Luck of the Devil

Speak of the Devil #1

by Patricia Eimer

Being the youngest daughter of the Devil isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. The days of teenage rebellion and vows of chastity made just to tick off her father are over, and now all Faith Bettincourt wants is a nice, quiet life. Unfortunately, thanks to the unexpected arrival of her demonically-downsized sister, a ditzy succubus roommate, and dear old Dad himself, Faith’s plans for a relaxing vacation spent watching reruns go up in flames.

Now it’s all Faith can do to keep the family reunion from Hell (literally) under wraps, and the angelically-inclined hottie across the hall from realizing there’s something weird about his neighbor. And, thankfully, it’s working. Until an angelic stalker shows up in a bid to steal her powers and take over the world.

Forget watching reruns. With the way things are going, Faith will need the luck of the Devil just to survive until Monday.

Genres: Paranormal Romance, Demons, Paranormal, Romance, Chick Lit, Angels, Urban Fantasy

273 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 2011

Reviews

[Sherri · Rating 4 out of 5]

. . . .being evil has never been as much fun.

First Impressions – The book summary attracted me right of the bat. I am a sucker for quirky, offbeat comedies and the storyline, although not unique, it appeared fun and perfect for a summer read. I did not see the cover until after I had received the book, and although I wouldn’t say it is outstanding it does fit the book.

While Reading – The book starts out by thrusting the reader right into the storyline. It was a bit of a jolt and it took me a while to sort out all the characters, who they were, and what they meant to the story. But once I got through that, I was able to relax, kick back and just enjoy the ride.

Luck of the Devil is hilarious and keeps up a steady pace throughout the book. There are a couple of moments that were a bit slow (i.e. Faith’s encounter with Matt in the stairwell, the heart to heart with her father are two that come to mind), but those are not enough to steal the limelight from the main storyline.

The characters are all offbeat and most everyone will relate to having at least one of these oddballs in their family tree. Due to the shorter length of the book, the characters are not deeply developed, but given the nature of the book (i.e. comedy), it works not having deep, intense and complicated characters. My favorite character is Matt. His calm, deliberate and thoughtful personality is the perfect balance for the spontaneous, argumentative, wild and wacky Morningstar/Bettincourt family. I also like how he stands up to Satan for what he wants, that being Faith.

Verdict – Luck of the Devil is highly addictive and recommended for those that enjoy paranormal with comedy. There is an element of romance thrown in, but the main focus of the story was the interaction and strength of the Morningstar/Bettincourt family and how they rally together when times get tough.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who knew the devil was a family guy? I sure didn’t. As I was reading through Luck of the Devil, I honestly had to put it down at one point to ask one of my sisters was she sure our father was not the devil. My family dynamic was so much the same, just take out all the paranormal. Of course my sister has assured me she has never seen any horns.

Faith is in a bit of trouble, she has gone and gotten herself a stalker. When your overprotective dad is the devil you have to devise ways of keeping your personal life well…personal. When Faith’s stalker makes trouble for her at work she is quick to call her super hot neighbor, Matt, who just so happens to also be a lawyer. Matt and Faith’s chemistry was hot enough to scorch the pages. I loved reading the two of them.

Each of the side characters add so much to the book, and there are so many laugh out loud moment. The fact that Faith’s mom is with the devil, but she just tries to tell herself that he and god are just a different species…so funny. She reminded me of that crazy relative you’re always trying to get away from at the family reunion.

Even though this is a comedy there is a little mystery and action thrown in as well. After trying to figure out who Faith’s stalker is throughout the book to find out that it is actually….. like I’m telling!!! Go read the book.

Luck of the Devil is a fantastically fun read. I hope the author continues to write more with these characters. I think each of Faith’s siblings could easily hold their own book.

Happy Reading,
Rebecca
www.bendingthespine.blogspot.com

[Jasmyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Luck of the Devil was a very fun book. Faith, the devil's youngest daughter is caught up in family drama galore. Her brother has turned her roommate into a succubus, her sister and brother-in-law show up to "visit" uninvited, and they are followed closely by mom and dear old dad, Lucifer himself. There are a lot of things that go wrong in this family and Faith generally tries to stay out of it, but she gets dragged kicking and screaming into this one.

The romance in this one is cute and the characters are addictive. Then it all hits the fan when someone with powers begins to stalk her and send threatening notes. The family gears up to find out who is behind it all, and surprisingly, the hottie across the hall is on board to help in any way he can. More family drama ensues and Faith tries desperately to keep her father from having a meltdown - because the city will be melted down right along with him.

Lots of surprising twists in the story line, and the action just keeps on coming. Faith has a great sarcastic humor that I love to see in my romantic comedies, and Lucifer is just a complete riot! I really enjoy when authors take larger than life figures and give a quirky personality to match. I'll be reading the rest of the series over the next couple weeks. They sound just as great.

- See more at: http://www.bittenbyromance.com/2014/0...

[Amber I. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was just pure fun, I loved every minute of it. You have Faith the daughter of the devil himself, her succubus room mate, her demon half brother , her demon sister Hope, a haunting ghost, and her crazy mortal mother plus many more make this family dysfunctional on a new level.

At first I thought this book was going to be a bit much, maybe over the top but I was so so wrong! I easily got caught up in it and I loved it all. Its not every day you see God aka Alpha and Satan sitting in a Pittsburgh apartment playing Mario Kart. See if I seen someone write that in a review I might think this book was not going to be for me, but trust me give it a try and you are going to love it!


Luck of the Devil had it all, it was sexy, funny, sweet, mysterious, and full of action. It took Heaven and Hell and all that goes with it to new and different places. God was hilarious, Satan was a caring family man and I haven't mentioned the neighbor. I don't want to ruin the story or anything so do yourself a favor and go check it out.


This will post on my blog on Sep. 22nd and I am going to include 2 fun teasers!!

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Luck of the Devil focuses on the life of Faith, the daughter of the Devil (yes that devil). It boast a hilarious cast of characters that includes Faith(a do-gooder half-sister/pediatric nurse), her sister Hope (a failed occult leader), her mother (the devil’s consort), her brother (a demon screw up), her roommate (a recently turned succubus), and her love interest who is part of a celestial army out to destroy all demons. They live in Pittsburgh. They have family fights that result in flooding and hali and family gatherings with Uncle Alpha and cousin “J.” Who knew that God and Satan were on speaking terms, that they had pow wows together over proper supernatural punishment, and have a fierce rivalry over Mario Cart on the Wii? Did you catch that the devil named his daughter Faith and Hope??? Any book that combines all of this together in a light hearted, fun, irreverent, laugh out loud way is PURE win. I was left wishing for more. I’m certainly going to keep my eye out for more by Patricia Eimer.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free digital copy through Net Galley.

What do you get when you combine a less than evil daughter of Satan, her spoiled siblings, brother-in-law who has "fallen up," inept succubus roommate, crazy mortal mother, Satan himself, a hunky lawyer across the hall, the ghost of a dead doctor, and a stalker? One wacky mystery, a little bit of romance, and the family reunion from Hell!

This was a very fun read, but was also quite predictable. Some plot points mysteriously disappeared after the initial set up, which bothered me a bit, but it was nothing too important. Over all, I enjoyed this one, but was left feeling a bit disappointed.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

RECEIVED FROM: Net Galley For Review


***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS***

Faith Bettincourt is just your average pediatrics nurse who just happens to have a succubus that can’t control her powers as a best friend, a demon as a body guard, an archdemon for a half brother and oh did I mention she’s the devil’s half human daughter? Her mother’s a wackjob, her sister’s a bitchy half demoness who relishes in destruction and her Uncle is God and she’s the half demoness who has to keep them appearing normal when they all unexpectedly converge on her apartment building for an impromptu unannounced family reunion. There’s goes her plan to get the attention of the sexy human lawyer Matt living next door. But when she’s called into work and accused of stealing morphine from the pediatrics unit and selling it on the street the person she calls to defend her is none other than Matt the guy who’s watched her take klutzy to the extreme in his presence. And when he doesn’t run away at meeting her family she’s learns he’s not exactly human either, but a rogue Angele, the son of an Angel who’s supposed to be bent on her destruction but destruction isn’t what Matt has in mind for his interaction with her. Can she get to know Matt without someone in her family turning him into a goat or something worse? As if she didn’t have enough problems to juggle with a family reunion from Hades, tons of family issues and a budding relationship she’d like to pursue she then learns she’s got a demonic stalker bent on her destruction. Just the average week in the life of the youngest Princess of Hell, if only she can survive it to make it to the next.

This book was great! Its chick-lit meets paranormal with a twist of hilarious mixed in. I’ve personally never read anything like it. There’s a romance but it’s not the focus of the book by any means nor does the relationship progress to the seriousness of your average romance novel. I can’t say as I see this appealing to the devoutly religious faction of the population, but as I’m not one of those I loved it. This is a wonderfully written first person point of view, however due to the point of view choice I did start to get a little uncomfortable near the sex scenes. For me reading a sex scene in the first person is like that friend who tells you so much about her sex life that you can’t help but smirk every time you look at her significant other afterward because you know everything about what he’s got in his pants and how he performs in the bedroom – good or bad. The thing is I’ve never been the person in that conversation that actually wanted to know those kinds of details about a friend’s sex life nor have I shared them those kinds of details about my own. My point is since a first person sex scene is so close to one of those too much information conversations I tend to get a little uncomfortable when a sex scene occurs in a first person novel. It doesn’t bother me in the third person, even a close third person but I guess when I read a first person novel it feels like a conversation with a friend telling me about what happened in their life. When I read a third person, specifically a close third person I feel more like I’m experiencing the book right beside the characters and since I feel a part of the experience the sex scenes don’t bother me(unless they’re an overused excuse for a plot or poorly written). I’m not sure if that makes any sense but it’s just a personal opinion. It wasn’t that bad because Eimer focused more on the paranormal elements of their union than the nitty gritty details that I don’t like to hear in the first person. The book also includes an element of suspense in the form of a supernatural stalker, but while this subplot was interesting it also wasn’t the focus of the story. The story mostly focused on the life of Faith, the youngest daughter of the devil and her zany family and friends. Eimer manages to take things that would be average everyday things in the life of your average human and add the supernatural twist to them so that they turn out hilarious. For example her family coming to visit includes freak hail storms when they lose their temper. Her brother doesn’t ask her roommate out he turns her into a succubus that he doesn’t know how to train to make her immortal like he is and because he can’t train her to use her powers she keeps accidentally killing people. Eimer takes dysfunctional family to a whole new level which made the novel an absolute riot to read. The reason I say that I don’t feel it will appeal to the religious sect is that God and Jesus are characters within the novel referred to as the Alpha and J and they’re all part of the family. What I mean by this is that in one scene her father the Devil is sitting in her living room playing Mario Karts on the Wii with the Alpha her uncle. While I found the dynamics of this to be great, I can’t see your average devout Catholic appreciating the idea of the Devil and God hanging out. The concept was kind of that while Demons could manipulate people a little to make the decision to fall, they aren’t really the bad guys because in the end it’s the person’s choice where they want to spend their eternity. Additionally I’m thinking the hardcore Wiccans might take offense to the characters basically saying their religion is a bunch of nonexistent nonsense. I don’t think it’s meant to be an insult to the Wiccan religion, but more for the story to work as it’s written the only religion that can exist is Christianity. The Alpha and Omega (the devil) couldn’t be the ultimate sources of power if another religion and its gods or goddesses truly existed to challenge their power. Regardless of this and the fact it’s a fictional story the more zealous of the religious factions have a history of taking offense to anything fiction or otherwise that doesn’t strictly follow their religious ideals. Case in point here it hasn’t been that long since Dan Brown’s Davinci Code became one of the most well known titles in fiction because of all the bad press from the religious factor and the numerous books published as responses to his FICTIONAL title. Personally I’m thankful to them because I hadn’t heard of the novel before they threw a fit and I picked it up to read it to find out what all the fuss was about. I was rewarded with a great read and from that became a fan of the author and his other titles. But if the religious factor hadn’t gone nuts I might have never known who the author was. While I could see the devoutly religious throwing a fit, it might actually be a good thing for the title to be picked up by one of the more vocal of that faction because of the attention it would draw to a title that like with Brown’s novel, the general public would enjoy. Obviously the only connection between these two novels is that both deals with religious figures outside of the traditional way they’re viewed. Eimer’s style and story is otherwise nothing like Brown’s work. Eimer has written a wonderful paranormal comedy, something I could easily see as a television sitcom or comedy style drama if it were read by the right television people. The story has a fast pacing and is well written with an interesting plot, but it is most definitely the characters themselves that make this book so great, compared to these larger than life characters everything else kind of fades into the background. I personally hope this book is intended to be part of a series because the world Eimer has created within Luck of the Devil is so very entertaining I’d hate to think I’d never have another journey with these characters. I’d love to know more about how things go between Faith and Matt and of course like most romance fans I’d like it to be in terms of a happily ever after. I want to know more about Hope and what happens now for her. Heck I’d even enjoy a prequel to find out the details of Tolliver and Lisa from maybe Lisa’s point of view. The characters created here are so richly developed and entertaining that I personally hope Eimer milks them for all the stories she can get out of them.

Like mentioned above the characters Eimer creates here are extremely well developed, despite being so far from the norm the really pop from the page. Obviously with a first person novel the most well developed character is the one who’s telling the story – Faith. Faith has cool demon powers but literally the family from hell and because of that a world of insecurities. Even physically she’s high in the insecurity level. It sounded as though her hair was pretty similar to her sister Hope’s and her mother Roisin, however on Hope, Faith sees it as gorgeous, and Roisin it’s adorable ringlets, but her hair she considers a frizzy mess. She basically says she has her father’s eyes, but on him they’re a brilliant emerald green, but hers are just flat and sort of mossy looking. I got the impression that Faith just didn’t see herself in the same way others might see her. Faith blames herself for what happened to her ex-fiancé who currently resides in a mental institution because he couldn’t take what she was. The experience has left her insecure with men to the point that after finally sleeping with Matt who she’s been interested in for over six months, she sneaks out in the morning because she doesn’t want to face his rejection. The thing is Matt knew who she was before ever taking her out and during their foreplay ask to see all of her, wings, tail and horns. He tells her how beautiful she is and it’s really clear to the reader the guy is nuts for her, but she’s afraid to face him because she doesn’t want him to reject her. She’s outright frightened of people meeting her family and she views herself as the weak link as far as her family goes. Being demons, for the most part her family encourages the idea, however when things go wrong the person they turn to is Faith. They expect her to keep their secrets and for her to take responsibility for their actions when needed. The fact that she’s the one they turn to when someone has to be the fall guy and take punishment kind of demonstrates they see her as a strong person regardless of what they say. The way she gets hit on kind of proves she’s beautiful regardless of how she sees herself. I mean she doesn’t see herself as useless and she does see some of her strength and attempts to be a productive member of society despite her beginnings, but she’s easy to relate to because despite the fact that she’s demon royalty she doesn’t think she’s better or perfect. Additionally this character shows a great amount of growth throughout the story as she finally starts to see her own strength before its conclusion. Where Eimer really demonstrates her character creation talents though is with the secondary characters. Many novels written in the first person are a little lacking in the development of secondary characters, but this one pretty much all the characters popped right off the page. We’ve got Lucifer Louis Morningstar AKA the Devil who’s one of those overbearing over protective fathers, with the whole tons of power twist added on. He sees things more as he wants them to be rather than how they are and it takes his oldest daughter flipping out during their first family meeting for him to see how very wrong things are for his family and to start changing. He reminds me a lot of those big teddy bear guys who are so big and ferocious looking but turnout to be the biggest sweethearts you know. The character does a lot of acting before thinking thing through and he’s to say the least charming and hilarious. Her older sister Hope who hides her insecurities behind a bitchy exterior but despite portraying herself as highly self-centered has a serious protective streak where Faith is concerned. Tolliver, her half brother who takes snarky to a new level when all he clearly wants to be is loved and I personally believe based on his behavior that he comes to Faith’s not just to see Lisa but to see Faith because of all their family Faith has the biggest heart. I get the impression that he picks on her as his way of showing affection and while he may enjoy tormenting Faith he’d probably never allow anyone else to do so. This of course is an average brother sister dynamic. My daughter and middle son are outright mean to each other more often than I’d like but if anyone else even looks twice at the other one they jump to that sibling’s defense. Of all my kids those two fight the most, but when they’re on visitation my middle son who supposedly hates his sister – his words not mine, is the first to ask how she’s doing and wanting to call her to see that she’s okay. Lisa is the flighty best friend who means well but tends to put her foot in her mouth more often than not. Matt is insecure but possessive, shy but quick to defend. Each character in this novel is well developed, quirky and hilarious. They’re the kind of characters that you don’t want to let go of when the book ends and the characters who make you want to read the book over and over again just to spend more time with them.

Obviously overall the book is highly recommended. It’s one that I can see myself picking up again just because it was such a hilarious and enjoyable journey. If you enjoy romantic comedy with a paranormal twist, don’t miss this book.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can also read this review at Reflections on Reading Romance


This book was irreverent and more than a bit blasphemous, and it totally cracked me up! Luck of the Devil is a light-hearted paranormal romance based in Pittsburgh, and thanks to Ms. Eimer’s sense of humor I had to clean Coke Zero off my Kindle screen far too many times after laughing at the Pittsburgh references. For those of you not in the know, my DH and his family are from Pittsburgh, and I’ve had to add phrases such as “Yinz” and “Innat” to this Southern Belle’s “Y’all” and “Fixin’ To”. What made this book all the funnier was that the heroine is the daughter of the Devil. Yes, Satan’s hell spawn lives in Pittsburgh, and if you think after suffering through 5 Midwestern winters I’m not convinced that the Devil himself lives in the Midwest, you’re crazy. Patricia Eimer’s Luck of the Devil is a hoot, and I highly recommend it!

The novel opens with Faith Bettincourt, pediatric nurse, staring down at the corpse of Dr. Harold Wilkins, her boss. Once again Faith’s roommate Lisa, a recently converted succubus, has lost control of her powers and killed someone by mistake. Faith and Lisa have to figure out how to dispose of poor Harold’s body without anyone being the wiser and without Lisa suffering the hellish consequences of her mistake. Fortunately, Faith’s the youngest daughter of the Devil and is able to take care of matters quickly and quietly, but Harold’s died before his time, and his soul’s appearance in Hell has caused problems that attract the attention of Faith’s half-brother, Tolliver.

Up till now Faith has been trying to live a low-key life with little demonic activity, which doesn’t please her father, but instead of enjoying her well-earned week of vacation from the hospital, she’s hosting her entire demonic family. Her older sister Hope and her incubus husband Boris have descended upon Pittsburgh after losing control of an Armageddon fearing Satanic cult, and Faith’s mother Roisin has also arrived to spread her special brand of craziness through her hippy-dippy, Mother-Earth loving ways. To top it all off, the Devil has arrived for a cozy family reunion, unaware that Roisin hasn’t informed Faith that she’d be hosting the affair. All this togetherness would be more than enough to force out a minor’s demoness’s tail and horns, but Faith’s also dealing with a creepy stalker who’s been snapping photos of her disposal of Harold’s body. When Faith is called into a police interview, she has to call in legal reinforcements, namely her nerdy yet studly neighbor Matt. Faith and Matt find themselves searching for her stalker and starting a relationship, all while dealing with Dear Old Dad.

As I mentioned earlier, this book is more than a bit blasphemous, but I adored Ms. Eimer’s clever take on the Devil and his brother God, referred to as the Alpha. In this world Jesus is Faith’s cousin, and he has a great sense of humor, while the demons seem less frightening than you would think. But some of their demonic activity strikes a little too close to home, as I’m sure no one will be shocked to learn that the Devil invented computers and at least one insurance company has outsourced its customer service to a demon. Makes perfect sense to me. And contrary to popular belief, Faith and her demonic siblings interact with their holy uncle and his family on a fairly regular basis.

It’s the relationships between the various demons in this extended family that really sold me on the book, because they were imminently believable. Faith’s blended family, while demonic, suffers from the same relationship problems many families suffer, and the scene where she walks in on her parents during an “intimate” moment is as funny as it is cringe-worthy. The Devil is a likeable fellow, but you can imagine the awkwardness of introducing your date to your father when he’s in charge of Hell and all its realms. Fun times! And Faith’s relationships with her sister Hope will be immediately familiar to any woman with a sister, especially if that sister is prissy and insists on always being perfectly dressed. When her mother sets Faith up as hostess for this impromptu family reunion, lots of craziness ensues, and believe me it’s both painfully familiar and funny all at once.

I also loved the Pittsburgh setting. It seems that the Devil loves to eat at Primanti Brothers and drink Yuengling beer served by waitress calling them all “yinz”. You just don’t get more Pittsburgh than that, and I suspect most Pittsburghers wouldn’t be surprised to learn that in Ms. Eimer’s world the Alpha is a Penguins fan. Actually, I’m betting that the Washington Capitals and Alex Ovechkin wouldn’t be shocked to learn that either.

However, if you’re looking for a kick-butt heroine, you won’t find her in Faith. There’s a lot to like in her character, mainly her relationship with her family and her attraction to and romance with hottie lawyer Matt, but she’s a bit of a wimp. In fact, her sister calls her a wimp, and Faith’s a bit of a disappointment to the Devil, since she’s an outstanding pediatric nurse and rarely engages in demonic activity. All this makes her a character you can relate to, but I would have liked to see her go demonic on someone or witnessed her having to fight her demonic nature. She just doesn’t develop much as a character. However, I do think that there’s room for a sequel, and I’d love to see Faith deal with issues of her hellish background while keeping the snappy dialogue between characters.

I only have two small complaints about the novel. Overall I felt that Ms. Eimer did an outstanding job of gradually introducing new elements of the demonic world to the reader, but I was a bit confused about the Angale, the group with a supposed divine purpose to overthrow the Devil and force God to allow them dominion over Earth. I was a little unclear about the parentage of the Nephilim, the foot soldiers of the Angale, and had to go back and check on a few points in the text to make sure I had understood the situation clearly. Also, early in the book Faith calls Matt for help when she’s interviewed by the police about morphine stolen from the hospital, and after the two leave the hospital, the missing medicine isn’t mentioned again. The implication is that this was an attempt by the stalker to get Faith into trouble with the police, but because the topic never comes up again, it feels a bit like a plot device that allows the stalker to slip Faith some photos while jumpstarting her relationship with Matt.

Despite this, I very much enjoyed Luck of the Devil. It was the perfect lighthearted paranormal romance for the overwhelming heat wave we’re fighting at the moment, and I can’t wait to see Ms. Eimer’s next book. Luck of the Devil releases on August 2.

I received this book for review from the Publisher through NetGalley.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

Very cute story of the daughter of Satan. Very light hearted. You see Satan, God (Alpha) and even Jesus. Just an overall cute look of what it might be like to be the offspring of a deity. It's a quick read. I would recommend this to most people who like to read PNR or UF, but want something lighter than most of the series that are out there.

Also, if you've read this series and want to try something similar to it, try Lucifer's Daughter by Eve Langlais. It is very similar to this book, but with more and hotter sex scenes.

[Atlanta Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and funny, if a bit predictable. Good, lightweight read.

[OpenBookSociety.com · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review brought to you by OBS staff member Karolina

Being the youngest daughter of the Devil isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. The days of teenage rebellion and vows of chastity made just to tick off her father are over, and now all Faith Bettincourt wants is a nice, quiet life. Unfortunately, thanks to the unexpected arrival of her demonically-downsized sister, a ditzy succubus roommate, and dear old Dad himself, Faith’s plans for a relaxing vacation spent watching reruns go up in flames.

Now it’s all Faith can do to keep the family reunion from Hell (literally) under wraps, and the angelically-inclined hottie across the hall from realizing there’s something weird about his neighbor. And, thankfully, it’s working. Until an angelic stalker shows up in a bid to steal her powers and take over the world.

Forget watching reruns. With the way things are going, Faith will need the luck of the Devil just to survive until Monday. Source

Luck of the Devil by Patricia Eimer is a wonderful, feel good paranormal comedy that sucks you in from the beginning (pun completely intended!). Faith Bettincourt – the Devil’s youngest daughter- and her roommate Lisa begin the story by accidentally murdering a doctor who they work with (Lisa – the ditzy succubus in the write up is the culprit). Things definitely go pear-shaped from here on in with the appearance of Faith’s older brother Tolliver, sister Hope (along with her recently ‘fallen up’ incubus husband, Boris) and her own dear father (the Devil Himself) and her ditzy mother to really make things complicated! This family reads as any disfunctionally functional family would – they all love each other to death; but have their own hang ups and crazy antics (and horns and tails thrown in to the mix). Eimer’s devil is surprisingly sane – and not as evil as you’d expect. His offspring and chosen partner are far crazier than he is. It’s kind of disconcerting how much I enjoyed the devil and his characterisation in this – he really could be anyone.

Tolliver and Hope are a lot of fun with their attempts at villainy , and Lisa, though ditzy, is a complete sweetheart. Faith is a great storyteller, and a protagonist I think a woman can relate to -in a crazy “this could never happen to me, but if it did, that’s so something I would do” way. Matt – the angelic hottie from next door, is also a great addition to the cast of wacky characters this book provides. He’s incredibly grounding, and seems to take everything that goes on around Faith in stride- something (and someone) this character seems to desperately need. Eimer also does an amazingly good job at developing the mystery around Faith’s creepy, malicious stalker (yep, that’s right, there’s a bit of a mystery running through the book, too!) with a satisfying ending. There’s even a cameo from a Divine power, or two.

The only downside of this book, from my point of view, was sort of being thrown into who the characters were. It took me a few chapters to ascertain who was who and how they connected to Faith, and why. For someone who is quite character based when she reads a book (which I definitely am) it was a little frustrating. But, once that was sorted out, the story made up for that hiccup. All in all, Luck of the Devil by Patricia Eimer is a great read, with really fun, engaging and (although wacky) amusingly real characters and a great plot. Definitely not a run of the mill story, and completely recommended!

http://openbooksociety.com/article/pa...

[Christi Snow · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is so close to a 5-star rating...easily 4.5! Full review to come, but this is a seriously FUN, entertaining book! LOVED it!

Full review reposted from my Smitten with Reading blog...


My Review:
Opening paragraph of the book:
quote from book:
"You just couldn't help yourself, could you?" Lisa and I stared in revulsion at the freshly dead body of my former boss lying on the carpet in his office, wearing nothing but plaid boxer shorts, a striped tie, and his white lab coat.

"Faith, I'm sorry. I was hungry."
end quote.

And so begins this fabulous romp that will redefine your understanding of Heaven & Hell...hehe, this book is so fun!

You can imagine how difficult that life could become when your dad is the Devil. All that Faith wants to do is live a normal quiet life. After her ex-fiance ended up in a mental institution as a result of seeing one of "Dad's" temper-tantrums, she has little hope for finding love, but that doesn't mean that she doesn't have a serious crush on Matt, the cute lawyer who lives across the hall.

This book is one series of hi-jinx, laughs, and really funny events after another. Faith is the youngest daughter of the Devil. Her older sister Hope (does anyone else find it ironic that the Devil's girls are named Faith & Hope? hehe) is divorcing her husband, a full-blood Demon after he "fell up" and found God. Her older brother Toliver is in love with her roommate Lisa and decided to make her immortal by turning her into a succubus demon (against Demon law.) Her mother is human and a completely nut-case. She is constantly practicing Wiccan/nature ceremonies to honor the Goddess Gaia although she knows both the Alpha (God) and the Omega (Devil....also her husband) and knows that Gaia doesn't exist. Oh, and yes, in Faith's crazy little world, the Alpha is simply her Uncle and Jesus is her cousin...it's all in the family. They all realize that they hold a delicate balance to the world so they work together as a family to maintain it.

This book was so funny and so refreshing. It takes a fun and slightly irreverent look at religion. It's done with humor, sarcasm, wit, and a really creative perspective which kept me giggling the whole time. It's really simply a fun read, but there's also a great romantic story line as well as a bit of suspense and action too.

Matt is the lawyer who lives across the hall. I loved his secret (which I am not going to give away) but it added such a fabulous element to the story. He thinks out-of-the-box which makes him a fabulous match for Faith and her crazy family. Also, he doesn't let Lou (the Devil- short for Lucifer) push him around...

quote from book:
Matt leaned down to kiss me sweetly, nuzzling at me with his nose as he tightened his grip around my waist, deepening the kiss. "Screw it."

"Huh?"

"You heard me," he said.

"I did, but I'd like the record to reflect that you were the one who said to screw the fact my father- aka Satan- is right across the hallway."

"Yeah, well, it won't be the first time he's been disappointed, and it won't be the last."
end quote.

It is all just so fun and giggle-worthy and there is even a suspense/action story line. Someone is stalking Faith with plans to kill her...someone with supernatural connections. When Faith ends up in an ambulance and then the hospital with Jesus...just some priceless scenes.

If you need some fun, light-hearted reading, I highly recommend this book!!!

[Melliane · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5

Mon avis en Français

My English review

With the release of the second book, I thought it was finally time to read this first novel. I won it a long time ago on a blog but I never got into it as I always had something else to read. What a mistake! I was completely swept away by the story and the writing style of Patricia Eimer.

Faith tries hier best to live a normal life, but it's difficult when you have a family as unusual as hers. Yes, because she is the youngest daughter of Satan. But she lives far away from them in an apartment in Pittsburg, and even worked as a nurse in a hospital, something she loves to do. She is supposed to be evil, but irritating her father is always a good opportunity, so she does what she wants without any real consequences. We also discover her roommate Lisa become succubus recently transformed by Tolliver, another son of the devil. This new state is very complicated for her, especially when she needs to feed on men. She has never learned to control her powers and ends without realizing it by killing Harold, the department head of the Faith hospital and turned him into a ghost. The life of our heroine continues like that without really hooks until her family decides to visit her during her only one week of relaxation she was granted. You can imagine that having her father, her mother, her sister Hope and her husband with her brother at home, will completely mess up her day. Each child has something to hide, trying not to be noticed by their father, but he is much more insightful than expected. Hope is in a deep depression following her separation with her husband, a demon who fell in religion. In addition, Tolliver is determined to make succumb Lisa to his charm; Satan wants to reconnect with his children and his wife. Besides talking about his wife, she is very very special! Roisin has very original ideas and is completely crazy. We always wonder how she found some of her deductions, such as her husband Satan, even if he is several millennia old, is not immortal. Yes, because she is convinced of that! Added to these characters, we also meet Matt, the charming neighbor Faith likes. His character is really interesting and I was intrigued by him from the beginning of the book. I must say he has a lot to teach us! I confess that I never expected to cross Jesus, God and other characters. Jesus is really different from what we might imagine, but it was nice to have the chance to find him like that. But that's not all, our beloved Faith finds herself with a strange stalker and he could put the lives of each of the members of her family in danger.

I really get into the story from the first chapter and I loved to follow the plot and relationships of all the protagonists. They are all different but all very funny too. We can not doubt the dynamics of this family without knowing them. I really regret for waiting so long to read this first book and I am very happy to be able now to read the second. There are some very good finds throughout the story, and it was a great pleasure to read this first volume. It is for me a very good novel and I can not wait to read more. If you want something funny with atypical characters and a cute little story, do not hesitate to start it, you will not be disappointed!

[EJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review originally appeared over at my blog, which can be found here.
THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS, STRONG OPINIONS, AND FRANK DISCUSSION OF SEXUAL SCENES. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

To be honest, my expectations for Luck of the Devil were not very high. I’m not really a fan of cozy romances, and that’s what it seemed like it was going to be. In the end, it still was—complete with a slightly tepid Happily Ever After ending—but I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would.

Our heroine, Faith Bettincourt, is the one of the multiple daughters of Satan—yes, that guy with the flaming pitchforks—and with that, there comes a certain amount of chaos, which she never misses a chance to duck. Unfortunately, it’s hard to act oblivious when your demon half-brother is courting your succubus roommate, your hippy-dippy Mom and Lucifer Morningstar are busy trying to salvage the pieces of their tumultuous romance, and the guy downstairs is not only hot in a nerdy kind of way, but also a Nephilim caught up in the strange politics of angels and humans. What’s a demoness to do?

This book had some laugh out loud moments, and I loved everything that had to do with Faith Bettincourt and the wacky family that she is surrounded by. The romance was pretty stereotypical but sweet, and the pacing was neatly handled. Overall, it was a diverting PNR read with less of the noir tendency that the genre has borrowed from urban fantasy and more sunshine, and is certainly worth a look for those who like their romances sweet and funny.

Pros

~I hated Tolliver, but at the same time, I found his ridiculous entitlement quite amusing. So I guess in the end I really didn’t hate everything about him. Hmph.
~Malachi. Gotta love shape-shifting demons and their wryly humorous insights.
~Matt/Faith. I liked them as individual characters, and I absolutely loved them as a couple, which leads me too…
~Wing!lovin’. I honestly have never seen this trope outside of fanfiction, so I don’t really have any other scenes to pit it against for reference, but it was a nice, sensual scene to begin with and I felt like the wing/power aspects were very neatly handled, giving us a definite reminder that they aren’t humans.
~The casual, irreverent tone. What’s not to love about two hugely powerful multidimensional beings determined to crush one another at Wii Mario Kart?
~Faith’s family is quite possibly the most amusing group EVER.

Cons

~Whereas many writers use too many dialogue tags, Eimer uses too few to identify who is speaking in some of the more rapid-fire conversations.
~There were a few moments where instead of ACTING, a character would SAY what they were going to do, and I felt like this slowed things down a bit.
~Some of the kitschy “chick-lit” elements were overly stereotypical.
~I personally find Tolliver/Lisa kind of creepy as a pairing, and I don’t feel that them getting together was necessary. We have Matt and Faith for that, and I feel like they have a far healthier couple’s dynamic.

Star Rating on Goodreads: 3.5 stars, rounded up for the fun factor.

Final Grade: B. Might reread, will read other books in series.

[Lexie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my. I heard about Entangled Publishing on twitter first and checked out their line up of upcoming novels. As a new publisher they have a nice assorted of books with more in the future looking rocking (check out Inara Scott's Radiant Desire!). If LUCK OF THE DEVIL, the first in the "Speak of the Devil" series is any indication then I think I found a new publisher love of life.

At first the book begins kind of shaky--it tosses information, snark and pithy commentary at us at fast speeds that only go faster with the introduction of Faith's siblings (Tolliver - Archdemon of Gluttony, Hope - Archdemoness of Lust and Boris Hope's Incubus husband) and friends (Lisa - misfit Succubus roommate, Matt - hot new neighbor) dysfunction. There's only one way to really describe her siblings and parents--High Functioning Dysfuncionals. They kind of toss things at the wind and hope it all comes out okay. Faith is more practical, but she's also the baby of the family and (as far as I can tell) the only one who wants a normal life. They are a rock solid family unit however--fiercely loyal to each other and willing to go to great lengths to protect their family.

I described this to a friend as if Satan decided to do a sitcom--God (or Alpha) is the older brother, Jesus is the do-gooder cousin, Roisin is the dippy mother and they all just kind of...work. Eimer is basically doing to the Christian mythos what countless other writers have done to Greek, Roman, etc mythologies. And I kind of love it like all get.

There are some problems with pacing--when the plot is on, its ON and doesn't stop until a slow moment (Faith failing at flirting with her neighbor Matt, bickering with her siblings or oddly sweet moments with her father Satan) literally pushes it out of the way. This kind of stop and go action made it hard for me to read at length, but made for very good reading short term commuter wise.

The characters are also lively and set themselves apart easily. Eimer catches a different tone for each, making them fun to read and watch Faith's more than down to Earth attitude interact with. Whereas in some books I've read recently I couldn't stand the internal commentary about everything, I loved Faith's. It would kind of be like 'No really. Seriously? Stop already.' which is more or less how I often respond to idiots and family.

As I read an electronic-ARC of this novel I can't speak for the length or quality of the paperback edition, but I do like the cover (even though its slightly spoiler-ish) and the electronic edition is smooth as can be. Some plots are left dangling (I'd love to know more about the ex-hockey player bakery dude from the beginning) as the narrative focused on the threat plaguing Faith and Co. and truly if you don't like your religious views messed with I wouldn't read this book. This isn't a criticism, but a warning that if you take offense to Christianity being questioned or outright disregarded do no not read this book.

In the end this book was enjoyable, had some very funny moments and made me eager to know what's next for Faith and Co. And that's all you really ask for from a novel right?

[Rhianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

And you thought your family had issues...

Faith Bettincourt is a pediatric nurse juggling problems at work and trying to keep her roommate out of trouble, not easy for anyone but a lot more complicated when you're the daughter of the devil. When her family decide it's time for an impromptu visit dragging along a mass of baggage both literally and figuratively, Faith's patience gets put to the test. Could they have picked any other time than the week she took vacation?

Meanwhile, Matt, the sexy lawyer across the hall she's crushing on has a heavenly secret of his own. Hiding in plain sight Matt's own angelic kin make Faith's devilshly disastrous family seem just a little less crazy. But someone is following Faith, waiting for the chance to steal her demonic powers and take over the world, something she'd really prefer didn't happen now that she's got her crush meeting the parents.

As much as my leanings in fiction go toward the dark side of things I need comedic stories now and again to break it up. LUCK OF THE DEVIL is exactly the kind of hilarity that can turn a frown upside down. While it's not quite littered with witty one-liners and the Whedon-esque style I usually favor it's Faith's family that makes the book for me. The very idea of The Devil, his adult children and their mother stuck together for a weekend is one bound to be amusing.

What knocked a star off for me was that I think this comes across as a romance but there's not quite, in my opinion, a solid happily-ever-after at the end. While it worked for me the story just didn't quite feel finished when I mulled it over from a romance purists' viewpoint. Okay and maybe I didn't feel like enough was revealed about Matt for me to be completely sold on him as the love interest before he was suddenly with Faith. Do I love the slight geekishness about him? Hell yes! (No pun intended).

Now, it came to my attention a few months ago that there are readers out there who do NOT like angels and demons used in romances, I guess you might say they feel it's blasphemous, I really don't know since the concept doesn't offend me. If you're one of those readers this book will definitely push your buttons, I don't recommend it. But if you enjoy a really tongue-in-cheek fun-poking at the idea of angels, devils and nephilim this is a terrific example of the concept done right.

Overall I think Eimer's debut is great. A little flawed but just the kind of funny, light read I'd enjoy at the beach if I didn't live hundreds of miles from the ocean. If you love a good romantic comedy without any "Big Misunderstanding" tropes LUCK OF THE DEVIL is just that! I'd most recommend it to fans of Angie Fox, Darynda Jones, and Molly Harper.

***Review Copy via NetGalley.

[Nicole Etolen · Rating 5 out of 5]

No matter how dysfunctional you may think your family is, I guarantee Faith Bettincourt, main character of Luck of the Devil, by Patricia Elmer, can top it. Her half brother is the Demon of Gluttony, her sister makes the girls in Jersey Shore look like regular Pollyannas, her mom is a nature-worshiping, spirit-communing, off her rocker nosy busybody, her brother-in-law is an incubus, her best friend Lisa recently became a soul-eating succubus, and her dear old Daddy is the Devil himself. Then there’s Faith, a demoness who just wants to live a normal life as a pediatric nurse. All is going fine and dandy until the entire dysfunctional family descends (or ascends, since some are coming from Hell) on her apartment at once. Dysfunctional doesn’t even begin to cut it! To make matters worse, Faith is being framed for stealing drugs from her hospital, Lisa accidentally kills a smarmy doctor, and Faith has a major case of the hots for the do-gooder next door neighbor. On top of all that, she has a crazed stalker trying to steal her powers. All during the week that she is supposed to be on vacation.

Words can not even describe how much I loved Luck of the Devil, but since this is a blog and words are my living, I’ll try. This book had everything in it- romance, blasphemous comedy, God, the Devil, age old rivalries and mystery. I laughed out loud in some spots, and I’m not really a laugh out loud while reading type. The Devil of Elmer’s world is oddly cuddly, a little overprotective, and on very good terms with his brother God, or the Alpha as he’s often referred to. Oh, and Jesus, Faith’s cousin, is a school teacher in the Midwest. And while Faith explains that every myth has a bit of truth to it, it’s usually been blown completely out of proportion. For example, the Archangel Michael DID in fact beat the Devil…at chess, many times, because he’s competitive.

The mystery aspect is underplayed in the book, leaving the sheer comedic brilliance take center stage, but it is still an integral part of the plot. The romance between several of the characters adds another facet to the comedy, but it’s also oddly sweet at times, even when it’s between the Demon of Gluttony and the poor girl he accidentally turned into a succubus while she was drunk one night. Reading Luck of the Devil was one of the most fun experiences I’ve had in a long time. Highly recommended, as long as you don’t mind the fact that it casts the Devil in a good light (I don’t believe in the guy myself, so I was okay with all that). Also, not for those who take offense to curse words or demonic sex scenes (which is a lot like the regular kind, but with horns, a tail and hellfire). But if you’re looking for something light and really fun to read, definitely check this one out!

[Fangs for the Fantasy · Rating 4 out of 5]

We all love of our families but if we're honest, family get togethers do have a tendency to become stressful. This is especially true, if your name is Faith Bettincourt and your father is the Devil. When her entire family descends upon her apartment, Faith knows that her plan to spend her week of vacation watching reality TV, is officially out the door. If that were not enough, her succubus roommate has accidentally killed her boss and his ghost keeps popping up because his paperwork keeps getting messed up. Life was simpler when she was simply flirting with the hot guy next door. Just having the Devil, your wiccan mother and police attention would be bad enough, but things get even worse for Faith, when an angel begins to stalk her, intent on stealing her powers and ending her immortal life.

Luck of the Devil is absolutely laugh out loud funny. It takes the average (if there such a thing) dysfunctional family dynamics and throws in demons and angels. It's completely irreverent and despite it's supernatural cast, completely relateable. No child, not matter how old they are, ever wants to walk in on their mother giving their father a blowjob. The therapy bills alone would be horrific, never mind, the push to scrub the image from your mind. But isn't that what family is all about?

But what do you do if your human mother keeps going on about Gaia, and refuses to believe that her Devil husband is immortal? Then there's the little issue of your demon brother in-law "falling up." Your half brother Tolliver, who is the son of Lilith and Satan, who is not happy with your mother and just happens to be in love with your succubus roommate, who he turned because he is in love with her. Speaking of the Succubus roommate, what if she cannot control her powers and keeps accidentally killing people? And Then there's your uncle The Alpha with a mean streak for vengeance.

Clearly, there is a lot going on with Luck of the Devil. When it first started it was like being thrown into mosh pit. I had no idea which way was up, or what direction I should be heading in. Slowly, the story started to come together and I began to make sense of the plot. The main issue in Luck of the Devil, is stopping Faith's stalker, but it took quite sometime for me to realise that this was the issue which needed to be resolved, because it was surrounded by so many incidental anecdotes. Had these anecdotes not been so entertaining, like introducing your nephilim boyfriend to your father, who is the Devil, or having to threaten God and the Devil because they wouldn't stop playing Mario Cart, the story would have felt incredibly derailed.

Read More

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Luck of the Devil by Patricia Eimer can be summed up in two words: awesome fun! My biggest disappointment with this book: I always look to goodreads to tell me if books are to be part of a series, and it looks like it is a standalone. I want more! **stomps feet** That's a bummer because it was a great cast of characters and a great little world. They were funny, it was action packed and it was a great little escape. I would love to see more of these characters.

We have Faith, the youngest daughter of the Devil. She lives in an apartment in Pittsburgh and she's a nurse. She a demon and supposed to cause mayhem, but she's really good at heart. She has a thing for her neighbor, a geeky lawyer named Matt (and there is more to Matt then first meets the eye). And her roommate Lisa has been turned into a succubus by her half brother, Tolliver. When her sister Hope comes to town, family in tow, things get a little crazy. If they aren't trying to deal with Lisa's latest accidental kill, they are trying to deal with the family drama of Hopes' husband "falling up", her looney mother's looney-ness, the resident "spirit" thing that's Malachai. All while Faith tries to avoid a stalker and date her neighbor and enjoy her week of vacation.

How could this not be fun: J (that is short of Jesus) moonlights as a paramedic and helps his cousins the demons; God and the Devil play Mario Kart over Dunkin' Donuts; Malachai is a little demon protector thing that can change his appearance at will from being a debonair James Bond look-a-like to a Japanese geisha; Mom thinks that Satan isn't really immortal, just really, really old and while she's met God she believes in her own flow of things; and last but not least, Hopes husband, a half demon finds God and goes all good on everybody.

I love Faith's inner voice. While not Jane True good, she's funny and smart and feels like the average normal woman. The action is well done and the pace of the plot is perfect. We get some romance, some action, lots of comedy and all the things that make me love to read. We got to know the characters, and feel attached to them but it wasn't all set-up and no plot. This really is the perfect first book in a series - so, hint, hint to the author.

The evilness isn't dark and ugly evil. Satan is a likable character because he's such a typical father. We don't get any darkness here; it's all good hearted light fun and humor. I laughed out loud a number of times, causing those around me to look at me and wonder "what is she reading?"! I highly recommend this book to those who are fans of the Queen Betsy or Vegas Vamps books.

[Lori {Romancing the Dark Side} · Rating 4 out of 5]

Orignal Romancing the Darkside Review:
http://romancingthedarkside.blogspot....


A family reunion between Heaven and Hell that will entertain to the very last page!

Life can sometimes be a living Hell and as the youngest daughter of the Devil, Faith knows Hell firsthand being a demoness and all. Trying to live a normal life, Faith works as a pediatric nurse in a hospital and lives with her newly turned succubus friend, Lisa. Life is as normal as it's going to get for her, until a visit from her half sister Hope opens the door for a full blown family reunion that threatens to destroy the quiet life she's worked so hard to attain and send it straight to...you know where. Just when Faith thinks things can't get any worse, she's accused of stealing prescription drugs at her job and can't seem to shake the crush she has on her "angelic" hot neighbor Matt. This weekend is turning out to be one Hell of a way to start a vacation for Faith!

This is a great new fun and sexy paranormal read! You will love Faith, her succubus roommate Lisa, demon brother Tolliver and half-sister Hope, who all bring very colorful personalities to the table. The family dynamics and dysfunction add all the humor necessary in this story and will have you bursting at the seams with laughter. Angels and Demons play nicely this time around; Satan and the Alpha (God) are brothers after all and tend to fight over Wii Mario Cart and not the fate of the world. Faith's meddling mother (who I couldn't stand) is present for most of the book and even cousin Jesus (who likes to be called J) makes an appearance from his busy schedule as a school teacher in the Midwest to add to the family fun!

Take everything you think you know about Heaven and Hell and toss it out the window when you read Luck of the Devil! Patricia Eimer has created a delightful comedic world of angels and demons with a little bit of suspense, mystery and romance that complement each other flawlessly. Faith's character is snarky and completely lovable. She's a great heroine and is easy to relate to, despite her supernatural powers. This book has no dark elements but plenty of lightheartedness. If you're looking for a feel-good read with a touch of the paranormal, look no further, this is the book to pick up!


Quoteworthy:
"My life was becoming its own reality television show. Real World: The Paranormal Season. All we needed was a fairy, two werewolves, and a vampire with sexual-identity issues. It’d be a guaranteed a hit. " - Faith

{ebook provided by NetGalley for review}

[Jane Niemeyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a hoot! We are introduced to Faith and Hope Bettincourt, the half human, half demonic daughters of Lucifer himself. We meet their Mother Roisin, her brother Tolliver, his girl friend Lisa, a newly made succubus and a whole host of minor deity’s. Along with hell’s denizens we also get to meet Matt, a half human and half angel , the Lord Almighty and his son Jesus.
The story takes place in Pittsburg Pennsylvania, who knew that will become a portal to hell. I know that there are probably some people who consider Pittsburg hell, but in this book, it really will turn into a way to the dark side. Faith is the youngest of Lucifer’s half daughters and turns out to be his favorite! In the story she is just trying to lead a normal human life away from the family. Normal for Faith turns out not to normal for the rest of us. Turns out that Matt, her neighbor, is trying to do the same, hide from his family. When the story opens, all Faith Wants to do is enjoy a vacation from her nursing job and watch reality TV. Instead she needs to deal with murder of her boss by her roommate Lisa, a visit from her sister and her brother in law, and a visit from her parents. As she says, she’ll need a vacation from her vacation !
This is a laugh out loud book. The descriptions of how Hope and her husband Boris, managed to lose control of an entire cult will have you thinking and laughing at the same time. Thinking because many the extremist form of any religious practice is controlled by the Devil, or his minions, and laughing because Ms Eimer knows how to tell a story. The scenes with Faith, and everyone else in the book, especially in the hospital’s ER will make you realize that the line between good and evil is very fine and can be easily crossed.
At it’s heart this is a love story. Faith, for all of her evilness, loves her family and would like to find a love of her own that would not be frightened by what she is. The same is true for Matt. Her sister Lisa looses the cult because she has fallen in love with her husband and will do most anything for him. Now doesn’t this sound like some people you may know? The book gets a little complicated at times, but then so does life.
With a little help from her father, the Devil, and Matt’s father, the Lord almighty, these two fall in love and in the end, the Lord makes things right !
A good read and an author that I will look for more stories from.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was offered to review this book, I grabbed it. Seriously, the Devil's daughters are named Faith and Hope, Faith's roommate is a clumsy succubus, Jesus is a first cousin and "Lou" Lucifer and God are chummy bros. I knew - KNEW - this novel would be full of snark and wit, and I wasn't disappointed. The dialogue was quick, the characters were sarcastic and overall, the whole thing is laugh out loud funny. That's right, folks: L - O - L.
The family dynamics really make this entire story. Faith is the youngest daughter of the Devil: half-human and half-demon, complete with retracting horns, wings and tail. She lusts after her hot next-door neighbor, avoids her family like the plague - because they're crazy - and works as a pediatric nurse, trying to "do good." Satan is your typical, over-bearing father, intent on making up for his absenteeism when the girls were growing up, yet somehow makes his opinion of his youngest daughters' "do good" intentions humorously clear.
What I really enjoyed was the dysfunctional family-dynamic. Patricia Eimer creates a completely believable fantasy fiction, and writes it well. Despite the interesting set of circumstances that surrounds this story, it could be anyone's real family, complete with lusty parents and sibling rivalry. Her take on Hell in the Midwest is pretty great! I lived in MI for a few years and if that isn't a cold, frozen tundra of hell, then I don't know what is. I'm not sure I liked her reference that the Pittsburgh Penguins are God's team (my being a Washington Capitals fan and all!), but I guess we can't win them all. ;)
There is only one thing that makes this a 4-star book instead of a 5: the lack of real emotional depth in the characters. They were fun - and certainly funny - but that's the scope of their range. Hope's despair over her marriage felt false to me and other characters were lacking similarly. I enjoy full characters that evoke a rainbow of emotions in me and these didn't.
However, that's not to say this wasn't a fantastic read, because it was! I loved everything else about Luck of the Devil and I can't wait to read more from this author. This is a feel-good book; read it if you have a good sense of humor, don't mind the giddy play on religion and are not offended by playful blasphemy.

[Cyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

GENRE: Paranormal Romance
THEME: Angels/Demons
RECEIVED: Review Request by Entangled Publishing
BLOG: http://seeingnight.blogspot.com/

REVIEW:
Luck of the Devil was definitely once of those books that makes a topic such as heaven and hell into something with spunk, humor, family drama and just a fantastically entertaining read. Patricia Elmer is an author who knows how to write a story that will keep a smile on your face from beginning to end.

Luck of the Devil follows the youngest daughter of the Devil himself, Faith Bettincourt. She’s what everyone calls the nice daughter, working as a pediatric nurse and likes to live a calmer less family dramatic life on earth. But when her family comes to visit, not only do they bring drama, a stalker shows up, her dream guy next door comes to her rescue, and her roommate has been turn into a succubus. It’s not easy being a demon, the daughter of Satan, having two demon siblings and a mother who drives her nuts.

I found this novel to be such a refreshing story, there wasn’t a bit of dark creepy vibe to the story. It’s more about how very dysfunctional family of demons learn how to understand, live, and handle crazy situations together. Faith is a great lead to follow, she is the “normal” one of the family and has a sister who I felt was annoying at first but she grew on me and a bother who is a pain but he as well grew up a little. Her parents were a hilarious pair to watch together and they have tiffs here and there that just cracked me up.

I really enjoyed the addition of characters from heaven and how they fit into the family and gave more funny moments to the story. Just imagine the Devil and God playing Mario Cart together and you’ll understand what I mean. I also loved the relationship between Faith and her neighbor Matt, he’s a bit of a mystery and someone who I felt fit her personality perfectly.

Overall I felt the first couple of pages were a bit slow, but once everyone was fully introduced and I was able to get the craziness of the family I couldn’t get enough and I really hope there is more to come of Faith and her family.

RECOMMENDATION:
This is an adult book with minor adult situations and a humor side of good and evil. Fans of Katie McAlister and Gena Showalter will enjoy Luck of the Devil.

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Luck of the Devil (Speak of the Devil) – Patricia Eimer

What a romp! This was one hell of an engrossing read, which is odd for a book like this. Sure, it was funny and irreverent but it had a great mystery, several surprising romances, some hot bits and a wonderful cast of quirky characters! I seriously could not put it down and stayed up until 1 am to finish it!
It is a fairly fast and somewhat fluffy read, but the author has put enough work into her plot to make it one of the better books of this type. Be aware that you may feel as I initially did. That the author forgot to close some important plots lines, but she didn’t. They continue into the next book in the series (Devil May Care).

As you can see by the synopsis, it is going to be a heck of a week for the Devil’s youngest daughter Faith. Her best friend has been turned into a succubus and has just accidentally killed Faith’s boss. Faith has been lusting over the guy across the hall and has also been depressed over her ex-fiancé who had gone crazy after finding out accidentally what she is. Her entire family has just converged on her and now Faith has seemed to pick up a stalker who looks to be threatening to expose her for what she is or kill her…one or the other.

We have a great family dynamic here what with the Devil as Faith’s father, her human mother, her half brother the Demon of Gluttony, her cousin J. and her uncle the Alpha. These and the other assorted secondary and tertiary characters are just great. The author certainly has a talent for drawing her word creation so intricately that you can just ‘see’ everything so clearly. The story line is so well written that you can easily believe everything that is happening no matter how wacky things get. It is surprisingly easy to set aside your disbelief for this book.

I loved this book to bits and I hope the author can keep this series as fresh as this initial novel as she continues with it.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking for a paranormal that makes you laugh? You have found it! I really enjoyed Faith and her family. I don't always connect to the characters so easily in a comedy/parody like this, but I didn't have this problem here. The whole family dynamic you are introduced to was more like a dysfunctional family ratcheted it up to new heights because of the paranormal aspects. Makes it perfect comedic fodder.

So is it just the dad the Devil and his minions.. uh family... we deal with? Oh no, you also have cousin Jesus and Faith's uncle Alpha (God). They play a critical role in the end with humorous results as well. I also enjoyed the secondary characters of Faith's siblings, a rogue Angele, her demon bodyguard and a ghost. Oh and for those that might worry, I didn't see anything blasphemous, but more of a "What if God was one of us..." type of vibe to the whole thing.

I give this book 4 stars. I really enjoyed the humor and the over the top family of this book. I can't wait to see what other shenanigans Faith gets into in the next installment. :)

Some quotes to get you going:

Women flocked to Churresco's Coffee and Sweets for the first time to ogle the former Penguins player who worked the counter, but anyone with a lick of sense~ or good sense about what they licked~ kept coming back for his mom's pastries. They were so good, people sold their souls for them. No, really~ a local incubus had used them to lure women into his unholy embrace. Talk about a marketing ploy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My life was becoming its own reality television show. Real World: The Paranormal Season. All we needed was a fairy, two werewolves, and a vampire with sexual-identity issues. It’d be a guaranteed a hit.

I had more, but it really only made more sense and had a lot more humor once you knew what was going on. ;) Yes, I'm *evil laughing* at you all for being curious now. ;)

[Kathy Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun, irreverent paranormal romance. The family dynamics really put the "fun" in dysfunctional. Faith is the devil's youngest half human daughter. She tries to distance herself from the whole evil thing as she works as a pediatric nurse. But trouble just seems to keep finding her. She accuses her boss of sexual harassment and then her roommate who is a new demon eats him. They have to dispose of the body but wind up being haunted by Harold's ghost. Drugs have gone missing from her ward and, even though she is the one who reported the loss, the police want to lay the blame on her. And then there is her stalker....

To add to Faith's problems her older sister has come to live with her because her demon husband finds Jesus and destroys their cushy, soul and money stealing gig with a cult in Idaho. Her brother Tolliver who is the one who turned her roommate into a demon is also hanging around. And then her father the devil and her mother the human whackadoodle come to add their chaos to the mix.

But there is still some room for romance. She falls for the nice guy who moves in next door. It is only after he is the lawyer she calls when the police try to pin the drug theft on her that she finds out he is nephilim. Demons and nephilim aren't supposed to consort. After all, they are supposed to be on opposite teams.

Turns out in this story that there isn't that much difference between God and Lucifer. In fact, they are brothers who are close. This was a very funny story. I laughed out loud and highlighted lots of favorite passages. Faith is trying so hard to be the calm, rational one while all around her characters are doing really irrational things. I recommend this to those who won't be offended by the radical theology and who like a funny paranormal romance.

[Heather Book Savvy Babe · Rating 4 out of 5]

The dysfunctional family meets paranormal in Luck of the Devil, a creative and funny new novel by Patricia Eimer.

As the youngest daughter of Satan, Faith has a tough time dealing with family and fitting into the human world. Faith’s human mother is a nutcase who has a problem facing reality. Faith’s sister, Hope struggles with a demonic demotion, and her brother Tolliver turned her roommate into a succubus. Just as Faith finally begins to make progress with her handsome neighbor, the entire family decides to come for a visit, and a stalker threatens her safety.

Luck of the Devil is a fun, entertaining read. Patricia Eimer manages to humanize demons, while keeping the essential supernatural stereotypes intact. Part of why this novel is so entertaining is the family dynamics. The devil is the absent father who tries to make up missed time with gifts, Tolliver is the older brother resentful of his step mother, Hope is the sister trying to gain acceptance, and Faith just wants to be “normal.” Even though this family is demonic, it is easy to relate to the characters, who face very human problems such as job demotion, relationship struggles, and facing parents after messing up.

The spin on the supernatural is unique. The relationship between angels and demons, good and evil is unexpected. In this book, the devil and god are brothers who control their own elements of the universe. The romance in Luck of the Devil was sweet, and hot at times, but not over done. There were parts to this book that felt a bit lacking in direction, but overall, the book was very fun and enjoyable to read. I am looking forward to reading more from Patricia Eimer in the future.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by http://urbanfantasyinvestigations.blo...

LUCK OF THE DEVIL was a great blend of Paranormal elements, romance and comedy. Faith and her family are the definition of dysfunctional and they all happen to come visit Faith at the very same time someone is trying to frame her for stealing drugs from the hospital she works for and while she also has someone stalking her.

One of the many paragraphs that made me bust out laughing and had to be one of my favorite parts in the book happens to be from Faith's sister Hope talking to their mom

"Mom, with all the respect I can muster, you're a fucking moron. I mean it. You're so stupid that I often wonder how you manage to survive on your own. It should be a criminal offense to be as dippy as you are. The police should raid your coven and throw all of you into an institution where they will let you macrame all day so the rest of us aren't contaminated by your utter insanity"


I know it sounds harsh but the situation that surrounds that one paragraph had me gasping for breath. Faith's mother is about as coo coo as they come. The relationship and romance between Faith and Matt her neighbor moves at a smooth pace throughout the story and I cant wait to see how things between them works out. I felt the final showdown was lacking. There is so much great lead-up to the moment that it just didn't give me that on the edge of my seat feeling that I would have liked, but the story as a whole was highly entertaining and fun to read. I will definitely look out for book 2.

I gave it 4/5 stars

[Aislynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

What does a goody two-shoes nurse, a failed con artist, a newly made succubus and a pain in the rump brother have in common? This was a fantastic hilarious read!! It had me giggling and out right laughing through the entire story. The witty snarky interaction between the characters was amazing!!

Faith is the youngest daughter of the Prince of Darkness - yes the devil! The sudden appearance of her sister - Hope (a failed occult leader - con artist), her brother in law - Boris (who has fallen up) and brother - Tolliver (general pain in the a$$) throw her life into a bit of chaos. What a dysfunctional hysterical family reunion...

Everything for Faith seems to be going wrong - problems at work, family (of course), and her next door neighbour - the hottie lawyer Matt. Little does she know Matt is keeping a whopper of a secret from her that could put both their lives and her whole family in danger! The interaction between Faith and Matt is just priceless - they are probably now one of my favorite couples! These two keep each other on their toes through out the whole story!

Oh how this story had me hooked - Patricia wrote a wonderfully funny paranormal romance and is bound to have anyone in stitches and wanting more! A definite keeper! Can't wait to see what Patricia comes up with next!! She's been added to my auto-buy list!

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book! It was a Hell of a lot of fun. And I mean that with the huge grin and behind the scenes giggles that it implies.

While the deeply religious would not agree with me, I thoroughly enjoyed the intelligent wit threaded through the whole story, and delightful humor surrounding the idea of, "well if you think YOUR family is bad..." I think most of us can sympathize with.

If I were to try to summarize the deeper theme behind the fun fiction story it would be: Evil done in the name of good and good done in the name of evil makes the whole world a grey area. Seriously, what would the world look like if you were the "nice" youngest daughter of Satan and a very will (though rather dippy) human woman? How would having your cousin J (Jesus to us masses) walzing around and teaching school a few states over? And don't even get me started on the whole venegful God, bit -- just step lightly and keep the family secret from the masses. It saves on the headaches, you know.

If you're looking for a fun and thought provoking, deliciously romantic jaunt into another view of our universe, look no further than Patricia Eimer's "Luck of the Devil".

I'm just so glad she shared this story with us! Thanks, Patricia!!