The Liberator (Dante Walker #2) by Victoria Scott

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Bad boy, meet bad girl.

Dante has a shiny new cuff wrapped around his ankle, and he doesn't like that mess one bit. His new accessory comes straight from Big Guy himself and marks the former demon as a liberator. Despite his gritty past and bad boy ways, Dante Walker has been granted a second chance.

When Dante is given his first mission as a liberator to save the soul of seventeen-year-old Aspen, he knows he’s got this. But Aspen reminds him of the rebellious life he used to live and is making it difficult to resist sinful temptations. Though Dante is committed to living clean for his girlfriend Charlie, this dude’s been a playboy for far too long…and old demons die hard.

With Charlie becoming the girl she was never able to be pre-makeover and Aspen showing him how delicious it feels to embrace his inner beast, Dante will have to go somewhere he never thought he’d return to in order to accomplish the impossible: save the girl he’s been assigned to, and keep the girl he loves.

Seriously, why do I love the bad boys so? And this bad boy in particular is such a prize, it’s remarkable I don’t want to punch him in the face. But it’s Dante, and Dante gets away with it because even though he’s a certifiable ego maniac, shallow and overbearing at times, he owns it and manages to surprise us at the same time. Yeah, he’s special.

Dante is now in the very unfamiliar and uncomfortable role as Liberator, working for the good guys now as opposed to being a Collector and working for the underworld camp. It’s like he’s entered bizzaro world and he can barely recognize himself. He’s constantly reminding himself that he IS one of the Good Guys and that he should shed his notorious past but he’s unable to let it go. He feels like a poser essentially. His new assignment to liberate a teenager in Colorado means taking him away from Charlie, the girl whose soul he was previously assigned to take. Who would have thought that Dante could be whipped? Charlie keeps him in check and encourages him to fulfill his assignment and return to her.

It’s not that easy of course. Aspen is rough, very rough around the edges and Dante’s usual charms don’t work on her. Still he manages to infiltrate her social circle and winds up caring about this lost girl. He has no clue as to her importance to the good guys or that somehow she and Charlie are connected. When the worlds collide and the Collectors send their minions after Dante and company, Dante takes a stand not just to protect the girl he loves but also for what’s right.

Dante has come a long way. This continues to be about his story and it's told in his singular voice. Because of this, Charlie feels a bit distant which is what I struggled with slightly with The Collector. However, this time around it didn’t bother me at all because I enjoyed being inside Dante’s head. He’s so full of bravado, incredibly amusing, even making his own eyes roll at his antics. He’s definitely no angel and he has no pretensions to that end.  But he’s evolving into a better man - that fact is alarming to him but endearing to the reader. Despite his deep love for Charlie and his belief in her purpose, there’s a small part of him that feels unworthy of her and of his own redemption. It’s only when he’s finally forced to confront his personal demon that he can be liberated. 

The Dante Walker series is simply fantastic. It has a different pulse that I just can’t get enough of. Just the very first sentence in The Liberator had me all giddy and excited again. It’s hard not to fall for Dante and his ridiculous persona. I think what draws me to the books and to him especially is that every thought in his head and everything he says is honest – even the cringe-worthy, socially incorrect remarks. He can’t help who he is and now that he has figured out who he is becoming, I am eager, no wait, chomping at the bit to read The Warrior that comes out this May.

~ Bel

The Collector (Dante Walker #1) by Victoria Scott

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Dante Walker is flippin’ awesome, and he knows it. His good looks, killer charm, and stellar confidence has made him one of Hell’s best — a soul collector. His job is simple, weed through humanity and label those round rears with a big red good or bad stamp. Old Saint Nick gets the good guys, and he gets the fun ones. Bag-and-tag.

Sealing souls is nothing personal. Dante’s an equal opportunity collector and doesn’t want it any other way. But he’ll have to adjust, because Boss Man has given him a new assignment: Collect Charlie Cooper’s soul within 10 days.

Dante doesn’t know why Boss Man wants Charlie, nor does he care. This assignment means only one thing to him, and that’s a permanent ticket out of Hell. But after Dante meets the quirky, Nerd Alert chick he’s come to collect—he realizes this assignment will test his abilities as a collector, and uncover emotions long ago buried.

I’ve been craving some snarky, bad boy action lately and Dante Walker fits that bill perfectly.  As a soul collector it’s his job to steer people toward his way of thinking so that he can eventually deliver them to his boss. He doesn’t ask questions. He does what’s asked of him and gets the job done. Of course, having a little fun and messing about while on duty is a bonus.

His latest assignment to lure Charlie to the dark side ends up being his most challenging to date. She’s simply not as easy a mark as he assumed. She is one of those truly kind-hearted, selfless individuals that Dante is allergic to.  He works hard at coaxing her to embrace her wild side (if she has one) in hopes that he can loosen her morals. He certainly has his work cut out for him! As his time runs out, he also discovers that he's not the only one after Charlie and has to determine who he can trust and what to believe.

Here’s what I liked: Dante is a d-bag and he's completely okay with it. However, around Charlie, he finds himself in the unfamiliar role of wanting to protect her more than convert her. He starts off being not attracted to her but then begins to care for her as he gets to know her better.  Her good-natured heart brings to the surface all his unresolved feelings about his family and his past. 

What didn’t quite work for me was Charlie’s character. She comes across as flat to me so much so that I couldn’t quite believe it when he started developing feelings for her.  I felt that she is just a list of positive attributes but not an actual person.  Still his reaction and internal dilemma about Charlie are surprising and ridiculous. 

I’m still happy with The Collector. It has an interesting and fun premise that kept me tuned in. There are more characters who add extra drama and tension to things. Some things were a bit far-fetched which is baffling because if I’m willing to believe that a soul collector is out to seal people's fates then what was with my eye rolls when he paid for everyone to go to Vegas? Regardless, The Collector is entertaining because Dante, the cocky s.o.b. really powers the story. 

~ Bel