5⭐️ 3.5🌶️

MOOD: lighthearted, adventurous, funny, hopeful, and definitely cozy

TROPES: hurt/comfort, isolated

GENRES: paranormal, fantasy, monster, lgbtq+

FAV QUOTE: "They say that demons are cruel, but humans will always be the worst species in my opinion," Lyle replied.

A definite cozy monster romance novella. Highly suggest it, especially if you've been in a book slump or are trying to read your reading goal for the year. I look forward to reading more stories from this author.

MAIN CHARACTERS: Jillian (burnt-out bisexual witch) and Lyle (aromantic sex demon)

THE GOOD: There are so many things that I enjoyed about this novella. The characters are interesting and the way their relationship develops over time is both refreshing and comforting. They seem very different at the start of the story but overtime the parallels drawn between their lives just add to the overall cozy feeling. This falls into that smut area of romance vs erotica and something I really enjoyed was that the spicy scenes didn't focus on p-in-v penetration which provided a variety. 

THE NEUTRAL: I put the book down around chapter 4 and then it took a little while to pick it up again that's on me, not the story overall and I think it was "easy" to do that because each chapter is like a little self-contained day/plot/theme so if you're a mood reader, like I am, beware.

THE MEH: Honestly, the only thing was that it took some time to get used to the xe/xem pronouns. I have read stories with trans/nonbinary characters before but with they/them pronouns which is easier for me to read since I use she/they.

CW: (provided by the author) blood, blood magic, slight dub-con, non consensual biting, use of magic for and during sex, bondage, playing with a sex toy, cock-warming, grinding on different body parts, public sex acts, sex w/o protection, orgasm denial

DISCLAIMER: I received an advance review copy and am leaving this review voluntarily.