Status
Available
Call number
Series
Publication
Tor Books (2020), 331 pages
Description
Fiction. Romance. Science Fiction. HTML: Deal with the Devil is Orphan Black meets the post-apocalyptic Avengers by USA Today and New York Times bestselling author duo Kit Rocha. Nina is an information broker with a mission�??she and her team of mercenary librarians use their knowledge to save the hopeless in a crumbling America. Knox is the bitter, battle-weary captain of the Silver Devils. His squad of supersoldiers went AWOL to avoid slaughtering innocents, and now he's fighting to survive. They're on a deadly collision course, and the passion that flares between them only makes it more dangerous. They could burn down the world, destroying each other in the process... Or they could do the impossible: team up. This is the first book in a near-future science fiction series with elements of romance. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member JJbooklvr
They had me at Mercenary Librarians! The intense actions scenes, Dystopian setting, memorable characters, and steamy sex are all just added bonuses. Looking forward to book two in this new series!
LibraryThing member muddyboy
A team of hyper trained women link up with an equally qualified men to go on a series of dangerous missions such as rescuing one of the men's kidnapped associates. The the two groups meet out of necessity not because they have a past - they don't. Of course over time the two leaders become immersed
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in sexual tension. Each member of these elite fight squads have unique talents. One of a number of current dystopian books that is a cut above average. Show Less
LibraryThing member tetisheri
Oh, any new Kit Rocha book makes my dark little heart so happy, and this one is totally my heart's joy right now.
I really like that DWTD is in the same world as the Sectors, but another section of that world. The worldbuilding in Beyond series is already great, but this just adds all kinds of
Nina is really everything I've ever come to want or expect from a Kit Rocha book. She's tough and vulnerable at the same time. She's also a strong leader, cares about her neighborhood, wants to right the wrongs, and fiercely loyal to her friends and family. She's incredibly strong, and I look forward to seeing how she evolves in the rest of the series, based on what happened in this book.
Knox is a perfectly imperfect man. He isn't a bad man, but he has had to do some really bad things. He has a moral code that he tries to follow, but it doesn't always happen. He thinks that it's gone, but he's had to push it down so far. I think that he is going to have such a great journey through this series, with Nina there pushing him.
I can't wait to get to know more about all the side characters.
I really like that DWTD is in the same world as the Sectors, but another section of that world. The worldbuilding in Beyond series is already great, but this just adds all kinds of
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depth to the world, and continues with that same gritty realness that Kit Rocha already established. Nina is really everything I've ever come to want or expect from a Kit Rocha book. She's tough and vulnerable at the same time. She's also a strong leader, cares about her neighborhood, wants to right the wrongs, and fiercely loyal to her friends and family. She's incredibly strong, and I look forward to seeing how she evolves in the rest of the series, based on what happened in this book.
Knox is a perfectly imperfect man. He isn't a bad man, but he has had to do some really bad things. He has a moral code that he tries to follow, but it doesn't always happen. He thinks that it's gone, but he's had to push it down so far. I think that he is going to have such a great journey through this series, with Nina there pushing him.
I can't wait to get to know more about all the side characters.
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LibraryThing member Lea.Pearl
I just want to start by saying I am so disappointed! I had such high expectations going into this novel. I mean; romance, dystopian sci-fi world, librarians...who wouldn’t? It completely missed the mark for me and I found myself easily distracted. I didn’t feel like I knew the characters until
The story is a quick read and it flowed decently without the plot holes, but I wouldn’t recommend this novel if you don’t like romance. The characters seem to completely change (due to feelings) over the course of the story and I’m still unsure if I liked it. Let me clarify that I do enjoy romance novels, but it felt...displaced in this book. If you’re looking for a dystopian sci-fi adventure, you might be thrown off when you come across the steamy parts.
I know I’m probably in the minority with this, but overall, it was an unfortunately confusing and lacking read for me.
Thank you Tor and BookishFirst for providing me an ARC to read and review honestly.
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the book was nearly over and there’s a few places I felt the plot was lacking. Characters suddenly in a new place without mention of it previously…wait, what just happened?The story is a quick read and it flowed decently without the plot holes, but I wouldn’t recommend this novel if you don’t like romance. The characters seem to completely change (due to feelings) over the course of the story and I’m still unsure if I liked it. Let me clarify that I do enjoy romance novels, but it felt...displaced in this book. If you’re looking for a dystopian sci-fi adventure, you might be thrown off when you come across the steamy parts.
I know I’m probably in the minority with this, but overall, it was an unfortunately confusing and lacking read for me.
Thank you Tor and BookishFirst for providing me an ARC to read and review honestly.
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LibraryThing member alliepascal
DNF. I read about half of "Deal With the Devil." I started reading around the beginning of September, and yeah, it's mostly been sitting unfinished for weeks. It's finally time to admit that I have no desire to finish it. I just don't care anymore, and more than that, I don't feel like there's
As for why, it's a bit of everything. I was never all that intrigued by the setting or worldbuilding, and the writing was incredibly meh, and don't get me started on how little I cared about the characters, especially the main two characters and the romance. Nina and Knox were so incredibly unconvincing to me, and there's nothing else to keep me reading, so. Haven't read Kit Rocha before, and not planning on reading anything else. Definitely not the book for me.
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anything this book could throw at me in the second half that would make me glad to have gone through it in its entirety.As for why, it's a bit of everything. I was never all that intrigued by the setting or worldbuilding, and the writing was incredibly meh, and don't get me started on how little I cared about the characters, especially the main two characters and the romance. Nina and Knox were so incredibly unconvincing to me, and there's nothing else to keep me reading, so. Haven't read Kit Rocha before, and not planning on reading anything else. Definitely not the book for me.
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LibraryThing member sennebec
Everything you could want post apocalypse...and more. Great characters, plenty of action (both fighting and romantic), ends nicely, but with numerous plot elements waiting to be resolved/uncovered in the sequel.
LibraryThing member whatsmacksaid
I don't usually like post-apocalyptic fiction, but this story was just so genuinely enjoyable. Great plot that was well-executed, lots of action, and all the characters are so much fun. It's about both the price and importance of idealism and it's full of flawed people Doing Their Best. I can't
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wait for the sequel. Show Less
LibraryThing member kmartin802
DEAL WITH THE DEVIL is a near-future, post-apocalyptic science fiction story with a lot of romance. The setting is Atlanta but an Atlanta divided into many neighborhoods with a wide variety of resources.
Nina, Maya, and Dina are all escapees from various places that bred and trained them and likely
Knox is the leader of the Silver Devils - a squad that is AWOL from the Protectorate. Since his soldiers are all bio-enhanced and in danger of dying now that they don't have access to the Protectorate's maintenance drugs, he agrees to take a job to kidnap Nina and exchange her for a hostage who can help keep his men alive. He tells her that he has a lead on a buried library archive that holds all sorts of riches.
As the two groups - Knox and his men and Nina and her team - travel together and face bandits and other hardships, they begin to appreciate each other. Knox has second thoughts about betraying Nina once he gets to know her and see her essential goodness. But he still needs to find a way to rescue the hostage and save his men.
I enjoyed the worldbuilding in this story. I thought the post-apocalyptic world was intriguing. As a librarian, I was also intrigued by the idea of future librarians keeping the light of civilization burning. The romance was spicy but I felt it was realistic considering the personalities of the characters. I enjoyed the banter between the characters who all had unique personalities and histories.
I look forward to reading more books in this series as they become available.
Nina, Maya, and Dina are all escapees from various places that bred and trained them and likely
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want them back. They are using their various talents to help the people in their neighborhood to survive. They are also librarians who are intent on gathering and sharing information that would be helpful to survival.Knox is the leader of the Silver Devils - a squad that is AWOL from the Protectorate. Since his soldiers are all bio-enhanced and in danger of dying now that they don't have access to the Protectorate's maintenance drugs, he agrees to take a job to kidnap Nina and exchange her for a hostage who can help keep his men alive. He tells her that he has a lead on a buried library archive that holds all sorts of riches.
As the two groups - Knox and his men and Nina and her team - travel together and face bandits and other hardships, they begin to appreciate each other. Knox has second thoughts about betraying Nina once he gets to know her and see her essential goodness. But he still needs to find a way to rescue the hostage and save his men.
I enjoyed the worldbuilding in this story. I thought the post-apocalyptic world was intriguing. As a librarian, I was also intrigued by the idea of future librarians keeping the light of civilization burning. The romance was spicy but I felt it was realistic considering the personalities of the characters. I enjoyed the banter between the characters who all had unique personalities and histories.
I look forward to reading more books in this series as they become available.
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LibraryThing member 2wonderY
False advertising, as it’s not really about librarians. Genetically enhanced women archive and share written materials. It’s not the same thing at all; and very little focus is spent on that, even. It’s an adventure story and a steamy romance. The backstory is crap.
LibraryThing member ssperson
A really enjoyable story. I'm looking forward to reading more in this series.
LibraryThing member jjmcgaffey
Mildly interesting - not as good as I thought a "mercenary librarian" story would be. Lots of unreliable narrators, lying to each other and sometimes to themselves. Not bad, and I'm interested to read the next, but not as good as I was expecting.
LibraryThing member ftbooklover
The Mercenary Librarians and the Silver Devils are all part of experimental programs with implants, genetics, and cloning. Their reality is a time in the future after several wars, causing much of the United States to be a wasteland. Rising from the ashes of those wars are power-hungry companies
The Mercenary Librarians refers to Nina and her team who protect and disperse the knowledge of one of the few remaining libraries to others for a price. The book is written in chapters that are mostly numbered and told from 3rd person omniscient point of view, but every one in a while, there are chapters labeled with the names of characters who narrate what is happening from their own perspectives. Among the unique features of this book are the internal memos at the beginning of each chapter from the corporations that originally programmed Knox's and Nina's teams, giving some background into what happened to create all of these damaged individuals. Overall, this was a well-written futuristic story with some romance elements that works on all levels.
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who are using technology to improve their version of the human species. Knox and the Silver Devils have left the control of one such company called TechCorps and are in a race that might cost them their lives if they can't stabilize their implants before the kill switch inside kills them all. Nina mourned the loss of her sisters but has moved on by helping the community where she lives to survive by providing security. When Knox comes to Nina with a proposal to help each other, Nina doesn't know that she is being offered up in exchange for the one person who might be able to help Knox and his team.The Mercenary Librarians refers to Nina and her team who protect and disperse the knowledge of one of the few remaining libraries to others for a price. The book is written in chapters that are mostly numbered and told from 3rd person omniscient point of view, but every one in a while, there are chapters labeled with the names of characters who narrate what is happening from their own perspectives. Among the unique features of this book are the internal memos at the beginning of each chapter from the corporations that originally programmed Knox's and Nina's teams, giving some background into what happened to create all of these damaged individuals. Overall, this was a well-written futuristic story with some romance elements that works on all levels.
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LibraryThing member JSpilman
Mercenary Librarians!! Character and setting reminds me of Kate Daniels series.
LibraryThing member tornadox
With a series title of "The Mercenary Librarians", how could I not read it? I've read and watched a bunch of stories with post-apocalyptic librarians. Nina is no Alpha (from The Odyssey tv show), but at least she has a personality, unlike other works in this subgenre.
It's a post-apocalyptic romance
So. Here is what I liked about the novel. Queer relationships are completely normal; in fact, the heroine has had relationships with men and women. Most of the main characters have received some kind of enhancement, so their super skillsets have in-universe explanations. And Nina's main focus is on finding new books (and media) that they can digitize and share with people in their neighborhood.
It's a post-apocalyptic romance
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between a kick-ass librarian and a supersoldier. Hits the standard romances beats: the main couple (man and woman) falls into instant lust but their jobs and loyalties divide them. Will they ever have sex? Will there be misunderstandings that could be avoided if they just talked with each other? Will people from their dark pasts appear as antagonists? Are their friends all the best at what they can do? You betcha, plus bar fights and cage matches.So. Here is what I liked about the novel. Queer relationships are completely normal; in fact, the heroine has had relationships with men and women. Most of the main characters have received some kind of enhancement, so their super skillsets have in-universe explanations. And Nina's main focus is on finding new books (and media) that they can digitize and share with people in their neighborhood.
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Language
Original publication date
2020-07-28
Physical description
336 p.