Kit Rocha delivers an action packed post-apocalyptic dystopian romp through Atlanta and North Georgia filled with super soldier-mercenaries, evil tech companies, sweltering humidity, and sex. If any of that appeals to you gentle reader then this book may be right up your alley. 

Let me say first that I didn't do my homework before requesting this book on Net Galley. I didn't know who Kit Rocha was (actually the writing duo of Donna Herren and Bree Bridges) or that they wrote dystopian/paranormal erotic romance. And when I say erotic I mean yeah...there's lots of sexy time in the pages of the book. I'm not usually a romance reader (though I'm trying to branch out a little with romantic fantasy) and I'm definitely not an erotic romance reader. If I'd realized this I probably wouldn't have requested the book. BUT...this is my fault, not that of the author or publisher so I'm going to try to complete the rest of this review on the merits of the non-erotic parts. But if you're a fan of a little sexy time in your reading you might just enjoy this one.

Interestingly the blurb does a pretty good job of setting up the plot of the book without giving too much away. I'm a fan of dystopian stories even if they tend to follow the same tropes, especially with the evil tech companies running the world with little enclaves of people holding out here and there. Because this is a well worn trope I'm looking for something to grab me and keep me engaged, be it the plot, the characters, or whether the author is able to pack any of "the feels" into the story. Enter this new series about "mercenary librarians." I was sold on that description immediately. So did it deliver?

Well...kinda. For starters Deal With The Devil is very heavy on the mercenary and pretty light on the library. The latter was one the biggest disappointments for me. The ladies led by Nina don't run much of an underground library, or not one you get to see much of. They do try to find copies of books and print and lend them out when they can. But that part of their story is just referred to really. It's backstory. And they are much more than book lenders. I hate to really give them the title librarian - sure librarians do a lot more than just lend books too, but Nina's crew is something different. They are really the local neighborhood saviors helping with all manner of things, more community service in general than librarians specifically.

But that needn't kill the story because the mercenary part is very on target. There are two teams (a team of women led by Nina and a team of guys led by Knox) who find themselves on the same mission but with very different goals so there's drama and tension from the get-go. And these are no ordinary mercenaries. All of them have been enhanced in some degree. They are more super soldier than normal humans, each given specific abilities and trained to perfection. This makes the action exciting and definitely takes things up a notch, especially when there's trust issues between the teams.

As for the characters themselves I was just kinda meh. I didn't hate them but I definitely didn't love them. They're all beautiful, they all have enhanced abilities, they all have some stock "issue" they are dealing with from their past. But they felt very formulaic. I never really found myself caring about any one of them overly much. Their stories were somewhat compelling but I just wasn't really sold on them. Add to that they were all lust buckets. I know that may be part of that erotic romance element, but it really started to pull me out of the story. And I don't mean the sex scenes, I mean the fact that almost every waking moment all they were thinking about was potentially boning their counterpart on the other team. It kinda got old. I also felt at times that Rocha painted Knox's charter as more of how they wish a guy thought and felt about sex and not how most guys really are. That isn't necessarily bad, I mean fiction is the place for ideal characters, but it just seemed to stand out to me.

I did rather enjoy the world-building. Again I'm typically a fan of the dystopian future element. Rocha's new world is one where multiple things went wrong in quick succession in our near future. Solar storms wreaking havoc on the grid, famines, wars, the collapse of governments at a time when only larger tech corporations could step in to save who they could in their respective regions. These tech corporations then create private armies to protect their interests. Again, not a new concept but one I do enjoy.

Rocha's writing style was good for the most part. The prose flowed well; evenly paced when it needed to be and fast when the action needed to pick up. Rocha used a recurring element to begin each chapter in the form of blurbs from a company report on individual test/study subjects who you quickly learn are the characters in the book, you just don't know who at first. This element gives nice little additional details to the world building and to the characters that would have required info dumps if used otherwise. Where the writing began to fall flat for me was the near constant descriptions of how hot the characters are and how hot they are for each other. Now I get it, erotic sci-fi romance, it's to be expected. But there were two straight chapters where almost the entire point was to show off how sexy the female characters were. And they didn't shy away from the men either. You know that old complaint about how male authors describe female characters? Well it's here in this one. They may not have talked about how much the ladies' boobs bounced but it came close. And every time Nina and Knox touched it was electric. I mean Every...Single...Time. There was so much electricity in the air I don't know how somebody wasn't struck by lightning. I know I'm complaining perhaps a little too much here, but it did feel really over done. But then again I also admit I'm not the normal audience for this story.

So in the end what did I think? Well given everything above it really comes down to the overall story. Did the narrative grab my attention and keep me reading? Was I excited about it? Did it give me the feels? Will I read the next installment? 

The answer are mixed. I liked the story but didn't love it. I did keep reading and there wasn't ever a time I got bored with it. But excited about it...not really. I can't say there was ever a point where I got "the feels" about anything. And the climax felt a little underwhelming. For me the story was OK, but I don't think I'll pick up book two. But...that doesn't mean you shouldn't. Like I said I'm probably not the right audience for this one. And if any of the stuff I said I didn't like is the kind of trope you're really into well I think might really enjoy it.

Deal with the Devil was one of my most anticipated reads of the year where I didn't really know anything beyond "murder librarians." I am so pleased to report that it more than surpassed any expectations I had from my enjoyment of the Beyond series. There's something about these characters that just captivated me instantly. I love all of them. Our librarian group is comprised of Dani, Maya, and Nina and they were all genetically manipulated in different ways, but have since banded together and are working to make a difference in their community. At this point, there's been an apocalypse, essentially, and we're following people in Atlanta where the public response to these solar flares really relied on pharmaceutical and medical technology companies that make their home in Atlanta. Despite, you know, the Hippocratic oath and things, these medical companies aren't exactly the most ethical. So anyway, Dani, Maya, and Nina are trying to make a difference. Dani is the true murder librarian of the three, but Nina was also trained as a fighter. Maya was trained more as a spy so she remembers everything she's ever heard and has to learn to fight. The three have this intense sisterhood and it's really lovely.

Anyway, the plot takes off when Knox, Captain of the Silver Devils (super soldiers who finally noped out of working for the evil company), determines that he can't take Nina out to trade her for the woman who can save his and his men's lives. So instead, he and his men set up a double cross and they go on an adventure together. Knox is this slightly broken man who is trying to remember what it's like to have things to actually guide him besides just his loyalty to his men. And then there's Gray, a dark assassin type who keeps doing all these cute things but silently. Plus, Rafe is this playboy with a really sweet heart. And tech genius, Con(ner? nard?) (y'all, I'm so bad at names), who I adored because he's just so kind and also smart and a little arrogant.

So, yeah, I love the characters. I love the action on the adventure. I love the romance between Knox and Nina. I love the side romances starting to develop between the other characters. I SHRIEKED when that reveal happened. And then the end?? I am distraught we have to wait until August of next year for the sequel! I need it now. I'm more of a character than plot person when it comes to sci-fi, but I really do think this book was a great blend of both. I can't wait to have a physical copy and also to read this six times waiting for book two because it's that kind of book for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Firstly, a big thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

Frankly, I was completely on board when I read the blurb: mercenary librarians? *Deadly* mercenary librarians? Deadly genetically enhanced mercenary librarians?! *Swoons*

Ironically, that’s my only real qualm about five-starring this book. Otherwise it would be a full five star for me. But to the point: she’s a mercenary, yes, but I saw little librarianing going on. The scene promised in the blurb wherein our intrepid heroine raids a lost library of Congress bunker? <spoiler> well don’t hold your breath; it’s relegated to an afterthought of an epilogue and given only a couple of pages.</spoiler>

Otherwise, this book was a huge hit for me. I’ve never tried one of this author duo’s books before and it was a real treat. Nonstop action, lots of tension (of all kinds), a cool post apocalyptic vibe,) great characters, a bit of a Mad Max flavor at times, and of course some real heat between the main characters. I wasn’t too surprised by the “big” twist but the second twist in the final scenes WAS a surprise. I look forward to seeing where the authors take this series and I’ll be joining along for the ride. Maybe future books will have a little more librarianship going on 😉

Solid 4.5 stars, rounding up to 5 for GR.

Adding to 2020 PopSugar reading challenge for category, book set at the site of a former Olympics. In this case it was Atlanta.

I was having trouble connecting to this story. I love Kit Rocha's books normally, so I'm not sure why I couldn't get into this. I may have to try again later.

I’ve seen summaries describing Deal with the Devil as Orphan Black meets post-apocalyptic Avengers and I would have to agree with that. Although this book is also way more hopeful than that comparison suggests.

If you’re a fan of found family, I’d definitely recommend picking this one up. I definitely fell in love with both Nina + her girls and Knox + his Devils. Plus the dialogue was A+ banter. The story was so well done, the adventure really allowed the reader to get to know the world without massive info dumps. Although I think it’s fair to warn you that there’s a very good chance you will immediately want the second book.

Deal with the Devil was the perfect mix of post-apocalyptic action with found family and romance. Plus, the series is called Mercenary Librarians. What else do you need to know?

*Disclaimer: I received a digital advance copy of this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Whatcha reading (link below):

I recently finished Kit Rocha’s Deal with the Devil (out July 28) ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) and enjoyed it. Sexy, exhilarating sci-fi road trip romance between two sets of found families (aka found family squared. They merge into a bigger found family and it’s so satisfying). I will say, it’s super weird to be reading dystopian fiction when our own reality is… * gestures at everything on fire. * There were some worldbuilding details that hit too close to home, and I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. Still, it’s a hell lot of fun and I’m already shipping the couples of future books in the series.

Review:

Oh, this is FUN! I had expected a sexy sci-fi/dystopian romance with intricate world-building and exhilarating adventure, and that's exactly what I got. Per the blurb, "Orphan Black meets the post-apocalyptic Avengers" is a very good description.

You might like this book if you like the following things:

- Found family! There are TWO sets of found families, so it's really like found family squared. Watching Nina and Knox's respective crews transform from reluctant allies to bantering comrades was my favorite part of the book.

He gestured to his men. “Rafe, Conall, and Gray.”

Dani flipped a knife from one hand to the other, then pointed the tip of the blade at each of them in turn. “Let me guess—muscle, tech, and bullets.”

Rafe quirked an eyebrow at her. “Charm, brains, and taciturn silences. But you were close.”

- That trope when the sunshine one infects the grumpy one with idealism. Even my cold, shriveled heart grows three sizes when cynics fall in love and want to be more productive members of their community. Nina, Maya, and Dani are already the bedrock of their Atlanta community. As "librarians" (I say in quotation marks because it's not what you're imagining), they provide information (books, music, etc) to a community in need and help them survive a post-solar flare dystopia. The Silver Devils are focused on survival after defecting from the Evil Corporation, but teaming up with the mercenary librarians soon leads to soul-searching and a new calling.

- Road trip romance! I mean, there's no "there's only one hotel room available so you have to share a bed" or "every stranger we encounter thinks we're in love" hijinks. But there is murder, professional cage-fighting, rescuing a town from bad guys, and lots of snark. That's practically the same thing, right?

“Fucking hell,” Maya groaned. “Just murder me, already. You know I’m going to remember every word of your second-rate villain monologue for the rest of my life?”

- Sex during a thunderstorm! This was advertised to me before reading the book, so I was pretty excited for it (what can I say, I'm a simple woman). What no one told me was that there would be sex after one MC bandages up the other MC after a fight. Squee! Again, I'm a simple woman with simple desires. Don't judge me.

- Per the blurb, there is a deception/betrayal premise. No spoilers as to what enfolds, but I was very satisfied by the length of time between Reveal of Deception and End of the Romance. In my opinion, deception/betrayal storylines work best when that length of time is LONG and the reader gets closure for groveling/forgiveness. I got that closure here.

- It was odd to read about the post-solar flare dystopian world-building details when our own reality is *gestures helplessly at my surroundings and the news.* The moment that felt REALLY uncomfortable is when the crew stops by an abandoned/ransacked movie theater. Someone says it's surreal to communally gather for a movie on a big screen (basically: why bother and go through all the trouble of having an entire building for a communal film experience when you can just watch a movie at home?), and I was like "OKAY THIS IS HITTING WAY TOO CLOSE TO HOME NOW!!!" There were lots of little moments like that, lolsob. I guess COVID-19 will keep entering my brain whenever I read dystopian fiction from now.

Lots of other thoughts, but I'll stop here. My main complaint: I wish we saw more of Nina's crew interacting with the Atlanta community and acting as the mercenary librarians. We hear a lot about WHAT they do and why it's so important, but we don't see it much in action (the book is mainly the road trip and then fighting/tricking bad guys). Hopefully we'll see more of those community interactions in the next book.

Disclaimer: I received a free e-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I have interacted with the author on social media, but these are my honest opinions about the book.

For some reason, I expected this to be like Ilona Andrews books, even though it's not really the same genre. But surprise surprise, for once I was actually right! This book has the same blend of humour, cool world-building, badass heroine and steamy romance that makes IA books such a delight!

The story takes place in post-apocalyptic America which is basically a failed state. The world is divided between good parts which are under the Evil Corporate's control and the rest which are basically anarchy. Our main characters include one badass mercenary librarian *swoon* and one genetically engineered soldier *swoon harder*

Apart from those two, the main characters each have a gang of close friends. The banter and dynamic between them is really enjoyable to read. Also apparently each book in this series is about a different couple, which is great because that would keep the story and romances from becoming boring. I'm already invested in the main couple of the next book.

Sci-fi is usually a hard sell for me, but in this case I was really invested in this world, characters and their stories. I think the reason is that, stylistically it's a lot closer to urban fantasy than sci-fi. If you like uf, this will definitly work for you. And if you like sci-fi, then it's just a fast-paced, exciting, funny and romantic story. Either way, you should definitely give this one a chance.

Engaging, exciting, and extremely well done. This isn't my normal kind of read, because post-apocalypse fiction tends to be depressing for me. However, the concept was enough to tempt me. With a 'grumpy one and sunshiney one' trope at play, the story had a healthy vein of hope running through it.
I'll definitely want to read the next one.

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley for this free copy. All quotes in this review are taken from the Advanced Reader Copy and may change in final publication.

Check out my full review on my blog!

If you don’t want to dig into my full review (which has lots of more juicy details, by the way), here is something short and sweet – five reasons why you should read this book:

1. The women are as badass as the men. For all you readers who hate it when the heroine is a wallflower who needs to be saved by a man, this is your book. The women in this book all of their special talents and backstories and often save our heros.

2. Found Family tropes. There is not one, but TWO found families in this book – Nina’s team and Knox’s team. My favorite was the sisterly bond between Nina, Dani, and Maya. They really looked out for each other and respected each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

3. Thunderstorm steamy session. Our hero and heroine, Nina and Knox, get just a steamy as the thunderstorm going on in this scene.

4. Promised sequels with other characters in the crews. You can already start to see what other couples might pair up in this group. While I loved this book, I cannot WAIT for the pair that will be featured in book two. I won’t say because I don’t want to spoil anything, but I love when sequels follow characters we already love.

5. Force proximity, limited hotel rooms trope, hate to love, and road trip tropes. Whew! This book has some great tropes for this first couple and I love that there were more than one that I loved in here. Plus, I can already tell that couple #2 will have some great tropes as well.

Deal With the Devil

Deal with the Devil is the newest post-apocalyptic romance from Kit Rocha. This kicks off a new series which has the glorious title of “Mercenary Librarians.” The book is fantastic, exactly what I’ve come to expect from these authors; the adventure is great, the writing is rich and textured, the characters are real and relatable, and the sex is, as always, very hot.

<<cover>>

Kit Rocha are the writing duo from the Beyond series, which is set in the same world and has cage fights, bootlegging, a viciously strong sense of friendship and concept of found family, and hot, hot sex. There are also 9+ books in the Beyond series and its spinoff, Gideon’s Riders, which can make starting from the beginning daunting. I’ve read a couple of the books and loved them, but never had the time to get caught up. This new series is set in a different city within the same world but with a fresh cast of characters, giving me a chance to get in at the beginning.

The world in Deal With the Devil reminds me of the Bethesda game Fallout: New Vegas (the good expansions by Chris Avalon, less the main questline). The book is set in Atlanta in about 2060, after solar flares destroyed power systems and the Energy Wars tore the planet apart. People exist in hollowed out cities or small communities, surviving in the best ways they can. A few live free lives, but most are beholden in one way or another to the various corporations that have survived the world falling apart. In Atlanta, it’s the TechCorps that is responsible for most of the “order” in the world, but their kind of order comes with a price. You can buy seeds from them to grow your own food, but the seeds are designed to produce plants which have sterile seeds (meaning you can’t grow your own food next year). Much of the information from the pre-Flare world has been lost.

TechCorps conducts genetic experiments, creating super soldiers, clone clusters, and individuals with enhanced memory or intellectual abilities. Many young people join the Protectorate, the military arm of TechCorps, just to get a meal and a place to sleep. They also get trackers implanted, and their enhancements are designed to kill them without regular maintenance by TechCorps.

Nina is the leader of the mercenary librarians named in the series title. She lives outside of the TechCorps' enforced poverty, and has spent a significant amount of time and effort carving out a section of Atlanta that is as free of the corporation’s influence as possible. People grow plants that have useable seeds. They have a small clinic where people can get some medical treatment. Nina has created shelters for when the weather gets too hot or too cold. But most importantly, she, along with Dani and Maya, have gathered as much pre-Flare information as they can. They share it digitally with anyone who wants it, and they create printed copies for those who can pay for the paper and the binding.

So when Knox and his crew, former members of the Protectorate, need to get Nina on their side, they tempt her with a find that no librarian could pass up: a cache of information from the rogue Library of Congress. Nina’s and Knox’s crew will join forces to get to the cache and then split the profits from the find. Knox, however, has been hired to bring Nina to a particular location; his life, and the lives of his crew, are on the line.

Nina and Knox have instant heat, and their relationship is hot and heavy from the beginning. Their relationship progresses in a believable way; when a simple conversation will fix the problem, that conversation is had, and they move forward based on that conversation. When it takes more than a conversation to solve a painful betrayal, time passes in the narrative to allow healing before reconciliation can occur. Without that passage of time, the ultimate romantic resolution of this book never would have worked for me. I’m glad the authors were willing to give the story the space it needed even as they kept the plot as tight as a coiled spring.

The Beyond series dove hard into the concepts of chosen family; as a queer person, this is refreshing and powerful to see in a narrative. That concept has absolutely carried over into this new series, which I love. Nina, Dani, and Maya are absolutely family to each other; Knox, Gray, Raf, and Conall are their own tightly knit family. They take care of each other, check each other, and look out for each other.

At the same time, Deal with the Devil holds space for the ways that a family of origin can have a strong effect on a person’s life. Early on, we learn that Nina has lost both of her sisters. While she views Dani and Maya as sisters, the narrative is clear that this has not replaced what she lost when she lost her biological siblings. As an adopted kid, seeing that dichotomy embraced felt refreshing. Hard to read, painful to remember, and refreshing.

I love romance series where each book builds on characters that are introduced in a previous volume. The next Mercenary Librarians book is slated to be out next year, and I’m eager to see what is going to happen in Atlanta, who is going to fall in love, and if it keeps up with this level of quality, maybe I'll even brave the intimidation and check out Beyond..

I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
While I’m new to Kit Rocha’s work, I was still ridiculously pumped for Deal with the Devil, because of the series title. I mean, Mercenary Librarians?! YES, please! And Bree and Donna are the loveliest people ever on Twitter (Bree in particular for her advocacy of libraries in the wake of the Macmillan library embargo, which is now fortunately in the past…for now), contributing to the hype even more.

And this is…pretty good. It’s apparently set in the same post-apocalyptic world as their other, self published works, but you don’t have to be familiar with those to grasp the semantics of this one. I liked their imagination of what near-future crumbling America might look like, even though it is a bit surreal to read while the world is actually falling apart.

I flip flopped a bit on the romantic aspect, liking Nina as a strong female lead, but not really feeling overly invested in Knox, or the pairing of the two of them. There’s a lot about the physical/sexual reactions they have to each other, and I wanted a bit more emotional depth to their relationship.

However, I did like the team as a whole, and the “found family” aspect. And the way we occasionally got insights into different members’ thoughts, while having the majority of the book be centered on Knox and Nina, was well done, ensuring the book felt well balanced. I absolutely cannot wait to see where the follow-up books take them! This book is a fairly solid post apocalyptic romance, and one that I think will please veteran KR readers and new ones alike.

This review was originally posted on <a href="https://booksofmyheart.net/2020/07/23/deal-with-the-devil-by-kit-rocha/" target="_blank"> Books of My Heart</a>
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<i>Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i>

4.5 hearts

The start of the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/260403-mercenary-librarians" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em><strong>Mercenary Librarians</strong> </em></a>series is an action-packed, sexy ride which uplifts the heart. I didn't get too much of the librarian theme in <strong>Deal with the Devil</strong>. But I did love the smart, strategic and tactical way every action was planned using all the information they could get.  I loved the technology and the people who made it work for them like Conall and Maya.

Nina and Knox are the leaders of their teams.  We alternate between their points of view. They each feel responsibility, and try to figure out their best options. Neither has a great history; they have lost people and been on their own for awhile.

Nina has built quite the little group and a community where she lives. She is an altruistic idealist, believing in helping others as much as she can.  It's an homage to her lost sisters, Ava and Zoey. Knox broke his team free from TechnoCorps, and has his own wish to give tribute to his lost medic, Mace.

TechnoCorps is the greedy, wealthy corporate body that with their rich friends controls everything,  and takes everything. Knox went into their Special Forces to try to help people and ended up being in their death squad, the Protectorate. They loom over everyone. This premise of the greedy, evil, rich corporate group is everywhere these days, as well as great technology. Money and power always seem to corrupt.

I love how story was combined with amazing world-building and character development.  I felt I knew and liked each person on the teams, learning their style and sense of humor. I enjoyed watching them become friends as they allied to fight common enemies.   Knox and Nina's romance was interwoven with their battle to improve their community and fight evil. I can't wait for more next year in <strong>The Devil You Know</strong>.

Nina is the center of a small team of very deadly, very wanted women: herself, Dani, and Maya. Dani is a not-quite-retired assassin who cannot feel physical pain. Maya has perfect auditory recall and was once quite beloved of one of the evil corporations governing the world. Nina is the remaining third of a clone trio bred to be perfect warriors. Together they look after their neighborhood in Atlanta, doing their best to help those less well-suited to survival than themselves, which means occasionally dipping into criminal activity to fund their charitable activities.

Knox’s team represents one of those criminal activities. He is the captain of a corporate special squad that left their corporation, but will eventually perish without biological maintenance. He hires Nina to do something vague about the Rogue Library of Congress. Don’t worry if you can’t remember what, because it isn’t important. Honestly, for a series called Mercenary Librarians, there were disappointingly few libraries and librarians, although Nina’s team does run a print-on-demand and digital lending library for their neighborhood. The other members of his team are Gray, a mostly silent killer, Rafe, a charming giant, and Connal, their tech guy who needs a treatment soon or he will die. The remaining member of their team, Luna, has been kidnapped and that’s why he tells Nina he needs to hire her team: to get a macguffin with which to ransom Luna. Connal is the best.

This book reads a lot like James Cameron’s Dark Angel television series. Everyone is the best warrior ever, and super deadly and hot, and everyone is clearly being paired up with someone in the other team (except Connal, who I believe is gay). The one pairing that does get to have sex in this novel (I am positive you can guess which pair it is), has earth-shattering, no-one’s-ever-been-able-to-take-all-of-me sex following a patching up session. Most of the book is spent on the road, with a few pull-offs for supplies that offer opportunities for the two teams - especially the Devils - to develop further emotional bonds.

This is clearly setting up to be the first in a series wherein everyone gets their happily ever after with a member of the other group (again, except Connal, most likely), but it also feels like the author is unsure the rest of the series willactualy happen since some characters are introduced in this book which might have been better-suited to a later volume (aside from the handy resources they were able to contribute this time around). There were just a lot of plots in this book that were put off until the last quarter or so, and the rest was a sexy, snarky road trip.

I don’t think I’m going to seek out subsequent books in the series. Sexy genetically modified killers are nice, but I was really hoping for actual librarians and actual devils. That said, tt makes for a very good beach read and I wouldn’t have a hard time recommending it to folks who are fans of science fiction and romance, or of dystopian television dramas.

Mercenary librarians. What could be better? As a museum professional, I was taken in quickly by the swoony talk about file formats. Which, admittedly, is not the focus of the book. No, Knox and his Silver Devils (an elite unit gone rogue from a tech conglomerate) recruit Nina and her mercenary librarians to help them find something precious, but long lost. Oh, and everyone is technologically or genetically enhanced.

It's a post apocalyptic, forced proximity, road trip romance. It's romance, it's a quest, there's found family and lost family, there's thrilling heroics. Something for everyone.

Knox is attracted to Nina because she's dangerous. Their chemistry is very strong and believable. A good pairing to start the series off with. We also get chapters from the secondary characters perspective scattered throughout, and I am pretty excited to get into some of those pairings in future books.

The book lays a lot of groundwork for this universe, which seems to have a fair number of moving parts. And I'm very much looking forward to the series building on that groundwork as the series continues. I think there will be a lot of enjoyment in that as the series scaffolds.

Romance, adventure, dystopia. I'm here for it.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

From the moment I saw this book on social media I had it tagged as for my to be read file. Increasingly librarians feature in science fiction and fantasy either saving the world or guardians of knowledge - and as a librarian this is something I can get behind! The three woman team led by Nina in Deal with the Devil, are I would say, only loosely librarians however they are definitely information brokers with an enviable skill set. The setting is a post apocalyptic United States with civilization in chaos and a sharp divide between the haves and have nots.
The Silver Devils led by Knox are super soldiers who have broken away from their creators and who have been hired by a mysterious client to kidnap Nina. So far so good and the adventure begins. As may be expected once the two groups meet nothing goes quite as expected. The connection between Nina and Knox is palpable and their burgeoning romance forms the base for the narrative, however the connection between the teams is also explored.. This is a fun read and includes some very steamy scenes! I am looking forward to its sequel and of course I had to buy the t-shirt :)

I want to start this review with a huge thanks to Tor Books for providing me with an eARC via NetGalley! I’ve been super excited about this one since I found it while browsing NetGalley. I’m so glad I finally got out of a bit of a reading slump so I could read it!

The blurb mentioned two things that I really love: the tv show Orphan Black, and the books of Ilona Andrews. So how could I resist this one? I wanted to completely fall in love with this one since it seemed right up my alley, but that didn’t quite happen. Don’t get me wrong, it was still a hugely enjoyable read. But I think I went in with expectations of what it would be, and it ended up being something different.

The Good!
First things first, I love the science fiction aspect, and the found family aspect. Genetic manipulation, cloning, evil tech corporations? YES I love that stuff. I definitely wanted a LOT more of that. Maybe since this is a series, that will be explored in future books. And found family!! I mean, I think we all know I’m a sucker for found family. In this case, we got two!! Nina’s friends/crew, and then Knox’s crew. I loved reading about Nina, Maya, and Dani the most. I love that they’re all so different but have found such a close knit family with each other. Knox’s crew does also give off the found family vibes, but I felt that those characters were a little flat. They could have been fleshed out a lot more in my opinion.

The Meh?
The thing that threw me off was that this book was pretty heavy on the romance. I definitely expected some going in, but I guess I didn’t know to what level. The main romance is basically of equal importance to the rest of the plot, so if that’s not your thing then be aware! Additionally, I think that made me enjoy it a bit less because I just wasn’t convinced of Nina and Knox’s connection. I still enjoyed the romantic tension, but their connection just seemed physical to me so it was harder for me to buy into it.

I also wanted a LOT more of “mercenary librarian” idea!! That seems so cool! But we didn’t really get to see it in this book, since the plot of this one was basically a rescue mission for a kidnapped person. It was kind of teased at the beginning, but for a series with that as a title, I definitely want WAY more.

So overall, this was an entertaining read but unfortunately not a favorite! I still recommend it if you are looking for a quick, fun read.

I really liked this post-apocalyptic biotech action/romance and will want to read more in the series.

Nina and her friends, Maya and Dani, were raised under a program of clones and genetic modification. They each have special and unique skills, tactical strategies, fighting and assassination expertise, and retrievable memories of extensive info. These women were trained to be used as tools, and weapons, as might be directed by the powerful. Somehow along the way, Nina’s conscious helped her to escape with Maya and Dani. Now, in addition to protecting her team, the girls serve their community by providing food, treasured books, and more.

Knox is a cynical, battle-weary captain of a squad of supersoldiers widely known as the Silver Devils. Knox and his squad watched their handlers torture his medic to death. The remainder of the squad escaped the next chance they got. But they are living on borrowed time. The men were able to remove the trackers under their skin but the super strengths they have are based on supplements that are no longer available. They had hope that a specialist could tune their biometrics but she has been kidnapped. In order to ransom her, the Silver Devils need to team up with Nina and her team. Well… is it a team-up or a double-cross?

As the two teams travel to a distant target, there are natural tensions. Some are competitive issues but others are due to attempts to resist the sexual attraction, particularly between Nina and Knox. As the days and nights roll along the chemistry between them builds to a point of no resistance. Under Knox’s fiercely cold demeanor is a heart troubled by guilt and regrets. He admires Nina and thinks he could never be worthy of her caring nurture. But what will happen when they reach their destination and the true state of affairs is revealed?

I loved the strengths and vulnerabilities of the characters. There is plenty of tension and danger that kept me on edge. There were moments that required suspension of belief but I accepted that for the sake of the story. I enjoyed the enhanced skills, the action, the suspense, and the romance. I hope to read more in the series. I recommend this to those who enjoy futuristic, post-apocalyptic sci-fi with romance.

Source: NetGalley 2020.

I enjoy these stories set in a post apocalyptic America which scream romance in every word the author's pen.  The characters introduced in this series are charismatic and will capture reader's imaginations from the get go. The story is compelling and full of surprises at every turn; like me I know many readers will be clamoring for more, more, more.
Nina is ~ will horrors never cease "a leader" in Knox's words. Watching her in action is like poetry in motion. She might almost rival the super soldiers under Knox's commands or even Knox himself. Together they are unbeatable.  They came together from a position of necessity, along the way Knox developed a conscience but before he can come clean his subterfuge is exposed and now he and Nina are on opposing sides. Can they find a way to bridge the gap?
Knox and his team finally came to the end of the road with the protectorate which controls this part of the country. They thought they had managed to exit gracefully but danger surrounds them and it's going to get worse before it even has a remote chance of getting better. Knox has a hard lesson to learn that he is no longer the captain who can command his team. They are all free agents now who chose whether to follow his lead or not.
All the characters regardless of how they've been created, shaped, molded or tortured into being have hopes, dreams, desires outside of their lethal strengths.  This story is a great introduction to the series with non stop action and surprises that will have readers turning pages with bated breath. All is not as it appears especially given the glimpses of the dead team mate on Knox's team.
I am hooked and can't wait to see this series unfold.

This was one heck of a ride! Action, romance, and bad ass ladies? Hell yeah! This was a fun read and I had a good time reading this. My favorite aspect of the book would have to be the relationship between Nina, Dani, and Maya. I really loved their sisterly bonding and the friendship they share. The story switches POVs between multiple characters from both Nina's team and Knox's. Knox, aka the love interest, was an interesting character and yes I am not the biggest fan of insta-love but it was fine. I was definitely interested in Maya and Dani's possible love interest interactions though and can't wait to read more about them. The plot wraps up nicely and sets up for the next character's journey, which I can't wait to read. Overall I had fun reading this book and I am absolutely invested in the sisterly relationship these ladies share and can't wait to read more about their relationships in the future books!
* Thank you netgalley and Tor for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

It’s no secret that I’m a HUGE fan of Kit Rocha and this start to a new series is no exception, stacked to the brim with all the things to love about their previous books — epic worldbuilding, kickass women and the men who are smitten over them, a found family element that slowly bakes in over time, and hot, HOT romance. Once I started this I didn’t want to put it down, and I can already tell I’m going to be weak for the next book when it comes out. This is one you won’t want to miss if a post-apocalyptic world, badass ladies and a group of dishonored soldiers sounds anywhere near being up your alley.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.