Book Review: The Devil & Dayna Dalton

I'm so glad it's Friday. I get to see my niece and nephew this weekend and I'm just really excited about doing something. I'm in a not great place right now and it's mentally and emotionally draining,, so to have something on the calendar to do is a good reason to force myself out of bed and out of the house. If you don't know, I am also a writer for the Duluth Moms Blog and if you're interested, my latest article is up this morning. In the meantime, let's go into the weekend with a book review.

The Devil & Dayna Dalton - Brit Lunden

Reporter Dayna Dalton's reputation has been ruined since birth. The daughter of wild child, Becky Dalton, is expected to follow her mother's footsteps; never given a chance to prove she's different. Dana's been in love with Clay Finnes since she was a teenager. Her unrequited love for Sheriff Finnes leaves her empty. He's happily married and unavailable. Instead, Dayna finds herself stuck in the revolving door of bad relationships. But this is Bulwark, Georgia, a town where strange things are always happening. Dayna is doomed to this loveless life until she can find someone who will appreciate the depth of her character. Can she overcome her fears and look beyond her own perceptions to accept a greater love?

*Contains Sexual Content* 

Let's start by saying that though this is book 9 in the Bulwark Anthology, I didn't feel too lost having not read any of the others. A few points I felt like I was on the outside of a conversation (that kind of feeling) but it didn't last long and then I was fine. I think the fact it's a novella helped with that because there really isn't time in the 100ish pages for a recap of the rest of the anthology. Anyways. In this book we have Dayna Dalton, a girl on the outside because of her familial background. We don't learn a whole lot about her, which... I wish we did because all we really get is her rather long list of relationships (romantic, friendship, professional, etc) that don't work out. Basically, she's got a really crappy lot in life and it's like nothing is every going to go her way.

Anyways. Some paranormal things are happening where she lives and curiosity gets the best of Dayna so she starts investigating. She ultimately stumbles upon some bizarre things and that's when her life takes a sharp turn to completely different. She meets someone, falls in love with them almost immediately (which feels a little odd, I mean, I know it's a novella but there has to be a way to make this seem like it isn't an overnight thing), but nothing is really as it seems.

Overall? Fun read. I got it done in just under two hours so you can definitely fly through it easily. My only quips are things that maybe could have been cleaned up with editing, but are things I find common in novellas: the dialogue feels off, it isn't a conversation you would ever hear in real life so it feels cheesy, almost. I know a novella is a get-to-the-point story but it's literally the last third of the book that has all of the action and we go from getting to know you to we're in love, and know it's the end. The conclusion of the book felt a little rushed for me. (Also, the description of his long, thin fingers kind of creeped me out. If I think of romance and being wooed- I don't want thin hands and fingers, I want something sturdy. BUT, that might just be me. HA!)

I'll give this one a solid 3 stars. I liked the mythology piece of it and the overall concept of the book even if getting there was a bit bumpy.

   

Thank you to Pump Up Your Book for getting me on this tour but also to Brit Lunden for getting a copy to me for review. All thoughts/opinions expressed are my own. This post contains affiliate links. Happy reading, lambs!