Book Review: Speak of the Devil by Britney King

Title: Speak of the Devil
Author: Britney King
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Release Date: October 4, 2018
Speak of the Devil is a captivating, darkly satiric psychological thriller which offers readers another savage look into a utopian cultish society where beauty and perfection are valued at all costs and it’s best to keep your friends close and your enemies closer. 
 
In the upscale suburb where Vanessa Bolton lives, she’s your average suburban housewife.
 
She does her grocery shopping on Tuesday, Thursday mornings are reserved for Pilates, Sundays for church. At home, she’s an impeccable housekeeper and a mother with a mediocre track record.
 
But in discreet hotel rooms throughout the city, she can be whatever you want her to be—provided you can afford the hourly fee.
 
In the rapidly expanding cult to which she belongs, Vanessa has been assigned the role of a “Siren”—a recruiter trained to use seduction to elicit compliance from her marks.
 
Vanessa’s latest assignment—an unsuspecting chemist merely looking for something without strings—proves to be her toughest yet. Unwilling to neatly slide into the roles society has prescribed for them, the two collide in a sensual and savage affair that threatens not only their own lives but also those they seek to protect most.
 
Featuring “tantalizing suspense, pulse-pounding danger, sex, and double-dealing,” Speak of the Devil is a timely and riveting psychological thriller that is impossible to put down.

 
 

 

 
“….this is a series that stands apart from all other psychological thrillers out there as Britney King uses unique concepts and slays character roles.” – Elle’s Book Blog
 
“By far my favorite of the New Hope series. I couldn’t put it down!!” – Goodreads review
 
“The writing in fantastic. The plot was engaging and original…” – Between the Bookends
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My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

The thing about seduction is you can’t be someone’s fantasy and be real at the same time.

 

How long does it take for a dead body to start smelling? What’s the best way to dispose of a corpse? How deep does a grave need to be? What’s the best way to get blood stains out of cement? God, so many questions. Questions I can’t very well Google. I need answers, and somehow I don’t think Siri would be much help either. Quora, maybe? There are a lot of options. I can at least be grateful for that. I can’t imagine what they used to go through in the olden days.

 

My Review:

 

What an odious and loathsome cast of characters, there were no heroes in this story; while some were more monstrous than others they were all contemptible and doggedly manipulative. The New Hope church/cult practices were deplorable, the church leaders were unsavory and despicable, and their lifestyle and underpinnings of sex trafficking and blackmail, and the use of torture, brainwashing and drugging of their members were disturbingly abhorrent. Yet, despite all that, the remarkably talented Brittany King’s unique writing style and insightful and captivating storytelling kept me riveted to this provocative and twisted tale, and while I frequently flinched and cringed while reading, I could not put my Kindle down. I’m a bit worried what that says about me.

 

Britney King lives in Austin, Texas with her husband, children, two dogs, one ridiculous cat, and a partridge in a pear tree.
When she’s not wrangling the things mentioned above, she writes psychological, domestic and romantic thrillers set in suburbia.
 
Currently, she’s writing three series and several standalone novels.
 
The Bedrock Series features an unlikely heroine who should have known better. Turns out, she didn’t. Thus she finds herself tangled in a messy, dangerous, forbidden love story and face-to-face with a madman hell-bent on revenge. The series has been compared to Fatal Attraction, Single White Female, and Basic Instinct.
 
The Water Series follows the shady love story of an unconventional married couple—he’s an assassin—she kills for fun. It has been compared to a crazier book version of Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Also, Dexter.
 
Around The Bend is a heart-pounding standalone, which traces the journey of a well-to-do suburban housewife, and her life as it unravels, thanks to the secrets she keeps. If she were the only one with things she wanted to keep hidden, then maybe it wouldn’t have turned out so bad. But she wasn’t.
The With You Series at its core is a deep love story about unlikely friends who travel the world; trying to find themselves, together and apart. Packed with drama and adventure along with a heavy dose of suspense, it has been compared to The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and Love, Rosie.
The Social Affair is an intense standalone about a timeless couple who find themselves with a secret admirer they hadn’t bargained for. For fans of the anti-heroine and stories told in unorthodox ways, the novel explores what can happen when privacy is traded for convenience. It is reminiscent of films such as One Hour Photo and Play Misty For Me. 
 
Without a doubt, connecting with readers is the best part of this gig. You can find Britney online here: 
Web• http://BritneyKing.com
Instagram • https://instagram.com/britneyking_ 
Facebook • https://www.facebook.com/BritneyKingAuthor
Twitter• http://twitter.com/BritneyKing_
Goodreads • http://bit.ly/BritneyKingGoodreads
 
To get more– grab two books for free, by subscribing to her mailing list at britneyking.com or just copy and paste bit.ly/britneykingweb into your browser. 
Happy reading.

 

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13 Replies to “Book Review: Speak of the Devil by Britney King”

  1. Fantastic review. I am torn on this one. It certainly has me fascinated though.

  2. This sounds amazing and honestly? You hooked me with this quote alone, “The thing about seduction is you can’t be someone’s fantasy and be real at the same time.”

  3. Thanks for the review. But Can I ask you something? If every book you read taught you a lesson? What lesson did this book adds?
    I always see books as a journey some are good other are bad but even the darkest journeys can teach you a thing or two.

    I know I am being overrated forgive me😂😂😂😂😂😂
    Thank you for reviewing and continuous support.

    1. A quote from Karl Marx came to mind while I was reading – about religion being an opiate of the masses. I don’t mean to be disrespectful but all religions are cultish to some extent by using rules and dictates to influence/control their members.

  4. THIS SOUNDS SO UP MY ALLEY. I love a cast of characters that I love to hate. 😂

  5. Great review my friend, I absolutely love and adore dark psychological thriller books and this one looks and sounds absolutely amazing and right up my alley to boot as well. Thank you so much for sharing your awesome post.

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