Kate O’Hara is temping in Hell. That is the only explanation for the things she has to put up with at her new temp position. Maggie, her manager, is a psychotic pageant queen, the building was obviously designed with torture by corporate overdose in mind, and frankly Kate is not even sure what she is supposed to be doing. A job is a job, though, and she needs one. When Kate makes an attempt to help Maggie with a major project, she finds herself banished to the basement of Fiendish Industries, where there are dozens of strange men sifting through mountains of paperwork. At least the top boss, Thomas Kestrel is fun to look at!

Thomas Kestrel, multi-billionaire head of Fiendish Industries, has one year left — one year to find twelve men that will help him save his soul. Many years ago Thomas signed his soul over to help someone he loved, but soul contracts are tricky, and the demon he sold it to will be coming to collect, unless Thomas can find these twelve men and kill them. When he meets Kate he finds her resourceful, charming, and a bit forward, but she might be just what he needs to complete his mission — if he can keep them both alive.

Temping is Hell is a delightful read. This is a hilarious, action-packed page-turner filled with endearing characters easy to relate to, and a swift moving plot that will have you wishing for the next installment the moment you are finished.

I love Kate, even when I find her annoying. She has no filter and is so kind that she is habitually in trouble. She is down-to-earth and likable. This is a woman with real-world problems: money is tight, she had to move back in with her parents, her love life is nonexistent, and at every turn it seems as if the world is out to get her. Kate just keeps on kicking, and she is one of the most capable heroines I have come across in a long time (that is not supernaturally-enhanced). All through Temping is Hell Kate finds herself in the most unusual and sometimes precarious situations, but she just goes with the flow and it is awesome.

Thomas is an interesting hero. He and his situation are very sympathetic, but sometimes I just wanted to strangle him. He is so focused on his mission that living is more of a chore for him now, so to watch him have to adjust to the kind of chaos Kate brings into his life is utterly entertaining. Both characters are so flawed but so human you just root for them. All of the secondary characters are well-thought-out and multidimensional. The antagonists are deliciously evil and create real tension. I loved Slim, one of Kate’s Basement Boys, and hope we see more of him in the future!

The pacing in Temping is Hell is breakneck, the dialogue is fluid and engaging, the romance is sweet and a bit heartbreaking. Temping is Hell has it all and is an excellent opener to a series. There are so many possibilities in this fantastic world Yardley has created, and I cannot wait to get my hands on the next installment to see where the story goes.

Book Stats:

• Print Length: 254 pages
• Publisher: Entangled Edge (January 20, 2013)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B00B3MS2ZY

Purchase a Kindle copy of Temping is Hell from Amazon

Books in the Necessary Evil series in the order they should be read:
Temping is Hell