| Title | : | A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon (Glimmer Falls, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0593547926 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780593547922 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 367 |
| Publication | : | First published March 7, 2023 |
Mariel Spark is prophesied to be the most powerful witch seen in centuries of the famed Spark family, but to the displeasure of her mother, she prefers baking to brewing potions and gardening to casting hexes. When a spell to summon flour goes very wrong, Mariel finds herself staring down a demon—one she inadvertently summoned for a soul bargain.
Ozroth the Ruthless is a legend among demons. Powerful and merciless, he drives hard bargains to collect mortal souls. But his reputation has suffered ever since a bargain went awry—if he can strike a bargain with Mariel, he will earn back his deadly reputation. Ozroth can’t leave Mariel’s side until they complete a bargain, which she refuses to do (turns out some humans are attached to their souls).
But the witch is funny. And curvy. And disgustingly yet endearingly cheerful. Becoming awkward roommates quickly escalates when Mariel, terrified to confess the inadvertent summoning to her mother, blurts out that she’s dating Ozroth. As Ozroth and Mariel struggle with their opposing goals and maintaining a fake relationship, real attraction blooms between them. But Ozroth has a limited amount of time to strike the deal, and if Mariel gives up her soul, she’ll lose all her emotions—including love—which will only spell disaster for them both.
A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon (Glimmer Falls, #1) Reviews
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This is a laugh-out-loud, incredibly smart, and entertaining paranormal romance! It features a young witch who hasn’t yet discovered her full potential. While nourishing her plants and enduring verbal abuse from her ultra-narcissistic mother, she accidentally summons a powerful demon who insists on taking her magic—and her soul!
But what if this brooding, charismatic demon is more in touch with human emotions than he lets on? His last chance to keep his position is to lure this powerful witch and take her soul, proving his worth to his mentor. The story expertly blends enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, and fake relationship tropes with environmental messages.
Here’s a quick plot recap: Before Mariel Spark was born, the wind, the earth, and the stars all foretold that she would be the strongest witch in generations of her famed magical family. But so far, she hasn’t reached her potential. When she repeats a spell to practice, she realizes she’s made a huge mistake! She’s accidentally summoned the most vicious demon—right into her kitchen—and she can’t send him back until she agrees to give him her soul in exchange for a favor.
Interestingly, Ozorth the Ruthless is not at all what he seems. He enjoys devouring spaghetti, attending protests for a safer ecosystem, making jokes, and spending time with Mariel’s best friends. As for Ozorth, he finds himself falling for this sweet, smart, and quirky witch—an enigma he can’t resist.
They keep Ozorth’s identity a secret because Mariel has no intention of admitting her mistake to her mother. She introduces her demon as her boyfriend, but neither of them realizes how pretending will soon turn into something much more serious. Could Ozorth give up his mission for the attraction he feels for this enchanting witch?
Overall, I had so much fun with this book!
The banter between the main characters made me guffaw, and I loved witnessing the chemistry between Oz and Mariel as it bloomed. They make the most adorable couple—Mariel is sweet, quirky, and kind, while Oz is surprisingly sentimental for a demon! Don’t be fooled by his nickname, Ozorth the Ruthless—there’s nothing merciless about this charming devil!
I highly recommend this book to fans of paranormal romance.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions. -
Sarah Hawley’s debut novel, A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon, is a delightful and fun paranormal romance. While Mariel Spark was prophesied to be the most powerful witch in centuries, she hasn’t lived up to that potential. Preferring to bake and garden, her mother constantly berates her. When attempting to summon flour for baking, she accidentally summons someone for a soul bargain.
Ozroth (Oz) the Ruthless is powerful and drives hard bargains for centuries. However, his reputation has suffered recently. A bargain went awry and he wants to regain his reputation. However, Mariel is funny and cheerful. Rather than admit to her mother what happened, she tells her mother that she and Oz are dating. Between differing goals and a fake relationship, attraction springs to life.
The author does a great job on characterization. Mariel is kind, relatable, and funny, has loyal friends, is good at nature magic, and dreads being around her mother. Oz id annoying, easily offended, protective, and struggling to overcome the issue with a past bargain. The supporting characters come through with depth as well.
The story is well written with a unique situation that resulted in a funny romance with spells going astray. However, there were deeper threads woven into the novel that gave it insight into relationships, family dynamics, power, competitiveness, honor, manipulations, prestige, friendship, romance, belittling, and bullying. The book also contains multiple explicit steamy scenes and some swearing. There was also a rushed scene or two towards the end of the story.
Nevertheless, this was a charming, fun, and delightful paranormal romance. The author infused the right amount of romance, humor, creative twists, and some suspense to move the story at a good pace and keep it entertaining. It appears this is the first book in a series set in fictional Glimmer Falls. I’m looking forward to reading the next one.
Berkley Publishing Group and Sarah Hawley provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for March 07, 2023.
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My 4.02 rounded to 4 stars review is coming soon. -
“his eyes burned with mischief as he kissed the back of her hand” SOMEBODY SEDATE ME!!
hilarious book, like seriously laugh out loud moments and i just had so much fun. i love the characters, i love the setting and i loved the romance! i do feel like the characters got together way too soon. the smut was good but sometimes when murial talked it took me out of the story. she would just say the strangest things which is on point with her character but still idk. like why are we talking about something sexual people do in fan fiction while having sex. girl don’t piss me off. and as for every romance book, here i am saying, the third act breakup is not needed. anyways i would love to see a sequel and we get to see murial and oz and how the combine their lives and the weird little things they do together or create. -
Cozy and cute but not my fav. Did love how sassy the MMC was though
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A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon is a cozy and charming small town romance following Mariel, an incredibly gifted nature witch and Ozroth, the demon she accidentally summons while practicing her magic. The story is very lighthearted and whimsical in nature, while pretty one dimensional, Mariel and Ozoroth were so adorable together. I loved how Ozoroth was determined to make Mariel see her worth and that other people's opinion didn't matter if she was happy. The small town vibes were adorable and I loved getting a glimpse into this magical world Sarah Hawley set up. There are so many paranormal facets I can't wait to explore from the people, world, magic, and customs in the coming books. Overall this standalone romance was so sweet and fun, full of magical oddities, a quirky friend group, and a dash of steam!
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2 stars
I.... yeah. I don't like this new trend of witchy books with cutesy covers, they almost always disappoint.
Mariel is supposed to be an all powerful witch, except she hasn't mastered her power. When she accidentally summons a demon, the two are trapped together until they can figure out a way out of a bargain for her soul. As time goes by, the two must fake date and end up catching feelings.
There were many times when I was listening to this book that I verbally said out loud "wow this is bad" or made ick faces at some of the dialogue and sex scenes. Because I was reading this for a book discussion, I didn't quit like I normally would and it did get a little better in the second half. I wish we had gotten more of the dying nature storyline than we did the annoying family.
I wish I had liked it more, but when a book that unalives a chicken that way in the first few pages to be funny(?), I knew right away it wouldn't be for me.
PS: the audiobook narrator was terrible at male voices. That probably didn't help me not enjoying this book. -
Honestly, I'm sad I didn't like this book....not one bit. The characters come across as teenagers instead of adults and I'm not sure if it's because they seem two-dimensional or that the writing is really immature in a sense. Every trope you can think of is thrown in but none of them are executed well. It looks as if the author didn't really know how to fill out the book other than the intent of doing "demon trapped but falls in love". It reached a point where I was rolling my eyes every time one popped up like "here we go again".
The worst part of this "enemies to lovers"/ "grumpy-sunshine"/"fake-dating" was that there was NO TENSION. You want there to be a push and a pull, you want to be teased with them possibly having a chance of liking each other and then taking that away. The way the book went was just insta-love. At 20% they were basically in each others arms already. There was no fun at all.
Whatshisface is meant to be the grumpy to her sunshine but really he's not. I would have loved to have seen more of his denial or anger towards having gained emotions/having to deal with a witch with no control of her powers, but instead he was fighting attraction straight away and cleaning up her house.
Mariel was no fun either, nor were her friends. The book basically circles around and around on how she is a failure and a disappointment. It was said so many times. And her mother was so weird and had no depth at all. All she did was talk about vagina's and sex. Like maybe it was meant to bring in humour but it was just a tad overdone.
I'm really not trying to slate this book but it's hard not to talk about it with some bitterness because it was disappointing. The only good thing, and the reason I gave 2 stars, was the part of Mariel standing up for herself and believing in her affinity for nature.
But yeah, the whole thing was a cliché. I was most annoyed by Mariel believing in Oz the whole time until one person suggests something is his fault and she goes and turns her back on him straight away like BRUH.
....yeah -
What in the Wizards of Waverly Place was this? This was such a difficult book to digest and I’m so disappointed because the premise was amazing. The book starts off light and funny but after a few chapters I felt very overstimulated. It was so chaotic and every single character was way too much.
The book follows Mariel, a 28 year old witch, who is currently struggling with her magic. She’s constantly under her mother’s scrutiny and desperate to impress her mother so she continues to practise (she is terrible and butchers most of it) magic. One mishap later and a demon appears in her kitchen ready to bargain for her soul. What could possibly go wrong? Ozroth, a 200 and something year old demon, appears ready to bargain for a soul until he realises that this was all a mistake. Just another addition to his list of problems. Ozroth is currently adapting to a human’s/warlock’s soul being trapped inside of him. Because of this, throughout the book we see him struggle to understand his human emotions & the eventual affection he feels for the chaotic witch who summoned him instead of the flour she’d originally intended when casting the spell.
Throughout the book Mariel comes off as a teenager rather than a woman in her late 20s. She was very (for lack of a better word imo) ditzy. From the way she interacts with everyone to the decisions she makes. Honestly though, her being this bad at magic just pissed me off because at 70% of the book HOW are you still incompetent? was fine at first, but that coupled with her constant interactions with her mother left me beyond exhausted and unwilling to continue reading this book. Her mother was an overbearing narcissist who did not understand social cues to shut up. I understand that it was necessary for her mother to be that way but honestly we did NOT need that many scenes with her mother present.
Ozroth was not what I expected. He’s a demon but at no point was he truly ever monstrous & heartless like someone with a title of “Ruthless” would be. He came off as juvenile himself. Terribly disappointed in his character. I just…needed more? If you’re going to write about this type of thing the light & witty path is not the one to go down.
The writing in this book while not bad, was very very lacklustre. This is more of a personal preference but I hate when books take modern day technology/objects and alter the name to make it sound more mystical. It’s so lazy just leave “Bumble” as is because “Bumblelina” is such lazy writing. Moreover, the author threw in so many tropes but none of it was really executed well. I couldn’t tell if this was meant to be a grumpy x sunshine because both the fmc and mmc went back and forth with being grumps. The demon x witch wasn’t really played into because he acted like a regular man. Also, third stage break up? GIVE ME A BREAK. It was so stupid making this book longer than necessary. -
3.5 stars.
A book that should’ve been read during spooky month has been read in the middle of the spring. #moodreader -
3.5⭐️
Thank you so much to Berkley Romance and Netgalley for providing an advanced copy of this. All thoughts and opinions are still my own.
This is was fun and adorable paranormal rom-com, heavy on the com. I think this book would be perfect for contemporary rom-com readers who are interested in breaking into paranormal romance but don't know where to start.
This book reads and feels like a contemporary story with fantastical/paranormal elements naturally sprinkled into the world.
I really loved the humor and set up for this story. Our heroine just wants to find a way to live the life she wants when she's thrown into an accidental soul with a demon (who has his own accidental human soul).
Their banter was fantastic. I loved the dry humor of our hero and his reluctance to admit his attraction to our heroine.
I also really loved the found family aspect to this story as well as the strong friendships.
But there were some things that I didn't love so much...
Mainly the family. Our heroine's family is borderline UNBEARABLE. I quite nearly dnf'd this at one point because I found it so difficult to listen to her family continuously berate her on page over and over again.
I don't know if this was meant to be humorous or painful or over the top. But it came across as excessive. And I could have done without a lot of it.
On top of that this book suffered from unnecessary 3rd act breakup syndrome.
I don't know why 3rd act breakups are thrown into books that already have drama and tension in the plot. This book was always building to culmination outside of the romance.
So throwing in an additional arc of their breakup (which could have - and was eventually - solved with the simplest of conversations) was so unnecessary. The story didn't need it.
This is another debut author I plan to keep my eye on though. This story was fun and unique and I'm definitely curious to know what Sarah Hawley does next. -
A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon by Sarah Hawley is a paranormal romantic comedy novel. The story in A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon is a standalone novel that is told by changing the point of view between the main characters.
Mariel Spark is supposed to be the most powerful witch in her family for centuries but she just can’t do anything to please her mother to save her life. When yet another spell goes wrong for Mariel she finds herself face to face with Ozroth the Ruthless, a demon she’s accidentally summoned.
No matter how hard she tries Mariel can’t get the demon to leave and let her go back to her spellwork but when her mother shows up things really get complicated. Not knowing what to tell her mother Mariel claims Oz is her new boyfriend to hide the fact he’s a demon after her soul.
First I should admit I have a huge soft spot for fake dating romances so seeing that A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon by Sarah Hawley had that trope mixed with a little fantasy I was intrigued. I found this one to be quite the fun story with likable characters, even our big bad demon! With plenty of laughs mixed with the witchy magic and demon determination the pages flew right by with the story.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit
https://carriesbookreviews.com/ -
This was one of my most anticipated romance reads of the year. The synopsis lead me to believe I was in for silly, frothy fantasy fun. This book was certainly silly. It was also poorly paced, boring, and chock full of irritating characters, middling writing, and cliché.
Mariel did not read as an adult woman. She came across as immature and this was reflected in the writing. Ozroth is bland. He never lived up to his potential. One could be forgiven for forgetting he was a demon. Their relationship lacked chemistry and was the oh so dreaded instalove.
Mariel's friends were insufferable. For characters that felt as if the author pulled them from a stock bin, I didn't think they'd get under my skin so much, but here I am. I was reminded of How to Keep a Husband for 10 Days by Jessica Hatch which is also a book I was displeased with. Her mother was such an over the top character, I started skimming the scenes she was in. I think her mother was supposed to be comedic, but instead she was uncomfortably weird and annoying. I wouldn't want to associate with any of these people.
The villain ended up being such a wimp. There was such little tension in the story as it was. The ending was anti-climatic and felt easily earned.
There was the kernel of what truly could have been a delightful fantasy romance in this book. My displeasure largely stems from how disappointed I am. I wanted so much to love this story! In all honesty, I should have DNF'd this. -
✨Seduce my soul 😈✨
A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon was very fun and thoroughly chaotic good. It was a great blend of witchiness and forced proximity deliciousness. As a whole the book was very fluffy and light and hit the right spooky szn spots for me.
The book starts with Ozroth the Ruthless having recently acquired one (1) human soul which is a pretty bad deal for any self-respecting demon. Mariel accidentally summons Ozroth, creating an unbreakable attachment between the two until she bargains away her soul. Suddenly, the two are reluctant roommates and at risk of losing not only her soul, but her magic as well, Mariel must resist her resident demon-plane cowboy. (Hard to do because he is so large and so hot.)
✨
Thanks to Kresley Cole, I have a recent weakness for demons and their rock-hard horns. Oz, to quote Mariel, was a moody drama queen and frankly I’m so in love. His new soul made him hilarious, awkward, and on the verge of experiencing all the emotions at all times. He was a demon out of hell and he had no clue how to emotion. He was also a bit of a celibate sex god and that’s my kryptonite.
I must admit, Mariel is so much stronger than I am because this book was way more slow burn than I would’ve been able to manage. Further, Mariel was truly just the green chick from Sky High.
She was a kick ass nature witch and I always forget how badass vines can be. She wasn’t my favorite heroine, but she was lovable and handled the whole soul stealing demon bit with the same grace as I would have (none).
✨
After the first little bit of Oz trying to act like a cold-hearted demon, he was just a straight up cuddly teddy bear. This did make some of the book a little hard for me because his journey of learning how to feel and Mariel’s journey of gaining confidence overlapped in some kinda harsh ways. There were just moments where Mariel was pretty rough on Oz, and it felt a bit like kicking a puppy.
On the one hand, yay Mariel assert yourself! but the other was like come to mama Oz let me hug you. Oz was always the one to take the blame and apologize (although there were times he was definitely in the wrong). I completely understand that he was literally trying to steal her soul at the beginning but that dropped off super quickly and I’m probably just biased. Mariel didn’t have his inner thoughts to know how true of heart he was, but as a reader, it made me sad.
✨
It was very clear what the external break-up catalyst was going to be and I was…not excited. My eyes glazed a bit at the end and even now when I know what happened, my eyes still roll a bit by what Mariel was forced to do. Ultimately, the big, bad miscommunication monster was there as well, but I definitely think it could’ve been worse.
Some major things got wrapped up pretty easily at the end, but I also didn’t want to spend any more time dealing with them? So I guess that isn’t a problem for me, just a statement. I read this over a few days and had to take frequent breaks which is a bit odd for me. I think it was a tad long for my tastes just because the third-act breakup was a a dark cloud hanging over the rest.
I also wish Mariel would’ve refrained from telling her friends that she was fake dating Oz because it kinda dampened the effect. I wanted even more from the fake dating element because it was so fun seeing them interact. We were also robbed of a good drunk demon scene! Oz was buzzed and then immediately it was killed by the fight 😭
✨
Overall, I thought this was well written and unique. I cared more about their relationship than the external plot, but I appreciated the witchy vibe nonetheless. It’s definitely going to become and annual reread around Halloween! The teaser for book two shook me to my core and I can’t wait!!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️*/5
*There were two scenes and a few extra tension builders. The writing was explicit and they were well written! Some reviews seemed to be surprised at the steam, but it fit the tone of the book. I also saw that some thought the scenes were long but I actually think they were a bit short lol. I could’ve used one more scene to round it out.
P.S. At the risk of spoiling anything, I won’t posit my question just yet, but I’m a bit confused about a certain part of the ending. I’m not quite sure how everything worked out in relation to other things we’d been told earlier on. Maybe this will be resolved or I just missed something. Either way I’ll see what happens when I inevitably listen to the audiobook!
P.P.S. It's also hard to tell from the cover illustration (🙄) but she's described as being curvy. Curvy is such a broad, subjective term, I get it, but I still think the cover missed the mark. Honestly the illustration style makes them look more like children than anything because there are definite YA vibes to me. The alternate green cover does a better job at making them look like adults as well as accurate to their book descriptions!
Thanks so much to the publisher for an eARC via NetGalley. All opinions are honest and my own. -
3.5 stars.
It’s a cute story but has some weaknesses.
As a city planner, I’m a little offended at how town processes are shown. Mayors are not all powerful. Where’s the City Council in this decision? Where’s the Army Corps of Engineers? I would guess that spring would qualify as a Water of the US. No way could they bulldoze that area without some intensive permitting and approvals. I know, I know… it’s fictional. But it doesn’t vary that far from modern life so I choose to be annoyed.
The heroine is kinda frustrating to me. She throws a lot of hissy fits, including one at 40% that felt more like a third act breakup. And, at the end, she isn’t too careful about her final deal. It’s just that the hero is smart enough to fix things. Tho even he is a bit dumb to not have clear wording in his bargain. But the author is going to let them get away with their sloppy wording.
The family relationships are total crap and that sucks. We don’t really get to understand why the mothers are so awful… and seemingly evil. Like, really!? What’s going on with the evil moms? Mayor mom… where are you? And you’re going to be stopped that quickly? And heroine mom, you’re just going to cave super quick at the end? Hm.
Both of the main characters haven’t been with anyone else in years and in his case, decades. They’re pretty cute together.
The characters all seem to go to violence pretty quickly. Instead of questioning things, they punch or throw folks around. It’s a bit gratuitous.
I HATE the way the heroine distrusted the hero with very little cause. He’s shown himself to be trustworthy and yet, at the first challenge, the heroine throws him under the bus and leaves. And it’s her friend who believes him. It made me dislike the heroine. And my little heart broke for the hero. She should have groveled to him after treating him so badly. Basically, she lets her best friend beat him up and she yells at him and leaves him. And he’s innocent. -
dnf @ 62%
i just don't love it so i'm going to save myself the time.
maybe i'll come back to this series in the future. -
"Love is supporting someone," she said. "Lifting them up, not tearing them down. Loving them as they are, not how you want them to be."
I think this was a very cute, very lighthearted read that definitely has some spice. There was something so magical about the world and I really enjoyed our MC's. (Oz was a giant teddy bear, truly). There was also a lot of growth from our FMC, which I was so happy to see, as well as some very positive messaging, especially near the end.
Unfortunately, I think this wasn't a good fit for me in general. When it came to some of the supporting characters (Mariel's mom, her best friend and her mom as well) the dialogue of those characters distracted me from the parts of the plot that I did enjoy.
Overall, I think this could be perfect for fans of books like The Ex Hex who may also have loved the movie Fern Gully as a kid too. & I'm definitely interested in reading the sequel!
2.75/5 ⭐ -
⭐️3.5
Honestly so entertaining. -
This was such a sparkling delight, and genuinely heartwarming. I found it hard to put down, and as soon as I finished reading I wanted to go back to the start and enjoy it all over again. Mariel and Oz are wonderful, engaging characters, and you can't help but root for them. A charming, fun read with lots of laugh out loud moments. Definitely recommended!
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I should’ve stopped reading after the mc made a chicken explode. What a waste of time.
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4.5 Star.
I'm really behind on getting to this arc that I have since bought, but thank you to Netgalley and the Publishers for originally sending me a copy of this book.
I had such a good time with this, was giving me The Ex Hex vibes and I love that. Spicy, cosy, witchy read set in a small town that I'm definitely interested in getting back to. I enjoyed Mariel and Oz's relationship and how they built it up from the silliness that brough Oz into Mariel's life. I loved seeing Mariel's character arc especially with her mother, I thought this was done really well.
Had a great time with this and looking forward to continuing on with Glimmer Falls. -
This was a really cute and funny read that also managed to pack in some big emotions, family drama, and angst. I thought I was going into a light and funny paranormal romance and yes, there's plenty of light, sweet, and funny, but some heaviness does get introduced. I felt so much sympathy for Mariel (h) that her family was powerful and therefore so much was expected from her, but she struggled hard with her magic. Mariel then ups the magical mishaps when she tries to use magic to summon an ingredient for cooking and accidentally summons a demon, Ozroth (H). Ozroth had his own complicated history with having an important magic, one that the demon plane relied on. He was recently tricked during a deal which resulted in him gaining a soul...and all the feels. These two lovely characters, with major insecurities, are then at odds because Oz can't leave til he completes a deal with Mariel for her soul and she's unwilling to bargain. And of course these two add another layer by announcing they're dating when confronted with a surprise appearance by Mariel's truly horrendous mom. Written in third person, dual POV. No ow/om drama and neither were virgins (both had been celibate for years).
Both Mariel and Oz had been mocked and pressured. Both were also genuinely overwhelmed by what was happening to them and while they weren't always the best with communication or extending grace to each other, they do learn more about the other as their forced proximity continues. I liked Oz more than Mariel, mainly because he attempted to stand up for her once he was subjected to how her family treated her and he was encouraging. Sadly those times were often major triggers of humiliation for Mariel and she didn't react well. Her family, esp her mom, was a bit too over the top for me. I did like that Mariel had her best friends though and that she found joy in her nature magic, which was incredibly strong (even if everyone else trivialized it). Because of their circumstances, Mariel and Oz take time to warm up to each other, starting with friendship and then moving to romance. Some of the best scenes of the book are them opening up to each other, learning to care for the other, and sometimes surprising each other. There are also some bumpy times on their path to their HEA, but they do fall in love and they do get steamy.
The town of Glimmer Falls, where the story takes place, was a great backdrop for the book. Lots of random paranormal townspeople along with Mariel's friends and family. I liked the scenes of Mariel being involved with her town from planning to enter a festival contest to protesting to protect the local forest. Oz's introduction to the town was also interesting had led to some funny scenes. There are multiple bad guys in the book though from the mayor of the town trying to wreck up the environment to Oz's mentor trying to force him to make the deal for Mariel's soul.
The third act was my least favorite part of the book. The conflict rubbed me the wrong way and even though I thought it was clever how Mariel and Oz triumphed over what they were up against (man that was hard to word vaguely), some aspects of the resolution felt kind of pat and easy. The ending as a whole felt rushed to me too. But there is a HEA in that they're together, in love, and committed to each other. This book has an excerpt for the next book, which is about Mariel's BFF so I'm certain this couple will also feature heavily in the next book. I would recommend this. -
AHHHSIDNEKDJF I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH!!!
Sarah is a friend & sent me her book bc I’m an impatient bitch, and i absolutely ~devoured~ this on the plane ride home😍 it felt so fresh, and the chemistry between the leads was utterly electric!!! Literally there are 11+ highlights and notes I wrote while reading that are just variations on “I fucking love this book”
Easily one of my favorite books I read this year, I was utterly delighted by Oz & Muriel and I can’t wait for you all to read this book!!!!
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W końcu mogę odznaczyć jako przeczytane, bo adnotowałam ją na walentynkowy prezent 💓
Bardzo fajny, cozy romcom z demonem. Mamy też poruszone tematy rodzinne i te dotyczące samooceny. Uśmiałam się i przyjemnie spędziłam czas. (Pewnie się tak dobrze bawiłam, bo to reylo XD)
Planuję sięgnąć po następny tom, bo bardzo mnie ciekawi kolejna para 😀 -
I'm sorry! I really wanted to like this but this was so bad 😭 there's not a single saving grace in it.
I despised the female main character! She was always insulting and demeaning Oz, even though I didn't see anything that he did that would warrant this kind of behavior from her.
Oz was summoned by Mariel for a soul bargain. He could not have left her side till the bargain was completed and yet she belittled him over and over, gave him no respect and always doubted him even though he was always forthcoming and honest, did not hide anything from her... Even shared his own vulnerabilities for her to just doubt him and crush the things he shared.
Because of the way she treated him, I just could not see why Oz would want to spend decades with her and leave his life and duties and everything he's ever known.
I feel that if a romance has to work, the least you can do is treat your partner with some respect and dignity. But Mariel here was too self absorbed to give a damn about anyone else. 🙄 -
2.5/5
Estuvo bien, por algún motivo aleatorio tenía muchas ganas de leer este libro. Y después de un libro especialmente denso, sentí que era el libro perfecto para descansar.
Mariel es hija de una de las brujas más famosas y exitosas, por desgracia, sus poderes no están a la altura del apellido, como su madre no deja de recalcar. Es por ese motivo, que un día practicando termina convocando a un demonio, a uno que no puede irse a menos que haga un trato con ella por su alma.
Leí este libro por el romance, pero creo que lo que más destaco es el tema de la familia y la mejor amiga de Mariel. Para Mariel, lo que más la complicaba era no cumplir las expectativas que su familia, en especial su madre, tenía en ella. Por más que lo intentaba, era incapaz de estar a la altura. Sin embargo, su familia nunca se paró a entender que Mariel tenía otras habilidades, como su talento con las plantas o su capacidad para sentir el bosque.
Me gustó mucho la representación de este hijo que no cumple con lo que se espera, a pesar de tener muchos otros talentos. En especial, porque la madre era la que mandaba en la familia y ninguno le llevaba la contraria. Por eso me gustó cuando el abuelo se dio cuenta de los otros dones de Mariel o cuando ella le sacó en cara a su padre su falta de apoyo. Dicho eso, sí siento que para el final fue brusco y no me dieron el desarrollo que merecía un tema así de importante.
El otro punto que tengo que destacar es Calladia, la mejor amiga de Mariel. En los libros de romance o juveniles, la mejor amiga está porque es un accesorio clásico para la protagonista y hay dos opciones: la prota no le cuenta nada y se pelean o la amiga solo está ahí para empujarla hacia el interés amoroso. Me gustó mucho que Calladia fuera de verdad una buena amiga, una que notó que el hombre misterioso pegado a Mariel ocultaba algo, que defendió a su amiga cuando lo necesitó y que siempre priorizó a Mariel por sobre lo demás. Se agradece ese tipo de representación de la amistad femenina.
Mariel me gustó, era ese clásico personaje sunshine que siempre era amable y trataba de cuidar al resto de las personas. Se notaba que le gustaba la magia, pero solo cuando quería usarla. Aun así, no siento que estuviera tan desarrollado su paso de "soy una bruja de plantas" a después decir que era toda poderosa y que podía usar su poder de tantas maneras. Se sintió algo brusco, como si pasada la mitad del libro la autora se diera cuenta de que Mariel podía hacer todas esas cosas con el poder de las plantas.
Ozroth, el demonio, era un blandito desde el inicio. Es cierto que la autora lo justificó diciendo que Oz, por un error de cálculo, tenía alma y, para el final, esto fue lo que usaron para resolver todo el problema. Siento que, dentro de todo, fue astuto, pues Oz era un adulto que necesitaba cariño y estaba horny, nada más. No era un demonio, solo tenía rastros de lo que fue en un su pasado. Y tenía un problema similar a Mariel porque quería cumplir las expectativas del maestro que lo entrenó.
Sobre la relación de ambos, la verdad es que se me hizo indiferente. Pensé que sería algo más divertido, quizá con un tira y afloja por las condiciones en que estaban, pero fue una relación cordial desde el inicio. Y claro que sintieron atracción desde el momento cero, pero evolucionó también muy rápido, creo que llevaban dos días de conocerse y ya estaban super involucrados románticamente. No creo que fuera una mala relación, solo que no se me hizo tan coherente ni tampoco entretenida de leer.
Sabía que tendría smut, no me molesta leerlo, de hecho, a veces quiero leer un romance así. Sin embargo, sentí que todo fue tan brusco y, no sé cuál será la palabra, ¿vulgar? Mariel pensando todo el tiempo en si el pene de Oz sería gigante o no, se quedaba mirando su entrepierna, Oz pensaba en tocar a Mariel todo el tiempo, etc. Lo que llevó a que las escenas de sexo se sintieran directas de una forma que casi más porn que un momento de intimidad entre los personajes. Además, las escenas eran eternas, creo que me las terminé saltando.
La trama estaba bien, pues al mismo tiempo del romance había un proyecto de un spa, creo, que querían construir y que destruiría el bosque. Mariel y sus amigas estaban en contra, mientras que su madre estaba a favor de este centro lujoso. No era una trama compleja, pero cumplía el propósito de la historia tanto de presentar las diferencias con la madre de Mariel y los poderes de esta. Además, se combinó bien con la presencia de Oz. Asimismo, me gustó el tema de este pueblito de gente con poderes, estaba muy en la onda de cozy fantasy (si no fuera por el sexo).
Guía de brujas para citas falsas con un demonio fue un libro que estuvo bien, tocó temas interesantes sobre cumplir las expectativas de otras personas y aprender a luchar por uno mismo. Sin embargo, el romance se sintió acelerado y no fue ni de cerca tan entretenido como prometía. -
This is our first foray into the "witchy romcom" genre, and we think we made a very good choice with our intro, because this was hilarious, funny, and sexy. Marial is a super powerful witch who happens to be kind of crappy at actually using magic. One day she uses the wrong word in a spell and accidentally summons a demon. Ozroth's only job is to make bargains with witches so that he can use their souls to power the demon plane. Neither one of them is really sure what to do in this situation: he's magically stuck within a certain perimeter of her presence, but she's not planning on bargaining away her soul, either.
These two dumdums now have to figure out how to get him back to the demon plane while also coming up with a plausible reason why this hot dude with horns is following Marial around. Totally logical to claim that he's her boyfriend, right? ... right?
With a little foray into toxic families, capitalist city councils, and supportive friendships, the book is a delight. Plus Oz is super sexy and super into Marial, so y'know, that's fun, too. We're already excited about more demon/witch love stories!
7-Word Summaries:
Laine: Studying a new species requires practical application.
Meg: The dangers of mispronunciation cannot be overstated.
This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel. -
Cute, hot, and interesting twists.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I’m usually not one for fantasy stories. My imagination is not that great. This story is a blend between modern day romcom witch stories and a touch of old world fantasy.
Congering up a hot demon with morals and a heart is not only a fun twist but we get to come along for the ride when he is sucked into the crazy world known as Mariel.
To say she has family issues is an understatement. What is beautiful is the connection they build as he defends her, supports her, and learns about who she really is.
I love the amazing descriptions of their world. The forest and nature. The plants and flowers that thrive. The building connection between them.
A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon is a delightful, cute, steamy story that ends with a magical twist!
* copy received for review consideration
* full review -
https://amidlifewife.com/a-witchs-gui... -
I really can't put my finger on it exactly, but I just didn't enjoy this book.
Too insta love, too convoluted for no reason, too YA (He's 200, she's 28), too predictable without the benefit of a fun journey to get there...
Ultimately there was just enough there for me to finish, but that included a LOT of skimming. -
“All I’ve done my entire life is take people’s souls away. I have no real friends, no family, few hobbies. I’ve been miserable for so long, and you . . . you’re like the sun breaking out from behind a cloud. You make everything bright and warm.”
So this was cute 💕
I liked the story, it was really light and funny (not so much my type of humor) but still well enjoyable 💫.
Mariel was such a dorky and goofy type of character, we meet her and she has such a refreshing energy. Her arc was great , at first she struggles with self-esteem and pressure from her social circle, and I adored her character growth at the end .
Oz was such a contrast, cause I was waiting for him to be ruthless and unfeeling but he turned out to be such a vulnerable and sensitivemandemon 🖤 .
I loved how much he supported Mariel and helped her overcome her struggles and stood besides her.
He also had some pretty awesome quotes :
“Those grandchildren are hypothetical,” Oz said in a voice like steel, “but I would never tolerate someone treating my children badly. And I would never accept anyone calling them faulty.”
In general, I really liked both of them and their story🥰.
Soo I think that this is the author's first book so it was a great effort but you could also kinda see it , at some point thought out 60%-80% the book kinda dragged. My personal opinion that is.
So yeah
3,5✨️
