Saturday, 31 May 2014

The Devil's Contract By Claire Contreras


I had a choice. I read this. 
I was technically promised intrigued.
I wish I had known this was gonna fall short.

The above is my blurb of my experience of this novel. This isn't what I expected in story line or delivery. I was bored for approximately 65% of this novel and though it picked up steam to the end, I still wasn't excited but more curious with the new developments. It had no impact on me as a reader and my reading the next book is pure curiosity.

I couldn't identify with the romance in this novel even before Amara left New York. I kept waiting for Phillip to swoop in and Colin went with the flow so there wasn't much for me to get excited about. Colin is struggling with the sudden loss of Amara, a death, his inheritance and it's stipulations while Amara is trying to keep her family floating. Phillip is more on the sidelines than I anticipated; Courtney is not as interesting as reviews promised and Samuel is just a constant that I have no interest in sorting. I am most curious about the mysterious blonde that I thought was Nolan and he only gets two small parts in two different chapters. He doesn't even speak in one.

The sex scenes are pretty basic, even the "BDSM" ones and for my first lesbian experience in a novel, this one wasn't very enticing. It happened and that's about it. I understand there is web here but I have no idea where it came from, what it will lead to or if I even care to find out the root of this all. I was literally living by the moment.

Phillips' blackmail card is also starting to get on my nerves; If he reminds Amara one more time what's at stake I'm gonna scream! There is a layer of deception and obvious lies but I just can't care enough about it all. The delivery is too flat and weak and the confusing writing style doesn't help either. The only breaks are chapters so I don't know when I am delving into another character's POV, namely Colin. I still can't even figure out who the main couples are because there seem to be none.

The time period is sketchy so really I have no sense of time and while Amara's escort skills are better than Avery from 'The Arrangement' she still isn't no Miranda from 'Buying Thyme' either, so I don't really have much to keep me company but the detailed description of everything and person.

Courtney's character seems to only be there to partake in awkward threesomes withe her friend and the guy she loves. As long as the lesbian quota is filled she seems to just exist. If  any of these characters have a point I have yet to seen it. They just seem to be floating around in an endless abyss waiting to get to this big secret that can bring down Governments and the scariest of Sultans.

I am interested to find out what will happen next but I am in no hurry. The story line is unclear to me even at the end and I only connected to a character that I literally saw twice, once without words. It was just another story of forced slavery and hidden identities without the romance. I don't know what will become of it all but I am not that eager to find out.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22336689-the-devil-s-contract

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