eternal Hell once the world is over and they die...unless they meet an Anabo - A human born without an original sin. They are extremely rare and each is especially made for one of the Mephisto brothers. If the chosen brother will make her fall in love with him, and will love her back, their love for each other might redeem him.

HE IS LIVING ON THE EDGE...

Over a century ago, Phoenix was the first Mephisto brother to ever find his Anabo, but his mistakes led to Eryx killing her. He hasn't let himself live his life ever since and is a broken shelf of his old self. Until...he finds another Anabo - Mariah. He can't decide if it's a curse or pure luck.
He is torn between his instinctive, powerful need to pursue her, and his certainty he can never have her.

SHE IS COMPLETELY BROKEN....

Mariah was raised by abusive relatives, and has learned from a young age to box up agonizing memories and put them in a permanent mental storage. Now she is almost 19 and trying to overcome her past. She is doing good and finally makes her own choices. But then she meets a stranger, and the past she tried so hard to forget is catching up with her.
Mariah's life has changed yet again, and she wonders if this time...there will be any boxes left to store the terrible memories.




The Mephisto Mark is the 3rd book in The Mephisto Covenant series. Unlike the other 2 it was actually self-published by the author and is officially called Only You (The Mephisto Covenant Series). Each book can be read as a stand alone as it features different brother/couple.
I would highly suggest you read the other 2 before reading this one though, because it will give you a better understanding of what's going on, and of the characters.


PLUS, THIS SERIES IS...




I have been with The Mephisto Covenant series ever since the 1st book came out (The Mephisto Covenant: The Redemption of Ajax back in 2011), i have INHALED that book and loved it! The 2nd one wasn't as good but i still enjoyed it immensely.

I would have given The Mephisto Mark/Only You (The Mephisto Covenant Series) 5 stars if not for Pheonix - our 2nd main protagonist.

That.Guy.




He was so selfish, stupid and just ANNOYING the shit out of me with all his 'she deserves someone better.'
You know what Phoenix? Mariah DEFINITELY does deserve someone about a million times better than you.
I would say he needs to grow some balls, but balls are sensitive so i say GROW A VAGINA (that can take some serious beating ;)).

He was a total jerk too and most of the time i seriously wanted him to die, and for Mariah to be destined for a different brother.




But other than that, this book was a very touching, emotional, entertaining and extremely well written story that i really, really enjoyed. I definitely recommend you check the series out and spread the word!!

[Kirby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wasn't disappointed at all now I just have to wait again.... Still one of my favorite series!

[Giselle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yep I'm addicted to her books.. It's 3am and I just finished book 3.. Seriously loving the characters a whole lot more. More character development and a whole lot of swoon. And I'm not even talking about instant love because sometimes these characters aren't interested in one another. And okay the timeline was kind of intense, a week and all this goes down? Crazy! I just know that I'm loving the world that Stephanie has written and I'll happily gobble up all her books. This one is definitely New Adult and I liked how she portrayed it. Mariah and Phoenix were both so broken and I loved how they battled their demons and stood up to each other, their fights were kind of hilarious.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review originally on my blog: Book Series Addict

I saw Only You (formerly titled The Mephisto Mark) on Netgalley and requested it after reading the synopsis – the fantasy aspect of it with the Anabo heroine and the immortal Mephisto brothers sounded fascinating. I was not disappointed and just devoured the story from beginning to end. I absolutely loved Only You. Stephanie Faegan is one of the self-published authors that you hope to stumble upon when trolling Amazon, searching for a good read. All the elements of the story came together in a wonderful, heart-tugging way – the flow, pacing, characters, and the paranormal aspect. It all just worked. This is the first novel I’ve read by her and all I want to do is gush (a bit different from my normally critical and snarky self).

There current craze with angels/fallen angels has meant that quite a few books deal with God and Lucifer and their plan for mankind. Only You touches on this and then takes it to an entirely new and creative level. I loved the originality in this book, nearly as much as I loved the characters. I felt that the way that Lucifer is portrayed is especially interesting. He’s not viewed as even a necessary evil – only necessary, otherwise mankind would not have the benefit of free will. In this story Eryx is the true evil, hoping to wrest control of Hell away from Lucifer in order to take that freedom away.

The way that the series is set up – with the group of brothers (each with his own book) their mission, their immortality, their compound – all of these aspects reminded a bit of The Black Dagger Brotherhood novels by J. D. Ward (a favorite of mine), though the similarities were surface only and the story itself is very different … but seriously, just as good. The brothers are very modern and very distinct characters. Only You focuses on the brother Phoenix. While Phoenix and Mariah are both incredibly complex, this boy is big-time flawed – and in an unexpected way, which allows for great conflict and character development.

Mariah, on the other hand, is broken. Only You adds a very real layer to the fantasy with Mariah being a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. She is so damn strong and just so fragile at the same time. My heart was breaking over and over again for her throughout the book. When the two meet, it’s hard for me to remember that Mariah is only 19 and Phoenix 18 (well, in an 18 year old body, since the boy is immortal and centuries old) because there’s a level of maturity to their dialogue and interactions – definitely NO insta-love. The romance is solid, well-woven into the broader storyline and just absolutely fantastic. I’d recommend this book to any fans of fantasy and paranormal romance novels.

Only you can be read as a standalone novel, but there are two prior books published in the series. The Mephisto Covenant and The Mephisto Kiss. While Only You is definitely an adult or new adult romance (yes, this means there is sex involved), the two previous books in the series are YA and published under the name Trinity Faegan.

[Ashley Finnegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mariah is broken, Phoenix is riddled with guilt, they are complicated and complex but when they are together the world can be a little easier to live in. An epic yet not at all traditional love story. I have never been one to really enjoy a romance novel but this book was so much more than your typical romance and I am so glad I decided to read it. This is my first book by this author but this will by far be my last! Stephanie Faegen just got herself a brand new fan and I look forward to reading so much more from her! I have never really been into the romance/new adult genre because I have never liked reading through excessive sex scences just to get to the story but this book did not at all make me feel like I had to skip over anything, it had just the right amount to make things 'steamy' but not to excess and take over the rest of the book and I must give the author props for that because this was actually the first time in my very long reading career that I have been able to read this type of genre and NOT have to skip over unnecessarily long sex scenes. Great plot, twist, characters, this book is just GREAT! This story grabbed me from the first chapter, Stephanie made me feel for the characters and what they were going through the entire time. Sometimes I would shout out loud, others I would come to goodreads just to make comments about what I was feeling. I used words like raw, intense, and incredible to describe this story and this book absolutely deserves that kind of praise. I cannot wait to get my hands on another Mephisto book or any book from Stephanie/Trinity Faegen for that matter!

[Damaris (GoodChoiceReading)]

I love this series sooooooo much!

[Kara · Rating 2 out of 5]

What to say about this book....

I don't read a lot of paranormal/sci-fi/fantasy books. They overwhelm me. I get confused by all the rules in this alternative reality I'm supposed to be believing in (which makes the flawless depictions in Sarah Fine's Sanctum that much more awe inspiring). But I'm starting to wonder if maybe it's not me, it's them.

If ever there was a need for half-star ratings (CAN YOU HEAR ME GOODREADS?!?!?!?!!) it would be for this. This was a solid 2.5. And while I normally round up, in this case I realize I wanted to rate up really for the concept and the ideas more than for the actual technical parts of the story.

Corny though it may be, I really like the idea of fallen angels, or angels v. demons, etc. etc. And I've got some personal interest here as well, the idea of an angel searching for The One Meant For Him is a version of an idea I've been playing around with for years. The basic concept here is that these half-angel, half-demon brothers need to find their true loves to be redeemed and have a shot at heaven. (I know, barf, but eh...it could still be cute). This one focuses on Phoenix, who after losing his love years ago, has been sent another love - Mariah, a poor Romanian girl who wants little more than to just survive the grind.

But I knew I was in trouble from the very first pages. There's an intro that defines the relevant terms and characters, and in more than a couple of them I went - wait, what?! But I thought this was my inability to grasp all this paranormal/fantasy jargon. So I kept going. Then I hit this. "Anabo" had previously been defined as humans born without Original Sin - aka, really sweet, good, kind people (and the only people the half-demon brothers can love). A few pages into the story, while we're getting a description of Mariah (who, surprise surprise, is an Anabo) we're reading about her dark blue cloudy eyes or some such when we get: Anabo always have blue eyes.
What does that mean kids? Anabo are always white.

Fuck me.

I mean, there are other races. Seriously! I don't understand why that's such a difficult concept. Whether this was the blind failure of white entitlement to recognize the existence of roughly 3/4 of the planet that do not have blue eyes, or whether this was a conscious choice by the author I neither know nor care - and honestly I'm not sure which would piss me off more. But I do know it made me angry and disgusted. I didn't care that Mariah "happened" to be white as the love interest of Phoenix. I expected as much before I ever opened the book. But to create this extra detail was offensive and unnecessary.

But I wanted to like this book, so I kept going.

Ultimately, it just wasn't tight enough for me to stay in it. Throughout I had so many questions. There were numerous places where I had to stop and go back, reread something, and still didn't understand what was happening. NUMEROUS TIMES YALL. There were places where Mariah's actions were so out of character I couldn't get invested in the story because all I could think was




And then there were the tropes. At one point, Mariah and Phoenix are discussing the tropes in a romance book she's reading which was interesting and a not-so-subtle "fuck you" to critics. But more often than not, Faegen was hitting us over the head with them: Phoneix has A Big Secret which, if revealed, will make him lose Mariah (and his brothers as well). Mariah doesn't ever get close to men and has never had a relationship because of That Thing That Happened In Her Past. They both have sacrificed their own well being and happiness for their siblings. She has never been attracted to anyone, but if she had - it would be Phoenix. He wants to kill the person who hurt her - even though he just met her like two days ago. He's a wild child who struggles to keep up a facade of control. Healing sex (sidebar - am I the only one that has never had sex so good it eliminated every problem I've been carrying around for the last thirtysomething twentysomething years? Because I'm gonna have to find me some of that)

And let me also say this. I didn't hate Twilight. I read it once, long before it even became a popular book, let alone a pop culture reference. I hate the plagiarism it has inspired and the endless parade of vampires across my tv and movie and kindle screens. But the original book itself was whatever.
That said, I actually looked up whether this book was a fanfic because even I recognized simiarlities between this and a book I read once four years ago: the Mephisto know who is meant for them by their scent, in order to be with their Anabo the Anabo has to sacrifice her life and become immortal, Phoenix wants to protect Mariah by getting her away from them, i.e. being a total dick to her when they first meet. I mean



It wasn't all bad. Rather than "feel something light up in her soul" when she learns of Phoenix's suffering, Mariah calls him out as a whiny crybaby who won't own his shit. This was during a fairly well done argument/angry sex moment (though I wondered if Mariah had reached a level of emotional health required to recognize what was happening). And to be fair, both of them had legit problems that I felt like they were dealing with realistically, even if it was a bit of a cliche. I liked the relationship that the brothers had with one another - which was 90% shit talking and ribbing and fighting covered by an undeniable "i'd do anything for these bastards" bond. There wasn't any talk about how beautiful and shiny and perfect the brothers were. Mariah wasn't a pushover who just went along with shit - she questioned and challenged everything. There was a scene where she thought she might be in physical danger that was so well done her fear was palpable, and Phoenix reacted calmly and carefully in an effort to set her at ease. I learned later this was the 3rd book in the series, but it worked completely as a stand alone novel.

But in the end, while I tried so hard to give this book the benefit of the doubt, there were just too many holes. Even though I liked the characters, Faegan managed to take away the emotional punch of a lot of key scenes by rushing through them. There was a lot of background with the other brothers that never really got resolved and was distracting to the core story. Mariah gave it up WAAAAY too soon, especially considering her background, in a way and manner that should have traumatized her and was not at all romantic. That whole scene requires a review of its own Mariah met these guys in an effort to find her sister, but ultimately she had like three conversations with her sister. And there were just too many places where I went "why would he/she do that?!?!"

So, the short version is, it was a great idea and could have been a phenomenal story, but there were too many loose ends and a lack of focus that just left me very meh.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest, unbiased review

[Ranaereads · Rating 1 out of 5]

Synopsis:

The Mephisto Mark is the third story in a series about a group of 7 brothers, all the sons of Mephistopheles, an agent of Lucifer whose job is to bring souls to Hell (but only if they deserve to go). He tricked both God and Lucifer by being with an Anabo (a woman born without Original Sin) and producing his seven sons, all of which were destined for soulless immortality until their oldest brother sacrificed himself and their mother to bring them into God’s light, where the remaining 6 brothers were given souls. Now the 6 brothers (Kyros, Ajax, Pheonix, Denys, Zee and Ty) are fighting their brother without a soul, Eryx, who wants to rule the world.

This third installment is the story of Pheonix and Mariah. Mariah is the sister of Jordan (the main character in the previous installment of this series), and has spent her life protecting her little sister. Their parents died when they were both very young and they were sent to live with abusive relatives, so to save Jordan (at the time her name was Viorica) from a bad life, Mariah sent her sister to an orphanage and claimed to her abusive relatives that she was kidnapped. From there Jordan was adopted by the man that would be the President of the USA and Mariah was left in Bucharest, where she was physically and sexually abused until her uncle died, at which point she is taken in by a neighbor to help do chores until she’s old enough to earn her own way. She is working to save up enough to go to college when Kyros (paired with Jordan) finds her and insists on taking her to “Mephisto Mountain” to meet her sister, where she meets Pheonix who she is paired with. Pheonix lives his life in guilt after having let Eryx kill his intended Anabo 100 years prior and wants nothing to do with Mariah, who is “broken.”

Thoughts:

I am usually a big fan of paranormal romance. This book not only did not do it for me, it was pretty disturbing. Mariah herself was a strong character, I cheered her on when she was able to take the hits life threw at her and just kept moving. She was very devoted to her sister and sacrificed a lot to keep her safe, which should have been humbling to her dumb sister, but it seemed Jordan was really all about Jordan. The only reason I finished this book was because I liked Mariah, and I wanted to see her get her HEA. Pheonix was ok, he was pretty selfish but could be sweet occasionally, but his initial feelings were kinda messed up. I understand he felt guilty about Jane, but he basically said he didn’t want Mariah because she was broken and not perfect and if he couldn’t love perfect Jane, how could he love broken Mariah?
The whole thing where the brothers need to love and be loved by an Anabo to get into heaven is completely messed up also. What the heck? What did the brothers do other than BE BORN to deserve God’s anger and their need to find redemption? I didn’t read the first two books, so maybe it explains that there, but it didn’t allude to it in this book so I’m going to assume God in this series is just a jerk.


The worst part for me was that I spent the whole book cheering Mariah on for overcoming her problems and in the last couple chapters she: acts like a stupid heroine and tries to save her stupid, selfish sister, who then takes her to Hell on Earth (a place only the Lost Souls were ever supposed to go) and abandons her there where she is beaten and raped until Pheonix comes and protects her for the next 36 hours until Lucifer gets over being mad at Mariah and Pheonix and gets them out (don’t even get me started on Lucifer being mad at Mariah and Pheonix and yet at the EXACT SAME TIME Jordan goes to heaven to be returned to the light and she’s back within an hour). I’m actually pretty enraged thinking about this.

There was a lot wrong with this book, but I liked the premise. I did find the end really disturbing, and I really didn’t like the way a lot of the characters act, but I did like Mariah and I really hope her character finds peace in further installments of this series. I don’t think I will personally continue to read the series and I don’t know that I could recommend this book to anyone unless they were desperately seeking a book about Mephistopheles mythology.

[A Book Vacation · Rating 5 out of 5]

To see my full review:

http://bookvacations.wordpress.com/20...

Perhaps the darkest novel of The Mephisto Covenant series to date, Trinity Faegen once again captivates readers as she tackles the very raw topic of abuse. Mariah, biological sister to Jordan (who is the heroine of the second novel, The Mephisto Kiss), takes the forefront in this third installment, allowing readers to connect with her on a much more personal level as the story delves deeper into her life, unleashing the scars of her past that readers so briefly learned about in The Mephisto Kiss.

Readers beware, this novel touches upon both physical and sexual abuse, and while extreme details are not given, the allusion of these acts against a child create vivid enough depictions and it is impossible not to feel Mariah’s pain as she attempts to heal, especially as she begins to open up to Phoenix and tell how she survived.

Faegen does something extremely interesting in this series, which is something not often attempted by writers, and it is that she overlaps the storyline of The Mephisto Mark with its prequel, The Mephisto Kiss. For those who have read the prior novels in the series, you may note that Mariah’s story sounds very familiar because we’ve indeed heard it before in the second novel. However, whereas The Mephisto Kiss skates over much of Mariah’s life, focusing more so on the points that deal with Jordan, from her adoption from an orphanage to her reuniting with Mariah, readers get the other side of the story in The Mephisto Mark. Here, readers who wondered how Mariah survived while Jordan grew up in luxury get their answers, and while it isn’t a pleasant or happy story, it is beautifully told. It’s gut wrenching at times, but Mariah is a triumphant survivor of abuse, and as she works through her past, she opens doors for others, such as Phoenix, allowing him to move on and do what’s right by all his brothers and the memory of Jane.

The Mephisto Mark also charges on past the cliffhanger from The Mephisto Kiss, shedding light on what happens after Jordan’s naive decision concerning Eryx, weaving the two novels together even more as the story unfolds. It’s a perfect set up, in my opinion, and I love how seamlessly both novels intertwine. This is also why I strongly believe that readers of this series should read these novels in order. While it is true that a new reader to the series could actually begin with The Mephisto Mark, I strongly advise against it for a number of reasons. Because of the deep intertwining between The Mephisto Kiss and The Mephisto Mark, I believe too much information would be divulged concerning the events in The Mephisto Kiss and Jordan. Likewise, a truth is outted in The Mephisto Mark that, until this third installment, I believed to be wholeheartedly true. I was surprised to learn that it wasn’t, which is turn changed everything, especially as it’s a main focus in both of the prior novels, and this is another reason I believe this series should be read in order; otherwise it will take away from the extreme surprise Faegen has in store for her readers.

In my humble opinion, all the novels in The Mephisto Covenant series has been perfectly executed, and I’ve loved them all immensely. I highly suggest you read all three because they’re that superb, but book three is now definitely my favorite. It’s so raw and deep, getting under your skin, leaving long lasting memories.

I am excited to see where this series goes from here, especially as Faegen gives readers a hint of what’s to come in the fourth installment of this epic series. And, based on what I know from The Mephisto Mark, the fourth instalment is going to go into uncharted waters. It will be like none other, that’s for sure, and I can’t wait.

[Ruthsic · Rating 4 out of 5]

First thing I would say about this book is that the series matured with this book. I am not saying this because it deals with sexual abuse, but because I say a marked improvement in the writing of the book too. The protagonists are Mariah and Phoenix - and the book is written in their perspectives. Though both contribute well to the storyline, I felt Mariah's POV was more challenging and had much more depth while Phoenix was just more of whether I should make her my Mephisto or not.

If you have read the earlier two books, you know Phoenix and his lost-love Jane have pretty much been the tragic cautionary tale for the Mephistos. In this book, we finally find out WHAT actually happened then and it was quite a shocker. It actually answered one of my doubts about the scent thing and while it was hovering in the background for two books, it came front and center for this one. This was mainly because those events were the cause Phoenix resisted her in the start. He was happy about his Anabo but wrecked with guilt over the colossal mess that was made with Jane.

Mariah was introduced in the last book, Mephisto Kiss, as Jordan's older sister and most of the events in the book actually intersect with the timeline of the second half of Mephisto Kiss rather than continue the story ahead, although I must say, the timeline felt longer in the second book and shorter in this one. Anyways, while Jordan was deciding about her relationship with Key, Mariah here was building a friendship with Phoenix. It was mentioned in the last book itself that she was a victim of rape and in order to live a normal life, her defense mechanism was to lock away her awful memories. She locked away all her feelings, wants and basically writes off fear. It is scary, awful and extremely heart-breaking to read through her perspective at times, and I would really advise this for an older/mature readership since it is raw and realistic. Her mending of and by Phoenix is the high point of this book and supercedes the story of Jane most times.

The book had a powerful storyline and excellent writing. I am not so sure of the ending, though, as things were left a bit ambiguous - I didn't understand Lucifer's deal and what it means for Phoenix. I am also excited for the next book, since we get to see the story of Zee and his Euri. Gosh, it's raining Anabos. Elektra sure was busy cajoling God up there - that's my theory at least for the sudden rise in Anabos.

Received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

[Michelle Pickett · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I requested this book from NetGalley ages ago and for some reason I kept pushing it back and reading other book in its place. Why? Who knows? My brain is a dark and winding maze that is best left unexplored. So I finally decided to read it and “just get it off my TBR list.” I really don’t know why after I requested the book I decided I wouldn’t like it (see, the workings of a weird brain).

So I read this book that’s been in my TBR pile for months and I’m sure I’m going to hate and while I’m reading all I can think is, “Where Have You Been All My Life?!” (Yeah, stupid question. It’s been on my TBR pile.)

I absolutely loved the “The Mephisto Mark” by Trinity Feagan. I think it’s been re-released with a new title: “Only You (The Mephisto Covenant #3)” under the author’s real name Stephanie Feagen. One thing I particularly liked is that while this book is part of a series, it is also a stand-alone. So the books are more companion in nature than a series that builds on each other, which was great for me since I started with book number three.

I think the plot was fantastic. The whole idea of “original sin” was interesting and new to me. I really enjoyed that and the story the author weaved. It was different than the standard Greek mythology we get in so many books and a different spin on devil versus angels. The author did a nice job of laying out the plot, layering in the many facets of the story and then tying everything up at the end.

I liked the character development and all the characters. They all had some type of flaw or hidden secret that kept them from being too perfect. My one issue here is how quickly Mariah seemed to overcome her abusive past and fall into bed with Phoenix. Was he swoony? Yeah. But still, she had some major baggage to haul around. Although I do see how the author tried to work around this issue by having the couple be “chosen” for each other. Okay, that sort of worked, but I still think it was too fast. Otherwise I liked the characters and thought they were crafted well.

Bottom line: The story was original and kept my interest. The pacing was strong. The bad news? I didn’t read the book sooner. I liked it a lot and will definitely read the rest of the series (and I won’t be waiting as long as I did with this book to do so!)

[Dlrox12345 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw this book on Netgalley and my thought process went like this;

1.I've heard of Memphisto Covenant before from somewhere.
2.Wonder what it's about.
3.What the hell I'll just request it.

I was pleasantly surprised to seen it had been approved so quickly and immediately started reading it. I normally have reservations about books involving religions especially when it concerns with god/angels/Lucifer etc. etc.

I'm not a Christian so I don't understand about the workings of God and heaven vs. Lucifer and hell. But this book introduced a concept that intrigued me. That Lucifer was the balance, the conscience of human nature. Anyway I won't go into too much details.

The story itself was intriguing. It featured Phoenix a warrior type who was trying to prevent his evil brother from destroying humanity and Mariah a survivor of abuse(sexual and otherwise). Note that I used the word survivor not victim. It pretty much defines her character. She has a lot of strength and she's kind, compassionate. It makes me admire her a lot. She has an innate goodness but in a way that makes you love her. And Phoenix is a screwed up guy carrying a suitcase of guilt everywhere. And together the two of them sort of fix each other.

It was a very emotional book. I could feel my throat tighten several times. The author weaved a fantasy story that somehow feels realistic and immerse you in its world.

My rating:4.5 stars( I think I should check out the other book as well. This was a good find.)

ARC courtesy of Netgalley

[Andye.Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely love these books by Trinity Faegen. She is great at telling a romance love story with an alpha-dog male as a lead role. This is the third book in the series. The Mephisto brothers are the sons of Mephistopheles who is known in German folklore as a demon or the devil. In this series their father is the gatekeeper of Hell. The only way for the Mephisto brothers to enter Heaven and be redeemed is if they find their one true love, and actually fall in love with her. Trinity is picking off Mephisto brother after brother in each book, writing about how they find their one true love (Anabo). Eryx (evil brother) is still out to make their lives miserable and take their Anabo for himself. Satan actually has a good deed moment, it was a little unnerving. I've never experienced a "go Satan" moment before. In The Mephisto Mark, Phoenix is the one to find his Anabo, and it's about time.

This series is very good. Give the first two a try, I cannot seem to find where to purchase this book exactly, I will post a link as soon as I can find one. The Mephisto Covenant (Book 1) and The Mephisto Kiss (book 2) are available for purchase through Amazon.

-Amy
ReadingTeen.net

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read The Mephisto Covenant a few years ago and loved it so I was so glad to have the opportunity to read The Mephisto Mark. I have always been intrigued by Phoenix so I couldn't wait to finally be able to read his book!

Trinity Faegen is such a talented writer. The way she can take this confusing mythology and turn it into something that is easily understandable is amazing. Since it's been a few years since I have been in this world, it was nice to be re-introduced to it, without having information overload.

I absolutely loved Mariah. She has been through so much in her life, but she is still so strong and honest. I love the bond she has with her sister, and how she was so protective of her all these years. Phoenix is so strong and protective as well. He too is damaged and broken from his past. Even though he didn't always make the right choices, he always tried to do the right thing. I really liked the two of them together. They are both carrying so much baggage, so it was nice that they could be together and help each other through everything.

This is a series that is not to be missed!

[Luisa Lee · Rating 1 out of 5]

Let me start by saying that this is the worst book I've ever read and I thought that title went to TFH but compared to this TFH is amazing. Warning for all you die-hard fans, you might want to steer clear of this review. I've been waiting for this book for about a year now only to be severely let down. The whole book takes place during Key and Jordan's story which was a mistake--Phoenix and Mariah didn't even get their own story! The two just spent the whole book whining about how they were undeserving of love. Mariah is a horrible heroine. I understand that she's been through a lot but that doesn't give her the right to act like she's the only one who's ever felt pain and everyone else's pales in comparison to hers. She thinks she has Phoenix pinned perfectly, she's so insensitive and undeserving of him. The story had nothing going except how the two of them heal each other with their love which is completely unrealistic! This was a waste of money. The publisher dropped this series was dropped for a reason.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

2 1/2 Stars! I have a lot of thoughts on this book, which is a good thing. Me thinking about a book means the author did her job. I really like the story and the world building.
The female main character Mariah was likeable and I totally felt for her plight. The main male character Phoenix was hot but I didn't really like him. I like my male characters to be more decisive and less winy-baby.
The book had a lot of pacing issues and it was so slow at times that I considered just stopping. I didn't because I want to give the book a fair read but I did have to force myself through.
There is a lot of different stories happening which is why I had a hard time staying in the main story PLUS, there was a lot of hashing/rehashing of plot that I got the first time I read it.
The writing is solid and the story is intriguing, but I would have enjoyed the book a lot more if the story stayed with the main characters storyline and if there was less information dumping.

[Silviya ☾ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unsurprised that the third book was as A-W-E-S-O-M-E as the first two. Soon I'll be starting the fourth one, hoping that Stephanie Feagan continues the series.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Longer review to come. But in the meantime...

Wowza! Whoa!!! I was kept me on the edge of my seat hoping for the best for This couple. The plot twist, oh that plot twist. I never seen it coming. What a tangled web these brothers live in!

Squeee!!!!! Zee is next! He's been one of my favorites since the beginning. March 2014 can't come soon enough.

[Asheley T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read my full review HERE at Into the Hall of Books.

The Mephisto Covenant Series has a mythology that is interesting and fun and feels entirely its own. I've always loved books that are of the "good vs. evil" variety, particularly when there is an opportunity for the 'bad guys' to be redeemed and that is one of the reasons why I am so attracted to this series. The series is written around a group of brothers, The Mephisto, that are basically trying to keep one bad guy from becoming strong enough to take over Hell - taking away free will would pretty much be disastrous for all mankind, obviously, because no one would have the right to make their own choices, etc. The interesting thing about this particularly bad guy is that he's one of the brothers - he's just a really, really bad one with no good left in him at all. The brothers, however - they're a little different.

They're 'bad guys' but they don't really seem that bad. And this is where the series is so much fun.

The Mephisto are the children of Mephistopheles, who is Lucifer's pal and second-in-command. They're basically the sons of Hell, which is really sad because they have no chance of redemption, no chance of Heaven. They're not really "in" with God, you see. Their only shot at redemption comes through an Anabo - these are female descendents of Eve, born full of light and without original sin. They're good. If The Mephisto can form a romantic relationship with an Anabo that sticks - meaning if the girl can truly love him back - he has a shot at redemption, light, divinity, all of that. This is The Mephisto Covenant and it is a good thing.

While each of the brothers is huge and strong and butt-kicking and looks completely menacing (hello, sons of Hell, remember?), they're actually great people. They don't hate mankind or each other or cute little furry animals. They have a strong brotherly bond, they crave love, and they have good hearts. So these books are good vs. evil - 'bad guys' that are really good - with plenty of paranormal mythology thrown in to make it fun. Plus there is a little bit of romance.

They are really, really fun.

By the third book, I am very attached to these characters. Fully invested. I have to tell you, though: this third book is probably the toughest to read. No, tough isn't the right word. It's maybe the most raw of the three so far. The brother highlighted in The Mephisto Mark has some big-time guilt and issues from something that happened over one hundred years ago, and it weighs him down every single day. The same applies to the female leading character in this story - her past is even more horrible.

*******************************************

As is the case with many companion series books that feature siblings, each of these brothers is different and has characteristics and traits that are unique to him and GOSH I JUST LOVE THAT. Phoenix is the tortured soul of this group, the one that wears his guilt like a badge - except he's not proud of it and yet he won't/can't/isn't able to put it down. Phoenix is strong, smart, and good-looking just like his brothers. Like his brothers, he wants nothing more than to see his evil brother Eryx taken down a few notches. But deep down, he craves love and companionship and someone that understands him. He wants to be able to laugh with someone, travel with someone, and generally have a good time - you know, since he's immortal and will be around pretty much forever. The existence he has now is pitiful since he can't get over what he did 125 years ago and he can't allow himself to even think about loving someone else - and especially allowing someone else to love him. No one deserves him. And then they bring Mariah to the house and doggone it if she isn't an Anabo! And to make it worse, she's the one that God intended for him.

It's the most wonderful and torturous and awful thing that could ever happen to Phoenix. Ever.

Mariah doesn't realize that she's Anabo. All she knows is a life of hard work and tough memories that she tries to keep hidden away in the back corners of her mind. Finally, finally she had just gotten herself a small apartment and was saving herself some money when she found herself whisked away to Mephisto Mountain because she's some sort of special something-or-another? WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN? To say that Mariah's first moments in the house are pretty stressful is a huge understatement that is complicated by 1) not understanding why she was brought there against her will and 2) not understanding why this huge, dark, broody guy that everyone calls Phoenix can't stand her without even getting to know her and 3) Mariah's amazing ability to NOT trust people. She's beautiful, she's full of compassion and light, but Mariah's also full of regret and guilt and some sort of sadness that is eating away at her.

It can get really complicated if I get really into it, but you should know that Anabo have the opportunity to become Immortal and also become Mephisto if they want to - like if they want to stick around and have a relationship with the Mephisto that they're intended for. Doing so means that they're both Anabo and Mephisto, and that they gain all of the strength and butt-kicking abilities that the brothers have...and that they go out and fight Eryx too. It is extremely rare to come across an Anabo out there in the world, so when the brothers find one, it's not only important to their redemption to keep her around - it's really important to their cause. Mariah is by far the gal in this series that kept me on edge the longest, wondering if she would choose to stay or not. The author teased me with her strength and determination and ferocity because of the junk she's had to endure in her life, and I knew she'd be a great Mephisto and fighter, but I didn't know if she wanted that life. And then Phoenix and Mariah together were just...there were quite a few twists and turns that really kept me from really knowing what these two were up to right up until the end. I LOVED THAT.

Basically Phoenix and Mariah are a hot mess together - and I say together lightly and with a chuckle, because they were both kind of a mess when they were apart too. As an Anabo, part of the mythology is that she is already intended for someone - the brothers knew when she walked in the door whether or not it was him. Phoenix knew immediately, and we've already established that he isn't looking for love even though he craves it. PLUS Mariah doesn't trust people - particularly men - so here we have two people that ought to be together but really just don't want to. But HOORAY FOR THE MEPHISTO MYTHOLOGY because there is some really wonderful romantic tension that leads to a few moments when you just want them to KISS ALREADY.

This book features some really cool things like sisters finding themselves after growing up apart from one another, some really cool fight scenes and battle moves, some twists and turns that I did NOT see coming, a villain that keeps getting more villainous, and brothers that I like more and more with each book. I also like the female leads even more with each book, I think. This book also features some past child abuse and sexual assault and carries a trigger warning in the beginning of the book from the author - WHICH I LOVED. Not enough authors do this, from my experience, so I'm standing up and clapping for Author Trinity Faegen for including her warning at the beginning of the book. (I'm also giving her high fives for including a Lexicon/list of terms at the beginning of the book instead of at the end, because WE ALL LOVE THIS when we read on ereaders!)

Phoenix and Mariah follow the heels of Jax and Sasha from the first book and then Key and Jordan from the second book. Each couple has been super fun to read about and has had their own obstacles to face, but none of them have been as trying to read as this book. This book is full of stuff - action and all kinds of stuff that had me guessing and turning pages fast and wanting to slap a few brothers more than once. The mythology has stayed solid throughout the series - good vs evil, with a hope that good will defeat bad and that there is a shot of the brothers winning redemption before all is said and done. These types of books are among my favorite, favorite, favorite because they are so gripping and I am so into this series. I love also that this author is able to infuse some reference to the Bible, but this isn't an angel book or a demon book or a religious book or any type of book, really. It's just a great series and I kind of love it to pieces. I saw the summery for the next book and GOOD GRIEF I'm already on edge. It's like the fight for good vs. evil continues to get MORE and HARDER, and I love that. I'm super excited for what comes next.

I recommend The Mephisto Mark (and the entire series, actually) for readers that enjoy fantasy/paranormal books, good vs evil, chances at redemption, companion series, and books that feature sibling relationships. These books are fun, you guys, and even though this is a series and I have read them in order - it isn't necessary. This book can be read as a standalone.

[Isis · Rating 4 out of 5]

First I would like to take a moment to thank Pink Publishing, LLC for granting g me the privilege of reading an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. The fact that I received the book for free in no way impacts the content of my review. This book actually rates a 3.5 for me, but closer to 4 than 3, so I rounded up.

This book deals with domestic abuse, pedophilia, and rape, so please be forewarned that this is intended for a more mature audience.

I will start by saying that this is the third book in the Mephisto Covenant series, but works as a stand-alone, which is how I read it. Please be aware that there are potential spoilers for the prior two books within the review, so turn back if you've yet to read the beginning of the Mephisto Covenant series.

Goodreads Description:

Orphaned at six and sent to live with abusive relatives in Bucharest, Mariah learned early in life to box up violent, agonizing memories and put them in permanent mental storage. Now almost nineteen, she has a paying job, a tiny apartment, and a plan to attend university. She loves her independence and is steadily overcoming her past, but when an enigmatic stranger walks into the pub where she works and the trajectory of her life changes yet again, she begins to wonder if she’ll run out of mental shelf space.

The only females unafraid of the Mephisto brothers are the extremely rare Anabo, born without Original Sin. Over one hundred years ago, Phoenix was first to find one, but he made a fatal mistake and she was murdered by his oldest brother and enemy, Eryx. Phoenix soldiered through the next century wrapped up in grief and guilt, his only outlet planning takedowns of those who pledged their souls to Eryx. When one of his brothers brings Mariah to Mephisto Mountain, he’s torn between his instinctive, powerful need to pursue her, and his certainty that he can never have her.

Drawn into the world of the Mephisto, Mariah sees the pain and misery Eryx unleashes on humanity, and the boxes in her mind begin to fly open, one by one. All that keeps her from slipping off the edge is her unlikely, sexually charged friendship with Phoenix. He’s incredibly screwed up; she’s completely broken. It would take a miracle for them to find happiness. Then Eryx brings the war for Hell to a whole new level, forcing Mariah and Phoenix to make a choice that will bind them together for all eternity, or rip them apart forever.

I was initially put off by the book because the very first thing it began with was a glossary of who is who and what is what in the world of the Mephisto. Books that begin with glossaries and/or maps tend to make me question just how well the world-building was done, and wonder if maybe the author didn't overreach their abilities. Clearly that is not always the case, as there are numerous examples of excellent series containing maps, keys, family lines, etc. Often those books require more effort from the reader than the average book requires, or at least until the reader is pulled into the story by its own merits. Thankfully this was a brief glossary and I never needed to reference it. My only other minor whining has to do with the fact that several of the major characters have very similar nicknames. The interchangeability of their names made the story a tad difficult to follow during the first portion of the book, but became less of an issue the deeper I got into the story. Had I read the first two books in the series this may never have been an issue, one I'll never know the answer to, not having the ability to travel back in time.

Based on the book's description and cover image I was anticipating a more action-based story - I was wrong. Happily so as it turns out. What makes this book such an enjoyable read for me is the interplay between the characters, watching their emotional development and growth. Particularly the central characters Mariah and Phoenix, which makes sense as this is really more their story than anyone else's.

When Mariah is first introduced it is crystal clear that she is damaged goods, having been violently abused for the majority of her formative years. Yet she is also extraordinarily special in several ways. Unbeknownst to her, she comes from an incredibly rare line of people who do not have Original Sin, making her Anabo. Even after having this explained to her Mariah doesn't feel worthy or special, as she harbors huge feelings of guilt. The only thing that truly sustains her in life is knowing that she saved her younger sister, getting her out of that miserable life in Romania to somewhere safe. In many ways it is how she defines herself. And because of that Mariah never once regrets the choices she made, including the one that makes her believe she is destined for Hell. As the reader I was so certain I knew what she thought that sin was. Imagine my surprise to learn I had it wrong.

Taken away from all she knows, thrust into this fantastical version of the 'world' that is run by the Sons of Hell (Mephistopheles' six sons by Anabo Elektra, all of who he had hidden from God). Mariah is told she is destined to be with the Mephisto Phoenix for all eternity, should she chose to become Mephisto herself. This is a choice she struggles with, not because Phoenix is an ass to her when they first meet (and boy howdy is he ever) or because of her fear of men, but because she would have to collect "lost souls" and bring them to Hell on Earth. Even after everything she has lived through she still can't stomach the idea of taking a life, bad or not.

I think what I liked about Mariah the most was that she didn't take crap from anyone, especially Phoenix. Though damaged she'd found her own way to cope. And because of that she was able to face almost anything. She never allowed herself to hide from the things she wanted to avoid in the present. If someone else said something, or behaved badly, Mariah was often the first to call them on it. Taken away from the life she built for herself, frequently surrounded by large alpha males, and she still calls bullshit when she sees it. Equally important, she hasn't lost the ability to open her heart, even when she knew it could, and likely would, cause her pain and suffering. Plus, her ability to see straight to the heart of a matter made her excellent at reading the people near her, and most situations.

Phoenix is the perfect match for Mariah - she's deeply damaged and he's just plain broken. I think it is a stroke of brilliance that Ms. Faegen matched Phoenix's truck of compartmentalize things with Mariah's mental 'boxes,' thus allowing him to understand Mariah's coping mechanism, and in turn allowing Mariah to understand choices he makes. All the gentle, tender care he layers on Mariah, helping her to begin the healing process, she returns in kind, sticking with him through his many screw ups as he tries to work his way out if the century old pit he's dug himself and into a place where he can love Mariah and trust that he actually knows that it is real love. Watching the two of them as they take their first few fragile, and still shaky, steps toward loving each other is beautiful.

Though much of the book is character driven there are definitely sections of pure action that help to move the story forward. They are also there to help highlight the simple fact that beyond this one unfolding love story is the never-ending struggle for dominance between good and evil. So while my take-away from this reading was more love story, if I re-read this book in a different mood the battle between good and evil could easily be the main take-away for me. So don't be fooled into thinking this book is a straight up romance, or chick-lit, for there is much more taking place. I have to leave some mysteries for you to discover don't I? But it is so hard, for there are so many interesting things that happen - to help shape a character, or to steer the story a specific direction, still others to illuminate a character's motivation, explain what is going on in their head when they make the choices they do. Some great surprises to be uncovered as well - all of it entertaining enough that I want to share my thoughts on essentially everything the characters experience.

The arc of the story is initially a bit slow, as all the different players are woven into the story, but the pacing continues to pick up speed and intensity as the story nears its zenith. I found myself frantically turning the pages to learn what would happen between Phoenix and Mariah and the rest of the characters I'd come to love, hate, or at least know in some small way. At the same time I was struggling to slow myself down so I could wring every last moment out of the story to examine and savor for as long as possible. Clearly I need to work harder on my self-control, for the frantic page turning continued until there were no more pages left to turn. In the course of reading this book I experienced just about the full gamut of emotions. I definitely enjoyed this book and have every intention of getting the others in the series, those already in print and those due to come out. I find myself already speculating on just how Ms. Faegen plans to handle the relationship between Zee and Euri!

P.S. Pick up some extra tissues when you get the book(s) and make sure they are on hand when you settle in to begin reading!

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally published at http://seriestracker.wordpress.com/ya...

The latest installment of the Mephisto Covenant series by Trinity Faegen, the Mephisto Mark, only you mephisto 3seems to be setting some records for me. Often, by book three there are a number of problems that are starting to surface. I begin to anticipate the "jump the shark" moment. The cracks in the overall story arc start to be visible. The characters and their "oh poor me" start to become whiney annoying people. The bad guys start to loose any trait that makes them nothing more than mindless bores who are aiming to end the world. The gals in these stories become mindless bores, weaklings who couldn't spend a night in bed with the lights off, let alone do anything that takes even the smallest iota of courage (ironically, its these heroines that are often called "strong women" in reviews and that makes me want to scream). We start to see action where we could skip entire chapters because nothing interesting, new or different happens. So often we start to see the same plot points with bad guys who get away for the sake of stretching the plot further than it should be stretched, and dialogue – in the characters head or out loud – where the same stuff is told to me over and over and over. That gets old and take the joy out of a series fast. jumpthesharkBook three is so often the jump the shark moment because of all these things. However, I am happy to say, I didn't see any sharks in the water here!

The third installment takes a very unique approach to series progression: the events in this book take place simultaneously with the events in the last book. I have never seen this done quite so extensively or quite so well. I have seen books with some overlap, or where you know there are other events taking place and the characters who are in the other books are nothing more than references. Here, it was like the botched Twilight from edwards POV - we get to see exact events that we saw in the first book, just from other characters perspectives and we see those other characters throughout the book with the interactions mirroring what happened in the last book (Oh, and I should say, unlike the botched Edward POV, this was finished and really well done, so the similarities are limited!). It was a great accomplishment and must have taken quite a bit of planning on the author's part. As a reader, I would like to thank the author for the effort put into doing that. I loved this installment and was so thoroughly entertained. It was done well enough that even though I just finished the last book, when I came to text that I knew was identical and I had read it before, when I re-read it, it still felt new! Kudos!!

This story is about Phoenix and Mariah. Mariah is Jordan's birth sister. Key found her in the last book and brought her to the mountain. Phoenix is who she is meant for. But she was abused when she was younger and Phoenix is battling the guilt over and memories of Jane. But, as with all in this genre, we watch as the two main protagonists fall for one another and how they get deal with the baggage they bring to the relationship.

The books in this series just get better and better. Each installment of the Mephisto Covenant series is better than the last. Which means that I can't wait until #4 comes out!

The author does a wonderful job of giving us enough information to recap the big items yet giving us new information and story lines at the same time. You don't feel like you are being bogged down by too much background. She creates a world where there is a wonderful balance of new and old information. And this is a huge accomplishment given the timing of this book. This was a first for me - reading a book where the timeline is concurrent with another book in the series. I have seen a little overlap, but to have the entire book take place during the exact same time as the last installment that is new. And it was great because I could see it being easy to forget a detail or two and have some inconsistencies between the books, but I didn't see that here.

This book did seem to travel a little further with a few things than its predecessors. It was a little more religious. I still didn't feel preached to, but some of the religious tenants were much more important to the characters and faith therefore seemed to play a much more important role in this book. The author, however, seems to know how to balance the presentation of characters with faith, even characters talking about their faith, without it feeling like the author is trying to bean you over the head until you relent and believe in what the author believes. It is a hard balance; there are many authors who try to present EOW scenarios or do the angel/demon/god/lucifer thing and they can not find the balance. Ms. Faegen has managed to present the perfect balance.

Part of this balance may come from the origins of the Mephistopheles story in that he isn't really a demon from church teachings but from other literature. So there is an inherent limitation on the amount of scripture surrounding him, making him easier to balance. And while it is clear that there is a message about not loosing faith and redemption, it seems that part of this message is that love is redeeming, not just faith.

This installment brings on some additional imagery and misery. I won't talk about the elements of abuse - I am grateful that I can't identify I can only sympathize. As a result of the fact that I can't say what it is like to be a victim or surviver of this kind of abuse, I will leave that alone. Readers should be warned, however, that there is some talk of what happened to Mariah and the author warns of triggers in this regards. There is other imagery at work here that I don't recall in the other 2 books - we see the place "Hell on Earth" and get a little background on it. It is descriptive and disturbing. It was well done as it felt like the author was trying to make sure we understood this place but it didn't feel like the caricature that one often finds in this genre. It was also an interesting take to see the difference in the descriptions (and the mythology in this world) between Hell and Hell on Earth.

There were some delightful little twists. They weren't the Game of Thrones type twists (Red Wedding, yikes! joffrey chokingIt's Just Wine, double yikes! And if you haven't guessed, I am talking the HBO GOT-game-of-thrones--ep because I haven't read the books yet), but just small enough things to keep the story feeling fresh and the plots feeling unique. Learning the truth about Phoenix and Jane - it just wasn't something I expected. And I was pleasantly surprised. It was also a great little surprise to see the way the brothers dealt with some of the other twists that presented themselves. All in all, they each moved the plot forward in pleasant ways, yet managed to make sure I didn't get a sense of deja vu which happens a lot in the genre - I often find myself mixing up plot points and characters because it's hard to find new ways to do things and a lot of the same stuff gets recycled through the genre.

Like with the previous installments, this isn't the steamiest series. If you are looking for heat (other than from Hell on Earth), you won't find a lot of it here. Just so you know....

The one thing that started to get a little annoying was a subtle shift in the way "Anabo" and "Mephisto" are referenced. In the first installment those two things were types of people. The ladies were Anabo and the guys Mephisto and the ladies could become Mephisto. In the second book there were references to it that way as well as references to being something one could "lose". To me, those are two very different types of nouns. Here, there are more references to Mephisto and Anabo as a thing that could be lost. For example: "If she had Mephisto" or "lost Anabo". But its really been that they are Mephisto or Anabo, not they have Mephisto or Anabo which could be a thing to be won or lost.

Regardless of that little itsy bitsy nit, I am thoroughly enjoying these wonderful books. The author has built an interesting world, the mythology is fresh and the characters are wonderful. I hope we get to see a lot more of Mephisto Mountain and the folks who call it home.



p.s. still think the covers should be better...

[Miranda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Notes: As a personal belief I think you can read Only You as two options.
1) Before reading Only You, read The Mephisto Covenant: The Redemption of Ajax (Book 1) and The Mephisto Kiss (Book 2) (I highly recommend reading the first two books. You won’t regret it)
2)However if you want to just read Only You, I strongly suggest you read the Mephisto Lexicon so you won’t get lost in the terminology. You can read it on Stephanie Feagan’s website: http://www.stephaniefeagan.com/mephis...

Also beware that Only You deals with past child abuse and sexual assault so be cautious because it can cause triggers.

What I loved:
--Stephanie Feagan doesn’t side-step the realities about rape and assault. In the Mephisto Kiss, it is highly hinted that Mariah was raped and dealt with emotional and physical abuse by her guardian Emilian. It is later confirmed in Only You. Whenever “Mariah perceive[d] a threat or something upsets her” she “insulated herself so completely, she won’t let anything affect her, good or bad”. Even though Mariah was raped and assaulted, she’s curious about what kissing and sex is like with someone who she trusts.

“The idea of sex as something wonderful was completely foreign to me and I wondered if the author of that book made it up like she’d used inaccurate history. Sex was scary and horrible and painful. I couldn’t in my wildest imagination consider it something a woman would ever want…But what if I was wrong?”

“…I remembered with perfect clarity just how much I’d wanted [Phoenix] to kiss me. I was curious, and he was the first guy in my entire life I’d ever wanted to kiss. But that was nothing like love. It was lust, which came out of nowhere and surprised me, but I couldn’t deny it. Maybe Sasha’s romance novel had opened a tiny door somewhere in my soul.”

“Kissing was an exchange of trust and affection, something that increased with desire.”

--The interactions between Phoenix and Mariah. In between the serious, angst scenes there are also humorous ones. My favorite humorous scene between Mariah and Phoenix is when Mariah was reading romance novels out loud (only for Phoenix) and she started to skip the racy scenes in the novel because Phoenix is still an eighteen year old with hormones.

[Phoenix] “If you don’t read it to me, I’m going to steal it from you and read the racy parts at dinner out loud, to everyone.”

“Then I’ll stay in my room and have Mathilda bring my dinner.”

“Then I’ll come to your room and read them to you while you eat.”

“I hate you.”

--The hot flaming sexual tension. You know those moments whether you’re reading a book or watching a movie and two characters have unbelievable chemistry that are literally off the charts and you scream into the book/movie “Oh my God just kiss already!”. Yes there are several moments in Only You. Like this one.

“If you’re not in it with me, fine, but don’t tell me again how much you want to kiss me unless you follow through.”

What I like about these moments is that Phoenix and Mariah sorted out most of their problems (directly or indirectly about each other) before they finally kissed and had sex . You just have to read all of Only You to fully understand why I love their romance.
--Mariah’s character. What I love about Mariah is that she is a strong female character. A strong female character shouldn’t be a female character who is physically strong but someone who is mentally, emotionally and morally strong. When Mariah was six, she took her younger sister, Jordan to a church orphanage and left her there so Jordan can escape the abuse of Emilian and his wife. Even when Mariah was emotionally and spiritually bruised after numerous rape and physical abuse by Emilian, she knew she still had to protect Jordan after Emilian revealed “he had big plans to demand money in exchange for not taking her back [and] wanted to extort money for his silence” when she could’ve easily done nothing.
--Phoenix’s character. What I love about Phoenix is that he’s a perfectly flawed character. The conversation between Lucifer and Mariah about Phoenix literally takes the words out of my mouth about why I love Phoenix (of course along with the other Mephisto brothers). *Minor spoilers*

[Lucifer] “…I want you to fully understand what it is to be with Phoenix. He’s not the worst of his brothers, but perhaps the most complicated, like his father. He’s an odd blend of good and bad, exacting precision and a complete mess. I always favored him because he’s never been one to hide from his mistakes, and he’s had a lot of mistakes.”

“He can be very kind and considerate when he wants to be.”

“And selfish and nasty when he wants to be.” [Lucifer] stroked my hair. “…[Phoenix] does love you to distraction, child. So much, I lost him, just last night. He broke down and cried and begged God to send you back and promised he’d love you forever and never, ever not be grateful…He was sincere and God recognizes sincerity.”

What I liked:
--The plot twists: It will definitely make a lot of sense if you read the Mephisto Kiss before reading Only You. What I liked about Only You were the plot twists. In Mephisto Kiss, it seems like it heavily implied that Phoenix stayed far far away from Mariah. In Only You that’s not the case. They usually talked or hung out whenever Jordan wasn’t with Mariah. There was also an incident in Mephisto Kiss when the Mephisto Covenant was fulfilled for Key, everyone was excited because Key and Jordan were revived by God and Lucifer and Jordan hugged Mariah and everyone lived happily ever after (after the Mephisto Kiss). But that didn’t happen.

Jordan…asked, “Where’s Mariah?”
“You just hugged her, goof,” Key said. “I saw you.” He glanced around and frowned. “No, I suppose that was Mercy.” He looked at me. “Do you know where she is?”
…
[Jordan] instantly began to cry, became hysterical, close to hyperventilating… “Hell on Earth. I left her in Hell on Earth.”

Whoa! Plot twister. If that isn’t a plot twister I don’t know what is.

What I disliked:
--I WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE OTHER MEPHISTO BROTHERS!!! Oh the agony! I want to know more about Denys, why he sleeps with a lot of women (I think more so than his brothers); I want to know more about Ty, there must be something deep inside that silent giant, what’s his story?; I want to know more about Zee, the odd brother who drowns out his insanity with music. Of course I want to know more about Eryx, why he sacrificed himself for his brothers but tries to destroy them. In a recent discussion, Stephanie Feagan has planned to write books for all of the brothers, including Eryx. So I’m hoping that Feagan will continue to follow her dreams and will write about of all of the brothers because me and her other fans are waiting for their chapters of the story. And Ms. Feagan, never ever listen to those readers who discourage you. Listen to the ones who love you and your writing.

[Giulia Frost · Rating 5 out of 5]

(First read in September, 2013)

Eu já falei isso antes, mas não tem frase melhor que expressa a minha opinião sobre Mephisto Mark: "livro bom nós sentimos no estômago." E realmente, desde o começo até o final da história, frio na barriga foi o que não faltou.
Lendo esse livro passei por aquele eterno conflito de precisar saber o que ia acontecer, mas, ao mesmo tempo, não querer virar a página por saber que estaria mais perto do final.
Se os dois primeiros livros de Mephisto Convenant me chamaram a atenção e me mantiveram motivada em saber o que aconteceria a seguir, o terceiro definitivamente consagrou a série no meu coração.
Primeiro de tudo, acho importante ressaltar que desde a história do Jax o mundo criado pela autora, sua narrativa, estilo e personagens me fascinaram muito. Ela trata de assuntos bem profundos e complexos e nos faz refletir sobre a natureza humana de uma forma tão intrínseca ao enredo que só percebemos o quanto aprendemos após terminar o livro. E a Trinity conseguiu se superar em Mephisto Mark.
Mariah é incrível. Ela sacrificou tudo pela Jordan e passou por muita dificuldade, mas ainda sim continuou em frente, buscando sua independência e não perdendo a fé na humanidade. Ela é uma guerreira, inocente em vários aspectos e meio quebrada em outros. E ela aprende a confiar de novo, encontra no Phoenix um amigo com quem pode se abrir e se apoiar para superar seus medos, uma pessoa com quem ela não tem medo de expressar suas opiniões e dizer o que pensa.
E Phoenix? Bom, esse é um baú de complicações. Ele passa 125 anos mergulhado em culpa, se odiando, se privando do que ama e preso por segredos. Ele acaba se perdendo nessa confusão e chega a conclusão de que não é capaz de amar. Ele é egoísta, uma bomba prestes a explodir. E é só depois que Mariah entra em seu caminho, despertando sua necessidade de ajudá-la e pensar em outra pessoa sem ser ele mesmo, que Phoenix começa a finalmente seguir em frente e superar o passado.
E o Phoenix cresce muito durante o livro! Amei ver que apesar de seus vários defeitos, ele também tem um lado doce e se transforma em alguém que merece ficar com a Mariah.
Além de amar a história dos dois, também achei incrível como dessa vez a Trinity nos apresenta melhor os outros três irmãos ( Zee, Denys e Ty), que apareceram muito pouco nos outros livros. E admito que o Zee foi uma das melhores surpresas do livro e estou louquinha para ler a história dele.
No fim fui dormir ontem com os olhos inchados de tanto chorar, com meu coração batendo mais forte por causa do final feliz merecido, ansiosa para descobrir o que o Eryx está tramando e o que vai acontecer no livro quatro, triste porque acabou e com a certeza de que vou comprar Mephisto Mark, porque tem certos livros que realmente são essenciais na minha estante e esse é um deles.

[Isel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3💫
I like the fact that it seemed to be targeting -talking about- abuse victims but the way it was written... Mariah seemed like a child (to me)...? I don't know if because of her abuse of her child she suppressed so much- or something- that her thoughts stayed child like but I didn't really like it but besides that and that it seemed more like a filler- happened at same time Jordans story was happening so nothing mich happened, not really- then anything it was pretty interesting.
Oh, yeah... What Jordan did to her... Daaaaaam. Glad her memory was wiped.
Also, one thing I didn't expect (besides Lucifer telling her he cared about her 0-0)... that Zee thing... Daaaaam.
Mariah and Phoenix... cute 💞

[Line vågheim · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the new book in the series we follow another Anabo.
Her challenges are harder to overcome and more traumatic than the once before.
The book is way better written and done than the previous two.
It really surprised me how much I loved the book.
I want to experience so much more from this series.

[Sandy Chan · Rating 4 out of 5]

CAN'T WAIT TO READ THE NEXT BOOK

[Margot]

DNF 40% 15/35

[Meli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED THIS ONE!!!

That’s all I have to say…

[Kari · Rating 5 out of 5]

This and other reviews can be found at Ramblings of a Reader.

You guys, The Mephisto Mark was beyond amazing.  I've thoroughly enjoyed each one of the Mephisto books so far, and they seriously just keep getting better. I've loved Trinity Faegen's writing style and the whole Mephisto world she's created. I'd be lying if I said I didn't freak out and fangirl a little when I was approved for the eBook on NetGalley. Guys, if you haven't read the first two, you totally should! But you don't have to read the other books to enjoy this one {they're just really that good and you're going to want more after reading one}.

If you haven't read any of the Mephisto Covenant series, let me fill you in a bit: its about seven brothers who are the sons of Mephistopheles {Lucifer's right hand man, "in charge of taking souls of the damned to Hell" [description from Trinity's website]} and Elektra {an Anabo, descendent of Eve's daughter Aurora, born without Original Sin}. Out of the seven brothers, one no longer has any of his mother's light, and that's the oldest, Eryx, who is trying to take over Hell from Lucifer by having people pledge themselves to him and sell him their souls. The other six brothers are fighting Eryx, taking those who have pledged their souls to him to a place called Hell on Earth so Eryx can't absorb their souls when they die {each soul he absorbs makes him stronger}. A great place for you, my dear reader friends, to catch up on all of the background of the Mephisto, you should check out Mephisto - In The Beginning on Trinity/Stephanie's website. Much better descriptions, and I won't spend this whole review recapping the brothers' past. Or you could take a little more time and read the books *winks*.

On to the actual book review, shall we?

I loved the idea of Mariah and Phoenix and what they would have to break through just to be friends when I read her introduction in The Mephisto Kiss. Mariah is, as Kyros tried to describe her to Phoenix, "broken" - she's a survivor of multiple kinds of abuse received at the hands of her mother's sister and that sister's husband, since her parents died when she was six years old and until her uncle dies when she's fourteen years old. But she is exactly that, a survivor and not a victim. She is pretty jaded by what happened to her when she was younger, but she is also very determined to make the best of what she's been given, until Kyros takes her back to Mephisto mountain in hopes of her becoming one of the Lumina*. Despite what she went through as a child and young person, Kyros senses and incredible good in her. But because of what she went through, the light that Mephisto and other Anabo can see and identify her as Anabo is all but gone. *Side note: the author did a great job with her research on physical and sexual abuse survivors, and, while it was heartbreaking to read about, it was also awesome to see how much Mariah has done to overcome it.*

Mariah is strong, but at the same time delicate because of what she went through. Phoenix is broken because of what happened in his past, losing his last Anabo, watching his older, soulless brother Eryx kill her. And because of that {and so, so much more}, he is the last of the brothers who should be given another Anabo {and most of them remind him}. The first time he is in the same room with Mariah, he smells heather and hates her for it. And all Mariah knows it there is another man, walking in her life, and hating her for apparently no reason. There is so much tension between the two, you could cut it with a knife.

Guys, there are so many twists in this book, and so many things that completely BLEW MY MIND {yes, that totally deserves to be in caps}. I thought I knew what to expect of this story because of reading the first two, but I had no idea what was coming. Some were good, some were bad, some were heartbreaking, and some made me want to have a joyous talk with anyone and everyone who has read this book. Its amazing, hands down. I've actually read through it twice now {which is an amazing feat with an almost mobile baby and working}, and enjoyed it even more the second time around. Each chapter goes back and for between Mariah's POV and Phoenix's POV, which I'm usually not a huge fan of. But it worked with The Mephisto Mark so incredibly well. So much of the mind blowing facts and revelations happen inside one of their heads, if it were only from one point of view all of us readers wouldn't get the whole story.  And what a story...


Also, we find out what brother's story is next... can I say that I'm really looking forward to reading his? Trinity, can I be pre-approved for an early read on that one too? Please?


*terms slightly confusing? Check out the Mephisto Lexicon.

[Amara Luciano · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Now you may remember me mentioning The Mephisto Covenant series before. In fact, one of my favorites of 2013 turned out to be The Mephisto Kiss, the sequel to The Mephisto Covenant. Now just a little disclaimer about me—I'm all about giving books a second chance, specifically books in a series where the potential to grow is always there. That's how it was with my first taste of Faegan's world; it definitely could've been much better, but I saw the possibilities it could pull off should Faegan improve on what I deemed to be flaws. So when I read The Mephisto Kiss, I was incredibly glad that I sat down one random evening to give it a chance and was dazzled by how much more depth Faegan created, and the attachments developed for these agonized sons of the dark angel Mephistopheles.

I just love saying his name. Mephistopheles.

The Good, The Bad, and The Non-Spoilery: If you've never read The Mephisto Covenant, it's about the six remaining sons of Mephistopheles (^^) who, due to questionable parentage to say the least, in order to earn passage into Heaven and gain God's favor must find love in a specific kind of a woman—known as Anabo, these women are descended from the first daughter of Adam and Eve and carry with them the purest of souls despite the darkness of the world around them, and so will be unafraid of being among the enigmatic, dangerous, arguably demonic Mephisto brothers. Should they love they will also know a peace that has eluded them for the thousand years they've already lived.

Now what I've loved about this series to this point is that the love lives of the six brothers are both at the center of the books and not all at once. Despite the fact that each of them have been unknowingly waiting for these promised soulmates, they've got other things going on as the hit squad working for both sides to stop the world from ending. But more than that, they're all carrying around a lot of emotional damage and pressure and old resentments that these could almost be very much character-driven stories, which huzzah!

I love that their romances are as equally hard as the lives they already lead. While the attraction is very much instant, the love takes a while to bloom, and when it comes to the point where they can love beyond themselves, it's cleansing for each brother and pretty damn beautiful. This particular installment focuses on Phoenix and the Anabo he definitely doesn't want to meet called Mariah, whom I loved so very much. You see, Phoenix harbors a horde of guilt for a tragic past where selfishness and many mistakes were at play. His tragic flaw is that selfishness so that even his guilt stems from self-pity no matter how much he thinks otherwise, and so it's no wonder it takes he and Mariah so long to work up to where I was dying to lead them my own self. He has so much growing to do at the beginning and because it's real, because it's true it takes a while for him to get there.

These books are about redemption, forgiveness, and self-growth, and therein lay the beauty, the glimpse of which I caught a couple years ago. And at the core of all those things is a driving need to maintain a family, and each of the brothers, the women they bring in, and the ones who watch over them—see: most BAMF butler, housekeeper, and cook ever—are very much a part of and committed to the family they've managed to salvage in spite of all the tragedies that have befallen them.

It's impossible to remain unaffected by these brothers, each their own person with their own quirks and flaws and jokes and badassery. (I'm sorry but BROMANCE makes the top of my must-have-in-reading list.) And while I was extremely sad that Faegan had a setback with her publisher, she's managed to come through and deliver a fairly phenomenal follow-up to the game-changing Mephisto Kiss and so I'm ANYTHING BUT sad now. I'm actually refreshing the goodreads page for The Mephisto Code and waiting for more info to miraculously appear. Yeah, I expect no judgement.

M came close and bent to gently stroke her hair. I watched in stunned disbelief. Not since our mother died had I seen my father express anything close to affection.
Her soul must have recognized who he was because she looked up at him with relief and whispered, "I'm ready to go."
"It's not your time," he murmured.
She leaned her head into his hand and closed her eyes. "He came back."
"No, he's never coming back."
"Promise?"
"I promise." He moved his hand across her face and she instantly went to sleep, her head falling against my shoulder.

*dies* *sobs* THIS SCENE. Mariah is so wounded that she inspires a shred of warmth in even the most damned of souls. *sobs again*

And there are tons of others but this is the least spoilery, I think, and one of the most moving.

This review was originally posted at Paranormal Indulgence.