Marie Sexton
Damned If You Do
June 14, 2016
Blurb:
The path to temptation is paved with a hellish amount of paperwork.
Soul acquisition is a drag, but if Abaddon doesn't catch up on his quota, he could be demoted to scooping poop for the Hounds of Hell. With a deadline hanging over him, he heads for the Bible Belt, looking for the perfect combination of sweetness and challenge.
Seth is a blind musician, part of a traveling tent revival. He's cute, mystically talented, and quotes the Bible at every turn. His soul is pure enough to fill Abaddon's quota for months to come, and Abaddon is determined to claim it.
The problem? There's the revival foreman who watches Abaddon's every move. Then there's the mystery of Seth's many unusual talents. Lastly, there's Abaddon himself. He's beginning to like Seth a bit too much. Maybe Seth deserves something better than damnation.
But Hell's agenda isn't negotiable, and time is running out. If Abaddon doesn't play his cards right, he could condemn both of them to the worst fate of all—an eternity apart.
Warning: Contains a Bible-quoting twink and an irreverent devil who'll do anything to avoid going "back to the office". Also, snakes. Lots and lots of snakes.
The path to temptation is paved with a hellish amount of paperwork.
Soul acquisition is a drag, but if Abaddon doesn't catch up on his quota, he could be demoted to scooping poop for the Hounds of Hell. With a deadline hanging over him, he heads for the Bible Belt, looking for the perfect combination of sweetness and challenge.
Seth is a blind musician, part of a traveling tent revival. He's cute, mystically talented, and quotes the Bible at every turn. His soul is pure enough to fill Abaddon's quota for months to come, and Abaddon is determined to claim it.
The problem? There's the revival foreman who watches Abaddon's every move. Then there's the mystery of Seth's many unusual talents. Lastly, there's Abaddon himself. He's beginning to like Seth a bit too much. Maybe Seth deserves something better than damnation.
But Hell's agenda isn't negotiable, and time is running out. If Abaddon doesn't play his cards right, he could condemn both of them to the worst fate of all—an eternity apart.
Warning: Contains a Bible-quoting twink and an irreverent devil who'll do anything to avoid going "back to the office". Also, snakes. Lots and lots of snakes.
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Carra's Review
Holy crap. I just finished reading this and feel like I’ve been crushed by a ton of emotions. The blurb for this story had me expecting a typical good vs evil, enemies/opposites attract type story. I was unsure about the whole Bible-quoting, revival, come-to-Jesus thing I thought would be going on as well—anyone who knows me knows that is SO not me at all, and I normally specifically keep away from books that have any kind of religious theme. Marie Sexton just totally blew that out of the water, and never before have I found a book with religious theming of any kind-no matter how minute or great-that overwhelmed my emotions like Damned If You Do did.
Marie Sexton made me cry. Not just some “aww, how sad/sweet/touching” feels to make you a bit emotional. I mean tears rolling down my face. I would have never expected that to happen before I started this story-or even halfway through the book. And I was pretty much yanked so deep into the story thanks to the amazing writing, and I didn’t surface until the very last page.
The characters? I absolutely adored both Abaddon and Seth. When we first meet Abaddon he comes across as a typical slacker at work, doing barely enough to get by-if that-until he senses Seth. Seth, who shines brighter than anything else and whose soul is so pure and sweet that even those Bible verses he keeps spouting were so easy for me to overlook. It’s Seth’s purity and goodness that enrapture Abaddon, and watching everything unfold once the two meet was simply mesmerizing. The effect Seth has on Abaddon is…well…just miraculous (couldn’t help putting that in there).
The depth of emotion that is stirred up not just between Seth and Abaddon, but also for the reader, was stunning and I can tell you right now this book is going to be a multiple re-read for me. Even if it makes me cry every…single…time.
I’ll be the first to admit that I know almost diddly squat when it comes to the Bible, so a lot of the interpretation of verses and the impact of what they mean in the context of this story probably passed me by. Honestly? It doesn’t matter—the feelings, intentions and searing emotional impact of the story comes across loud and clear regardless, and the further in to the story I got, the more invested in Seth and Abaddon’s relationship and ultimate resolution I became…which is probably why I wound up so torn apart at a certain point late in the story.
Damned If You Do was an extraordinary read, and is worth more than the 5-star rating I’m giving it. This one has shot straight to the head of my top recommendations list for this genre, and I can’t wait to devour the author’s backlist (yes, I’m hanging my head in shame to realize this is the first book I’ve read by Marie Sexton…I am really missing out here!). I highly recommend this book to M/M paranormal romance fans, and while there’s some light sexual content, this is still for readers 18+ for that plus the adult language. If you’re a fan of the genre-and even if you aren’t-do yourself a favor and read this if you haven’t already.
About the Author
Marie Sexton lives in Colorado. She's a fan of just about anything that involves muscular young men piling on top of each other. In particular, she loves the Denver Broncos and enjoys going to the games with her husband. Her imaginary friends often tag along. Marie has one daughter, two cats, and one dog, all of whom seem bent on destroying what remains of her sanity. She loves them anyway.
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