Nov 1 2006
REVIEW: The Diva’s Guide to Selling Your Soul by Kathleen O’Reilly
Dear Ms. O’Reilly,
We’re having paranormal week here at Dear Author so I pulled “The Diva’s Guide to Selling Your Soul” out for a reread. If the Devil ever got a foothold in my household, it would be for the ability to munch out on chocolate truffles and deep fried foods with no guilt or worries about still fitting into my clothes. Now that might be worth it.
“V” has it all. The best little handbag store on Fifth Avenue, great clothes, handsome and rich boyfriends and the chance to move up, or perhaps that’s down, in the world. You see, V has sold her soul to the Devil who is camped out in NYC masquerading as a bitchy gossip columnist named Lucy. Do you want those perfect Jimmy Choo sandals? A pair of divine Tiffany earrings? Thin thighs forever? Well, look no further than the Life Enrichment Program Lucy offers. You start at the intro level and can progress to more and greater powers based on the number of souls you recruit. Sounds like Amway, doesn’t it? Anywhoo V is all set for advancement and more perks when funny things start to happen. Like conscience things, like meeting a great guy who’s not a gazillionaire, like, gulp, backsliding away from Lucy’s goals. What’s V to do? Lucy may be a great boss when you’re working towards her agenda but really, you don’t want to cross the Devil once you’ve signed on the dotted line. Getting your fat thighs back will be the least of your problems.
This one is a hoot. V is deliciously bad but I can always sense the inner good girl dismaying V by showing up when she’s least wanted. The plot is sort of meandering and the secondary characters are shallow but then this is V’s book about how she finds out she really can’t just stand by and watch Armageddon headed her way without trying to do something. Nor can she completely stamp out her twinges of guilt at leading some of her fellow Gothamites down the road to eternal damnation.
I would suggest that readers pick it up for the humor and not for any deep philosophical debates on whether or not they could still have a conscience after selling out to the devil. B
~Jayne
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Nov 01, 2006 @ 18:40:15
One of my fave authors! The expanding thighs and butt punishments cracked me up. I love Kathleen O’Reilly’s Pillow Talk series (Harlequin Temptation), especially the last one about a heroine who is into no-commitment-sex-only. *g* More “romancier” than The Diva’s Guide but still fun.
Nov 01, 2006 @ 23:18:10
Kathleen O’Reilly is always a fun read. I’m not much for anthologies, but Hell With the Ladies was great! It’s with Julie Kenner and Dee Davis. Each story is interconnected about which illegitimate son of Satan will take his place when he retires. I hope they write something else together, I really thought they had great chemistry as writers and it certainly showed with the polished three part story.
Nov 02, 2006 @ 05:35:33
Kat, thanks for the tip about the HT books. I love an occassional Chick Lit book but for my main reading, I want as you say, something “romancier.”
Nov 02, 2006 @ 05:36:39
Jolie, anthologies make me twitchy too but I had been looking at the one you mentioned because Kenner is in it. Now I’ll look at it a little harder. Thanks for the rec. [g]
Nov 02, 2006 @ 10:16:11
I’ve read this one. I thought it was a great beach-type read.
Nov 02, 2006 @ 18:41:41
Argh! The first book of the series was called Pillow Talk, the series was call The Bachelorette Pact, and my favourite was The Longest Night. I can’t believe I screwed that up!
Nov 02, 2006 @ 21:11:55
My ears were burning (and also a little bird told me). Thanks for all the kind words. There is a follow-up to Hell with the Ladies, called Hell on Heels, and it’ll be out in June of next year. The devil has three illegitimate daughters as well. :)