The Devil’s Bargain by Carin Hart is my second book by the author and the first one I actually really liked! This was another BookTok rec, but unlike No One Has To Know, it actually really hit the mark. Good spice, fleshed out characters, and a narrative that made sense all came together to create a really solid dark romance.
Now, you’ll notice I said a narrative that made sense instead of a sensible plot. That’s because the plot was pretty bare for the most part. Bad event happens, MMC steps in, Please love me for real, Oh no unexpected event!, babe I love you for real. That’s the narrative. Yes, it’s a narrative we’ve seen so many times before but honestly? It’s a well-liked, tried and true trope for good reason. There is a twist (of course there is) toward the end but it isn’t detrimental or anything that really has to do with our main characters. It’s much more of a set-up for the world and series and that was fine by me!
Linc and Ava were childhood sweethearts who moved in different directions in life. Linc, building up a criminal empire with a reputation for being a brutal gangster, still keeps a close eye on Ava, whom he never really got over. Ava, meanwhile, has tried moving on with her life with not so nice consequences. When murder happens, Ava looks to Linc for help who absolutely decides this is his chance to win her back.
I really liked these two because they seemed really well suited to one another. They’re both devoted to one another AND sexually compatible. Ava isn’t the typical virginal FMC we sometimes get in dark romance and Linc definitely isn’t the usual dark romance MMC where some wild event causes him to finally realize his feelings and stop being a jerk. The spice was good. Really liked that it was clear what each character was “good” with, which kept their relationship safe from feeling too skewed.
Overall, The Devil’s Bargain by Carin Hart was a solid dark romance read that really redeemed the author to me compared to previously read No One Has To Know. Characters are compatible and mostly respectful with one another, plus the spice was just kinky enough to hot.
