The Fool, The Lovers, The Devil

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Pub Date 15 Oct 2022 | Archive Date 01 Jul 2023

Description

Addison doesn't wake up in other girls' beds, her friendships don't have "benefits", and she certainly doesn't believe in witches or demons. Or at least she didn't before she met Mary.

Now Addison must re-evaluate. Are her feelings for Mary simply demonic seduction? Is polyamory just going to be okay now? Is she even straight? The more Mary shows her supernatural side the less Addison seems to care, but some things are too big to sweep under the rug. How will Addison carry on when she can't bottle away these new feelings?

Addison doesn't wake up in other girls' beds, her friendships don't have "benefits", and she certainly doesn't believe in witches or demons. Or at least she didn't before she met Mary.

Now Addison...


Available Editions

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ISBN 9798218085117
PRICE $8.69 (USD)
PAGES 397

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Average rating from 79 members


Featured Reviews

"I've never been the one who leaves. People leave me."⠀

I always seemed to catch feelings at the wrong time. Too soon, too late... apparently I was always either overbearing or oblivious."⠀

Riley Quinn, The Fool, The Lovers, The Devil⠀


The Fool, The Lovers, The Devil by Riley Quinn is a surprisingly deep commentary on sexuality, friendship, and trust disguised as a smutty paranormal romance. I loved all of the LGBTQIA rep in the book and some of the lines about sexuality like, "I'm pansexual demiromantic"...""It means I can feel sexual attraction to someone regardless of their gender, and I de- velop a romantic attraction to people I form strong emotional ties to.", are so spot on in their succinct matter of fact voice. I really connected with Cyrus and his explanation of how you can still be sexual but also identify with asexuality. The paranormal aspect of the story was fun and interesting and I especially loved the twins. Mary was adorable and interesting and Addison grew on me as she grew into her confidence and identity. I loved the whole cast of characters and the storyline was fun and unique but definitely for adults! ⠀

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The novel is exactly what the title suggests - a queer story that primarily explores Addison's self-discovery and personal growth. The narrative is packed with scenes that center around her struggles with self-confidence, which resonated with me on a personal level.

As I read, I became invested in the characters and eagerly awaited the development of their relationships. I was so engrossed that I finished the entire book within a day.

However, I did encounter a few instances where I struggled to determine the speaker, and there were also some copyediting mistakes that could have been improved.

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Very much what it says on the tin. It's a VERY queer novel, focused on Addison's self discovery and journey. There were a lot of scenes focused around her own self confidence, in a way that felt somewhat familiar.

I found myself caring about the characters and waiting to see their relationships develop -- I finished the entire story in less than 24 hours.

My only complaints:
* There were a few places where I wasn't sure who was talking
* A few places had an uncapitalized "i"

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(I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)

I wanted to like this book, based on the cover and blurb alone. Unfortunately, this book fell short for me. I couldn't get into the plot — the reveal of Mary being a succubus just didn't flow for me — I couldn't like the characters as much as I wanted to.

What I do like is Riley Quinn's writing style as well as how she writes dialogue. I appreciate how the story of Addison realizing that maybe she isn't as straight as she thinks she is was handled: with care.

Overall, this was a, "I'll read it once and forget about it" kinda novel for me.

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Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book!
It simply did not occur to me that this book would be spicy and I know that’s 100% on me but 🥵 woooo this was fantastic. Addie is our MC who is Totally Straight™️ and is definitely Not Queer in her deep infatuation of Mary. Nope. Totally normal girls being girls making out 😂
Addie is definitely (imo) an autistic character, and it’s fun to read someone’s internal thought process (and there is a lot of internal dialogue) from someone who seems to process similarly to myself 😂 I loved the random infodumps, I love her meltdowns, I love all the communication. It might not be for everyone but I really enjoyed being in Addie’s head as she was navigating her sexuality and polyamory 🥰🥰

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A sweet, fun slice of life novel about Addison, who realises over the course of the book that a) she’s not straight, b) she’s in love with some different people, and c) she fears both of those things more than one should.

I loved Addie’s point of view, and her humour was a joy to read. While my self-realisation about being queer was different to hers the book was written in a way that made me understand and feel for her. I definitely resonated with some parts of her story too.

The little references speckled throughout the book - DnD, Star Wars, Power Rangers I think? - were fun to try and guess. Usually I feel like novels don’t put much thought into side characters, especially if there are many of them, but this was definitely an exception! I loved Cyrus, and Kimberley, and I feel like we got a great sense of both their characters.

The polyamorous rep was perfect, imo - there was consent and communication, and the other two always gave Addie space when she needed it. Their chemistry and interactions - the mall outing and ramen date! - were all a joy to read. Mary was quite frank and understanding, and while her sexual relationship with Addie was definitely there, she was also perceptive and caring in ways that were really sweet and domestic. (On that note, Addie making dinner to deal with anxiety is such a mood-)

Though definitely not much, the dialogue felt a little stiff at times - a bit more formal that ordinary conversation, with not enough commas to pace it out. The book also has a couple of editing errors, namely letters that are capitalised wrong, but it’s not enough to draw one out of the story.

There are a fair amount of sex scenes, which I didn’t expect, but as an ace person, they were easy enough to gloss over if I didn’t want to read them - and the book was about much more than that, which I loved, especially for these polyam characters, even if sex was a part of their relationships.

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While the writing style isn’t for me (I’ll admit I got lost quite often) the story line is a wonderful coming out. Lovable characters, and written in a way I wished people really acted.
A nice change of pace (in my reading bubble) to add a mystical/magical element while remaining true to human nature.
All in all a good read for sure.

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WHAT A READ! I found myself endlessly intrigued by the different characters and relationships in the book. Not only did we have a wonderful build to the main character realizing that she’s maybe, kinda, definitely not completely straight but it was done in a way that felt realistic. I fell into such a cozy story that I couldn’t help but want to stay inside of, I loved how it never felt like this “do or die” situation in the way that most romance tends to lean into. Fabulous writing, even better story overall, and what a wonderful representation of queer love, poly love, trans love, just LOVE. This book will capture your heart and hold it tenderly while you find bits and pieces of yourself in every single character.

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This was such a cute book. The slice-of-life vibes were very enjoyable to read. I loved the characters of this book so much and how even the side characters were detailed so freaking well. The paranormal part was a nice added touch and I liked how it was written into the story as something that was pretty laid back, no one really made a big deal about it.

There were so many good jokes and I absolutely loved the consent and communication in this book. This was way more spicy than I thought it was going to be and it was all so healthy with all the relationships and people involved. Loved that.

It did take me a few chapters to like Addison like I did Mary and Cyrus but the more I learned about her I did change my mind about her by the end of the book. The poly relationship in this book was like a friends to lovers meets idiots in love vibes and I’m here for it.

I’d also like to point out how pretty the cover of this is and the added artwork in the book.

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I went into this book without any prior knowledge and I was pleasantly surprised! I wasn’t expecting the themes of the book and the spice level is great!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/RVEZBG2HYW80F?ref=pf_ov_at_pdctrvw_srp

I will also be posting about this book soon on my tiktok @Fantastic__Fiction

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I LOVED the diversity shown in these characters, not just for queer representation but the neurospicy side too!!

Sadly, and I can't quite put my finger down on why, I felt a disconnect. As I read I just became uninterested in the plot. Felt like maybe things needed a little more depth overall. However, I am no writer so what the heck do I know!

While I didn't feel as connected to this story by the end as I hoped, that wouldn't stop me from recommending it. I can not stress how important the representation in this book is. ♥ I'm excited for any future works by this author!


little side note: It was nice to see the *ridiculous* amount of overthinking I do daily in a main character.

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I very much enjoyed this queer novel about sexuality, trust, friendship, communication, and self-discovery. The representation was superb and the commentary was amazing. The paranormal aspects of the story were delightful and interesting and kept me intrigued throughout the entire novel. The cast of characters were dynamic and well rounded and the plot was fast paced and unique. Would definitely recommend this book!

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REVIEW:

I have a confession.
This is actually my first coming-of-age-burgeoning-gay-girl panic novel. And it was a whirlwind.
It opens with Addie who is so sure she’s straight, and straight girls can be into girls—google said so!!!
She’s knocked back on her heels and fumbles through her first queer relations which is awkward, stressful, and real.

Mary is a guiding wind for Addie. She takes her by the hand-literally, out to lunch, out to meet people, guiding her in and out of relationships in a sometimes-gentle-sometimes-not-so-gentle way.

It is slow paced and ambles through this queer exploration, very relationship focused.
Dealing with a combination of real life problems (like bills, losing housing, what to wear) and the magical SPOILER (Mary is the child of a succubus)

This book was such a journey and ended in a warm cozy place where love is aplenty.

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The Fool, The Lovers, The Devil by Riley Quinn

🌶️😈💘🏳️‍🌈😳

“The absurdity of the last two days struck me; she had consumed my thoughts. Even in breakups in the past, I had hardly mourned the loss of anything but the self-esteem boost. Now I was coloring my entire life in shades of Mary.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5/5 stars)

2-sentence synopsis: When shy, introverted, and “straight” Addison gets drunk and falls into bed with Mary, a gorgeous, fiery friend-of-a-friend, she is beyond confused. Her confusion (and curiosity) only grows as she learns of Mary’s supernatural heritage and her polyamorous relationships - can she be brave enough to let herself be a part of Mary’s life, even if it means fundamentally changing her own?

The Fool, The Lovers, The Devil was a pretty darn cute book. There were lots of elements to love - a straight girl struggling to realize she is absolutely queer as hell, the forced proximity trope, a hottie with an incubus father (making her a cambion), an asexual male love interest (Cyrus), and a real fucking adorable polyamorous triad. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book featuring polyamory (REAL polyamory, not cheating or a love triangle) and it was really cool! It’s also kind of rare to see male asexual characters, and Cyrus was definitely my favorite character.

A few fav elements were:
- Mary giving Addison the space to figure out her sexuality and supporting her fully along the way
- Cyrus being a giant nerd and getting Addison into D&D
- the familial bonding between Mary, Addison, & Cyrus, and Mary’s father his family
- Cyrus being very upfront about his asexuality

I appreciated that the author made it abundantly clear that despite Mary being half-incubus, she never uses her powers of seduction on people without their consent. 🙏🏻

While this was a pretty fun read, there were a few things I had qualms with. My main issue were a few scenes where Mary’s friends-with-benefits were getting kind of steamy with Mary’s father and his wives - while in the same room as Mary, who was also having a flirty, gay ol’ time. It felt really weird, and I didn’t really think the implication that polyam people are into getting down in the same room as their literal father.

There was a fair amount of spice, and while most of it was pretty good, the author INSISTED on using the phrase “her sex” multiple times. A small complaint, but it made me 🤢 lol

Overall, this book was good. Not bad, not great, but it was good. The cover and premise had me really excited, but ultimately, it didn’t become a fav.

strong story? ⭐️
🤷🏻compelling characters? ⭐️
✍🏻enjoyable writing style? 💫
❤️‍🔥did it give me ✨the feels✨? 💫
👍🏻recommend? 💫

Adorable cover & book art by Claudia Cangini (@claudiacanginiart)

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*Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review*

The Fool, The Lovers, The Devil felt like a good pick to reserve as a read during this pride month, and I will say that I am happy I did so. The dialogue was charming and relatable to get into, as well as helpful to give insight on certain elements of the LGBTQ+ community and/or polyamory. I enjoyed the amount of diversity included in the cast, Cyrus and Addie were enjoyable to read about in their own ways and I was able to envision the setting well. the supernatural aspects were also a nice dose of fun, as well as the bits of smut thrown in.

For me, where it fell short was the plot itself and even Mary to a certain extent. Despite Mary not being a bad character in theory, I couldn't find myself caring for her as much as the others - especially Addie, though it could be because the novel is from Addie's POV. Mary felt just a little distant to relate to and to enjoy. The plot also took a bit to get into. Aside from the starting smut, I found myself wondering when it was gonna pick up the pace. Eventually, it got there and it was worth the read.

Overall? I would recommend!

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Honestly. This book was a fun time. There was some fun queer representation, and while I wouldn't say it's a literary masterpiece, I had fun reading it, and would probably read more about these characters and their little polycule.

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Do you know what I usually don't pick up? Spicy books. Can you guess what this book was? That's right Spicy.
Did I really enjoy it anyways? That is correct, I was quite amused most of the book.

Why would you want to read this?
- Polyamory (a really cute and healthy if I dare say relationship)
- Neurodivergent characters
- Queer representation (duh)
- Found Family
- Communication, Consent?? (They do that in these types of books??)
- Idiots in love (My favourite trope ever)

The book follows our girl Addison or 'Addie' as her best friend's really hot friend Mary calls her. Wait... it's totally straight to be attracted to other women right? Yeah, Addison may get a bit excited about tussling with Mary in the bedroom but that's totally normal, right? The story unfolds as Addie realizes no... that may not be normal for your average straight girl.

My complaints;
- Honestly, it took me a minute to warm up to Addison
- There were a few places I wasn't sure who was speaking

My positive complaint:
- Next book when? More of these characters when?

My positives:
- Oh my goodness some of the scenes in this book were so tender and loving
- Some scenes were also so sad (ie; When Addie nonchalantly brought up abuse in her past)
- The respect of boundaries and heavy stressing of consent.

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