A Deal with the Devil (Romantic Comedy) (Sweet Home Chicago Book 1)

When I grow up, I want to be a writer. That dream would be a long-time coming. Unless you count the collaboration with numerous advertising agencies on marketing campaigns and brand platform development. While fun, it wasn't enough for Abby. She delayed pursuing the dream primarily because of her practical Midwestern nature.

She's an achiever and believes in pushing the envelope and going boldly after your dreams, but she doesn't enjoy pursuing the impossible. And historically, no matter how good the writer or story, getting a writing contract--a good one--has been akin to winning the lottery. To Abby, it just didn't make much sense.

So she focused on business and had a blast. A self-described maverick, she took a completely unorthodox approach to managing her career, taking on a sequence of roles that helped to build a diverse skill set. It also moved her to city after city--eight cities in fourteen years--and exposed her to a fantastic and broad network of people and set of experiences that she treasures and which have helped spur many a book idea. Don't worry, the names have been changed to protect the innocent and not so innocent.

It was a very fun hobby but for the most part, her dream was placed in a folder enitled "maybe someday" and relegated to the back of the drawer where it gathered dust. Then while on a business trip, she pulled out her laptop and dashed off two chapters which she entered into a contest. To her utter shock, she took first place. Encouraged, her writing as a hobby heated up, but it was still just a hobby. Then, in a notable birthday--we won't say which, but it's one where many people start wondering about paths not taken and dreams unfulfilled--coincided with the heating up of Kindle sales and indie publishing.

A quiet voice inside whispered: And just like that, someday became today. Within six months, she'd sold enough copies to achieve Published Authors Network status with the Romance Writer's of America. That brings several benefits, the most important of which seems to be that you get invited to all the great cocktail parties at national convention.

Sweet Home Chicago Series by Abby Matisse

A humorous romance, Devil is now available in paperback, ebook and audio book fomats on Amazon. It's the first in her Sweet Home Chicago series. Two more books in the series are due out in Her second novel, a laugh out loud romantic comedy entitled Crazy About Cressida is due out March It's the first in her second series, called Princesses of Las Olas, that deals with loss, love and finding the courage to start over. She writes character-driven stories in which the heroines are feisty, the situations are fun and their lives are sprinkled with a bit of the fabulous and a lot of the ridiculous.

While some find humourous and comedic stories frivolous, Matisse passionately believes otherwise. She considers humor and comedy a necessary counterbalance to the challenges life regularly tosses our way. Yes, the pursuit of happy is somewhat of a cause for Matisse and her fondest hope is that readers feel just that at the end of her stories. She'd like her stories to leave readers with a smile, perhaps a chuckle and on a very good day, a great belly laugh.

It's amazing the soul-changing experience and perspective shift a great laugh can deliver. It brings light to the darkest places and most challenging moments in our lives. Her books are available exclusively through Amazon as she's a hardcore Jeff Bezos groupie, believing he's done more for readers and authors than anyone since the gent who discovered the printing press back in the day. She's grateful on a personal level too as, without his Kindle and his embracing of indie authors, her dreams would still be relegated to the someday file in the back of her drawer.

Bezos, rock on with your bad self! Matisse loves to hear from readers and embraces all feedback. As a brand marketer, she considers reader feedback the same thing as an expensive market research study. It's the holy grail. So she reads every review, good and not so good, and takes care to sythesize what it's telling her so she can incorporate it into her future works.

Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Want to Read saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem? Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. In this lighthearted romantic comedy, a practical, responsible Chicago career woman agrees to pose as the fiance of her ex in exchange for money. A woman in trouble. Amanda Wilson is in trouble and as usual, it has everything to do with her irresponsible brother. But she di In this lighthearted romantic comedy, a practical, responsible Chicago career woman agrees to pose as the fiance of her ex in exchange for money.

A man from her past. But his grandfather has other ideas and changed the terms, requiring Jake to marry before he gets access. Now he needs a plan. A deal that changes everything. Neither was his proposal. Now they are forced to deal with unresolved feelings and the issues that tore them apart a year ago. Paperback , pages. Sweet Home Chicago 1. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about A Deal with the Devil , please sign up.

Be the first to ask a question about A Deal with the Devil. Lists with This Book. Aug 18, Sheryl rated it it was ok Shelves: I'm really sorry to give this book such a low rating, but i must say that i really did not enjoy it. If this is what is termed "chick-lit" then suffice to say i will be staying away from that genre The ONLY saving grace that stopped me from giving this book 1 star was the fact that it is very well written for a debut author I'm sorry if this review offends anyone, BUT it is just my opinion View all 6 comments.

Sep 03, Dianna rated it liked it Shelves: I won this on Goodreads giveaway! I got "A Deal with the Devil" yesterday. It came wrapped up with a pretty bow and the author sent a personalized note thanking me for entering the Goodreads Giveaway contest. That was very special.

A man from her past A deal that changes everything The characters- Amanda, her best friend Kate and ex-boyfriend Jake- were believable and had good chemistry. I especially enjoyed the I won this on Goodreads giveaway! I especially enjoyed the interaction between Amanda and Kate. There were a lot of plot twists and witty dialogue. I felt the author was in a hurry to wrap things up and we miss some of the connections toward the end of the book, what happened to the relationship between Jake and his grandfather, Max?

I still found it entertaining and give it a 3.

Aug 31, Shawana rated it liked it. I just won this book in the Goodreads giveaway. I'll let you know what I think as soon as I'm finish reading it Updated: I got "A Deal with the Devil" yesterday morning straight from Author Abby Matisse wrapped with a personalized card thanking me for entering the Goodreads Giveaway contest. First, I would like to say I enjoyed the book and I would recommend it for anyone who enjoys reading books that have a Nora Roberts feel.

Amanda and her best friend Kate have a real and honest relationship and t I just won this book in the Goodreads giveaway. Amanda and her best friend Kate have a real and honest relationship and they are featured a lot in this book. I feel as though they are the center of the book more than Amanda and Jake in scenes together. I would have loved to have more scenes between the lead characters that didn't involve them fighting all the time Luigi's Restaurant ; though we did get glimpses of why they belong together, and those were sweet moments. I finished the book knowing more about how they were in the past than how they would be together after being apart for a year.

Plus, a lot of the revelations they had about each other seemed to be realized with other people. I know people don't share everything, but I felt they had a lot of unsaid words about how they feel about one another and it was all rushed in at the end of this first book. Also there was on inconsistency near the beginning of the book that annoyed me, but it doesn't tarnish the story at all. I do have hope for the next book, "Everything She Wants" and I'm hoping we get to experience more time between Amanda and Jake. Oct 13, Esther Somorai rated it really liked it Shelves: I won this ARC book from the author through Goodreads, first-reads giveaway.

This is a story about unresolved issues from the past that affect the present. Unwilling to really get things out in the open between Amanda and Jake, Jake and his grandfather, Amanda and her brother. It is a very entertaining story that we can all relate to one way or another. Mistaken concept, not being truthful, lying, preconceived truths, holding back or not on how they really feel, and some very funny, li I won this ARC book from the author through Goodreads, first-reads giveaway. Mistaken concept, not being truthful, lying, preconceived truths, holding back or not on how they really feel, and some very funny, lighthearted scenes.

A very fast readenjoy! Oct 21, Jean rated it it was amazing Shelves: I LOVE this book! Their story has so many layers but you "get it" and understand each of them. Jakes relationship with his grandfather Max defines him. Amanda's brother Rob you just want to choke, Lol. I recommended this book to all - you won't be disappointed by Abby! Oct 15, Ivy rated it liked it. Shawana sent me this book, and it was a fun little read. Nothing earth shattering, just a pleasant little romance. I frankly thought the book could have benefited from about 50 more pages to flesh out a couple of the story lines, that all so neatly wrapped up in the last 30 pages.

You won't be hearing about this as a Pulitzer prize nominee, but it was a fun, easy read. Aug 20, Mike rated it it was amazing Shelves: I found this book well written and a fun read. The characters were believable and had good chemistry. There were a lot of plot twists, witty dialogue, and some outright hilarious situations. This is not a genre I normally read, but I found it quite entertaining. Feb 24, Pam rated it liked it Shelves: This was a cute story. Low on the drama. Everything happened quickly, but the story wrapped up nicely.

I got this book for free through Goodreads first reads. The opinions are all my own. A Deal with the Devil really is a lighthearted romantic comedy. A book about a Chicago career woman who amidst her troubles agrees to pose as a fiance to her ex boyfriend who she envisioned marrying before he broke up with her in exchange for some money.

Jake just returned from Iraq only to learn that his estranged uncle is refusing to release the trust fund money until Jake is married. With Jakes business on t I got this book for free through Goodreads first reads. With Jakes business on the line, he blurts out to Amanda his ex that the two should get married. Caught in debt with no way out, Amanda agrees to Jakes terms but in turns she gets more than she was willing to bargain for.

A deal with the Devil was a cute book.

It was a nice light, clean romantic read with an interesting plot and characters. I did enjoy the whole background to the book, it was easy to follow and quiet entertaining at times, with enough going on that kept me from going bored. The characters were good. I liked Amanda to a point, I felt bad for her because of her brother that took so much advantage of her that left her with a nice big debt that until Jake showed up — would have felt like a big mountain to over come. At the same time, I didn't feel bad for her because she looked weak when it came to her sibling.

Clearly something else was going on, but without questioning she kept forking him the money, even when she was thousands of dollars in debt with everything maxed out. For someone who claims independence and refuses help constantly from people that try to give her yet she ends up take help from her ex Jake in the most unconventional way. I liked Jake, even thought I felt he was unfair asking his ex that he dumped right before her birthday to stage a fake engagement so he could get his trust fund released.

On the other hand, because he was doing it to start a business helping war veterans, he at least had somewhat good intentions. He was a hard headed character, but amusing none the less. I loved his jealousy spurs especially when it came to George, Amanda's friend from work. Kate, Amanda's friend was one of my favorites, simply because she seemed to have it all together better then the rest. She tries to be a good friend to Amanda, despite the fact that she doesn't like her friends weakness to her brother and the way she let's him drain her off money.

Kate also roots for Jake and Amanda back together. The couple was cute, their bickering was amusing and over all the book plot was quiet delightful and very cute.

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I enjoyed this read and I will be looking forward to book two, where the adventures of Jake and Amanda continue in Paris. Jan 18, Mary Helen rated it really liked it. This is a lighthearted, fun beach read. While the story is not too deep, it has, at the same time, nicely developed characters that were just plain likable.

I found myself chuckling at the antics, miscommunication, and inevitable romantic tension between Amanda and Jake. The premise of the story is simple-Amanda is in some serious debt as a result of lending her brother altogether too much money and Jake needs a wife to access his trust fund. The basic problem in the story is not an unfamiliar on This is a lighthearted, fun beach read.

The basic problem in the story is not an unfamiliar one-both characters have problems that can be solved by the other but, guess what, they also have history which complicates things. And the age old question, will they fall in love and move on into the happily ever after category?

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This is a very well written debut novel, engaging and fun. You did not get all the history of the characters, nor was their future all wine and roses that happily ever after of fairy tales but the reader was able to step into the characters' lives and see a bit of the past that shaped them, glimpse their future, and get front row seats to their present. At the end of the book I wanted to know more about Amanda and Jake-like what is next for them, and where will they go from here. A really good book should leave the reader wanting more and this did just that. The secondary characters were also, for the most part, well developed.

Again, the reader does not get all their back story, but rather enough glimpses to see their character and personality and to understand their perspective. Several times throughout the novel I thought it would be fun to hear the story of Kate and Sam, so I am glad to see the author us writing this story! I gave this 4 stars because I would have liked to see some parts more fleshed out-like the relationship of Jake and Max or the degree change by Rob-both of these areas could have been expanded.

Also, at pages, it was none too long-a couple of places the problems which had been built up over many pages seemed to get solved in just a few short paragraphs. I'd have been happy for the book to have added pages if it meant these resolutions had gotten their fair due. All in all, this is a stellar debut novel from an up and coming author who's books are well worth reading. If you are a fan of chick lit, tasteful romance and need a light, fun read, this book delivers! Mar 16, Maria Mitchell rated it liked it Shelves: I received this book for free from Goodreads First Reads to review.

First off, I'd rate this book really 3. Later I realized that this novel is part of a series so Jake and Amanda's adventures continue but it would have still been nice to have more resolution. We all have that ex we love to hate. Unfortunately Amanda's waltzes back into her life first saving her from I received this book for free from Goodreads First Reads to review.

Unfortunately Amanda's waltzes back into her life first saving her from a snow storm and then offering to pay her to be engaged to him when she's in desperate need of money. However the plan that starts from trouble ends in trouble. Amanda is independent, stubborn, and caring.

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All traits that are constantly leading her into trouble. After the deaths of her parents she has raised her younger brother since she was She bends over backward to his every whim, currently to the tune of a hundred thousand dollars. She's in debt over her head and her brother only asks for more money, so the deal with Jake is her only break. Jake is passionate, caring, independent, and stubborn. This book often shows a clash of his wills against Amanda's. He believes his uncaring wealthy grandfather's latest change to his trust is just another effort to control Jake's life. He must get engaged and married to access his trust.

And he needs his trust to build his agency to help veterans. Asking his ex to pretend to marry him seems like a great plan. Much of the novel is about Amanda and Jake leading this sham of an engagement and lying to everyone around them while struggling with unresolved feelings for each other.

Each tries to meddle in the others lives, Amanda with Jake's grandfather, and Jake with Amanda's brother. And all that meddling blows up in their faces. Both end up discovering things about themselves and their families they never would have without each other. Both go through a lot of self-discovery and soul-searching.

And of course they both realize they are still in love. This book was romantic and funny. I was a little disappointed that everything moved too fast at the end. But I liked this novel and would read more in this series by Abby Matisse. Oct 03, Laura rated it it was ok. Jake broke Amanda's heart when he dumped her the night before her surprise birthday party, which he helped plan.

He then shipped off to Iraq and didn't contact her until a year later when he came to tell her she couldn't stay the weekend in her friend's cabin because it was going to snow. He then proposed that she should get engaged to him so he can get his hands on his trust fun and of course he would financially compensate her. And she desperately needs this compensation as she has gone into s Jake broke Amanda's heart when he dumped her the night before her surprise birthday party, which he helped plan.

And she desperately needs this compensation as she has gone into significant debt by giving all of her money to her freeloading brother who is allegedly trying to start his own business. Amanda and Jake had a very toxic relationship in my opinion. Despite being very attracted to each other, they had little in common and were both outspoken, stubborn and disagreeable. I don't think that is the kind of relationship a friend like Kate should encourage, or force as is the case in this book. Physical love does not a relationship make and this to me was the opposite of a romantic story.

Everyone did everything for the wrong reasons. I gave it 2 stars because despite the fact that I didn't personally enjoy the characters it was well written and well paced.

A Deal with the Devil

Jan 27, Kristina Smith rated it really liked it Shelves: Amanda and Jake are the hapless couple in this romantic comedy by Abby Matisse. Although the book is billed as "Book 1" of a series, the reader knows that there have been previous books with these characters as the story line develops. This was an irritant to me, personally, because I like to read serial books in order. Besides that, it was a good read.