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A review by kp_hobbitreads
Deal With the Devil by Lark Taylor
4.5
#1 Devil's Mark: ★★★★✮ | 4.5 stars
#2 Devil May Care: ★★★★☆ | 4 stars
#3 Deal With the Devil: ★★★★☆ | 4.5 stars
As a general rule, I don't love romances where one of the MC's has lost a previous partner. I find the balance between respecting their former love and believing in this new romance really hard to find. But, I was hopeful that because this was both a fated mates situation and an MC that's basically immortal it would work for me, and it definitely did. I think Lark Taylor found the sweet spot for me that allowed me to see the beauty of Mori and his previous partner's relationship without feeling like his fated mate was being overshadowed or competing with a former lover.
Ever since Mori realized that he and his brother's have fated mates, meeting his has been all he's wanted. When he's approached by a human requesting his help to find his twin brother, Mori thinks this would be a great way to pass the time while he waits for his mate to appear. But, things get complicated when it turns that that River is definitely hiding things from him. And what's worse is that Mori finds himself increasing attracted to River, but he knows he can't act on his when he's got a fated mate waiting for him out there someone. A fated mate that's definitely not River, right? River needs to find his twin brother fast before his time runs out. But, disguising yourself as a human and asking a demon who definitely wants your brother dead doesn't seem like the best idea. And, of course it's made even more complicated when River realized how much he actually likes Mori. But, it can never work because Mori has a fated mate out there somewhere who's definitely not River, right?
I adored these two together. Their banter and chemistry was *chef's kiss*. Mori deserved someone who wasn't going to give up on him, and River refused to. Plus, I am a total sucker for a character who thinks they know exactly what their perfect match is going to be like, only for their fated mate/partner to be the completely opposite. I eat that up every time. Also, Harlow being a great brother/wingman despite his history with River's twin? I just love the bond between all of these characters. The found family vibes are immaculate.
Aside from the romance, this installment also set up the macro plot in a big way. I cannot even imagine how intense the final book of this series is going to be, but I'm here for it.
Three Things:
1. The closure Mori got with Eric was genuinely lovely.
2. I didn't think I would actually end up liking Blaise, but I totally do. Also, I ship him with Toby. I definitely got a D/s vibe from them. Toby is totally a Dom and Blaise has a praise kink, I'm just sure of it. I really, really hope we get more of them in future books (even their own book if we are lucky.)
3. I love the little glimpse of the future we get in the epilogue, and it has me hopeful we will get stories of other characters besides the four brothers.
Dimitri and Dagon's book is next, and I just know that it's going to be so, so good. Lark Taylor is quickly becoming an auto-read author for me. if you haven't picked up this series yet, you should change that pronto.
content warnings: loss of a partner, grief, anxiety, homophobia, loss of a parent (in the past), violence, death, torture, sex (on page), rope play, captivity
#2 Devil May Care: ★★★★☆ | 4 stars
#3 Deal With the Devil: ★★★★☆ | 4.5 stars
As a general rule, I don't love romances where one of the MC's has lost a previous partner. I find the balance between respecting their former love and believing in this new romance really hard to find. But, I was hopeful that because this was both a fated mates situation and an MC that's basically immortal it would work for me, and it definitely did. I think Lark Taylor found the sweet spot for me that allowed me to see the beauty of Mori and his previous partner's relationship without feeling like his fated mate was being overshadowed or competing with a former lover.
Ever since Mori realized that he and his brother's have fated mates, meeting his has been all he's wanted. When he's approached by a human requesting his help to find his twin brother, Mori thinks this would be a great way to pass the time while he waits for his mate to appear. But, things get complicated when it turns that that River is definitely hiding things from him. And what's worse is that Mori finds himself increasing attracted to River, but he knows he can't act on his when he's got a fated mate waiting for him out there someone. A fated mate that's definitely not River, right? River needs to find his twin brother fast before his time runs out. But, disguising yourself as a human and asking a demon who definitely wants your brother dead doesn't seem like the best idea. And, of course it's made even more complicated when River realized how much he actually likes Mori. But, it can never work because Mori has a fated mate out there somewhere who's definitely not River, right?
I adored these two together. Their banter and chemistry was *chef's kiss*. Mori deserved someone who wasn't going to give up on him, and River refused to. Plus, I am a total sucker for a character who thinks they know exactly what their perfect match is going to be like, only for their fated mate/partner to be the completely opposite. I eat that up every time. Also, Harlow being a great brother/wingman despite his history with River's twin? I just love the bond between all of these characters. The found family vibes are immaculate.
Aside from the romance, this installment also set up the macro plot in a big way. I cannot even imagine how intense the final book of this series is going to be, but I'm here for it.
Three Things:
1. The closure Mori got with Eric was genuinely lovely.
2. I didn't think I would actually end up liking Blaise, but I totally do. Also, I ship him with Toby. I definitely got a D/s vibe from them. Toby is totally a Dom and Blaise has a praise kink, I'm just sure of it. I really, really hope we get more of them in future books (even their own book if we are lucky.)
3. I love the little glimpse of the future we get in the epilogue, and it has me hopeful we will get stories of other characters besides the four brothers.
Dimitri and Dagon's book is next, and I just know that it's going to be so, so good. Lark Taylor is quickly becoming an auto-read author for me. if you haven't picked up this series yet, you should change that pronto.
content warnings: loss of a partner, grief, anxiety, homophobia, loss of a parent (in the past), violence, death, torture, sex (on page), rope play, captivity