Author: Carin Hart
Genre: Second chance, mafia, dark romance
Pages: 320
Release Date: June 27, 2023
Ava didn’t mean to kill her ex-boyfriend in self-defense, but she did, and his dead body is in her house.
She does the only thing she can think of – she calls Lincoln Crewes to help her. She hasn’t talked to him in 15 years, since they ended, but he answers the call.
Link went from fighting for money to being one of the most powerful men and gangsters in Springfield’s underworld. He’s got money, power, and connections now.
And all he wants in return for helping and protecting Ava is… her hand in marriage.
Ava will do anything to put Joey’s death in the past, so she accepts Link’s offer. She loved him once, she can love him again, right? But Joey’s involvement has more to do with Link than she knows.
My Thoughts on The Devil’s Bargain
I read this book super quickly, but I didn’t think it was ah-mazing. It was okay – not bad, not good – but it did keep my attention! So, 3-stars, but I’d consider it a low 3, maybe like 2.5.
Ava and Link have history, which is the only reason the story kind of works. Otherwise, I would question a lot more in the book as there were some certain kinks that needed backstory for any acceptance at all (and I still didn’t like), and very little development in their actual relationship.
They were hardly ever together aside from sleeping together. They never really talked about anything, and she was mainly just stuck in his penthouse with whichever bodyguard was on duty. And perhaps this is a spoiler, but no wonder she thought he was cheating on her. He didn’t really do anything to prove that he was interested in her for real.
Aside from the “romance,” there’s a tiny plotline of excitement with a rival gang, but honestly, don’t expect much.
The cutest thing about the book is that he kept the phone for her with the phone number she knew, and just for her, after all these years.
The book also had a lot of spelling and grammar mistakes, which I truly look past most of the time, but they were super obvious and distracting.
So, I’m sure I really sold this one. Honestly, I’d skip it. There are better mafia/dark romance books out there. Don’t let BookTok sway you!!
Farewell Thoughts
Let me know if you read The Devil’s Bargain (or in this case, choose not to read) – in the comments or over on Instagram! If you liked this spoiler-free book review for The Devil’s Bargain, I’d love for you to share this post!
