Review + Excerpt: Devil You Know by L.A. Fiore

Devil You Know by L.A. Fiore
Published by Self Published on 3/10/17
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 362
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Damian Tate. One look into his sad green eyes and I was hooked. I wanted to be the one to make him laugh, to make him smile. I hadn't expected him to be the one to make me blush, to make me hot...to make me fall in love. He was my first kiss, my first love, my first everything. I wanted forever with him, but life got in the way.
He enlisted, I went to college, and for years we were never in the same place long enough to pick up where we left off.
Thirteen years after he left, tragedy brings him home. The stoic boy I fell in love with grew into a quiet, dangerous and wildly sexy man. He still tugs on all the right strings for me, but he seems determined to keep me at arm's-length.
However, when trouble comes knocking at my door, he is the one to put himself between that trouble and me.
Spending time with him might drive me insane, or it might be our second chance at first love.

Here it is, my REVIEW of a book that I fell madly and wholly in love with. You guys, this novel gives me LIFE. It makes me feel shouty and emotional just thinking of it. As you’ll see in my review, I’m completely consumed. It’s an EVERYTHING book. I’m going to give it infinite stars, because it’s one of my most FAVORITE reads of all time.

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Angie’s Review

6 “There is Nothing Better Than This” Stars.

“He was beautiful, imperfect and mine.” – Thea
“I want it all—every kiss, every breath, every moan, every orgasm, every memory…good and bad.” – Damian.

I’m obsessed with this book. Consumed by it. I cannot get over the story inside. I don’t even know how to review it. I don’t where to start. What to say. Devil You Know has taken me by storm. I’m it’s captive. It’s holding my heart prisoner.

This was my first L.A. Fiore book. Not sure why I haven’t read her before this point. When I think over all the novels I’ve read in the last 4-5 years, this ranks up there with the top favorites! The emotions it pulled from me were more than powerful. I don’t know if this has ever happened to you, but when I was reading, I was so entranced, so wrapped up in the words, I had moments where I literally had a physical reaction to it.

Fingers tingling.
Hot sweats.
Jolts of electricity.
Adrenaline spikes.
Tears. A mountain of tears.
Fast heart rate.
Flushed skin.
Rapid breathing.
More crying.
More tingling.
More. More. More. More of everything.

This novel not only affected me emotionally, but I felt it. In my bones. Under my skin. It lived a life inside me. Vividly! I don’t know how else to describe it. And at this point, a couple days after finishing, I’m in a fog. I can’t focus. I keep running over scenes inside my mind. I keep going over what the characters said. Reading quotes. Dreaming about it. And now screaming about it. I’m frenzied in my need to get this novel in your hands.

It’s an EXPERIENCE, not just a book. And when you come out on the other end, you’ll have gone on a journey so wrought with emotional struggle, so well written, and well thought out, you’ll know you’ve read a book that you have lived. There’s no way you could read this and not feel it. It’s just not possible. It’s an unforgettable story.

I said this to someone the other day, and I’ll say it again, it’s so refreshing to see an author TAKE THE TIME TO WRITE A BOOK WELL. There’s no stone left unturned in this. No plot holes. The writing’s impeccable. The story line seamless. I’m in AWE of this authors talent. And when I think of Devil You Know as a whole, I feel overwhelmed by it. All the scenes that were written, leading up to a jaw dropping picture, the journey that Damian and Thea took from start to finished, it was so well thought out, so well done.

These characters! They are multidimensional. Their personalities are big. You learn everything about them! What makes them tick. What they love. What they hate. Why they are who they are. There’s NO TELLING in this book. It’s all shown to you in a way that YOU get to experience it. It’s so rare to find a novel like this. I swear, I saw the authors heart in this book. I felt it. And I want to commend her for taking the time to write a story that was so flawlessly executed.

Again, this is one of the best novels I’ve ever read. And every second of reading it has branded itself on me. I cannot stop thinking about it. I feel like I am on FIRE for these characters. I’m giddy over my reading experience. And I WANT THE SAME THING FOR YOU.

I want you to read it and feel all that I felt. This is a second chance romance. Thea and Damian meet when they are teenagers. They’re both so smart and so mature for their age. Endearing and lovable beyond words. Your connection to them is instant. The first portion of this novel is gut-wrenching. I cried. A lot. We see Damian’s childhood. What makes him HIM. And we get to live the romance between Damian and Thea.

I’m not going into detail. I don’t want to give anything away. But this story is laid out in a way that you get to live ALL the years with Damian and Thea. You’ll fall in love. You certainly won’t know what to do with yourself. It’s impossible not to become completely invested. There is a suspense element in this story that comes into play as well. It’s a GREAT addition to the romance we have going on. A sub plot that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

I’m telling you, you want to read this book. YOU WANT TO. It’s so good. So powerful, so visceral, so moving. I just… I don’t know what else to say. What else can I even say? Just READ IT. Read it now. You won’t be sorry. This is the best second chance romance around. Absolutely a top favorite read of ALL TIME for me!

Excerpt

Before I could scan the crowd for Damian, a hand wrapped around mine…one with cuts and blood on the knuckles. It was Damian and he looked pissed.

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

My heart hurt seeing his face—a cut near his left eye, blood smeared down his cheek and a blooming bruise on his jaw. “I heard you and Cam talking. I was curious.”

He had been walking me toward the exit but those words stopped him. His feet sort of rooted themselves to the concrete floor as his head turned in my direction. “So you walked here alone?”

“It wasn’t far.”

That wasn’t the right answer apparently because he hissed between his teeth. It wasn’t an actual word, just a release of frustration.

He started toward the exit again. “What are you fighting when you are out there?”

We had just reached the stairs when he pulled me behind them and pressed me up against the wall. “Come again?”

“When you fight, what are you fighting?”

“Not who am I fighting?”

“No, your opponent isn’t what you’re fighting.”

He leaned in and lowered his head to look me right in the eyes. “How do you know that?”

I gently wiped the blood from his face. “I know you.”

He had the strangest reaction to that. He closed his eyes, like he was in pain, and lowered his forehead to my shoulder. “This can’t happen.”

Those words caused a chill to move right down my spine. He was wrong. It totally could and should happen. “Why not?”

He lifted his head and for the first time I saw so much more in those eyes. “Cam is a good friend and your parents are like my own.”

“And?”

His lips brushed along my jaw and I had to lock my knees to keep from sliding down the wall. “And if I did to you all the things I wanted, I couldn’t sit at their table without them knowing that I claimed every part of you.”

About the Author

L.A. Fiore is the author of several books including: Beautifully Damaged, Beautifully Forgotten, Beautifully Decadent, His Light in the Dark and A Glimpse of the Dream. She’s also the social secretary for her two children, a tamer of ill-mannered cats, the companion to one awesome dog and married to her best friend. She likes her wine red, her shrimp chilled and her social gatherings small and intimate.