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Gods of Chaos #1
Devil Did Grin
[Siren Classic Erotic Alternative Fantasy Romance, M/M, gods] A top male model, Rayne Everest lived a life anyone would envy. Letting his arrogance get away from him and slapping one of the nine Gods of Chaos probably wasn't his smartest move. His beauty and wealth taken from him, he's dumped on the streets with no idea how to survive on his own, and only thirty days to learn his lesson. When Dante Luca finds him hiding on a construction site, Rayne only intended to use the big Italian for a place to stay and food in his belly. When he finds himself falling hard, he's faced with a whole new set of problems, though. He doesn't intend to give up his luxurious lifestyle—a life Dante wants nothing to do with. Rayne has never had so much to lose, but how will he choose between the man he loves and the life he desires? ** A Siren Erotic Romance
152 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 28, 2011
4 people are currently reading
156 people want to read
About the author
Gabrielle Evans
74 books442 followersGabrielle Evans grew up in a small town in southern Oklahoma. We’re talking one red light that may or may not work depending on the day of the week. She married her high school sweetheart and the rest is pretty much history. They have two very active boys and one high-strung wiener dog that keeps her constantly on the go. For now, Gabrielle parks her car in north-central Texas, but who knows what tomorrow will bring.
Come chat with me on my new Yahoo Group!
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Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
(1)erotic romance author
Come chat with me on my new Yahoo Group!
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Gabriel...
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
(1)erotic romance author
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
July 20, 2011
I must admit that the title of this series, Gods of Chaos, intrigued me from the first time I saw this book. It seemed to promise a higher than normal percentage of twists in the story and that made me curious. Luckily, this turned out to be true and the number of surprises, twist and truly chaotic situations was a delight. Add to this the quirky characters and the sheer humor of the situation and this quickly became a very fun book to read. An interesting variation on the ‘thou shalt be cursed until the lesson is learned’ plotline, this adds a fresh, modern day angle to the well-known plot.
Rayne starts out as a pain in the you-know-where; he’s arrogant, selfish, and a lot of other non-complimentary things. When he finally insults the wrong person, actually one of the gods of chaos, fate catches up with him and he is made to face the horrible consequences of how he’s been behaving. I loved the revelation about the reasons for his acting this way. It suddenly made him a lot more human, and I started to root for him.
Dante is just simply a great guy. The polar opposite of Rayne, he offers a chance for true love, something neither of the men had expected they’d ever get. I loved the way he takes Rayne in and stands by him, despite all the backs-and-forths their budding relationship has to endure.
This is a great start to a new series. I loved it, and if the sequels even come close to this first book, it will be a great ride! If you like stories with unexpected twists, sexy men who battle out their differences and emotions that make you laugh and cry in turn, you will probably like this book as much as I did.
Rayne starts out as a pain in the you-know-where; he’s arrogant, selfish, and a lot of other non-complimentary things. When he finally insults the wrong person, actually one of the gods of chaos, fate catches up with him and he is made to face the horrible consequences of how he’s been behaving. I loved the revelation about the reasons for his acting this way. It suddenly made him a lot more human, and I started to root for him.
Dante is just simply a great guy. The polar opposite of Rayne, he offers a chance for true love, something neither of the men had expected they’d ever get. I loved the way he takes Rayne in and stands by him, despite all the backs-and-forths their budding relationship has to endure.
This is a great start to a new series. I loved it, and if the sequels even come close to this first book, it will be a great ride! If you like stories with unexpected twists, sexy men who battle out their differences and emotions that make you laugh and cry in turn, you will probably like this book as much as I did.
December 4, 2015
This was so cheesy. I loved that about it. It's actually quite funny. When Raine is still his evil self and witnesses giving behavior:
But don't worry, he doesn't stay that bad for long. It would be hard to follow along with a hero who's despicable.
There were parts of the story where I shook my head and thought, "Oh my god this is so bad, like a story written for my eighth grade creative writing class." The god just showed up and explained everything in a supercilious tone and the idiot MC just kept antagonizing him. The writing and dialog in those parts were clunky nad silly. But that was just those parts. The rest of the story was written fine.
There was the usual ridiculousness you find in these one-a-day romances such as after they went to the doctor because one of them had had a fever of 104 for three days they were on the bed making out. At that point, they probably should have gotten the other some antibiotics just to save time. (Of course the other didn't get sick.) Also, who sleep with their palms pressed together under their cheek? All the twinks in these cheesy stories do apparently.
This is a nitpick to the bigger world: How do you reset someone's nose? It's not a bone. It's just cartilage smashed in. I know they do it in movies but wouldn't it have to be maintained by some kind of splinting on the inside so it doesn't just collapse again? They usually use cotton but I had a lovely and excruciating Jamie Farr sized splint in my button nose following nasal surgery. But I digress.
As I said, the story is quite humorous.
Their teasing and snarkiness were really funny. And normal. And the love was believable. It wasn't really instalove for a couple of reasons, and I was glad because it made it believable. Okay, the romance, not the story.
There were two bad things. One was that there was a lot of female shaming, i.e. being compared to a woman or being told a man acted like a woman as a negative thing along the lines of, "Don't be such a girl." It annoys me anyway, but without any female characters, there really isn't anything positive to balance it out. But again, par for the course with these things.
The other is that the character said he was "clean" to say he tested negative. It's something that is very common, though, and I think it's ignorance more than anything. I had to have my eyes opened a while ago by an HIV positive friend who pointed out that having HIV didn't make someone dirty any more than having diabetes or rickets does. I think it is an easy mistake, though, when we think of disease as being dirty, we clean to get rid of and prevent disease.
I'm just going to ignore all the absurdities and inaccuracies of their childhood in the care system (foster care, the alleged orphanages where kids lived their whole lives, etc.) and not bother to mention them. The plot was so over the top and absurd that I can forgive a lack of research and understanding of such banalities as real life.
Well it was silly and light and shallow, but it was fun silliness. 4 stars.
Rayne didn’t know what to think. Dante’s generosity went against every principle he held close. You didn’t offer a hand to the less fortunate. You stepped on them and crawled over them as you climbed your way to the top."A few paragraphs later,
Some little voice in the back of his head berated him for extorting Dante’s giving nature, but he duct taped the little bastard and kicked him down a well. He needed food, a place out of the elements, and maybe someone to do his laundry until his thirty days of hell had expired.I was seriously laughing out loud in parts.
But don't worry, he doesn't stay that bad for long. It would be hard to follow along with a hero who's despicable.
There were parts of the story where I shook my head and thought, "Oh my god this is so bad, like a story written for my eighth grade creative writing class." The god just showed up and explained everything in a supercilious tone and the idiot MC just kept antagonizing him. The writing and dialog in those parts were clunky nad silly. But that was just those parts. The rest of the story was written fine.
There was the usual ridiculousness you find in these one-a-day romances such as after they went to the doctor because one of them had had a fever of 104 for three days they were on the bed making out. At that point, they probably should have gotten the other some antibiotics just to save time. (Of course the other didn't get sick.) Also, who sleep with their palms pressed together under their cheek? All the twinks in these cheesy stories do apparently.
This is a nitpick to the bigger world: How do you reset someone's nose? It's not a bone. It's just cartilage smashed in. I know they do it in movies but wouldn't it have to be maintained by some kind of splinting on the inside so it doesn't just collapse again? They usually use cotton but I had a lovely and excruciating Jamie Farr sized splint in my button nose following nasal surgery. But I digress.
As I said, the story is quite humorous.
"Dante, I don’t know about this." Rayne stared out over the dirty lake and grimaced.Oh my god Walmart...
"You said the same thing about the ballgame, the water park, and Walmart. You survived those, didn’t you?"
"Barely," Rayne mumbled under his breath.
Their teasing and snarkiness were really funny. And normal. And the love was believable. It wasn't really instalove for a couple of reasons, and I was glad because it made it believable. Okay, the romance, not the story.
There were two bad things. One was that there was a lot of female shaming, i.e. being compared to a woman or being told a man acted like a woman as a negative thing along the lines of, "Don't be such a girl." It annoys me anyway, but without any female characters, there really isn't anything positive to balance it out. But again, par for the course with these things.
The other is that the character said he was "clean" to say he tested negative. It's something that is very common, though, and I think it's ignorance more than anything. I had to have my eyes opened a while ago by an HIV positive friend who pointed out that having HIV didn't make someone dirty any more than having diabetes or rickets does. I think it is an easy mistake, though, when we think of disease as being dirty, we clean to get rid of and prevent disease.
I'm just going to ignore all the absurdities and inaccuracies of their childhood in the care system (foster care, the alleged orphanages where kids lived their whole lives, etc.) and not bother to mention them. The plot was so over the top and absurd that I can forgive a lack of research and understanding of such banalities as real life.
Well it was silly and light and shallow, but it was fun silliness. 4 stars.
February 1, 2013
This was supposed to be a bad book.
This was supposed to be a bad book, dammit.
And alright, I know how that sounds. Stack the deck against an author much? Unfair prejudice much? But it's true - it emits all the signals of being a bad book. It's by Siren Publishing, notorious publisher of meh books. The author's done a few colabs/series with the likes of Stormy Glenn, Joyee Flynn etc., so naturally I put her in the same category as them. You know, the meh category.
Except this wasn't meh.
This has all the ingredients of an awwww chick flick: Dante Luca (hey, I actually remembered his name. That hasn't happened in many many books) is the quintessential knight in um, construction boots. Rayne Everest is an arrogant, entitled little model who looks down his non-surgically enhanced nose at everyone. Then there's the plot, which basically revolves around Dante saving Rayne from his dastardly, selfish ways, and then you wrap the whole thing up with lots and lots of humor.
Do you really need me to tell you this? Isn't it in the blurb? Well, here's something the blurb can't tell you: This book had me grinning at it like a moron the entire time.
It's the characters. They fit really well together, poke fun at each other, and the great thing about Evans and this series is that she didn't hesitate to make them flawed people. Instead of covering every sin of theirs up with a bad past ala 'Nonono, it's not actually them that's bad, it's their family/friends/ex that abused them and tortured them into their present shape', she made it that yes, they had their reasons for being the way they are, but most of it was just them being selfish and greedy little jerks.
Not too many romance authors do that. So here's a hat tip to ya, GE.
Admittedly the end there had me going lol for the wrong reason, namely that it was starting to look a lot like those soap operas with people wailing and dying and angsting and what not, but it was still enjoyable enough - and the rest of it gave me enough laughs - that the book merited four stars.
Verdict: If you're looking for one of those air-headed books to get you through the day, pick this! It's much better than anything you'll find from Amber Kell/Stormy Glenn/Joyee Flynn/Carol Flynn etc.
This was supposed to be a bad book, dammit.
And alright, I know how that sounds. Stack the deck against an author much? Unfair prejudice much? But it's true - it emits all the signals of being a bad book. It's by Siren Publishing, notorious publisher of meh books. The author's done a few colabs/series with the likes of Stormy Glenn, Joyee Flynn etc., so naturally I put her in the same category as them. You know, the meh category.
Except this wasn't meh.
This has all the ingredients of an awwww chick flick: Dante Luca (hey, I actually remembered his name. That hasn't happened in many many books) is the quintessential knight in um, construction boots. Rayne Everest is an arrogant, entitled little model who looks down his non-surgically enhanced nose at everyone. Then there's the plot, which basically revolves around Dante saving Rayne from his dastardly, selfish ways, and then you wrap the whole thing up with lots and lots of humor.
Do you really need me to tell you this? Isn't it in the blurb? Well, here's something the blurb can't tell you: This book had me grinning at it like a moron the entire time.
It's the characters. They fit really well together, poke fun at each other, and the great thing about Evans and this series is that she didn't hesitate to make them flawed people. Instead of covering every sin of theirs up with a bad past ala 'Nonono, it's not actually them that's bad, it's their family/friends/ex that abused them and tortured them into their present shape', she made it that yes, they had their reasons for being the way they are, but most of it was just them being selfish and greedy little jerks.
Not too many romance authors do that. So here's a hat tip to ya, GE.
Admittedly the end there had me going lol for the wrong reason, namely that it was starting to look a lot like those soap operas with people wailing and dying and angsting and what not, but it was still enjoyable enough - and the rest of it gave me enough laughs - that the book merited four stars.
Verdict: If you're looking for one of those air-headed books to get you through the day, pick this! It's much better than anything you'll find from Amber Kell/Stormy Glenn/Joyee Flynn/Carol Flynn etc.
May 7, 2011
Очень миленькая, забавная история. Имена богов Хаоса позабавили отдельно: Gordost, Zavist, Pathos. :) Не то, чтобы ты совсем не попал, Пятачок, ты не попал в шарик :))) Ну, будем надеяться, что русскоязычных читателей у этой книги будет не так, чтобы очень много.
May 4, 2011
Wonderful start to a new series.
May 12, 2011
Rayne Everest's life changes radically when he is cursed by a god of chaos to give up his perfect life and learn about compassion and humility. When he’s made to leave his house; his past life behind him, with only the clothes on his back and his physical appearance unrecognisable, the huge wake up call eventually leads him to big Italian heartthrob Dante.
In just the first couple of pages, Rayne came off as the biggest prick ever. He was arrogant, stuck up and condescending and I wanted nothing more than to drown him in his own Olympic-sized pool, so it was great to see him get his comeuppance shortly after. His arrogance was taken just a little too far sometimes but while I’ve never come across anyone remotely as self-absorbed as Rayne, maybe they do exist out there and for the purpose of the story his personality served well.
He and Dante have a past together and it’s actually what formed Rayne as an adult. My heart broke for the lonely young man Rayne used to be. He found and lost love and it broke him enough to make him promise himself he’d never be allowed that level of vulnerability again. Dante was a very warm, caring man and he was exactly what Rayne needed to make him see that he didn’t need money or fame to be happy.
It was lovely to watch their paths come together again and Dante take advantage of the second chance he’d been given. Rayne did take a turn for the better, learning values in his new life, but his changes took a back seat in the face of his and Dante’s romance.
The conflict in the story came not only from Rayne’s curse but also from a couple of Dante’s jealous workers. At one point something happened that I don’t think was dealt with properly since the person responsible was given a reward instead of a punishment.
However, I think this is my favourite book by Gabrielle Evans so far. The story was original and I found myself loving both characters. They both had to make hard choices but they led to love and it was very sweet to watch.
In just the first couple of pages, Rayne came off as the biggest prick ever. He was arrogant, stuck up and condescending and I wanted nothing more than to drown him in his own Olympic-sized pool, so it was great to see him get his comeuppance shortly after. His arrogance was taken just a little too far sometimes but while I’ve never come across anyone remotely as self-absorbed as Rayne, maybe they do exist out there and for the purpose of the story his personality served well.
He and Dante have a past together and it’s actually what formed Rayne as an adult. My heart broke for the lonely young man Rayne used to be. He found and lost love and it broke him enough to make him promise himself he’d never be allowed that level of vulnerability again. Dante was a very warm, caring man and he was exactly what Rayne needed to make him see that he didn’t need money or fame to be happy.
It was lovely to watch their paths come together again and Dante take advantage of the second chance he’d been given. Rayne did take a turn for the better, learning values in his new life, but his changes took a back seat in the face of his and Dante’s romance.
The conflict in the story came not only from Rayne’s curse but also from a couple of Dante’s jealous workers. At one point something happened that I don’t think was dealt with properly since the person responsible was given a reward instead of a punishment.
However, I think this is my favourite book by Gabrielle Evans so far. The story was original and I found myself loving both characters. They both had to make hard choices but they led to love and it was very sweet to watch.
July 8, 2016
The plot idea is repetitive and over exploited and not half as interesting as other stories with this theme. And there are many things which make you wonder how old the author had been when she wrote this story. there are a few editing mistakes as well. The first few chapters weren't too bad but than the whole thing got boring beyond words! I almost gave up on finishing it.
October 17, 2016
Gabrielle Evans is one of my favorite authors for fun, fluffy sweetness, and Devil Did Grin is a perfect example. If you've ever seen one of those movies where the rich/arrogant/beautiful/assholish character is suddenly stripped of everything, this is the gay version of that. Rayne is an arrogant bastard from the start, yet somehow still kinda likable. Enter God of Chaos, Zorgost, and the adventure begins.
For being candy-fluffy, this book did have some really interesting character development in both Rayne's journey and Dante's as they fall in love. It's not insta-love at all, and they have a past that makes things that much more complicated. Drama and sexiness and somewhat over-the-top craziness? Yes, but in the perfect amount. I loved this more than I though I would!
March 14, 2012
typical gabrielle evans serial romance. nothing fantastic, nothing so bad it can't be finished. what is typical gabrielle evans? imagine a shorter harlequin romance but with no t&a (see, i was going to write no surprise pregnancies, but... yeah.).
out of sheer laziness, i will be using this as my template for all books by :
sunny day
lynn hagen
stormy glenn
scarlett hyacinth
carol lynne
gabrielle evans
unless otherwise noted. i'd apologize, but i'm not sorry. i figure it's about as much time as they put into their books. dammit! well, i made it all the way to the end being rather moderate in my assessment. that's a win.
out of sheer laziness, i will be using this as my template for all books by :
sunny day
lynn hagen
stormy glenn
scarlett hyacinth
carol lynne
gabrielle evans
unless otherwise noted. i'd apologize, but i'm not sorry. i figure it's about as much time as they put into their books. dammit! well, i made it all the way to the end being rather moderate in my assessment. that's a win.
May 9, 2011
I enjoyed this first book in a series from an author who is quickly becoming one of my favorites! It's sortof a gay, modern twist on Beauty and the Beast a little bit, and I really enjoyed the characters and story. I did think that the ending was a bit rushed because there was just too much packed in there and I wish I hadn't read this right after another book from this author, Race the Sun, because that one was still very fresh in my mind and is still my favorite story from her for sure. I'm looking forward to what she writes next, in this series or her others.
September 8, 2016
The premise for this book was good - an erotic fairytale, if you will. But, damn, it needed at least a good proof-reader. Then & than - not the same thing; new & knew - not interchangeable; and a car without a brake will break in no time! These are simple errors that should be caught long before the book is offered for sale!
Sorry, but this is a HUGE peeve of mine!
Sorry, but this is a HUGE peeve of mine!
November 12, 2015
This was actually much better than I was expecting. Of course it had a certain level of ridiculousness but it was still very sweet. We have a snotty model who was turned into a cute twink and a burly construction worker that was once the love of his life. Of course he was. He takes the poor homeless, ex-model twink home with him and well, you know. Sounds dumber than it was though. :P
June 5, 2011
This first release in the the new Gods of Chaos series was a fun and entertaining read and the premise unusual and creative. I'd give it a 4.5 if the system used a half star designation. I'm looking forward to the next release.(less)
July 1, 2011
3,5 stars
May 29, 2011
Really enjoyed this! It's all about redemption.
February 8, 2014
Rayne and Dante. I really liked them :) I liked seeing Rayne change. I love this concept of reformations and the Gods of Chaos are awesome!
August 2, 2016
Somehow more entertaining that I'd expected, but requires huge capacity for the suspension of disbelief from a reader.
July 20, 2011
i like but nothing too knew
January 16, 2012
Wicked fun and very sexy.
Read
December 6, 2017DNF. Rayne was detestable and unredeemable.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews