Sarah Hawley is a cohost of the Wicked Wallflowers Club podcast and the author of A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon. She has an MA in archaeology and has excavated at an Inca site in Chile, a Bronze Age palace in Turkey, and a medieval abbey in England. When not dreaming up whimsical love stories, she can be found reading, dancing, or cuddling her two cats.
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 one 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.
I'm back on my romance kick! And I'm so glad it started with A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon because this book combined so many of my favorite romance tropes with a paranormal twist. It was so fun reading how Mariel and Oz developed their relationship from "demon I accidentally summoned who wants to take my soul" to "partner I want to have with me until I inevitably die." Mariel and Oz also learn how to stand up to their overbearing family members/guardians, uncover the mystery of the blight in Mariel's beloved forest, and have enough time to build a beautiful flower display for the Pacific Northwest Floral Championships. This book is jam-packed with action, fun, and swoon, and it was so much fun to read.
Also, this book is just hilarious. There are so many (well-deserved) jabs at the world, unserious jokes at the expense of other characters, some dad jokes, situational irony, and more—basically, if you like a good laugh, you'll find one somewhere between the pages of this book. I loved the cozy energy (which is already off the charts) but combined with humor? I couldn't put this book down.
I only have one reservation about the novel, and I'm unsure if this is something that can be attributed to the witchy romance novel genre. I dislike when witchy romances start off with a female MC who is "incompetent" or unable to harness her magic to its "full potential," whether that potential be defined by the world around her or the MC herself. I feel like there have to be better ways into stories that begin with accidents than chalking the accident up to a woman's incompetency. While it's clear that Mariel does have magical prowess related to nature, it isn't made super explicit just how powerful she already is and has been until later in the novel. This is the second witchy novel I've read that begins this way, eventually leading to a character arc where the FMC realizes she was powerful all along, but it still leaves a sour taste in my mouth.
I'm certainly curious how Calladia's romance with Astaroth is going to develop (especially after that ending), and can't wait to check out A Demon's Guide to Wooing a Witch when it's out in November. Until then!
*This review can also be found on my Goodreads page*
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