Celebration, FL -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/20/2014 -- While Urban Fantasy and Paranormal novels are now a firm staple of the literary world, many authors are blamed by critics and readers alike for simply recycling the same few concepts and narratives without bringing something new to the market. Thankfully, author HD Smith is making her name by bucking the trend with a heart-pounding story that is not only unique, but rapidly proving its worth among fans.

Smith’s latest offering is ‘Dark Hope’, part of ‘The Devil’s Assistant’ Series. Readers are invited into a world they’ll never want to visit for real, as one girl repays a debt that nobody would ever want on their shoulders…

Synopsis:

Loving a demon isn’t the end of the world—losing him is.

Claire, the Devil’s assistant, knows very little about the world she was dropped into five years ago, when she inherited her mother’s unpaid debt to the Demon King. She certainly didn’t expect to be a contender for the Fallen Queen’s throne, a target for the Druid King’s mafia, or a suspect in the murder of Junior, the Devil’s oldest hell spawn.

In a last ditch effort to save her life and get out of her deal with the Devil, she sets out to solve Junior’s murder only to be taken prisoner by the four most dangerous immortal hell spawn alive.

Not to be out done, the Pagan Queen Mab, claims Claire for entering her realm uninvited. She has an old debt to settle with her brother the Devil. Taking Claire from him after losing her years ago is just icing on the cake.

Will Claire win her freedom, and save herself from the Devil? Or be trapped by Mab forever?

“This is a true genre-defying narrative that will appeal to fans of Urban Fantasy, the Paranormal, traditional Fantasy and just about every other literary pigeonhole in-between,” says Smith. “The narrative is of course unlikely, but this is what Fantasy is all about. It also gives the Devil and his work a human quality, showing how humans could interact with this omnipotent force that is rarely personified.”

To date, it has garnered overwhelmingly positive reviews.

For example, Allison Whitmire comments, “Druids and Pagans and Demons Oh My!!!! I really enjoyed this book.. It is full of twist and turns that you do not see coming! Great first full length book by this author! Looking forward to reading more!!”

Susan was equally as impressed, adding, “Dark Hope was an incredible read! I didn’t want it to end and I simply couldn’t put it down. I was instantly sucked into the world H.D. Smith created and became so invested in Claire that I had to keep reading. Claire is both smart and strong but she has been dealt a raw deal. I love the way she kept her head and solved problems, learning to use her emerging powers. I felt her hurt and betrayal; my heart ached for her each time she learned a new truth. The action never slows or stops. I think it would be a spectacular movie!”

‘Dark Hope’, published by Champagne Books, is available now: http://amzn.to/1j2faLe. An audiobook version, narrated by Lauren Fortgang, has also just been released.

For more information, visit the author’s official website: http://www.hdsmithauthor.com.

About HD Smith
HD Smith has been writing as a hobby for over ten years. DARK HOPE is her first traditionally published full length novel. She has previously self-published two middle grade novellas in ebook format. She is a software developer by day, working for an awesome cruise line in Celebration, FL.

HD grew up in South Carolina, but has called the Sunshine State home since 1997. She has Computer Science degrees from Clemson University (BS) and Florida Institute of Technology (MS). Her other hobbies include painting and screen printing. She enjoys creating t- shirts inspired by the places in her books.