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The Diva's Guide to Selling Your Soul
Don't hate me because I'm beautiful...
Call me V. I used to be a nobody, just a girl from New Jersey who was probably going to hell anyway -- or worse, mediocrity and a size 14. Now I get whatever I desire just by casting a little spell....a flawless body, a luxury penthouse, and a Fifth Avenue shop where rich women clamor for my overpriced handbags. Even better, I have power. I can taunt my ex-husband, break hearts without guilt, and love every minute of it. My secret? I lost the one thing I never needed in the first my soul. I sold it. And you'll never guess who's got it now.
She's a devil in disguise.
You know her as the dishiest gossip columnist in the city's trashiest tabloid. I call her Lucy. And our deal is the more clients I recruit for her Life Enrichment Program, the greater my rewards. But just between us, my fast track to heartless apathy has hit a few speed bumps -- lately, I've had the totally annoying impulse to do things that are...good. First there was rescuing a kid in the park. Then there was the date with the handsome, decent guy who wasn't even a celebrity. What's next, giving to charity or something? All I know is Lucy doesn't like it, not one little bit. And when she finds out, there will be hell to pay...
Call me V. I used to be a nobody, just a girl from New Jersey who was probably going to hell anyway -- or worse, mediocrity and a size 14. Now I get whatever I desire just by casting a little spell....a flawless body, a luxury penthouse, and a Fifth Avenue shop where rich women clamor for my overpriced handbags. Even better, I have power. I can taunt my ex-husband, break hearts without guilt, and love every minute of it. My secret? I lost the one thing I never needed in the first my soul. I sold it. And you'll never guess who's got it now.
She's a devil in disguise.
You know her as the dishiest gossip columnist in the city's trashiest tabloid. I call her Lucy. And our deal is the more clients I recruit for her Life Enrichment Program, the greater my rewards. But just between us, my fast track to heartless apathy has hit a few speed bumps -- lately, I've had the totally annoying impulse to do things that are...good. First there was rescuing a kid in the park. Then there was the date with the handsome, decent guy who wasn't even a celebrity. What's next, giving to charity or something? All I know is Lucy doesn't like it, not one little bit. And when she finds out, there will be hell to pay...
333 pages, Paperback
First published April 5, 2005
5 people are currently reading
107 people want to read
About the author
Kathleen O'Reilly
109 books65 followersKathleen O'Reilly wrote her first romance at the age of eleven, which to her undying embarrassment was read aloud to her class. After taking over twenty years to recover from the profound distress, she is now proud to announce her new career - a romance author. Kathleen lives in New York with her husband and their two children who outwit her daily.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
July 30, 2007
The premise...girl sells her soul to the devil...could have been funny. The actual book...crap.
Not funny, not interesting, not much of anything.
Not funny, not interesting, not much of anything.
April 27, 2008
Eh, not so much. It had great potential, but I just couldn't make myself enjoy it. I literally made myself finish it, then kicked myself for wasting such time. Bleh.
January 17, 2020
It was chill. An easy read to pass the time. I also like the ending so that's a plus ~
August 24, 2016
Like seriously, I couldn't understand this entirely. Really,You walked into selling your soul but then you talk as if you were forced to the whole thing,purposely disobeying the rules,not even bringing in more souls as supposed.....and then you whine a lot wanting to be in Level 4, wanting your tight thighs, and to read people's mind....well i guess I won't know if that is really gonna happen cause am not going to actually be there(finishing the book)to know whether the hell u did after all?!ugh?!
February 20, 2008
It's magical realism meets chic lit. Started off okay, got a little confusing, ended suddenly in a neat, cheesy (and kind of juvenile) little predictable package as if the author had used up her allotted number of pages. Disappointing/boring ending.
March 30, 2008
Bought on a whim at a thrift shop, this book was pointedly funny at times but then grew a bit sactimonious. Still a good recommendation for a light read, and a great barbed description of New York and vapid conniving people--with and without a soul.
July 28, 2009
Even for chick lit, this book just didn't do it for me.
March 2, 2017
This sounded like a cute story, and I'm sure it is, but I'm just not into reading about shallow women so I never finished it.
Read
August 5, 2014trash, I actually threw it out
December 14, 2018
It was an okay book..it could have gone in a better direction than it did. But the ending was fitting to the story and I was happy with the main character even though she was way more fun when she didn't have her soul. And it was a plus that its was a quick read. Enjoy!
February 7, 2019
Ok, lets just say this book is not for me. I gave up two chapters in. The author tried to do all the cutsie word plays and the main character can only be known as V to remain cool. Pass.
May 13, 2020
It missed the mark in terms of cleverness, plot, character development. A decent bad read during the stay at home order, but otherwise, not worth the time.
July 2, 2010
When I first met Kathleen O’Reilly at an industry luncheon, she was delicately picking her way through a portobello mushroom the size of a Frisbee.
I’d always been a fan of her romance novels (eight Harlequins) but was intrigued to learn that she had just written a fabulous breakout novel for Pocket. When she told me the premise, it was so fresh and unusual, I immediately rushed out to buy it.
The title says it all: THE DIVA’S GUIDE TO SELLING YOUR SOUL.
Okay, I know you’re dying to hear the hook.. Here it is: What would you do if you had the chance to have everything you ever wanted? Everything! Except there’s just one catch. You must be willing to pay a steep price. You will have to do the unthinkable, you will have to make the ultimate choice.
You must sell your soul to the devil.
Would you do it? Would you be just a tiny bit tempted? Think it over carefully before you answer. Your every wish. Granted. Just like that. A fabulous career, an amazing life, more money than you’ve ever dreamed of. Oh yes, and you could even have thin thighs. (See, I knew you were tempted!)
Talk about a high concept idea! Only a daring writer would tackle a novel with such an unusual theme. It would take enormous talent, and a healthy dose of self-confidence to pull it off. Luckily, Kathleen was just the woman for the job, and the book was a huge success.
I asked Kathleen about her feelings on “pushing the envelope,” and she said: “When you break the rules, expect your life to get harder. There will be readers, editors, agents who will turn up their noses and say, ‘not for us.’ However, the flip side is that you get just as many readers, editors, and agents who say, ‘Oh my God! YES!’”
Kathleen clearly doesn’t believe in playing it safe. She has been merrily breaking the rules since she started writing a few years ago. She said, “There’s been a sameness in the romance industry in the 90's, and I’m glad to see that’s changing. Readers are tired of the same old, same old. They want new plots, new themes, new characters and new conflicts. It’s a great market to be writing something completely different from the standard. As a romance reader, I’m happy. As a romance author, I’m thrilled.”
Fresh plots, intriguing conflicts and unusual heroes and heroines are Kathleen’s trademark. When everyone else was writing “alpha” heroes, CEO’s, sheiks, fabulously wealthy tycoons, Kathleen created a hero who was an airplane mechanic. Yes, an airplane mechanic. And the heroine was a lawyer!
I asked her what appealed to her about this scenario in JUST KISS ME. “Joe’s older brother was a doctor (plastic surgeon) and Joe was the black sheep in the family. Money/class was the conflict between the hero and heroine. She had no problem with the difference in their station in life, but he did. He started second-guessing his career-decision, but he loved what he did. The book got some really good reviews, and is one of my favorite Temptations.”
In another “breaking the rules” moment, Kathleen once created a hero who was a virgin. How is this possible? As Kathleen explains it, Colin, the hero of TOUCHED BY FIRE, is a child of rape, but was raised by his legal father who needed an heir. Colin was never allowed to forget his unfortunate heritage, and was constantly reminded that he was “just like his rapist father.”
It wouldn’t take Sigmund Freud to realize the consequences of this unlucky upbringing: when Colin grew up, he was terrified of sex. Kathleen explains, “Colin avoided women like the plague. When he was forced to get married, he wanted to marry a milksop so he would never get carried away. The heroine was the woman who made him burn with passion and terrified him at the same time. “ The critics loved it and Touched by Fire was awarded 4 stars by Romantic Times. Once again, pushing the envelope paid off.
I’d always been a fan of her romance novels (eight Harlequins) but was intrigued to learn that she had just written a fabulous breakout novel for Pocket. When she told me the premise, it was so fresh and unusual, I immediately rushed out to buy it.
The title says it all: THE DIVA’S GUIDE TO SELLING YOUR SOUL.
Okay, I know you’re dying to hear the hook.. Here it is: What would you do if you had the chance to have everything you ever wanted? Everything! Except there’s just one catch. You must be willing to pay a steep price. You will have to do the unthinkable, you will have to make the ultimate choice.
You must sell your soul to the devil.
Would you do it? Would you be just a tiny bit tempted? Think it over carefully before you answer. Your every wish. Granted. Just like that. A fabulous career, an amazing life, more money than you’ve ever dreamed of. Oh yes, and you could even have thin thighs. (See, I knew you were tempted!)
Talk about a high concept idea! Only a daring writer would tackle a novel with such an unusual theme. It would take enormous talent, and a healthy dose of self-confidence to pull it off. Luckily, Kathleen was just the woman for the job, and the book was a huge success.
I asked Kathleen about her feelings on “pushing the envelope,” and she said: “When you break the rules, expect your life to get harder. There will be readers, editors, agents who will turn up their noses and say, ‘not for us.’ However, the flip side is that you get just as many readers, editors, and agents who say, ‘Oh my God! YES!’”
Kathleen clearly doesn’t believe in playing it safe. She has been merrily breaking the rules since she started writing a few years ago. She said, “There’s been a sameness in the romance industry in the 90's, and I’m glad to see that’s changing. Readers are tired of the same old, same old. They want new plots, new themes, new characters and new conflicts. It’s a great market to be writing something completely different from the standard. As a romance reader, I’m happy. As a romance author, I’m thrilled.”
Fresh plots, intriguing conflicts and unusual heroes and heroines are Kathleen’s trademark. When everyone else was writing “alpha” heroes, CEO’s, sheiks, fabulously wealthy tycoons, Kathleen created a hero who was an airplane mechanic. Yes, an airplane mechanic. And the heroine was a lawyer!
I asked her what appealed to her about this scenario in JUST KISS ME. “Joe’s older brother was a doctor (plastic surgeon) and Joe was the black sheep in the family. Money/class was the conflict between the hero and heroine. She had no problem with the difference in their station in life, but he did. He started second-guessing his career-decision, but he loved what he did. The book got some really good reviews, and is one of my favorite Temptations.”
In another “breaking the rules” moment, Kathleen once created a hero who was a virgin. How is this possible? As Kathleen explains it, Colin, the hero of TOUCHED BY FIRE, is a child of rape, but was raised by his legal father who needed an heir. Colin was never allowed to forget his unfortunate heritage, and was constantly reminded that he was “just like his rapist father.”
It wouldn’t take Sigmund Freud to realize the consequences of this unlucky upbringing: when Colin grew up, he was terrified of sex. Kathleen explains, “Colin avoided women like the plague. When he was forced to get married, he wanted to marry a milksop so he would never get carried away. The heroine was the woman who made him burn with passion and terrified him at the same time. “ The critics loved it and Touched by Fire was awarded 4 stars by Romantic Times. Once again, pushing the envelope paid off.
July 18, 2014
The book is a little schizophrenic. Part hot, cool girl in the city and part moral lecture.
V sold her soul to the devil to escape Jersey and a cheating ex-husband. Now is is the hot handbag vendor of fifth avenue; her name on every woman's lips. But she's finding being evil isn't what she wanted and some how people keep asking her for favors. When she chases a dog that stole her scarf she inadvertently becomes the hero that saves a girl from drowning and meets a hot normal guy.
There are more uneven actions and reactions. A really uncomfortable graphic sex scene in the middle and a lot of soul-less soul searching on behalf of the protagonist.
The ending left me unsatisfied.
V sold her soul to the devil to escape Jersey and a cheating ex-husband. Now is is the hot handbag vendor of fifth avenue; her name on every woman's lips. But she's finding being evil isn't what she wanted and some how people keep asking her for favors. When she chases a dog that stole her scarf she inadvertently becomes the hero that saves a girl from drowning and meets a hot normal guy.
There are more uneven actions and reactions. A really uncomfortable graphic sex scene in the middle and a lot of soul-less soul searching on behalf of the protagonist.
The ending left me unsatisfied.
July 11, 2011
At first, I wondered a bit why I kept reading. Lucy's big gossip columns didn't quite make a difference and the narrator felt very self-absorbed. That was on purpose, however, and through the book the narrator changed in a way she didn't expect. Of course, not many people sell their soul to the devil and then stomp on her metaphorical tail.
I liked the end, partly because it appealed to the romantic in me (however hidden) and that it made sense in the universe of the book. It did stretch my imagination, but it was done fairly well.
I liked the end, partly because it appealed to the romantic in me (however hidden) and that it made sense in the universe of the book. It did stretch my imagination, but it was done fairly well.
January 25, 2009
Audrey and Chrisana are calling me Lucy...I cannot wait to see what lable they have pinned on me in this book...I guess it will be a bit of a mirror to my face! or... I quote "And when she find out, there will be hell to pay..." You here that Audrey????????
Okay, finished the book...wow, the language was intense and I had to wade through the NYC references, but the plot to overthrow the devil was a good one. I like the ending. Audrey and Shauna can live without the 'hell to pay' ;-)
Okay, finished the book...wow, the language was intense and I had to wade through the NYC references, but the plot to overthrow the devil was a good one. I like the ending. Audrey and Shauna can live without the 'hell to pay' ;-)
July 20, 2007
Spawned from that Sex-In-the-City genre. Also reminds me of the movie, "The Devil Wears Prada."
Decently entertaining. The main character was quite likeable.
The sex scenes are good - hot and realistic.
The jokes were so current, that they will probably be outmoded in a year or so – i.e. Paris Hilton, the “priceless” Mastercard commercial motif.
Decently entertaining. The main character was quite likeable.
The sex scenes are good - hot and realistic.
The jokes were so current, that they will probably be outmoded in a year or so – i.e. Paris Hilton, the “priceless” Mastercard commercial motif.
January 24, 2008
A very fun book with a twist on the chic-lit genre. I particularly liked the concept of the different level of rewards you get for the more souls you sign up! But the characters weren't that great and the ending kind of threw me off.
June 12, 2022
I liked the premise. The book definitely used references of the time, so it was a nice blast from the past reading it in 2019. The lead character was not relatable, but still quite funny and it was nice to watch her growth throughout the book.
October 7, 2007
Well written, just not my cuppa. Wonderful sense of humor.
October 31, 2007
It starts of so good but it fizzles out.
April 20, 2008
Reading this book was pretty much a waste of time. Interesting premise but it just didn't live up to my expectations.
November 26, 2014
No, tak kdybych byla o něco starší a řešila svůj nedokonalý život plný strachu z gramu navíc a toho, že si nemůžu koupit značkovou kabelku, možná by se mi to líbilo. Tohle ale fakt není můj styl.
August 9, 2015
I had no clue what this book was about prior to reading it, so it took a while to figure out what was happening. It was a fun, quirky read.
October 10, 2016
Prima, závěr mě docela překvapil.
January 30, 2008
This was a great concept, but was poorly written. Would make a good chic flic.
October 24, 2008
i didn't feed my cat for two days bc i couldn't put it down.
November 5, 2011
Cute Story
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews