Friday, December 30, 2022

Between the Pages - Books I Read in 2022

 "Books are good company, in sad times and happy times, for books are people—people who have managed to stay alive by hiding between the covers of a book." ~ E.B. White
 
To all the authors whose stories entertained me this year, and especially those who wrote my favorites below, you've earned my highest esteem, gratitude, and adoration. Thank you!

As I haven't discovered a better way of expressing the following, I shall repeat what I said in previous years...

The books I select as my favorites each year are those that: I get lost in; the ones that while reading, I lose all track of time; the ones that evoke the strongest emotions; the ones that make me laugh, cry, blush, gasp, and sigh. Yeah, those books!

Each year I meticulously review my database and online shelves to select my favorites. Even though I arbitrarily decide upon the categories, I am careful in considering which books deserve each designation.

Sadly, no matter how much I love a book, I am unable to recall details. In other words, although my devotion is clear, my memory is not. I would, indeed, like to attempt to explain my choices to anyone who may be interested.

In 2022, I did a great deal of re-reading favorites. I finished a total of 52 digital library books (Kindle and audiobook). I completed 35 Kindle Unlimited books and 3 Audible Escape titles. There were 8 books that I did not finish. As far as genres go, I read 10 non-fiction, 10 contemporary mystery/suspense/thrillers, and 6 historical fiction. The remaining 220+ were sub-genres of romance.

There are several books that were published this year that I wanted to read but was unable to, some of which were published late in the year. I may have to make an exception for some of them and include them in a future list, just as I made an exception this year for one "Special Mention" book that was published in 2021.

I'll be starting out 2023 with about 235 books on my to-be-read shelves—primary and secondary—and the 30+ books on my library wish list. I've set my StoryGraph Reading Challenge goal at 210 books.

My 2022 Stats

My StoryGraph Challenge total was 254 (first reads and rereads of single titles)
My database total was 208 (first reads of individual formats only)

(Note: I receive no monetary compensation. I only wish to show my appreciation. The book links below open up to the corresponding Webpages on Amazon.com or Audible.com.)
 
My Favorites Published in 2022
(alphabetical by author)

Single Titles
 
Overkill by Sandra Brown 
Bound to Fall (Colorado High Country #10) by Pamela Clare
Tempt (Cloverleigh Farms Next Generation Series #4) by Melanie Harlow
The Unknown Beloved by Amy Harmon (review)
Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover 
The Devil You Know (The Devils #3) by Elizabeth O' Roark (review)
Scandalized by Ivy Owens (review)
Nightwork by Nora Roberts 
Maggie Moves On by Lucy Score (review)
Things We Never Got Over (Knockemout #1) by Lucy Score
Between Hello and Goodbye by Emma Scott
Moody by Penelope Ward (review)

Special Mention

Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult (published 11/30/2021)

Series Titles (two or more installments published within 2022)
 


Favorites by Category

Genres

Favorite Contemporary Fiction - Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult
Favorite Historical Fiction - The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki
Favorite Mystery - Cold, Cold Bones (Temperance Brennan #21) by Kathy Reichs
Favorite Suspense/Thriller - Listen to Me (Rizzoli & Isles #13) by Tess Gerritsen
Favorite Contemporary Romance - Maggie Moves On by Lucy Score
Favorite Historical Romance - The Unknown Beloved by Amy Harmon
Favorite Romantic Suspense - Nightwork by Nora Roberts
Favorite New Adult - Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover
Favorite Inspirational Romance - Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover
Favorite Paranormal Romance - Paladin's Kiss (Elemental Covenant #3) by Elizabeth Hunter
Favorite Romantic Series - First Family Series (State of the Union #3 and State of Shock #4) by Marie Force
Favorite Audiobook Performance - The Chameleon Effect written and narrated by Joe Arden

Romance Tropes

Favorite Age Gap Romance - Tempt (Cloverleigh Farms Next Generation Series #4) by Melanie Harlow
Favorite Enemies to Lovers Romance - Things We Never Got Over (Knockemout #1) by Lucy Score
Favorite Forced Proximity Romance - Maggie Moves On by Lucy Score
Favorite Friends to Lovers Romance - Scandalized by Ivy Owens
Favorite Grumpy/Sunshine Romance - Things We Never Got Over (Knockemout #1) by Lucy Score
Favorite Small Town Romance - The Brawl (Calamity Montana #5) by Willa Nash (Devney Perry)
Favorite Workplace Romance - Maggie Moves On by Lucy Score

Characters

Favorite Character Repartee - The Devil You Know (The Devils #3) by Elizabeth O' Roark
Favorite Romantic Couple - Samantha Holland and Nick Cappuano from The First Family Series by Marie Force 
Biggest Flirt (Most adorable too!) - Silas Wright from Maggie Moves On by Lucy Score 
Favorite Alpha Male - Zachary "Zach" Barrett from Tempt (Cloverleigh Farms Next Generation Series #4) by Melanie Harlow
Favorite Romantic Hero - Ronan Thatcher from The Brawl (Calamity Montana #5) by Willa Nash (Devney Perry) 
Favorite Antihero - Harrison "Harry" Silas Booth aka Sebastian Booth from Nightwork by Nora Roberts
Most Tormented Hero - Zach Bridger from Overkill by Sandra Brown
Most Heroic Hero - Darius Silva from Bound to Fall (Colorado High Country #10) by Pamela Clare
Favorite Romantic Heroine - Millicent "Millie" Rose MacAllister from Tempt (Cloverleigh Farms Next Generation Series #4) by Melanie Harlow
Most "Kick-Ass" Heroine - Kate Lennon from Overkill by Sandra Brown

Themes/Moods
 
Most Taboo Dark - Hooked (Never After #1) by Emily McIntire (published 2021)
Most Heartrending - Between Hello and Goodbye by Emma Scott
Most Humorous - Maggie Move On by Lucy Score
Most Luscious - Tempt (Cloverleigh Farms Next Generation Series #4) by Melanie Harlow
Most Realistic Romance - Moody by Penelope Ward
Most Erotic Sensual - Scandalized by Ivy Owens
Most Surprising Plot Twist - Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult
Most Devastating Blow Delivered - Desert Star (Ballard & Bosch #5) by Michael Connelly

Most Pleasant Surprise - The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki 
Most Striking Cover - Between Hello and Goodbye by Emma Scott
 

Most Anticipated Books of 2023

So Close
(Blacklist #1) by Sylvia Day
Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood 
The Game by Vi Keeland
The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren
The Brood (Calamity Montana #6) by Willa Nash (Devney Perry) 
Jasper Vale (The Edens #4) by Devney Perry
Identity by Nora Roberts
Things We Hide from the Light (Knockemout #2) by Lucy Score
 
 
Individual First Time Reads of 2022
(The (a) following a book's title designates an audiobook and a (p) denotes the paperback or signed paperback (*p) of a book that I previously read via Kindle. The table is best viewed in landscape mode on mobile devices.) 


Books I Read in 2022

Author Title Publication Year Reading Date My Rating
Abe, Shanna The Second Mrs. Astor 2021 9/7/2022 8
Akeroyd, Serena Obsessed 2022 10/3/2022 7
Aleahmad, Linda Simi Valley: Toward New Horizons An Illustrated History 1990 8/2/2022 6
Arden, Joe The Chameleon Effect (a) 2022 10/14/2022 10
Arden, Joe The Chameleon Effect 2022 9/13/2022 10
Armas, Elena The Spanish Love Deception 2021 3/21/2022 4
Asher, Lauren The Fine Print 2021 12/29/2022 5
Ashley, Kristen Still Standing 2021 12/9/2022 5
Bailey, Tessa It Happened One Summer 2021 7/27/2022 10
Bailey, Tessa Hook, Line, and Sinker 2022 8/23/2022 10
Bay, Louise Mr. Knightsbridge 2020 5/18/2022 8
Bowen, Rhys; Broyles, Clare Wild Irish Rose (a) 2022 9/1/2022 8
Bowen, Rhys; Broyles, Clare Wild Irish Rose 2022 4/7/2022 8
Boyd, Natasha Deep Blue Eternity (*p) 2015 2/22/2022 10
Boyd, Natasha Broken French (a) 2022 2/2/2022 10
Boyd, Natasha Stolen English 2022 11/26/2022 6
Brey, Karen Campbell 2004 6/19/2022 10
Brown, Sandra Overkill 2022 8/20/2022 10
Caine, Rachel; Ryan, Carrie Trapper Road 2022 9/20/2022 8
Canterbary, Kate The Belle and the Beard 2021 3/30/2022 4
Cate, Sara Beautiful Monster 2020 9/18/2022 6
Cate, Sara Beautiful Sinner 2020 10/4/2022 5
Cate, Sara Praise 2022 9/12/2022 8
Cate, Sara Eyes on Me 2022 9/13/2022 8
Cate, Sara Give Me More 2022 9/15/2022 8
Cate, Sara Mercy 2022 9/16/2022 8
Center, Katherine The Bodyguard 2022 8/18/2022 6
Chase, Emma Getting Real (a) 2021 1/26/2022 10
Cherry, Brittainy The Air He Breathes (*p) 2015 5/2/2022 6
Christy, Samantha Catching Caden (*p) 2017 4/9/2022 10
Clare, Pamela Bound to Fall 2022 3/3/2022 10
Clare, Pamela Dead by Midnight (a) 2017 10/16/2022 10
Clare, Pamela Deadly Intent (a) 2018 10/2/2022 10
Clare, Pamela Fire and Rain 2022 7/30/2022 10
Cohen, Stan B. Pink Palace: The Royal Hawaiian Hotel 1986 6/11/2022 8
Connelly, Michael Dark Sacred Night (a) 2018 4/30/2022 8
Connelly, Michael Desert Star 2022 11/15/2022 8
Connor, Claudia Waiting on Forever 2022 9/29/2022 8
Cross, Kaylea Broken Bonds 2020 5/19/2022 8
Cunning, Olivia Backstage Pass (*p) 2010 4/11/2022 10
Dare, Tessa The Duchess Deal (a) 2017 5/18/2022 8
Darhower, J.M. Monster in His Eyes (*p) 2014 1/8/2022 10
Darhower, J.M. Torture to Her Soul (*p) 2014 1/22/2022 10
Darhower, J.M. Target on Our Backs (p) 2016 2/15/2022 10
Davis, Fiona The Magnolia Palace 2022 2/6/2022 8
Dawes, Casey Return to Promise Cove 2021 4/14/2022 6
Day, Sylvia Bared to You (p) 2014 5/13/2022 10
Day, Sylvia Reflected in You (p) 2013 7/1/2022 10
Day, Sylvia Entwined with You (p) 2013 7/9/2022 10
Day, Sylvia Captivated by You (p) 2014 7/10/2022 10
Day, Sylvia One with You (p) 2016 7/12/2022 10
Deveraux, Jude A Knight in Shinining Armor (a) 2012 9/19/2022 8
Di Cola, Joseph M. Chicago's 1893 World's Fair, Illinois 2012 8/25/2022 8
Douglas, Penelope Punk 57 2016 10/20/2022 8
Downey, Clifford J. Chicago and the Illinois Central Railroad 2007 6/24/2022 8
Evans, Katy Real (*p) 2013 4/2/2022 10
Evans, Katy Mine (p) 2013 12/23/2022 8
Evans, Katy Remy (p) 2013 12/24/2022 8
Flockton, Nicole Next Door Knight 2019 8/14/2022 6
Force, Marie State of Grace 2021 1/15/2022 10
Force, Marie State of the Union 2022 9/27/2022 10
Force, Marie State of Shock 2022 12/26/2022 10
Force, Marie Someone Like You 2022 2/26/2022 10
Gerritsen, Tess Listen to Me 2022 8/9/2022 10
Gilbert, Melissa Prairie Tale: A Memoir 2010 3/23/2022 6
Grant, Glen Waikiki Yesteryear 1996 6/13/2022 8
Grayson, K.L.; Urruela, B.T. A Lover's Lament (*p) 2016 4/26/2022 10
Greenlaw, Linda The Hungry Ocean 2001 4/27/2022 4
Grunwald, Lisa Time After Time 2019 3/2/2022 6
Halle, Karina Before I Ever Met You (a) 2017 10/12/2022 6
Harlow, Melanie Call Me Crazy (a) 2021 1/23/2022 10
Harlow, Melanie Tie Me Down (a) 2021 12/5/2022 8
Harlow, Melanie Ignite (a) 2022 1/16/2022 10
Harlow, Melanie Taste (a) 2022 6/25/2022 8
Harlow, Melanie Taste 2022 3/13/2022 10
Harlow, Melanie Tease 2022 7/18/2022 10
Harlow, Melanie Tempt 2022 11/23/2022 10
Harlow, Melanie Some Sort of Crazy 2015 10/31/2022 6
Harmon, Amy The Unknown Beloved (a) 2022 10/1/2022 8
Harmon, Amy The Unknown Beloved 2022 10/1/2022 10
Harmon, Amy What the Wind Knows 2019 10/27/2022 8
Hazelwood, Ali The Love Hypothesis 2021 2/12/2022 8
Hazelwood, Ali Love on the Brain 2022 9/23/2022 8
Hazelwood, Ali Love on the Brain (a) 2022 12/16/2022 8
Henry, Emily Book Lovers 2022 12/7/2022 10
Henry, Emily People We Meet on Vacation 2021 2/1/2022 6
Hoover, Colleen Heart Bones (a) 2020 3/16/2022 10
Hoover, Colleen It Starts with Us 2022 10/18/2022 10
Hoover, Colleen Reminders of Him 2022 1/18/2022 10
Hunter, Elizabeth Paladin's Kiss 2022 9/3/2022 8
Hunter, Elizabeth The Dancer and the Dark 2022 5/31/2022 8
Hunter, Elizabeth Pearl Sky 2022 12/15/2022 8
Hunter, Elizabeth A Hidden Fire (*p) 2012 11/12/2022 10
Hunter, Elizabeth This Same Earth (*p) 2012 12/3/2022 10
Hunter, Elizabeth The Force of Wind (*p) 2012 12/5/2022 10
Hunter, Elizabeth A Fall of Water (*p) 2012 12/11/2022 10
Hunter, Elizabeth Double Vision 2022 4/25/2022 8
Hunter, Elizabeth Mirror Obscure 2022 8/16/2022 8
Hunter, Elizabeth Trouble Play 2022 11/19/2022 6
Hyde, Catherine Ryan The Language of Hoofbeats 2014 10/19/2022 8
James, Nicole Outlaw (a) 2017 3/12/2022 8
James, Nicole Jake 2022 3/6/2022 8
James, Nicole Trick 2022 5/3/2022 8
Janowitz, Brenda The Grace Kelly Dress 2020 2/23/2022 4
Jordan, Skye Playing with Fire 2022 2/10/2022 10
Keeland, Vi All Grown Up (a) 2019 9/22/2022 8
Keeland, Vi The Boss Project 2022 8/11/2022 10
Keeland, Vi Egomaniac (*p) 2017 12/20/2022 10
Keeland, Vi The Rivals (a) 2020 7/5/2022 6
Keeland, Vi The Summer Proposal 2022 1/25/2022 10
Keeland, Vi The Summer Proposal (a) 2022 11/16/2022 8
Keeland, Vi; Ward, Penelope Hate Notes (a) 2018 1/7/2022 10
Keeland, Vi; Ward, Penelope Mister Moneybags (*p) 2017 12/18/2022 10
Keeland, Vi; Ward, Penelope Rebel Heir (a) 2018 1/8/2022 10
Keeland, Vi; Ward, Penelope Stuck-Up Suit (*p) 2016 12/19/2022 10
Keeland, Vi; Ward, Penelope Well Played (a) 2021 4/8/2022 8
Kleypas, Lisa Scandal in Spring (a) 2021 1/30/2022 8
Kleypas, Lisa Scandal in Spring 2009 1/12/2022 8
Kleypas, Lisa A Wallflower Christmas (a) 2021 2/4/2022 8
Kleypas, Lisa A Wallflower Christmas 2008 1/15/2022 8
Lauren, Christina Something Wilder 2022 9/3/2022 8
Lauren, Christina The Soulmate Equation (a) 2021 1/20/2022 8
Leighton, M. Levi's Blue (*p) 2016 4/30/2022 10
Louie, Emma Woo; Lai, Him Mark Chinese American Names 2008 6/30/2022 7
Malpas, Jodi Ellen This Woman 2022 12/1/2022 6
McGuire, Jamie Almost Beautiful 2022 10/12/2022 5
McIntire, Emily Hooked 2021 10/3/2022 8
Mitchell, Kennedy L. Mine to Protect 2019 3/17/2022 4
Nash, Willa The Bribe (a) 2020 2/17/2022 10
Nash, Willa The Bluff (a) 2021 2/20/2022 8
Nash, Willa The Brazen (a) 2021 2/21/2022 10
Nash, Willa The Bully (a) 2022 8/29/2022 8
Nash, Willa The Bully 2022 3/5/2022 10
Nash, Willa The Brawl 2022 10/6/2022 10
Nickless, Barbara At First Light (a) 2021 4/28/2022 10
Nickless, Barbara Dark of Night 2022 11/23/2022 8
O'Roark, Elizabeth A Deal with the Devil 2021 5/6/2022 10
O'Roark, Elizabeth The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea 2022 5/7/2022 8
O'Roark, Elizabeth The Devil You Know (a) 2022 10/18/2022 9
O'Roark, Elizabeth The Devil You Know 2022 8/5/2022 10
Owens, Ivy Scandalized 2022 9/9/2022 10
Owens, Ivy Scandalized (a) 2022 9/11/2022 9
Parton, Dolly; Patterson, James Run Rose Run 2022 3/12/2022 6
Pataki, Allison The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post 2022 2/21/2022 10
Patterson, James; Lupica, Mike The Horsewoman 2022 1/29/2022 8
Perry, Devney Steel King (a) 2019 2/5/2022 10
Perry, Devney Riven Knight (a) 2020 2/6/2022 10
Perry, Devney Stone Princess (a) 2020 2/7/2022 10
Perry, Devney Noble Prince (a) 2020 2/8/2022 10
Perry, Devney Fallen Jester (a) 2021 2/8/2022 10
Perry, Devney Tin Queen (a) 2021 2/10/2022 8
Perry, Devney Juniper Hill (a) 2022 1/28/2022 10
Perry, Devney Juniper Hill 2022 1/14/2022 10
Perry, Devney Garnet Flats 2022 8/1/2022 10
Perry, Devney Tattered (a) 2018 1/27/2022 8
Perry, Devney Timid (a) 2018 1/28/2022 8
Perry, Devney Runaway Road (a) 2020 10/30/2022 8
Perry, Devney Wild Highway (a) 2020 11/8/2022 6
Picoult, Jodi Wish You Were Here 2021 4/8/2022 10
Quinn, Julia The Viscount Who Loved Me (*p) 2022 10/14/2022 9
Raeder, Leah Unteachable (p) 2014 12/21/2022 10
Reichs, Kathy Devil Bones (a) 2008 8/25/2022 8
Reichs, Kathy Cold Cold Bones 2022 8/8/2022 10
Reiss, C.D. Hardball (*p) 2016 3/23/2022 10
Reynard, Sylvain The Raven (*p) 2015 11/5/2022 10
Reynard, Sylvain The Shadow (p) 2016 11/6/2022 10
Reynard, Sylvain The Roman (p) 2016 11/7/2022 8
Roberts, Nora Nightwork 2022 8/25/2022 10
Roberts, Nora The Witness (*p) 2013 4/19/2022 10
Ryan, Kennedy The Kingmaker (a) 2019 4/17/2022 10
Ryan, Kennedy The Rebel King (a) 2019 4/18/2022 10
Score, Lucy By a Thread (a) 2020 3/14/2022 8
Score, Lucy Things We Never Got Over (a) 2022 5/8/2022 10
Score, Lucy Things We Never Got Over 2022 2/19/2022 10
Score, Lucy Maggie Moves On 2022 10/22/2022 10
Scott, Emma Between Hello and Goodbye 2022 9/11/2022 10
Scott, Emma The Girl in the Love Song (a) 2021 4/5/2022 8
Scott, Kylie Twist (a) 2017 2/23/2022 10
Scott, Kylie Fake 2021 10/4/2022 8
Sinclair, Cherise Soar High 2021 1/22/2022 6
Society, Boulder Genealogical Green Mountain Cemetery, Boulder, Colorado 2016 6/3/2022 6
Spencer, LaVyrle Family Blessings (a) 2022 2/28/2022 10
Stapley, Marissa Lucky 2021 1/6/2022 6
Swan, T.L. The Do-Over 2022 9/10/2022 10
Tucker, K.A. Wild at Heart (a) 2020 10/26/2022 10
Tucker, K.A. Forever Wild (a) 2021 10/26/2022 10
Tucker, K.A. Running Wild (a) 2022 12/28/2022 8
Tucker, K.A. Running Wild 2022 2/4/2022 10
Tyre, William H. Chicago's Historic Prairie Avenue 2008 8/25/2022 8
Ward, Penelope The Anti-Boyfriend (a) 2020 1/11/2022 8
Ward, Penelope The Assignment 2022 3/9/2022 6
Ward, Penelope The Day He Came Back (a) 2019 1/22/2022 8
Ward, Penelope Love Online (a) 2018 12/11/2022 8
Ward, Penelope Moody 2022 9/17/2022 10
Ward, Penelope Moody (a) 2022 11/28/2022 10
Ward, Penelope; Keeland, Vi Cocky Bastard (*p) 2015 12/17/2022 10
Ward, Penelope; Keeland, Vi The Rules of Dating 2022 10/7/2022 8
Ward, Penelope; Keeland, Vi Rebel Heart (a) 2018 1/8/2022 10
Whelan, Julia Thank You for Listening 2022 9/4/2022 6
Wilson, Norah Fatal Hearts (*p) 2014 4/16/2022 10
Wylde, Joanna Reaper's Property (p) 2016 7/22/2022 8
Wylde, Joanna Reaper's Legacy (p) 2014 7/24/2022 8
Wylde, Joanna Devil's Game (p) 2014 8/30/2022 8
Wylde, Joanna Reaper's Stand (p) 2014 8/31/2022 8
Wylde, Joanna Reaper's Fall (p) 2015 9/6/2022 8
Wylde, Joanna Reaper's Fire (p) 2016 9/8/2022 8
Young, Samantha Always You 2022 5/25/2022 8
Young, Samantha Be With Me 2022 8/29/2022 8

Exported from BookCollector 12/30/2022 11:15:35 AM

Friday, August 5, 2022

Book Review: The Devil You Know by Elizabeth O'Roark

Series: The Devils
Rating: Five out of five stars
Published: 06/23/2022
Publisher: self-published
Genre(s): Contemporary Romance

DESCRIPTION 

 There's a devil on my shoulder, and every Monday morning she announces herself. She's this delicious flame in my chest, a flurry of whispered suggestions in my ear. Suggestions I ignore...because every single one of them is about Ben Tate.

Ben—Stealer of Clients, Evicter of Homeless Women, Nemesis. Sitting across from me every damn Monday with his lovely, smug smile and his too-perfect teeth, the living symbol of everything I hate.

It's been my policy to avoid him, but when a case comes into the firm—one that could change his career and mine—I make an exception. It means weekends and evenings by his side. It means enduring his smirk and his smart mouth and never taking the bait.

Until the night Ben says "Beg"...and that devil on my shoulder decides to make a few demands of her own. my shoulder decides to make a few demands of her own.


MY THOUGHTS

The Devil You Know is the third in Elizabeth O'Roark's The Devils Series. Having just finished it, I feel confident stating that I believe it may be the most ideal enemies-to-lovers book I've read to date. As far as tropes go, it seems to be a favorite of mine, as is this book's other main trope: workplace romance.

The story is told from the point of view of the heroine, Gemma Charles, an attorney at a "soulless" Los Angeles law firm. Her adversary, Ben Tate ("lives-to-irritate-me"), is a lawyer in the same firm. Gemma is dichotomous in her regard toward men. On the one hand, she's distrusting and bitter (the reasons for those feelings are most skillfully explained) and on the other, she has dreamily concocted an entire romantic future based on Hallmark movies that she and her mother watch.

One of the most important elements in making a novel favorable to me is to have outstanding dialogue. Character interactions that feel authentic even when those characters are antagonistic toward each other are my jam. I feel the author did an excellent job with Gemma and Ben's "sparring." Their zingers and comebacks are extremely clever, and even when I was thinking "ouch" or "good one" I didn't feel like what was said was ever truly hateful. Keeping the balance in these enemies-to-lovers stories is critical. Since we're only aware of Gemma's reasons for her antagonistic feelings toward Ben we have to assume along with Gemma why Ben lives to irritate her. And when we are enlightened, it's very rewarding.

Gemma has a goal to become Junior Partner but it's been quite the endeavor. That effort is plotted quite effectively in both the present and in flashback sequences. I felt great empathy for what she continued to go through and that is directly attributed to effective storytelling.

I appreciate that Ben wasn't made into an unlikable character. We see him as Gemma does and she struggles with her feelings, no matter how much antipathy she outwardly exhibits toward him. She recognizes that he has good qualities and that others respond positively to him. Hence, her dilemma in dealing with her personal devil.

Gemma's backstory is more developed than Ben's; but his character is perceptive, eloquent, and decent—his dialogue is ultimately representative of all of those traits. There is quite a bit of conflict throughout the book, but that just makes their entire relationship so fascinating. From their antagonistic beginnings through their combustible physical relationship (whether hate sex or merely impassioned) to the dreamy if-not-quite-Hallmark-worthy but exceedingly thoughtful and romantic happy ending. The Devil You Know is an extraordinarily gratifying read.

HIGHLIGHTS

“Home?” I murmur, glancing at him. “I didn’t know humans were allowed to jaunt back and forth over the River Styx like that.”

His eyes raise to mine. His mouth twitches. “There’s a small toll. It’s really quite civilized.”

 ~*~

It’s well after dark, and I’m only halfway through drafting a custody agreement when Ben arrives at my office door. “Knock knock,” he says. I raise a brow. “You realize saying knock knock is redundant when you actually knock.” He leans against the door frame. “I mostly said it to annoy you.” “You shouldn’t have expended the effort.” I open a new document on my laptop. “You standing there is enough to annoy me.”

 ~*~

“You’re early,” I tell him, not slowing my stride as I pass. “Only you would try to make that sound like a flaw,” he mutters. “What a fun night out you must be.” “You know what’s fun about the women you date?” I ask. “The way they all just seem to disappear after you’ve been out with them once. Someone should check into that.” “You know what’s fun about the men you date?” he replies. “The way they don’t exist in the first place.”