Overview: Series made reviewer a fan of paranormal romance
What worked: Humour and hot sex
What didn't quite gell: Muriel's transformation from principled virgin to threesome enthusiast in a month. And from there on, she starts constructing her harem. Hmm...
The rant/review:
Ok, some perspective first. A confession (thoroughly appropriate since yours truly hadn't read any of Ms Langlais' books till tripping over Lucifer's Daughter, book 1 of the Princess of Hell series. Loved Muriel, aforesaid princess of Hell, for her humour, sass and sexy kickass attitude. Loved Auric even more. Which probably made my reaction to books 2-4, particularly book 4, predictable. Auric gives up the chance of returning to Heaven to be with Muriel, even makes a bargain with Lucifer himself to save Muriel from certain death. Yet, by the next month/novel, she's barely resisting her nympho side and "reluctantly" agrees to a permanent threesome with his best friend, panther shifter, David, who readers find out later apparently owns her heart.
Of course, there were signs even in book 1 that she had lusty thoughts about the panther shifter, but to seal her commitment with Auric and then boink his best friend in pretty much the next breath makes this reader wonder just where did the original Muriel go? Yet more heartbreak awaits Auric fans in books 3-4 since Muriel needs power boosts for her magic (her magic is nympho-based, in other words, she needs sex, lots of it to conjure up wicked spells) and by Vacation Hell, she's actively hunting, with nary a sliver of guilt or remorse at the pain she causes Auric. The poor fallen angel has become so broadminded and stoic that only a flash of pain escapes him when he hears of her latest dalliance with merman Tristan.
I agree with readers who have said somehow, the more Muriel flexes her sexy, the less endearing she gets. Even the cuteness of the child she has with David and Auric seems forced and by Hell's Bells which helps provide a more rounded conclusion to the cliffhanger that was Vacation Hell, the news of another pregnancy of Muriel's and the need for her to control the petty power struggles in her harem are a little too meh. Which is a pity since this reader loved the series.
Saving grace: (haha, how could anyone resist the corny joke?) Humour is Ms Langlais' forte and even in the worst of times, (eg Muriel's lack of compunction in increasing her evergrowing harem)serves to soothe the bristling reader.
And in this vein, Hell's Bells was a much nicer read not just because of the outlandish premise of Lucifer turning nice and freaking out his prospective bride Gaia (aka Earth and Muriel's mother), but also because the lascivious Lucifer manages to becomes a one-woman man, erm, demon, erm, fallen angel. And that from a father who bemoaned Muriel's principled ways and virgin status.
Just for the hell of it:(again, can anyone blame this writer for being inspired by what she reads?)
Why not have an ultimate sequel with Muriel's new brother causing havoc (he's foretold to be an eater of worlds) and Muriel's life getting more complicated because of her latest child. In the midst of it all, Auric decides he's had enough of being Muriel's number one of xxx number and walks away. What would Muriel do? Is power more important than the fallen angel she's always claimed as her number one and her soul mate? It would be nice to have Muriel imbibe just a little of her own medicine - just saying ya know!
Blog rating: 3.9*
Amazon rating 4*
