Reviewer: Tracy
Devil's Mark by Megan Crane
Series: The Devil's Keepers #2
Publisher: Loveswept
Publication Date: January 3rd 2017
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Series Rating:

Holly Chambless is tired of being the squeaky clean daughter of Lagrange’s holier-than-thou mayor. When her father is charged with corruption, she realizes that her whole life’s been a lie. Now’s her chance to do all the things she never dared, like scoring a job at a bar where reputations go to die, or reconnecting with the biker who sparked a secret hunger in her all those years ago. Holly isn’t a wide-eyed girl anymore—and this time she wants a taste of what has always been denied.

Killian “Uptown” Chenier has no time for stuck-up princesses. He likes fast bikes and wild sex. Sure, he remembers Holly. He sent her running with a wicked smile and a lesson about prying eyes. And sure, she’s grown up smoking-hot, with a body he’d like to personally desecrate. But Devil’s Keepers business is real and intense. Her daddy stole from the club, leaving his pretty blonde daughter a walking target. And when Uptown takes aim at what he wants, he never misses.

Holly Chambless is tired of being the squeaky clean daughter of Lagrange’s holier-than-thou mayor. When her father is charged with corruption, she realizes that her whole life’s been a lie. Now’s her chance to do all the things she never dared, like scoring a job at a bar where reputations go to die, or reconnecting with the biker who sparked a secret hunger in her all those years ago. Holly isn’t a wide-eyed girl anymore—and this time she wants a taste of what has always been denied.

Killian “Uptown” Chenier has no time for stuck-up princesses. He likes fast bikes and wild sex. Sure, he remembers Holly. He sent her running with a wicked smile and a lesson about prying eyes. And sure, she’s grown up smoking-hot, with a body he’d like to personally desecrate. But Devil’s Keepers business is real and intense. Her daddy stole from the club, leaving his pretty blonde daughter a walking target. And when Uptown takes aim at what he wants, he never misses.

When the good girl of Lagrange, LA walks into the seediest bar in the town and asks for a job Uptown Chenier is shocked.  He’s always had the desire to get his hands on her but has never had the opportunity.  Now that she’s behind the bar he just might get his chance.

Holly’s dad is someone she always looked up to.  He taught her to be kind and good and she always was.  Then he was arrested for doing some horrible things and all the secrets and whisperings she’d heard over the years started to make sense.  She knows he did everything they say he did.  Now she doesn’t feel like she needs to be the good daddy’s girl any longer and the easiest way to soil her reputation is by working at Dumb Gator’s – the bar where all of the Devil’s Keepers Motorcycle club members hang out.  She’s pulled to Uptown like he’s a magnet and wants nothing more than for him to take her home and do bad things to her – so he does.

This is a story about a good girl’s road to being a bad girl.  Holly is the epitome of good.  She’s never done anything bad even though she’s wanted to more than a few times.  She once caught Uptown having sex behind the church and she wanted nothing more than to be with him.  Now that she’s not 16 any longer she wants her chance to be with him.  He’s more than happy to oblige because he thinks she’s hot and because he wants revenge on her daddy for the horrible things he’s done to the club.  Holly knows that she’s part of his revenge but doesn’t seem to care.  I had an issue with this at first but she was so far removed from caring about her father that it ended up being a nonissue.

My biggest issue with the story was the writing style.  The story was okay even though there were some disjointed parts to it.  We were told some things that were happening with some of the characters and then those things were never resolved – just kind of…left by the wayside.  The writing is what made the story only a 3 star read for me.   The story went something like this:

Dialogue

Inner thought
Inner thought
Inner thought
Inner thought
Inner thought
Inner thought
Inner thought
Inner thought

Response dialogue

Inner thought
Inner thought
Inner thought
Inner thought
Inner thought
Inner thought
Inner thought
Inner thought

I’m not kidding – it went on forever.  There were actually times in the book where the characters were having a conversation and I had to go back and figure out what the hell the previous character was saying because it had been a page and a half or more since they had spoken!  This was a constant throughout the book except maybe when they were having sex (although I’m not positive it didn’t happen then as well) and I found it incredibly annoying.

In the end I ultimately got tired of hearing about what a good girl Holly was and what a bad girl she became by being with Uptown.  We got it – she’s bad now.  While it was an okay book in the end it drove me a bit batty and I can’t say I recommend it.

Rating: 3 out of 5