Devil at the Crossroads by Cornelia Grey

Title: Devil at the Crossroads

Author: Cornelia Grey

Genre: Paranormal

Length: Novella (75 pages)

Publisher: Riptide Publishing (September 23^rd, 2013)

Heat Level: Explicit

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥5 Hearts

Reviewer: Thommie

Blurb: The devil covets more than his soul…

Six years ago, Logan Hart sold his soul to the devil to become the greatest bluesman of all time—and now the devil has come to collect.

The irony is that Logan squandered his gift. High on fame, money, and drugs, he ignored his muse and neglected his music. And despite escaping showbiz in a moment of clarity, it’s too late to redeem himself. All that’s left is to try to go out with some dignity. Alas, the prospect of an eternity in Hell isn’t helping much with that goal.

But Farfarello, the devil who bought Logan’s soul, isn’t ready to drag him down to Hell quite yet. He’s just spent six years working his ass off to whip a bluesman into shape, and he refuses to let that—or the opportunity for more sinful pleasures with Logan—go to waste.

Product Link: http://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/devil-crossroads

Review: The first thoughts ringing in my head right after I finished this book were: Fantastic, brilliant, freakin’ amazing.
This is such a wonderful story, not your typical deal with the devil no, the author takes it a step (or several) further and makes your head spin while constantly keeping you on your toes.

Logan Hart is our character here and God could he be or have a more miserable life? Don’t think so and I got to feel that misery leaking from the words in this text right down on my toes. Poor guy is a musician, a bluesman, but his life wants him to waste away in a coal factory. His life lies in front of his bleak and uninspiring leading to one thing and one thing only. Die from unverified circumstances after withering in this miserable existence, or do something about it.
Farfetched? Yes. And half hoping, half disbelieving the truth of it, Logan sets to find the Devil at the Crossroad. He has a soul that refuses to waste away and burns with the passion for music, and Devils, well they collect souls right? Surely, he can have a good bargain.

This novella is really brilliant. In a very short space, it managed to spin my brain in all directions and make me feel lost along with its character. It takes you from the livid description of a miserable life, to the emptiness and hollow feelings of a rich yet uninspired one, only to end the trip in the agony and expectation of death. When time came for the Devil to collect his soul I simply adored every single line describing Logan’s feeling. His fear, his panic, his whole reasoning, and finally his acceptance, I got to experience all of it along with him, just as I got to be shocked and surprised from the turn of events.
When the Devil came, I simply had to stop a bit and ask myself why? Why did Farfarello do what he did? I mean the explanations he gave were certainly logical, but then again why bother?

Whatever the reasons, what follows is maddening, carnal, unapologetically hot sex, it was part of the contract after all. The mixture of fear and surreal Logan had the residue of panic and the resignation to his fate made the encounter to be even more intense than it already was. Farfarello (I so dislike this name) was beyond hot, beyond sinful, beyond alluring. He really managed to rise as the ultimate ethereal creature into my mind’s eye while reading about him, and damn if I didn’t feel disappointed when the story ended.

Logan’s story is really a wonderful one, one that makes want to look deep down your own soul a bit, set your priorities, makes you think twice before you open your mouth, and ask/demand whatever. The saying “careful what you wish for” comes alive in this book and at times makes you laugh bitterly at how vain we humans really are, how easily we let go our truest dreams in favor for illusions.
This story deserved the whole five hearts from me for a most enjoyable afternoon, and the bit of self-reflection it gave me. However, I wish this were a series with Farfarello as a constant. I cannot bear to part with him, and his mysterious alluring story calls like a siren to me.

Strongly recommended!