Not my favorite in the Hell Bent series but it was still a deliciously escapist paranormal demon romance between a witch and a demon with a tortured soul. Good on audio and it can be read as a standalone even though it's the third book in the series. Recommended for fans of authors like Katee Roberts. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

4/5 Stars
3/5 Spice

I fell in love with this book the moment I opened it up. I would have enjoyed it much more if I had read the first two books in the series, but I still loved the story. I loved both Meph and Iris as individual characters. They had so much depth to who they were, both of them broken in their own way.

Meph is the youngest brother of the group and has been through some of the most horrific things imaginable. He hides his pain through jokes and sarcasm. Then you have Iris's past traumas, where she hides her pain through anger and self-isolation. They can't stand each other, yet are so attracted to one another that it becomes impossible for them to ignore it any longer. I loved how they started off physical, but the more time they spent with one another, they couldn't help but see how similar they are. Both with pasts that caused them so much pain, and they have so much self-hate inside them, but with the help of each other, they learn that it's ok for them to hurt, but to move past the pain and learn they deserve to be treated with love for who they are. The self-growth, especially with Iris, was amazing. Seeing her come to recognize her toxic traits and know that she can't go on with how she treats others because she hurts was so real and raw.

I adored the found family aspect of this book. It played such a huge part in the story and the characters. I loved seeing the relationship between the brothers, how they don't need to verbally communicate with each other. It makes me excited to read the first two books and the rest of the books.

I highly recommend this to everyone who wants a good, spicy read that will have them dying for more.

Thank you to Hambright PR and Aurora Ascher for the eARC.

Tropes:
- Enemies to lovers
- Forbidden
- Found family
- Beauty & the beast
- Demon x Witch

This book was such a fun, spicy ride! Demon With Benefits delivers a perfect mix of sass, steam, and supernatural chaos. The banter had me laughing, the tension kept me hooked, and the chemistry? Off the charts. If you love a strong FMC who can hold her own and a demon who knows exactly how to tempt her, this book will be your new obsession. Can’t wait to dive deeper into this devilish world!

Demon with Benefits is book 3 in the Hell Bent Series. Each Book is an interconnected standalone that can be read in any order. Each book will follow a different couple and their love story. While you do not have to read these in order to understand what is going on, I highly suggest doing so. These books are filled with so many characters that knowing the background and their stories will help the reader enjoy this series that much more. On a little side note...I did not read these in order and I had no problem figuring out what was going on. My personal opinion is you will enjoy the series better if read in published order.

I enjoyed this book so much. Demons and witches are complicated and that is no different than this book. While Iris and Meph are enjoying their friends with benefits..things are happening and no one is safe. This story will take you on a wild ride and a little bit of an emotional roller coaster. The banter is next level but the reasons for why Meph and Iris behave the way they do is a bit heartbreaking. I love a great PNR romance and this one is OUTSTANDING! The perfect blend of suspense with a bit of humor and emotion plus add in a cute little puppy with a secret and you have a winner. This book was fabulous and I will definitely be picking up the first 2 that I missed in the series.

I went into this book completely blind and just based off of the title alone. I was looking for a short, fun read and this did not disappoint! I was pleasantly surprised by the deeper themes about self-loathing, acceptance, and choosing happiness as well as the fact this is actually a monster romance! In brief, we have Iris, a bitter witch with a traumatic past who is essentially consumed with anger and has a very scathing demeanor coming to terms with her feelings for Meph, a demon who uses jokes and banter to hide his self-loathing as he has a monstrous darker form that’s he’s been keeping from seeing the light of day. When a vicious enemy reappears, Iris and Meph realize their feelings for one another and work together to make sure Meph isn’t consumed by his dark side. I enjoyed our main characters and it was refreshing to read about a hot-headed FMC who makes the wrong decisions but is self-aware enough to acknowledge her poor decisions and try to make amends. While she’s a bit cruel at the beginning to Meph, Iris demonstrates a lot of growth throughout the story and redeems herself. Meph was just a lovable character from the start. I enjoyed his banter, snark, and learning about his more artistic side and darker side. This is a fast-paced book so the enemies-to-lovers theme happens quite quickly but watching the romance develop into something deeper was a very enjoyable journey. The spice was very good and again, remember, this is a monster romance! That’s all I’ll say!

While technically Demon with Benefits is the third installment in the Hell Bent series, I found myself able to easily follow along with the plot and the backstory despite not having read the first two books. The author did a great job of providing crucial backstories and recaps of key plot points from the other books that I was able to get up to speed and understand how previous events got our characters to where they are now. That being said, I would recommend readers to read the first two books prior to reading Demon with Benefits as it will definitely enhance your reading experience and understanding of different characters and villains you meet (do as I say, not as I do!). The story is told is third person and we do get chapters focusing on other characters in the series which helps progress the overall plot in the series.

Thank you so much Aurora Ascher and Hambright PR for the gifted eARC via Netgalley!

Demon with benefits was a great read and a excellent part of the series.
I immediately got sucked in and read the book in one sitting. The character development between Meph and Iris made me incredibly happy, especially since Iris was so cruel in the beginning.
The suspense, humor, multiple POVs, spice and more made this a phenomenal read and everything was nicely balanced.

Definitely a top read for me!

Iris and Meph back and forth banter was so hot and little Faust was so cute and it broke my heart when I found out why he was taken.Iris's realization that she loved Meph and had to find him although I was terrified of them not making it, loved it. Meph’s demon form while terrifying was also so cute he how at a deeper level he did recognize iris and the weakling. Also, I'm glad meph opened up more with his art. And I'm glad Dan got his head out of his ass.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(5/5)
Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

I’ve read and loved the first two books in this series, so I was very excited to dive into Demon with Benefits—and it did not disappoint!

Aurora Archer continues to deliver that perfect mix of steamy, witty, and unexpectedly emotional storytelling. I was immediately pulled back into this world, and the third book might just be my favorite yet. The chemistry between the MC is absolutely electric—the kind of tension that keeps you flipping pages way past your bedtime.

What I loved most, though, was how layered and human the characters felt. Yes, there’s spice (and it is spicing), but there’s also a real depth to their connection, with moments that genuinely tugged at my heart. The paranormal elements were just the right mix of dark, fun, and fresh.

If you’ve been following this series, you need to read this one. And if you haven’t started it yet, consider this your sign. Demon romance fans, morally gray love interests, and anyone craving banter and burn—you’re going to love this.

#DemonWithBenefitsDeluxeLimitedEdition #NetGalley #AuroraArcher #ParanormalRomance #DarkRomance #SpicyReads #BookReview #BookRecommendations #BookLover #eARC #RomanceBooks #MorallyGrayMen #FantasyRomance #DemonRomance

This wasn’t really a bad book, but it failed to gain and hold my attention. While it gives background information from the previous books, it felt out of context. I thought the demon and witch aspect would be more fun, but it really lacked that spark. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the book for me. I was disappointed. However, I might still try another book by the author.

This was super precious! Meph is my favorite of the demon brothers so far but Iris is my least favorite love interest she is really judgemental for no real reason and the resolution between them feels super random and rushed rather than realistic given how she treats him for the first two thirds of the book. This book makes me super excited for Raum’s story and Mummurs as well. Overall it’s just a fun little romcom with low stakes and demon love interest. Meph’s demon form is my favorite so far. The interaction between the demon brother is always super precious and fun so it’s a very easy read.

I struggled a little with this book having not read the previous 2. While this can be read as a standalone, there were references throughout to the previous books and I found it hard to be fully immersed in this story knowing there was a lot I didn’t know/have any reference to.

I enjoyed Iris and Meph’s banter and their chemistry was off the charts.

Monster kink isn’t really my thing, but the spicy scenes between Iris and Meph were spicin’!!

I actually found Meph’s demon kinda cute and I’m concerned about myself haha.

A shorter read and mostly enjoyable.

Okay, I’ll be real- I came for the banter and the monster spice, but I stayed for the emotional gut-punches I didn’t see coming.

Demon with Benefits is all snark, flirtation, and sexual tension that is so thick you could bottle it and sell it as demon pheromones. Meph is that cocky, tattooed disaster you know is hiding a heart of gold under all the sarcasm. And Iris is sharp-tongued, emotionally walled-up, and not here for anyone’s nonsense… except maybe his.

Their relationship is enemies-with-serious-benefits, but it evolves into something way deeper. And the way it unfolds, through mutual bruises, trauma, and painfully slow trust-building, is honestly kind of beautiful. These two are messy, complicated, and very real in their damage, which makes their connection feel like their chemistry is not for-plot’s-sake.

Also... The demon form scenes were wildly hot. Meph’s inner monster isn’t just for show- his character arc accepting that part of himself hit harder than I expected. And Iris loving all of him (fangs, claws, tentacle tongue and all) was exactly the kind of monstrous metaphor for self-acceptance I didn’t know I needed.

Aurora’s writing hits that sweet spot between hilarious and hearwarming. The brotherhood between the demons continues to be chaotic perfection, and the world keeps expanding in a way that feels exciting without overwhelming the romance.

My final thoughts: This book was filthy, funny, and full of heart. 10/10 would sell my soul to the Hell Bent crew again!

Omg loved this so hard. The grumpy x sunshine characters. The spice! We won’t talk about that but it’s spicy. I was so happy to be reading this book after getting a peck of these characters in the last book! This one might be better then the last book!

Demon with Benefits is book two in the series but can be read by itself. Who doesn't love a good vampire romance, enemies to lovers.

If you love spicy, paranormal romance, then you won't want to miss the third book in the Hell Bent series, Demon with Benefits. While the spice, for me, went to some levels I wasn't expecting it to go, I really enjoyed the overall story. This was my first read in the Hell Bent series, but Ascher writes in background information for the previous books, so I found that the storyline was very easy to follow.

My favorite part of the book was the found family aspect, and the relationships between the characters. I enjoyed the antagonistic relationship between the FMC and MMC, and the the feelings they develop for one another, while undergoing their own individual character growth.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐓𝐨 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭:
* TW: Parent Death, Violence, Gore, Panic Attacks
* Witch/Demon Romance
* Found Family
* Sarcasm & Humor
* Overcoming Past Trauma
* Emerging Magic
* Sibling Relationship

𝐈𝐬 𝐈𝐭 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐲?
🥵 (Yes...very)

If you are looking for an easy, fun paranormal read with spicy romance for your spooky season or Fall TBR, Demon with Benefits would make a great addition!

Great story!! Loved this read a lot, it was fun and different! I would definitely read more from this author and recommend this book to a friend or coworker! Thank you for the opportunity to read the ARC!

something about the “I hate everyone but you” trope always gets me. The relationship between these two definitely gave me that vibe for both of them!!! I loved that we got to see how a woman actually puts up walls to protect herself after an awful relationship & seeing a MAN tear them down😮‍💨. I seriously loved the push and pull of their dynamic and devoured this book!

This is book three in the Hell Bent series, and while I haven’t read the first two (My Funny Demon Valentine and My Demon Hunter), I still really enjoyed Demon with Benefits. That said, I do think reading them in order would help you feel a bit more connected to the larger cast and backstory. Still, you can definitely enjoy this one as a standalone!

This story follows Meph, a demon who hides his pain behind humor, and Iris, a hot headed witch who wants nothing to do with demons or commitment. Both characters are emotionally guarded and dealing with trauma, so when sparks start flying, they agree to keep things casual: a no strings attached, friends with benefits situation. Of course, that doesn't last long.

The chemistry between them is intense, and I loved watching their dynamic slowly shift as they started to actually care for each other. Their banter is fun, the steam is high, and there’s a lot of heart beneath the surface. Meph especially surprised me there’s so much vulnerability behind his cocky grin.

The romance leans into monster kink and paranormal tropes (yes, there are claws, fangs, tongue 😂 etc.), so if you’re into spicy monster romances, this will hit the spot.

I’ll definitely be going back to read books one and two!

I absolutely loved this reverse grumpy-sunshine romance where *Iris* is the grump and *Meph* is the sunshine. Both characters are hiding behind layers of trauma, but their chemistry is undeniable. We’re pulled back into the world where the twin witches and the demon boys are in hiding, with new demons and hellhounds adding to the chaos.

It’s such a treat to see cameos from previous characters—the story feels like a natural extension of the earlier books. This world is packed with quirky, lovable, and deeply flawed characters you can’t help but root for. It’s like a spicy Hallmark town with demons, magic, and heart.

I’m already counting down the days until the next book!


4.25 stars.

How is it you can be attracted to the one demon that can push your buttons better than anyone?

Demon with Benefits brings us back to our favorite group of witches, angels, nephilim, and demons as their story continues. Valefore is still searching for the twin witches, the demons are still in hiding from hell, and a hellhound may be a new issue that needs to be solved.

Iris is a no nonsense witch with black cat vibes. Mephistopheles (Meph) is the sunshine demon who is hiding a darkness no one sees. Ascher brings their story to life through trauma, understanding, and healing. Neither character can become their full self until they heal, but this seems like a monumental task. Iris and Meph fight demons, both literally and figuratively, as they fight the attraction that is the definition of a spark turning into a flame.

Ascher continues this series with the type of writing that keeps you engrossed in the story and makes you want more as soon as it ends. The world she creates is fun to immerse yourself in as you follow the characters through this part of their story.

I have loved getting lost in this series and can only imagine that it will get better as we discover what happens as we see Raum and Belial’s piece of the story unfold.