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the_novel_approach's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 Stars ~ Never let it be said I don’t love a good Faustian tale. I love the moral conundrum—is there anything you want so much in this world that you’d be willing to sell your immortal soul to the devil in exchange for it? The temptation to bargain an eternity in hell for a few years of heaven on earth?
Also never let it be said I don’t love it when the story takes a bit of a turn and I end up feeling sympathy for the devil. Or, rather, make that when I end up loving the devil a whole lot. Marie Sexton made that happen in Damned If You Do, and she did it in the most fun way possible, with a devil who figures, hey, why bunt when I can go for the grand slam?
Abaddon is on probation. He hasn’t been doing a very good job of keeping up with his quota, so he’s had to file for an extension and is now on the hunt for The One – the perfect specimen of a soul. No, not the sort of soul that would be a cinch to win but one so pure and potentially incorruptible that to secure it would be the coup of the epoch and would earn him legendary status among all the other devils in hell. It’s either that or he’s doomed to an eternity in the lower intestines of the underworld, which sucks even for a devil.
So, where to find such a soul? Why, a good old fashioned Bible Belt tent revival, of course.
Seth is almost too good to be true: pure of heart, devout, and just what Abaddon is searching for—a man who seemingly wanted for nothing and therefore, had nothing to trade for. Certainly not his soul. What sweeter reward could there be than to seduce a bargain from someone who is content with what he already has? Everything but his eyesight, that is.
And, cue The Devil Went Down to Georgia, complete with the offer of a shiny fiddle made of gold. See? Fun inspiration for a romance between a devil and a young man who isn’t at all what he seems on the surface.
This story is everything I expected it would be, going into it. Abaddon and Seth have chemistry to spare, and the temptation aspect—just exactly which man is the tempter and which is the tempted—is a great twist on the usual. And then there’s the humor mixed in with the more serious moments in the story that layers this novella with a little bit of everything to worm its way into your heart and make you start rooting for the underdog…whose mission was a whole lot easier in theory than in practice.
Marie Sexton’s delivery is spot on, and I mean, come on, Chapter Four is titled Cock Blocked by Darth Vader, so don’t even try to pretend like you’re not curious now. And her version of hell? Well, that had me screaming in sympathetic horror because it’s the little things, people. It was practically, perfectly hellish in every way.
Reviewed by Lisa for The Novel Approach Reviews
http://www.thenovelapproachreviews.com/review-damned-if-you-do-by-marie-sexton/
Also never let it be said I don’t love it when the story takes a bit of a turn and I end up feeling sympathy for the devil. Or, rather, make that when I end up loving the devil a whole lot. Marie Sexton made that happen in Damned If You Do, and she did it in the most fun way possible, with a devil who figures, hey, why bunt when I can go for the grand slam?
Abaddon is on probation. He hasn’t been doing a very good job of keeping up with his quota, so he’s had to file for an extension and is now on the hunt for The One – the perfect specimen of a soul. No, not the sort of soul that would be a cinch to win but one so pure and potentially incorruptible that to secure it would be the coup of the epoch and would earn him legendary status among all the other devils in hell. It’s either that or he’s doomed to an eternity in the lower intestines of the underworld, which sucks even for a devil.
So, where to find such a soul? Why, a good old fashioned Bible Belt tent revival, of course.
Seth is almost too good to be true: pure of heart, devout, and just what Abaddon is searching for—a man who seemingly wanted for nothing and therefore, had nothing to trade for. Certainly not his soul. What sweeter reward could there be than to seduce a bargain from someone who is content with what he already has? Everything but his eyesight, that is.
And, cue The Devil Went Down to Georgia, complete with the offer of a shiny fiddle made of gold. See? Fun inspiration for a romance between a devil and a young man who isn’t at all what he seems on the surface.
This story is everything I expected it would be, going into it. Abaddon and Seth have chemistry to spare, and the temptation aspect—just exactly which man is the tempter and which is the tempted—is a great twist on the usual. And then there’s the humor mixed in with the more serious moments in the story that layers this novella with a little bit of everything to worm its way into your heart and make you start rooting for the underdog…whose mission was a whole lot easier in theory than in practice.
Marie Sexton’s delivery is spot on, and I mean, come on, Chapter Four is titled Cock Blocked by Darth Vader, so don’t even try to pretend like you’re not curious now. And her version of hell? Well, that had me screaming in sympathetic horror because it’s the little things, people. It was practically, perfectly hellish in every way.
Reviewed by Lisa for The Novel Approach Reviews
http://www.thenovelapproachreviews.com/review-damned-if-you-do-by-marie-sexton/
ilibra's review against another edition
4.0
I thought this would just be a goofy read, but it was so much more intense! There were some genuinely heartbreaking scenes, but there were also a lot of funny, heartwarming scenes. I reallyl iked this, even though it's a bit insta-lovey.
swamphag's review against another edition
3.0
This was a short and sweet romance between a devil and his prey: Seth. But is Seth more than he appears to be? Is Abaddon really evil or can he change despite the odds against him? *gasp*
I really liked Abaddon and his avoidance of all things work: paperwork, soul gathering, being evil. It was very relatable to me. He is basically the worst demon ever because he is just too good to be properly evil. He’s trying to get Seth’s super-pure soul, but naturally ends up in love with him despite their differences.
Seth was a bit meh but I am not really into goody two shoes, bible dudes so that isn’t much of a surprise. He was a virgin, faith-filled, blind orphan who just wants to get out and see the world. If you like the whole naive/sweet/good guy thing then you’ll like Seth.
The differences between the two made the romance more interesting even if it was a bit predictable. Sometimes that’s just what you need. However, I wish that instead of having a lot of scenes where Abaddon was running around hell or Earth, Sexton would have used those scenes to build more on the growing relationship between the two. Also the religious aspect was overdone a bit; but in all fairness Sexton did warn us before the book started. If that bothers you though you might want to pass on this book.
All in all this was a bit of a ridiculous fluff piece but very satisfying in terms of tropey romance goodness.
Originally posted over at JLRomance
https://justloveromance.wordpress.com/2016/06/09/damned-if-you-do-marie-sexton/
I really liked Abaddon and his avoidance of all things work: paperwork, soul gathering, being evil. It was very relatable to me. He is basically the worst demon ever because he is just too good to be properly evil. He’s trying to get Seth’s super-pure soul, but naturally ends up in love with him despite their differences.
Seth was a bit meh but I am not really into goody two shoes, bible dudes so that isn’t much of a surprise. He was a virgin, faith-filled, blind orphan who just wants to get out and see the world. If you like the whole naive/sweet/good guy thing then you’ll like Seth.
The differences between the two made the romance more interesting even if it was a bit predictable. Sometimes that’s just what you need. However, I wish that instead of having a lot of scenes where Abaddon was running around hell or Earth, Sexton would have used those scenes to build more on the growing relationship between the two. Also the religious aspect was overdone a bit; but in all fairness Sexton did warn us before the book started. If that bothers you though you might want to pass on this book.
All in all this was a bit of a ridiculous fluff piece but very satisfying in terms of tropey romance goodness.
Originally posted over at JLRomance
https://justloveromance.wordpress.com/2016/06/09/damned-if-you-do-marie-sexton/
steiner's review against another edition
3.0
This is interesting and very odd. I do like this author a lot. Her books are always memorable. I can't imagine any other author carrying this off.
melaniebopp's review against another edition
5.0
I 100% recommend this story. It’s the story of a devil after a soul he falls in love with, but it’s world-building is fantastic. Instead of an evil demon, we have Abaddon - one of many other Abaddons - who works in a cubicle in soul acquisition and isn’t making his quota. And the soul he finds, the one that will land him on easy street, is a faith-filled blind musician and healer with a tent revival. It even starts with Abaddon offering Seth a golden fiddle if Seth wins against him in a fiddling contest. Because isn’t that standard in deals like that? A golden fiddle in exchange for a soul?
Seriously, if this sounds even a little interesting to you, go and read it. I’m in love.
Seriously, if this sounds even a little interesting to you, go and read it. I’m in love.
knrt_17's review against another edition
3.0
I've read this author before. This is a short story of a devil, Abaddon, trying to make his quote of souls for Satan and he meets and falls in love with a very pure soul, Seth. This story is in the mm genre and paranormal. Not my favourite of this authors work. Some nice twists and turns in this story.
millah's review against another edition
4.0
This was fun. 3,5 stars rounding up to 4, mostly because of the lovely blasphemy feel to it all as well as the humour. :)
lucyhargrave's review against another edition
3.0
Read the full review at Forget the Classics I read Romance
Damned If You Do is a book that had so much potential but just fell a little short in my opinion. I loved the concept of the demon trying to steal the purest soul and instead falling in love with the person that soul belongs to. I even found the interpretation of hell being the first office-job imaginable quite enjoyable. My problem came with the delivery. The world-building in Damned If You Do felt a little rushed, almost as if Marie Sexton only wanted to give the reader the bare minimum. As the reader follows Abaddon we are exposed to both hell and the human world but neither for enough time.
I was actually abandoned at the revival as an infant. One of the women heard a baby crying in the night. She went looking and found me under the piano bench.
I wanted to know more about hell. By the end of the novel I had more questions than answers...
Read the full review at Forget the Classics I read Romance
Damned If You Do is a book that had so much potential but just fell a little short in my opinion. I loved the concept of the demon trying to steal the purest soul and instead falling in love with the person that soul belongs to. I even found the interpretation of hell being the first office-job imaginable quite enjoyable. My problem came with the delivery. The world-building in Damned If You Do felt a little rushed, almost as if Marie Sexton only wanted to give the reader the bare minimum. As the reader follows Abaddon we are exposed to both hell and the human world but neither for enough time.
I was actually abandoned at the revival as an infant. One of the women heard a baby crying in the night. She went looking and found me under the piano bench.
I wanted to know more about hell. By the end of the novel I had more questions than answers...
Read the full review at Forget the Classics I read Romance
rissa53's review
3.0
3.5 really!
It was a super interesting read! Did not see that twist coming, including the snakes. The explanation definitely helped.
Enjoyed the humor. Really like Baphomet, lol!
It was a super interesting read! Did not see that twist coming, including the snakes. The explanation definitely helped.
Enjoyed the humor. Really like Baphomet, lol!