Currency in Flesh by Heather Nix

I devoured CURRENCY IN FLESH in less than 24 hours. It's the story of Grace, a thirty-five-year-old woman who's spent most of her adult life in a relationship with her abusive husband, Sean. When he takes her to a bar called Pluto, she's unenthusiastic and reluctant. But the situation quickly gets worse than she could have ever imagined: as it turns out, all of her husbands success and riches were the result of a deal with the devil, and too cowardly to sell his own soul, Sean brought Grace to the bar with him to try to pledge hers instead.

Sean and Grace are both taken to the underworld which is how Grace meets this gender-reversed Hades: Lady Cora, who rules the underworld in its many lawyers, and decided to take Grace as her plaything. From here, the book definitely follows the traditional dark romance formula. There is dub-con, but Cora is attentive to Grace's limits and history of abuse, and never pushes her further than she is willing to go. Consent plays a big role in the story, and so does the healing power of BDSM when it comes to reclaiming pain and enjoying debasement when it comes from someone who cherishes you.

CURRENCY IN FLESH also leans heavily into feminine rage. When Grace is offered the chance for revenge, she's hesitant, but she takes it, and a big part of her character arc is discovering the extent of her husband's treachery and abuse, and realizing that she is so much more than the person he tried to reduce her to. It's got a surprisingly heartfelt and thoughtful message, and I loved all the discussions about what it meant to be a good person versus a bad one. I'll be thinking about this story and its characters for a while and will absolutely be checking out more work from this author.

4 to 4.5 out of 5 stars