Speak of the Devil by Britney King
Reading Level: Thriller
Release Date: October 3, 2018
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 262
Book Summary: In the tradition of Gone Girl and Behind Closed Doors comes a gripping, twisted, furiously clever read that demands your attention, and keeps you guessing until the very end. For fans of the anti-heroine and stories told in unorthodox ways, Speak of the Devil delivers us the perfect dark and provocative villain. The only question–who is it? In the upscale suburb where Vanessa Bolton lives, she’s your average suburban housewife. She does her grocery shopping on Tuesday, Thursday mornings are reserved for Pilates, Sundays for church. At home, she’s an impeccable housekeeper and a mother with a mediocre track record. But in discreet hotel rooms throughout the city, she can be whatever you want her to be— provided you can afford the hourly fee. In the rapidly expanding cult to which she belongs, Vanessa has been assigned the role of a “Siren”—a recruiter trained to use seduction to elicit compliance from her marks. Vanessa’s latest assignment—an unsuspecting chemist merely looking for something without strings—proves to be her toughest yet. Unwilling to neatly slide into the roles society has prescribed for them, the two collide in a sensual and savage affair that threatens not only their own lives but also those they seek to protect most. Featuring “tantalizing suspense, pulse-pounding danger, sex, and double-dealing,” Speak of the Devil is a timely and riveting psychological thriller that is impossible to put down.
My Review: Britney King, is one of those authors who independently takes charge of her writing and advertises herself in such a prominent way that her professionalism shines through in all her works. Speak of the Devil, is my first introduction into King’s writing style. I enjoyed her duo narrative between Vanessa and Elliot and the flow of the story’s suspenseful undertone.
But, I regret not starting with The Social Affair and The Replacement Wife first. Don’t be fooled into thinking this novel is a standalone. Because in my opinion, it’s not. I was a bit confused at times, and I found myself re-reading parts to try and piece together the vague explanation of the New Hope church. This cult like organization came off as twisted and brainwashed. As usual, they hide behind religion, when in all honesty, it’s a sad excuse to take advantage of people who seek a place of acceptance. It had similar vibes to the horror stories I’ve heard about in Scientology.
All in all, Vanessa was an interesting character to unlayer, and I was pleasantly surprised at her bravery in certain aspects of the story. I just wish the delivery was stronger. Besides the confusion throughout the chapters, the ending felt a bit rushed as well. It lacked the overall climatic closure we all hope for as readers. And it didn’t help that the plot felt jumbled. I plan on reading the first two books, in hope of better making sense of it all.
My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟
About The Author:
Britney King lives in Austin, Texas with her husband, children, two dogs, one ridiculous cat, and a partridge in a pear tree. When she’s not wrangling the things mentioned above, she writes psychological, domestic and romantic thrillers set in suburbia. Currently, she’s writing three series and several standalone novels. The Bedrock Series features an unlikely heroine who should have known better. Turns out, she didn’t. Thus she finds herself tangled in a messy, dangerous, forbidden love story and face-to-face with a madman hell-bent on revenge. The series has been compared to Fatal Attraction, Single White Female, and Basic Instinct.
The Water Series follows the shady love story of an unconventional married couple—he’s an assassin—she kills for fun. It has been compared to a crazier book version of Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Also, Dexter. Around The Bend is a heart-pounding standalone, which traces the journey of a well-to-do suburban housewife, and her life as it unravels, thanks to the secrets she keeps. If she were the only one with things she wanted to keep hidden, then maybe it wouldn’t have turned out so bad. But she wasn’t.
The With You Series at its core is a deep love story about unlikely friends who travel the world; trying to find themselves, together and apart. Packed with drama and adventure along with a heavy dose of suspense, it has been compared to The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and Love, Rosie. The Social Affair is an intense standalone about a timeless couple who find themselves with a secret admirer they hadn’t bargained for. For fans of the anti-heroine and stories told in unorthodox ways, the novel explores what can happen when privacy is traded for convenience. It is reminiscent of films such as One Hour Photo and Play Misty For Me.
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