Review: The Devil She Knows by Alexandria Bellefleur

When her girlfriend rejects her proposal, dumps her, and leaves her a week to move out of their shared New York apartment, Samantha Cooper could not imagine her life getting any worse. Except now she’s stuck in the elevator in her apartment building with a beautiful stranger who somehow knows intimate details from her personal life. Decked out in bubblegum pink, seeming to appear from another era entirely, nobody would expect that this beautiful stranger, Daphne, is in fact a demon and she’s here to grant Samantha a bargain. Daphne claims she can offer Samantha the opportunity to right the failed proposal in exchange for something Samantha will barely miss—her soul. But six wishes means six chances to win back Hannah, and it’s not like Samantha will need to use all of them to accomplish this. What she doesnt know is that Daphne is under contract to collect one thousand souls, only then can she finally be free from her own misplaced bargain. Stuck in an elevator with a demon was never how she imagined her night going, nor experiencing six alternate realities where she made different choices. As Samantha’s wishes dwindle, freedom is in Daphne’s grasp, but the devil is in the details and neither of their bargains ever afforded them a chance at a happy ending.

The Devil She Knows is the latest in a long line of incredible romances from author Alexandria Bellefleur, but her first dabbling in romance of the paranormal variety. A Faustian type bargain between a contracted demon and a down on her luck chef becomes the love story of legend in this devilish contemporary romance that takes place—for the most part—entirely in an elevator. From the moment the premise for The Devil She Knows was first revealed I knew Bellefleur was going to deliver another romance masterpiece. This is truly a story only Alexandria Bellefleur was capable of drumming up. The Devil She Knows is like It’s a Wonderful Life, but instead of an angel saving you from cashing in that life insurance policy it’s a demon showing you six alternate realities and how deeply terrible your ex is. Cloaked in Bellefleurs classic wit, The Devil She Knows details an unlikely love story with a contemplative center. Hot as hell takes on a whole new meaning in this romance where hell is the backdrop affording bargains and stealing souls for dark purposes. Hellish romance is the new standard thanks to Bellefleur and The Devil She Knows has me wanting to bargain for more.

Unlike most of Bellefleur’s previous romances, The Devil She Knows sees the romance taking a bit of a back seat. Instead, Bellefleur explores two women defined by their circumstances finding assurance in their lives and the choices that made them who they are. The six wishes Daphne grants Samantha allow her to glimpse her different selves, albeit with a fantastical twist. Samantha experiences herself as a legendary thief responsible for stealing rare culinary ingredients worth millions, a celebrated chef competing on Daphne’s Inferno, a cooking show in hell, and the combinations just get more and more absurd. These absurd scenarios, while deeply humorous, hinge on the experiences from Samantha’s reality, the personalities that show through regardless of the situation. Bellefleur makes it clear that who we are is a constant, threading through these different realities. It is through this that Samantha learns to see herself as someone worthy of being loved exactly for who she is, not someone that needs to change every aspect of her personality to be chosen.

The Devil She Knows promises a sapphic paranormal romance surrounding a deal with the devil gone astray and it’s safe to say, Alexandria Bellefleur gives that and then some. Like a three-headed dog judging a cooking show in hell, a misguided demoness who was tricked by the devil himself, and the pitfalls of influencer marketing, the details to this one are as bizarre as they are expertly placed in Samantha’s path. A locked room romance was never something I imagined being a thing, but being stuck in an elevator with a demon is quite the enticing synopsis. Unveiling the complexities to her two characters, a demon wrapped in pink and a lovelorn chef, Bellefleur continues to excel at unlikely pairings that are perfectly compatible, and the dynamics that bring on the heat. The Devil She Knows is exactly what I needed going into spring and it is going to be a wonderful read for the upcoming fall season. A call to stay true to our roots and surround ourselves with people who do the same, this novel provides a fresh view on modern romance with just a dash of ill-conceived demonic bargains. I’m all but ready to bargain my own soul for more paranormal romances from Alexandria Bellefleur, but for now, I’ll stay sane with this.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this advance review copy.

Trigger warnings: infidelity, death

Preorder a Copy – Out 21st October