The Devil's Flower by Lisa Collicutt

The Basics:
The Devil's Flower by Lisa Collicutt
Curiosity Quills
Book One of The Eternal Beings
Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance
Amazon.ca kobo.com

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Blurb:

Killing isn’t exactly on Rosalie Lockwood’s list of things to do when she runs away from home. But, despite the search for peace, guns and motorcycles become her latest fashion accessories as Divine interference leads her to Steele, co-leader of the Fallen Paladins motorcycle club. 

Leathered and tattooed, Steele’s presence scares off most people he comes in contact with—but not Rosalie. She’s immediately drawn into the dangers of his biker world—and into his heart. 

But Steele guards a secret that if Rosalie knew, could shatter their new love—and destroy the human race. And the truth comes at a price. 

Will Rosalie risk her soul to prove her loyalty to Steele? 

The Dark and Light Realms collide as Rosalie chooses between life, death, and the ever-after to become that which she is fated to destroy.

Why I picked up this book:

I liked the idea of an innocent getting wrapped up in 'the dangers of his biker world.' I was also intrigued by the angel wings alongside the gun on the cover.

My thoughts:

This story revolves around the existence of angels and demons on Earth, locked in battle. Rosalie's looking for a fresh start and inadvertently gets sucked into Steele's orbit, as it were. 

There are some definite highlights to this book - I loved the use of demons and angels. I liked that there's a strong personal component underpinning the conflict between them (that I won't spoil!). I liked that the book stuck with the darker side of grey. The biker gang at the center of the story participates in various illegal and immoral activities, operating in a violent, drug-infested space, and there's not really any attempt to gloss over this. It's happening, Steele and his friends participate in it, it is what it is. 

What didn't work so well for me was how the book started. There's some business about a bear that drives the heroine towards the hero that I thought was kind of silly, to be honest.  There's also some pacing issues - a lot of the action is back and forth between the five main characters. Rosalie spends a lot of time hiding out in Steele's cabin, occasionally going forth for some event only to return to hiding in the cabin. She doesn't have a real confidante nor any real aim in life beyond starting fresh. This made it hard for me to really get into the book. Rosalie's kind of stuck on Steele but without any real motivating factors beyond time and place (okay: he's really hot). HOWEVER, by the time she starts involving herself in the gang's business, getting closer to Steele and uncovering some of his secrets, the book picks up the pace. I was hooked by about halfway.

The second half of the book exceeded my expectations. There was at least two places where I thought the story could end - and was quite pleased that it didn't. The extra action is so much more satisfying than any of those earlier potential stopping points would have been. I was so pleased by the entirety of the story told - kudos to Collicutt for not cutting the story short.

Bottom line:

If you commit to it, and make it through the slow start, I think you'll find this one is worth a read. I'm optimistic that more in the series will benefit from the foundation that this book sets!

3.5 stars
For fans of angels and demons, paranormal romance, biker gangs