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Book Review: Dealing with a Desperate Demon, by Charlotte Stein

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I won an ARC of Dealing with a Desperate Demon, by Charlotte Stein, through Goodreads.

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Nancy has just about given up on finding her special person when Jack Jackson—big, scary and the town loser—walks into her bookstore. He’s apparently even more desperate for help in the romance department than she is. And after a bit of gentle persuasion, he finally accepts her guidance in securing his dream girl. Practice dates, lessons in tenderness—you name it, she can teach it.

There’s just one his dream girl might have more than an issue with his dating skills. Because Jack isn’t just a little clueless; he’s actually the demonic son of Satan, from the deepest depths of hell. He’s spent his entire long underlife dragging evildoers to their fates, while really trying not to live up to his Dad’s expectations.

Now, it isn’t just about getting a date with his dream girl. He needs to become a better man to win over the woman he’s been cosmically bound to, in a Beauty and the Beast style pact. If he fails, everyone he cares for will face a terrible fate. Luckily for him, Nancy may well be the witch she’s always tried to pretend she wasn’t. She can save him, he knows it—and she’s starting to know it too. Even if every day spent with him is an agonising reminder that she isn’t the girl he’s fated for.

But as the deadline approaches she’s starting to wonder… Could it be that she’s finally found her Prince? Or is she about to lose her heart to hell?

my review

This was super cozy and sweet, somewhat ridiculous, but heart-warming. I think as long as you go into the book knowing that’s what you are going to get, and not expecting something else, this could be a big win. It was for me. Jack is a giant golden retriever marshmallow with a scary face. Nancy is just the nicest nice girl you can imagine. Watching her be kind to him and him learning to lean into that is lovely. There are no big surprises in the plot. It’s pretty apparent where the whole thing is going from page one. But go in for the feels. I dare you.Dealing with a Desperate Demon photo

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@bbrittanylee

📚 just finished Dealing with a Desperate Demon by Charlotte Stein and I’m OBSESSED! I really loved how descriptive it was! ✨ awkward demon + fake dating + a talking truck? 🖤 so funny, spicy, and weirdly sweet only wish the FMC had more of a build-up before just rolling with the magic lol ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 – give me more chaotic cinnamon roll demons pls 🌶️.5 – spice level #charlottestein #BookTok #RomComReads #plussizebookrecs #SpicyBooks #ParanormalRomance #booktokfyp #CharlotteStein #BookishHumor #DemonLoveStory #WitchyReads #FakeDatingTrope #BookReview #DealingWithADesperateDemon

♬ original sound – Brittany📚✨🐝

 

 

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Book Review: Eternal Rider, by Larissa Ione

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I purchased a copy of Larissa Ione‘s Eternal Rider second-hand from Savers.

eternal rider cover They are here. They ride. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

His name is Ares, and the fate of mankind rests on his powerful shoulders. If he falls to the forces of evil, the world falls too. As one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, he is far stronger than any mortal, but even he cannot fight his destiny forever. Not when his own brother plots against him.

Yet there is one last hope. Gifted in a way other humans can’t-or won’t-understand, Cara Thornhart is the key to both this Horseman’s safety and his doom. But involving Cara will prove treacherous, even beyond the maddening, dangerous desire that seizes them the moment they meet. For staving off eternal darkness could have a staggering cost: Cara’s life.

my review

I generally have a rule when it comes to PNR. I try not to read anything more than a decade old. I just can’t seem to stomach where the genre was back then, especially the language. There is a reason I went most of my life swearing I hated romance novels, only to grow up and realize that what I hated wasn’t romance but the gendered and hierarchical way relationships and sex were being represented. The genre has come a long way, and now romance (mostly fantasy and paranormal romance) accounts for 90% of what I read.

When I picked up a copy of this book at Savers, I glanced at the publication date and saw 2022. If I had looked a little more carefully, I’d have noticed the ‘originally published in 2011’ and likely would have put the book back. This book has many of the gender tropes that I try to avoid. But it’s far from the worst I’ve read.

So, with the above caveats, I otherwise thought it was OK. Not great, but tolerable. It’s clearly a spin-off from another series, or at least an interconnecting one. There’s a clear sense that the reader should be familiar with many of the other couples that appear. I liked the eternal rider photoFMC. She had a backbone and stood up for herself. I found the MMC to be something of a cardboard cutout; the side characters were quite bland, and the villain was a caricature. Although I did think the idea of going evil against their will was an interesting twist to the Four Horsemen trope.

All in all, I’m gonna eloquently say “meh.”

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Book Review: Eternal Rider by Larissa Ione

Review: Eternal Rider by Larissa Ione

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Book Review: A Devious Descent, by A.A. Powers

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I purchased a copy of A Devious Descent from the author, A.A. Powers.

a devious descent cover
When light fades and shadows play, the realm eater comes to take you away.

Frankie Hart thought she was as human as they come—until her brother vanishes, and she unravels a truth that shatters her world. Not only is she half-demon, but she is also the key to a prophecy that could either save or obliterate the human realm.

Zarreth, a demon from the Dark Realm, takes it upon himself to hunt Frankie and prevent the prophecy from unfolding. However, the longer he watches her, the more he becomes drawn to her in ways he can’t understand. His obsession grows when Frankie’s search comes to a dead-end, and she turns to Zarreth for help. Could she be his fated mate?

Together, Frankie and Zarreth must navigate a world where allegiances shift, and enemies lurk at every corner. Will Frankie succumb to the darkness inside her and become the instrument of destruction foretold? Or will their bond be enough to keep the darkness at bay?

my review

This was pretty lackluster. I mean it was fine, just kinda milquetoast. Despite my copy being over 350 pages, not very much actually happened. (I say my copy because it’s double-spaced—who does that—and I’m assuming not all are.) I liked the characters well enough. The world seems like it could be interesting. There’s some humor in there and some easy LGBT representation. I appreciate the cross-gender platonic friendships, even if the author seemed to feel obligated to make the friend gay in order to see it as a possibility. But the story itself? Meh. It’s inconsistent. There are plot holes. The emotional elements are conveyed with the subtlety of a hammer. I didn’t feel the love (or even the lust) develop, so it felt unsupported. Characters do stupid things for plot progression when perfectly logical alternatives that make a lot more sense are available to them. The end is predictable, etc. I’ve certainly read a lot worse. But…yeah, meh.

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