Shannon C.‘s review of The Devil’s Daughter by Laura Drewry
Historical paranormal romance released by Leisure 8 Apr 08

I have to share a funny story about this book. I started reading it this weekend while I was visiting my very conservative Catholic friend. This involved tagging along while she did things like go to Mass, say her rosaries, and watch NCAA basketball. So I’d have all these religious adventures and then be reading about the daughter of Satan. Perhaps this only amuses me? OK then, we’ll move on.

Lucy Firr needs the soul of one newborn baby in order to obtain her freedom from her dad, who is, you guessed it, Satan. She finds out that Maggie Caine is pregnant, Maggie’s husband has gone missing, and the only person standing in the way of what Lucy needs is Maggie’s brother-in-Law, Jed. So Lucy sets out to enthrall Jed and bring him under her spell so that she can take the baby’s soul when the time comes. What she doesn’t count on is that Jed isn’t easily conquered. Soon, she finds herself working hard to earn his respect, and in the process she falls in love.

I really loved the premise of this book. I’ve long thought that paranormal and western were two genres that would go well together, and Ms. Drury certainly pulls off that amalgamation.

I loved the characters. Lucy is a strong woman, both sensual and courageous. I loved her interactions with the more uptight Jed, and while I was aware that, this being a romance novel, there was no way Lucy was going to remain intermittently evil, I did like that she slowly comes to care for the people around her. Jed is equally compelling. He’s a proud man, and also a genuinely nice guy. I liked that he was intent on winning Lucy’s respect and treating her properly.

The plot moves along at a pace that kept me interested, and a lot of time is spent with the central characters and exploring their deepening feelings for each other. The chemistry between Jed and Lucy is explosive, and it takes a long time for them to have that final love scene, which was extremely intense. I also liked the touches of humor throughout. There’s nothing slapstick about the story (except maybe Lucy’s name, but I actually liked that touch, too) and overall I thought the bits of lightheartedness provided a welcome relief from the conflict, which is pretty heavy stuff. When the dark moment happens toward the end, I had that wonderful shivery feeling where I know things have to end happily but I’m just not sure how they can at this point.

So why wasn’t this a keeper for me? Two reasons. First, I thought that the secondary characters were pretty one-note and flat. And Ms. Drewry used one particular cliche that drives me crazy with regard to Lucy’s character, which I can’t give away without spoiling.

Overall, though, I am glad I discovered Laura Drewry and cannot wait to read more from her.

Grade: B+

     GIVING THE DEVIL HIS DUDE

     Shoveling sulfur and brimstone could really get a girl down. When her dad offered freedom from the fiery depths in exchange for one simple soul-snatching, Lucy Firr jumped at the chance. With her considerable powers of seduction, she threw herself at rancher Jed Caine. Yet instead of taking her to bed, he made her muck out the pigsty.

     It would take the patience of a saint to resist the likes of Lucy Firr—and Lord knew Jed was no saint. The temptress fired his blood like no woman he’d ever met. Why she’d suddenly latched on to him, he had no idea. But the safest place for her—and her virtue—was out in the barn.

     Lucy could see the heat in Jed’s gaze. But it was the tenderness of his touch and his hard-won smile that undid her. She was supposed to steal his soul, yet here he was…capturing her heart.

     You can read an excerpt here.

You can read more from ShannonC at Flight Into Fantasy.