Review--Hell Bent by Devon Monk

Instead of the deadly force it once was, magic is now a useless novelty. But not for Shame Flynn and Terric Conley, “breakers” who have the gift for reverting magic back to its full-throttle power. In the magic-dense city of Portland, Oregon, keeping a low profile means keeping their gifts quiet. After three years of dealing with disgruntled magic users, Shame and Terric have had enough of politics, petty magic, and, frankly, each other. It’s time to call it quits.

When the government discovers the breakers’ secret—and its potential as a weapon—Shame and Terric suddenly become wanted men, the only ones who can stop the deadly gift from landing in the wrong hands. If only a pair of those wrong hands didn’t belong to a drop-dead-gorgeous assassin Shame is falling for as if it were the end of the world. And if he gets too close to her, it very well could be....

I did my best to knock out a TBR book or two before my recent book order came in and Devon Monk's Hell Bent was the first one I wanted to get to asap--especially with the sequel coming in just another month and then some! And I have to say that I loved returning to this world of hers. While it's been a few years since I read the last Allie Beckstrom book, I found I was able to follow along pretty easily.

It's been three years since the last Allie book and Shame is our hero. I loved Shame! Shame is pretty much the same. He's dealing hard with his Death magic and it takes its toll on him. He's moody and sarcastic but still the guy you want to have on your side when things go bad. And then there's Terric, his Soul Complement and that's still a huge bane on his existence. Terric is the yin to his yang, filled with Life magic versus his Death magic. Terric always wants to be there for Shame and have them work magic together, but Shame hasn't done that since the times with Allie. He's done with it.

But then an enemy rolls into town. We don't know who he or she is. But we know what they want, Soul Complements and there's only a few of those in Portland. Shame and Terric. Allie and Zay. Plus a few other sets, but no one we know. Basically nothing good will come of it and the Soul Complements are asked to be put into a protective custody situation, but Shame, Terric, Allie and Zay won't have it.

There's still more trouble ahead for Shame. And another part of that is Dessa. An assassin with Shame in her scope. But she's willing to deal. She needs Shame's help in finding the man who murdered her brother. She believes he knows or can get the information for her from his resources. And you can pretty much bet that a romance of sorts develops between the two. And I was quite pleased with it. Shame has always kept people at a distance because of his Death magic and while he tries to keep Dessa away, that's not possible. Pretty much from the moment they meet they fall for one another.

Then an old enemy reveals himself to Shame and pretty much gives the whole villainous speech, where he gives Shame an ultimatum: do what I say or else people will die. And that gets Shame and Terric moving into action.

And on another note, if you're still intrigued by this book and haven't read the Allie Beckstrom series--which I highly recommend--you will not be lost by what goes on here. I feel like when we meet previously met characters from the first series, we got a nice set of sentences explaining who they were. Such as the Hounds, the people who track down magic users with ease. It's not really necessary to know all their backstories. Devon gives you enough of an idea who they are and what their role in the present is. Of course, if you want to know more about them, you could always read the first series!

Hell Bent is the start of Shame's duology and I was quite surprised by the twists and turns it took. But I shouldn't have been surprised, Devon really knows how to write a kickass story! The ending to this one was ultimately shocking! Never had I expected the shocks Devon threw our way. I mean wow! Stone Cold is definitely going to kick ass and it will be Shame doing most of the kicking! Definitely a must read for all fans of the Allie Beckstrom series! 


Overall Rating 5/5 stars