Olivia Sutcliff is a poor lost soul in a place called the Netherworld. Because of the decisions she made while alive, when she died, she was sent to suffer under the rule of the Dark Prince. After a century of darkness and torture, she has been picked to damn a soul. His name is Malin Cross, and Olivia must seduce him and encourage him to kill another because of his simmering hate.

Malin is an FBI special agent on the search for The Slayer, an elusive serial killer who taunts Malin with his victims. Malin lives and breathes for vengeance against this monster and is on a downward spiral, that is, until he runs over a beautiful redhead. He brings her to the hospital and is surprised that she is coherent and adamant that they leave. She also calls him “master” which leads Malin to believe that this mysterious redhead is part of a BDSM society. Malin finds out her name is Olivia, but all other questions he throws at her she cannot answer. Malin assumes Olivia has amnesia from her accident and will keep her safe until he finds out who she is.

Olivia thinks of Malin as an angel and hates that she will be the one responsible in destroying everything that is good in him. If she does not encourage him to murder this serial killer, she will be sent back to the Netherworld to suffer the most horrible of tortures. Olivia wants to stay with Malin forever because he makes her feel safe and full of life again. If only she can find a way to save Malin’s soul as well as keep her own.

Melissa Lopez has written a complicated world where demons and angels fight to the death, and no one is completely innocent and pure. Netherworld is an alternate version of Hell where suffering is expected. My heart broke for Olivia, who, because of a wrong decision she made while alive, is now paying for it by being a pawn to the cruel demons and that of the Dark Prince himself who finds pleasure in the misery of others.

Malin may be a man living on the edge, but he treats Olivia as both a caregiver and a lover. Because Olivia is ripe for his choosing, he can hardly deny his lust for her. Watching him hold back from Olivia is just as hard to read as watching Olivia decide if she should help Malin loose his soul. And even though Malin does have dominant traits, he still treats Olivia with care and love.
Dark Chance is a violent, erotic tale with a great twist on the good versus evil myths. Melissa Lopez has a great vision and a creative idea with her Netherworld series that I would recommend you do not miss out on.

Reviewed by: Katie