This book could be filed under a list of shelf and it would describe it as it's a urban fantasy, a book about relationship, getting touch, and how two characters who are opposite (an angel and a demon) love each other and must struggle.
It's one of those book I got by serendipity and I'm happy I read it because it's well written, poignant and gripping.
An excellent story, well plotted and emotionally charged.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

It was astonishing to me that despite not being a gay man, just a lesbian, this book felt like it was written just for me. I cried and laughed, and I laughed while crying. The tender, painful, and compassionate interactions between two ancient friends who want to be lovers was just what I needed.

I am so glad I was able to get an eARC for this novel, as I might not have found it otherwise, and I am so glad I did. I love a mystery novel, and this, even better, is a genre mixing mystery. With a detective agency, a cast of great, both human and non-human characters in a world much like our own but with magic and a magical community.

Beyond being a mystery novel, this novel is a slow burning romance between the two MCs Sunshine (the angel) and Felix (the demon). When I say slow burn, I mean slow burn. This is a relationship that started as a rivalry of sorts thousands of years before the events of the novel. It is wonderfully written – Ackerman has a wonderful way with words. Their use of language to bring these characters and their relationship to life was both beautiful, and in places, heartbreaking.

The romance storyline I found to be woven nicely into the mystery plot. Neither taking away from the main goal of the story or overtaking the whole story all together. Which is something I love in these sorts of mixed genre novels.

While for the most part, the story ran smoothly, weaving between the mystery, the romance, and the magic of it all, the conclusion to the mystery plots seemed to arrive too close to the end of the story. So it felt like everything was wrapped up quite abruptly, which threw me off a little.

I did notice a few, seemingly purposeful, loose ends which hadn’t been tied up. So I am looking forward to what I believe will be another installment (or two) in the Sunshine and Specter series where those losses ends will end up.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Supposed Crimes who sent me this free eARC (eAdvanced Reader Copy) in exchange for an honest review. This title will published 1st August 2021.

(Content warnings: explicit sexual content, death, panic attacks, minor homophobia&transphobia)

SO. This is a book about an angel and a demon running a paranormal detective agency. (which, from the get-go, absolutely banger concept). I was kinda expecting it to follow, like, one main mystery, but instead there's two or three (a bigger one kicking in around 40%), and they were alright (the mysterious corpses in the sewer one was my favourite), but it's also very clear from the beginning that this is not a mystery book by any means, this is a book about Sunshine and Felix's relationship first and foremost. It's a romance in a paranormal setting (the typical "angels, demons, vampires, witches, faeries, etc. are real and More Or Less Successfully hidden from the human world"). And bro... I am not immune to codependent angel/demon detective duo 🥺 Their dynamic is Extremely fun, the casual intimacy (even with little to no touch at the beginning) was written so well, it's just. lovely. mwah. This book feels almost... slice-of-life-y at times? Sunshine and Felix run an office (I did not expect to enjoy the office shenanigans as much as I did!), take a holiday, go to a wedding, and then also hunt down murderous monsters or make deals with Satan occasionally. u know how it is.

Also. Love the LGBT rep. AND the general gender fuckery. The main characters get to wear dresses, Satan's gender presentation is literally just whatever (Felix ur dad looks gnc af), it's fun. and there's also a trans man side character whom I adore, Rose my beloved <3

Another thing: I don't personally particularly care for sex scenes and the like, but I have to say I do appreciate the honest conversations the characters have about their likes/dislikes, expectations and boundaries. I feel like you don't get that often enough in romances where sex is involved. It's nice to see books that normalize that over just having the characters somehow magically Know what the other person likes in bed.

As for the things I didn't like as much: the book does have some dark humour throughout, and there were a couple jokes that made me a little uncomfortable, but it was nothing major to take away from my enjoyment of the book. I think my one genuine complaint about the book would be that the Lore™, especially when it comes to character backstories, is difficult to follow at the beginning and remains kinda under-explained by the end, imo? Kinda like the author didn't want to Exposition Dump so they decided to sprinkle it all bit by bit, but then didn't sprinkle in ENOUGH. But since it appears this is the first book in a series, I'm hoping we'll get to find out more details in the sequel(s?), which I'll def be readin :)

(Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!)

This story is loosely about an angel and a demon who run a private detective agency in a world with a layer of paranormal beings and magicians mostly hidden from normal humans. It rambles through getting to know the agency staff, some dealing with workplace acceptance and etiquette issues, Sunshine, an angel sent to earth by God to destroy demons, is deeply in love with Felix, a demon. He is definitely angelic in his undying devotion and patience, since Felix is fickle, selfish, and has psychological issues that make him often impotent. Sunshine and Felix live much longer than normal humans, which is good because it takes them decades to play out their relationship. Felix does a lot of binge drinking, but Sunshine is ever devoted. He is completely selfless in his acceptance of Felix's many flaws in a way that seems impossible, but he's an angel, so ok. The general plot, where the Devil commissions Sunshine to find a missing girl, sort of meanders and is secondary to exploring Felix's problems with intimacy. Sunshine is endearing enough to carry the story though.

This story follows two supernatural beings, Sunshine and Specter, as they work to solve mysteries and disturbances as only the supernatural can. The greater mystery, however, is their relationship with each other, as their complicated past leads to rash decisions and a deal with the devil himself.

While the book presented itself to me as a suspenseful mystery, the narrative itself focuses much more on the relationship between Sunshine and Specter. The story itself is surprisingly tender, filled with domestic moments like how they eat meals together, getting each other home safe from the bar, and running a business together. Personally, I was a little disappointed that the story spent more time delving into the two-week island vacation rather than the giant spiders in the sewer, but that’s just a personal opinion and I think many people would enjoy their gentle relationship.

Overall, I think this book would appeal to anyone looking for a gentle romance story, and doesn’t mind a bit of supernatural flair.

This is an absolutely wonderful paranormal detective story with some of the best lgbtq+ representation I have ever read. It’s the story of an angel who was sent to earth many years ago to find and kill the antichrist. Well, fast forward some decades and said angel is nor running a paranormal detective agency with a demon (who may or may not be the actual antichrist) in New York City. The book follows them on their adventures that include exiled mages in the sewers beneath the city and a deal or two with the Devil. All the while, they finally dare to start figuring out just how much they really mean to each other.

I adored both Sunshine and Felix so much. They are such complex, wonderful characters that just felt so real and nuanced. By the end of the book I just wanted to wrap Felix up in a blanket and feed him cookies and tell him that things would be okay. There were also a lot of amazingly developed supporting characters. The world building was immaculate, the pacing was great and the story was so full of humor, but also so deeply emotional. I felt almost hungover after reading the book, because it was such a rollercoaster-ride.

Beside the wonderful lgbtq+ representation, the book also touches on mental health issues, important political debates, workplace harassment and discrimination, on what it means to be human, on family and on identity. It is honestly baffling how the author managed to touch on all of these matters in such a profound and deeply meaningful way without the book ever reading like it was preaching/trying to make a political point. It just all flowed so naturally and was such an integral part of the story and the characters, just masterfully done.

The world built here is quite complex and yet there was never any info-dumping or too much exposition. We are introduced to the world in such an organic way that it just slowly unfolds in front of your eyes. So well done!

I honestly cannot tell you how much I loved this. If you like speculative fiction at all, I say give this a go. And of you, like me, think that we desperately need more good lgbtq+ representation in speculative fiction, then I would recommend it even more. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the intimacy of this book. Ackerman has a masterful way of conveying relationships through interiority and dialogue. I sincerely felt like I'd made friends with these characters, and I'm ready for the next book!

Sunshine and Specter run a paranormal detective agency, but this book isn't so much about solving cases as it is about solving the mystery of each other. It was astonishing to me that despite not being a gay man, a demon, or an angel - this book felt like it was written just for me. I cried and laughed, and I laughed while crying. The tender, painful, and compassionate interactions between two ancient friends who want to be lovers was just what I needed.

I was worried that this would be a Good Omens knock-off, but instead I discovered something that went much deeper and cozier. It's clear that Ackerman put all of their heart into this story. I loved it, and I'll be sharing this book with friends every chance I get.