“There Is No Devil” is the second half of the Sinners Duet. Reader be warned: this is a dark and steamy serial killer romance that may be triggering to some.

Blurb:

I Couldn’t Kill Mara…

There is No Devil, the much anticipated conclusion to the Sinners Duet by Sophie Lark is available now! 

I Couldn’t Kill Mara…

But that doesn’t mean Shaw won’t.

She’s living in my house, always with me, always under my control.

The more I push her, the more she pushes back.

She’s peeling away my secrets, one by one. And I’m tempting her to do things she never thought she’d do…

Shaw won’t stop hunting her.

When the time comes to act, will Mara be ready?

My Review:

There Is No Devil by Sophie Lark is book two and the conclusion to the Sinners Duet. You must read There Are No Saints first but that’s no hardship because it’s an excellent book. This is a dark and steamy serial killer romance about Mara Eldritch, Cole Blackwell and his nemesis Alastor Shaw. A psychological thriller which looks at morals and the need for justice as the characters battle for revenge. 

In There Are No Saints we met Cole and Alastor, who are rival artists and serial killers working in San Francisco. They never went after the same person until Mara appeared at an art show one evening. Mara is a young and upcoming artist who Cole takes under his wing and becomes her mentor. Shaw kidnapped her to try and make Cole react and break his rules. When that didn’t work, he went after her friend Erin. Mara attempted to tell the police that Shaw was the Beast of the Bay and assaulted her but no one believed her. Cole immediately moved her into his house to protect her and this is where the story continues. 

Cole has always be alone so he is selfish and everything he does is for himself. He is a calculated and patient man, who knows what he wants and how to get it. He wants to tame Mara, make her submit to him and totally control her life until she breaks and reveals her true self. Cole is determined to persuade her that his way of dealing with Shaw is the best. 

“You threaten everything I thought I knew, and everything believed.”

Mara can see Cole is playing a game with her but she has struggled her whole life for independence so is determined to stay strong. She is very curious about him and enjoys his company as finds him interesting. She sees he gets pleasure out of constantly watching her so she loves teasing him. He obsessive and needs to know where she is all the time, what she is doing. For the first time in her life she feels valued and cared for, even though she realises she is becoming totally dependent on him. They are both pleasure seekers and use their connection and attraction to explore this side of themselves.

She flourishes under his care both personally and professionally. The author does make you wonder who is changing who in their alliance because Mara is definitely affecting Cole and his life just like he is with her. This is very obvious as their relationship develops and they learn more about each other. We get their backstories and discover what they both went through as children.  I don’t know who I felt more sorry for as neither had great role models for parents and both suffered mental and physical abuse. Mara had a hard life at home, it continued after she ran away and she became very self destructive.  We find out what led Cole to becoming a killer for the first time, why he crossed the line into actually wanting to kill and his reasons for being a serial killer. I was also fascinated by the story about when he first met Shaw, what happened to turn him into a killer and why he became the Beast of the Bay. 

Cole saw the darkness in her from the beginning, realised she repressed all her anger and need for revenge so made it his mission to make her release and embrace it. Dealing with Shaw is the ideal situation for both of them to express this side of their personalities. They both know Shaw wants to finish what he started and kill Mara. Even though Cole plots and plans everything extensively, it is not as easy as they’d hoped especially when they have added complications to contend with.

“Everything is better when you share it with someone else.”

I loved the analogy of Cole being like his house – stark and intimidating on the outside but surprisingly beautiful inside. By the end of the book, he is not the cold hearted man we started with. He has met his match in Mara and her love for him has made him feel alive. For Mara, he is not only her lover and teacher but the only person to really understands her sensory issues. I am sure you are not meant to sympathise or swoon over a serial killer but there is just something about Cole and how he justifies his actions that is compelling. 

It all builds up into a frightening climax. Who will survive when the trio finally come together? An amazing ending for this couple and I loved how they mange to right the wrongs in their own distinct way. Sweet epilogue to finish their twisted story.