Black Mail by Michelle Hall (Series)
- Christiana Harrell
- May 21, 2013
- 3 min read
Titles: Black Mail: Book I, Book II, Book III
Author: Michele Hall
Publisher(s): So_Fundamental
Summary:
Book I- Angela Lanier is a gorgeous, thirty-five-year old successful nymphomaniac living in New Orleans. She's what every man wants. Yet, she's divorced and her weakness—women—is to blame. Angela has never been one to dwell on regrets, however. Instead, she lives every day and gives herself to every lay as if it were her last. What she really wants, though, is to be married again. She meets a man who couldn't possibly be a better match. Then he reveals his true identity and her love is put to the ultimate test.
Book II- He's at it again. Only this time, he's slid down to Savannah, Georgia and Leah Brown is his victim. She's twenty-nine and knows exactly what it is that she wants out of life: a husband, children, a little financial security, and the ability to do what she loves to do for a living—writing. However, that's much easier said than done. Then she meets him. He's fine, rich, single, and wants her of all women. Problem solved, right? Like Angela, Leah believes that he is the missing piece to her puzzle of life. So when he reveals his true identity, she also finds herself faced with the ultimate ultimatum.
Book III- Jolie is a 25-year-old woman living in Jacksonville, Florida. She prides herself on living a bohemian lifestyle: being free, having few permanent ties, and even fewer responsibilities. Her only constant is singing. Singing is also what led her to him. Yet, their meeting is a bit unusual. He fires her. However, she can't shake him. Is he the one? Or better yet, is she the one? Will Jolie abandon her lifestyle to pledge her undying loyalty to him?
Review:
Dancing with the devil.
From jump, the title piqued my interest. We all know the definition of the word blackmail. Hall has created three different characters who are about to change your thoughts on the ordinary. Angela Lanier, Leah Brown, and Jolie all have one thing coming—the devil.
In book I, we meet Angela Lanier, a nympho that gets her rocks off one way or the other; be it male or female. She has an insatiable appetite for sex. That is until she meets the perfect man. This strange but perfect beau reveals nothing of himself, but gives her everything she could desire, leaving her to feel something she thought she never could—satisfied. As I read this book, I had my doubts in the direction that it was going. By the end, I was panting and lost. I felt like Angela; I had questions.
In book II, Big L keeps on trucking as he makes Leah his second victim, a well-off architect that has everything in her life structured. Angela makes an appearance, trying to warn Leah of what it is that she’s getting into, but like most women who do the opposite of what they are told, Leah stays put. She too, receives her inner most desires. The unnamed man gives her excitement from her boring school teacher life and whisks her away onto a cloud.
The third and final book brings us Jolie. This book made my jaw drop. Out of all three, I’d name this one my favorite. Jolie, to me, held her own with this evil. She handled the unknown much better than Leah and Angela, because she herself was a mystery. The twist and turns of this book made me laugh and cover my mouth. Who knew the devil had a perfect match?
Enough with the vagueness. Hall’s writing is descriptive, short, sweet, consistent, and to the point. These books leave you with questions: our desires and our limits.
If you have a love for the paranormal or religious undertones, then this is the series for you. I found it to be disturbing, but in the best way possible. It's eroctica and it carries messages about who we invite into our lives without question and how we are so easily blinded by what we want. It questions the things we are willing to sacrifice for our own selfish needs and our slanted definitions of love. It was an enjoyable read and I’d recommend it.
Comments