Not Your Average Hot Guy
Not Your Average Hot Guy, Book 1

I Picked Up This Book Because: I’m not even sure why.

Media Type: Audiobook
Source: CC Public Library
Dates Read: 4/19/22 - 4/24/22
Stars: 3 Stars
Narrator(s): Graham Halstead, Karissa Vacker, Joel Froomkin

The Characters:

Callie:
Luke Morningstar:


The Story:

Demons and hell are usually not my thing. Quite frankly they make me uncomfortable. So with that said I have no idea why I requested this book. Maybe I just liked the title/cover and never considered the subject. That wouldn't be a first for me. So after I fought through my discomfort I mostly enjoyed the book. There were some things I just didn't "get" like the 3rd narrator's quotes and some character motivation but the adventure and the growing relationship between Callie and Luke I liked. Their banter and sexual tension kept me going.

The Random Thoughts:

I thought this was a fun book, and I really liked some aspects of it. I enjoyed the characters, the dual POV, and the elements to this book. This book is an easy and fun read, you will fly right through it. I can’t wait to read the second book. I highly recommend checking this one out!

Cute story!

Description
"Fun, funny, hot, and heartfelt...The apocalyptic beach read that everyone needs." - Alix E. Harrow, Hugo Award-winning author

A paranormal romantic comedy at the (possible) end of the world.

From New York Times bestselling author Gwenda Bond, Not Your Average Hot Guy is a hilarious romantic comedy about two people falling in love, while the fate of the world rests on their shoulders.

All Callie wanted was a quiet weekend with her best friend. She promised she could handle running her family’s escape room business while her mom is out of town. Instead a Satanic cult shows up, claiming that the prop spell book in one of the rooms is the real deal, and they need it to summon the right hand of the devil. Naturally they take Callie and her friend, Mag, along with them. But when the summoning reveals a handsome demon in a leather jacket named Luke who offers to help Callie stop the cult from destroying the world, her night goes from weird to completely strange.

As the group tries to stay one step ahead of the cult, Callie finds herself drawn to the annoying (and annoyingly handsome) Luke. But what Callie doesn’t know is that Luke is none other than Luke Morningstar, Prince of Hell and son of the Devil himself. Callie never had time for love, and with the apocalypse coming closer, is there room for romance when all hell’s about to break loose?

Not sure why it took me this long to read this book!! This book took me by surprise. If you like paranormal romance or even any type of fantasy romance books, you will enjoy it. When I found out that this was going to be a series, I got really excited! This definitely has the potential to grab some looks and get people who don't normally read.....read a great upcoming series. With it now being a series, I can't wait to follow Callie and Luke's relationship in hell. With Callie's boldness and Luke's heart, they seem to be a great match in hell. I really enjoyed reading how close they got in this book. Overall, my rating is definitely a 4/5 stars!

This was a book that I requested based on the cover and that it was romance. When the second chapter started I had to stop and think wait what, so I read the description and realized it was paranormal romance, not usually what I read but I can do this. It was really good!! I thoroughly enjoyed the back and forth and the whole vibe. Let’s just say I’m ready for book two or another one by this author the writing was fun and carefree and that’s exactly what I needed.

A delightful book full of adventure, action, and thrills. Fun to read, engrossing world building, and very descriptive imagery made it feel like it was cinematic. It's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. Would recommend.

The pacing for this was a little weird but overall I did enjoy it. At first I had forgotten why I requested it but once I started reading I remembered it was described as Good Omens meets something else. I did like the characters in this one, even if they did act a little young. I felt the middle was a little slow but all the craziness of the end made up for it. I would be willing to see what these characters are up to next!

Callie helps run an escape room, and when one night, a cult comes to take a token (something Callie found and claimed as a prop for one of the escape rooms). After summoning a demon (a hot one), it’s up to Callie to stop the cult from obtaining a special spear. Enlisting Luke the attractive demon for help… can he be trusted? They’re mutual attraction to each other serves as an unlikely road bump to her saving the world and his mission to collect souls.

I definitely enjoyed different parts of the book, but there were not moments where I felt that connection I needed between them. I wanted more, needed more.

I tried this book on audio and I just couldn't get into the story. Thank you for letting me read and review this book.

great book and had me on my seat. I enjoyed the characters and all that happened in the book. I enjoyed being in this world and seeing the growth of the characters. I enjoyed the drama of the story and I can't wait to read others books by this author.

I tried to read this about 3 times and each time I ended up dropping it.

The premise sounded amazing and I really thought I would have an amazing time reading it but sadly it fell a bit flat for me.

A fun and sassy romance from Gwenda Bond! Very funny and slightly snarky, Not Your Average Hot Guy is the romance we all need.
Not Your Average Hot Guy

DNF 32%

The book started really good, i liked the scape room angle and the scavenge hunt feel. sadly i thought all the characters were very similar, even Luke who is supposed to be the son of the actual devil was very bland, like eggs without salt.

As the story goes on, it gets mildly interesting but I just couldn't keep up with a wanna be Da Vinci Cod. i really thought the bad vs evil trope was going to be good enough for me, but sadly it wasn't.

Turns out paranormal romance between an escape room operating mortal and the devil’s son is just not my vibe. The character chemistry was minimal and the overall plot was a little hokey. I will say the adventurous, world traveling hunt for relics to save mankind kept my attention.

Sincere thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Alright I can tell this book isn't going to be for everyone, because of one thing. Instant Love. Luckily for me, I love instant love, so this book was perfect for me. I really liked this story too, it had an Office meets Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist vibe (without the singing, also they need to bring this show back 😭). The storyline is pretty original too and not one I was prepared for. It had me giggling, and smacking my head, because Callie and Luke do not make the best decisions. I also really liked Luke, even though it was the Prince of Darkness, I totally think Callie might be eviler than he is. lol I cannot wait to read the second book of this series.

I liked this one! I'm excited that there will be a second one. I'm a sucker for a series even if it only slightly touches on these characters again. The paranormal aspects aren't typically something I enjoy but it really worked for this book.'

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

A romcom about an escape room builder who is trying to figure out the clues for her own next steps and the son of Lucifer Morningstar and Lilith dealing with his own insecurities isn't what I expected, but was pretty cute. I wish I could read the third Alice book they reference, and the interchanges about Hogwarts houses and she who must not be named made me chortle. Fun!

If you haven’t had the pleasure of reading Gwenda’s books (fix that), you should know she is the queen of banter. Not Your Average Hot Guy kicks that up a notch within the adult space and I am just HERE for it. The dual POV of the books lends to this; you’re existing in the heads of both characters as the story progresses.

Not Your Average Hot Guy is paranormal romance, but accessible for readers who don’t regularly read paranormal OR romance. If you’ve loved shows like Lucifer, you’ll find a home in Not Your Average Hot Guy. With loveable and memorable side characters enhancing the story, this is not only a character study of the dual MCs but an entire world (above and below 😂) being built from the perspectives of the characters.

Callie runs her family escape room business, with a particular fondness for the occult-focused room. What could go wrong when she comes across a REAL LIFE grimoire? Luke is the pretty boy spoiled actual son-of-Lucifer who is not so fond of the expectations from his father. How the two of them come together, I won’t spoil. Let’s just say, shenanigans galore. I’m cheering for them, both in their separate lives and together. I mean, this is a romance story.

The story kept my full attention and reads like an episode of Supernatural (you know, the ones that the community talks about for years to come). I can’t wait for The Date From Hell!

I quite enjoyed Not Your Average Hot Guy. I thought the overall concept of this book was whimsical and I really enjoyed it. Gwenda Bond really made traveling around with the son of the Devil funny and emotional. I definitely ready for the second book to come out to see what happens next for these characters. My only "negative" of this book is that some of the jokes maybe tried a little too hard and didn't really land well with me personally. I am glad I read this book, though, because I will be looking out for Gwenda Bond's other books.

I did not love this book because I don't think I knew exactly what I was getting into. Nothing against the book or the author, but I simply was not prepared for a fantasy-esque book. It is not my vibe.

I think that the cover is bit misleading. It looks like something that would be on the front of a contemporary fiction rom-com. It feels a little bit mismatched for the contents of the book.