Review: Devil's Contract

@AltaHensley 

Devil's Contract by Alta Hensley
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Been a while since I read a Ms. Hensley book.  They are just as great as I remember them.  This story is filled with betrayal, kinkiness, and twisted love.  Full disclosure, I didn't read the blurb. I saw Ms. Hensley's name on the book and picked it up.  I went into this story cold and I'm glad I did.  The plot is nicely done.  The characters... I will leave that up to you to decide.

Katja is a pampered princess who is supposedly business savvy.  This book never demonstrated once that she knew how to run a business.  The fact that she also ended up in a situation where she was in a lot of debt only underscores her ineptitude.  I don't care what excuses she wanted to use, the way she was swindled out of her money only shows her lack of maturity, business acumen, and gullibility.  She is also a gossipmonger who thinks she is some kind of queen, preening and making a splash among the rich and elite.  Her father did a terrible disservice.  Katja is incapable of running her "empire".  She needs an astute businessman to get it working right.

That man?  That would be Dex and his sidekick Z.  Dex's relationship with Katja is complicated over years of history.  Their families have done business together for decades.  Katja willful ignorance and her spiteful childish acts are reprehensible.  Dex's plan to humble and bring down the snooty Katja is a masterpiece.  I like what he did and I feel he is justified.  Katja may have hurt and been embarrassed but she deserved every single dressing down and humiliation.  Honestly, I don't think Dex punished her enough and he let her off easy. Dex may be painted as the villain here, but we know the real villain is Katja.

In this struggle to win their coveted "Whitney", Dex introduces a bit of classic sexual punishment.  Questionably consensual and totally not the healthy sort of BDSM, but it is pretty sexy.  Dex spanks and degrades Katja in sexual ways that cause her pussy to flow.  I liked how he kinked it up.  Katja definitely protests a little too much.  The reveals are predictable and the ending is sweet and expected.  This story is a little bit like Taming the Shrew mixed with the hotel "Continental" from the John Wick movies.  I'm more interested in the business end rather than the romance.

This dark erotica is recommended to kinky readers who love their anti-heroes.

* I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Give Me Books