The Devil at Play
Marcus Damanda
The Devil in Miss Drake's Class, 3
“Everyone loves the devil until they
know him. Until they see him for what he really is.”
Nobody ever did, even as the bodies started to pile up.
But now, too late for it to matter, Audrey understands at last. The devil of Fairview has been courting her for days, and watching her for much longer than that. The murderer is her boyfriend—and he’s been killing on her behalf.
His name is Jack Maddox, but everyone calls him Mad Jack. He’s planning a party, where everyone is invited, especially Audrey’s tormentors—especially the Facebook Fifteen.
Audrey will have her revenge, whether she wants it or not.
Because, in Miss Drake’s class, the devil will have his due.
14+ due to violence and adult situations
Nobody ever did, even as the bodies started to pile up.
But now, too late for it to matter, Audrey understands at last. The devil of Fairview has been courting her for days, and watching her for much longer than that. The murderer is her boyfriend—and he’s been killing on her behalf.
His name is Jack Maddox, but everyone calls him Mad Jack. He’s planning a party, where everyone is invited, especially Audrey’s tormentors—especially the Facebook Fifteen.
Audrey will have her revenge, whether she wants it or not.
Because, in Miss Drake’s class, the devil will have his due.
14+ due to violence and adult situations
Buy Links: Evernight
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Excerpt
As he
cleaned the knife, she fought her way back to the surface. Eventually, she
managed words. “I still don’t know which parts of this were real. Or if I’m
completely crazy.”
“You’re not
crazy, Audrey,” he reassured her. “You never were. No more
than I was. And you’re not crazy now. Just the opposite, in fact.”
When she let
the silence stretch again, making it meaningful, he continued.
“Your
problem is the same as mine. You see things how they really are, and it makes
you sad. Makes you angry. What happened here wasn’t a hallucination. What
happened here was justice—for you.”
Polishing
the blade, he glanced at her sidelong, expectantly.
He’s
holding a knife, she
said to herself. And spoke her mind anyway. “I’m nothing like you.”
He smiled.
“You’re nicer than me, that’s for sure. No contest.”
“You’re…
like the devil, Jack.” Please don’t kill me. You can read my thoughts,
I know it now. You’ll know if I lie. I’m being honest with you. I want the
truth.
“The devil?”
Jack said, chuckling. “Not sure if I believe in ‘the devil.’ Never been to the
other side, either way. But I know from pictures he has red skin, pointy tail,
horns, carries a pitchfork… usually has pretty big eyebrows.”
Audrey put
her hand over his wrists, stopped his polishing. “No, Jack,” she said. “The
devil is far too smart to look like that. Everyone loves the
devil, until they know him. Until they see him for what he really is.”
They
regarded each other.
“Does this
mean we can’t be friends?” he joked. “Bet you never thought you’d have first
period English with the devil.”
“No,” she
said. “I never did.”
“By your
description,” Jack said, his smile fading. “The devil was in
Miss Drake’s class. But it wasn’t me.”
“Jack,”
Audrey said, giving up. “I want to go home. Can I go home, please?”
“Soon,” he said,
tossing the knife in the sink, turning around, and leaning up against it. “You
have to do something for me first. Don’t worry. I don’t think you’ll have a
problem with it. I hope not, anyway.”
Audrey
narrowed her eyes. She wasn’t afraid. After tonight, she didn’t know if she had
any fear left in her. “What?” she asked.
“In order
for you to understand the ‘what,’” he said. “You first have to understand who Ireally am.
Completely—or at least as much as I understand, myself. Time is short, so pay
attention.”
Audrey
listened.
Meet Marcus Damanda
Marcus Damanda lives in Woodbridge, Virginia with his cat, Shazam.
At various times throughout his life, he played bass guitar for the garage
heavy metal band
Mother’s Day, wrote for The Dale City Messenger, and
published editorials in The Potomac News and The Freelance Star. Currently,
while not plotting his next foray into fictitious suburban mayhem, he spoils
his nieces and nephews and teaches middle school English.
Find Marcus Damanda here:
Giveaway
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Synopsis
“Everyone loves the devil until they know him.
Until they see him for what he really is.”
Nobody ever did, even as the bodies started to pile up.
But now, too late for it to matter, Audrey understands at last. The devil of
Fairview has been courting her for days, and watching her for much longer than
that. The murderer is her boyfriend—and he’s been killing on her behalf.
His name is Jack Maddox, but everyone calls him Mad Jack. He’s planning a
party, where everyone is invited, especially Audrey’s tormentors—especially the
Facebook Fifteen.
Audrey will have her revenge, whether she wants it or not.
Because, in Miss Drake’s class, the devil will have his due.
Audrey will have her revenge, whether she wants it or not.
Because, in Miss Drake’s class, the devil will have his due.
What I
Loved
Wow
this was a crazy way to end an equally crazy series but I mean that in an
awesome way. There was so much going on
and I have been waiting to see how all of this craziness was going to end. Of course since I just love Audrey so much my
heart was at time breaking for her, while other times I was exhilarated for
her.
This
installment was just a rollercoaster of crazy and creepy all rolled into
one. I swear at certain points I was
squirming in my seat while reading, but I loved every minute of it. It’s weird because you ultimately kind of
know how this is going to end but that still didn’t prepare me everything that
happened. I’m pretty sure I had to pick
my jaw up off the ground at certain points.
I couldn’t put this story down until the very end and I was certainly
not disappointed in the least.
Not So
Much
I
really don’t have anything negative things to say about this story. As I was reading I was a little annoyed that
certain story lines didn’t seem to be addressed but at the end those story
lines came back and were closed as well so I was very happy once again. I guess maybe just a little bit more
background detail, and maybe descriptions of what the characters look
like. I get that this is a series not a
standalone but since some people won’t read all these back to back it’s good to
set the foundation again for the characters because it’s hard to remember every
single detail from book one and book two.
To Sum
It All Up!
This
series was a stretch for me, because I usually read adult romances and shy away
from young adult stories. So I was a
little apprehensive to read a new adult horror/suspense paranormal series but I
made a promise to myself to dip into other genres and I must say I am so happy
I did! This was such a great series and this book in particular was so freaking
crazy and put me on such an emotional roller coaster at times I wanted to
scream. I loved every minute of this
book and I have just totally fallen in love with the character of Audrey. I was to be the president of her fan club and
root for her happiness every single day.
There were times that I was holding my breath with my heart pounding to
see how all this was going to end and where Audrey was going to land. I was very happy with the way things turned
out and overall very happy with this amazing series.
Laura, I'm so grateful for your continued support and appreciation of these books. Thank you for doing this--and I am so happy you enjoyed the series!
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