Devil's Mark
Megan Crane     
December 2021 Releases

Contemporary
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Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: The Devil's Keepers
Book: 2
Heat Level: Hot

The bestselling author of Devil’s Honor returns with a deliciously sinful novel about a good girl who goes bad—and the notorious Louisiana biker who can’t resist the lure of forbidden fruit.
 
Holly Chambless is tired of being the squeaky clean daughter of Lagrange’s holier-than-thou mayor. When her father is charged with corruption, she realizes that her whole life’s been a lie. Now’s her chance to do all the things she never dared, like scoring a job at a bar where reputations go to die, or reconnecting with the biker who sparked a secret hunger in her all those years ago. Holly isn’t a wide-eyed girl anymore—and this time she wants a taste of what has always been denied. 
 
Killian “Uptown” Chenier has no time for stuck-up princesses. He likes fast bikes and wild sex. Sure, he remembers Holly. He sent her running with a wicked smile and a lesson about prying eyes. And sure, she’s grown up smoking-hot, with a body he’d like to personally desecrate. But Devil’s Keepers business is real and intense. Her daddy stole from the club, leaving his pretty blonde daughter a walking target. And when Uptown takes aim at what he wants, he never misses.

Other books in the series:


 

Holly Chambless is the daughter of the Mayor of Lagrange. She is the virgin princess who everyone looks at from a far but is off limits. After her father’s fall from grace, she decides to live her life on the wild side. She shows up at the biker bar one night asking for a job but instead she has a run-in with Killian “Uptown” Chenier.

There is a past connection between Holly’s father and Killian’s family. He is seeking revenge for some of the crappy stuff that went down. While I can enjoy a good revenge to lovers plot, I wasn’t feeling how this one went down. Killian struggles with his emotions for Holly and his need to use her as a pawn in her family’s games. While he was crude and sometimes borderline disrespectful, my gripe stems with Holly.

I know that Holly has grown up sheltered. She is proper and very naive. However, she takes that too far. Everyone is allowed to talk badly to her. They treat her like crap and she is a pushover. She speaks back at times but she still allows the same people to continue on with the abusive behavior.

I wished she would have stood her ground with her so-called best friend (I wanted to slap that chick!) and Killian. So why didn’t the revenge to lovers trope work with me? Well during their first time together, he says:

“You okay with this?” he demanded, gruff and a little too edgy. “You don’t mind paying for your daddy’s sins on your back?”

Whoa! Wait! That took me right out of the moment. This is her first time ever with a man. One that she is falling in love with.  While they are about to get it on, he says that? Smooth. Real smooth, Casanova! Yes, he says it because he is struggling with his feelings towards her and he wants to keep her at a distance. Yes, he is a big bad biker and romance is not what he does. Holly is even smart to realize that but talk about a mood killer! Those types of comments really made it hard for to like the hero. Holly’s meek behavior grated on my nerves.

I just wish the characters developed more. The book has a slow start and immediately after they have sex, it kicks up too fast and it is over. We do get a complete ending and see a bit into Holly and Killian’s future. The story could have been fleshed out a bit more. There were dynamics with Holly’s relationships with her family that didn’t full work itself out.

The one aspect that I did find interesting is the club’s business. Some serious dirt is going on. The club is being divided. We don’t know who is a traitor. Where is Digger always disappearing to? I believe we might learn more in the next book. I look forward to reading the next book.

~ Samantha