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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
challenging
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
╭ ✦ •
│
│ ⊹ 𝟹.𝟻 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚜 𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚞𝚙, 𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 𝚜𝚘𝚘𝚗 ⊹
│
╰ ✦ •
WHAT!? The ending with Nickolas' chapters?? shocking but also WHAT?? it felt random to have his POV
Overall, I enjoyed this, it kept me interested and on the edge of my seat.
I liked their banter and chemistry but holy shit he was such an asshole for most of this (one of the reasons why I want to rate it lower + Imogen was so annoying the last 30% of this)
The whole Will situation wasn't really explained good? So he was that the only reason? idk i feel like it could have been explained better?
I did like how they came together and talked about all their issues, etc
────── ✧ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ♡ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ✧ ──────
⊹ 𝔀𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓽𝓸 𝓮𝔁𝓹𝓮𝓬𝓽 ⊹
❥arranged marriage
❥enemies to lovers
❥billionaire
❥age gap
❥jealous/possessive hero
❥touch her and d!e
❥morally gray
❥alpha male
❥v!rgin heroine
Thank you for the ARC, Tracie!
_________________________________
Blog ಇ StoryGraph ಇ Instagram ಇ Twitter ಇ Facebook
│
│ ⊹ 𝟹.𝟻 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚜 𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚞𝚙, 𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 𝚜𝚘𝚘𝚗 ⊹
│
╰ ✦ •
WHAT!? The ending with Nickolas' chapters?? shocking but also WHAT?? it felt random to have his POV
Overall, I enjoyed this, it kept me interested and on the edge of my seat.
I liked their banter and chemistry but holy shit he was such an asshole for most of this (one of the reasons why I want to rate it lower + Imogen was so annoying the last 30% of this)
The whole Will situation wasn't really explained good? So he was that the only reason? idk i feel like it could have been explained better?
I did like how they came together and talked about all their issues, etc
────── ✧ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ♡ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ✧ ──────
⊹ 𝔀𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓽𝓸 𝓮𝔁𝓹𝓮𝓬𝓽 ⊹
❥arranged marriage
❥enemies to lovers
❥billionaire
❥age gap
❥jealous/possessive hero
❥touch her and d!e
❥morally gray
❥alpha male
❥v!rgin heroine
Thank you for the ARC, Tracie!
_________________________________
Blog ಇ StoryGraph ಇ Instagram ಇ Twitter ಇ Facebook
THE DEVIL’S PAWN by Tracie Delaney
Romance
(De Vil Dynasty series book 1)
“I’ve learned something new in the few days I’ve known my husband. It is possible to dislike someone and be madly attracted to them at the same time”
Y’all know I am a sucker for a billionaire romance - okay fine, I’m a sucker for a few romance tropes….but still, I love me a drama-filled, traumatic past, extravagant lifestyle, extreme loyalty with questionable morals, ‘my wife’ book. Make it book 1 of a series to come? Cherry on top!
And @tracie_delaney_author checks all the boxes with this one, by giving us Alexander De Vil and Imogen Salinger.
♟️ arranged marriage, age-gap
♟️ possessive, jealous hero/feisty, virgin heroine
♟️ enemies to lovers
♟️ deception, devotion, banter
♟️ ‘my wife’
“I can’t deny it any longer. I’m obsessed with my wife”
Thank you to the author for the eARC. The Devil’s Pawn is out now!
Romance
(De Vil Dynasty series book 1)
“I’ve learned something new in the few days I’ve known my husband. It is possible to dislike someone and be madly attracted to them at the same time”
Y’all know I am a sucker for a billionaire romance - okay fine, I’m a sucker for a few romance tropes….but still, I love me a drama-filled, traumatic past, extravagant lifestyle, extreme loyalty with questionable morals, ‘my wife’ book. Make it book 1 of a series to come? Cherry on top!
And @tracie_delaney_author checks all the boxes with this one, by giving us Alexander De Vil and Imogen Salinger.
♟️ arranged marriage, age-gap
♟️ possessive, jealous hero/feisty, virgin heroine
♟️ enemies to lovers
♟️ deception, devotion, banter
♟️ ‘my wife’
“I can’t deny it any longer. I’m obsessed with my wife”
Thank you to the author for the eARC. The Devil’s Pawn is out now!
-ARC REVIEW-
TROPES: ENEMIES TO LOVERS, ARRANGED MARRIAGE, BILLIONAIRE, AGE-GAP- JEALOUS/POSSESSIVE, TOUCH HER AND DIE, MORALLY GREY, ALPHA MALE, VIRGIN FMC
TRIGGER WARNINGS: MURDER, DEATH, INJURY, RAPE(IN THE PAST AND OFF-PAGE) KIDNAPPING, GRIEF, SUICIDE (PAST AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION)
Personal rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice Level:
TROPES: ENEMIES TO LOVERS, ARRANGED MARRIAGE, BILLIONAIRE, AGE-GAP- JEALOUS/POSSESSIVE, TOUCH HER AND DIE, MORALLY GREY, ALPHA MALE, VIRGIN FMC
TRIGGER WARNINGS: MURDER, DEATH, INJURY, RAPE(IN THE PAST AND OFF-PAGE) KIDNAPPING, GRIEF, SUICIDE (PAST AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION)
Personal rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice Level:
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Let me tell you that I could not put this book down after starting it. Imogen is so feisty and witty. Alexander is hot headed, possessive and can be a real asshole. The banter between them is so funny and hot at the same time. There are some scenes where he really made me mad but wanted to knock him on the side of this head. Otherwise him and Imogen are a perfect match. The rest of the De Vil family are great and I really can't wait for them to have their own book.
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I absolutely loved this book! The family dynamics between Alexander and his siblings was very relatable. This book had me hooked from the very beginning and I enjoyed watching Alexander and Imogen's relationship develop. I loved how we get to see and explore both of the main character's flaws and how they grow throughout.
THAT CLIFFHANGER was just mean haha I can't wait for book two
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
ARC was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review
I’ve said this many times but personally, the first books in the series are always a great way to enter the style of the series but rarely are the best. The author is getting used to the pace, and the characters and usually it’s with the second book that I find myself more comfortable with everything. It has happened a lot of times that I enjoyed the first one but it’s the second/third book that makes me go wild. And I believe this to be true for this series.
“The Devil's Pawn” is the first novel of the “The De Vil’s dynasty” series. In this first installment, we follow Alexander and Imogen’s adventure of their arranged marriage. Imogen does not wish to get married to Alexander since she has just finished her degree and has aspirations for her future. On the other hand, Alexander also does not wish to get married, especially to someone he never met before and both internally decide they will get divorced asap. Except life has other plans.
It’s the bantering that makes this book for me! The way Imogen and Alexander both want the same thing and yet fight for it and just end up falling in love with each other is adorable. Imogen is clearly not the obedient girl her family promised, but in order to avoid repercussions on her parents, she agrees to the deed. She doesn’t even want kids right away but believes Alexander does so she just fights their attraction, which ends up being hilarious because Alexander does not want to get married or even have kids. The reason for that is a spoiler, but it did give depth to Alexander’s character.
While Imogen has fire, Alexander is definitely an alpha-h*le! The things he does to her without her consent are pretty bad, sometimes he controls her because he cares and it is a reflection of his past, which ends up being more on the morally grey side because he has reasons. But other times I was finding it really hard to root for him, Alexander, honey, what the hell are you doing? Just talk to her and you’ll see that she’s on the same boat as you. In “The Devil’s Pawn” there’s no miscommunication because they’d have to communicate and a lot of time it’s fighting, and seducing each other, which I loved. It was the best part of their story.
I find it sweet that “The Devil’s Pawn” can actually be considered for both Imogen and Alexander. In reality, I believe Alexander was the one who was more of a pawn of his family rather than Imogen. Alexander did not want a wife, he was played by his father and tasted a lot of his own medicine at the hands of his family. So while at the beginning I really believed Imogen to be the pawn, in the end, I figured it was Alexander.
The novel does handle some good themes such as having kids, trauma, and communication within a relationship so this does have a lot of serious topics to talk about. I really enjoy when authors show how couples open themselves, even though they don’t really have to. No one is learning how to have a relationship through romance. But I find it sweet when authors go there and explore how trusting each other talking, and being open about one’s wishes really helps.
While Alexander and Imogen’s story had moments of fun, moments for some thoughts, and spice and it was a very enjoyable read, the real fun starts in the next book because I can just predict that Victoria will be a riot to read! Victoria is my type of girl and I swear if Nichola’s is an a**hole to her, I will st*b him!
I’ve said this many times but personally, the first books in the series are always a great way to enter the style of the series but rarely are the best. The author is getting used to the pace, and the characters and usually it’s with the second book that I find myself more comfortable with everything. It has happened a lot of times that I enjoyed the first one but it’s the second/third book that makes me go wild. And I believe this to be true for this series.
“The Devil's Pawn” is the first novel of the “The De Vil’s dynasty” series. In this first installment, we follow Alexander and Imogen’s adventure of their arranged marriage. Imogen does not wish to get married to Alexander since she has just finished her degree and has aspirations for her future. On the other hand, Alexander also does not wish to get married, especially to someone he never met before and both internally decide they will get divorced asap. Except life has other plans.
It’s the bantering that makes this book for me! The way Imogen and Alexander both want the same thing and yet fight for it and just end up falling in love with each other is adorable. Imogen is clearly not the obedient girl her family promised, but in order to avoid repercussions on her parents, she agrees to the deed. She doesn’t even want kids right away but believes Alexander does so she just fights their attraction, which ends up being hilarious because Alexander does not want to get married or even have kids. The reason for that is a spoiler, but it did give depth to Alexander’s character.
While Imogen has fire, Alexander is definitely an alpha-h*le! The things he does to her without her consent are pretty bad, sometimes he controls her because he cares and it is a reflection of his past, which ends up being more on the morally grey side because he has reasons. But other times I was finding it really hard to root for him, Alexander, honey, what the hell are you doing? Just talk to her and you’ll see that she’s on the same boat as you. In “The Devil’s Pawn” there’s no miscommunication because they’d have to communicate and a lot of time it’s fighting, and seducing each other, which I loved. It was the best part of their story.
I find it sweet that “The Devil’s Pawn” can actually be considered for both Imogen and Alexander. In reality, I believe Alexander was the one who was more of a pawn of his family rather than Imogen. Alexander did not want a wife, he was played by his father and tasted a lot of his own medicine at the hands of his family. So while at the beginning I really believed Imogen to be the pawn, in the end, I figured it was Alexander.
The novel does handle some good themes such as having kids, trauma, and communication within a relationship so this does have a lot of serious topics to talk about. I really enjoy when authors show how couples open themselves, even though they don’t really have to. No one is learning how to have a relationship through romance. But I find it sweet when authors go there and explore how trusting each other talking, and being open about one’s wishes really helps.
While Alexander and Imogen’s story had moments of fun, moments for some thoughts, and spice and it was a very enjoyable read, the real fun starts in the next book because I can just predict that Victoria will be a riot to read! Victoria is my type of girl and I swear if Nichola’s is an a**hole to her, I will st*b him!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Rape, Suicide, Torture, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was so glad this fmc fought for their relationship but I’m so glad the father did what he did because towards the end I wasn’t hoping for a hea , I wanted her to leave him lmfaoo but this was a good read light spice , moderate pace , feisty fmc who doesn’t back down and stood her ground even though she wasn’t raised that way . I do wish he did more to win her back I had a love hate relationship with the mmc lmfaoo .