Aud Pitch’s “DEVILS+HEARTBREAK” (a book review)
I could start this off by saying romance and smut are dramatically outside my typical genres. I could proclaim that I am by no means a connoisseur of titillating tales of tease and torrential ... stuff. I could say that my pre-existing literary preferences would have never brought me to this particular book without some kind of external influence.
I could say any of those things, and none of them would be outright factual inaccuracies.
Instead, I will say this: while it is true I have my preferred genres, I do make a concerted effort to read anything. To that end, I typically don’t even pay attention to the labeled genre. Which, sidenote, has definitely left me in situations where I wonder, “what the actual hell am I reading?!”
A good book is a lot like a good documentary film. It doesn’t matter what it’s about -- if the filmmakers (writers) do their job well, they’ll hook me, carry me through an engaging narrative, and I’ll be wholly invested in the story of their film (book).
DEVILS+HEARTBREAK is a masterful debut from a fresh voice that bursts with smutty talent. Aud Pitch weaves a story that transcends generic genre tropes, delivering a gripping literary romantic drama that also happens to be smutty. The characters are rich, beautifully developed, and grounded in a realism anyone can identify with, relate to, and jump up and down to root for.
DEVILS+HEARTBREAK is part workplace drama, taking the story into the inner workings of Indonesia’s oldest private art venue. For this particular Aaron Sorkin and West Wing fanboy, the workplace idealism smut was just as satisfying as the literal horny stuff. More importantly -- and again, back to that documentary comparison -- the story paints a compelling picture of a workplace I know nothing about. Aud Pitch’s writing drew me in with welcoming arms, holding my hand and never letting me get lost in dense descriptions or unnecessary detail.
There are twists, surprises, and plenty of sex, but it’s all rooted in real characters struggling through real conflict (as opposed to the fake, contrived, or poorly written kind). And the biggest twist of all: this book is so fucking well-written. That’s the bane of unknown authors and why it’s so difficult to break through all the noise and detritus in the self-publishing space.
Most authors aren’t very good. Which means that most readers are less and less inclined to give an unfamiliar name a fair shot.
I have read a lot of first-time writers, amateur authors, and “debut” novels. I have redlined to the point where a page of text should probably be lit on fire before it’s revised. And you can usually tell within the first few pages (lines?) if the writer has any actual chops. Most of the time, when you do find a little bit of gold, you have to qualify it, caveat it, and straight-up ignore all the godawful shit the gold is buried in.
Aud Pitch is not one of those authors.
And yes, Aud is a long-time friend, so the bias is real. Just the same -- and literally because of the bias -- I couldn’t be more proud of my friend for nailing such a spectacular debut novel.
ABOUT THE BOOK (from the author)
When Owen Jameson meets the (very inebriated) woman of his dreams at a Melbourne art-show afterparty, he thinks he's found his Forever. But he wakes up the next day in her hotel room all alone with nothing but blurry memories and a pathetic, aching heart.
Six months later, fate brings them together once more when Owen discovers the enigmatic beauty is a rising star at MERAHPUTIH—the prestigious art gallery his grandmother co-founded in Jakarta, Indonesia.
As Srinaya Matthews immerses herself in curating a major exhibition, she can't ignore the magnetic pull she feels towards Owen, MERAHPUTIH’s legacy director and esteemed benefactor. Despite his claims that they've never met, there's something undeniably familiar about him, and Naya finds herself tempted to break all her professional rules for a chance at love.
But with whispers of her past threatening to tarnish her reputation, and the weight of Owen's titles looming over them, Naya must decide if she's willing to risk everything for a romance with the Golden God of MERAHPUTIH.
