3.5 Stars

Tom sits in the local pub, day after day, eyeballing the gorgeous waiter that he is fairly sure is straight and way out of his league. Even if the guy was gay, Tom is far too shy to approach him. However, when a fellow customer accidentally bumps Tom’s drink and offers a fresh one, Tom agrees, setting off what will be a life-changing series of events Tom could never have expected to happen to him in a million years.

Saul is a successful demon who is in the business of signing up souls for hell. Tom is his latest mark, and an eager one at that. For a relatively shy albeit lonely guy, Tom surprises even himself when he agrees to hand over his immortal soul for a night of sex with the handsome demon. As one night turns to more, Saul does the unthinkable and tears up the contract Tom has signed, causing Hell to rock on its heels and a price to be placed on both Tom and Saul’s heads.

But, there is more to Tom than meets the eye and when Heaven gets involved in the rescue mission for Tom’s soul, Hell will be forced to pay attention. If they lose Tom, they certainly won’t hesitate to chop Saul down to size, and that means no more trips topside, no freedom to move among the humans, and no Tom. Poor Saul is about to realize just what love is and how much it can hurt.

Authors Asta Idonea and Nicki J. Markus set up a cute paranormal romance story in their latest release, Souls for Sale. Told in alternating points of view, the novel tries its best to show how love can change the most jaded of hearts. Saul is sarcastic, a bit unfeeling, and definitely full of himself—just as a demon should be, particularly one that tempts men and women into selling their souls to the devil. When he sees Tom across the pub, he sees another mark—a dorky, kind of cute but run-of-the-mill patsy who he will charm into signing. No big deal. Then, after a few nights of incredible sex, Saul has a change of heart—if he actually has one at all. Suddenly he doesn’t want to give Tom away. His “angel” should never have been coerced into the contract. At least, that’s what Saul tells himself. In reality, the demon is experiencing love for the very first time—maybe. Saul isn’t exactly sure what love is, but Tom is certain enough for both of them, so they go on the lam, fleeing demons sent to retrieve both of them. You see, Hell is not happy that Saul has flaunted the rules by keeping this human, and they are determined to not only have Tom’s soul but to punish Saul as well.

At first, I wasn’t a huge fan of Saul or of the alternating chapters told by both characters. Saul’s personality was more grating than humorous for me, and while the change that took place for him personally was quite sweet, the story never really offered much up in the way of addressing the growing affection between Tom and Saul. It felt as though Tom’s narration was considerably weaker than Saul’s, his character a bit washed out, and the love he develops for Saul came off as rather limp. I felt we never got to know Tom; his back story was non-existent. Why was he so lonely? Why didn’t he date? Why was he so blasé about selling his soul for a night of sex? So many unanswered questions.

The chase, the trial in Hell, and even Heaven’s intervention was quite good, but the idea that Saul and Tom could be in love was a bit far-fetched simply because their character development was so shallow. I would have much preferred to have this story done with just one character’s point of view and learned more about that main character and, through him, his love interest as well. Instead, we got bits and pieces of both men and not nearly enough to convincingly establish them as a couple. To be frank, the last third of this book was the best part. Unfortunately, this rapidly evolving climactic section was overshadowed by the fact that it felt like there was little or no buildup to that point. It felt so rushed and choppy as we swung from Saul to Tom and back again—I had a hard time getting a real bead on either man, to be honest.

I think that Asta Idonea and Nicki J. Markus have some real potential as authors of the paranormal. I just felt that Souls for Sale could have used a bit more focus on establishing who these characters were, what their backstories involved, and should have spent a bit more time on developing their relationship. The story was a great idea that simply needed a bit more meat to make it a fully fleshed out novel.

Reviewed by Sammy

In exchange for one night of pleasure, Tom agrees to sell his soul to a demon named Saul. But when the night ends, Saul finds Tom too tempting to let go so they go on the run from the demons of Hell, who are not thrilled with Saul breaking his contract.

I found their flight from the assassin from Hell to be pretty darn interesting. Genuinely invested in this predicament, I wondered how Saul was gonna get out of it without Tom getting killed or worse. In that regard, I was not disappointed.

As for their relationship, the smutty scenes are well written and I empathized a great deal with Tom as the lost nerd and Saul's sudden acquisition of feelings when he's not supposed to have any. But in the end, this is pretty standard. Fun but standard. 3.5 out of 5.

I have loved this type of stories in the past but for some reason this book didn’t do it for me. Found hard to get into. Just couldn’t quite finished it.

Book – Souls for Sale
Author – Asta Idonea
Star rating - ★★☆☆☆
No. of Pages – 139
Cover – Gorgeous!
POV – 1st person, narrative, dual POV
Would I read it again – No
Genre – LGBT, Paranormal, Demon


** COPY RECEIVED THROUGH NETGALLEY **


DNF.

Sorry, this one wasn't for me. I tried, I did, but I just don't like the writing style. Two of my biggest pet hates are here - 1st person, where very little detail is given and when it is it's all unnatural because it's given by the person themselves; and narration or talking to the reader, which I genuinely can't stand at all. I don't want to be talked to. I want to experience the story and the emotions for myself.

I just couldn't get into it, at all. Not when every other minute the first narrator, Saul, was saying things like “Oh, here he comes. See if you can pick him from the crowd. No? Hard, isn't it?” Well, yeah! Because I'M. NOT. THERE. Then there's the “Take this guy. We can see,” Oh, it's we, is it? No, it's really not. I'M. NOT. THERE. I can't see a damned thing and I don't want to be told that I do when I don't. “Now, I don't like to brag, but I consider myself to be quite the looker. Well, you're looking at me now. Wouldn't you agree?” NO. BECAUSE. I'M. NOT. THERE.

Sorry. It just rubs me up entirely the wrong way and I couldn't bear to even get into Tom, the second MC's POV when I just knew it was going to be the same. If the first 5% makes me angry and frustrated, then the rest isn't going to get any better and I'm better stopping there, before I work myself into a lather and end up hating it entirely.

Which is a real shame, because I've been on a demon-reading kick lately and I was really looking forward to this, after reading the blurb. I was really looking forward to a huge battle between Heaven and Hell, a demon finding himself out of his depth. But I just didn't like Saul. No. I hated him. I'm sorry, but he was so arrogant, so full of himself and with the addition of the writing that broke the fourth wall in every other sentence, it wasn't a book that I could spent my time on. There are a million other books out there that I want to read and this one just couldn't convince me to keep going.

I have to call quits to the book and the whole m/m paranormal romance. We just don't work out. I love paranormal romances and m/m romances, but for some reason they don't work for me when they are combined. I really wanted to love this book and this genre, but I just don't think me and the m/m pn romance genre mesh. I tried several - several - books and not one worked out so far. So I'm done. I'm sorry.

This is a clear case of "it's me not you". I'm sure some people will enjoy this book. I wish the author and this genre the best, but I'm out and will stick to normal m/m romances and m/f paranormal romances. :/

This was a fun read, although honestly I'm not sure I entirely buy Saul throwing his entire life away after one night with Tom but I guess that's just the disbelief you have to suspend in romance novels. I really like the narration style where the 1st person narrator speaks directly to the reader so I think that is what really sold this book for me [well that and the whole angels and demons thing, I'm a sucker for anything with demons], although I know a lot of people find that style to be annoying so that might not really be a selling point for everything. The ending was entirely predictable but it was also super cute. I just had a good time reading this even if it is a bit ridiculous at times. Sometimes you just need a light read and this is definitely a good one.

If I could I would give this 10 stars out of 5. I was really pleasantly surprised by this book. I loved the premise, then opened it to see that it was first person, rotating perspectives. I hate hate hate first person and was resistant at first, but was won over by the clear character voices. In the end, I wouldn't change it, since if you know anything about protestant Christianity or have read any number of classic literature on demon bargain making, you know how this will end. I read the summary, made a vague guess, got through a few chapters that established the lore and could tell you point by point how this ends without finishing it. The first person narration keeps the suspense going, and adds the tension back to the story. I even liked that I could see the ending from space because it respected the lore established about demons and didn't try to pull a bait and switch and add weird powers to a classic setup. The ending is earned because demonic bargains have such a rich history in our culture that the book even mentions having to explain the differences to fans of the Supernatural show. The setup is paid off well.
On top of the story, I really enjoyed the characters. Saul is enjoyable, and well named. His feelings for Tom happen quickly, but not to an unrealistic level given that there are supernatural elements in play. There is a lot of sex. Well written and non-repetitive sex that breaks the fourth wall to chide the reader for being a voyeur while being extremely open to having an audience.
Tom is a little pathetic to start out but comes into his own quickly enough, and the sad reality of him not even being missed by the human world for the better part of a year are played for laughs. This book is heavily comedic and pop culturally aware, which tends to distract attention away from critiquing the sudden romance, or some plot points. The narration constantly reminds you that you are observing a story, and it's a funny romance, so just enjoy it. And I did.
The book kind of dangles a plot thread of Tom's ancestry that isn't really resolved, and while Saul tells us that continuing his story past this book would be boring, I feel like this might be a set up for another one? Otherwise I'm not sure why Tom's background is given as much attention as it is. I can hope for a sequel, and if not, will still be looking out for this author in the future.

This was a solid read, but I had trouble for the first 35% or so figuring out what the plot of the book would be and almost put it down. In the end, I stayed because of the humor.
Saul, a demon, and Tom, his human mark, meet when Saul decides to convince Tom to sell his soul in exchange for a night with Saul. Saul's POV is funny - he's a selfish, arrogant, demon, after all. Tom's is less so. He's a lonely comics artist and doesn't seem to have any reason to say no when Saul proposes the bargain. I was annoyed that Tom didn't care enough about his life to say no, but I also acknowledge that the book wouldn't have proceeded if Tom had walked away.
So Tom says yes and they have a lot of sex. The book has a lot of sex, in fact. The two of them are supposedly madly in love, but I really just saw them banging a lot. (This part of my review will probably sell a bunch of you on the book.) So now they've had The Sex and Saul starts having those dreaded Feelings for Tom. He burns the contract, since it hasn't been filed yet.
The rest of the book consists of them living on the run, getting caught, figuring out a way to be together. It's at around that 35% mark that we meet two new narrators, an angel and another demon, who've been sent to capture Tom and protect Tom's soul, respectively. I very much enjoyed reading their POVs, as I found our MCs to be a bit repetitive after a while.
If you like angel/demon stories, the show Supernatural, or ever wished your PNR with biblical references was gay, here ya go. I, for one, really liked that it was just obvious that God was on board with the relationship because they were so madly in love. Not even addressed, just natural and taken as a given by everyone in the book.

Well, that was different ... the writing style, I mean. Using 1st person POV, Saul also talks to readers, like narrating a movie where he talks about what he thinks or feels. It takes a little while for me to get used to it -- but I can attribute it to his character (I found him quite full of himself sometimes :p).

BUT, I didn't really buy the sudden switch from Saul seeing Thomas as a target then suddenly falls for this human and even willing to get rid of the signed contract. It wasn't convincing enough, considering they only spend that one night (of few hours) together.

Interesting characters and an intriguing storyline, snark tempered by a bit of sweetness.

This story doesn’t have much substance, but if you are looking for a light, quick read to pass the time, it would probably fill the bill.

The plot is simple. Saul, a demon, tempts human Tom into signing his soul away for a night of sexual ecstasy. After their night together, though, Saul is enamored enough with Tom to feel guilty and destroys the contract. Saul’s bosses are understandably unhappy with him, and the two lovers go on the run across Europe to escape Hell’s minions. Then Heaven takes an interest and sends an angel to make sure Tom doesn’t get dragged to the fiery pit. But even if the angel can save Tom, what about Saul, the demon he loves?

The biggest weakness of this short novel is that it’s much more tell than show. Readers get told that Saul and Tom are in love but don’t really get to see them interact in a loving way much, since they spend most of the novel on the run. Well, there are a fair number of sex scenes, but they didn’t have much impact for me without the emotional connection between the characters. So, as a romance, it didn’t work well for me.

I did still find certain aspects of the book entertaining, however. I enjoyed Saul’s archly witty tone and the way the character broke the fourth wall to address the reader directly throughout the story. I liked the cultural references the author manages to work into the story, from a real estate agency named “Pickwick, Dorrit, and Traddles” to Tom, a nerdy comic book artist, giving Saul the last name Morgenstern. (Also, Supernatural is the equivalent of required reading for the modern demon. Ha!) The author definitely gets points for style, even if the substance is lacking.

Overall, it’s a bit of fluff good for whiling away a few hours but without much emotional heft.

A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.

Amusing!

Sexy and dramatic with a dash of sweet.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy.