Covet by JR Ward

          Fallen Angels #1

          Jim Heron is a construction worker on a crew building a palatial estate for a business mogul.  He is basically just one of the boys, although he pretty much keeps to himself. His dark, violent past makes him wary of other people. What he doesn’t know is that the powers of good and evil have chosen him to direct the final competition between them to determine the ultimate fate of humanity. He will be given seven opportunities to influence the lives of pre-chosen humans. If he turns them toward good, the powers of good win a point. If the human in question continues his evil ways, the powers of evil get a point. Whichever side gains four souls first wins the souls of all humanity.

          Naturally, the powers for good will obey all the rules.  And, the powers of evil will always cheat. But Jim is given some help with his tasks.  He has a pair of fallen angels, in the guise of biker guys, and a dog – a puppy really to give him help and advice.  Working for the other side is the incredibly luscious Divina – a demon willing to do really nasty things to innocent bystanders in order to get her way.

          His first task is to turn the business mogul, Vin, away from his heartless, single-minded pursuit of the almighty dollar and all the best toys toward a more loving and giving point of view. He must get rid of Devina, who has already laid claim to Vin’s soul before Jim even finds out about his task. Vin must change his ways and learn to love Marie-Terese, the hooker with the heart of gold.

          This is the first book in the Fallen Angels series. I picked it up because I enjoyed the third book, Envy [Envy review]. I didn’t like this one quite as much as I did the third, but practice does make perfect. And I do have the second book, Crave, on my to-be-read list.