This was a rollercoaster of a feelings and a whirlwind of events that somehow made me sit on the edge of my seat waiting for the next thing to happen. It is full of demons and angels, nymphs (a.k.a. sugar goblin) and witches, gods, goddess, pantheons, realms, and I feel like that is only scratching the barest of the surface. Needless to say, it's a whole lotta whole lotta happening in this book. And all I could do was buckle up and hang on because, just like Marlow experiencing this stuff, it was a lot to grasp as it was being tossed at us. But the mix of mythology, magic, and reality made for such a fun read!

Now, I'll be real, the beginning of the book is on the slower side. There is a lot of explaining and showing who Marlow is and the life she is currently living. She thinks she is half crazy (like a step from a hospital help crazy) and in love with an imaginary friend. She rarely goes anywhere or wants to interact with people other than short conversations with her two bffs and her editor. And that about sums up the first 1/3rd of the book. Then hell breaks loose in her life and things start to get cooking. We do have a long "run around and find leads" feel happening but it was so cool to see the world develop out. We get to visit another realm and it was totally wicked! I did want more realm jumping to happen, but I can be patient for the next book. Speaking of, the ending was mean and left me grumpy. "Lets be sunflowers," the fuck! I wanna know what happened! Who's gonna clean up THAT mess? No, I don't wanna be a fucking flower with you. I want more of my wicked, sexy demon prince and hell's assassin. I need that next book!

I think the number one thing I had to recover from was the shear loudness the author has in the religious abuse Marlow went through growing up. It is one of the biggest character points in Mar's background. We are constantly faced with her aversion, struggle, or perhaps religious fear(?) of anything that might come across as blasphemy. So when Fauna (our friendly neighborhood Nord who is obsessed with sugar) just causally drops the whole "all those myths you've studied and write about are real," then harshly expects Mar to just jump on board with that bomb, is odd to me. And it isn't like this is a singular occurrence, Fauna does it multiple times after Mar has explained the why/what. There is certainly growth that happens from this trauma which is beautiful to see, but it was a rough road to get there. But i guess when it turns out the Prince of Hell is your bae, your reality does tend to shift.

The writing was full of beautiful descriptions and smooth conversations - when we weren't going on a full minute of internal dialogue and thoughts. I'm really glad that we only stayed in one POV the entire time for this story. That is something I don't say often either. If we had to jump around and everyone got the same level of internal monologuing that we got from Mar, I might not have been able to finish the book. I was afraid of forgetting the initial conversation that started her internal drifting already. Then you add more POVs and those personalities?? Nah, I'm good. I was already drowning in the level of self deprecating thoughts this woman had which is really sad. I don't know if I could handle other character's POVs that have deep developed backgrounds. I wished we saw mar grow a bit more with her personal view. She is a strong, independent woman who has traveled the world, super successful career, two of the greatest friends who are her chosen family, and won't have any money worries ever again. Yet, she is constantly questions and pushing down her sanity and her right to just be herself. And then a full 180 happens with the pep talks sprinkled in to bring some light to the heavy decision moments.

The men are freaking SEXY and damn they are FINE. The women are too, don't get me wrong. Basically, everyone from the other realms are sex on a stick. They are willing to either act on your dirty thoughts or play with you while having the naughty thoughts. There are some smutty moments happening, but overall I'd say this is a relatively quiet smut read, which I found surprising. More of a teasing and foreplay read for us. It makes me wonder what the next book will have in store if this was only the first one in the series. No, I'm not reading it for the smut! This is genuinely a great book to read, but if there is a little heat happening, I'm certainly not going to complain!

Overall, this was a great read! Left us on a cliffhanger that I'm not happy about. The characters were fun to interact with even if Fauna was a bit on the aggressive with her words. Loved our boys from Hell. I'm interested in our loner from Heaven. I'm already wondering when more pantheons are going to get involved. I want to jump realms more. And I really want that next book! Side Note: The title doesn't make any sense with the story. I guess Marlow is the deer and the Prince is the Dragon? Or is Fauna the deer and Marlow the Dragon? There could have been something better to name it. Something with the Fox? (when you read it you'll understand that one) Or maybe her mythology writings?

This was one of the most interesting plotline I came across. Plus this was my first read from the author's work. Initially it took a bit time but eventually the plotline leads the reader well and i absolutely enjoyed reading it.. The plotline is well paced.

I enjoyed the story. I did not expect so many ancient gods, mythology, Norse mythology (I assume it is a setup for the next book), fae, and others to appear in the same book. It created an urban fantasy that incorporated the idea that all these legends could be true and woven together. Most books focus on one, but incorporating so many was unique and quite an undertaking. The pacing was well done. A little timeline jumping threw me off, but not so much that I got lost. The story's narration was good, and the voice changes for the characters were believable and done well. I believe that it did talk about sex workers in not a demeaning way or criminalized them. I think it was a feminist take on this profession, which I have never read before. I did not even know that would be an element of the book. Please check trigger warnings before reading. I am very interested in what will happen in the next book.

In exchange for my honest review, I received an ARC copy of the audiobook from Netgalley and Tantor Audio. Thank you for the opportunity.

I was caught hook, line, and sinker by CJ’s social media presence. I wanted to read her new book instantly based on her educational background; this is the first book I’ve read of hers. I knew nothing else of the premise of this book going into it. It did take me a minute to figure out where the story was headed at the start of the book. I knew some parts right away and needed to get deeper into the story to put the rest of it together. There’s really several complex themes woven into this lore driven fantasy. I felt it was a dynamic and interesting read.

Some themes:
- Christianity: many aspects explored
- Christianity vs other religions and mythology
- Heaven vs Hell
- Mental health
- Family fallouts (puts it mildly)
- Societal constraints and their repercussions.

I disliked the ending - it’s a minor issue. I’m sure it’s intentional. It felt like they needed the story to be stopped for book 2; so a random sentence was chosen to be the end of book 1. I’m hoping for more creatures as the series continues. They’re my absolute favorite part. I’m not talking dragons. I want the obscure, creepy, haunt your dreams creatures.

Rey is an impressive narrator. The ability to shift one’s voice and accent like she does brings so much depth and entertainment value to the audiobook. I throughly enjoyed her performance.

Side thought: Luna Rey sounds extremely similar to another narrator, but I can’t place it. When listening to this, I swore I had heard her narration before. Her backlist stays I haven’t. If you’ve listened to this audiobook, does Rey remind you of another narrator/audiobook!?

Thank you to NetGalley, Piper CJ, and Tantor Audio for this audiobook ARC.

My thoughts on this book are a bit all over the place. If it weren't for the fact that I got my hands on an early edition, I would've probably given up on it within the first 5%. It's rare for me to develop such an intense dislike for a main character so quickly. However, I did manage to push through and finish the book. The storyline did have its moments, particularly when it delved into mythology, which I found quite enjoyable. Yet, I can't shake the feeling that a complete overhaul of the main character's personality could have made the experience more appealing. Perhaps if that were to happen, I'd be more inclined to give the rest of the series a chance. But as things stand now, I'm leaning towards passing on it.

Thanks, NetGalley, and Tantor Audio for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

This was so poorly written, awkward, filled with plot holes, nonsensical scenarios, and stilted dialogue. Also, the blatant self insert main character was super cringe, especially when paired with how insufferable and full of herself the MC was.

I was so excited to receive this book as an ARC from #netgalley. Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I listened to about 65% of the book before I gave up and marked as DNF. I thought the book jumped around A LOT! It seems like a bunch of random short stories that were patchworked together, and it just wasn't working for me. The first 20% I was kind of into but was confused as it seemed like it should be in the thriller genre. The MC seemed to have 2 different personalities that didn't meld together very well. There were several mental health comments in the book, so maybe the personality was intentional? This book might be triggering for some with mental health and religion includeded to name a few. Overall, I do see how some would enjoy this book which is why I rated it 2 stars instead of 1. I did like the narration.

Am I crazy or am I did I actually just banish the prince of hell? Do I love him? With the help of a new “friend” Marlow has to track down this mysterious man, who she thought was just in her mind.
This is a fun read full of gods and war, fae and sex.

I was enjoying the book. but i started getting lost 25% through there's a lot of flashbacks that in an audiobook were super confusing because there was no warning we were changing timelines and made it extremely hard to follow along.

The narrator was great and the production of the audiobook was great. The only reason this got 2 stars was because of the story and the writing, which is no fault to the production company or the narrator!

This book started ok, then it got good. It was reminding me a lot of Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo and Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare. But then, I don’t know what happened. I was not happy with the direction the book was going. And then they added the pregnancy trope and completely lost me.

Thank you Netgalley for an ecopy for review.

This book starts slow, but it is fitting for the feelings the author wants you to have to immerse yourself into how Marlow, the FMC is feeling herself. Once the action begins, however, it picks up in pace, and you find yourself getting excited at the action, feeling what Marlow is feeling, and laughing at the banter. Marlow and her guide work together to navigate the pantheon of worlds and her own fears to find her love. Ends in a cliffhanger as this is part one of a duology as per my understanding.

This is a marked improvement from the author’s last work, I think that urban fantasy is a better fit for the way she writes. This genre allows for less issues with world building, especially seeing as anachronisms aren’t a problem. I still think the writing leaves much to be desired but this is a 2.5 where as the last series was poor quality all around. This feels more written from a place of the personal rather than performance.

I absolutely was wrapped up into this urban fantasy book by Piper C.J. I did listen to the audiobook as I received an ALC of this book and the narrator, Luna Rey, did an amazing job! It was so easy to follow the book, especially with the world building early on.

This book definitely brings up the topics of religious trauma and Marlow is forced to acknowledge that everything she has seen and experienced growing up was real and she was not just crazy like she was made to believe. I cannot even imagine how difficult and confusing that would be, but I think it is very well written in showing the growth of her character throughout the book.

Also her and Caliban’s chemistry is literally palpable as I listened and I just need more of them together ASAP. Like when he says, “I’ve missed you more than air” I was swooning. And then he follows up with “If you wouldn’t burn the world to the ground for the one you love, are you even in love?” And I absolutely died and went to hell with that quote - please bond with me instead because DAMN!

Rating this book 4.5 stars and I definitely loved it! Would rate the narrator/narration of it 5 stars! It was very well done! Cannot wait to see where the story goes from here!

Thank you to Netgalley and Tantor Audio for the chance to listen to an ALC of this in exchange for an honest review.

3.5*
Marmar, you silly girl.
After growing up in a violently religious household (flashbacks actually made me ill), Marlowe is a highly medicated author with major anxiety over going to hell. So when she finds out she's been frolicking with a Prince of Hell? ooooooh doggy, she's in for a rollercoaster of emotions, turns out her fantasy novels aren't so fictional after all. After banishing her prince, Marlowe figures out she isn't actually mentally unstable (debatable), she just has fae blood in her and is on a mission to get her prince back.
An adventure through different religions and mythology with lovable side characters to help guide our naïve main character.
I did find this novel ended in a weird spot, the cliff hanger would have been more effective to me about 3 pages earlier. That being said.... gimme the next in the series plleeeeease.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

(3.5/5)

This book had a really interesting and exciting concept that I was excited to read about! It did end up falling a little flat for me, however, and while the first chapter caught my attention, the next several chapters could not keep me hooked. There were very much two plots happening - her human life and the life she wanted to believe was all a figment of her imagination. Having two storylines kept things interesting but they didn't seem to go together or reflect what was happening for the FMC. I honestly wanted less about her and her life and more about the fantasy world and what was happening there.

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read and review this story!

This book got fast paced about one third through and was hard to put down. I was extremely fascinated by all the mythology and god lore.
Quick plot: Fantasy author is haunted by her past and a mysterious and handsome possible figure of her imagination. Then he goes missing and she wants to find him and that throws her into a world of gods, demons and more.
I love the take on Hell. Also loved the reincarnation theme.
The FMC had been through so much so it was good to listen to her work through it and make new relationships with people that help and support. The romance was steamy and I’m awaiting the sequel.
The narrator was lovely and upbeat so it sounded more natural than a normal reading. I’ll be looking for more of her work. Thanks to NetGalley for the arc in return for this review.

*Thank you to the publisher for giving me a Digital Review Copy of this book*
I was quite surprised by how much I loved this book. I was hooked into the story really fast. Ultimately, I think it was a bit slow in the sense that I would have liked it if more stuff happened in the first book. I do understand that it's the start of the series and it was setting the scene for the 3 books to come. I will definitely read the next one.
I enjoyed this book because the FMC, was trying to convince herself that what she was seeing wasn't real and that she had mental health issues. I thought that was a different idea that I hadn't seen before. I liked that the FMC was strong and kind of went headfirst into this as soon as she realized it was real and her man was gone. The book has good dialogue, the characters you meet are great (I want to be friends with all of them, yes even Silas please).

The Deer and The Dragon by Piper CJ is a fantastic, romantic installment in her new series, No Other Gods. She is a favorite author of mine, so I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to read this audio ARC.

Thank you to the author, Recorded Books of Tantor Audio, and NetGalley for providing this copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Deer and The Dragon is so dreamy. Just, completely, incredibly, unbelievably dreamy. The characters were all so multidimensional, and the plot is complicated but entertaining. The romance was compelling and the reincarnation trope had such a hold on me. The FMC is also proudly childfree, which is a huge plus to me as a cf reader.

The magical realism, mythology, and religious discussions were intertwined into this book in such an expert way. Everything felt connected and like it all belonged.

Overall I really adored The Deer and The Dragon, and I’m rating it a full five stars. You’ll love this if you love mythology, angels and demons, fated and star-crossed lovers, and high-but-somehow-cozy stakes.

In full transparency, Piper CJ's book The Night and It's Moon is the book I rated lowest in the last year. But when I read the description of this audiobook, I was intrigued and wanted to give it a try. I'm happy to day that this was a significantly more successful book for me - not perfect, but a 3.5-4 stars as far as I'm concerned.

The main character is very clearly a self insert, so she can occasionally be a little insufferable. But if you liked Laurel K. Hamilton's Meredith Gentry series but wish it was a bit more relevant and modern, I actually think you'll really love her. I think the main cast of characters is pretty strong- they're interesting and unique and occasionally surprisingly funny.

The downside to me was how convoluted the plot gets to be. Without giving any spoilers, once we got to the fertility clinic, I was a bit over the journey. But again, much better than the author's previous work as far as I'm concerned, and I think a lot of people will enjoy this.

I wan grateful to NetGalley, Tantor Audio, and Bloom Books for granting me access to an audio ARC. In general, I enjoyed the audio narration with the exception of Caliban's voice. He felt... too earnest? Much of his dialouge felt over the top to me, but I adored Fauna's depiction in this format.