Unfortunately these characters just didn’t click for me. Of the two, I found Dorian a little more interesting, but the pop culture elements really felt off. I understand Dorian is the type to love the attention and adoration of a public lifestyle, but TikTok influencer? It just didn’t sit right with me. And I truly just did NOT like Baz. I rarely say this, but was just so unlikable, but not in an interesting antihero way. The struggling artist, I’m not like other girls persona was meh. The plot felt repetitive and the chemistry just wasn’t there for me unfortunately. I did appreciate the integration of folklore to give depth to the mystery of the portrait, ur aside from that, it really was just an okay book.

Rebecca Kenney's Charming Devil presents readers with a mix of romance, suspense, and emotional scenes, supported by an intriguing, albeit too predictable, plot. Chemistry between the heroes, Dante and Leah, is never an issue, and their scenes are the book's pivot of charm.

Dante is your stereotypical brooding, snarky anti-hero, and Leah is a lovely heroine whose progress throughout the novel is a first. Their hotness is sweeter, their chemistry hotter, and their on-again, off-again relationship is thrilling even though some of the scenes are predictable.

The world-building is sufficient but some gets overshadowed by the romance. There are good touches, good details, but the focus is mostly on the developing romance of Dante and Leah. Pacing is excellent, but in the quiet moments sometimes it will lag, but those quiet moments contribute to the overall building emotional background for the characters.

All in all, Charming Devil is a fun and sexy romance with dialogue scenes aplenty, perfect for a reader who can enjoy a good slow-burn and high-order romantic tension.

Dorian Grey. We know the tale...the painting that takes on the corporeal vices, sins, damage and gluttony that the beautiful Dorian indulges himself in so that he can retain his youth Eternally. We get a fun modern-day jump in this retelling so that we can see what's become of a dorian after 170 years.

There's a fascinating way in which his supernatural "gift" is bestowed by way of the painter and I found that twist quite unique. How the torrent of his indulgences and sinful life has recently begun to literally eat away at the painting is also a wonderful take! He needs to prevent it and the way our story almost becomes how our FMC has to "strike a deal with the devil" is something I truly enjoyed.

My favorite moments were when we see his impacable facade have the slightest crack and when he allows himself to truly feel and not tether any feelings of pain, guilt, sorrow, regret, to his painting. Baz trying to open his humanity back up, to not treat others as disposable or feed his narcissism, is what is more at the heart of the story. There is a subplot that focuses more on the supernatural that I found a bit confusing but I just loved the focus on Baz and Dorian, so I was engulfed in those moments.

The center of this story deals with philosophical questions as well as reflection on one's life and Dorian has lived much but has he squandered it? Can he look past his fear of aging and death and what is he without that allure? It's a heartbreaking fear when we see him come undone.

He has cut himself off from letting anyone in and even though he is like the sun everyone revolves around, ultimately he is lonely. I loved the complexity of Dorian.

Also a wink to Rebecca on the connections to Gatsby from Beautiful Villain! This may not be quite as traditionally gothic in tone but if you want a supernatural splashed modern twist to Dorian Grey than look no further! Like his admirers, I too was a moth to Dorian's effervescent flame. He's fascinating and enigmatic but beneath the facade and beauty, he's hiding pain and fear, and I was irrevocably drawn to him.

As a reader of Rebecca's indie published books I'm loving these traditionally published books just as much! The story line is sticking true to Rebecca's style! I appreciate the details and research of the original story that went into Charming Devil. Can't wait to read the next one!

A sinfully seductive retelling of The Portrait of Dorian Gray, Charming Devil drips with decadence, danger, and desire. Rebecca Kenney breathes modern life into the myth of eternal beauty, infusing it with slow-burning romance, forbidden art, and the heavy weight of legacy.

Dorian Gray is still immortal, still flawless—on the outside. But the painting that’s held his secrets for over a century is unraveling, corroded by his unchecked hedonism. His last hope? Baz Allard, a fiercely independent artist and direct descendant of the original painter, Basil Hallward. Baz has inherited Basil’s rare gift... and his curse. She’s sworn never to paint another soul. But when Dorian comes begging for salvation—with charm like velvet and a heart wrapped in shadow—her vow starts to shake.

What follows is a spiraling descent into magic, madness, and irresistible connection. As Baz and Dorian dance around temptation, danger slinks from the corners. Something ancient stirs, and whether it’s curse or conspiracy, it wants them undone.

And at the bleeding center of it all is Dorian himself—tragic, terrifying, and endlessly magnetic:

"You want to peel back the layers? Snip away the skin, carve off the flesh, snap the bones and look inside? You want to see the rotted, putrid organ pumping away in my chest, feeding my carnal form? I can show it to you... Are you brave enough?"

Kenney doesn’t flinch from the grotesque or the tender. This story asks: can a soul this fractured be salvaged? And more importantly, should it be?

If you like your love stories laced with doom, your art haunted, and your characters beautifully broken, Charming Devil is your next obsession.

Perfect for fans of: gothic romance, modern myth retellings, morally grey men, and soul-deep longing.

I absolutely loved this book! Well written and I loved how Jay remembered all of Daisy's quirks! I also really enjoyed a lot of a banter, especially Nicks! Hes hilarious! I was not sure about her friend Jordan but honestly friends like her are the ones you really need in your corner!

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to really get into this one. The characters felt bland and uninteresting and unrealistic, honestly. I sort of felt like I was reading a parody more than anything else with the inclusion of TikTok. I felt TOLD rather than SHOWN that Baz & Dorian had any sort of romantic interest in one another. I really, really wanted to like this one, but it just fell flat for me.

First let the thank NetGalley for letting me have a e arc of this book! That being said apparently my Barnes apparently had this book early and I picked it up as soon as I saw it (for me Rebecca Kenney is an auto buy).
Unlike with beautiful villain I have never read the story this one is retelling. Actually I think it might be fun to read a picture of Dorian gray now and see if I can catch any parallels from this book! But this story is fun and exciting and I love how it ties to the last one! I’m excited because charming devil introduces an overarching story for this series! I’m very interested to see where that leads! Baz is a lovely complex character and I adore her relationship with Dorian! I can’t wait for the next one!

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC.

I liked this one a bit better than the vampire Gatsby retelling, though it has a lot of the same issues. The Irish folklore used to explain the painting was a nice touch, with Wilde being a Irish writer and all. As much as the romantic leads are both queer, it feels weird to take a very homosexual novel (for its time) and make the central couple a traditional m/f pairing. The biggest issues I had with the book is how little is done with the supernatural threat until the final, rushed conclusion, as well as the use of modern pop culture stuff that dates it horribly. Dorian as a TikTok influencer, when that app is still in limbo here in the States, so is kinda cringe. These things are used so frequently to shove in your face that it's a modern retelling, when simply using current tech like cell phones and laptops, being able to video-call someone near anywhere, would establish that without dating it so much. I will also say, I like Baz as a character, but Dorian remains insufferable, and kinda still a terrible person by the end.

I really love the author and her retellings. This one was a good time but not necessarly the best one I've read so far :) I kind of could not connect with characters properly.

Honestly my biggest complain is making Dorian Gray blonde, lol. I loved Dorian, but the FMC drove my crazy and not in the good way.

3.5 stars

As The Picture Of Dorian Grey is one of my favourite classics, and Rebecca Kenney is one of my auto-read authors, i jumped at the chance to get this ARC! I love Rebecca’s writing, so this new novel seemed right up my alley.

However, i would say i still much prefer the author’s fantasy books—though Charming Devil was <i>good</i> i felt it lacked something to be at the level of some of my favourite RK books. Maybe it was simply that this wasn’t a fantasy, as i do strongly prefer books set in different worlds, or maybe it was that i found the plot to be a smidge predictable. Either way, my qualms don’t change the fact that this was a good book—just not one i would immediately recommend from the author.

Regardless, i truly did enjoy the Dorian Grey aspects of the story, and the man himself. Dorian was perfectly flawed, extravagant in every way, selfish, and decadent. I thought Rebecca did an excellent job of depicting someone who had let his long life corrode his care for others, especially with his backstory with Basil.
I felt like Baz could have had a little more character development (or even more time to let her personality shine though) because in comparison to Dorian, she felt a little one dimensional, but she was also a really interesting character and very strong in her decisions, which i liked. I would have preferred more time spent on their relationship (or a higher page count to do so), as i felt the last 25% or so had a very fast pace.

All in all, this WAS a good book, and one i enjoyed reading, though by far not one of my favourites from Rebecca.

The Picture of Dorian Gray has always been one of my favorite classic literature books. This is a fantastic retelling of that story with some magical elements added. Dorian, as we know has been kept alive and young by very special painting. But that portrait is showing lots of wear after so many many years. He wants to have his portrait redone by a woman named Baz. She is a descendant of the person who painted his original portrait. However she is scared to use her talent to pain portraits, knowing the havoc her talent can create. Will Baz be able to resist Dorian's charms? Or will she fall under his spell and do his bidding? I definitely recommend this wonderful book and author.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

🌟 4
🌶️ 3

Modern retelling of Dorian Gray!!! Aaaaa!!!

🎨 Modern retelling of Dorian Gray
🎨 Painter FMC
🎨 Dangerous and mysterious mmc
🎨 Morally grey mmc
🎨 must work together
🎨 tension & spice
🎨 easy to read

Honestly I was worried that the story wouldn’t do Dorian justice! And I’m usually very picky about retellings, but it’s not always about staying true to the story but to the character or vibes etc. and in this case I totally imagined Ben Barnes in his depiction of Dorian Grey the movie 👀 if you asked me what the story version is meant to look like I couldn’t tell you 😂

This was an interesting retelling with an easy to read vibes, satisfying spice, in an urban fantasy/ modern world with magic setting. Recommend.

I wanted to like it - I really did, but I haven't gotten far enough to mark it as "Read". This book piqued my interest because of it being a retelling of Dorian Gray, but it was so far removed from the original that I was struggling with reading it. Instead of weaving the original into modern times, the characters felt out of place and didn't held their own. Dorian Gray being a TikToker and filming hauls and routines was my final straw.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks and Rebecca F. Kenney for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a review.

I love this author so much, and was so excited to receive an ARC of Charming Devil! I really liked this book, and the romance in it was perfect. Definitely was not expecting the ending, and can't wait to continue reading the series!!

❛𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮.❜

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This book is a retelling of the famous classic, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and because I haven't read it I cannot compare these two.

So, the story follows Dorian Gray seeking help from a descendant of his past lover, Basil, when his painting starts to deteriorate. But because she had made a vow to herself that she wouldn't do any portraits because of what happened when she was a child, he makes her a deal.

I honestly loved the characters on their own.
Baz (a nickname for Basil. Yes, she was named after her ancestor..) had tattoos, one side of her head shaved & dyed hair and piercings. It was pretty neat to have a FMC who had this alternative look.

The side characters were also interesting—flawed in their own ways, but still entertaining.

I loved the magical/folkloric aspect of this book, and the reasoning behind Baz's abilities/gift.

What I wasn't particularly feeling was the main characters' romance.
Idk.. I didn't feel anything between them. The 🌶️ was hot ngl. But the pairing as a couple? Eh.
I do love Dorian's character development! Baz saw something in him and because of that he was able to change his debaucherous lifestyle.

I tried so hard, but every time I started this book, I got bored and ended up putting it down. I typically love books by this author, so I think this was a one off that I just couldn’t get into.

I really did not vibe with this. I wanted to love it, but I honestly did not feel the chemistry between the characters and it just turned me off to the entire book