Hell Hath No Fury by Carol Lynne is the story of fallen archangel Lucifer and his love interest Dominic Ramos. Dominic is a guard keeper for the gates of Heaven who is sent by God to protect Lucifer when his bitter rival and archenemy Ambrosios escapes from prison and makes an appearance in “The City”, threatening revenge upon Lucifer.“The City” is the terminology that Lu uses when referencing his home, known to mortals as “Hell”. In this story, hell is portrayed in a much different context than the traditional, biblical, fire-and-brimstone depiction. Lu also is depicted in a much different light than what we generally think of when we consider the devil.Lu takes his job as city mayor very seriously and tries to maintain a public image as being a strict, authoritative, and selfish ruler who unapologetically engages in sexual debaucheries at his every whim. When he meets Dominic for the first time, he is taken aback when his advances upon this heavenly bodyguard seem to go unnoticed.Dom, on the other hand, is indeed attracted to Lucifer, but he is a man of principle and remains committed to performing the job for which he was commissioned. It isn’t long, however, until Dom does succumb to the seduction of the persuasive fallen angel. The couple engages in a very sensual sex act in a very public place, and from that point forward, Dom begins to see Lu in a whole new light. He begins to understand the heart of this former-heavenly being. He sees the true identity of this often-misunderstood icon, not merely as being the uncaring and evil dictator, but rather as a compassionate, principled being who secretly prefers to curl up at night with glass of strawberry milk in a warm pair of fleece pajamas.I was immediately attracted to this author’s writing style. Being that this was the first of her stories I’d ever read, I was a bit surprised by the simplicity and unpretentiousness of her prose. I particularly like the manner in which she writes dialogue and feel that she realistically captures the inflection and nuance conveyed in informal conversation.I also felt that the character development was remarkable. For such a short story she did an amazing job of including a believable and interesting arc for both central characters. Initially my perception of Lu was that he was a playboy with an insatiable sexual appetite. By the end of the story I perceived him as being a multi-faceted character who was indeed very sexy but who also possessed intense emotions and principles. I also genuinely fell in love with the heart of Lu’s love interest, Dom.Being that stories of a Dom/sub theme are my personal favorites, I especially enjoyed this element within the story. It was rather interesting that the Dom in the story was not Lucifer, but instead the heavenly being Dominic. It was sort of a bad-boy/angel romance with a twist. My criticisms are minor, one being that I didn’t particularly understand why the inhabitants of hell would fear death, being that they all were already dead. Perhaps “death” in this case is complete obliteration. I also noticed a few minor editing issues. Sometimes Lu was spelled “Lu” and sometimes “Lou”, for example. These minor issues did not detract from my overall opinion of the story. I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to reading more of this very talented author.For those who are concerned about the religious or sacrilegious elements of the story, I’d simply advise that you view this as a masterful work of fiction. There is indeed a moral message within the story, but I don’t view it particularly as being of a religious nature—more so a matter of human nature. Be careful how we judge one another, because people are not necessarily who we think them to be. Hell Hath No Fury is a fascinating read which I highly recommend. ( )

I love Carol Lynne’s Cattle Valley series, but they are very simple, utopian romances. Not a lot of plot, or originality, but I enjoy them anyway. This novella shocked me. Lynne has a creative spirit that was just waiting to be unleashed!

I have read fiction wherein Hell has been described as a city and Lucifer the “mayor”. However, that was horror (Edward Lee’s City Infernal trilogy for those wondering). Lynne has taken the concept and reshaped it into an M/M romance with fresh takes on the fallen Angel, his relationship with God and other archangels, and his reason for being in Hell. Many have tried to make Lucifer sympathetic before, but I never felt it was successful until now. I like this irreverent, sexy Lu. One who understand why he was cast out, and accepts responsibility for it. Even more that it’s not the reason everyone would expect.

There was also an interesting storyline that brings Lu together with his love interest, Dom (short for Dominic, and no, it is not lost on Lu that his new lover is a “dom”!!), a lot of humor and detailed world building. And somehow Lu is even more compelling for being the bottom despite having all the power. Lynne hasn’t given up on explicit sex, thankfully, but it was more electric than usual, probably because the novella was so different from her usual style.

I really hope Lynne revisits this world she has created. I would love a sequel, and would also buy this again in print. Highly recommended! ( )