The Devil's Dilemma (Tales from the Tarot) by Alex J. Adams


The Devil's Dilemma is part of the Tales of the Tarot combined universe. This time we have the Devil card and how he finds his very unusual and lucky mate.


From the blurb:

Dante

That cheating low life. I swore when I got my hands on him, his life wouldn’t be worth living.

How dare he steal from me? Doesn't he know who I am?

Only coming close to him, seeing him shudder at my touch. I'm drawn to him in ways I never imagined.

He's an enigma and not at all what he seems.

But what I made him do. He'll never forgive me, he'll hate me, but if that's all he can give me... I'll take it.

Austin

He was filthy rich! He didn’t need the money, probably wouldn’t even miss it. How wrong could I be?

Now here I am, unable to flee and I hate him for what he made me do.

But I can't help myself. I crave his touch and attention. I need everything he can give me.

I think I love him, but if this is all he can give me… I’ll take it, gladly.

DEVIL'S DILEMMA IS A STANDALONE MM ROMANCE NOVEL AS PART OF THE MULTI-AUTHOR COLLABORATION TALES FROM THE TAROT. THIS BOOK IS BASED ON THE MAJOR ARCANA CARD THE DEVIL.

HEA GUARANTEED.

TRIGGER WARNINGS FOR VIOLENCE, CAPTIVITY, KIDNAPPING AND STOCKHOLM SYNDROME


Molly Otto's review:

Overall, I am engaging read with ties to the Magic Shop, and it's all-knowing Owner. I'm glad to see how Alex connected these elements to their addition to the Tales of the Tarot series.

This time, we get the Devil card and the chaos he will inflict upon the life of Austin. Austin seeks help from the Magic Shop in pulling off a heist he knows he shouldn't do yet is compelled to. These two don't exactly get off on an easy start as Dante is the devil and doesn't exactly make it easy for Austin. Their bond is new, but you feel their pull immediately, and that just grows throughout the story.

Overall, it is a great representation of this major Arcana card and a love story that fit perfectly into this series.


Angel's review:

What an interesting story! We start off this book in Austin's POV as him and his 'friends' are planning their next heist. Austin seems to be lucky when it comes to whatever he's doing; whether that's playing cards, stealing candy, or escaping without being noticed. He's the one who gets the cash for himself and his friends.

When his friends come up with the idea to set their sights on a well know casino ran by a man nicknamed the devil, he's immediately weary and apprehensive... That's where The Magic Shop comes into play, and that is where the true story starts.

I liked this book I found it to be quite interesting. The dual POV's was really nice and was written well. Sometimes when a book has dual perspectives it can get confusing if not written well, but that wasn't the case here. Being able to read both Dante and Austin's perspectives was a nice way to get to know both of them better, and to figure out the different way these two men think about certain things.

I found the writing to be good, there was a lot of back and forth between both these men in the beginning, understandably so. I liked that it wasn't immediately insta-love, yes they got together quickly but it wasn't right away which added more to the story.

I found the component of these two being destined to be together was handled and written in a way that made sense and was written well. My only critique is a few loose ends that were mentioned in the beginning of the book then wasn't brought up again. For example, Austin worked as a bartender... but then he was kidnapped and it wasn't mentioned again.. Did he get fired? Did he call and quit? Did Dante do that for him? Furthermore, Pete was the getaway driver for that group of friends yet after the three men got caught in the casino, nobody said what happened to him.

Other than those two things I thought this story was great.


SNik's review:

Part of a multi-author series (Tales from the Tarot), but can be read as a standalone. Paranormal. Captor/captive. Fated mates. Slow burn. Dual POV. Heed content warnings. 

Perhaps using his lucky gambling skills to make money off a casino owned by a man who sported horns was not a great idea. So when Austin has to pay the price, he’s lucky that Dante is intrigued rather than murderous, although with the devil you never know. 

This is an interesting story with two adversarial characters that can’t escape what fate has intended for them. There is action, plenty of supernatural mysteries that come into play, and eventually an attraction and bond that solidifies before Austin and Dante are ready. We learn more about Austin than Dante, and it was entertaining although I do wish there was more emotional connection between them. Overall a fun read with some dark content (given that Dante really is the devil), and some interesting side characters that help the story along.


Rogue's Review:

- paranormal
- tarot
- mates
- forced proximity

This is part of the multi-author tarot series, with the common link being the magic shop and the mysterious owner. The card for this story is The Devil card, and we do get the literal devil in this one. Dante is bored, he's been topside for years and things have got a little stale, then he meets Austin and all bets are off (literally as he owns a casino where Austin tries to steal from him). I really liked the pairing of these two, it's dark, yes and violent in places but not quite as dark as I thought it would be.

I really liked the pairing of Austin and Dante, and especially the twist of Austin's heritage. The story is good too, fast paced and entertaining with just enough spice. It's dark too, which is awesome and as you'd expect from Alex and a story featuring the Devil. This is another wonderful addition to the tarot universe.


The Devil's Dilemma is currently available as an e-book and can be read as part of your Kindle Unlimited Subscription


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