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Deal with the Devil #1
The Devil's Bargain
Ava
I’m in trouble. Deep, deep trouble. I never meant for it to happen, but my ex is dead—and I’m the one who pulled the trigger. Whether he deserved it or not… whether anyone will even miss that jerk… it doesn’t matter. Joey is dead, and I have to figure out what to do before I get caught with a corpse on my hand. Enter Lincoln Crewes. After the way we ended, I swore I would never turn to him again. But we were kids then, and in the fifteen years since I’ve seen him, he’s gone from a scrappy fighter to one of the most powerful men in Springfield’s seedy underbelly. If there’s anyone who can help me right now, it’s Link. With his power, his money, and his connections, I could put this all behind me. And all he wants in exchange is my soul… and my hand.
Link
Ava, Ava, Ava… She’s the one who got away. The reason I’ve built my entire empire, and the only person I’d burn the whole entire world down for. I’ve done things I’m not proud of. They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and that’s my life story right there. I wanted to show her that I could be the man she wants—the man she deserves—and, by doing so, I became the worst thing for her. I became the Devil . So I kept my distance, though I always kept my eye on her. If I can’t have her, I could at least keep her safe, right? Wrong. She nearly got hurt, and it’s all my fault. When she comes to me, she has no idea that I’m responsible. I’m not about to tell her, either. This is my second chance. My do-over. Ava is mine again, and no matter what I have to do to keep her, I will. Even if I have to force her to marry me in exchange for my protection.
But who will protect her from me ?
*The Devil’s Bargain is the first book in the Deal with the Devil series, an interconnected collection of standalone dark romances set in the fictional crime hotspot of Springfield, where the gangsters rule, the cops are crooked, and a woman does what she has to to survive...
I’m in trouble. Deep, deep trouble. I never meant for it to happen, but my ex is dead—and I’m the one who pulled the trigger. Whether he deserved it or not… whether anyone will even miss that jerk… it doesn’t matter. Joey is dead, and I have to figure out what to do before I get caught with a corpse on my hand. Enter Lincoln Crewes. After the way we ended, I swore I would never turn to him again. But we were kids then, and in the fifteen years since I’ve seen him, he’s gone from a scrappy fighter to one of the most powerful men in Springfield’s seedy underbelly. If there’s anyone who can help me right now, it’s Link. With his power, his money, and his connections, I could put this all behind me. And all he wants in exchange is my soul… and my hand.
Link
Ava, Ava, Ava… She’s the one who got away. The reason I’ve built my entire empire, and the only person I’d burn the whole entire world down for. I’ve done things I’m not proud of. They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and that’s my life story right there. I wanted to show her that I could be the man she wants—the man she deserves—and, by doing so, I became the worst thing for her. I became the Devil . So I kept my distance, though I always kept my eye on her. If I can’t have her, I could at least keep her safe, right? Wrong. She nearly got hurt, and it’s all my fault. When she comes to me, she has no idea that I’m responsible. I’m not about to tell her, either. This is my second chance. My do-over. Ava is mine again, and no matter what I have to do to keep her, I will. Even if I have to force her to marry me in exchange for my protection.
But who will protect her from me ?
*The Devil’s Bargain is the first book in the Deal with the Devil series, an interconnected collection of standalone dark romances set in the fictional crime hotspot of Springfield, where the gangsters rule, the cops are crooked, and a woman does what she has to to survive...
322 pages, Paperback
First published June 24, 2023
4976 people are currently reading
15951 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,004 reviews
July 15, 2023
Excuse me, I need to buy a gun
August 6, 2023
i need to stop with the tiktok recommended books this was absolutely atrocious
July 17, 2023
I am shocked this book has over 3.5 in ratings. What a JOKE! We get a brief preview of the backstory of Links and Ava love story as kids. It would have been nice to get a glimpse of their life back when they hustled together and were deeply in love. Second of all, how does a grown ass woman accept her fate with marrying her ex and allowing him to hold her up in his penthouse and bone her as he pleases without any communication or conversations about being apart for 15 years and still being in love. This book is BRAZY! Come on!? What a joke man! 35 year old adults acting like damn fools
Doo doo brains 💩
Doo doo brains 💩
August 7, 2023
I read this to avoid going on a run. I should have just ran.
March 8, 2024
This FUCKING book is actually atrocious. I demand mental, physical, and spiritual compensation. Why u may ask? First of all the FUCKING MALE LEAD says and I quote “I’d never force my self on any woman” THEN LITERALLY PROCEEDS WITH DOING JUST THE OPPOSITE OF THAT. When the female lead, who is his ex from 15 years ago, calls him because she needs his help with taking care of a body HE DEADASS THOUGH “let me blackmail her into marrying me and then fuck her in the church right after she says “I do” “ MAN WHAT THE FUCK? AND DO U WANT TO KNOW HOW THE AUTHOR RATIONALISED THIS BEHAVIOR??? BY MAKING HAVING SEX OUT IN PUBLIC A KINK THAT THE FMC JUST SO HAPPENS TO HAVE. JUST SAY U WANT TO NORMALISE RAPE ATP. ANOTHER ABSOLUTELY FUCKING INFURIATING SCENE is when the mmc engages in COITUS on his MEETING TABLE, WITH ALLLLLLLLLL HIS *MALE* SUBORDINATES SO HE CAN “Prove that she’s his wife and to show his dominance”… 🤡🤡 bitch are you crazy? ARE YOU CRAZY?? THATS ACC DISGUSTING— LIKE U CANT CLAIM THAT YOU HAVE UNCONTROLLABLE JEALOUSY OVER THE FMC BUT THEN PROCEED TO ALLOW ALL THE MEN LIVING IN THAT GOD FORSAKEN MANSION TO EYE FUCK HER?? WHATS WRONG WITH YOU?? Also the fmc is such a spineless, characterless, infuriating person through out this whole story not to mention that her whole character is based off being “so innocent but freaky” no one can convince me that the author isn’t actually a man and that Carin Hart is just a pen name to get this book to actually sell because what in all actuality is this book? No actual woman would write such a shitty fmc. AND. DONT. EVEN. GET ME STARTED ON THE PET NAMES IN THIS ONE 🤮🤢 HE CALLS HER PET AND SHES LIKE “okay Uwu, he does own me now that we’re married teehee” BITCH STFU??? NAH IMMA NEED SOMEONE TO DROP THE LOCATION OF THIS SO CALLED CARIN HART CAUSE I GOT A BONE TO PICK WITH HER DONT PLAY WITH ME.
August 11, 2023
I’m shocked this book has good reviews, I had never disliked a book so much.
This was SO bad. I’m someone who loves giving good reviews, this is actually the 6th book of almost 400 book that I have read that I’m rating 1 star.
1. This book made me feel like I was reading a high school romance, the woman didn’t make me feel like I was reading a 35 year old woman, she was so HELPLESS, you are supposed to be an independent woman and you are just letting a man treat you that way? He blackmailed her and she “she is mad about it” but she just acted like it was ok. “Link calls me his wife. It doesn’t take long before I realize that means I’m his prisoner.”
2. I LOVE mafia romance books but this just rubs me the wrong way. Reading his POV was stressful, I skipped some pages and I really tried finishing the book but this man just gave me the creeps, he makes me remember of those annoying men screaming at you in the street because they think the have the right to do so and a who has no respect for woman. Even when one of the scenes that made me want to read this book was when he went down on her and the he threatens a man because he disrespected “his woman” but the book didn’t show me this “disrespect her and I’ll kill you”. I have read many dark books and I did actually like them, but this was not “super dark” it was just wrong .
3. Somnophilia? Ok, she said “it was ok” when she was 20, and now he thinks that’s all the consent he needs? THAT WAS 15 YEARS AGO he actually just did that?
4. “he comes as deep inside of me as he can before I get the chance to come myself, I tell myself that I have to remember that.”
This was SO bad. I’m someone who loves giving good reviews, this is actually the 6th book of almost 400 book that I have read that I’m rating 1 star.
1. This book made me feel like I was reading a high school romance, the woman didn’t make me feel like I was reading a 35 year old woman, she was so HELPLESS, you are supposed to be an independent woman and you are just letting a man treat you that way? He blackmailed her and she “she is mad about it” but she just acted like it was ok. “Link calls me his wife. It doesn’t take long before I realize that means I’m his prisoner.”
2. I LOVE mafia romance books but this just rubs me the wrong way. Reading his POV was stressful, I skipped some pages and I really tried finishing the book but this man just gave me the creeps, he makes me remember of those annoying men screaming at you in the street because they think the have the right to do so and a who has no respect for woman. Even when one of the scenes that made me want to read this book was when he went down on her and the he threatens a man because he disrespected “his woman” but the book didn’t show me this “disrespect her and I’ll kill you”. I have read many dark books and I did actually like them, but this was not “super dark” it was just wrong .
3. Somnophilia? Ok, she said “it was ok” when she was 20, and now he thinks that’s all the consent he needs? THAT WAS 15 YEARS AGO he actually just did that?
“That’s when I realized that, as much as I loved fvcking her while she slept, I got even more pleasure out of slipping my cock inside of her and just keeping it there. That’s what I’m doing now.”
Of course it is. She gave me permission when we were young adults, and as far as I’m concerned, she only reinforced it when she agreed to marry me.
4. “he comes as deep inside of me as he can before I get the chance to come myself, I tell myself that I have to remember that.”
“She’ll get over it. She’ll have to.”
“Wait—” “I’ve done my waiting,”
This isn’t making love. What’s going to happen next is fucking, plain and simple, and I don’t feel like his bride. I don’t even feel like his former lover. Right now, I’m just a pussy to him, something he’ll use to get off, and to make it so that I know just what I signed away
“I catch a tiny whiff of the tasteless sedative I had Royce slip inside of the tea.”
“Her body stiffens a second before she tries to move away from me.”
August 8, 2023
2 stars.
this is the third time i let tiktok bamboozle me into reading a book. and let me tell you something, it’ll be the LAST.
there’s 21 chapters in this book and the drama happens in chapter 20. what sense does that make???
there’s too many spelling mistakes and i’m dyslexic. i can barely read as is. please get a new editor.
lincoln wasn’t scary. and this was more of an extended novella instead of a novel. i also had to deduct points bc of the personal fancasts at the end. i don’t need you telling me what the characters look like, let my mind do the work. won’t read it again, won’t recommend it, and probably won’t read another book from this author.
this is the third time i let tiktok bamboozle me into reading a book. and let me tell you something, it’ll be the LAST.
there’s 21 chapters in this book and the drama happens in chapter 20. what sense does that make???
there’s too many spelling mistakes and i’m dyslexic. i can barely read as is. please get a new editor.
lincoln wasn’t scary. and this was more of an extended novella instead of a novel. i also had to deduct points bc of the personal fancasts at the end. i don’t need you telling me what the characters look like, let my mind do the work. won’t read it again, won’t recommend it, and probably won’t read another book from this author.
March 25, 2024
i’d sooner clean a bathroom with a qtip before I ever recommend this to anyone
July 1, 2023
I don’t know what I really expected, but it definitely wasn’t this crap.
March 25, 2024
I love the thought of this book. However, I feel like there could’ve been more details or more information, to help the plot and overall storyline come together better. However, it was still a good read.
March 5, 2024
Don’t do it. Tiktok is wrong. I had to force myself through to the end. Anyone reviewing this higher than 1 star is lying.
May 14, 2024
⋆⭒˚｡⋆ 1/5 stars.
wow maybe i really can be an author!!! this review is going to have ALL the spoilers. this book was hot diggity shite!!!
why? oh, im so glad you asked!
1 - mmc, who’s name is lincoln (wtf) otherwise known as link, is extremely obsessed with fmc. that’s fine and all, it’s a book, but then he blackmails her into marriage. oh, well that’s not so bad! i’m not done. he takes her to a judge’s house and literally produces a wedding dress in a matter of seconds. they get married. mind you, this is all in the same night as the murder he is blackmailing her for. then, he takes her to the bathroom in the judge’s house and CONSUMMATES, yes, you’ve heard that right, CONSUMMATES their marriage. his words, not mine. because as it’s made abundantly clear to us, our dearest, murderous lincoln is a devoted catholic. and he uses no protection after she asked him to.
2 - the fmc, ava, has absolutely no personality. she’s a hollow doll. a husk of a person. she questions the wrong things, worries about the wrong things, and she’s just as unhinged as her ridiculous mafia boss husband. why?
fyi, we literally see him think that he must have her consent because FIFTEEN years ago she said he could do it whenever he wanted and he now that he OWNS her that solidifies it more.
moving along!
3 - lincoln calls ava “pet” unironically and nobody seems to care.
4 - literally no real conflict. she’s never in any real danger, even though we’re constantly told she could be.
5 - lincoln’s vocabulary is 80% “f*ck” or ���f*cking”
6 - when going down on ava, lincoln repeatedly comments on her “curls” im losing my mind does she have curly pubes??? what am i reading? what are her curls? her flaps? help what????
tropes in this book :
➺ reunion
➺ obsessive love
➺ forced marriage
okay, that’s all. thanks for reading my rant. surprised i didn’t dnf but hey we made it pooks 😜
“Anything to have her. To hold her. To keep her close. To protect her. To f*ck her. To love her. She’s mine. She always was, and she’s always been, and now that I finally have the excuse to tie her to me for life, damn right I’m going to do it.”
wow maybe i really can be an author!!! this review is going to have ALL the spoilers. this book was hot diggity shite!!!
why? oh, im so glad you asked!
1 - mmc, who’s name is lincoln (wtf) otherwise known as link, is extremely obsessed with fmc. that’s fine and all, it’s a book, but then he blackmails her into marriage. oh, well that’s not so bad! i’m not done. he takes her to a judge’s house and literally produces a wedding dress in a matter of seconds. they get married. mind you, this is all in the same night as the murder he is blackmailing her for. then, he takes her to the bathroom in the judge’s house and CONSUMMATES, yes, you’ve heard that right, CONSUMMATES their marriage. his words, not mine. because as it’s made abundantly clear to us, our dearest, murderous lincoln is a devoted catholic. and he uses no protection after she asked him to.
2 - the fmc, ava, has absolutely no personality. she’s a hollow doll. a husk of a person. she questions the wrong things, worries about the wrong things, and she’s just as unhinged as her ridiculous mafia boss husband. why?
exhibit a. she cares that her now husband didn’t use protection NOT because she could get knocked up, no no, she doesn’t care about pregnancy, she’s thinking more about the fact that her dearest link has probably had sex with dozens of other women before her!!!
exhibit b. she goes to sleep in a separate room. lincoln finds her there, he’s super angry because his new wife absolutely cannot sleep in a separate room. he then has sex with her while she sleeps. and she doesn’t care. in fact, she cares more about the prospect of being used only for her body than the fact that he never asked for her consent again.
fyi, we literally see him think that he must have her consent because FIFTEEN years ago she said he could do it whenever he wanted and he now that he OWNS her that solidifies it more.
moving along!
exhibit c. she is super angry for whatever reason because she is not involved in her mafia boss husband’s illegal life. so, she sneaks out to find him in his club. there, she is hit on by one of the patrons who thinks she works there, and she realizes she’s lost her ring (that was too big for her finger). cue pookie wookie dookie lincoln’s appearance. he is soooooo upset that he RIPS that man off of her and beats him to a pulp! then, when he takes our horrified saint ava’s hand, he realizes she doesn’t have her ring on and SH*TS himself!!! how DARE she take off the one thing that MARKS her as HIS and then let another man touch her?!?!?!?? then she allows him to literally force her into tattooing his name on her finger, and also gets the mafia’s tattoo or whatever.
exhibit d. lincoln, upon realizing that ava has been called a wh*re by his men (because he never told everyone that he married her), takes ava to the headquarters into a meeting room with a long table. there, his men wait for him. he then proceeds to give her head on the table, in front of everybody. she doesn’t care, she goes along with it, and she enjoys it. no, no, what bothered her was when she thought he would have her go down on another man. THATS what bothered her. haha. haha. ha.
exhibit e. with a gun to her head, as her mentally deranged husband is about to sh*ot himself because hes so obsessed with her that the thought of losing her drives him to s*icide, she calls out and confesses her undying love for him. wow.
3 - lincoln calls ava “pet” unironically and nobody seems to care.
“I promise you this, pet: no one will touch you when Devil marks you as his.”
4 - literally no real conflict. she’s never in any real danger, even though we’re constantly told she could be.
5 - lincoln’s vocabulary is 80% “f*ck” or ���f*cking”
6 - when going down on ava, lincoln repeatedly comments on her “curls” im losing my mind does she have curly pubes??? what am i reading? what are her curls? her flaps? help what????
tropes in this book :
➺ reunion
➺ obsessive love
➺ forced marriage
okay, that’s all. thanks for reading my rant. surprised i didn’t dnf but hey we made it pooks 😜
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 24, 2024
I miss the person I was before reading this book.
March 12, 2024
i should go to church
January 14, 2025
he might be the devil but i was the one in hell reading this😟
July 4, 2024
Lincoln.
The things he says would have me on my knees but… why the fuck doesn’t he say it to Ava? Why is it all inner monologue? I had high hopes for this book but now I’m angry!
He wanted Ava to be his wife, he’s obsessed with her. Lincoln misses her so much but is out all the time and keeping her his prisoner. Ava is lying down and taking it, at the start I thought hey maybe there’s some pushback… I was wrong.
She loses her ring but instead of listening to her explain hey it’s ducking massive it fell off because you never got my ring size. Which you would know if you EVEN LISTENED! I mean if you were that obsessed with me you would know it.🤷♀️
He gets his name tattooed on her hand and then walks away leaving her alone. I’m all for the possessive craziness but when you’re not spending time with her. When you’re taking her away from her job but can’t tell her what you think hmmm no I can’t get behind it.
Lincoln could be the perfect book boyfriend if he said his inner monologue to Ava and didn’t contradict his words with his actions. After ignoring her, he suddenly springs on a surprise wedding. A proper wedding which he should have had if he really loved her. I mean a wedding will make everything better right? Ava became a bored prisoner and didn’t have the backbone to say “Hey I’m not happy at all but it’s fine you’re hot.” I haven’t read a mafia book in a while and this reminds me why, very few are done well.
I’m so annoyed because this book could have been great now I want to pull Lincoln’s gun on myself 😑
TikTok I’m never taking recommendations from you again. The only thing I liked about the book was Lincoln’s inner monologue hence the two stars. Also, the fact he kept one phone with only her number in case she ever needed him, that was cute. I hate being mean but I’m so angry because of how good it could have been, the book had a good premise.
The things he says would have me on my knees but… why the fuck doesn’t he say it to Ava? Why is it all inner monologue? I had high hopes for this book but now I’m angry!
He wanted Ava to be his wife, he’s obsessed with her. Lincoln misses her so much but is out all the time and keeping her his prisoner. Ava is lying down and taking it, at the start I thought hey maybe there’s some pushback… I was wrong.
She loses her ring but instead of listening to her explain hey it’s ducking massive it fell off because you never got my ring size. Which you would know if you EVEN LISTENED! I mean if you were that obsessed with me you would know it.🤷♀️
He gets his name tattooed on her hand and then walks away leaving her alone. I’m all for the possessive craziness but when you’re not spending time with her. When you’re taking her away from her job but can’t tell her what you think hmmm no I can’t get behind it.
Lincoln could be the perfect book boyfriend if he said his inner monologue to Ava and didn’t contradict his words with his actions. After ignoring her, he suddenly springs on a surprise wedding. A proper wedding which he should have had if he really loved her. I mean a wedding will make everything better right? Ava became a bored prisoner and didn’t have the backbone to say “Hey I’m not happy at all but it’s fine you’re hot.” I haven’t read a mafia book in a while and this reminds me why, very few are done well.
I’m so annoyed because this book could have been great now I want to pull Lincoln’s gun on myself 😑
TikTok I’m never taking recommendations from you again. The only thing I liked about the book was Lincoln’s inner monologue hence the two stars. Also, the fact he kept one phone with only her number in case she ever needed him, that was cute. I hate being mean but I’m so angry because of how good it could have been, the book had a good premise.
June 25, 2024
I wanted to read something where I didn’t really have to use my brain after reading crescent city back to back. Apparently the author of this book also didn’t want to use their brain. This book was trash.
July 1, 2023
Enh.
-Started out strong
- second chance, lovers reconnecting, forced marriage
-Spelling/grammar issues
- Lots of interesting characters but not fully developed
-Started out strong
- second chance, lovers reconnecting, forced marriage
-Spelling/grammar issues
- Lots of interesting characters but not fully developed
December 2, 2025
Honestly? That sucked.
November 13, 2024
I 💜 Lincoln Crewes!
I absolutely loved the first half of this book. Lincoln's love and obsession for Ava was so sexy. He has done everything for her and he's determined to give her a life she deserves.
Their background story was really interesting to me. I think I'd have enjoyed this if it was a first love romance rather than a second chance. Lincoln stayed celibate for the 15years they're apart and that never happens in books so it was sweet here.
The only reason I didn't give this 5 stars was I was getting tired of Ava questioning everything Lincoln did. She thought he was cheating, it wasn't real love, and why was he helping her, etc. It was obvious she was wrong and I was getting annoyed. However, the story was good enough that I could look past it and enjoy it.
I absolutely loved the first half of this book. Lincoln's love and obsession for Ava was so sexy. He has done everything for her and he's determined to give her a life she deserves.
Their background story was really interesting to me. I think I'd have enjoyed this if it was a first love romance rather than a second chance. Lincoln stayed celibate for the 15years they're apart and that never happens in books so it was sweet here.
The only reason I didn't give this 5 stars was I was getting tired of Ava questioning everything Lincoln did. She thought he was cheating, it wasn't real love, and why was he helping her, etc. It was obvious she was wrong and I was getting annoyed. However, the story was good enough that I could look past it and enjoy it.
January 3, 2025
multiple grammar/spelling mistakes. constant miscommunication/misunderstanding up until the very last chapter. no real movement from 25% until 75% of the book other than just being confused about his unclear intentions. i was surprised when the book was over, not because i was waiting for more but because the big climax didn’t have the weight i was expecting it to. easy read, doesn’t need a lot of brain power, represents certain kinks that dont typically get a lot of recognition. tw for SA, cnc, threatens of rape, violence, murder
February 18, 2024
The only thing Lincoln should be allowed to fall in love with is extensive psychodynamic therapy. ao3 could do better
March 25, 2024
thought this was fantasy….
….it wasn’t and idk what this is
….it wasn’t and idk what this is
April 13, 2024
Would give negative stars
September 18, 2024
Very corny and unbelievable..
DNF @85 and that's cuz I Skim read up until that point.
DNF @85 and that's cuz I Skim read up until that point.
April 28, 2024
3.5 stars. as easy as it was to read quickly, it was funny asf. idk man it was so basic but it was cute and funny. no one would describe this look with those adjectives but here i am doing just that 😭 i mean hey, this was like a mix of beauty and the beast, second chance, a man killing people in ur honour, him waiting FIFTEEN YEARS for you and never touching another woman (i mean wow), and marriage of convenience but also real
August 18, 2023
I really, really wanted to like this book but it flopped all the way through. This needs a serious look over with the abundance of grammatical error littered throughout the book. Besides that, the story was lackluster and lacking spice and elements of a dark romance. When I finally reached the main conflict in the story I was excited to see some sort of life be breathed into the story, but alas even that was lifeless. I was so disappointed…
April 18, 2024
This was honestly the worst book I’ve ever read. And I used to read Wattpad Harry styles fanfiction in 8th grade. 14 year old one direction fans wrote better literature than this!! It was a train wreck the whole way through, but I couldn’t stop reading it I had to finish. I regret my decision of straying from my throne of glass books. Time to go back.
September 11, 2023
never back down, never what?
(he was celibate for 15 years waiting for her)
(he was celibate for 15 years waiting for her)
October 8, 2023
Very enjoyable as a quick smutty read but I hate the miscommunication trope!!! Also we are meant to believe that they are in love but we barely see them interact at all?
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,004 reviews