Blue Eyed Devil Book Review

Full disclosure: I was given an ARC of this book from Stress Free Book Marketing in exchange for an honest review.

Every now and then, the genre description of the book catches my eye. I’m always fascinated by how it identifies itself. I talked about this briefly when I reviewed the comic thriller The Bouncer by David Gordon. Recently, I came across Blue Eyed Devil by MJ McDuffie, which calls itself a paranormal political thriller. I wasn’t sure what that meant, but I still read it anyway.  The best way that I can label it is what if Beauty and the Beast was a paranormal political thriller. It wasn’t perfect, but it was still entertaining.

Blue Eyed Devil is the first book in “The Celtic Seven Kings” Series. Fate intertwines when Remi Montgomery – a FBI agent who possesses the ability to see auras – and Belle Brooks – a captivating widow who finds herself untangling the dark legacy of her billionaire criminal husband – meet, and their lives are turned upside down. As their connections deepens, they become entangled in a web of mystery, secrets, and danger. On top of that, a malevolent force has set their sights on Belle. This forces the duo to navigate various obstacles like an old IRA bombing and several rigged presidential elections, which somehow factor into a miracle drug waiting for FDA approval. But how are they all connected? Belle and Remy must race against the clock to unravel the evil plot and stop the monster determined to have her at all costs.

Let’s get this out of the way. The main female character is named Belle, and the novel acknowledges this by having Remy think about how she shares the same name as the nerdiest Princess that the House of Mouse has created. The protagonist is like that character because she is smart, can be stubborn at times, and is clearly beautiful. Making this comparison made me realize that other people are similar to those in the animated Beauty and the Beast (1991). Remy is the Beast because he is described in almost a monstrous way with being big and having broad shoulders. Despite his appearance, Belle is enamored by his blue eyes. Also, he is tormented due to his grief for his dead wife. Granny – Belle’s grandma – is Maurice except she runs a sage farm. And there is Sam – Belle’s deceased husband. I thought he was like Gaston since he was incredibly good looking and an awful human being by constantly cheating on his wife. However, as the story unfolded, it was clear that he was more like a LeFou in that he was a beta male being controlled by someone else. I’m not going to spoil who the malevolent force is. All I can say is that they are a combination of Gaston and the creepy old man who runs the asylum. 

The paranormal aspect is kept to a minimum. This was done to establish both Remy’s and Belle’s abilities. The excerpt from Book 2 Green Eyed Monster (I will be disappointed if it doesn’t make any Othello references) at the end of this novel hints how the supernatural will play a bigger role. As mentioned earlier, Remy has the capability of seeing auras above people’s heads. This allows him to sense what they’re feeling, especially if they are masking them, and how trustworthy they are. This allows him to take different approaches when talking to various people about the case at hand. Meanwhile, Belle has the power to transport herself to a different time and place by touching a document to see what was going on at that time. However, she can’t do this frequently because it will take tons of energy out of her. Both abilities are well used in the book, and I look forward to seeing how they are utilized in subsequent titles.

The political side is also subdued. No one expresses their political views outright. It’s more in the exploration of certain events like the aforementioned IRA bombing and rigged presidential elections. In addition, a secret society called the Seven Kings is involved. I’m not entirely sure if they are a political organization, but then again, 14 US Presidents were a part of the Freemasons. The politics is more basic because the book wants to explore the human side of it, especially how those events personally relate to Remy and Belle. Out of the three descriptors of this book, this one feels the least important because of how it’s utilized in the story. Maybe it will be explored more in future titles.

As for the thriller aspect, this was the one that let me down the most. Granted, it’s a slow burn, and that can be done well. This is close, but no cigar. If McDuffie had less scenes involving the main characters going over the facts, the plot would’ve had better pacing. However, there were parts that had me fully invested. This included a scene in which Granny’s house gets blown up. In addition, the ending was unsettling in a good way.

Even though the paranormal, political, and thriller sides weren’t fully intriguing, the possible romance was. Throughout the novel, Belle and Remy have instant chemistry, yet it’s played like a will-they-won’t-they story. They both have lost a spouse, but they have their reasons for not initially trusting each other. For Remy, it’s because Belle is stubborn, and Sam was a friend of his who later made his life miserable. As for Belle, she is grappling with Sam’s death, and she sees Remy as a blue eyed devil (title drop!). They butt heads throughout, yet in the moments when they open up and reveal the trauma they’ve been through, they become closer. It’s these passages that are the strongest elements in the story. It’s truly tested when Belle finds a note from Sam written before he died that makes her believe that Remy was betraying her. I can’t wait to see how their relationship plays out in the rest of the series.

In addition, there’s a recipe for cinnamon rolls in the back of the book, and it’s supposedly created by Granny. I don’t know if this was all that necessary because I’m not sure if those sweets were even mentioned. I would expect this out of a mystery written by Joanne Fluke. Nevertheless, it’s still nice to have that. I might make it at some point.

Blue Eyed Devil by MJ McDuffie is overhyped in the paranormal political thriller sense, but it was still entertaining. The first two genre labels felt subdued, while the third could’ve been better with tighter pacing. Nonetheless, it had me invested when necessary. Remy and Belle are engaging characters, and I always looked forward to the quieter moments where they opened up to each other. While I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it for readers who like political-based books and thrillers, I would suggest it to those who like the supernatural, titles dealing with grief, and Beauty and the Beast retellings. Even though Blue Eyed Devil didn’t quite work, I have no regrets reading it. At least I know what a paranormal political thriller can be.

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