Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

'Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea' is the first in a series about Kate (Katherine Elliott). Whilst being a love story, it is also about the nature of faith, and of evil, exploring the mythology surrounding the Devil and whether there is hope for redemption once empathy and self-awareness have been achieved. Believing that she is haunted by demons, Kate is not yet aware that she is a fallen angel who was exiled from Heaven for having sympathy for the Devil. Originally his 'soul' mate in Heaven she was therefore unable to completely reject him when he rose against God. Her punishment was to be sent to Earth where she has been destined to be reborn until she finally rejects Satan, or until her chances run out. If she chooses the Devil, Heaven will fall and he will rule for all eternity. Kate's life is in danger because the beautiful but sinister Lilith - the Devil's first mate on earth - harbours an ancient grudge against her and wants ultimate power for herself: she wants to rule both Heaven and Earth. In order to achieve this she must first destroy Kate, and is gathering an army of the undead to stand against Satan. For this purpose she is abducting homeless people and stealing their souls, and also converting to her own cause some of Satan's less loyal followers. Kate's time on Earth has run out - she must make the right choice or Heaven and Earth will no longer exist, only Hell. She dreams about her other 'soul' mate Alec, not yet realising that he actually exists and at each incarnation has been sent to protect her. In Heaven he had defended her for not rejecting Satan and his punishment has been to exist as her eternal protector - to witness her perennially torn between himself and Satan - and to be forgotten by her with each incarnation. This time he is sent in his true form - as an angel, disguised as a hunchback - because whilst this gives Kate her greatest chance of survival, it also means that he cannot die with her. It will be Alec's eternal punishment to live without her if he fails. On her arrival at the University of Angel Springs, Kate meets and falls under the spell of the charismatic Professor Deverille - Samael, the Devil. Making new friends she is initially unaware that they are actually her guardian angels, sent to help protect her. They try to discourage Kate's relationship with the Professor, but whilst sensing that there is something dangerous about Professor Deverille, she is ultimately fascinated by him. There are, however, allies working to support Kate: her guardian angels, posing as fellow students: Jenny, Emily, Michael, Daniel and Gabe; Alec (who at first only visits her in dreams and is introduced as a new character in book two); Father John, who runs the local homeless shelter where Kate volunteers; Peter - who is living as a homeless man but is actually one of her guardians; and Mr Brown, who owns the quaint bookshop where Kate works. The enigmatic Mr Brown is actually God, although it is only ever implied in this book. Against both her better judgement and the advice of her friends, Kate travels with Samael to his home in Italy. Here she discovers his true identity, and that her demons are, in fact, real. Involved in the ultimate abusive relationship, Kate must overcome Samael's hold over her in order to fulfil her destiny. With the help of her friends she manages to escape, but the Professor has not given up his eternal quest to possess her soul. The book is the first in a series, set during the time leading to the final battle on earth between good and evil: it is Kate's last chance to choose.