Brief Encounters

Title: Oscar’s Soul
Author: Missy Welsh
Length: 7,000 words (25 pdf pages)
Publisher: Amber Allure
Genre: m/m paranormal
Rating: B-

Blurb:

Satan, himself, has discovered love in the form of a beautiful young man whose soul he’s been forced to reap. The poor devil’s desperate for sweet Oscar’s affection, actually does get it and more, but then The Big Man Upstairs wants Oscar up where he truly belongs.

Now, Satan can’t say “no” to his boss…or can he?

Review:

This little short, which was apparently offered as a freebie at some point, is told in a breezy style as if the narrator, in this case Satan, is addressing the reader directly and recounting his story. I’m sure there’s an official name for that. Satan is just doing his job, he’s a regular guy, and he’s sent to pick up Oscar, a young man whose father sold his son’s soul for success. It’s not big deal, the usual job, however he’s instantly smitten by the young man and protects him in hell taking him almost immediate to bed. However it soon becomes clear that unlike most souls who have been in several bodies, Oscar is a relative newbie, only having been on earth once, which is highly unusual.

Now Satan (or Stan as Oscar calls him) is a decent guy who usually lets the souls of those sold by their parents go to heaven because he knows it’s not their fault, and especially really pure ones like Oscar, only this time he’s not prepared to do so because he has fallen head over heels for the young man. However when heaven and God find out who Oscar really is, neither Stan nor Oscar have a choice in the matter.

The story maintains a very light tone until the end when they pair are separated when things get a bit more dark, however overall the story is meant to be amusing and give you a slightly more sanguine view of the devil. I won’t reveal who Oscar is, but I admit I was surprised by the reveal, however in the end, Stan and Oscar get their HEA.

I have to admit I have a bit of a softspot for devils who are just kind of regular guys who have a job to do and like to watch TV or read books in their spare time and this book certainly delivers that in the form of Satan/Stan. He’s not a bad guy, he’s just doin’ his job. You get less of a feel for Oscar, beyond being young, beautiful and perhaps a bit innocent. I enjoy this author’s style, she’s very readable and accessible and fans who like a bit of humorous twist on the heaven/hell story line will enjoy this short story.