Hell’s Belles by J. Kessler

Hell’s Belles is the first novel in the Hell on Earth series by Jackie Kessler. When I first started this novel, I thought it was going to be setting up the rest of the series. Then I got to the halfway point and I had a little trouble putting it down. I’m not saying that it was bad, just that the pace picked up a lot and I just had to absorb it as soon as I could. I’ll be honest (like I always try to be), I am not a fan of flashbacks in novels. They can be extremely hard to pull off in my opinion. Most of the time, they generally confuse me and I have a hard time finishing a book because of them. Kessler not only pulls it off, but she manages to tell a really great story at the same time.

In Hell’s Belles, we’re introduced to Jezebel, a succubus who has just had her entire existence turned upside down. On the run from Hell, Jezebel escapes to the human world where she gets a witch to transfer her into a mortal. Now with a pretty good disguise, Jezzie tries to fit in with the humans while still trying to hide from her pursuers. Let’s just say she doesn’t remain incognito for long and Hell ends up finding her.

I love a good demon book. Most of the time, whenever a demon is introduced to a story, they are the typical bad guy or depraved entity that really doesn’t care about humanity. We still get a little of the latter half with Jezzie and her family, but since the story is focused on Jezzie, we know why they are like this. Let’s be honest, the only people who end up in hell usually belong there and if those are the only humans you really have contact with, what else are you going to think. That’s the mentality of most of the demons in Hell and it works. They are depraved and they enjoy what they do. I also have to admit that Kessler’s Hell society/culture/world is a little unique to me. I’m familiar with the style of demons who are look different, but you really can’t tell what kind of demon they are just by looking or sensing them. That’s not the case here. Each demon is part of a family – lust, envy, greed, gluttony, pride, sloth, and wrath. Can you guess the theme here? The seven deadly sins are indeed deadly and a lot of humans who didn’t know they were making deals with Hell end up finding that out the hard way. The world culture is really amusing and it gives Kessler plenty of opportunities to throw in some mischief.

What’s a great society without it’s denizens? Some of the characters in Kessler’s books are really something else. We’re really only introduced to four characters that impact Jezebel’s life in a huge way – Megaera (best friend and Fury), Daunuan (beneficial friend and Incubus), Lilith (bitch queen and tormentor), and Paul (eye candy and Human). Each character has their own unique personality and back story that we learned through the various flashbacks. Their development is so smoothly done, that you learn so much about them with only a few chose scenes that gives us a sense of them. This isn’t to say that we don’t learn about other characters in the novel as well, just that these four are responsible for how Jezebel ends up where she is. Every character in the novel is amazingly developed that I can’t wait to learn more about them.

Overall, I have to say I enjoyed this book. It started out with a sense that it was building the foundation for the series, but then you get to the middle and then it just takes off. Originally, I thought it was going to take me a little bit longer to get through since I’m still settling in at the new house, but that was all put to the side and I just couldn’t put this novel down. We get to watch Jezebel’s character develop throughout the novel from raging sexual deviant (she is a succubus) to a mortal with feelings and a conscience. Watching her go through the motions of learning to be human is truly amazing considering she doesn’t always understand the way humans think or has that much experience dealing with the human world. I’m trying to think of a series I could compare Hell on Earth to and I’m really having a hard time. It’s definitely in a class of it’s own. It has the humor of Betsy Taylor (MJ Davidson) and Sookie Stackhouse (Charlaine Harris); the action misadventures of Rachel Morgan (Kim Harrison); and the atmosphere of the Morgan Kingsley series (Jenna Black). All I can really say is, if you’re looking for something new and a great new character to become attached to, then get your hands on Hell’s Belles.

Read Order:
Hell’s Belles (excerpt)
The Road to Hell (excerpt)
Hotter than Hell (excerpt)

About Jackie 3282 Articles
I am a 30-something SAHM with two adorable boys and a supportive husband who is very tolerant of my reading addiction. I love to read and easily go through about a dozen books a month – well I did before I had kids. Now, not so much. After my first son was born, I began to take my hobby of reviewing a little more serious and started Literary Escapism to help with my sanity. I love to discuss the fabulous novels I’ve read and meeting all the wonderful people in the book blogging community has been amazing.

1 Comment

  1. I like this series and can’t wait to get my hands on the new book! Unfortunately I have to go check my order for it…with 2 books called ‘Hotter than Hell’ out around the same time…I think I deleted it by mistake!

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