The Devil You Know

Dark Mirror #2

by Marie Castle

Cate Delacey isn't thrilled to be volunteered as a finder of lost bodies, but she's not immune to Gemini Roskov's grief and righteous desire to claim her father's remains. It means a confrontation with the hostile Council of Supernatural Beings that controls far too much of New Orleans' darker mysteries and…personalities.

Face time with the Council isn't actually a good idea for Cate, what with their dislike of her entire family, as well as their mistrust of her untested powers, distaste for her unladylike attitude and disdain for her need to know the truth. A less direct way must be found.

Then there is the matter of Cate's feelings for the too sexy and too immortal Jacqueline Slone, whose loyalties are as clear as black glass at midnight. Something is rising inside both of them, and it may well be a lover's touch that reveals a truth no one is expecting.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Fantasy, LGBT, Lesbian, Romance, Paranormal Romance

304 pages, Paperback

First published November 17, 2014

About the author

Marie Castle lives in a little town in Mississippi once called Gandsi-Zion for the train-stop that ran between the Civil War era Zion Seminary and the Gulf and Ship Island depot. There, she practices Practical-Romanticism (her term for being single). She works in the public sector for a well-known, multi-national company, has been known to dance in her socks when no one is around, and does foolish things on a regular basis merely because she can. She welcomes feedback and can be contacted through her Facebook page. Hell’s Belle is her first novel.

Reviews

[lauraღ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was my father’s daughter. But his mistakes would not be mine. I would not let the one I loved go.

2.5 stars. I am so fucking sad. I loved the first book in this series so much, and it's probably going to be in my top 10 of the year. But the way I felt about the sequel makes me question the rating I gave the first book, or at least want to reread it to see what I loved so much about it. The first book had a lot of my writing pet peeves, and I either ignored them or forgave them, because of the abundance of things that I really loved. But here... I was so bored. It took me 18 days to read this book. That is not normal for me! Every time I picked it up, I immediately wanted to put it back down. It's true that I read this, while most of my other reads are audiobooks, and that can definitely account in some way for the time it took me to read this. But I felt none of the charm, none of the fun, none of the irresistible pull of the first book. Well, I did feel it a little bit, when it came to Cate and Jacq's relationship. But that's pretty much it, and even that wasn't as gripping as it was before.

I guess my biggest problem is that nothing happened in this. We got some big revelations, and some exciting things happened at the very beginning. You would think that would kick off a lot of action, or at least some very deep and involved conversations that would then lead to more development. But I feel like there was just a whole lot of nothing: conversations that were being evaded, conversations that left a lot of things unsaid, a lot of waiting around waiting for people to heal, that sort of thing. It was interspersed with a bit of action, but I just never cared about any of it. There was also some violence that felt more gratuitous than anything; I didn't care for it. The shifting points of view are back with a vengeance, and I hated it so wholeheartedly. Even more so because we got some flashbacks to the past, telling us about the origin story of a certain character, and I could not care less. And then we had to jump into the minds of every secondary and minor character. I truly do not think we needed it. The book has a lot of flaws, but so much of them could have been erased if this was just from Cate's point of view.  

The one saving grace was Cate and Jacq, but I definitely did not love them as wholeheartedly as I did in the first book. I adore slow burn more than anything, and I loved the intensity of their connection in Hell's Belle and the way it all played out. This book, on the other hand, just felt like a bunch of scenes of them getting interrupted any time they tried to talk or make out or go any further than that, and it got really tiresome really quickly.  

I have to be honest, after the 55% mark, I started kind of skimming, unless Cate and Jacq were on the page. I just truly did not care. When I started this review, I thought that I would round up to 3 stars, but the more that I think about it, just in terms of my own enjoyment, this is more of a 2 star book. And I'm really sad about it! I really have to wonder if I would have liked it more if there was an audiobook available. Because I do know that the audiobook was part of the reason I enjoyed the first one so much. But ah well, who knows. The third book isn't out yet, and in any case, I doubt I will continue the series.  

Content warnings: attempted rape, assault, murder, gore, cannibalism

[Alealea · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's better that the first book though still unbalanced. I think the 40% are all in the same night ? And so much happens in such short span of time it was still confusing.

But the main character (not entirely sure it's the same) because though they share a name, power, history... well this time she sure knows what she's doing most of the time and is the perfect bad ass heroin witch a lesfic lover could dream of.

['Nathan Burgoine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to meet Marie Castle in New Orleans at the Saints and Sinners Literary Festival when we were both on a panel discussing the paranormal. I managed to finish reading the first book in this series - Hell's Belle - with about twenty minutes to spare before my day absolutely had to start, but I was so tense about knowing whether or not the heroine's love interest would survive I just had to know before I met her.

Hell's Belle (a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award, by the way) left the reader in a good place, but definitely wanting to know more. The Devil You Know starts to deliver on the more right off the bat, and the pacing doesn't slow down for a moment.

One of the main strengths of this series is exactly that: the pace. More, the realism of that pace in the impact it has on the characters. I get frustrated by characters who are in fight after fight and don't show any sort of fatigue or fallout, and Castle balances this wonderfully.

Second, fans of the Cate-and-Jacq passion will be very pleased to see more revealed, more teased, and enough delivered to both sate and whet the reader's appetite. I love these two, and the dynamic they share manages to go beyond what could easily devolve into "I'm protecting you! No, I'm protecting you!" Better, while they keep secrets from each other, it's not for ages, and never to the detriment; Cate is a smart, saavy character, and she knows that the truth can be dangerous, but keeping the truth a secret might be worse in some cases. Also, she's this wonderful sassy Southern belle, and sometimes, the truth is the best way to kick some ass with style. Ditto Jacq, who has revelations of her own, and only grows in depth as the series progresses.

The world-building continues to be strong, and the vast cast of characters - though it can teeter on the edge of overwhelming at times - are all interesting and reveal shades of this clever world Castle is building. Whether you're in the past learning about something truly horrific happening to someone you're worried will be making an appearance later in the present, or in the present trying to decide who Cate should (and shouldn't) trust, there are fae, vampires, demons, weres and witches aplenty. This is a supernatural world, and Castle takes her gloves off from page one.

Like Hell's Belle, The Devil You Know has what seems like a simple plot from the blurb: Cate needs to recover a body for a client, but from there things spiral out of control, new enemies appear, and like the title suggests: sometimes the devil you know is the only choice. I did not expect where the book would end up, and I can't wait to see where book three takes me.

[Nolly Frances Sepulveda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just as good as the first, if not better. Really enjoy the characters as well as the storyline. Can't wait to read the next installment.

[Cindy Stein · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this second installment of the Dark Mirror series, guardian witch Cate Delacy must reconcile with her demon half (and the relatives that come with it) as well as with her love for Detective Jacq Slone. There are many literal and virtual battles for Cate to fight and no final resolution as the book flows easily into the next volume without an annoying cliffhanger that says "to be continued."

As with Hell's Belle's, the writing is top notch, especially the author's ability to give us Cate's unique voice, filled with foreboding and humor, sometimes all at once. The world building is top notch as well and the cast that surrounds Cate is incredibly interesting and well drawn. While this book has many dark moments, it is leavened with humor, especially in the form of Cate's cousin Vanguard the vampire. His drunken dinner scene is not to be missed.

[Colleen Corgel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really fun urban fantasy. In this sequel, we're introduced to demons and some other monsters that go bump in the night. We also get a pretty intense thriller that crosses over centuries. Cate and Jacq get some more of their heritages explored, but Ms. Castle left just enough unexplored to, hopefully, fill out the third volume of the series.

And that's where the problem lies. The book ends on a bit of a cliff hanger and a surprise revelation that had me all excited to read the third book, however it does not seem to be in the works to be released. I do hope we get the third book, because this is one of the few quality urban fantasies that are available with LGBT main characters.

[L E · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm so upset in the best of ways... I thought I was going to find the answers to Cate's mom but it seems there are still too many secrets to be discovered. Can I say I fell in love all over again with Detective Slone... Drangon, come on!!!! how can you not fall in love :-)

Cate; wings, really?! this is the best personal fantasy in a weird way but love the magic, spells and incantations with all the bad-ass fights between good and evil. What a royal family to be part of in both good and bad, but love it and want more.

This book, series has be in knots and can't wait to hold my breath again with the next book.

[Angelique Jennings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing twists and turns

When I first got into this series it was through the audio book and I feel in love. So when I found out there was a sequel, I quickly jumped at the chance to read it, and it didn't disappoint. The story evolved even deeper, yet still maintained the charm from it's predecessor. You won't want to miss this installment and I can't wait for the next one!

[Marina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!

I absolutely loved the first book and couldn't wait to dive into this one. And I wasn't disappointed. It's a great read and the characters are amazing. I can't wait for the next instalment!

[J H · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is just enthralling! The characters and plot are fascinating and complex, and I am compelled to know what will happen next in this story.

[Celenia S · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I enjoyed this book better than the first in the series. Not my usual genre. However I love the characters and the crazy sense of of humor a lot of the characters have. I felt really invested in the characters and all their stories.
A lot happens in what seems like a short span of time.
No ow I can’t wait for the next book!!!

[Fernanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marie Castle did it Again!!!!

I have loved so much the first book of this new and intriguing paranormal series that I was a little bit worried about it's sequel, because lets be honest here, in those kind of circumstances everyone tend to think that the next book is doomed to fell short after the first big Boom...well I now can take a sigh of relief because the story keep being as amazing as it's started.

It's always a good sign when I become so engrossed in a story that do anything else than keep reading it make me unbearable (well good for the book not so much for the people around me), and this is the 2nd book of Marie Castle that push me to read the story in one sitting and postpone everything else during my second journey in DM Universe.

There are so many things that I have loved about this read that I am quite appalled that no one else have yet wrote a review about this book...but well here I am so let's start with the plot:

The story start exactly where the 1st one ended, we have a very interesting prologue that keep give us precious information about Evie and the how Cate come to be, after that the story told by her protagonist start again.
The Devil You Know offer a lot of explanation for things that where leaving hanging in the first book but the author is a sneaky woman so a lot of things come up/out in this book that keep me as a reader wondering what come next.
In this book new really interesting characters are introduced and also if the scheme of things have Mrs Castle signature all over it, the author is good enough to not fall in the trap of repetitiveness. Every character is easily recognizable and is well developed also when they don't have (yet?) a big or important role in the storyline. No one nor two dimensional characterization here, just like I like it...and this is true also for the bad guys and this make the story so much more appealing for me.

The romantic interaction between Jacq and Cate is hotter than ever, and any reader can start to connect the dots about what come next and where the story is going if s/he feels like doing so, surely the author give us enough informations to formulate hypothesis.

I really don't want to talk to much about the plot because I don't want to spoiler the read but there are 3 facts that have make me really happy:

1- also if the author take the time and space in the book to introduce other characters point of views the 90% of the story is all about Cate. For me that was a win-win situation I was able to enjoy the introduction of the new characters or drink in new information of previous ones without feel any need to skip some pages over the always unpleasant sensation that that parts about other people were an unwelcome fill in. The storyline about Cate don't become too diluted and thin to make me lose the focus and mixing it with other little storylines is done so well that all is well balanced.

2- The storyline make sense, okay maybe I am too easily overwhelmed by this fact but after have read a lot of series where there is a disjointed feeling about where the story is going I am always unbelievable happy when I found a sequel that feel like a sequel, and a story that progress in a sensible way.

3- also if I have a love-hate relationships with sneak peaks (that because I always want more), I love that in her books the author left us a previews of the next chapter of the story...I find it also comforting because seeing it make me know that she is already writing the new book and make me hope that the wait for the next adventure does not exceed the 1 year of waiting.

Other really cool facts for me are the little introductions that every chapter have, they are so funny and the right ones give us additional informations, and the extras about Characters and Glossary, now that the number of players have increased so much I like this simple way to remind who is who and a glossary is always good when you explore a new world with it's different rules.

Great read, amazing sequel and masterfully written.

[Verechnaya · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow, what a disappointing sequel. All my fears from the first book came true : none of the plot holes from the first book are answered (yet), none of those useless secondary characters that clog the narrative so much are gone, we're treated to even more unnecessary characters and skippable side-plots while our quarter-witch, quarter-demon, quarter-solenoidwhatever, quarter guardian hero stumbles around without aim.

I'm disappointed that Jacqueline and Catherine's romance still hasn't developed further— the weight of the secrets they keep makes them shuffle awkwardly in an IMPRESSIVE rendition of a terrible couple with so little communication it's bound to die. What little chemistry they had in the first book seems extinguished as the extent of their scenes together is them holding hands and wondering what the hell the other is hiding. This could have been resolved a book ago but we're still sitting on it and it's getting OLD.

The plot of this book... Well, I couldn't care less about it. It all relies on stealing some dude's body and there is absolutely no stake in this— and by the half of the book, Cate still hasn't done anything about it (but then again for a private eye she doesn't do anything of the sort). More problems come this way : some random enemy will appear 30 second but will be dealt with next book, the actual villain dies at the end of the first half, and demon-dad sends his mom make the acquaintance. We're also treated to some uninteresting side-plot set in 1722, which could happily have been a free #1,5 short story considering how skippable it was.

What little plot there is is so messy I still don't understand what the hell happens, it's so weak the emotional high point will be some weird disgusting magic-rape (which we totally could have done without, really, but it's not like this book had stellar gender politics) and then, nothing being able to measure to that scene, will deflate into nothingness. You'll spend the remainder of the book waiting for something to happen and SURPRISE nothing will (just a small 15-page adrenaline spike at some point).

Nothing makes sense. The first third of the book features Cate stumbling here and there without us understanding why. Why do people speak only in cryptic nonsensical stuff? Why do all the characters have the same personality, or none? Every time we feel like we're going to get answers, something happens and the plot will skip to something else. After half a book of the treatment, you're sitting there shaking in despair, wondering WHEN WILL SOMETHING HAPPEN? When will the narrative make sense? Why are random deus ex machinas the only driving (and I should really say crawling) force of the plot?

I really wish the author had made her characters a little more complex— the big problem with the first book being that there are so many side characters that they all look the same iteration of funny badass person cardboard cutouts. Nothing is expanded on, and every thing seems so shallow— yet the story has such potential you know? I can see how it would be good and complex and pretty cool. If you could take the first and second book, remove all the filling, make sense of whatever is left, and make a whole separate book with it. As it stands, I'd be surprised this book was edited.

Also I'm still trying to understand whether Cate has no self awareness and thus doesn't understand that the woman in the mirror is her of if said woman is actually a separate entity.

[Fae · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not a standalone.
The random plots keep switching back and forth in perspectives and timeline. Complications arise one after another, and at time, I was confused and lost again. The mysteries and secrets jumble together in one pile of conflicts. One issue is barely solves when another already on the queue list, waiting eagerly to be dealt with. Leaving me with one humongous cliffhanger- in which I am not appreciated. So I have to sit back, sulk in the corner, and wait. Hopefully by the time the third book publishes, I won't forget everything and have to re-read the previous two all over again.

I love Cate's world, where demons, witches, vamps, and many other supernatural creatures roam the earth. I love the dynamic between the main couple. Jacq is one charming mysterious individual while Cate is being humorous as usual. Their relationship develops at a slow pace. I took a sneak peek at the preview for Demons of a Feather , it hold promises, a lot of it. Saying that I can't wait for the third book is an understatement.

I hope the third one is a solver of conflict rather than maker of one like its predecessor. I can't say that I want the series to end (oh I hope it keeps on continue and continue), but I don't want all the ominous foreboding things that keep tugging in Cate's mind. It is quite depressing.

[Musa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing amazing amazing read! Best if you re-read book 1 and then dive straight into book 2, as the timeline of the 2 books are directly right after each other.

In this book, we've learn more about Cate and Jacq and what they are. Their chemistry and connection is simply off the charts. At the same time, their romance is very sweet and warm to read as well. I don't think you'll ever get a character as chivalrous as Jacq, and it's very difficult not to fall in love with her.

Though the author unravel some mysteries from book 1, there is still a fair amount questions left behind, like the origins of Cate and Jacq, what will be for them if they are together etc., and I am super looking forward for book 3 (and faster the better!)

Another thing that I love about this book - there are quite a fair bit of new characters coming into the picture, I'm at awe how the author can create so diversified and distinctive characters... each of them is nearly of a different breed and carries a totally different character. I also think the author has strike a very good balance that you don't feel he sub characters over shadowing the main story line.

I'm highly recommending this series, and I am hoping that book 3 will be on the shelf very very soon!

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bring on the next one

I had enjoyed the first book and I must say I was not disappointed by this one even though more characters were introduced it was not hard to follow. All I know is want to see what happens next with Jacq and Cate.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing! great story. I couldn't put the book down!

[Elizabeth Brunner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall a good read, although I did not like that even though it was written from a first person perspective, the author did not share the character's discoveries as she went along.

[poppp · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book a lot, as well as the first one. Can't wait for the next installment to satiate my curiosity!

P.s. I literally LOL'd during one scene in the book!

[Heather Henkel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like the unique take on the different species in the book. I highly recommend it.

[S · Rating 2 out of 5]

wow, it was ok until a preview of the next book, and then it turned in some crazy shit