Lisa V. Proulx

*Book source ~ A review copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Victor turns Veronica into a vampire without her consent. Veronica doesn’t even know he *is* a vampire. Things aren’t going as she had imagined when she spotted him in her hometown about a dozen years or so since she’d last seen him.

I had to stop reading at 25% because this book needs serious editing. The writing is choppy and there are a lot of mistakes. I also couldn’t connect at all to Veronica or Victor. They are so shallowly written and the woodenness of the writing doesn’t help.… (more)

*Book source ~ Many thanks to the author for providing a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Frankie Morelli is an abusive husband to his wife Angela. Married young she fell into the mindset that she somehow deserved the beatings he gave her. Then one night he went too far and killed her. After he was sentenced to prison he stole from the wrong inmate and was beaten to death. Arriving in Hell, Frankie tries to think of a way to bargain himself out of Hell and into Heaven. He finally hits upon the idea that he could exchange his rotten evil soul for his wife’s purer one. Satan agrees, tells him what he must do and sends him on his journey. Will Frankie succeed? Or will he continue to be a pathetic loser?

This is an interesting idea. Bargain your way out of Hell by trading souls. Angela is a sad case of spousal abuse. If she had just had the courage to get out years before she might have made something of herself. Instead, she fell into the thinking that it was all her fault and making excuses for her pathetic excuse of a husband. Frankie’s journey is interesting and Frankie is completely repellent. I love the twist at the end. All-in-all an interesting, if painful at times, read.… (more)