review: Sweet Disgrace by Cherrie Lynn

ISBN: 9781609282202
Publication: October 12, 2010

She has Heaven to lose. He has Hell to pay.

Centuries of heartbreak. Grinding failures punctuated by too-few victories. What angel in her right mind would want this job? Celeste, who’s driven to save Devil-contracted souls before Hell can claim them, is weary, but not beaten. Yet.

Her latest case makes her wonder if it’s all worth the anguish. A demon enticed a too-young musician into selling his soul for fortune and fame. To make matters worse, that demon is Damael, an insufferable, frightening minion with airtight contracts—and a body that makes her long for sin.

Damael’s always had a soft spot for Celeste, but if his bored superiors want drama, he’ll give them drama. Though it pains him to trick the angel he wants with all his black heart, eons of restrained lust win out. He makes the deal: her body in exchange for the human’s soul.

She wasn’t supposed to accept.

Damael can’t be trusted, but with the deadline bearing down, Celeste lays everything on the line in a last-ditch effort to save just one precious soul. Even if it means losing hers—along with her heart.

Warning: This title contains graphic language, explicit sex, an angelic heroine with attitude…and a demonic hero who’s smoking hot. Literally.

Sweet Disgrace is a novella read that I wholeheartedly recommend. There is so much I enjoy about romance reading that I found in this book: characters that already know one another when the story starts (although it's been a more-than-a-few-mortal-lifetimes-long acquaintance), and paranormal elements that are always fascinating and provide great conflict: angels/demons, good/evil, heaven/hell. The connection between Celeste and Damael is mesmerizing and well-developed, wrapped around their fight over the fate of the human musician. I was seriously rooting for Damael and Celeste to find a way through their differences and major obstacles, and fulfill their clearly irresistible attraction to each other! There is lots of sizzle, tears, sacrifice and joy to be found. In this tightly packed read, we also meet fellow angels and demons who perhaps will find their own HEA in future stories.

I was fortunate to win this book as a prize from Samhain Publishing's recent 5th Birthday celebrations, but I would not hesitate to purchase another book by this author. I love the "warning" at the end of the official blurb for the story - I believe the authors themselves come up with the description! Here is the link to buy Sweet Disgrace from Samhain's eBooks Store.