Book Review-Devil of Dublin by B.B. Easton

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.

About The Book

From the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of 44 Chapters About 4 Men (inspiration for the Netflix Original series Sex/Life) comes a dark mafia romance steeped in Irish folklore.

I can’t remember anymore if my grandfather’s eyes were blue or green, but I’ll never forget the way they wrinkled at the corners when he laughed at one of his own jokes. Or the way they sparkled with mischief when he told me tales about the magical creatures that dwelled in the forest behind his humble Irish sheep farm—shy fairies who liked to eat tea biscuits, cruel witches who liked to eat children, a moody lake spirit with a taste for expensive gifts.

As a child, I believed every fantastical word. But when he warned me about the mute boy who also lurked in those woods, the one the priest had declared to be the spawn of Satan himself, I refused to listen. Kellen wasn’t evil. He was kind, and beautiful, and special, and hurting. He was my friend. And with every summer I spent stolen away with him in those enchanted woods, he grew to become so much more.

But when I return to Glenshire as an adult, grieving and engaged to someone else, all those legends quickly morph into nightmares.

My grandfather had been right about everything, especially the boy.

If only I had listened.

WARNING: If you are a sensitive reader or find certain topics to be emotionally triggering, please exercise self-care and select a different book. Devil of Dublin is intended for mature audiences who enjoy dark subject matter, tortured anti-heroes, explicit adult content, graphic violence, heart-pounding suspense, fairy-tale worthy love, and gorgeous Irish scenery. If that sounds like you, then welcome to Glenshire! 

I was no longer human or demon or even fucking breathing. I was simply hers—mind, body, and cursed black soul.

My Review

First Impressions

Devil of Dublin is a book that I have been seeing all over the bookish community but most especially on instragram. I have to say that I have been wanting to read this one, but I wanted to wait on some reviews. After seeing some high ratings from readers I trust I decided to pick this one up and I am so thrilled that I did. I will be honest, I didn’t know quite what to expect, because I didn’t want to be spoiled too much on this book. I did check out the trigger warnings just so I knew what it would contain and it has a LOT of trigger warnings, the author was super detailed in that. I do like that this one was a standalone, it didn’t need to be a series. This is a dark romance but I do think its bordeline in some respects, so it will work for many contemporary romance readers. Also plus side, it has similiar plot developments as “Highwayman by Kerrigan Byrne” so if you are a fan of that book, then this book will most definitely work for you! I guarantee it.

I want—all I’ve ever wanted—is for you to look at me the way you’re lookin’ at me now.

Summary

The story sets off with our hero and heroine, Darby and Kellen. Darby first comes to Ireland when she is a child to meet her grandfather and for the funeral of her grandmother, when going into the forest to meet fairies she meets a young boy who is injured and she offers him kindness and food. Every year she comes to Ireland and their friendship builds into young deep love. But when Darby loses her mother, and she hears of Kellen dying, she gets lost in her adult life, and suffers various forms of abuse and trauma. When she returns to Ireland years later, she and Kellen are able to reunite and connect and find their way past the hurts and the pain and the loss and rekindle the spark that had always been beneath the surface. But they are adults now, and Kellen is an enforcer for the Mafia and it might not be so easy as leaving that life and embracing his life with Darby. But together and with a spark of magic…..they cling to their love and fight for their relationship…..

Grandpa says I should stay away from you ’cause your daddy is the Devil, but I don’t care about that. He say’s my daddy is a son of a bitch, but you’ll still play with me, right?

What I Loved

I have to say that I didn’t know quite what I was getting myself into while reading this one. I will be honest in that I dearly loved this book and I couldn’t put this one down. This is one of those books that you won’t be able to, it will keep you hooked from beginning to end. So fair warning, try not to start it late at night like I did or you will lose sleep because I guarantee you this romance will just endear you immediately. I was so charmed by the romance. And it is just like the Highwayman by Kerrigan Byrne, it’s not exactly like that story, but they do have similar plot lines. I was so endeared by these two. And as brownie points, there was minimal inner conflict, and the focus of the book was more on the external conflict of the story and the character’s growth. I adore both Darby and Kellen, they both come from painful pasts when they reach adulthood. In the beginning of their relationship, Kellen is the one hurt and emotionally damaged. But Darby just sees a young boy in need of laughter and of a friend. She doesn’t care that the town calls him a “demon” or that he doesn’t have parents anymore, she just accepts him for him and nothing else matters. As they grow up together, we see that the friendship that was forged only gets stronger. What I dearly loved was that as adults they embrace each other and don’t fight it. They just embrace it instantly even though they both have suffered pain, they also are stronger together than they are apart. The third act of the story was pretty phenomenal and intense. If you are a fan of suspense, then you definitely need to pick this one up as well. I also enjoyed the unique take on the mafia element. If you are a fan of mafia, then this will NOT be what you expect. I went into this one expecting it to be a regular mafia themed romance, but yeah it was different and I enjoyed the journey that this author takes us on here. And the last element of the story that I want to mention, is how atmospheric this story is. If you love exotic locales, there is nothing more exotic than the greenery of Ireland and the rich land it is. The author really cultivated these aspects of the story so well and I was entranced from beginning to end. It has a hint of magic that is portrayed, and everything I mentioned here makes a great combo for reading for this time of year!

All I’d wanted since I was fourteen years old was to hold Darby Collins in my arms again. Feel her hand on my shoulder, her smiling lips on my neck. She’d been my everuything. My entire world. She was the only person of the planet who hadn’t treated me like shite. The only one I could relax around enough to speak. The only one I’d trusted enough to touch.

What I Struggled With

The ending was a bit confusing in some ways, its hard to explain without spoiling, it just didn’t make sure where they end up in the end in their HEA. Those who have read the book will understand. 🙂

Overall View

I found Devil of Dublin to a majestic romance that has a sweeping romance, intense plot line, character growth the size of a mountaintop, and at the heart…..DEEPLY RIVETING!

Her eyes lifted to mine, round and sweet, and without a word, without a plan, without a clue as to why we would do such a thing, Darby and I pressed our bloody palms together. And kissed.

Title: Devil of Dublin

Author: B.B. Easton

Genre: Dark Romance

Format: eBook

Source: Kindle Unlimited

Length: 365 Pages

Book Links

Amazon| Goodreads| LibraryThing| StoryGraph| Literal Club

Trigger Warning

There are many triggers, check the author’s site for the detailed listing

About The Author

BB Easton is the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of 44 CHAPTERS ABOUT 4 MEN, the hilarious, steamy, tell-all memoir that inspired the Netflix Original Series, SEX/LIFE. Within the first month, SEX/LIFE was viewed by 67 million households worldwide, making it the 3rd Most-Watched Netflix Original Series of all time.

BB was a stressed-out school psychologist and mother of two when the inspiration to write 44 CHAPTERS ABOUT 4 MEN struck. Through that process, she rediscovered her passion for writing, became dangerously sleep-deprived, and finally mustered enough courage to quit her job and become a full-time author.

BB went on to publish four more wickedly funny, shockingly steamy, and heartwarmingly autobiographical books in the 44 CHAPTERS series: SKIN, SPEED, STAR, and SUIT. Since then, she’s been hard at work writing fictional stories that appeal to her love for us-against-the-world romance, including a dystopian trilogy (PRAYING FOR RAIN), a psychologist-client romantic comedy (GROUP THERAPY), and a dark mafia romance (DEVIL OF DUBLIN).