Audio: 4⭐️ Overall; Dan Calley: 3.75⭐️ , Joel Leslie: 4⭐️
“Devil’s Mark” is a nice addition to the demon-lover section of PNR, although it will probably appeal to those most invested in the hurt-comfort/romance aspect than the supernatural elements as the romance between Oscar and Cal is the central element of the story. A year prior, Oscar’s abusive ex-boyfriend Joe was sent to prison after almost killing him. Oscar’s been trying to rebuild his life but is left in stasis by his fear, anxiety, self-disgust and Joe’s looming release. When his best friend Bailey talks him into clubbing with him before he goes on holiday in America, Oscar knows it’s an important step to take. He doesn’t have high hopes for the evening so is surprised at the intense chemistry he feels towards the most gorgeous man he’s ever seen and even more shocked to feel safe with the beautiful stranger.
As Lucifer’s sons, Cal and his three brothers are princes of hell and ruled the inner circle of higher demons with an iron fist of fear on behalf of their father. However, Cal, Mori and Harlow abandoned Lucifer’s orders and made lives for themselves living among humans and other supernats while Dagon chose to stay. More than 5 centuries later, Cal owns a bookshop, far removed from his previous life as the “butcher of the ninth circle”; unfortunately, someone from that life is trying to get his attention by leaving headless men in his romance section. In order to charge his powers to face them, Cal plans on hitting Mori’s club and finding a willing twink to spend a lustful, debauched night with and send on their way in the morning.
However, when he locks eyes with Oscar, he’s hit with emotions and an intense possessiveness he’s never experienced before, and when their night together is cut short, he can’t help but follow him home to make sure he’s safe. He also can’t fight his instinct to leave his mark on Oscar as a form of protection; yet, the protection the mark offers is a double-edged sword as while the mark allows Cal to know when Oscar is in trouble and find him, it also lets every supernatural being know Oscar is important to Cal and thus a weakness to be exploited.
Oscar is less worried about Cal being a demon than he is about Joe, especially since he doesn’t know his triggers and struggles with panic attacks. On top of his almost crippling anxiety, Oscar suffers from severe feelings of worthlessness and inadequacy, so the biggest hurdles for Cal and Oscar are helping Oscar manage his pain and exorcise Joe’s toxic inner voice from Oscar’s head. Despite Oscar’s issues being pretty deep, the author does a good job at showing who Oscar really is and making him more than his trauma and baggage. He’s smart, cheeky, a bit bossy and fun; seeing him be more himself is lovely and Cal can’t look away.
While demons aren’t inherently evil in this world, their natures are inherently selfish and possessive so I appreciated that while marking a person can’t be undone, Cal isn’t overbearing and Oscar has a choice to accept the bond and be romantically involved with Cal or not. Cal is supportive and understanding but also makes it clear that he’s no angel and doesn’t care about other humans the way he does Oscar; there’s no pretense from Cal about who he is or what he’s capable of. The chemistry between the two is amazing but the unwavering support and quiet help Cal gives Oscar is the standout for me.
The pacing is mostly good, but while there aren’t an overwhelming number of sex scenes, there is a bit of sex haze/Joe trauma repetition. As mentioned, the focus is on Cal and Oscar so there isn’t a lot of supernatural shenanigans/action set pieces. The majority of beings in the story are demons and even though Lucifer’s attempt to get Cal home by threatening to kill Dagon is the major threat/plot driver, the moving pieces are mostly handled in the background by Mori and Harlow. Taylor does a good job of not falling too much into the writing trap of establishing IMMINENT TERRIBLE DANGER and then forgetting about it for sexy times for most of the book by making sure to mention what’s going on/who’s doing what when the passage of time is happening but Oscar and Cal are still going at it; having brothers is super handy.
The worldbuilding is solid enough for the story being told, but there are some gaps/misplaced information beats here and there, especially during the third act showdown where some basic info is only given to the reader by Oscar asking questions which would have definitely been covered in the hours long convo Cal and Oscar had about demons. So when the supernatural action kicks in some of the happenings/reasoning feel a teeny contrived and loose but not enough to detract from my enjoyment as I liked all the characters and the dynamics of the brothers is established enough to be engaging and have me invested enough to want their stories. Harlow is more fleshed out than Mori as he spends more time with Oscar, but Taylor does a lot with a little and even Dagon’s brief appearance piqued my interest in the character. All in all a fun read with charming demons and a solid series starter.