The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea

The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (1995) by Cheryl Mildenhall. Black Lace. ISBN: None. Condition: Good.

There comes a point in life when you have to decide whether you want to read another sensible novel in which everybody behaves responsibly... or whether you’d rather spend a few hours with a Black Lace paperback where sensible decisions are generally postponed until after chapter twelve, if they arrive at all.

The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea comes from the heyday of the Black Lace imprint, a series of novels that cheerfully acknowledged there was a readership who wanted romance with considerably more heat than the average airport paperback. They didn’t pretend to be Victorian morality tales. They arrived, made their intentions perfectly clear, and got on with entertaining their audience.

Cheryl Mildenhall serves up a story of attraction, temptation and emotional complications with the sort of pace that ensures nobody spends too long filling out planning applications or discussing pension contributions. Characters are thrown together, sparks fly, difficult choices present themselves and, as the title rather suggests, somebody eventually finds themselves caught between two distinctly challenging alternatives.

The title itself borrows an old expression about choosing between two equally awkward situations, although readers may discover that the protagonists are faced with dilemmas considerably more enjoyable than being chased by Satan on one side and an angry ocean on the other. It’s safe to say this is less about maritime safety and rather more about navigating the unpredictable waters of love, desire and the consequences of following your heart when your common sense has quietly left the building.

Published in 1995, the novel is also a delightful time capsule from an era before dating apps, read receipts and algorithms attempted to optimise romance. Back then, fictional couples had to rely upon inconvenient coincidences, chance meetings and chemistry rather than wondering why someone had viewed their profile at 2:17 a.m. and failed to respond. Relationships were no less complicated, but at least they unfolded without anyone threatening to post cryptic song lyrics on social media.

Like many Black Lace titles, this book developed something of a loyal following among readers who appreciated fiction that refused to blush at adult relationships. These books were often passed discreetly between friends, hidden behind newspapers on train journeys, or placed inside the dust jacket of a more respectable-looking hardback whenever Aunt Margaret came to visit. Whether this strategy actually fooled anybody remains one of publishing’s enduring mysteries.

This copy is in good condition, having survived the last three decades admirably. It remains perfectly suited to anyone curious about one of Britain’s best-known romance imprints, nostalgic for 1990s popular fiction, or simply looking for an entertaining escape that makes absolutely no apology for being exactly what it is.

From Crappy Old Books—because life is far too short to pretend every novel has to be worthy of a university seminar. Sometimes you just want a well-written page-turner, a comfortable chair, a cup of tea... and the comforting knowledge that somebody else is making far worse romantic decisions than you are.

Keep browsing: See more Romance books Other books by Cheryl Mildenhall