“If you were into age play, you should have just said something. Shall I call you daddy?”

In the second installment in Katee Robert’s, A Deal with a Demon series, The Kraken’s Sacrifice, we are introduced to Catalina while making a deal with Azazel. Unlike the other women, Catalina’s agreement is made as a last resort as her family and friends have given up on her. After sealing the deal with Azazel, Catalina is put up for bidding, is the last woman, and is given to the Kraken, Thane. As Thane reluctantly takes Catalina back to his kingdom, he struggles to comprehend Catalina’s role in his life. For Catalina, living with Thane is a new adventure; however, Thane keeps Catalina locked up from sight, specifically, his sight. After losing his former partner Brant, Thane realizes that his loss of Brant reduced his life significantly and caused him to close himself off from people. As Thane and Catalina try to understand each other, it becomes evident to everyone that Thane is ignoring Catalina resulting in Catalina suffering from neglect. 

This second installment is a slow burn, as Thane is in denial about Catalina, and Catalina is trying desperately to fit into Thane’s kingdom. Yet, the fact that Thane is neglecting Catalina is not lost on him, he just keeps messing up, and Catalina keeps forgiving him because she is desperate to succeed in one aspect of her life. Failure is not foreign to Catalina, but she tries to keep from being discarded by Thane. As she has become accustomed to people tossing her aside, the moment she becomes a bit difficult. Yet, Thane mostly tries not to sleep with her and to not fall in love. Regardless, it is a slow read as the characters are working through their issues, and even after they get frisky once, Thane withdrawals even further from Catalina. It is a miracle that Thane and Catalina get together at the end. Yet, this book was not for me, but I did like Catalina’s optimism.