The Devil You Know (Nick Englebrecht #1)
by K.H. Koehler
Review
ick. Nicky. Englebrecht. Scratch. Devil. Diablo. Demon. Call him what you will, but the man is freaking awesome.
“The Devil you Know” follows Nick Englebrecht, a forty- four year old man who happens to be the only son of the devil, and the heir to Hell. I know what you are thinking. He’s a Demon? Does that mean that there is sex, cursing, blood, guts, and gore in this book? Yes. *grins* Yes, there is. And plenty of it. No, this book is not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach, but if you are like me and can handle some level of it, you should be fine. Honestly, I have read books with more gore. Bisexuality is mentioned in passing. There is some rough- ish sex, but nothing incredibly kinky or weird. Yes, there is inappropriate banter, sarcasm, and mentions of rutting fauns. Yes, I said fauns. Okay, you’ve been warned. The prudes and such can now go running back to their nice safe reads, now. And now that I have those warnings out of the way, I can get to the heart of the enigma that is Nick Englebrecht. (Sorry, I love his name, so I have to keep typing it out. Englebrecht...)
Nick was an awesome character. I have read a few books from solely the male character’s perspective and I always find it interesting how the author will write the male lead. I loved Nick’s voice. He is cynical, sarcastic, and funny. He loves candy, tea, and cigarettes. Oh, and he is not a bad guy. How many of you have seen the movie, Wreck it, Ralph? Call me childish (because I watch cartoons and love them or because I quote them. Whatever) but this one line from the movie popped into my head while I was reading the book: “Just because you are bad guy, does not mean you are bad.. guy” If you have not seen Wreck it, Ralph (seriously, what is wrong with you?) then this quote is from a scene where video game villains are meeting and discussing how just because they play villains in the videogame world as their “jobs”, it does not mean that they are horrible people after they leave their “jobs” for the day. Now… to bring that errant thought back to Nick. Just because Nick is a Demon and the son of the devil, etc. etc. It doesn’t mean that is a bad guy. He does not like to see people hurt and he was a fabulously flawed character, in my opinion. I mean, he is a pervert and all, but still a good person. Yep. Still good.
I absolutely love that this book reads sort of like a crime noir novel. The book stars with a beautiful girl in trouble. The ex- detective (Nick) helps the beautiful girl and more trouble soon follows- of the supernatural variety. He even wears a trench coat and smokes cigarettes. He plays the Dick/detective so well. There is a mystery and Nick is stuck in the middle of it, as every good detective should be.
Some other characters were introduced and they were pretty cool as well. They are all still very much a mystery to me while I know a lot about Nick. I hope I will be able to get to know them better in the second book.
The Angel/ Devil aspects were well thought out, and frankly I was fascinated by them. The story-line was sort of addicting. It was impossible to put the book down until the resolution.
I also liked the writing style. It was fun being in Nick's head.
3.8/5 (4)
There were some insta-love vibes and Vivian felt a little bit hollow, but I am super psyched to read book 2 and learn more about everyone.
This book was amazing, however, and I am completely pulling for Nick. I cannot wait to see what happens to him next!
The Devil Dances (Nick Englebrecht #2)
by K.H. Koehler
You want to know something about me? Something important? When I was a kid, I used to read a lot of , I used to read a lot of comics. I watched all the TV shows. Hell, I wanted to be a superhero. Then one day I grew up, and I learned I wasn’t the Lone Ranger. I’m not Spider-Man or Captain-Fucking-Marvel. I’m not a good man, and I never will be. My name is Nicholas Englebrecht and I’m the heir to hell. I’m the Angel-breaker. I’m the goddamn son of the fucking devil and you should know that if you piss me off, things are going to go very bad for you…
Nick Englebrecht is lured to a strange, isolated Amish colony by the mysterious death of a nameless young man. It’s supposed to be a simple enough investigation. Find the kid’s family. Find out what happened to him. But when you’re the devil’s kid, with angels and demons gunning for you at every turn, things have a habit of turning bad fast. Before Nick knows it, he’s up to his ass in bodies, femme fatales, and ancient, bloodthirsty gods with a taste for human flesh.
Review
I understand now why people keep comparing these books to 50 Shades of Gray. O.O I have never read 50 Shades, but from my understanding, it is chalk full of kink. Well.. this book definitely had that. More so than book one. But *shrug* it is a book about the devil. You expect there to be some sinning in there. And the book takes place a year after the initial book, so I guess their tastes have progressed by then. *wink*
While the book undertook a new supernatural mystery along similar lines as the first book, the characters themselves are put through the ringer. It was interesting to see them challenged a tad bit and watch them try to evolve as characters.
Nick was still sarcastic, though not nearly on the same scale as book one. This book had a more serious tone to it.
The writing style was still very fluid and the supernatural elements were very cool. I could tell a lot of thought had gone into the story and the nerd in me was eating up the random lessons in theology and the like. It was very entertaining.
I don't know if two books is it, or if there will be another book. I mean, either way, the ending seemed sort of final to me, so I can accept it. (: A very memorable ending that will stick with me- I have great respect for memorable endings.
I still wanted to get into Vivian's head a little more, but that is just a personal preference and I will have to get over it. I must say I liked her better in the second half of the book than the first half, however. She has grown on me and I will miss her random mini adventures with Nick. Well. If they are over. *frowns while re- reading last few pages* I.. I can't tell. I think some things are unresolved.. *glares* I am so confused right now.
3.7/5 (4)
I would definitely recommend to certain friends- not everyone. I mean, this isn't a series I will be recommending to my mom. But some of my friends? Definitely. So if you love snark, demons, mysteries and history/ theology tempered with some kinky sex, then I would definitely recommend this series to you. In any case, I am going to make Tiffany read it.
Giveaway:
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Def reading this! Thanks for hosting! I prob wouldn't have found out about it otherwise!
ReplyDeleteMary G Loki
Love your reviews! The second book definitely has a bit more ummm... stuff. I mean, it's not for those that are uncomfortable with sex or with a character that swings both ways. I do love Nick's voice! I definitely feel there should be more books. I felt we were left with kind of a sad ending, I mean Nick is just kind of hanging there. He could have handled things better, but really, that's just a guy thing really. So I have my fingers crossed that there's more and more things get worked out. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting a tour stop!