Customer Reviews

Hell's Belles (Hell On Earth, Book 1)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you think a book titled "Hell's Belles" -- starring a succubus named Jezebel and taking place largely inside a New York City strip club, no less -- might dip into areas of a sexual nature, you'd be right. First-time author Jackie Kessler is unabashedly lascivious in her writing, so much so one wonders exactly what lies in the depths of her untapped imagination. But "Hell's Belles" exceeds the bounds of lusty paranormal romances, in part by making Jez's love interest one of the least interesting aspects of the story.

Far more appealing is Jezebel's flight from Hell, where her job was the seduction and disposal of evil men. But big changes are afoot in the underworld -- saying what, exactly, would be telling too much -- and Jez has fled to the world above to shed her demon skin and lose herself among the mortals in New York City's thriving sex trade.

But "demon" isn't a job that comes with a cozy retirement plan, and Hell's minions are still trying to track Jesse down and bring her back to the fold. Meanwhile, changes in Hell itself are revealed to readers slowly, leading to far more intelligent theological philosophy than I ever expected to see here.

But yeah, there's a lot of sex, talk about sex, thought about sex and sexual innuendoes, too, so prudes need not apply.

by Tom Knapp, Rambles.(n e t) editor

Okay, first the reason why you see five stars, but I'm stating 4.5 stars in the heading. The end of the book was cruel, heartless, demonic. No, the story ended just fine (spoiler, sorry), but... the author put a teaser for the next book after the ending, whetting my appetite for more. Even that would have been fine IF the next book was available, but nooo, it doesn't come out until November. Okay, whining pout over.

When I state that Hell's Belles is original, it is Lucifer's own truth. The heroine (Jezebel) is a Demon from Hell itself, fighting for her very identity. She is never apologetic about her demonic personality, and it comes through loud and clear throughout the book. Evil thoughts are "über cool". Giving a girl flowers is nice because "they die so quickly, which is thoughtful of them". Born and raised in hell with more than 4000 years of experience killing men with Lust (yup, capital "L"), she enjoys walking her victims into the pits of hell and watching them burn, get boiled in oil, whatever punishment fits their crimes. She is also the most likeable and morally honest character I have read this year. Figure that one out.

All the basic storylines are listed in the reviews, and still you won't be able to put this story together without reading it for yourself. It is exotic, erotic, dramatic, comedic, a love story, a morality tale, a thriller, a paranormal. Despite my first paragraph pout, it is a complete story, not a cliffhanger - a very large plus for me.

Not for the young or those who are unable to look at religion from different perspectives, but those who like an excellent, sexy tale that is outside the norm, this book is VERY HIGHLY recommended. I had a grand time reading this novel, thank you, Ms. Kessler.

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

What could be more exciting for a devilish female than seducing men for their souls?

For millennia Jezebel "Jesse" had been enjoying her demonic life as a succubus. Until the day she spun on her cloven hooves and hightailed it out of Hell to escape the Underworld's ruler that is. Now she's in disguise as a mortal woman in New York City hoping the bounty hunters don't find her. She takes a job as an exotic dancer in a strip club called Belles. What could be a better job for a sex expert on the lam? Unfortunately for Jesse, she wasn't counting on an even worse fate leaving her shaking in her stilettos... Love?

Paul Hamilton is making an escape of his own. He has suffered loss and longs to get away from his memories. When he bumps in to Jesse on the train to New York, something sparks between them, making him think maybe it's time to move on. But Jesse is hiding something, and that secret she holds is dangerous not just to her, but everyone she meets. When that mystery catches up to them, it will take all of Jesse's strength and newly discovered emotions to win this deadly battle.

What a fun sexy story! Jackie Kessler has a winner on her hands with Hell's Belles. (Gotta love that title.) I knew just from the book's description this had to be a dazzler and I was not disappointed. Sarcastic and witty with plenty of dark humor, readers will be beguiled by Jesse's escapades. One of the things I got quite a kick out of was seeing the reversal of good and evil in Jesse's mind. (Where the worst thing you can say to a person is "Bless you.") We are given hints throughout the book to the "Great Announcement" that instigated Jesse's flight from Hell but when we discover what it was, the twist in the story packs quite a punch.

Having read (and loved) Dante's Inferno in high school, I couldn't help but pick up on the nods to this great classic in Kessler's descriptions of Hell. The different areas of her Hell mirror many of Dante's Circles. Details are so vivid that I could see everything through Jesse's eyes, from her longing for such a place of fire to her reactions in mortal life. As a being that is very sensual in nature, all of Jesse's thoughts and impressions are very physical, from the smell of brimstone to the touch of Paul's skin, and even her very first sinfully decadent taste of chocolate.

The passion between Jesse and Paul is flaming hot and bright, rivaling only the Lake of Fire in its intensity. The detailed yet not overly graphic descriptions of their relationship are strong enough to please the most avid of erotica readers but not too explicit for readers who prefer a few things be left to the imagination.

If you are looking for a fast paced adventurous read that is full of dark humor and sexy enough to singe your eyebrows, then Hell's Belles by Jackie Kessler is the book for you. You will be left longing for the next book in the series, The Road to Hell, due out in November 2007. I don't know about you, but that's far too long of a wait for me!

© Kelley A. Hartsell, January 2007. All rights reserved.

Before I discuss the actual content of Hell's Belles, first in the Hell on Earth series, we need to talk about the format of the book. The actual page count of this story is not quite 280 pages. When you add in the fact that there are several section breaks that can include up to three blank, or nearly blank pages, the actual amount of pages with text on them is much less. As a regular paperback novel this would barely be enough content for the normal price of a book. So why are more and more publishers putting really short novels in trade size format and charging twice as much? This does affect the rating, because while Hell's Belles is a decent enough read, it isn't worth the bloated price of admission.

The story focuses on one Jezebel "Jesse" Harris, former succubus of the Pit, currently on run from Hell. To escape the infernal bounty hunters dead set on dragging her back to Pandemonium, Jezebel gulps down a witch's brew to gain a mortal body. As long as she can lay low for a while, she should be fine. Of course, if trouble didn't follow there wouldn't be a story. Jezebel supports herself by shaking her money maker in a New York strip club. She begins a rather torrid affair with Paul, a human she thinks of as her Cabin Boy (whatever that means). Then it all goes South when Lillith, the Succubus Queen with a grudge against Jezebel, finds her.

The story of Jezebel's new human life in New York is spliced with flashbacks to her life in Hell as a soul-sucking seducer cheerfully throwing her victims into the Eternal Lake of Fire. The parts that take place in Hell are much more interesting than anything going on in New York. A sudden proclamation by Lucifer is the reason why Jezebel suddenly flees from Hell. What he actually says is kept obscured until the last few pages of the story. It's the most interesting and frustrating thing about the book, but unfortunately, when you find out what it is, it's really disappointing.

Another thing about the book is that Jezebel is an annoying narrator. She's supposed to be a minion of evil, but she's disappointingly fluffy. She tells the story in the same flippant tone as a chick-lit novel. In an early part of the novel, she expresses the desire to buy some new shoes. Of course, this is in the middle of an urgent situation where people are trying to kill her. More than one chick-lit heroine I have wished a bloody death upon (preferably choking on their stupid designer shoes) for this idiotic tendency to worry more about their ridiculous footwear than anything else. How serious can you take a character that thinks insipid things like (and I quote) "Love! WOOT!"? Although Jezebel proves to be more than a jiggling hot body with a silly shoe obsession, her voice is just more irritating than witty or endearing. Jezebel learns to be "nice", although I think the character transformation would have been more significant if Jezebel hadn't started out as the world's most inoffensive demon.

It's a decent urban fantasy novel when all is said and done. Not as sex driven as one would think for a book about a succubus. Even if her narration makes me want to tell her to shut it, the genre needs more heroines like Jezebel- a heart, if not much of a brain, to go along with the body of playboy bunny.

Although this novel, tagged as "Paranormal Romance" seemed to hit a little closer to erotica than the heaving busom romance novels I remember from my youth, this was a fun, funny, and very sexy read. A fine beach book!

Jezebel is a succubus of hell, and she is great at her job which involves seducing earthly men who are destined for hell, sucking their souls out at the moment of their death, and then escorting their souls to hell. She is a very happy succubus: great job, great friends, big party in hell, what could go wrong? Something has gone so horribly wrong that she has run away from hell, and with the help of a which, shed her succubus skin and become a mortal.

Being a mortal means she's got to find a place to live, a job, learn the basics of cooking, attempt to live a normal life. Not so easy when her only skills are in the bedroom, and the minions of hell are hot on her heels. Her only protection from the creatures of darkness is a magical amulet she wears at all times.

This is where the fun begins. Jezebel starts a job as a stripper, and learns that seducing men is always fun, even if it doesn't end with death. Stripping is an adventure with clothes, and role-playing, other dancers, and tons of money. And it is all fun and games for Jezebel until she falls in love with a perfect gentleman named Paul. Paul helps her feel the rainbow of human emotions, and lets her forget who she was once upon a time. Then Hell decides the time has come to drag her home.

All we know about why Jezebel left hell is that some pronouncement was made by King Lucifer, and that there is something else, involving her friend Megaera, who is a Fury. We get snippets of her memories and emotions of when and why she decided to leave Hell and never return. We do finally find out at the very end what is going on, and that information would have been much more helpful a little earlier on.

It's too bad I don't have more experience with stories of this type, so I would have something to compare it to. And it's too bad Kessler didn't develop Jezebel's character a little more, because there was a lot of potential there. Yes, I understand that Jezebel is a succubus, and her job is sex, sex, soul sucking, and some more sex. But is that all there is to her as a person? Are their no other dimensions to her being? Does she ever think about anything other than how sexy someone else is, and how to seduce them? Maybe as a succubus or a standard character in a romance/erotica novel she isn't supposed to, but I kept hoping for more to her character, and I never found it. However, I did learn a few fun secrets to strip clubs.

Don't get me wrong, this isn't a bad book. It is funny, it is very sexy, and I enjoyed my time with it. I just wish it had more depth. Again, perhaps that isn't something romance readers are looking for?


2.5 out of Five spaceships.

Reviewer: Andrea Johnson for Multiverse Reviews

After reading the back summary, I was expecting Hell's Belles to be a simple, light and funny paranormal romance. I was expecting a somewhat two dimensional heroine and a plot line driven by the sex factor- which is fine, I did buy it after all. Fortunately, Ms. Kessler successfully wrote a richer novel than I anticipated.

In Hell's Belles, our former succubus heroine, Jezebel, is on the run from hell. For most of the book, the reader is left wondering what could she have possibly done that hell and all it's minions would be after her. While Jezebel awkwardly adjusts to being human and learning to survive in New York, the story jumps back in time to reveal more and more about what set her on this path in the first place. The compelling part of this book for me wasn't necessarily the romance, although that certainly had its moments. What kept me riveted was the fascinating depiction of hell and the interesting creatures that occupied it. I had to resist jumping ahead to figure out who had set all the demons of hell after her: was it Lucifer (a very very intersting character)? Was it the vindictive Queen of hell that makes an appearance at Jezebel's new workplace? Or was it someone else? And what also left me reading impatiently was this mysterious Announcement that Lucifer made right before she ran. What was so bad about this Announcement that would cause Jezebel to give up all of her powers and her immortality?

Ms. Kessler delivers exactly what she promises- a fun and funny paranormal romance- but also so much more. Hell's Belles is an intriguing fantasy with an interesting cast of characters and a captivating depiction of Hell. I'll often read a book and find myself less and less interested the more I read. Here, it was just the opposite. The farther I read, the more I wanted to know and the more emotionally caught up in Jezebel's story I became.

After reading the reviews for this book, I was really excited to read it. I thought the subject was unique and would make for an interesting read.

It was a unique story and it was interesting, but the ending of the book was lame. I guessed what the ending would be from two chapters in, but I hoped that the author wouldn't go for such an obvious ending. I was disappointed... after all the build-up to have such a sappy, happy ending.

Also, it seemed like the main character, Jezebel, said "sweetie" about once every page. It got old quick. Are there no other terms of affection that the author could come up with? It grated on my nerves.

Overall, it was a good book until the ending.

Jezebel has a contract on her head that all of Hell wants to fulfill. As a succubus, she seduced men and stole their souls. But a stunning Announcement has her fleeing Hell. Now, in the guise of a human, Jezebel, or Jesse as she goes by in her human form, has to learn to cope without her powers, remain hidden from the minions of Hell, and deal with the growing attraction she feels for sexy human Paul Hamilton. What's a girl to do when she's one of HELL'S BELLES?

Jackie Kessler jumps feet first into the paranormal genre and proves that she is an author worth watching! HELL'S BELLES alternates between Jezebel's current problems as a human and her past as a succubus that led up to her flight from Hell. Ms. Kessler seamlessly shifts the story's timeline back and forth without creating any confusion. In fact, this plot device works exceptionally well in HELL'S BELLES as Ms. Kessler deftly builds the tension in the storyline. The reader is left rapidly flipping pages, anxious to find out the big Announcement that caused Jezebel to forsake all that she had known. Perhaps the best part is that the actual conclusion of HELL'S BELLES doesn't leave the reader feeling cheated as Jackie Kessler delivers a conclusion that is just as spectacular as the rest of the book.

HELL'S BELLES is an exciting new entry in the paranormal genre. Jackie Kessler has created a fascinating portrait of Hell unlike any this reviewer has ever read before. HELL'S BELLES is a bit on the darker side and should appeal to fans of both paranormal romance and dark fantasy. Jackie Kessler provides a real treat for readers with this one as HELL'S BELLES is easily recommended!

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

I usually read vampire, shapeshifter, [...] novels so to read about a female succubus demon who resides in hell is different. This first novel in a series was very interesting and very descriptive! I felt that I had a good look of the panorama of hell. Author incorporated many of the mythical characters we know already into the story. The furies, Lucifer, God, etc.I found it amusing that hell was as burocratic as earth! Paperwork, waiting in long lines, employees,managers, etc. A very inventive story and well-developed characters. I wish the love interest of Jesse (Jezebel) was developed more in the story. They obviously loved each other. The many characters from hell also added to the story. I loved that King Lucifer was so very sexy.Loved Daunuan. Not sure if I am hooked enough to get next book.

I love, love, love this book. Why, you ask. Well, lots of reasons, the biggest of which is that the voice of the main character, Jezebel, rings true throughout the book. She embraces in the mortal realm aspects of her former demon self. She falls for a guy and doesn't suddenly become a mindless idiot.
KUDOS to Jackie Kessler for a well-written book with a great story. I cannot wait for the next in the "Hell on Earth" series.