Anthologies always carry a risk. While there are positives, such as getting a taste of a new or new-to-you author without investing in a single title and a guaranteed quick read, there are potential negatives. Those center on the fears of shorter pages meaning less plot, less development or just plain less story. All valid. Those concerns are heightened when the book is the second round on a similar theme. Will the stories feel fresh? Will this be a re-tread of the last book? And, here, will the authors be able to make the daughters of Satan likeable heroines...?
In Hell With The Ladies, authors Julie Kenner, Dee Davis, Kathleen O'Reilly introduced a very different kind of Satan. Satan as father and businessman ready to retire and turn the family business over to his kids. Satan first tried to pass the keys to hell to one of his sons, all three of whom chose the love of a good woman over the love of being in charge of the underworld. Rather than give up, Satan turns to his daughters. The concept in Hell on Heels mirrors that of Hell With The Ladies: Satan contacts his daughters, one at a time, and makes an offer - prove you're worthy and hell is yours.
First up is Julie Kenner's Lucia. Unlike some of her siblings, Lucia has been working for her father for quite some time. She is an assassin who has grown weary of her work to the point where the thrill of the kill no longer thrills. When her father offers her the biggest job in Hell, she's tempted. No more tracking and killing. Just management. It's the perfect solution for her job fatigue. All she has to do is kill hotel owner Jacques. When she arrives to do just that, Jacques is gone but a mysterious man named Dante is there and more than willing to buy her a drink then help her burn up a little waiting time.
Dante has been summoned by his father - the same Jacques Lucia is there to kill - for an emergency. Jacques is nowhere to be found. Dante is. As strangers, Dante and Lucia feel an immediate attraction and spend first a night, then more time, together. The kill becomes less and less important to Lucia. When she figures out her job and Dante's father are one and the same, she makes the ultimate job choice.
From that description, the falling-in-love part of Lucia's sounds as if it happens too quickly. In the world of novellas this sort of thing must occur in fast forward. However, even though the pull and tug between Lucia and Dante happens from the second they meet, Kenner does an admirable job of creating a full-bodied and believable relationship in very few pages. She ensures that every paragraph packs a punch by emphasizing a sexy setting, strong characters and heartfelt angst and sacrifice.
Kenner builds the relationship from zero to a satisfying finish by engaging her characters both sexually and emotionally. She does not rely on the sex-equals-love device that is prevalent in many of the hotter novellas. Instead, she starts with a one-night stand then turns all of that heat into something much deeper. She accomplishes this by focusing on the changes in Lucia. Her needs and priorities shift. That movement is the lifeblood of the story and proves compelling because Lucia is compelling.
For his part, Dante is far more accepting of the idea of his woman being an assassin and sent to kill his father than one would expect from a "real" man as opposed to a romance novel hero. However, since the focus here is on Lucia rather than Dante, the realism of Dante's reaction is easy to ignore. The end result is a fast read with a very relatable heroine and a strong, but somewhat storybook, hero. Kenner manages to transcend what could be a flip and light novella by building in vulnerabilities for both Lucia and Dante. Behind all the heat and sexy talk are two desperate people in search of something more. By the time they find it, they are different people from the people who began the story. That is no easy feat in the span of 100 pages. Kenner makes it all look easy.
The second story centers on daughter Jezebel. In exchange for the chance to run Hell, Dee Davis' heroine is assigned the task of tracking down the Protector of Armageddon. Jezebel may be a child of pure evil, but she is not all powerful on her own. In order to fund this artifact - the same one that has eluded her father for years - she looks to her former love, David. David has issues of his own. He is on the trail of his brother's killer. David is consumed with revenge and ravaged by guilt. In the past when faced with the choice between Jezebel or vengeance, David did not pick the girl.
The former relationship between Jezebel and David makes the rushed trip to the bedroom believable. These folks have a history and not a pleasant one, but there are pent-up feelings to work out and they do. While Jezebel's quick loss of her anger in favor of some sheet time with David does not quite ring true, Davis provides enough information about Jezebel's background and love for David to sell the motivation. Davis also ties together Jezebel and Marcus, one of the sons from Hell With The Ladies, in this story. The move is handled with such a subtle touch as to be both clever and a welcome reminder of Marcus' love story.
While David lacks the punch and excitement of Kenner's Dante's and Davis' previous hero Marcus, David still works as a mate for Jezebel. It is the time it takes for David to make his decision and place Jezebel at the top of his priority list that makes him a bit less appealing than hoped. However, the manner in which Davis handles the internal conflicts of these people and the relationship roadblocks they both throw in the middle of the road to happiness in a manner that carries this story over the pitfalls to deliver an entertaining read. Through thoughtful writing that places the reader right in the mind of Jezebel and David, Davis makes us care.
Satan hands the final challenge to his last daughter, Lola. In O'Reilly's tale, Lola is a succubus of sorts. She steals men's souls when they have sex with her. Her charms and gifts are not like those of her half-siblings. She does not rely on gimmicks or skills. She relies on her looks, body and ability to seduce. In many ways, this makes Lola the most interesting of Satan's daughters. She is not a good girl. Not in the traditional sense, though Satan does claim to like her best.
Problems arise for Lola when her father offers her the deal to run Hell. She needs to suck the soul of Chris, one of the good guys. Possibly the ultimate good guy. Chris' life reads the exact opposite of Lola's. He is always there to help, whether or not he can tolerate his role in life as permanent savior is another issue. O'Reilly's very smart choice of a hero who is tired of saving and a heroine who is tired of ruining drives the plot. More importantly, this juxtaposition pushes the storyline in ways the reader may not expect. Ways that take the novella from being an enjoyable read to something a bit deeper.
Like her half-sister Lucia, Lola is growing tired of her life. Glamour has its benefits but never being able to actually love a man and sleep with him without destroying him is making Lola a very unhappy woman. Upon meeting Chris, Lola goes from seductress to wanting more. This metamorphosis is a bit too quick and unexplained to be believable. That problem combined with an odd circumstance that allows some intimacy between Chris and Lola are the two drawbacks of the novella. However, O'Reilly's choices for her characters, including a very satisfying ending that strays from fairytale and veers to one that is much more suitable for the novella, make the plot questions raised early seem minor.
Hell On Hells is a satisfying follow-up to the earlier Hell With The Ladies. These new novellas depend a bit more on emotion and personal growth than the earlier ones, and the anthology is better for it. This is not a replay of the earlier stories with females substituted for males as the leads. These are stand-alone novellas turn on the same premise, share the same strangely funny father and result in very happy endings. Somehow these authors redeem what could be unredeemable heroines. For that, alone, this anthology is worth a read.
And...there's the hint that this may not be the last anthology in this series. Seems Satan has more folks out there who could take over. The question will be whether or not the authors can make the theme work a third time. We'll see.
You can visit Julie Kenner here, Dee Davis here and Kathleen O'Reilly here. You can buy the book here or here.
