Stephanie is an English major student who works at a local high school to make ends meet. Beloved by her students and with a generous best friend who offers her a free gym membership, she seems to lead a perfect life. After an unpleasant encounter with a strange woman at the gym, Stephanie is unnerved and rushes back to school for her class when she runs into the new sports teacher, Andrew Simmons. Andrew is sweet and handsome and both are instantly drawn to each other. A crush soon develops into deeper feelings and these soon develop into love, and Stephanie learns the truth of Andrew´s past, a choice that he made that haunts him to this day. Despite his mistakes, Stephanie marries him and they form a loving family, but as they build their life together a strange presence looms over them both. Will they overcome it? Or will the ghosts of their past haunt them forever?

Despite the Devil by Shawna James is a passionate romance novel that follows Stephanie and her romantic endeavors. The story is pretty fast paced as Stephanie and Andrews’ relationship quickly progresses into marriage while still addressing the character’s past and mistakes. We get to witness how they meet, fall in love, and get married without it ever feeling rushed. This emotional story is not your typical romance novel as it integrates certain mysterious and even thrilling elements that make it much more interesting to read. While marriage is the endpoint in most romantic novels, in Despite the Devil it happens pretty early in the story and then focuses on their ups and downs as a married couple which, for me, was something that felt more original and intriguing. The author’s storytelling is quite fluid and easy to understand which makes for a quick and light read perfect for anyone unable to invest too much time or effort into their reading time. This is a novel that excels at getting you emotionally invested in its characters so that you care about the outcome of their lives. I think Despite the Devil is a very entertaining contemporary women’s fiction novel that I highly recommend for its absorbing story, lite but compelling mystery, and easy storytelling.

Pages: 192 | ASIN: B08L1G7PBF