Personal Demons is a strange combination of predictability and originality. (Yes I am contradicting myself once again.) The cover says, "If you had a choice between Heaven and Hell, which would it be? ...Are you sure about that?" Could they have made it any more obvious that Franny (the main character) will fall for a demon? I think not. However, mixed in with some routine plot points are moments of pure brilliance.
"Frannie Cavanaugh is a good Catholic girl with a bit of a wicked streak. She's spent years keeping everyone at a distance—even her closest friends—and it seems her senior year will be more of the same...until Luc Cain enrolls in her class. No one knows where he came from, but Frannie can't seem to stay away from him. What she doesn't know is that Luc works in Acquisitions—for Hell—and she possesses a unique skill set that has the King of Hell tingling with anticipation. All Luc has to do is get her to sin, and he’s as tempting as they come. Frannie doesn’t stand a chance.
Unfortunately for Luc, Heaven has other plans, and the angel, Gabe, is going to do whatever it takes to make sure that Luc doesn’t get what he came for. And it isn't long before they find themselves fighting for more than just her soul.
But if Luc fails, there will be Hell to pay…for all of them."
Franny's character is about as contradictory as the plot. She has this good girl/bad girl hybrid vibe that really confused me at first. Why would it be so hard for Hell to tag her (mark her as destined for Hell) if she drinks, dates, parties and got kicked out of Catholic School? But Franny is not simply what she appears to be on the surface. She has felt much pain in her short life. As I found more layers in her character, I really began to like Franny. She's sweet, relatable, damaged, and sometimes a bit maddening. I could hardly stand it when she was pulling her date-a-demon-and-kiss-an-angel-behind-his-back stunt.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The plot carried me along with ease and the more I got to know each character, the more I enjoyed the book. I also liked the way Franny's and Luc's (the demon love interest) voices alternated as narrator. The angel, Gabe, didn't get any story-telling time, but I heard that he'll have his fifteen minutes of fame in the next book.
On the Luc vs. Gabe debate. I have to say that I started out team Gabe. I don't really see the appeal of "bad boys" and Luc is their king. However, the more I learned about Luc and heard his thoughts, the more I liked him. So, now I'm team Luc.
This book has so much content, Lisa Desrochers really could have made it into two books, but I'm not complaining. I love thick books, the longer the better. While some of the initial action is very predictable, the twists and turns get successively more original. It's also the only book I've read with a demon love interest. Usually the leading lady's man is a vampire or an angel.
I have a bit of a rant about the cover of this book (who am I kidding, it's a BIG rant). Take a look at the cover and tell me how old you think the characters are. Guess what...they're only supposed to be in high school. It's ridiculous how much older they look. To top it all off, the woman portraying Fanny looks like she belongs with the scantily-clad, busty women in the adult fantasy/sci-fi section.
To recap, the cover has issues but the book is enjoyable. So pick up your own copy of Personal Demons and enjoy the ride.
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