Empty Shelf Challenge: Week 2 – Devil’s Dilemma

Today, as part of the 2014 Empty Shelf Challenge, I am excited to highlight a great new independent author, Sirena Robinson. By day, Sirena is an attorney, working child welfare cases in the juvenile court system. In her *spare* time, she writes awesome novels!

I met Sirena online through a writers’ group, and she entrusted me and a few others with a beta copy of her first novel, Devil’s Dilemma. (In all fairness, some might call this cheating. I read it last year, and then re-read it really quickly for this year’s challenge. And it was worth reading again. So I’m listing it. And telling you about it. Because this is my blog and I can do what I want.)

From the Amazon description:

Griffin Javensen was born to die–to save a world that sought to destroy her and for a God that had forsaken her.

Griffin is the Chosen, a representative of the human race who will make the ultimate sacrifice in order to preserve humanity and keep the world from ending. It all started the night she was ripped from her mother’s body. One second earlier or later, and she’d have been fine. But she was born at the right time, in the right circumstances, and she is Chosen. It was all downhill from there.

She is tormented through ten events granted to Alaria, a Devil who has been placed as Lucifer’s proxy and who has one foot in Hell and the other in Heaven. Alaria’s job is to convince Griffin that God has abandoned her. If she can do that, there’s a good chance Griffin will Choose Hell and demons will get to rule the world. There’s only one problem: Alaria wants what only God can give her, and what only Griffin can ask for: her humanity.

On her 29th birthday, instead of cake and ice cream, Griffin celebrates with demons and hell hounds. After barely escaping alive, it becomes obvious that she needs protection. Dr. Allen Winslow, the doctor who has saved her life several times, also happens to be from Warrior lines. Who better to protect Griffin than the best Warrior alive?

Enter Braxton–a rough and tumble Warrior with a chip on his shoulder, who has been having visions of Griffin since he was four years old–and Gabriel–an Archangel determined to save the world, desperately in love with the one woman he should never have, and torn between playing by the rules and doing what is right. There is only one goal–survive to January 1st.

Griffin’s duty is to offer her life as payment for the dubious privilege of being Chosen. The choice she has to make is simple: Heaven or Hell. Unfortunately, she is not simply choosing for herself. Her decision will determine the fate of humanity. As her time gets continuously shorter and the danger becomes more and more real, Braxton and Griffin make unlikely alliances and struggle with unstoppable emotions.

As midnight rushes closer and the battle escalates, the question becomes not whether Griffin will Choose, but whether anyone else will survive to see dawn.

Title/Author: Devil’s Dilemma, Sirena Robinson

What It’s About: An imperfect woman carries the fate of humanity on her shoulders, fighting dangerous supernatural forces, and building unlikely alliances to survive long enough to make her choice.

Why I Read It: I was privileged to read a beta copy and share my thoughts with Sirena, but there wasn’t much to criticize. Devil’s Dilemma kept me on the edge of my seat, staying up late, never wanting to put it down. And I enjoy reading new independent authors (I think you’re gonna hear that a lot this year).

Favorite Idea: I love when complex and imperfect people are entrusted with weighty situations and don’t behave predictably.

Where can you buy it? Right here.  (Note: there are adult themes and situations as well as religious themes that some people might not enjoy.  If that type of thing is not your cup of tea, this one might not be for you.)

Do you read books that are outside your comfort zone? Leave a comment…