"𝘏𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘬𝘦, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨"

⭐⭐⭐⭐

This one was entertaining in every way.
The humour was great; even down to the comic relief.
The spice was great.
The characters were diverse and I loved seeing their development.

I think, if anything, I was a little disappointed in how predictable this one was; anything that felt it could have had a shock factor, I'd already guessed many chapters prior.
I even guessed the end of the book word-for-word.

Ultimately, it was really enjoyable, and I really didn't want to put it down.
I loved the evolution of Ash and Eva's relationship; but I especially loved the evolution of the 4 brothers, their relationships, and the characters themselves.

Meph and Raum are my favourites and must be protected at all costs.

I'll be reading the rest of the series for sure!

"𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘢-𝘥𝘢. 𝘓𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘯."

Thanks, Aurora, Kensington Publishing, and NetGalley, for the opportunity to read this eARC!

Unfortunately, the writing style really did not work for me in this book. I found it to be quite cringey and I just couldn't do it.

A fun, fast-paced paranormal romance with heart, humor, and a touch of chaos. Ash is a swoony, jazz-loving demon with a soft side, and Eva is a relatable, no-nonsense heroine who keeps up with all the supernatural madness. Their chemistry is electric, and the plot is full of twists, danger, and just the right amount of heat. A wildly entertaining start to the Hell Bent series!

This was a little disappointing. I didn't like the writing and the relationships and romance felt rather stereotypical. I thought about DNFing a few times but pushed through and can say that the last quarter if the book was even pretty enjoyable, so I'm glad I finished it. But overall it didn't live up to its potential.

2.5 ⭐️

I really enjoyed this demon romance. Thank you so, so much to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for allowing me to read this title!

Blurb:
Asmodeus, Prince of Hell, just wants to make music. Jazz, specifically. Unfortunately, he’s a demon. And he’s supposed to be evil.

Clearly, for Ash, a career as a musician isn’t exactly an option. Plus, he’s cursed.Sick of playing by the rules, Ash and his three brothers escape Hell in search of freedom on Earth. But it’s harder than they thought to keep their enemies off their tail . . .

The four rogues quickly become the Underworld’s Most Wanted, and if they’re caught, the consequences will be dire. Yet everything changes for Ash when he meets a beautiful violinist who can see through his curse. It must be too good to be true, but, no matter the risk, he has to have her.

Evangeline Gregory is just your average human. She works at a jazz bar, plays gigs on weekends . . . and, apparently, hallucinates demons.

At least that’s what Eva tells herself when, moments after she meets the man of her dreams, she sees him shift into a 7-foot-tall monster. Not believing her own eyes, Eva decides to investigate and soon finds herself caught in the middle of a supernatural clusterf**k of epic proportions. But Ash isn’t the only one keeping secrets, and the search for answers reveals a shocking truth that will change the course of her life forever. Or maybe just doom it. Eva and Ash will learn the path to love can be complete Hell.

This is a fabulous story. The world building is so unique. The characters are interesting. I really liked getting to know them and seeing them grow and develop. The twists that pop in this plot are insane. I absolutely loved every second of it. I highly recommend this book. It is amazing and I will be looking further into the series.

hilariously funny and heart warming! Kick your feet kinda cute!! Once you start you wont be able to stop! This is one of those stories that just makes you happy. Typical bad boy, good girl vibes but with a Jazzy kick. Story flows well, the characters are all great and relatable. I always think the author does a really great job with different personality's when you love the side characters just as much as the main. I cannot wait to pick up the next book.

Well that was adorable.

I really enjoyed this one! The banter was great and the characters interacted well together. Nothing felt forced, you just felt like rooting for them from the get-go. The FMC and the MMC were adorable, the chemistry was cute and I loved the "he falls first" kind of thing even though he didn't know what that even was. There was also some good twists as well and it set up decently for potential sequels.

The spice was decently spicy, so just be aware that its there!
I definitely recommend if you enjoy paranormal romance and a good time!

Funny lighthearted paranormal romance, perfect for weekends, beach reads and juts time-off in general. Laugh-out-loud banter and funny demons. What better!

Debut time! Aurora Ascher is a new author to me. But I’m glad I requested the arc.

The story about Ash, the demon Prince and Eva is refreshing and funny.

Apparently Hell isn’t that much fun and Ash and his brothers decide to escape from it. They act out as juvenile delinquents and Ash tries to keep them out of trouble. When he meets Eva, she rocks his world, since she is able to see his true (demon) form. Strange things are happening.

But will Ash and his brothers be able to stay on earth and learn more about those ‘feelings’ humans are jabbing about? Hilarious and cute. Four out of five stars from me and I’ll be definitely be on the lookout for more stories on the demon brothers. Great job, Aurora!

I have tried to start this one several times over. I had high hopes for this one, but I have not been able to get more than 30 minutes into this book. I did not finish.

I forgot how much spice were in these authors books lol 😂 and having it start right at the beginning was fun but I wish there was a bit more plot development first. I like my stories to have a bit of adventure before the spice kicks in - but nothing wrong with how this turned out! I loved watching Ash develop feelings and redeeming his soul. I can’t wait for Mist’s story!

I could NOT get into this one. I kept trying, kept picking it back up and giving it another shot, but I'm over halfway in and it's taken weeks to even get here. The writing felt very cringey, like it was trying too hard to be funny over telling a story and overall, I felt very 'told' instead of 'shown' in general. The male characters in this book - including MMC - don't seem to have any qualities that would set them apart from your average misogynistic finance dudebro and I could be reading into things but MMC almost sounds like he's admitting to sexually assaulting women in several inner thought monologues.

Fun, Spicy book with a great intro into a world of demons who just want to stay in the human world and be good. I enjoyed this book, I look forward to the rest of the series and getting to know each "brother" demon. This is definitely spicy but funny and cute at the same time, I would call it a cozy fantasy with spice.

If you like fun romance with demons, angels, and all sorts of ethereal being this is the book for you. It’s instalove romance cutesy with a funny cast and fun story. If you want dark or gothic vibes this is not the place for you.

# My Funny Demon Valentine (Hell Bent, #1)
# 3/28/2025 ~ 3/29/2025
# 5.0 / 5.0

DNF at 73% :( I started this one on the plane a few months ago and don’t have the motivation to continue. While the initial paranormal concept was great, the execution fell flat. I didn’t think the characters had much chemistry, and they felt pretty one dimensional. I feel like the fantasy element could’ve been better developed and made more original. It seemed like the “rules” for the world were made up on the fly. I also would’ve preferred faster pacing and more action.

Thank you so much to Kensington for sending me an ARC of My Funny Demon Valentine. As always, my reviews are one hundred percent voluntary and all opinions are my own :)

𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘀:⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗲:🌶️🌶️🌶️

𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀: 5/5
𝗣𝗹𝗼𝘁: 4.5/5
𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 4/5
𝗣𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴: 4/5
𝗤𝘂𝗼𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: 3.5/5

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this! The concept of demons escaping Hell and Ash’s theory on their evolution was fresh and fun.

Ash, our awkward, shy, cinnamon roll-ish Prince of Hell, totally stole my heart. Watching him try to understand emotions for the first time was unexpectedly sweet—and his instant connection with Eva? So good. The chemistry between them? Absolutely 🔥

That said—I ordered book 2 before I even finished this one and pre-ordered books 3 and 4. I’m officially hooked. I'm especially excited for Meph’s story, and I’m very curious about Belial (he gives off major tortured hero energy, and I’m weak for it).

The only thing that left me wanting more was the unresolved storyline with Eva’s parents. I felt so bad for Jacqui and wish we got more closure there.

I can't wait to jump into the next one!

This book was good, but honestly, I expected more from it? I just kept hearing such amazing things about it, and then it fell a little flat for me.

I’ve been getting more into paranormal romances lately and have been particularly drawn to those with demons. My Funny Demon Valentine by Aurora Ascher is the first I’ve read with a demon, and though it went in some completely unexpected directions, I really enjoyed it. It was first published in 2021, but the reprint is out today. It’s the first in the Hell Bent series, all of which is being republished over the next year.

Why I Chose This Book:
I first heard about My Funny Demon Valentine in the Buzz Books 2024: Romance sampler, which highlighted over 20 upcoming romance publications. I was instantly intrigued. First, it stars a demon, which I’ve been getting interested in recently. Second, that demon loves music. What a fun combination!

What I Liked:
- Four demon “brothers” escaped from Hell to live on Earth
- Asmodeus (Ash) was cursed thousands of years ago to be all but invisible to others and have all his sense dulled; hearing is the only sense working well
- Thus, he loves music!
- Ash and Eva, a human musician who actually sees him somehow, instantly hit it off
- But Ash and his brothers are being hunted! Danger!
- Eva gets embroiled into all of their issues…
- Multiple perspectives (Ash; Eva; her parents; his brothers)
- Kind of campy but tons of fun

Rather than just a romance, My Funny Demon Valentine has elements that reminded me of horror comedy: These four demons have escaped from Hell, they’re being tracked by gargoyles and the Hunter, and they need special blood to evade their captors. Meanwhile, one of the group, Asmodeus, has spent the last 3,000 years cursed to have suppressed senses and be practically invisible to others. He loves music, though, and is drawn to a musician he’s just met, Eva. What’s more, she can actually see him. (Why? You’ll find out!)

Final Thoughts
My Funny Demon Valentine goes from a cute and sexy paranormal romance to a book with our characters on the run and facing shocking revelations. It’s campy, spicy, and a ton of fun to read. This is also the first in the Hell Bent series – already published independently and being republished by Kensington over the next year. I’m excited to continue the whole series! The next book is My Demon Hunter, coming out this March.

Gave this book a 5⭐️ because it honestly shocked me. I thought it was going in one direction, and it completely changed course. I could not put it down and whenever I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about what I had just read and couldn’t wait to get back to it.