Books Make Me Happy

Marcella Acosta got herself into a whole underworld of trouble in the first book in this series. By helping her best friend Delaney, a medium, wrestle a soul away from Lucifer, the reluctant demon earned a spot on the big guy's "special place in hell for people like you" list. A self-proclaimed fashionista, Marcella revels not only in the singe of a well thrown fireball, but the rush of a one-day sale at Macy's. Unfortunately, after going up against Lucifer, she finds herself tossed onto a plane-in-limbo. Not a mall or salon in sight, no ability to mosey back and forth between hell and earth, and no way for her get in touch with Delaney. At least she THINKS there's no way, until good ole' Darwin (the ghost of one of Delaney's many dogs) reminds her of the one person she hasn't tried to reach. Someone she mixed with like gasoline and firecrackers, despite her attraction to him. Delaney's brother Kellan.Dakota writes with equal parts snark and sincere emotion and it works so well for the story. These characters are up against some heavy-duty supernatural ugliness, but manage to hold their own for the sake of a young family friend with the "gift of sight". There were also quite a few surprises tossed in, having to do with Marcella's tightly guarded past. Just when you (and when I say you, I mean, I) think you (again, I mean, I) have it all figured out... think again. In the midst of all the craziness, the story of her demonic beginning will tug at your heart and maybe bring a tear to your eye (yeah, that would be me, again). The action between the many minions of hell and Marcella's crew is full of both ass-kicking and snarky comment slinging. Now, back to Kellan. The yummilicious brother of Marcella's best friend, who has "inherited" the ability to see ghosts. In Kiss & Hell, the banter between Kellan and Marcella was fun to read, and the attraction was clear. In this book, it's obviously stepped up on both counts. The push and pull with these two is at the same time comical and endearing. Once they stop fighting and admit they want each other, they're hot enough to give hell a run for it's money.The side characters in this story are just fantastic. Between the ghostly, smarth-mouthing of Darwin, who I absolutely adore, and the tough-but-tender-hearted demon Catalina, there are laughs and action aplenty.My only issues with the book are minor. First, I have no problem with clowns, so what was supposed to be an important fight scene lost some of it's punch. However, if you DO have a problem with clowns (and I know quite a few people with that phobia), it should have it's intended impact. Second, and I'm being picky here, the overuse of the terms "hard planes" and "cupped" got on my nerves. I know, I know, it's a silly thing to even notice, but I did, and it bothered me. I'm guessing most people will be fine with it, but I have an annoying part of my brain that picks up on repetition.Overall, I really, liked the book. I had a feeling I would, and was not disappointed. I love Dakota's storytelling style, I love her humor, and I love her characters. Do yourself a favor, take a day off, grab some snacks and your favorite summertime beverage and read this book (read Kiss & Hell first, if you haven't already). It'll be a day well spent.