Review: A focus on the Simon who used to be
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 31, 2013
THE TROUBLE WITH SIN is the second youthful vignette in the Devil DeVere series and picks up shortly after the lion escapade in Devil in the Making.  Simon, Ned, & Devil were quite the trio in their youth.  Individually they're so different yet complement each other perfectly and have a strong deep bond.  They're true friends in every sense.  This short focuses mainly on Simon Singleton, better known as Sin.Devil ~ the sobriquet is self explanatory though deceptive.Ned is dutiful, practical and more of a homebody than either Simon or Devil.Simon Singleton aka Sin is the poet, dreamer, and lover of women in all their variations.  He truly loves women in a way that is fairly rare.Simon has managed to scamper through life so far.  He's making money penning verse for Harris the pimps' infamous guide book and has so far managed to avoid any serious repercussions from the lion incident.  Unfortunately his "work" combined with his mother's discovery of him in a disadvantageous situation with the twins Brigid and Bronaugh O'Malley brings his carefree life to a screeching halt.  Simon is bought an army commission and sent to the Colonies to serve in one of his Uncle Thomas' units.  This is the worst punishment conceivable for someone like Simon.  Uncle Thomas has recently been appointed commander-in-chief of his Majesty's North American Forces fighting the Revolutionary War.For the most part THE TROUBLE WITH SIN is a lighthearted romp until we reach the Epilogue which gives a glimpse of the beginning of Simon's hell.THE TROUBLE WITH SIN serves to highlight the drastic difference between the boy we meet in the youthful vignettes and the broken man who returns to England in THE DEVIL'S TOUCH after being a POW for six years.  It's truly a stroke of genius on Devil's part that he conceives the plan to have Salime and Simon heal each other.  Considering the scars, physical, mental and emotional both carry I expect their journey to be passionately moving.I'm even more eager now to read JEWEL OF THE EAST.Reviewed by IvyD for Manic Readers