The Devil's Work

Mel Goes to Hell #1

by Demelza Carlton

Tired of torturing damned souls, Lucifer decides it's time for a career change. As the new CEO of the HELL Corporation, Luce Iblis is ready to take over the world, starting with a city he's sure even angels haven't heard about: Perth, Western Australia.
Until an angel appears in his office, vowing that the Lord of Hell will never win.
Hell hath no fury like a devil scorned.
And Lucifer's about to raise Hell.

Genres: Paranormal, Fantasy, Demons, Contemporary, Supernatural, Paranormal Urban Fantasy, Angels

200 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 22, 2019

About the author

USA Today Bestselling Author Demelza Carlton has always loved the ocean, but on her first snorkelling trip she found she was afraid of fish.
She has since swum with sea lions, sharks and sea cucumbers and stood on spray-drenched cliffs over a seething sea as a seven-metre cyclonic swell surged in, shattering a shipwreck below.
Sensationalist spin? No - Demelza tends to take a camera with her so she can capture and share the moment later; shipwrecks, sharks and all.
Demelza now lives in Perth, Western Australia, the shark attack capital of the world.
The Ocean's Gift series was her first foray into fiction, followed by the Nightmares trilogy. She swears the Mel Goes to Hell series ambushed her on a crowded train and wouldn't leave her alone.

Reviews

[Monique · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 'Lucifer' stars



That was so much fun! I love Luce and his minions ♡♡♡

I expected this book to be a pnr but it's more a paranormal sexy comedy. It's been a while since I actually laughed out loud during reading. I enjoyed flirty banter between Luce and his second-in-command Mephi (short for Mephistoles - yes, she is this demon who condemned Faust, or so I think). They are working together (more like she is working and Lucifer mostly just fucks around LOL) on conquering the Earth. That's the first step in the great plan on taking on Heaven. Dream big or go home, right :D This plan is all about making 'legal' contracts with the humans and fulfilling their deepest desires. In exchange for their souls, of course. I found this part of the story a little boring. I'm not particularly keen on bureaucracy. But as I said, the rest of the book was very entertaining. The life of the devil is always exciting - there are demons to punish, angels to fight and secretaries to seduce.

At the end of the story, we meet sweet, little angel Mel, who will give Luce a run for his money, I'm sure on that. She is the main heroine in the following books if I'm not mistaken. Right after I had read this book, I started Welcome to Hell which is only a couple of chapters long. It's about Mel's interview in Luce's company. I can't wait to see these two together again.




I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Cyndi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent gift from a brilliant author! This story is hilarious! Lucifer is perfect. No remorse, but looking for something new. Can’t wait to read about the romance between the fallen angel and the beauty he wants to pull down with him. 😘

[Siobhan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Demelza Carlton writes across a range of genres, and I’ve picked up a couple of her books in the past. After enjoying what I’ve read, I was interested in reading more. With The Devil’s Work we have a story intended to be a prequel to the Mel Goes to Hell series, and as someone interested in the series I decided to give this one a read.

Although this is intended as a prequel story, I felt completely lost. I feel as though a lot of the details were missed, and that I’d have had a better understanding if I’d read this after reading the other books. It is cheesy to say the devil’s in the details when this book is about the devil, but such is true. Things look straightforward, but it took a bit of effort to understand certain things as I was missing details.

Even without that, had I managed to work my way around such a thing, I failed to enjoy this one. A book about the devil should have been fun, yet I feel as though nothing happened throughout this book. I was waiting for something big to occur, waiting for something dramatic to play out, but it never hit. Plus, the devil didn’t feel very much like the devil to me.

Perhaps this one will make more sense to those who have read the Mel Goes to Hell books, but as a new reader I failed to enjoy it.

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (5/9/2019)! 🎁

[Stephanie Bolen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Interesting but not a book, just a start of one

Nothing to get excited about or even really investigate further. The premise of the show Lucifer without the cop aspect to it. Luce has decided to take over the world through privatization. And the angels have to stop him and they send Melody Angel to do it. And that's the book summed up in two sentences. Does it have a plot? No, just abysmal world building and character establishment. Don't even bother with this one.

[MGB · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just not interesting enough for me to read more than a couple chapters.

[Alejandra Guerrero · Rating 1 out of 5]

It bored me to tears. It's supposed to be a fluffy RomCom, but there's nothing funny about it and there's absolutely no romance in this.

[Elizabeth Connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book and it was pretty good, but I felt like there could have been more to it. This feeling was confirmed when I got to the end and realized it was a precursor to the Mel Goes to Hell series. It was very short, but had some great lines, like these two:

"Lucifer had watched limbless sinners crawl across spike-filled pits faster than this."

"That was a lie, but the Lord of Lies couldn't truly deserve the title if he didn't lie to himself once in a while."

When the author describes Lucifer's fall from Heaven it is visceral and makes the reader feel sorry for him.

I think what I liked best about this book was the idea that the devil could infiltrate world governments and take over the earth and no one would even notice because politicians and governments have already become so corrupted and filled with evil beings. In that regard, this is not a happy story. In general, I liked it but it ends a bit abruptly and without a true conclusion. I'll be reading the next book.

[Claire Louisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great first book (Novella) in the Mel goes to Hell series, I enjoyed meeting Lucifer and seeing how HELL corporation started. Having previously met Mel when she joins HELL it was fun to see where it all began. Lucifer certainly has a dark sense of humour and I look forward to seeing what happens when Mel joins the team.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I voluntarily reviewed and ARC of this book*

I loved going back and seeing how Lucifer was before meeting Mel. Plus we got to read about how they first met. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I hope the author continues to write about this dynamic duo.

[Lizard And Wombat Romance Reviews]

Lizard: 1⋆.
Wombat: Pending⋆.
Overall: Pending⋆.

[Mary Lou Hoffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE DEVIL’S WORK is the first book in the Mel Goes to Hell series. Here’s the thing, though, it’s actually the fifth release, but it’s the new number one and the author is updating and re-releasing the other titles soon.

I’d already read the first and second books (now the 1.5 and two? See below for my scorecard), so for me this was a prequel. It was interesting to find out the machinations behind the creating of HELL Corporation.

I had a bit of a pause determining the “genre” to write down for this book since there is no real romance to speak of – Lucifer doesn’t exactly do hearts and flowers, just secretaries. It is pure comedy… errr, not so pure, if you know what I mean. It is intellectually fun and flirty as the devil pits his arrogance against all of mankind.

I loved it. It was entertaining, not overly theological, fun, and funny. Not an easy line to walk when tackling this type of subject, but Demelza Carlton does it! She makes the devil a character you know (your boss, maybe?)

I’m looking forward to reading the re-releases and continuing the series. Join me in HELL.

Note: While I received this book as a gifted ARC, my opinions are my own and are given freely.

Title: THE DEVIL'S WORK
Series: Mel Goes to Hell #1
Category /Genre: Paranormal Fantasy, Comedy
Recommended for: 18+ due to sexual content
Grammar/editing: book received as an unedited ARC / errors excused
Received from: Demelza Carlton (as an ARC gifted copy)


1. The Devil’s Work
Welcome to Hell
2. See You in Hell
3. Mel Goes to Hell
4. To Hell and Back
5. The Holiday from Hell
6. All Hell Breaks Loose

[J.L. Peridot · Rating 5 out of 5]

A paranormal comedy full of double entendres, hints of steam, and business satire, with tongue firmly in cheek. Standouts for me were the gorgeous cover, Lucifer's relateably hellish driving experience 😂 and the imagination-stoking take on my home city. Don't think I'll ever look at Perth CBD the same again.

[Priscilla Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story starts with a deal being made and the contract in its final stage for a “mutually beneficial relationship” between (you guessed it) the devil and Toller, a politician (surprised?). Toller really does not think very far ahead or what the end will mean; he doesn’t care except for immediate gratification. Of course Toller already had his place in Hell reserved so he was an easy target for the devil to manipulate.

A little tidbit: Luce really hated riding elevators because it caused flashbacks to his fall (literally) from heaven.

Luce’s ambition and arrogance has not diminished since his fall from heaven; it has grown. He is now on a mission to branch out and expand his dominion over Hell to include Earth and then going after Heaven. But, extending his rule is hinging on being able to keep Michael and Raphael from finding out exactly what he’s doing until it too late.

Even with all of his arrogance Luce realizes he needs help so he is following Mephistopheles directions towards his (possible) success of total dominion over it all. Mephi, was better than a fantastic lawyer/campaign manager/consultant which is good because Luce’s thoughts are easily distracted and has trouble keeping on track. With Mephi’s help the Devil is CEO of SoulCorp and his control is expanding from Australia, and if Luce can follow the plan he just may get what he wants.

His angelic foes are tying to determine exactly what he's doing. There is an employment agency, Helpful Angels. This employment agency is run by Michael and Raphael, and in an attempt to spy on Luce’s endeavors the agency has supplied SoulCorp with temp help. (who are to be the agency's spies). But they were recognized as angels and each had a weakness that Luce and his demons exploited and corrupted.

Until Mel. She smelled of Heaven; but she did not look or acts like an angel. Her smell of Heaven could well be his one weakness that will turn the scale in the angels favor. I would have like more of Mel in this book

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun and entertaining! What a delightful romp into the world of angels and demons. Get ready to meet the king of the underworld, Lucifer, and get an inside look at his plans to take over the world and heaven, itself. His scheme is not what you might think. Lucifer is a lecherous, yet somehow almost loveable lothario, with some very human idiosyncrasies (vanity, massive sense of entitlement, short temper…) which lend themselves rather well to setting the stage for this unique, entertaining, often comedic story. Personally, I found that having this book written from Lucifer’s point of view (unlike the rest of the books in this series) was a brilliant approach to generating interest in the series while, at the same time, giving us insight into the mindset of a potentially repellant character. Had Lucifer been portrayed as the embodiment of wrath, evil, and vitriol instead of as a lecherous, self-absorbed, occasionally clueless guy willing to learn origami just to tell a joke at an office meeting, this book would have been far less enjoyable and, in my opinion, far less likely to pique the reader’s curiosity about what else awaits us in the future installments of this series. It is not a long book, sadly, only one evening’s entertainment but be prepared for a completely immersive experience that will leave you wanting more.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Stan Hutchings · Rating 5 out of 5]

I noticed I had several other 'Mel Goes to Hell' Series Books when Book 1 was offered. I bought Book 1 because I like to start with the first (or prequel, if any) and proceed chronologically. I enjoyed the first book, so will continue with the rest of the series. The writing is light-hearted, told from the point of view of Luce (the fallen angel Lucifer), with humor and a jaundiced view of human nature, especially of politicians (to which I can definitely relate).
We meet Luce Iblis, Lord of Hell and CEO of SoulCorp. A polished, suave, debonair, sexy, devil-may-care corrupter of souls. He and Mephistopheles are planning the dominion of the Earth, starting with Western Australia. Things go well, until it seems not only the angel Raphael knows what's going on, but Luce has to hire angels to get the work done because there aren't enough trained demons available. Computers and spreadsheets and mobile phones, oh my! Then Lucifer, former Light of the Morning, meets Mel Angel, setting him up for another downfall - to be continued....

[Beth C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’re familiar with the “Mel Goes To Hell” series, you’ll enjoy this book. It’s now Book 1 in the series and hasn’t been seen before. It’s the prelude to Mel actually working at the H.E.L.L. Corporation as told from Lucifer’s point of view.
It was a little slow starting out, and completely full of details,but got better towards the end and rolled right into when Mel interviews for her job there. It was kinda cool to see the other side of what Mel’s is having to deal with, and all the demonic activity behind the scenes at the office. Lol!
It actually looks like the series has been reworked a little bit. So I’m looking forward to seeing the changes. It does make the whole story make a bit more sense. It’s nice that the author would put so much into making a series better. And the new covers...whew!🔥
I received a review copy. I am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kaye · Rating 5 out of 5]

KICKIN' UP THE HEAT!!!
OMG! Talk about hard decisions. This is one exciting, action packed, heart pounding, pulse racing, page turning bombshell that hits the ground running. All the twists , ups and downs, along with a few glitches here and there make for one exciting adventure. Throw in all the drama and suspense and you have one intense, electrifying tale that captures your attention from start to finish. The characters and their personalities are so realistic and believable it feels like you can just reach out and touch them. The scenes are so graphically detailed it really pulls this bad boy together beautifully. You have no trouble picturing every scenario as it plays out perfectly. Demelza did an incredible job bringing this read to life flawlessly. Fantastic job Demelza, thanks for sharing this awesome read with us.

[Kaye · Rating 5 out of 5]

KICKIN' UP THE HEAT!!!
OMG! Talk about hard decisions. This is one exciting, action packed, heart pounding, pulse racing, page turning bombshell that hits the ground running. All the twists, ups and downs, along with a few glitches here and there make for one exciting adventure. Throw in all the drama and suspense and you have one intense, electrifying tale that captures your attention from start to finish. The characters and their personalities are so realistic and believable it feels like you can just reach out and touch them. The scenes are so graphically detailed it really pulls this bad boy together beautifully. You have no trouble picturing every scenario as it plays out perfectly. Demelza did an incredible job bringing this read to life flawlessly. Fantastic job Demelza, thanks for sharing this awesome read with us.

[The Mysterious Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

You’ll cry, you’ll laugh, you’l probably snort a bit ... but no matter what you’ll do, you’ll definitely enjoy Demelza Carlton’s The Devil's Work, first in her Mel Goes to Hell series. Totally imaginative and fun. Read the blurb. If it even slightly amuses you I promise you’ll love this story. But for the fact that I’m literally dictating this review to my husband from my hospital bed I could go on and on with praises. The book definitely deserves it. Since I can’t do that I will simply note that the book is most definitely one to read, and it is easy to highly recommend. I’m definitely looking forward to the next book in this series.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Devil devises a plan to take control of Earth.
What the Devil wants the Devil gets! Unless it's something to do with Angels or controlling Heaven. In that case, not so much. But he has a plan this time and it's foolproof. 
A cute story which points up the lengths to which the Devil will go to corrupt humans and he will even have a go at corrupting Angels, after all, they are so desirable. This is the first in a series which is emerging as a set of fairly short humorous reads. Recommended. I received a free ARC of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[ebsTx · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun, cheeky read. The devil, Luce, is so arrogant and assured you just know he is going to trip eventually. I grinned all the way through the book. Luce thinks he has the perfect plan to defeat the angels and take over Earth and mankind. He, along with his assistants Lillith and Mephi, believe they can write the ironclad contracts to get all the human souls by taking over government departments instead of politicians one by one. A much faster process. I think there is an angel that will put a link in his plans.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the new first book in the Mel Goes to Hell series, which already has several books in it. I have not had a chance to read any of the others yet, but this one makes me want to find out what happens when Luce attempts to corrupt Mel. It is a short introduction to the wheres and whys of Luce's presence on earth, in Australia of all places (for once America is not the devil's target). Mel does not make an appearance until the final chapters, but it was enough to make me want to know what happens next.

I was given an advanced copy of this book by the author. My review is voluntary.

[Patricia Hoffstaetter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this is a short but humorous story. I found the story-line & plot quite entertaining, well-thought out & written. The characters are quite realistic and have individual personalities.
There is: demons, angels, humans, an arrogant demon (Lucifer), his assistants (Lillith & Mephi), a new angel (Mel), twists & turns, devious plans, determination, memories, opportunities, politicians, greed, contracts, corruption, foiled plans, rivalry, frustration, amusement & temptation.

[Angela's Book Addiction · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Devil's Work by Demelza Carlton is paranormal fantasy and the prequel to the existing Mel Goes to Hell series. This is the first book I've read by the author and it's different from what I usually read. The story introduces Luce, the HELL corporation, and their scheme to take over Western Australia. We meet Mel, the protagonist of the series, at the very end. While not a complete story, it was an interesting beginning and I'm curious about what happens next.

*** I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC. ***

[Cleocutie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is labeled as the first book in a series, but I think it would read better as a prequel to give you some more information if you have read at least one of the other books in the series. If you try to read it without anything else there will be a lot of blanks spots and things that are not as rich as if you read it after. With that being said, this is a fun story full of jokes and lighthearted banter that is a good read even if you have not read any more of the series and a great read if you have so the blanks are filled in.

[Brad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting Start to the Series

This is the first book in the series and is focused on Luce and his plan. The character development is good and the world view is well presented. While the story does have an ending, it mostly closure to an extended prologue. Before Mel can go to work for HELL Corp, it has to be created.

Politicians and government agencies and workers bear the brunt of a lot of satire. Who knew that demons had been slowing down government services for centuries.

Fun to read and looking forward to what follows!

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this little glimpse into Lucifer's world. Now I want to read the rest!! Luce reminds me of a cross between Lucifer (well from Lucifer) and Crowley (from Supernatural). Loved this. I want to know how his plan for domination of earth goes on his path to taking heaven. And I sympathize with his feelings about elevators. ;-) I received a review copy. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

[ebsTx · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun cheeky read. The devil, Luce, is so arrogant and self-assured. He thinks he has decided the perfect plan to defeat the angels and take all the human souls to Hell. Instead of trying to control politicians, why not control all the departments in the government? Perth is the perfect place to start. Out of the way and off the angels radar. I think he is underestimating his opponents. I think the angel Mel is going to slip in and trip him up!

[Patti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall rating: 4.8

Book one in this series was hopefully, the perfect pitch to have readers chomping for the next! Wonderful characters, a storyline with a purpose, and the cunning set up to what promises to be highly entertaining as well as shocking. Truly what I imagine to be a slam dunk invitation to a great series! Looking forward to the mystery that is Mel. All my reviews are always voluntarily written.