Series: Devil #3
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Release Date: June 23rd, 2022
Add to Goodreads | Amazon.in (Available on KU)
CW: sexual harrassment in the workplace, misogyny, abuse of power
Ben—Stealer of Clients, Evicter of Homeless Women, Nemesis. Sitting across from me every damn Monday with his lovely, smug smile and his too-perfect teeth, the living symbol of everything I hate.
It’s been my policy to avoid him, but when a case comes into the firm—one that could change his career and mine—I make an exception. It means weekends and evenings by his side. It means enduring his smirk and his smart mouth and never taking the bait.
Until the night Ben says, “Beg.”
And that devil on my shoulder decides to make a few demands of her own.
I’ll be very honest, it took me a bit to remember where I’d heard the name Ben Tate before, but once it registered, everything just fell into place. But even if you’ve not read the previous two books in the series, this one works perfectly well as a standalone. And if you have read the first two, then you are going to love this one because my god it was so beautiful.
In The Devil You Know, Elizabeth O’Roark tackles a topic that is common and frustrating, but she does it pretty damn well. I feel like tons of readers will relate to this and understand the struggles of being a woman in a male-dominated workplace, because this book takes on harassment, misogyny and even the #MeToo movement, while at the same time weaving it into a gorgeous romance between the two leads that by the end of it you might feel slightly hungover. But in all the good ways, of course.
I have a thing for strong, badass and powerful women taking men down one day at a time and O’Roark does that with all the books in this series. But I think Gemma’s level of sass, badassery and determination might just be my favourite. As a lawyer with a well established firm in LA, Gemma’s working towards making partner and being the only woman at that level. But there are more than enough obstacles standing in her way. Not just the man she considers her rival and archnemesis, but literally every man who is already a partner. But that doesn’t stop Gemma, no. She’s going to get that partner position no matter what it takes, even if it means staring her bosses in the face when things go completely wrong. But on the other side, Gemma’s history with her parents divorce and her obsession with Hallmark movies shows you how determined she is to not just stand to the side and let everyone else do the work. She was the perfect balance of every heroine I’ve read and I think that’s what really drew me to her.
“Kissing him is like sinking into a warm bath when you’re freezing cold. His lips open, his tongue teases, and everything about him is suddenly soft and warm and hungry. His hands, holding my face, are firm and rough, possessive and gentle all at once.”
And then there’s Ben Tate. I was a little disappointed that we didn’t get his POV, because after we got Josh’s side in The Devil and The Deep Blue Sea, I figured we’d see more male perspective. However, the story still flows and works perfectly without it. So I’m not complaining, just…observing, I guess? Anyway, Ben. I loved that there was so much more to Ben than meets the eye, and we learned about him and discovered things about him as Gemma does and that lended to that mystery about him right from the start. I liked that even through Gemma’s eyes, he comes across as slightly complex and he’s got a lot going for him that we don’t get to know all at once. Which was strangely endearing.
Their relationship is hot. Not just the steam (which is fantastic), but the chemistry. As rivals competing for the partnership position, Gemma and Ben are constantly going to head to head on cases and different things. And that banter, that back and forth, the tension and the burning lust and desire really amps everything up. Honestly, I could spend forever just writing a review about the banter, because it was fantastic. It was snappy, cutting, funny and entertaining. It gave such insight into these characters too and that was probably one of my favourite things about it.
I didn’t want this book to end, so I tried to drag it out, but at the same time, it was just so brilliant, it was hard to put down! Elizabeth O’Roark has done it again and I am absolutely and completely in love with her writing, her mind and I cannot wait to see what comes next!
Thanks to Valentine PR for generously providing me with an advance copy. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
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