The Devil to Pay

Emelina "Emmy" Stratton's brother, Keith, was being blackmailed by an old college friend, Eric Leighton. Keith wanted to turn the situation over to the police. Knowing Keith's career would be forfeited if he did so, she asked for time to find proof that Leighton was doing something illegal so Keith could blackmail the blackmailer into leaving him alone. Julian Colter was vacationing on the beaches of Oregon. When he and his Doberman, Xerxes, found Emmy attempting to break into one of the beach cottages, he confronted her for answers. Most believed Julian was connected to the mafia and was keeping a low profile for a bit. Emmy made a deal with the devil. If Julian helped her try to prove the owner of the cabin, Leighton, was doing something illegal at the cabin, he could name his reward. Julian intended for Emmy to be the reward he demanded! **** Not this author's best work, but still wonderful! It kept my eyes glued to the book from page number one. Well worth your time and money! ****

This is my favorite JAK book under the name James. It left me either grinning or laughing the entire way through it.Emelina Stratton's brother is being blackmailed. In an effort to save him, she turns the tables and does a little spying to try and get some bargaining info on the blackmailer. The darkly handsome Julian Colter (who is a rumored mob boss) agrees to help Emelina in her scheme, but will demand a payment from her when all is said and done. Emelina is nervous about what the payment will be, having no idea Julian intends for the payment to be herself...This book left me in stitches. From Emelina faking an orgasm--and getting caught!--to Emelina's overactive imagination concerning Julian's "occupation", I couldn't stop grinning. Don't miss this one while it's still in print.(sexual content R = consummation scenes described in lots of detail)

Writer Emelina Stratton is determined to help her brother who is being blackmailed. Her search for the blackmailer leads her to Oregon where her attempt at breaking and entering is called to a halt by Julian Colter who is rumored to be a part of the Mafia that is in hiding. Julian is willing to help Emelina catch her blackmailer for a price. Initially, he longs for the type of loyalty and trust she bears for her brother. Instead, he finds himself longing for her heart as well. Stephanie James is the pseudonym for Jayne Ann Krentz during an earlier period of writing and there is much about this story to recommend. The humor surrounding the local lore about Julian's true occupation becomes a source of contention between Emmy and the locals when she gets fed up with their warnings and innuendoes. Julian pragmatically defies Emmy's vivid imagination when it comes to handling the blackmailer. There is a thread of suspense but it doesn't pan out and the plot involving the blackmailer proves to be anti-climatic. But as the story mainly focuses on Emmy and Julian's relationship, it is not much of a disappointment or even a mystery. This is a story well worth reading and there are clear hints of Krentz's present style and characterizations in this story. What is interesting in reading this book is seeing how far along Krentz has come as a writer.

Emelina Stratton wanted to help her brother by finding something on the man blackmailing him. She didn't expect to have attracted the unwanted interest of Julian Colter, a man the locals believe is a Mafioso. Julian wants Emmy's love and, even more, her loyalty.In some ways, this book reminded me more of an older Diana Palmer book, than a Jayne Ann Krentz. Emmy's headstrong ideas and wild imagination are well-matched by Julian's levelheadedness. A wonderful, light bit of entertaining reading. Not as heavy or intense as many other Krentz books.

Devil to Pay, by Jayne Krentz writing under the Pseudonym of Stephanie James,incorporates many of the touches of the present Krentz' romances but with less developed plot line and characters. The plot evolves around Emelina Stratton, who because of her loyalty to her brother and a very vivid imagination, becomes involved in a blackmail scheme. Her love interest is Julian Colter, the mysterious man about whom the villagers whisper. Having little luck with her plans to uncover something on the blackmailer of her brother, Emmy makes a deal with the devil himself, Julian, and the price she pays is her heart. The mystery is thin but there are some very fine, humorous touches: the telling clue is receipts in the bottom of grocery bags and the way Emmy defends Julian against the town's innuendos is priceless. Readers of Jayne Krentz will recognize some similarities between this early work and Family Man: the dark, strong male protagonist with slightly questionable motives, the woman who's loyalty is a prize worth winning, and the "lethal" dog who nuzzles his way in. Also of interest to Jayne Krentz fans is the fact that Emmy is an author who is trying to interest a publisher in a Science Fiction/Romance genre, which Ms. Krentz has published under her own name and recently under the name Jayne Castle.