Devil May Care by Amelia Wilde

Original post from my IG @booksofthemuggleborn

•••

• BLURB •

What is a pirate without his ship? Without the sea?

I sacrificed everything to save Ashley. Now we’re hiding out while I build a new ship, a new life for myself. It’s paradise here on the island. Sparkling water and lush greenery. A beautiful woman by my side. But the threat of danger grows closer. The net tightens. We’re at risk every second we stay here, but there’s nowhere to run. Even the ocean won’t save us now.

Devil May Care is the third book in the Devil trilogy by USA Today bestselling author Amelia Wilde. The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea and A Deal with the Devil must be read first.

•••

• MY REVIEW •

Ohh-kay… mental note: Don’t mess with a man, his ship, and the sea! Get out of Poseidon’s way, people! ☠

This is the conclusion to the The Devil Trilogy. The first two books will need to be read prior as this is a continuous storyline. I’m not going to lie, I thought this one was a bit of mixed bag for me. After reading the first two in the trilogy I was invested in seeing where Poseidon’s and Ashley’s turbulent relationship would end up. I was eager to read this book. But what surprised me is I ended up more absorbed in Poseidon and his brothers unusual relationship and their zany little interactions. The dynamics and the unique contrast they each bring was intriguing (and at times entertaining) to witness.

I’ve said this in my review for The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, I felt there was backstory between these brothers (at the time I hadn’t realized that Wilde had actually written separate book series’ for both Poseidon’s brothers all set in the same universe previous to this trilogy) but after seeing more of them in this third book, in my opinion it would be beneficial if their stories were read first before starting this trilogy. I had a lot of questions when they were first introduced in this story, and their reappearance in this final book only cemented the fact that I would’ve wanted to know more about Poseidon, his brothers, and their relationship in more depth — especially considering time has passed and both his brothers have their own families now. I felt a little lost at times. Other than a brisk overview of their stories, I still felt like I was missing a huge chunk of these brothers lives. Nevertheless, I found their unique bond and brotherly allegiance to each other my highlight of this read! It might have been brief but it’s what made this a hearty conclusion to Poseidon’s story. 😊

The length of the book is a relatively nice one for a full-length novel, with the pacing itself slower in comparison to the first two books. It’s character driven storytelling and a lot of it takes place in the one backdrop, and I felt just as equally frustrated as Poseidon and Ashley in having being stuck in the one place the majority of the time. Although, I thought Wilde executed the sense of dread and hopelessness in the atmosphere superbly. It certainly matched the environment they were in!

In regards to the writing format, I’m sure there are plenty of readers who find short, choppy storytelling to be lively but in this particular book I found it to be disjointed. Things constantly popped up only for it to be resolved just as quickly. I couldn’t connect with some of the more emotional scenes which was a shame considering those events were essentially life-altering for these characters. For example: Poseidon’s ultimate mission that had constantly been with him since the beginning concluded rather abruptly that the entirety of the story seemed somewhat anticlimactic. There was such mystery and suspense throughout just for it to end the way it did. Yes, overall it was a HEA but I don’t know, something was missing.

But in saying that, it still had plenty of dimension, with little side stories left, right, and centre. Poseidon’s and Ashley’s relationship was twisted and unconventional from the get-go and I all I can say is… it’s still going at it strongly! I’m talking an emotional rollercoaster — Passion. Drama. Angst. Tears.

I do have to point out there are sensitive subject matter that may be triggering for some readers. These characters are saturated in emotional, physical, and mental toll from their gritty lives. Please note it contains, violence, attempted kidnapping, domestic abuse, drugs, rape, and attempted suicide. It also contains strong sexual content — readers 18+ only!

As a whole, I found it to be an appealing take on the Greek mythology of Poseidon. I think the secondary characters are just as fascinating as the main ones. Besides Poseidon’s brothers, his crew were quite a band of lovable humans. It’s a bit slow-going for the majority but definitely picks up pace in the last third of the book — which, including the epilogue was my favourite parts of the story. There’s intrigue, some unexpected plot points, and a new adorable character that gave Devil May Care a decent, honest-to-goodness ending.

A pirate, his modern day princess, and their happily ever after. I have no doubt readers will enjoy this story. A twisted, dark contemporary tale of the god of the sea!

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐¾

Thank you to Amelia Wilde and Candi Kane PR for the opportunity to read an advanced copy! 💙

🔔 Interested in reading Devil May Care? Grab your copy here: Amazon  |  Apple Books  |  Nook  |  Kobo  |  Google Play

•••

---

🔱 Read my reviews for The Devil Trilogy!

Book One: The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea by Amelia Wilde

Book Two: A Deal With The Devil by Amelia Wilde

---

•••

Happy reading, guys! Catch you in my next one! Xo

A Deal With The Devil by Amelia Wilde

Original post from my IG @booksofthemuggleborn

•••

• BLURB •

A man can only have one great love, and mine was the sea.

Until I pulled a half-drowned heiress out of the water. Until I kept her as mine. Until I hurt her to prove I didn’t love her.

Now we’re surrounded. Dangerous pirates want to use her for their own purposes. I won’t give her up that easy. I have a lifetime of treasure to protect. But with the ship going down, there’s only one thing I want to save. Her.

A Deal with the Devil is book two in the Devil trilogy by USA Today bestselling author Amelia Wilde. The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea must be read first.

•••

• MY REVIEW •

The swashbuckling action, the steamy cabin romps, and the big bad trouble following the Trident has officially amped up a level in book two of The Devil Trilogy! The story picks right up after the end of The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea— where you’re thrown right back into the middle of nowhere surrounded by nothing but open water.

This one was intense that I had so many emotions swirling around. Whilst I admit I was a little confused in the first book, this book cleared up a lot of the mixed-feelings I had towards Poseidon and Ashley.

Let’s start with the devilled pirate himself; Poseidon. He was a total alpha-hole in The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea. Yes, he was a swoon-worthy pirate who took no shit on his own ship (he is captain after all), yet I never fully understood why he was cruel and hurtful towards Ashley… until now. Any lingering questions I had from the first book was cleared up in this one. It’s amazing once secrets and backstories are revealed how much you can sympathize and understand a character’s traits and actions better. 😅 And Poseidon’s past was quite a doozy. I’m not saying I condone his actions, but I’m in no way writing him off either.

I can’t speak for anyone else’s opinions of Poseidon but in my books as the story progressed, he was winning me over a little bit at a time. I’m always down for reading about a complex, morally-grey character, but they get bonus points from me when they can admit wrongdoings and regrets because it shows that underneath all their bravado and asshole-y attitude they have a conscience, a willingness to change… and have heart! You will see a lot more of Poseidon’s life in this book and how much of his family has had an affect on his upbringing, his adulthood, and even how he handles business affairs.

Seeing the interactions amongst his crew is probably one of my favourite things to see in this book. I’m loving the fact that crew members are getting some of the limelight here and there. Also gives Poseidon’s ship a little more life by having different dynamics besides the one between Ashley and himself.

I’ve read and seen enough pirate stories to know that a woman on board is usually a no-no. But the dynamic Ashley has with Poseidon’s crew was such a highlight to see. I love the camaraderie, their charm, the light-heartedness they provided in what was an overall gloomy atmosphere, and the bonds they all individually made with her.

I actually laughed a good handful of times reading this book, and all those scenes involved Ashley. I’m happy sighing with relief that she’s now at a place where she doesn’t seem so alone and completely lost aboard a pirate ship. I wasn’t expecting the humorous scenes but it’s definitely some of the more memorable ones. (I’ll just say this: chocolate lovers will get a kick out of it!) 🤭

This was fast-paced storytelling with action left, right and centre. You get a deeper insight into the situation and how Poseidon and Ashley are feeling as it’s told from dual points of view. Despite the gloomy atmosphere, these characters are making the most of their time on the ship before trouble catches up to them. Ashley and Poseidon’s complicated relationship finally picks up pace and it almost seems like things are heading in the direction of an actual relationship where honesty and admittance of feelings are in play, whereas before it was very much a captor/captive situation.

First book focused on Ashley as a hostage on the Trident, playing by Poseidon’s rules. This book focuses on how much her time on board and in his space has affected Poseidon and changed enough of his initial plans that it’s left this story on another cliffhanger. Plot twists galore! There’s quite a few developments some of which I suspected as much, but others were complete surprises that I’m keen to see how things will all wrap up in the final book. I’m wondering how things will work out between Ashley and Poseidon — not to mention his ship, his crew, and even with his family.

In my opinion, if you didn’t love the first book right off the bat but still curious to see more, then this book will win you over a little more. It’s definitely progressive with a clearer direction of where it’s heading. It’s one of those stories (although a continuous one) gets better with each book. I was kept in suspense from start to finish— whether it was due to Ashley and Poseidon’s intimate moments, Poseidon’s unfinished business, or due to the trouble that has followed Ashley whilst onboard the Trident.

✔ A modern day pirate.

✔ A wanted heiress.

✔ A devil in disguise.

In one dark, contemporary romance. Book two in The Devil Trilogy is hearty, where one problem is solved just for another to pop up in its place. Ashley and Poseidon’s relationship has evolved into something more substantial. Lots of questions are still left unanswered and by the way it ended, it can honestly head towards a number of different ways.

I was sucked in and completely invested in seeing how things would develop further between Poseidon and Ashley. There’s plenty of hot scenes… as well as a few scenes worthy of stunned silence. If you’re a fan of mythologies, this one has a cool, modern take on Greek Mythology, obviously focusing on Poseidon (God of the sea).

I haven’t read a lot of books by Wilde yet, but from the ones I have read, I’ve come to enjoy. Her writing style is engaging with her vivid world-building, intriguing characters, gripping storylines, and satisfying amount of romance!

If you’re looking for a pirate romance story, give this one a go, start with The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea and continue onto this one! Add Poseidon to your list of sexy pirates alongside Jack Sparrow, William Turner and Killian Jones! *waggles brows*

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you Amelia Wilde and Candi Kane PR for the opportunity to read an advanced copy! 💙

🔔 Interested in reading A Deal With The Devil? Grab your copy here: Amazon  |  Apple Books  |  Nook  |  Kobo  |  Google Play

•••

---

Read my review for the first book in The Devil Trilogy!

📘 The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea by Amelia Wilde

---

•••

Happy reading, guys! Catch you in my next one! Xo

The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea by Amelia Wilde

Original post from my IG @booksofthemuggleborn

•••

— BLURB —

A modern-day pirate.

An heiress lost at sea.

And the treasure of a lifetime.

He’s beautiful. Calculating. Cruel. And he’s taken me hostage.

When pirates board my boyfriend’s yacht, I jump overboard to save myself. Drifting asea. Until one man rescues me from the endless ocean.

Except he has plans of his own. I’m worth too much money for ransom. He’ll keep me on his ship and in his bed. The real danger lies in his dark-depth eyes. He wants more from me than money. Than passion. He wants everything.

He rescued me, but I’m far from safe.

There’s an entire sea of danger threatening to drag me under.

The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by USA Today bestselling author Amelia Wilde is a dangerously sexy contemporary romance that will blow you out of the water.

•••

• MY REVIEW •

My first book from Amelia Wilde, a new-to-me author. Whilst the blurb was short and sweet, it was enough to get me eager to reading this book.

Now that I’ve read it? 🤔 The prominent thought the comes to mind is that it wasn’t completely what I had expected. Not only with the storyline but with the characters themselves.

But before I get into detail with my thoughts on the book, I have to mention first (as I hadn’t realized this until after I had read it) that this book is actually part of a series, and it does end on a cliffhanger. Keep that in mind if you’re considering reading it.

Okay! 👏 Now that that disclaimer is out of the way, let’s get down to the nitty gritty!

Honestly rating this book was more difficult than I thought it would be, and I feel like my rating doesn’t qualify how much I enjoyed reading it overall. But I feel like I have to justify why I couldn’t rate it a solid four stars (as much I wanted to). This story, whilst I truly found the premise intriguing, in my opinion it just fell a little flat on execution.

There’s so much mystery surrounding the protagonist and anti-hero, Poseidon. It took a little while to figure out what exactly he does for a living. The way he’s work is described is relatively vague, and that’s not even the half of it. You get introduced to his brothers (both named after Gods too), which makes you wonder if this story is more than just “a modern-day pirate” story. I found myself wondering if this is also a retelling of sorts of the Greek Mythologies — Which I would actually have loved because I’m a fan of mythologies, but unfortunately his brothers and his relationship with them didn’t go into enough detail for me to get any sort of connection to that part of the story. It’s evident there’s history amongst the brothers but it’s skimmed across and you’re left feeling like you walked into a meeting where everyone is already in mid-conversation and you’re trying to catch yourself up.

Now, I don’t know if Wilde has plans to write the brothers’ stories in the future but if not, I’m at least hoping we’ll get to learn more about them in the next book. I like the idea that these brothers could be a lot more than meets the eye.

This story also starts out with a relatively present day atmosphere with Ashley being introduced as a your typical rich, carefree young woman, holidaying on a yacht, and glued to her phone. But as the story progresses, the backdrop gradually changes into a dark, fantastical world of pirates where any sort of laws or rules are thrown out the window. It’s almost as if it’s in its own little bubble within reality, and Ashley has the unfortunate luck of being thrust into it.

It’s all very intriguing reading through this story as it slowly unravels. I found myself just as captivated by Poseidon as Ashley was. He rarely gives anything away, and you’re left feeling both frustration and anxiety for him to reveal anything about himself or his feelings. I want to say there’s some character development there but I can’t help but assume that this book is only an introduction to this mysterious modern day pirate that is Poseidon, and that we’ll see real growth in the next book. Nevertheless, it’s enough for you to realize that there’s a lot more to him. If you love grey characters as much as I do, who are just a little bit of a complicated puzzle, then I think you’ll like Poseidon. 😄

To be real with you, I didn’t agree with all his actions and his reasoning behind them, but I strongly believe that his character has the potential for growth and improvement.

And Ashley, bless her… She needs some street smarts in her, stat! She comes off as naïve and sheltered, and as much as I really wanted to snap some sense into her on more than a couple of occasions, there’s no denying that she no way deserved the things she goes through in this story. Good thing there’s a few goodhearted people on her side.

There’s nice beginnings of world-building present with a couple of memorable secondary characters in play. It’s not overly in depth or layered but as I mentioned earlier with the character development, I’m hoping we get the “hearty meat” of these elements in the next book.

A good amount of chemistry and zingy scenes between Ashley and Poseidon kept me engaged throughout. I never knew where the story was heading so that was another factor that had me needing to know what happened next and not wanting to put the book down.

It’s a relatively quick read. With an entertaining storyline coolly consisting of pirate wars, a treasure hunt, a damsel in distress, and a smidge of Greek mythology thrown into the mix. I haven’t come across a smexy-as-sin pirate since Killian Jones from Once Upon a Time. Add in Captain Jack Sparrow’s savviness and his quirky but good-natured crew, and you have yourself Poseidon and his men! 🏴‍☠️

If you enjoy dark contemporary romance books with a captor/captive trope, then I say add this one to your list! But be prepared for the cliffhanger! Hopefully the next book won’t be too far along! 🤞 Please be aware that there is some sensitive subject matter included that may trigger some readers.

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐¾

Thank you Amelia Wilde and Candi Kane PR for the opportunity to read an advanced copy! 💙

🔔 Want to read it? Grab your copy here: Amazon  |  Apple Books  |  Nook

---

•••

Hope you enjoyed this review! Be sure to check out the book if you’re interested! Happy reading. Catch you in my next one! Xo