I found the over all story to be quirky and cute but the fact that she doesn't even find out he's a demon until half way through the book is annoying.
While Nancy questions why he keeps saying ' normal human stuff' etc she never really pushes it further until the big reveal.
Jack turns out to be this soft, mushy, misunderstood demon in a human suit. I found the first 75 pages or so endearing that he's trying better himself for his crush (who we all know is Nancy). It gets very tedious and a bit exhausting as the story progresses because like I said, we're well past the point of knowing it's Nancy he fancies.
He continues to call Nancy kid through out the book which I really disliked, especially after the sexual encounters.
I wish Nancy explored more of herself and the fact that
SHES A WITCH. She didn't even read the books!!! I wanted her to read the books!!!!! Less lusting over jack and more WITCH BOOK READING.
I really liked the idea of this story, I just wish it was executed better.
Thank you to St Martin's press for the arc.

4/5 stars! Fake dating?!?! Yes please! A demon that doesn't wanna follow in his daddy's footsteps? Yum! I love this book. It's very cute. It is my first read by author Charlotte Stein, but it won't be the last. Nancy was not quite as lovable as a character, but overall, I did like her and Jack together.

Liked this romance of a witch and demon. It was a good romance and loved seeing the previous couple in the book. Loved that they found love and was able to help each other.
Thanks to net galley for letting me read this book

The second half of this book just flew by for me, the first half set everything up! You guess certain things, and some are right, others not so much. You feel for the characters, his embarrassment, her awkwardness, his uncertainty, her feigned nonchalant, and then they pack you with the power feelings when it all falls apart. But the relief, the wonderment, the deep-seeded joy when they figure it all out, that was the best feeling of all <3

This book was so creative and funny and cute and a million other wonderful things. Grumpy demon Jack and sunshine bookstore owner Nancy are too perfect for each other and the shenanigans that ensue are funny, spicy, and entertaining.

An enjoyable and quirky read that proves everyone has a someone out there and waiting for them to love. It was just a fun journey and I loved the main characters and their love story.

Bummed out to give this such a low rating, because I loved the first book and I was really excited about this one. It had a lot of what I love from this author and in #1, snappy dialogue, funny moments, lots of emotional weight, but it lacked a few crucial elements.

I loved Nancy, but I feel like we didn't get enough of her. We know crucial details about Nancy, and we have a feel for her personality. But so much about her remains unknown to us. How did her parents die? We know they are both dead, and were divorced, but what did Nancy do with her life between the mental hospital and her mid thirties? We don't know. She feels emotionally true to me, and I got enough from her background to connect with her, but so much was left out.

I love that Nancy's spells are written out, and her stories are so powerful. Her being the one to give Jack his human form and "free" him from hell is so cool, but I wanted to know more about this story-spell of hers. I was hoping it was only being left vague at the beginning so we could get something at the climax that reveals he is the guy from her spell a la Practical Magic. Instead, all we get is more vagueness about the story also having a deal with the devil component because the devil is Jack's dad. I didn't mind the spell having some outside conditions, but it's never fully laid out and I think that would have been cool! The ending is so rushed, it could have been a nice addition. I was disappointed that the ending doesn't really resolve Nancy's bookstore issues either, it's brought up that she's struggling financially but that never comes back.

I did love Jack and his whole vibe, he's a sweet loving guy who had no tenderness and just wants to be loved. His upbringing is very toxic masculinity coded (toxic demonicity?) and I liked him setting that aside to do things he loves. I did think the dating lessons were contrived and it made no sense that he waited until a month before the deadline. He doesn't even really approach Nancy at all. I think that if she hadn't gone out of her way to try and help him, he would have simply disappeared and no one would have ever known what happened to him. We also know very little about his life, though his characterization is so strong it almost doesn't matter. What does he do with his time? Does he work? Is he independently wealthy?

I think overall this book felt unfinished and not fully baked yet. It's difficult because I love parts of it so much, but the whole didn't meet my expectations.

Nancy and Jack were so much fun! A very unique story with a lot of charm. The wit and the imagery were comedic gold. Popcorn is definitely my favorite character.

I love Charlotte Stein. Her rambling, all over the place style isn’t for everyone, but when I see her pop up, it’s an automatic request. With her I know I’ll get a good time with all the feels and the perfect amount of spice.

This is the second book in a series. Nancy and Jack are both desperate for success in the love department. Jack goes to Nancy's bookstore in search of help, and she provides it in the form of coaching. The only catch is that Jack is the son of Satan, and since he has spent his life fulfilling that role, he is now looking to become a better person, especially in order to attract the woman he is bound to be with. It is important he win her over, otherwise everyone in his orbit that he cares for will suffer a terrible fate. Will Nancy and her witchy powers be able to save him? And how will they overcome the truth that, while having feelings for the other, he is not fated to her?

This was a great follow up to the first book. In fact, the demonic storyline doesn't take a central role in this book, and we really get to flesh out the characters and their respective issues. And once the relationship does take off, we have solid characters with a vested interest in their relationship, so the spicey element feels natural and not just thrown in. The demonic element just adds a bit of flair to an already solid storyline.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/St. Martin's Griffin for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 Stars – Sweet, Spicy, and a Bit Strange (ARC Review)

I received an ARC of Dealing with a Desperate Demon by Charlotte Stein, and overall, I really enjoyed it! It’s quirky, fun, and full of that signature Stein heat and heart. The dynamic between the leads is delightfully odd in the best way—equal parts soft and spicy, with a lot of emotional depth underneath the chaos.

The demon love interest was such a fun surprise—awkward, desperate (in a charming way), and unexpectedly tender. I liked their connection and how the romance unfolded with a kind of vulnerable sincerity that Stein always does so well.

That said, one thing that did pull me out of the story was his habit of calling her “kid.” It didn’t quite sit right with me in a romantic context and felt a little off considering the nature of their relationship. It was small, but it definitely stuck with me.

Still, this was a unique and enjoyable read with plenty of heart, charm, and steam. If you’re into unconventional romances with demons, feelings, and a touch of chaos, this one’s worth picking up.

Ms. Stein is a master at creating tension between the couples she writes about. This story was no different. We all love a man who yearns and a woman who only realizes when it’s almost too late. I would recommend 1,000 times over.

ARC REVIEW! (Thanks NETGALLEY!)

Oh god I really Hate to do this because I love Charlotte Stein but holy hell I hated This book.

The thing with me and paranormal books, I need Details and reasoning for things. This book was just like “oh this happened just because it can”. And it didn’t fly for me.

The pacing seemed off, we and Nancy don’t find out he’s a demon until 50% in even though it’s literally the title of the book.

The whole premise of the book is that Nancy is helping Jack with dating lessons so he can get with the girl he loves. WE ALL KNOW HES TALKING ABOUT HER EXCEPT HER. It was just annoying.

Then there was just all this goofy nonsense like a talking dog and a shape shifting (I think?) talking truck named Steve.

The actual premise of the book was super sweet like she cast a spell to create the man of her dreams but she doesn’t get to finish completing it but the execution and explanation of everything made no sense to me.

I’m sorry! I still Love you Charlotte! 😭😭😭

This was really cute. I’m glad I gave this author’s work a second chance. It had more emotional depth than I was expecting and I loved that.

I love Charlotte’s writing style and will definitely consume this one again as an audiobook. I usually hate only one POV but her prose is so conversational that it doesn’t bother me and the MMC is obviously obsessed with the FMC so I’m good! What I love about the book is that the spice pushes the story forward. It’s not just there for the sake of spice. There were sometimes I was confused and had to go back to figure out who was talking.

How to Help a Hungry Warewolf was one of my favorite reads of 2024- so I had high hopes going into this.

I liked both of the main characters individually- but I just wasn't invested in their relationship and I found myself very tempted to DNF about 50% in.

This lacked the chemistry between characters that Stein typically does so well. The plus-size representation is flawless as always.

In this magical small town, Nancy is a quirky bookstore owner whose quiet world is regularly disrupted by the town weirdo Jack Jackson. Nancy offers to help him fit in and ultimately act as his romance coach. However, Jack isn’t all he appears to be.

It can be challenging for me when books set out to be a retelling of a well known story (this book was meant to be a bit of a Beauty and the Beast retelling). Unfortunately, if it is selling itself as a retelling, my brain wants the stories to run in really clear parallel. I found myself a little distracted each moment this sorry and the original tale of Beauty and the Beast didn’t align.

That being said, I liked the main characters. Jack was unintentionally hilarious. I did feel like both his and Nancy’s motives could’ve been clearer moment by moment (the whole “kid” nickname REALLY threw me. If you have a legit crush on her, why would you pick “kid” as your nickname?). The air of mystery surrounding both characters added to the chaotic feeling (which I guess may have been the point, but still. There was a lot of back and forth in my mind of “Wait, does she realize he likes her? This is supposed to be Beauty and the Beast so surely he actually likes her… right?”).

Overall, not a bad fantasy book! It did keep me interested from start to finish. I genuinely wanted to know if the couple would make their deadline in time. In despite of the semi-chaotic storytelling, there were lots of funny, entertaining moments throughout.

Dealing with a Desperate Demon is Charlotte Stein's second tradpub paranormal, I believe, and you can see the growth from How to Help a Hungry Werewolf. Given that Stein wanted the book to be "Horny Werewolf" and not "Hungry," I wonder if this one's working title was "Dicked Down by the Desperate Demon." 😂

Nancy's traumatic childhood led to an anxious adult always willing to believe the worst of herself. Of course the grumpy big hot guy hates her. She's "too much." But when she sees what book he's checking out in her bookstore, she has to help him, even if it means putting her heart in a place where it will get hurt.

The "demon" stuff doesn't kick in till almost halfway through the book but, surprisingly, it doesn't make for a pacing issue. Getting wrapped up in these characters' issues was a delight, so while the reveal isn't much for the reader who saw the title, the weight of it is still felt because of the easy empathy that comes with main character Nancy.

Expect as much fun as the raccoon from the first book, and a little bit tighter of a story here.

Charlotte Stein delivers another devilishly delightful romance in Dealing with a Desperate Demon—a heartfelt, hilarious, and wildly charming story that proves love can be found in the most unexpected (and infernal) places. It’s a perfectly balanced blend of steamy, sweet, and supernatural, with a lovable heroine, a tortured demon, and enough emotional depth to keep you turning pages long into the night.

Nancy is relatable from the start—sharp, kind, and just about ready to give up on love when Jack Jackson strolls into her quiet little bookstore. He’s everything she should stay far away from—hulking, grumpy, and known around town as the ultimate lost cause. But there’s something beneath the surface, and Nancy, being Nancy, agrees to help him brush up on his romance skills. What she doesn’t expect? That Jack’s dream girl isn’t just out of his league—she might be the key to saving his very soul.

Jack is a beautifully written contradiction. Yes, he's the son of Satan, but underneath all the fire and brimstone, he’s awkward, earnest, and longing to be good. His slow transformation—fueled by Nancy’s encouragement and their deepening connection—is equal parts hilarious and heartbreakingly sincere. Charlotte gives us a monster who aches to be more than what he was made to be, and it’s impossible not to fall for him right alongside Nancy.

There’s magic here, and not just the literal kind. Charlotte’s signature wit sparkles on every page, but it’s the emotional resonance that gives this book its power. The tension between who we’re supposed to be and who we choose to become plays out beautifully through Jack and Nancy’s relationship. Their chemistry is off the charts, but it’s the mutual healing that makes it unforgettable.

Dealing with a Desperate Demon is everything you want in a paranormal romance—funny, tender, sexy, and full of heart. If you’ve ever rooted for the beast to win the girl, or wondered if maybe the monster isn’t such a monster after all, this one’s for you.

Absolutely recommended for fans of magical misfits, unlikely love stories, and demons with a soft side.

Jack is the demonic son of Satan who really needs help finding his dream girl. Nancy has magical powers in her bloodline and can help him....

Love this fun romantic paranormal. Jack is hilarious unintentionally and Nancy is sassy. Love their relationship... Lots of funny scenes.... terrific funny paranormal.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.