My Funny Demon Valentine

I first read My Funny Demon Valentine a couple years ago when Aurora Ascher published it independently, so when the opportunity arose to sign up for an advance copy of the traditionally published re-release, I signed up immediately.

Asmodeous is a demon on the lam. He, and his brothers, have escaped Hell and are laying low, hiding out in Montreal. He's a lust demon who has been cursed with appearing so unremarkable to anyone he might want to seduce that he may as well be invisible. But his life changes when he goes out with his brothers and comes across a woman who can inexplicably see through his curse.

Eva is a talented musician who can't understand why nobody has snatched up the hot, though awkward, man with a weird name. But his name is the least of the weirdness that comes pouring into her life after meeting him.

Asmodeous was my introduction to demon heroes in paranormal romance, and what an introduction! He's hot, brooding, a fantastic musician and only has eyes for Eva. *swoon*

Oh No! There's an Incubus in my hot spring!

I 100% signed up to ARC read this book because of the funny title and gorgeous cover art. This is absolutely a case of you CAN judge a book by its cover, because it is such a fun, cozy, spicy read.

Sylvia is 36, has a successful business, a nice condo and a handsome boyfriend. Scratch that. HAD a boyfriend. That relationship died the instant Sylvia walked in on him and her now-former assistant in flagrante delicto.

On a whim she sells everything and purchases a derelict hot spring resort in the mountains of Colorado, hoping that the hard work of restoring it and building a new business would distract her from the wreck her life has become. She quickly finds herself running into roadblocks: between the owner of the neighboring resort paying off contractors and the rumors that her resort is haunted, Sylvia can't find anyone willing to work for her.

One evening as she is trying to relax in one of the hot springs, she finds herself face to face with an incubus. An incubus that claims she's a witch! All the hauntings of her resort have been caused by the demon, who has been trapped in the mountain by a curse.

Once she's over the shock of magic and demons being real, Sylvia agrees to let the incubus, Apollo, help her fix up the resort and to teach her how to wield her magic so she can hopefully undo his curse. But as they spend more time together, their feelings grow decidedly less and less platonic.

I love a good spicy, cozy romance, especially when it has more mature protagonists, so this really hit the spot for me. Apollo is a total cinnamon roll and Charlie! Who doesn't love a snarky, sentient rubber duck?

This Haunted Heart

I discovered the works of S.L. Prater when I downloaded her gaslamp fantasy "Wedded to the Wanton Witch" during a Stuff Your Kindle event. I fell in love with her writing style, so when I saw there were ARC opprtunities for her upcoming gothic romance release, I signed up so fast!

This Haunted Heart is a gorgeous and heartbreaking gothic tale of two very flawed and broken people that are haunted (literally and figuratively) by the ghosts of their shared past.

When the story begins, Rynn and Lochlan had last seen each other 20 years before, when Rynn disappeared into the night, leaving Lochlan heartbroken and thinking she had died.

When he discovers that she is alive and well, Lochlan journeys to where she's at with revenge on his mind. Rynn is retiring after many very successful years working in a brothel, finds herself beguiled by the sad, scarred man who turns up in her room one night, but doesn't recognize her childhood sweetheart.

Lochlan spirits her away to his very haunted mansion deep in the Pennsylvania woods, intent on serving his revenge. But the more time they spend together, the more the walls they have built around their hearts begin to crumble and the lies and misunderstandings begin to unravel.

At its core, This Haunted Heart is a tale of redemption and forgiveness, because Rynn and Lochlan must forgive each other and themselves before they can truly be happy. The second chance romance is a cherry on top of this delicious gothic tale.

Art by the immensly talented Rafael Batista da Silva

The Girl Most Likely To

As an elder millennial, "The Girl Most Likely To" was a shot of pure, sweet nostalgia. The story bounces between present day and the early 2000s, telling the story of Rachel and Danny's friendship to almost romantic relationship in high school and their reconnecting at their 20 year reunion.

In high school Rachel was the walking stereotype of driven Asian student. She strove to be the best at everything she tried and had a plan for everything. 20 years later and her life is falling apart. She's single, and has just been laid off from the job she's had for a decade. On a whim she decides to go to her 20 year high school reunion, where she runs into Danny, her high school best friend (and secret crush). Over the course of the reunion and afterparty they work through the things that lead to the breakdown of their friendship 20 years before.

Their AIM user names were so nostalgic (seriously, why did all of us elder millennials love using the letter "X" so much in our screen names?) and reminded so much me of the early AIM convos I had with my now-husband.

If you're looking for a second chance romance with more mature protagonists, sweet, swoony MMC's and tons Asian representation, give "The Girl Most Likely To" a shot when it releases in February.

Vacationing with the Vampire is the second Lyonne Riley ARC I have had the privelege of reading. Since I loved the other book so much I jumped at the chance to sign up for this one.

Our heroine, Maisie, is a video game developer. But after the most recent rollout has huge issues, Maisie finds herself on a mandatory vacation while the snafu is investigated.

She picks Hallow's Cove as her vacation destination, not realizing that it is a town populated almost exclusively by monsters, including her new landlord, Barnaby.

Barnaby, the town's founder, resident bookstore owner and vampire, does not want to like his new tennant. She's too big of a temptation for a vampire who has sworn off human blood ages ago, so he's an aboslute grump to Maisie. But Maisie is nothing if not persistant, and she makes it her goal to befriend her grouchy landlord.

I'm usually not a big fan of the super fast-burn romances, but Lyonne Riley does it absolutely, perfectly right in Vacationing with the Vampire. Maisie and Barnaby don't just fall for each other's physical attributes. They have (sometimes difficult) conversations and truly get to know each other, so they fall for each other mentally and emotionally as much as physically.

Barnaby was such a delightful curmudgeon and Maisie's "kill him with kindness" campaign was hilarious. 😂 I really enjoyed the different take on vampire lore too.

If you want a fast, fun, spicy vampire romance, pick up Vacationing with the Vampire in Hallow's Cove!