This is not a stand alone novel so to say I was a little lost would be an understatement. As soon as I realized the story twist is Abigail Owens A Christmas Carol the story has a decent flow to the story.

The characters are entertaining enough and the romance was a slow burn from the beginning of the story. Try as I smite has a decent flow but at times the forced humor took away from the story. The ending wasn't what I had expected but it works for those who have been waiting for this book.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy of Abigail Owen Try as I Smite.

So creative and good. Alasdair may be a powerful mage but even he doesn't know what to make of Delilah. I really enjoyed this book. Short fast read with a touching ending.

This book is part of a series by the Author and whilst it can be read as a standalone reading the previous book in order would be of benefit .

Alasdair Blakesley is a powerful warlock and head of the Coven Syndicate - which governs the witches and warlocks ........... he has an evergrowing problem with demon possessions , the last straw is the possession of his assistant .
Knowing he cannot kill the demon outright , as the human host would also die , he goes to the last person he wants to ask for help .
Delilah is the head of Brimstone Inc. a Seer who uses her abilities to help people - and the Supernatural community find love . When Alasdair confronts Delilah in her office he is stunned when she turns him down , she cannot/will not help - and instead refers him to someone she says can help ....... her mother !
Bound together , what follows is a mix of 'A Christmas Carol' and events in the past and present and what the future could hold if the Demon incursion and possession occurs .
Secrets held for so long cannot survive what is to come ........... it is only by working together and perhaps being willing to make the ultimate sacrifice that they might succede in the final battle .

This is a fast paced , paranormal thriller ( with a touch of romance ) full of twists and turns that I thoroughly enjoyed

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

In this book, we have characters that have had previous encounters in the other books of the series. That was not a problem, but the reference to their previous encounters and common friends are lost to those who haven’t read the other books.
It was short and it was sweet. The author managed to create a real connection between Alasdair and Delilah in just one night. The characters were pretty much ready to be together and just needed a little push.
The fantasy was a bit dense for such a short book but it was enjoyable.
I recommend it to people that are looking for something short, sweet and its easy going.

I've been waiting to get Delilah's story since the beginning of the Brimstone Inc series! Loved the Christmas Carol twist, it was a fun way to get to know Delilah and Alasdair better while watching their connection strengthen. Also, kudos to Owen for managing to still bring the heat to a plot that forever makes you think of old dudes in nightgowns lol.

Like all the Brimstone Inc. books this was a quick spicy little tale and each new character introduction seems more interesting than the last. Which is incredible considering that bar is already set pretty darn high. I'm forever looking forward to the next addition!

This is the first book I read in this series, now I’m going back for the others.

I loved the characters, they way they played off one another and the story and romance built was great.

Even without having read the previous books you can tell this was not an insta love, and it’s more of a frienemies to lovers.

Since I was new to the series and author, I was expecting a tad more funny scenes, the play with words in the title led me to believe that. I loved the play with the “ghosts of christmas past” and the characters discovering hidden parts of each other.

I did have a tad bit of an issue with Delilah stubbornness at the end, but nothing that soured the book.

Solid 4 ⭐️

It was all rushed. I didn’t feel like I got to know the characters at all before shit hit the fan. So I wasn’t emotionally tied to anything that happened to them or their loved ones. Because of this, the relationship between Alasdair and Delilah didn’t feel as genuine .
I would have liked to see more depth between the relationships of Alasdair and his sister Hestia. Also Delilah’s parents seem to have a fascinating history that could have made the story more intriguing

My advice would be to slow down and build the story but otherwise this was a fun quick read with a good plot.

I’ve read many of the books written by this author, but only one in this series. (Bait N’ Witch)
You don’t need to read the others, they are only loosely connected via the characters, but not vital to read.
Alasdair Blakesley is leader of the Coven Syndicate, he monitors all the witches and warlocks. We meet him briefly in the last book, but you don’t need to read them to know what’s going on in this book.
We’ve also met Delilah in the previous book, she owns Brimstone Inc (it’s like a dating agency amongst other things) she’s a Seer, she uses her powers to help people and the supernatural to find love and solve problems) But Alasdair is a blank, she can’t see his future, and that scares her a little!
Alasdair and Delilah have met on numerous occasions, and it’s usually a battle of words and wills, but today Alasdair needs help from the woman that haunts his nights!
But he needs help sorting the demon possession troubles out, too many accounts are being reported, as much as it pains him, Delilah is his only hope!
But they aren’t a fan of one another, he thinks she’s an interfering busy boy, Delilah thinks he’s a pompous and overbearing warlock, but he is rather easy on the eye!
But she can’t help him with the demon possessions, no matter what he threatens!
It took a lot for Alasdair to ask that Seer for her help, and to say no!!
But there is a reason why she can’t help, but she can’t tell anyone why! And she feels Alasdair’s frustration. She tries to tell him of another person who could help.....
I loved Delilah she loved winding up Alasdair, and I have to admit it was fun to read. I can now see why both Delilah and Alasdair aren’t a fan of Christmas.....
Alasdair was a little aloof, but with good intentions, he’s head of the coven for a reason, sympathetic but sensible, and his control is legendary.
It’s a fun seasonal read, loved how the characters are lead through their pasts to see how connected they are.
There are a few twists in the book that did have me reading the sentence again.
Delilah and Alasdair are so suited for one another, her free spirit and generous nature would balance his control and dominance perfectly.
But when Delilah’s past is fully explained, will Alasdair listen?
The Coven needs him, but he needs her!! Could it get anymore tangled?
I would have loved this to have been longer, but the story is told within the confines of a short story. Nothing is rushed, nothing is overlooked, details are given and explanations are fully met.
Well written, with the descriptions coming alive on the page. A little sexy time thrown in for good measure.
So.... can Alasdair and Delilah contain or remove the threat of demon possession on a huge scale? At one point I’d would have said it was a huge task, at the end..... nope, not telling you, I’d rather you pick the book up and find out for yourself.
Bah humbug 😉

🦋

Yay, after three stories in the Brimstone Inc. series, I was very happy to see that Try As I Smite was about the mysterious Delilah herself. In my review of Bait 'N Witch I already mentioned that I hoped she would get her own story and Abigail must have seen it :-)
In this part we finally can read about Delilah and her past. And why she keeps to herself most of the time. And why she is driving Alasdair crazy. We already met Alasdair in the earlier parts of the series, because he is the head of the Syndicate. And he has a very big problem: there are demons inhabiting people and creating havock. So he turns to the one person he think can help him solve this problem: the mysterious Delilah. But she turns him down flat.
Until Delilah's mother steps in an sends them both on a Christmas Carol adventure, where Scrooge could learn something from. Why are the send on this adventure? And why are they denying their attraction? As always, Delilah is hilarious and she is driving Alasdair nuts with all her witty comments. I loved it. Find out for yourself in this great read of Abigail. Five out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

I wanted to read this because you never know when learning about demon hunters might come in handy. In case I ever have to perform an exorcism, I want to know all the tricks and tricks because you wouldn't want to be unprepared. The wonderfully punny title and the description had me half-expecting a humorous book about two adversaries bantering their way to love. This isn't humorous but it's also not as angsty as a book about demons threatening everything you hold dear might occasionally be.

This is part four of a series and apparently the main characters, Alasdair and Delilah, have met in the previous books (that I haven't read). So I've missed a lot of previous history but it's easy enough to figure out that they have had a competitive, quarrelsome professional relationship, partly because she secretly thinks he is super sexy man candy. Later we find out that he fantasizes about her too. There are elements of threat that make it dangerous for them to be together and a happy ending is not a foregone conclusion.

The story starts with a bang when he finds out his assistant is possessed by a demon but then the pace slows down. Alasdair asks Delilah to help with the demon infestation in his office but she has to refuse due to a magical restraint. The book is set around Christmas time so going along with the theme, her mother arranges them to have a dickensian Christmas carol experience together. Instead of tackling the demons right away, they first have to share painful past memories, visions of the present and of the possible future. There are significant revelations that came as a surprise to me. I don't know if they were foreshadowed in the previous books. After that, the pace picks up again, as they deal with supernatural threats. I liked the surprise twists. The romance could have been better developed. For much of the book I didn't really know what they liked about each other except the sex but I guess intense emotional activities such as demon hunting can bring people together just as minigolf and eating pizza can too. The last chapter before the epilogue was sweet and touching and fixed some of this issue.

As for the writing style, some of the descriptions are rather flowery and the description gets in the way sometimes, interrupting the flow of action or dialogue. If you mind that sort of thing, be aware that there is some profanity, as well as sexual scenes. I noticed no glaring errors, just a couple of sentences that made me do a double check until I realized it was a case of errant punctuation, and I would prefer to call a swarm of hellish monsters a horde instead of a hoard.

My biggest issue with the writing was the excessive number of incomplete sentences that the author uses. It's fine as an occasional effect but there are several paragraphs that consist almost entirely of incomplete sentences, making the text flow a little choppily. Like this: "They still stood in her room in her castle home. Alone. The ghosts of her past gone. Not even the crackle of the fire disturbing the peace. Then blackness. Like before. All-consuming, although he could still feel Delilah in his arms. Stiffer now. The vulnerability from a second ago - in a way he never in a a thousand years would have expected from her - gone."

On the other hand, this paragraph is a single sentence: "Lips not leaving hers, obsessed with that hint of cherries, he skimmed his hand over her curves and around behind to slowly unzip her skirt, something about the rasp of that sound in his bedroom, where he'd pictured her more times than he'd wanted to admit to himself this past year, and a wave of possessive tenderness about took his knees out from under him."

To sum up, I liked the fantasy elements in the story, but I didn't feel the romance that much except the last chapter. There were no huge issues with the writing but if I was editing this book I would do a little tinkering with some of the sentence structures. It can be read as a stand alone but it's possible I might have enjoyed it more if I knew the characters from previous books. As for the learning aspect, I still don't feel qualified to perform an exorcism because I find that I may lack some of the necessary attributes to do so.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC that I got from Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Ready for a slightly twisted, slightly darker and definitely sexier version of A Christmas Carol? Get ready to enter Abigail Owen’s world of witches, warlocks and demons in TRY AS I SMITE, a thoroughly entertaining, spicy and fun paranormal romance!

Alasdair Blakesley has an infestation problem, nothing so mundane as bugs, but something far more sinister, demons. As the head of the powerful witches syndicate, it wasn’t easy to have to turn to Delilah, and her company, Brimstone, Inc. for help. It may also be difficult to know they have a special chemistry that burns, in spite of his demanding ways. Will Delilah be able to help him or has she come up against the one problem she cannot solve?

Definitely a fun read with some classic witty banter, sizzling tension and a seemingly impossible task!

I received a complimentary ARC edition from Abigail Owen & Entangled, Amara! This is my honest and voluntary review.

Since the beginning of the series I have anxiously been waiting to find out who Delilah is and finally we get her story! While Alasdair is a powerful warlock and head of the Coven Syndicate ( which governs the witches and warlocks) he’s been bombarded with a demon problem and needs some help. Despite the scorchingly hot sexual tension between Delilah and Alasdair the tension of power between them is overwhelming. When he goes to Delilah for help Alasdair is unaware of the restrictions that prevents her from giving assistance. With his problems. While initially frustrated he soon learns that all is not what it seems. The two then experience a “Christmas Carol” like journey through their lives realizing that their connection has deep roots, helping them deal with the problem together. The sexual tension between them is immense but the story focuses more on the relationship and history of the two than actual bedroom time. The Dickens-like story line is definitely cute for a Christmas story ( yes witches celebrate other holidays) but I wish there was more about their current relationship than what went on in the past. This is part of a series and familiar characters appear however you don’t have to read the previous stories to be able to enjoy this one, although I highly recommend the other ones. 4 stars. I received an arc copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher for my honest review

This was my first experience with Abigail Owen's Brimstone, Inc. series, and I gotta say, WOW!!! I couldn't be happier with a new series (new to me, that is). It has everything I love in a good PNR series.

While it may not directly have her dragon shifters, they definitely get a mention, which was cool. But this series didn't need her dragons. She gave us characters like Alasdair and Delilah. Two people who seemed to be polar opposites, when in reality are exactly alike. Well, in every way but one. And that one way had me humming Devil or Angel by Bobby Vee throughout the whole book. :-) I had a great time reading it, and honestly couldn't put it down. I don't want to give much of the storyline because anything I say will be a spoiler, so let's just say the newest problem Delilah is confronted with comes by way of Alasdair making a request of her that she, by necessity and old bonds, must turn down. The trouble begins and ends right there. Well, maybe it doesn't end there...

Quite frankly, I didn't expect much. I expected it to be like every other PNR out there. It wasn't. At all. It was such an interesting contrast in personalities, such intense drama, and such incredible love scenes, it just really grabbed me. I'm going to go buy all the others now. I just wish I'd known her other series were equally as good (well, almost equally anyway!) as her dragon series! I'd have read them sooner!

Excellent work, Abigail. Excellent indeed! I love it, so keep it up!

I received this book from NetGalley and the author, as an ARC, however, all opinions and statements are in my own words and of my own volition.

**3.5 stars**

This adult fantasy romance was one of those books that I read really fast and kept me going until I finished. The pace was great, the dynamics between the characters were very good (the banter was quite entertaining) and the story, even for a novella, had a good balance and clear setup. I kind of wanted to befriend these two… or give them a hug. It is still not clear.

It was my first book in this series (it can be read as a standalone) and also the first by this author… will probably give a try to more books by her.

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book though Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is book 4 in the Brimstone Inc series and while it could be read as a standalone, I would recommend reading the previous books before this one as the heroine in this one was introduced in the previous books. In this one we finally get Delilah's story! Delilah is the owner of Brimstone Inc and her passion is helping people when they need help. Alasdair Blakesley is the head of the Coven's Syndicate. As one of the most powerful of his kind, he shouldn't have to look beyond his own people when a problem arises. But when a demon infestation happens, he knows he needs outside help. He just doesn't want to have to ask the one person that he thinks can help. And when he finally swallows his pride and asks, she turns him down. But when the person she sends him to sets them both on a different path than they were expecting, can they make it through the Christmas Carol type nightmare in order to help his people before it's too late?

Ok, so let me start of with on a whole I did really like this story. It sucked me in and kept me reading from start to finish. The characters were engaging, and I truly still love Delilah. Here is my issue with it-I felt like everything was happening way too fast without enough back story. I really liked the premise of this book. These two definitely felt like they were meant to be, especially with how things tied together. But I just felt like it wasn't long enough and everything was just crammed together. I wish it had been longer and a little more drawn out for everything. Especially since I was so excited for this characters story. Now that's not to say that I wouldn't re-read it again, because I definitely would!! I guess I was just left wanting more and with some questions that I didn't really expect to have at the end, if that makes sense.

Three and a half
This is such a fun paranormal series and now as the time of year turns towards winter we get a short story that is about paranormal creatures but set at Christmas. Yes if you want a mash up of Halloween vibes alongside a whole lot of Christmas then this homage to Dickens will certainly entertain on the darker nights !
Alasdair knows there's something about Delilah that's off but can't quite put his finger on what it is. She's gorgeous, intriguing and most of all frustrating. When he realises the Demons are possessing his fellow magical creatures he turns to Delilah who previously has loved to meddle ( she would say help !) but no the annoying woman actually refuses and then sends him to someone who is perhaps just a little too caught up in Christmas stories !
This was fun to read and certainly had the characters jumping through hoops. Their romance wasn't an immediate one which I preferred but certainly they had chemistry. I just wasn't totally convinced by the ending unfortunately but nevertheless it was sweet that they both finally found love and peace in each other's arms.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

'Try as I smite" is the first book I have read in the brimstone, inc series and it did not disappoint. I finished this story in less than a day. In 'try as I smite' we meet alasdair and Delilah. Alasdair has discovered that demons were possessing members of his coven, so he goes to Delilah for help. Delilah mysteriously is unable to help, but she sends him to someone who can. Together Alasdair and Delilah go on 'A Christmas Carol' type journey to save humanity. Their journey was really fun to read, although I was still a little confused about something (which I can't say as it would be a spoiler). We met other characters as well that.were partner the previous books. Not having read their story didn't have am impact on this book, but I am curious to go back and read about them.

Brimstone Inc is a fun series of short paranormal romances. Although I am sure that they would work fine as standalone romances, I think that they are probably really better if you read the series in order. That is particularly true with this one, as it features Delilah, the owner of Brimstone Inc. In the previous books, we have seen her helping out her various clients, but she has remained quite a mysterious character. Now we finally find out what she is, what her story is and why she is a perfect match for her hero Alisdair.
Although this is a quick read, there's still plenty of time for the story to unfold with lots of heat and chemistry between Delilah and Alasdair. They work well together, in more ways than one and this makes a great new instalment in the Brimstone Inc series.
This world is linked to the Dragon shifter series' also by Abigail Owen. Although there hasn't been a direct crossover as yet, they are all part of the same world. If you haven't read any of those yet, then this series might be a good place to start. I'm not sure if there's more to come in the Brimstone Inc series, but I'm looking forward to finding out if there is.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing/Amara for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This is a part of a series. It reads well as a stand alone. It is fairly short. The lead characters are fun and likeable. I am not a fan of the past/present/future ie Christmas Carol premise, I prefer more dialogue. . But overall a fun quick read. I think most paranormal romance readers would enjoy. 3 stars

A sweet and short witchy Christmas romance with a dash of demons. The story is part of a series but can be read as a standalone. The story revolves around Alasdair, the head of the Coven Syndicate, and Delilah, a mysterious supernatural who choses to help other supernatural creatures with any of their problems. On Christmas Eve, demons start popping up like crazy and its becoming a real pain in the ass for Alasdair, so he is forced to turn to the one person he doesn’t want to for help, Delilah. Delilah on the other hand can’t help him no matter how much she wishes she could. Both are sent on a Christmas Carol-ish nightmare to try and solve this demon problem while trying to sort out their feelings for each other. Definitely a fun read and perfect for a lil holiday magic!

*Thanks Netgalley and Entangled Publishing, LLC for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*