I was slightly disappointed with this one. I did not connect to Ben and Eleonore the way I did with the other characters. I found myself not enjoying the subplots in this book as much. I thought Eleonore’s witch hunt was amusing but not nearly as amusing as Oz or Astaroth‘s stories. I liked Ben but I did not enjoy the Gigi for mayor storyline and found myself wanting to skip those parts. It was nice to see all of my favorite characters showing up. I figured Lilith would’ve dropped Kai by now and was pleased to see they’re still together. lol.

Overall this was a slower read for me because I just couldn’t fully get into it. But I did enjoy how the overall story came together. For me personally it was my least favorite in the series but still a good read.

3.5 ⭐️
3🌶️

LOVE! I had to catch up and read book two before I could get to this arc and no regrets because book two is also amazing, but Ben and Eleonore were so much fun! I think we need more socially awkward sweater vest-wearing werewolves in literature. With their bombshell vampire counterparts of course.

Ben - a large werewolf as is the trope, is balanced out by his beautiful soul and constant battle with anxiety. When he drunkly purchases Eleonore's crystal and finds out what he is ACTUALLY in possession of, he is so apologetic. Having the sweet moments where he helps her and is gentle as she adjusts to being in the 21st century, but also being thought of as a person was truly the loveliest. I loved how Eleonore also learns his quirks and how to help him when his anxiety gets too high, they were truly a balance for each other.

Eleonore- what a character. She is also struggling with mental health as she has been essentially an enslaved assassin for 6 centuries, but also has spent most of that in a fog where she doesn't get to grow and learn. Her acting performances were quite something, I cant imagine seeing one in real life, but I loved how she grows and the meanings of her performances were so freeing. Also her being so hopped up on caffeine that she was crawling on the ceiling was hilarious.

The underlying plot revolves around freeing Eleonore and her learning to trust Ben, as since he is in possession of her crystal he can also command her to do anything, and while I think many authors would not be able to do this power discrepancy justice, Sarah Hawley handles it with perfection. Considering there is mature scenes and the characters fall in love during this imbalance, it never felt sleazy or worrisome. Ben being so kind and so unwilling to abuse that power is highlighted throughout their exchanges, even from the very beginning. I adore this series and can't wait for Sarah's next book.

The romance drew me in, but I struggled with the background storylines. The were beyond predictable and didn’t add any interest for me personally.

While I love the world of Glimmer Falls, I think so much more could be explored (especially 3 books in).

Good for fans of the series already.

I really enjoyed this read! I have not read the first two books, but I’ve added them to my TBR. However, I didn’t need to read them to understand what was going on in this book, which is always nice.

I adore the way Hawley developed the MCs relationship. They fell in love naturally through shared experiences, no insta-love here. Big fan of that! The subplot was interesting and wrapped up satisfactorily. The romance was very good. Consensual sex, vocal about boundaries, well-written.

I am definitely going to recommend this is romance readers. Even if readers don’t usually like a fantasy aspect to their romance, I’d suggest they try this one. I loved that it was modern day, kind of AU, and I think that will appeal to non-fantasy romance readers. Overall, this was a 4/5 for me! Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved the first two books in this series. I was so excited when Berkley Publishing approved my Netgalley request for book 3! Sarah Hawley takes fantasy elements and marries them to steamy contemporary romcoms and makes them accessible to readers like me who don’t read fantasy. Who would have thought I had a thing for werewolf/vampire-succubus spice! Whew! [fans self] That was hot! I loved both main characters so much. The MMC is the perfect cinnamon roll who gives and gives to everyone and forgets to care for himself. And the FMC is the badass that makes sure he’s cared for. In multiple ways. <wink>

The plot was more simple than the previous two books, but I felt like there was a lot more character development because of that. And I loved the continuation of the arcs of character from books one and two. Glimmer Falls is an amazing place, and I wish I could live there for real. This was a great addition to the series, and I really hope there are more books to come!

Thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for the chance to review this book.

Thank you so much to Berkeley Romance, NetGalley, and Sarah Hawley for an early copy of this book!

Rating- 4.5

Uhm, sorry, but every werewolf book before this has done it wrong.
Yeah, you heard that, Jacob. This is what you could have been.

I am a sucker for this universe Sarah has created- the mixture of urban/paranormal/romantic comedy is a mixture that just fills a void I didn't know existed before I picked these up. And sheesh, does this book feel like a perfect little cherry on top.

"What he would give to be able to love someone with all his neurotic heart . . . but who could possibly love him back?"

There are many things I adored about this book, but Ben, my sweet, sensitive, hunk of a plant-daddy- he was the shining star. His moments of introspection hit so deeply to me- his anxiety, his intrusive thoughts, the self-doubt... it was all relatable to me in a way that had me in tears, my heart aching with being seen.

But, what is a golden retriever without their black cat? Enter Eleonore- our resident succubus/vampire baddie with a penchant for threats of bodily harm and a gold Star Trek reference. She, too, had so many moments that struck me- feeling trapped, controlled, unable to live in her own definition of the word. Watching her character grow and unfurl was so beautiful and I think the author did a really excellent job at giving her a realistic journey into her healing.

And OH. MY. GODS. The spice.
Absolutely, yes.
You know that saying "gentleman in the streets, freak in the sheets?". Yeah, Ben must have heard it, too 🥵

“I don’t receive without giving, Eleonore. If we do this, I’m going to be thorough.”

Overall, this was an amazing read and, as always, I can't wait to see more from this author!

What a little cutie patootie of a book! I really loved A Witches Guide to Fake Dating a Demon, so I assumed I’d like this one as well. It was nice to go back to Glimmer Falls and see it through Ben’s eyes. It was also really nice having a character with anxiety being realistically portrayed. Eleanora was nicely written as well; I enjoyed her thought process and could understand her knee jerk reactions to certain things and situations. It was also very nice to see Cynthia get her s**t rocked and get what was coming to her😌

To be completely honest, I had no idea this was a book series. I did notice that in the beginning, a lot of the characters already seemed in place and thoroughly worked out as characters so I did a little investigating. This book did well at being a standalone for someone like me who just accidentally picked it up. There were things that I missed, obviously, but it didn't detract from the story in any way.
I really enjoyed the relationship between Ben and Eleonore. They definitely aren't conventional, but it made the story unique and stand out in a way that was pleasant and enjoyable.
All in all, I'd recommend this book to anyone who liked a little mischievous romance. It was fun, light-hearted and a little messy. I've added the other books to my TBR!

I love these characters so much! They are on such different ends of the personality spectrum that they fit together so well. They are both different and unique, which seems to draw them together. Their dialogue is adorable, and I loved seeing their relationship grow.
It was also interesting to see their personal weaknesses, how Ben had his anxiety and she had to develop trust. It made them real and relatable, and made me more invested in their relationship through the story.
Even though I had not read the other books in the series, I had no problem getting familiar with the world. I like the fact that it could work very well as a stand alone. The plot was straightforward, and allowed more focus on the characters, which I think were the highlight of the story. I will definitely be going back to read the others now!

This is the third book in an adorable magical series. I have loved all 3. This genre is tailor made for me. It’s the sweet spot between a fantasy and a contemporary romance. I love anything withy, vampiric, or with werewolves. This was no exception. If Sarah Hawley keeps writing these books, I will keep reading them. I love the romance and the spice level. Also, as a plant lover I loved Ben. I highly recommend this series for anyone who loves a spicy little paranormal romance.

This was a cute book and a quick read. I think the book is good I just wasn't the audience for it. I wanted to try my hand at the supernatural rom-com genre, but I don't think it is for me. I would recommend it to friends who like romance because I think they will love it because the book was well written and had a fun plot it just wasn't my type of book.

To quote a character from this book, “every good couple should have a soft one and a stabby one”

I read this as an ARC without having read the other 2 (whoops) and let me tell you, the haste with which I ran to order those!!

An actual text sent to my friend about MMC, Ben:

“He was a werewolf with golden retriever vibes, he knits to calm his anxiety and loves sweater vests. He owns a plant shop, cares deeply about consent, and openly cries when he is feeling strong emotion 😭”

This book is a contemporary romance with fantasy characters, I highly recommend it to fans of either genre!

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin publishing group for access to this arc

This book is outlandishly, insanely GOOD! Cinnamon roll werewolf finds a firey hot succubus vampire and the adventure begins!

The character development for both main characters is beautifully written. I loved the fish out of water element of Eleanore finding her way in the modern world after 600 years of captivity. It was not cheesy and predictable I thought it really showed her strength and her struggles perfectly. Ben and his vulnerability was touching and I was truly impressed with not using the temptation to make him an insufferable Alpha when under stress.

The spice was SPICY and I absolutely adored it, perfectly descriptive and very sexy. Consent consent consent! Their constant concern for each others consent made me adore both characters even more.

The side characters of this book are fabulous. Found family at its absolute best.

I can’t recommend this highly enough, it’s unique and very refreshing for an urban Romantasy. No overused tropes, just all delight! It’s quirky and fun.

I absolutely loved this book! This is my first book in the Glimmer Falls series and I am going to go back and read the first two asap.

The characters were well thought out and I genuinely felt like they were nuanced and relatable. I almost liked the ending, because people and situations are so nuanced and different and sometimes can be disappointing. This book was so cute! so so funny and heartfelt and relatable I loved it. :)

it was pretty solid actually, i really liked the first book and the dynamics in this book were definitely something i’ve never read before which i enjoyed. i also think the plot itself was interesting too. it’s just not something that i love… you know? i do like books with the werewolf and succubus/vampire relationship like this is coming out at the perfect time.

Sarah Hawley’s books have an undercurrent of sweetness that I find so hard to resist and make reading them a balm to the soul. Grab your blanket, a cup of tea, and this book and you will have the coziest day.

Ben and Eleanore are the perfect combination of hilarious and sweet together. Eleanore is the badass, take-no-prisoners/ask-questions-later, succubus vampire who is learning to cope with the modern world in hilarious ways. Ben is the anxious, gentle giant werewolf who has so much love to give. Their chemistry is perfection and seeing them grow together and accept each other for who they are is a heartwarming journey.

Breaking a curse, planning a mayoral campaign, and acting in experiential theater have never been funnier. If you’ve read Sarah Hawley’s other books, you’ll love to see recurring characters and to catch up with familiar faces.

Pick this up for when you need a cozy read with laughs and spice!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

This was a delightful, hilarious, and steamy paranormal romance which I highly recommend! The story follows the unlikely pair of werewolf Ben Rosewood and vampire Eleonore Bettencourt-Devereux, who are brought together by a supposedly-possessed crystal that Ben drunkenly purchased on eBay. Ben, a successful business owner and self-proclaimed content bachelor, has his world turned upside down when he meets the beautiful and fiery vampire, who has been trapped in the crystal for centuries.
One of the things that immediately stands out in this book is the unique and refreshing take on werewolves and vampires. Hawley's world-building is well-crafted and adds an interesting twist to the typical supernatural creatures we are used to seeing in paranormal romances. The idea of a vampire succubus born from two elite European bloodlines is both intriguing and captivating.
The chemistry between Ben and Eleonore is undeniable and the banter between them is both humorous and sizzling. As they work together to break the spell and defeat the witch who put Eleonore in the crystal, their relationship evolves from enemies to allies to something more. The romance in this book is well-developed and believable, making it easy to root for these two characters to find their happily ever after.
Another aspect of this book that I enjoyed was the humor. Hawley's writing style is witty and amusing, and it adds a lightheartedness to the story that balances out the more serious and emotional moments. The dialogue between the characters is clever and had me laughing out loud at times.
Overall, this was a charming and unique paranormal romance which I highly recommend for fans of this genre!

I really enjoyed this paranormal romance and how it depicted anxiety disorder. I related to Ben so much and it was nice to see how he handled his anxiety. I wish there was more spice.

This series has quickly become one of my favorites. I love all the mystical entities wrapped up in romantic relations. I can't wait to read more!

i have been looking forward to this book and it was absolutely worth it i loved every single second yessssssss