DEAL WITH THE DEVIL / Charming The Beast (Purgatory Series) by Cynthia Eden-a review

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About the book: Release Date June 9, 2015

Eric Pate is used to making his own rules—as the director of the PARA Unit, he is the boss. Everyone rushes to obey his commands, and no one knows his secrets. No one ever gets too close to him. But then he meets her.

Ella Lancaster is tired of being a prisoner. She escaped one hell just to find herself in another, but Eric doesn’t consider her containment with his agents as punishment. He actually thinks it is a form of protection. But Eric is so very wrong. Ella doesn’t need protecting, not for anyone or anything.

But when the PARA Unit comes under attack, Ella and Eric both find themselves battling a supernatural beast that they never expected. Forced to join forces, to make a deal, Ella and Eric are soon fighting side-by-side, and their attraction for each other can’t be contained or controlled. Hot. Wild. Consuming. Ella’s deal with her devil is soon taking over her life.

And as Eric falls deeper and deeper under the mysterious Ella’s spell, his legendary control begins to crack. The beast that he has kept chained so carefully inside rises to the surface. Unfortunately, when the devil loses his control…there is real hell to pay.

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REVIEW: DEAL WITH THE DEVIL is the fourth installment in Cynthia Eden’s adult, contemporary Purgatory paranormal romance series. Purgatory is an island prison for the supernatural-those that cannot be controlled and are a danger to themselves and everyone else. This is PARA Unit director Eric Pate, and Ella Lancaster’s storyline. DEAL WITH THE DEVIL can be read as a stand alone but for background information and enjoyment, I suggest reading the series in order.

Told from alternating third person perspectives (Eric and Ella) DEAL WITH THE DEVIL follows the continued ‘imprisonment’ of Ella Lancaster, and the PARA Unit director’s explosive attraction to a woman whose species (or origins) is unknown. Ella ia a woman who had been imprisoned by a monster; for years she was tortured and abused, tested and retested, drained of blood and left to die. Someone or something was using Ella’s blood. Upon her ‘rescue’ Ella found she had traded one prison for another, regardless of the furnishing and trappings made to look like she was living a normal life. As the PARA doctors continued to run tests on Ella’s blood, Eric Pate found himself drawn to the woman who was secluded for her own protection, not imprisoned against her wishes.

Throughout the series Eric Pate has been an enigma. He is a man who demands obedience of those he commands; his control over the others is unquestioned; but he is also a man whose personality was questionable. Eric had secrets; dark and dangerous secrets, if revealed, could compromise his position within the PARA Unit.

The relationship between Ella and Eric is one of immediate attraction but Ella believes she was betrayed by the very people who aided in her rescue including Eric Pate –The PARA Unit commander and a man who isn’t quite human himself. What ensues is a mutual attraction between Ella and Eric, one that Ella believes is fated for her kind. Eric refuses to give in to the myth of fated mates, and although his need for Ella cannot be explained, Eric is determined to save Ella from whatever is hunting the woman of his heart even if it mean revealing the truth about his ‘second nature’. The $ex scenes are intimate, aggressive and compelling without the ‘over the top’ erotic factor.

The secondary and supporting characters include all of the previous storyline couples: Duncan and Holly, Shane and Olivia, Connor and Chloe. We are also introduced to the man responsible for Ella’s powers; and the beast who will stop at nothing to get her back. By way of the storyline premise, we are also introduced to a new breed of hybrid supernaturals, and the possibility of something more. Lawrence’s storyline may be next on the horizon.

DEAL WITH THE DEVIL is a story with action, mystery, suspense and romance. Cynthia Eden will capture your heart and your imagination. Her characters are likeable, engaging and intense; her storyline emotional, passionate and intriguing; the world building continues to grab your attention-always leaving you wanting more !

Reading Order and Reviews
The Wolf Within
Marked by the Vampire
Charming The Beast (see review below)
Deal with the Devil

NOTE:  If you have not read this series, THE WOLF WITHIN (Book 1 of the Purgatory Series) is FREE for KINDLE and KOBO users:Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / KOBO /

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

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CHARMING THE BEAST
(Purgatory #3)
by Cynthia Eden
Genre: adult, contemporary, paranormal romance

Kindle & Nook ebook ONLY 99¢ :Amazon.com / Amazon.ca /B&N / KOBO /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 23, 2014

He’s a man with a beast inside…

Connor Marrok never intended to work for the Seattle Para Unit. He’s not one of the good guys—he’s a real monster, and the beast he carries doesn’t exactly play nicely. But now he finds himself being blackmailed into a new assignment. It’s supposed to be his last gig. His mission? Protect the beautiful Chloe Quick. Keep her alive. Destroy her enemies. Easy enough…until he starts to fall for Chloe.

She just wants to escape.

Chloe is tired of being a prisoner. She wants to get away from her Para Unit guard and run fast into the night. So what if Connor is the sexiest guy she’s ever met? Chloe knows trouble when she sees it, and Connor is one big, dangerous package of trouble. But, when an obsessed werewolf begins stalking Chloe, she realizes that her paranormal bodyguard may just be the one man she needs the most.

Their attraction is primal.

Every moment that Chloe and Connor spend together increases their attraction. Chloe has never felt a need so strong or a desire so dark. The beast that Chloe carries inside has always been silent, but Connor is stirring up her animal instincts. And as the danger and desire begin to twist together, Chloe wonders just how far she’d be willing to go…in order to spend one more night in Connor’s arms.

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REVIEW: CHARMING THE BEAST is the third installment in Cynthia Eden’s paranormal, adult, contemporary Purgatory romance series. Purgatory is an island prison for the most powerful of supernatural criminals. This is Para Unit Agent and crossover hybrid Connor Marrok and Chloe Quick’s storyline who were introduced to one another in the previous book. Although this is the third book in the series is can be read as a stand alone without too much difficult but I recommend reading in order for background and detailed information about the previous storyline couples and premise.

Connor Marrok is a cross-over. A supernatural being ½ vampire/ ½ werewolf and all alpha male. He is a man whose younger years have resulted in physical and emotional scars that will never heal. His wolf wants Chloe Quick-the daughter of the man who has set out to destroy the FBI’s Seattle Para Unit-and the man who tried to destroy Chloe’s life.

Chloe is under the Para Unit’s protection but her freedom and choices are no longer her own. Something about Chloe’s DNA has changed and she is now the focus of a number of werewolf packs; she has become the number one target for a man hoping to make her his own. As the wolves begin to circle, someone is willing to sacrifice Chloe for information and a chance to end the cycle of attacks.

The attraction between Chloe and Connor is immediate; a friends to lovers storyline that focuses on Connor’s need to protect the woman he needs to claim as his mate. But Connor believes he is not the right man for Chloe and tries miserably but fails to keep his distance.

The world building continues as more agents of the Para Unit are introduced and Purgatory continues to house the baddest of the bad. The secondary characters include all of the previous storyline couples as well as the agents and Unit commander Eric Pate. Eric is an enigma; an alpha male; the boss; the man in charge and he is nobody’s friend. Eric is a man who is willing to risk any or all of his agents to ensure they get their ‘man’. In this, he is a character whose intent is questionable but also a character who has many secrets that have yet to be revealed. I believe his story is next.

If you are a fan of the paranormal shifter romance storylines, then Cynthia Eden’s PURGATORY series is for you. There is a little bit of everything supernatural: werewolves, vampires, Dijinn, magic and more. The characters are for the most part likeable; their stories are heartbreaking; sometimes tragic; always intense.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
The Wolf Within
Marked by the Vampire
Charming the Beast
Deal with the Devil

Copy supplied by Netgalley.

Reviewed by Sandy