Narrated by Jill Redfield
What would you do to save someone you love? How far would you go to rescue them, even if all you were doing was fighting demons they weren’t sure they wanted you to fight? In Deal with a Demon
Nic Wright has only one purpose in life. She must save her younger brother from himself. Drew is a meth addict, a fact that has come close to destroying him and his family. In spite of this, Nic stands by him, going so far as to follow him to the depths of Hell when Sorrow, a demon with a grand plan to make him one of the most powerful demons in Hell, abducts him.
How can one human survive Hell? How will she know where to go, who to avoid, and, most important of all, how can she hope to stand against Sorrow? The answer is quite simple. She can’t go alone. She needs a guide.
Arden, firstborn of a clan known as the Asmodai, has no problem helping Nic achieve her goal, but it won’t come without a price. He has been looking for a human to sacrifice in order to become a full-blown incubus, and he figures Nic will serve this purpose.
Together, they plunge into a Hell unlike anything I had ever imagined. At first, it looks like an affluent neighborhood with nice houses and fancy cars. The deeper they go, the bleaker their surroundings become but Easton has depicted Hell as a sort of multi-level city. There are junkies and prostitutes, butlers and gardeners, even if they are all of the human variety. It was fascinating, if a little hard to believe.
Narrator Jill Redfield did an adequate job with Deal with a Demon. Her pacing is good, and the main characters were easily differentiated. However, some of the supporting characters were harder to differentiate. For example, Arden and his brother Chase sounded a lot alike, as did the various demons who protected Sorrow’s lair. In these instances, I found myself grateful for dialogue tags.
I found Nic hard to like. She is determined to save Drew, but this makes her hotheaded and reckless. If she doesn’t get her way, she throws a fit, which I found most unattractive. Redfield voices her well, depicting both her toughness and her vulnerability. Sometimes, she sounds downright whiny. All of this fits the character Easton has written.
Arden, too, was difficult for me. He makes a deal with Nic but, all along, he’s intent on betraying her. Of course, he is a demon, so one could say he’s untrustworthy. Even so, the level of deception he employed crossed a lot of lines for me. Redfield gave him a deep, rather sonorous sound. This never changed, even if the mood of the character changed.
Redfield’s portrayal of Drew was, in this listener’s opinion, her saving grace. He is a tortured soul and Redfield captures this masterfully. He loves Nic and feels bad for the trouble he has caused her. Still, his addiction rules him. There are scenes where he seems so determined to kick his habit but he always returns to the drug. Redfield captures his self-loathing perfectly.
Nic and Arden are attracted to each other from the start. They have sex a number of times but none of it seemed believable to me. I’m not sure how much of it was due to the narration and how much was due to the simple fact that these two are a very unlikely couple. Easton tries to help the reader understand what brings them together but, when all is said and done, it didn’t work well for me.
I know paranormal romance requires the listener to suspend disbelief. Usually, I’m quite capable of doing so, and just going with the story. Sadly, Deal with a Demon challenged me. I could never really let go and follow Nic and Arden on their journey through Hell and into each other’s hearts.
Shannon
Narration: B-
Book Content: C
Steam Factor: Glad I had my earbuds in
Violence: Graphic
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Deal with a Demon was provided to AudioGals for review by Brilliance Audio.
