Teaser Tuesday: The Mephisto Covenant by Trinity Faegan

Title: The Mephisto Covenant: The Redemption of Ajax

Author: Trinity Faegan

Publisher: EgmontUSA (September 27, 2011)

Source: NetGalley

The Mephisto Covenant: The Redemption of Ajax by Trinity Faegan is the first in a series. 

From GoodReads:

Sasha is desperate to find out who murdered her father. When getting the answer means pledging her soul to Eryx, she unlocks a secret that puts her in grave danger—Sasha is Anabo, a daughter of Eve, and Eryx’s biggest threat.

A son of Hell, immortal, and bound to Earth forever, Jax looks for redemption in the Mephisto Covenant—God’s promise he will find peace in the love of an Anabo. After a thousand years, he’s finally found the girl he’s been searching for: Sasha.

With the threat of Eryx looming, Jax has to keep Sasha safe and win her over. But can he? Will Sasha love him and give up her mortal life?

I admit, I was immediately drawn to the book by it's cover. Isn't it beautiful? This scene never actually plays out in the book, but it definitely sets the right tone. It's dark, mysterious, and sexy, with a hint of fear. Perfect for the book.

Besides loving the cover, the story is great. I set out to read a chapter or two before working on something else and before I knew it, I'd finished the book. The story completely kept me captivated the entire time. In many ways, it reminded me of my experience reading Falling Under by Gwen Hayes. Both books have a really interesting storyline that strays from the typical paranormal, both have a heavy romance theme, both Haden and Ajax (who I love!) are tortured souls trying for a better future (and are desperately in love with the heroine), and both stories sucked me in so completely I read them in one sitting. Also, just the feel and tone of the books are similar. That's not to say you shouldn't read both because the stories are also very different from each other. 

I really enjoyed the mythology in The Mephisto Covenant. I always love when books use mythology in new and creative ways or introduce new mythology, and The Mephisto Covenant satisfied my interest in that department. It was complex without being difficult to follow. I could guess at certain aspects that would come true in the end, but not everything was easily guessable. There were surprises and some things came together in ways I hadn't anticipated. 

The only thing that bothered me while reading I probably wouldn't have picked up on if I didn't also like to write. There were certain parts in scenes where I wanted to comment: "Show, don't tell!" I noticed many of these times came when showing would likely reveal explicit language or actions. When I realized this, I thought to myself, "Okay, if the author doesn't want to spell out this dialogue or interaction, that's okay. It's an artistic choice, like choosing to 'close the bedroom door' for a sex scene. Not a problem." But then, there was an explicit sexual scene later in the book. Honestly, the discrepancy between the different scenes threw me off. I didn't dislike either the earlier scenes or the later one, but I was confused by why one would be spelled out and the others brushed over. (This probably doesn't make much sense if you haven't read the book. Sorry. I'm trying to explain without spoiling.) Either way, it's not a deal breaker for how much I liked the book, just something I found confusing while reading.

Overall rating:  If you like romance, buy it.