great book I loved that it was not Goth and I can't wait for the next one the only thing that kinda bugged me was the internal dialogwhen something big was going on. also I get the feeling that det Sloan has more of history would like to know more about her.hopefully this next book will go into more detail about her.I loved this book! I have loaned it out and my friends loved it as well!!! Waiting for her next book with baited breath!One of the best things about the Saints and Sinners Literary Festival is how I never fail to end up bumping into a new-to-me author and finding a book I adore. This year felt like an absolute trove.If I'm going to be on a panel with someone, I try to read something by them before I sit down. Since I got to be on a panel about Evil and the Supernatural with Christian Baines, Marie Castle, and Christopher Rice, I quite literally finished this book twenty minutes before I absolutely had to have breakfast before the day of panels began. I was so unsure about whether or not the love interest was going to make it that I just had to be done before I met Marie Castle so that I knew whether or hug her or strangle her.First, I adored this book. It's fun. It's fast paced. It's got strong world-building and a Southern charm (I capitalize the S as it seems appropriate) all rolled into one sassy, supernaturally tangled heroine who handles cases - off the books - about the things that go bump in the night. Cate is a flipping joy to read - a Guardian, she might have the ability to open the gates between worlds, a power that's as frightening as it sounds in its potential danger, as well as a little "something extra" in her power repertoire that isn't quite normal for a witchy gal like herself. That alone would be enough on her plate, but added to it is her ex-husband (their marriage annulled in a week) who is also a possessive werewolf type, girls going missing, a simple job that turned into a very un-simple encounter with a demonically possessed corpse. Add to that pile a partner she doesn't want to take with her on the missing girls case - a partner who's a lady with undisclosed powers and ties to an organization Cate doesn't like much - and things start to snap and spark.The relationship between Cate and this woman - Jacq - doesn't distract the reader too much from the actual plot, though as I admitted up there, I was desperately worried about her survival. As things snowball and twist and the complicated world Cate lives in is further and further revealed, the reader realizes that things aren't just as bad as people supposed: they're much worse.Ultimately, where Hell's Belle ends satisfies the reader enough, but I can't wait for the sequel, The Devil You Know. Fans of urban paranormal (especially as in the style of Carrie Vaughn or Jim Butcher) will find Cate an easy witch to enjoy. The setting of the South just adds to the flavor. The large cast of characters in the book had me a bit overwhelmed a couple of times, but they had distinct enough voices that I wasn't ever confused, and I'm sure further books will bring these characters front and center. And for that, I'm very glad I got to meet Marie Castle.A wonderful read. Exciting, full of tension, humor, and interesting characters. I am so ready for the next book; I can't wait.