Dark Awakened
The Devil’s Assistant Series
Book Two
H.D. Smith
Genre: Paranormal/Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Wild Fey, LLC
ISBN: 978-1-942030-03-4
ASIN: B00PNVCQ8U
Number of pages: 290
Word Count: 88000
Cover Artist: Robin Ludwig Design Inc.
Tag Line: Darkly delicious—relentless—and wickedly good … the Devil’s Assistant is back.
Book Description:
Last spring Claire’s seemingly normal—if not totally screwed up—life was tossed on its head. For five years she’d been one of the damned—a human that knows the truth about the otherworldly among us. She’d worked for The Boss—the Demon King himself—as his administrative assistant, handling everything from early retirements, to Maintenance’s incessant requests for dental.
No one gets dental.
Then she walked into Purgatory—totally not her fault—went back in time, and awakened powers she never knew existed. Now Claire has a prophecy hanging over her head, a diamond ring hidden in her sock drawer, and the blood of a long dead royal running through her veins.
And it’s only going to get worse.
Her vow to live free or die takes a serious hit when she’s forced back under The Boss’s protection. Of course, there’s no protection from fate, or the Bounty Hunter sent to deliver her to Purgatory. And as if being “the girl” in the prophecy wasn’t enough, Claire soon discovers there are three other contenders for her role—two of whom want her dead.
Follow more of Claire’s adventures in Dark Awakened, the second installment of the Devil’s Assistant Series, to find out if she’s lucky enough to escape with her life, or if she’s just the first notch on the next contender’s belt.
Available at
Reviews for The Devil’s Assistant Series
Dark Hope is a serious thrill ride type of story ~Fang Freakin' Tastic Reviews
I fell absolutely head over heels in love with this book! It truly was dark & delicious. Mayhem, death, Demons, Pagan's, Druids and a kickass heroine!
~ Taking It One Book at a Time
I thoroughly enjoyed this story, very unpredictable and difficult to anticipate what happens next, which is always a good thing. Claire is an intriguing character, everything she thought she knew is not quite true …I cannot wait for the next book in series, eager to figure out what is going to happen to Claire. ~ Musings From An Addicted Reader
I love when authors can create something that takes me on a wild ride I’ve never been before. ~ Book Lovin' Mamas
Excerpt:
Chapter 6
I took a deep breath, clutching the double shot macchiato as I sat outside the Starbucks in Underworld waiting. Underworld was the place between the realms and Earth, but wasn’t directly ruled by the big three.
Death’s portal had dropped me somewhere in Egypt. It took a bit of persuasion, but I was able to convince a druid I spotted on the street to direct me to the closest Underworld portal. No surprise, he wanted a payment, but I convinced him to sell the information to Johnny’s boys—an arm of the “police” in Underworld which should really be called the Druid Mob. I supposed someone had to be in charge of the day to day workings of a major city, but they were all corrupt. I hated druids, but this was the fastest way to get the Druid King’s attention. I’d told the druid to let the Mob know I’d be waiting at the Starbucks for them to arrive. So here I sat, waiting and hoping The Boss—or Death—didn’t find me first.
I wanted to contact Omar, but without my phone—the second best company perk, which had an address book with every contact number on the planet—I was SOL. Of course, had I taken the phone with me to Death’s Villa I would have had other options for leaving, but like the watch, I’d left it behind in my old apartment when I disappeared.
Ten minutes after I’d ordered my drink and found a seat, a lime-green convertible pulled to a screeching halt on the street in front of me.
Two of Johnny’s goons, a driver and his lackey, practically fell out of the car in their haste. I cocked an eyebrow at them as they approached.
As if on cue, Quaid materialized on the sidewalk outside the seating area.
“I’m here to see Harry,” I said to no one in particular, but everyone in the vicinity of my voice noticed.
Within five seconds every pedestrian and patron had vanished or walked away. The seating area and sidewalk were clear, leaving only the goons and Quaid.
“The Old Man’s been looking for you,” Quaid said, referring to The Boss. “You’re leaving with me.”
I arched my eyebrow at him. “They were here first,” I said, pointing at Johnny’s boys, “and if you think I’ll go anywhere with you, you’re crazy.”
Quaid—on the Old Man’s orders—had killed Jack. I’d never willingly go anywhere with him, and he knew it.
The goons looked a bit like deer in headlights as Quaid snarled at them. The driver had enough sense to place a call, while his lackey stared slack-jawed.
Quaid’s lips were pursed together—he was clearly annoyed. He pulled out his phone and started texting. I sipped my coffee, waiting for the real fun to begin.
A few seconds after Quaid sent his text I felt a slight tug against my core as if someone—presumably The Boss—was trying to magically transport me away from the Starbucks against my will. I smiled and winked at Quaid, who sighed and texted something else into his phone.
The magic of Death’s villa had worked a lot like physical teleportation. When the kitchen became the garden, it wasn’t really becoming the garden—I was physically relocating myself to the garden. Normally that type of movement took a lot of power, but Death’s villa was spelled to make local transports easy. Of course, this meant if I wanted to stay in one place I had to know how to hold on—at least that was how I thought of it. It had apparently become somewhat second nature over the last couple of months, because I hadn’t realized I was locking myself to the Starbucks seating area until Quaid tried to move me. He’d find it impossible now that I knew he was trying to transport me. I’d have to let go first, and I had no intention of doing that.
“I’m here to see Harry, not Conrad.” I said to Quaid, using The Boss’s human name.
His lip curled up, as if amused. He ignored me and kept typing.
I caught the eye of the driver. I didn’t want to deal with Johnny. I wanted him going straight to the top, which I was fairly sure I’d made clear already. To avoid confusion, I said, “Harry, not Johnny.”
Johnny, the Mob boss, could get an update from his lackeys later. I had no desire to deal with his posturing, and if The Boss showed, he’d be out of his depths anyway.
The driver glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then gave me an almost imperceptible nod. Maybe he wasn’t planning to tell Johnny at all, or he didn’t want anyone to think he was taking orders from me. I didn’t care, as long as he got Harry here.
Excerpt:
Chapter 6
I took a deep breath, clutching the double shot macchiato as I sat outside the Starbucks in Underworld waiting. Underworld was the place between the realms and Earth, but wasn’t directly ruled by the big three.
Death’s portal had dropped me somewhere in Egypt. It took a bit of persuasion, but I was able to convince a druid I spotted on the street to direct me to the closest Underworld portal. No surprise, he wanted a payment, but I convinced him to sell the information to Johnny’s boys—an arm of the “police” in Underworld which should really be called the Druid Mob. I supposed someone had to be in charge of the day to day workings of a major city, but they were all corrupt. I hated druids, but this was the fastest way to get the Druid King’s attention. I’d told the druid to let the Mob know I’d be waiting at the Starbucks for them to arrive. So here I sat, waiting and hoping The Boss—or Death—didn’t find me first.
I wanted to contact Omar, but without my phone—the second best company perk, which had an address book with every contact number on the planet—I was SOL. Of course, had I taken the phone with me to Death’s Villa I would have had other options for leaving, but like the watch, I’d left it behind in my old apartment when I disappeared.
Ten minutes after I’d ordered my drink and found a seat, a lime-green convertible pulled to a screeching halt on the street in front of me.
Two of Johnny’s goons, a driver and his lackey, practically fell out of the car in their haste. I cocked an eyebrow at them as they approached.
As if on cue, Quaid materialized on the sidewalk outside the seating area.
“I’m here to see Harry,” I said to no one in particular, but everyone in the vicinity of my voice noticed.
Within five seconds every pedestrian and patron had vanished or walked away. The seating area and sidewalk were clear, leaving only the goons and Quaid.
“The Old Man’s been looking for you,” Quaid said, referring to The Boss. “You’re leaving with me.”
I arched my eyebrow at him. “They were here first,” I said, pointing at Johnny’s boys, “and if you think I’ll go anywhere with you, you’re crazy.”
Quaid—on the Old Man’s orders—had killed Jack. I’d never willingly go anywhere with him, and he knew it.
The goons looked a bit like deer in headlights as Quaid snarled at them. The driver had enough sense to place a call, while his lackey stared slack-jawed.
Quaid’s lips were pursed together—he was clearly annoyed. He pulled out his phone and started texting. I sipped my coffee, waiting for the real fun to begin.
A few seconds after Quaid sent his text I felt a slight tug against my core as if someone—presumably The Boss—was trying to magically transport me away from the Starbucks against my will. I smiled and winked at Quaid, who sighed and texted something else into his phone.
The magic of Death’s villa had worked a lot like physical teleportation. When the kitchen became the garden, it wasn’t really becoming the garden—I was physically relocating myself to the garden. Normally that type of movement took a lot of power, but Death’s villa was spelled to make local transports easy. Of course, this meant if I wanted to stay in one place I had to know how to hold on—at least that was how I thought of it. It had apparently become somewhat second nature over the last couple of months, because I hadn’t realized I was locking myself to the Starbucks seating area until Quaid tried to move me. He’d find it impossible now that I knew he was trying to transport me. I’d have to let go first, and I had no intention of doing that.
“I’m here to see Harry, not Conrad.” I said to Quaid, using The Boss’s human name.
His lip curled up, as if amused. He ignored me and kept typing.
I caught the eye of the driver. I didn’t want to deal with Johnny. I wanted him going straight to the top, which I was fairly sure I’d made clear already. To avoid confusion, I said, “Harry, not Johnny.”
Johnny, the Mob boss, could get an update from his lackeys later. I had no desire to deal with his posturing, and if The Boss showed, he’d be out of his depths anyway.
The driver glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then gave me an almost imperceptible nod. Maybe he wasn’t planning to tell Johnny at all, or he didn’t want anyone to think he was taking orders from me. I didn’t care, as long as he got Harry here.
About the Author:
HD Smith has been writing for over ten years. She is a software developer by day, working for an awesome cruise line in Celebration, FL.
HD grew up in South Carolina, but has called the Sunshine State home since 1997.
She has Computer Science degrees from Clemson University (BS) and Florida Institute of Technology (MS). Her other hobbies include painting and screen printing. She enjoys creating t- shirts inspired by the places in her books. For more information, visit HD’s website.
Tour giveaway
5 eBook copy sets of book 1 and 2
1 prize pack containing $75 Amazon Gift Card and eBooks of Dark Hope and Dark Awakened
What an interesting excerpt. Would love to read this novel Thank you for hosting.
ReplyDeleteI love the synopsis for this fabulous sounding book! Greta cover art too and I have not read anything from this author yet, so I would love to win and read to review! Thanks for sharing and good luck to all!
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