Nancy and Jack were a really sweet couple. Starting out as taking that chance and getting to know Jack, Nancy was fun and learning her magic. I felt the book did great on pacing and building the world. It was a second in a series, but totally stand alone and I did not feel lost.

This book was filled with mystery for me. In a good way. Both Nancy and Jake, two total opposites but yet still attracted to each other in their own way but never wanted to admit it. Actually……I probably shouldn’t say “never wanted to admit it” on Jack’s end. Knowing that he couldn’t say it because of what position he was put into. They both fought for each other's love in their own kind of way even though it took them awhile to realize it. So much could have been said to each other but kept to themselves til the end. It was a great read. Kept me on my feet for wanting to know more.

I'm really torn on this book, because there were things I really liked about it, but there was a lot that I really didn't.

Let's start with the good: The concept was cute and cozy. Small town, grumpy-sunshine vibes, main character owns a bookstore.. All things to love. Lots of tv/movie references that were intertwined throughout the plot and used in the funniest way. I went into this expecting a cheesy little paranormal rom-com, and for the most part, it delivered in that way.

But the bad: For me, the dialogue was way to over-the-top, bordering on painful. Though there were references to Roseanne and Frasier , the dialogue felt almost Shakespearean at times. With the "Oh, my love, my love" and overdramatic repetition of words and phrases.. it just did NOT fit the setting or the overall vibes of the book for me. There were so many times that the dialogue was so distracting, I would read two pages and realize I had no idea what had just happened or what was going on in the story. There was a lot that wasn't ever explained properly, and a lot that just didn't make sense. The dialogue just made everything feel muddy. Some characters just accepted life-altering news like it was nothing, the magic system was hardly explained, and I'm still a bit confused by the ending.

Overall, the book isn't bad. The premise is cute and cozy, and there were a lot of moments that made me laugh out loud. The bones of the book are great, but it just seems like the execution fell short. The dialogue was trying too hard to be poetic and felt like it clashed with the setting and the story itself. It was still a fun read, and I enjoyed it enough, but it had the potential to be better.

This was such a good paranormal/supernatural rom-com. The banter was so fun and really helped keep me interested throughout. You get fake dating, slow burn, no 3rd act breakup, and plenty of hijinks to keep you giggling throughout. I didn't realize this was book 2 and I definitely plan on going back and reading the first one because I thoroughly enjoyed this!

When I was sent an ARC of this book, I didn't realize that it was the second book in a series. I had not previously read book one, but that didn't impede my ability to read and enjoy this book. I liked Nancy and Jack, and something about their interactions and romance reminded me of Beauty and the Beast. Their personalities seemed to compliment each other. A negative was that their growth/development felt surface level and needed more development. A big challenge for me was underwhelming wolrd building and very slow pacing. I kept waiting for something interesting to happen for so long that my interest kept waning. Also, when I read a book I want the wolrd to come alive in my mind because of its detailed development. Overall, it was a cute story that I'm sure others will enjoy.

Thank you to Charlotte Stein, and St Martin’s Griffin publishing for my advanced readers copy in exchange of my honest review!


I really enjoyed reading this book. I felt the two main characters Nancy and Jack. Nancy is a witch who faced institutionalization as a child. Jack, is the son of the devil and has never met his expectations. Nancy helps him understand humans and gives him some dating lessons in the book to use on this girl he loves. Definitely very intriguing and I enjoyed the dialogue between both Jack and Nancy. Very charming story with a little bit of steaminess at times.

This book is expected to be published on October 7th 2025.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Dealing with a Desperate Demon
by Charlotte Stein

I didn't realize that this was book 2 in a series until after reading it. I happen to own book 1. It's on my never-ending ending TBR. 🤣 I will absolutely be reading it, too! This was such a quirky, fun, paranormal read.

Nancy is a bookstore owner who had a tough time as a child. She doesn't have many friends and spends most of her time with her pug, Popcorn.

Jack is pretty much a mess. He seems to cause a stir wherever he goes and is quite eccentric.

Jack goes to Nancy's bookstore one day to peruse the self-help section. He's trying to figure out the ladies! 😆 After a flustering interaction, he leaves. She feels bad and takes the book he was reading to his house.

Oh my! The ride we go on from there is a wild one. Along the way, we discover she's a witch. Her father sent her away to a mental hospital when she was a child and essentially made her repress all of her magical abilities. And Jack, he's a demon trying to undo a spell put upon him. 😉 There's essentially fake dating and the best slow burn I've read in a while! There's no 3rd act break-up, and we get a HEA.

I absolutely loved Popcorn. He's so sassy. And Steve! Steve is Jack's truck. I love his communication through songs on the radio. I caught a couple of Meatloaf songs in his repertoire. ❤️ me some Meatloaf!

I received an ARC of this book, but these opinions are my own. I would like to thank the author Charlotte Stein, Net Galley, and St. Martin's Press for this ARC opportunity.

Dealing with a Desperate Demon is a quirky and delightful paranormal rom-com that blends humor, heart, and a touch of magic. Nancy, a bookish bookstore owner, is roped into helping Jack Jackson—a grumpy, socially awkward man who turns out to be the demonic son of Satan—learn how to date his fated mate. Their chemistry is offbeat and endearing, with plenty of banter and unexpected moments. The story is lighthearted and fun, with just the right amount of spice and sweetness. If you're looking for a charming, feel-good read with a supernatural twist, this one's a winner.

I would probably bump this more to a 3.5 star personally. The verbiage, while totally necessary with Jack's vibes and persona felt a little weird. I did however love Popcorn, the dog. and I also really enjoyed that basically she wished for him and all the beauty and the beast vibes! a fun little read!

Jack is the village misfit, and Nancy is a quirky bookseller with a complicated past. What starts as a series of fake dates, meant to help Jack learn how to behave like a human, slowly becomes something more heartfelt. Nancy is a witch who was institutionalized as a child due to her father's fear of her imagination. Jack, the Devil’s son, has never lived up to his father’s expectations. He has no taste for evil and struggles to understand people. Nancy decides to help him navigate human life and possibly free him from a mysterious curse.

This is the second book in a series, but it mostly stands on its own. Reading the first book does give some added context for side characters, though it is not essential to understand the plot. I actually enjoyed this installment more than the first.

Despite the fun premise and intriguing setup, I found parts of the story underwhelming. As someone who loves Beauty and the Beast-inspired narratives, I was hoping for something richer. While the characters were interesting, I found it difficult to form a real emotional connection with them. Their development felt surface-level, and the story did not explore its world or its emotional core as deeply as I had hoped.

The pacing was another issue. Some parts of the book moved too slowly, while others felt rushed, especially near the end. The twists and big moments could have used more time to develop. Although I usually prefer stories that are light on fluff, this one could have used a little more substance to fill in some gaps and strengthen the emotional impact.

Overall Rating - 3.5 Stars
Heat Level - 🌶️🌶️

It's funny, pretty fast paced, and I loved the characters! I was rooting for Jack and Nancy from the beginning. Jack was a refreshing MMC- he's insecure, gentle, and definitely a bit skittish in the beginning. I loved how much Nancy helped him overcome his insecurities. My biggest complaint is that I wanted more of everything from this book! it could've been double the length with more world building and character background and I would've eaten it up.

I wanted to love it because I love beauty and the beast but just certain parts of it fell flat for me. I wasnt a huge fan of the pace of the book and overall some parts felt really rushed and other parts just felt too slow. I did like the FMC and the MC they had loveable and fun personalities. Thanks so much for the Arc

If you've read the blurb, then you know that this is a Beauty and the Beast type sendup in an adorable little town, with some paranormal things going on. I really liked this. It's not quite My Fair Lady in the dates, but I can't help but go back to it. Nancy is teaching Jack 'How To Woo a Woman 101.' She's showing him how to share his more vulnerable and caring side. Having the gruff guy try his hardest at these things is very cute.

Jack was an interesting character. Obviously, we as the reader get a bit more objectivity than Nancy in this story. He's gruff, but he's not necessarily trying to be cranky and really trying hard. He beats himself up all the time though and it is a bit heartbreaking. Human doubt, am I right?

Nancy is trying to figure herself out, or rather recently rediscovered herself. She does have some traumatic backstory that is told in s somewhat lighter way. It doesn't go too nitty gritty into the details, but there's a part of me that wants to know why she stayed in this town. What her favorite take out place is, and is she totally lonely on the weekends or absorbed in work? And we did get to see a part of her, but I do wish we got to see more of her. Half of the journey felt like exploring her new found power and the other half is teaching this guy how to date. I will say it's totally believable to brush off those questioning moments around Jack. People tend to believe the easiest answer and when it comes to magic, they're not always looking for the magic answer.

It's the second in the series, but you don't really need to know that much about what went on in that book, like a good 90% of this story will make sense without, although it does help explain what those characters are up to when they're in the story. I did like it more than the first in the series.

I encountered Charlotte Stein's writing this year and some of things I've enjoyed about it is how easily she slips consent into these dealings. She tends to be pretty good about contraception stuff too, and just easily adding it in and not making a big deal. I know some readers want to immerse themselves in total fantasy, but I like these little moments of care. Again, they're last all of one sentence and it's never that big of a deal, just something totally normal and easy.

Dealing with a Desperate Demon is a cute, Beauty and the Beast-like magical romance. I had a lot of fun reading this one, it's sweet, funny and deals with some deeper themes, such as emotional abuse by a parent. Nancy is a witch but her father wanted her to stop living in her fantasical world and commited her as a child, which affects her greatly as an adult. Jack is the Devil's son, but doesn't live up to his father's standards, as he doesn't like hell or punishing bad people. Jack doesn't know how to be a human so Nancy takes it upon herself to teach him and try to help him break a curse. My biggest issue with the book was that everything just kinda was with no explaination. The curse was never really explained and then the resolution just happened and was super easy.
Thanks St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC!
3.5/5 stars

Dealing with a Desperate Demon by Charlotte Stein
He’s a loser in the village, she’s a cute bookseller - they have fake dates for educational purposes and then she rescues him from a fate she hemmed him into.
There’s a lot about this book I like - setting, concept, sexiness - but it falls flat in execution. It almost feels like a sketch that hasn’t been fleshed out yet. It needs further explanation, it needs deeper world building and the pacing is chaotic. I had a hard time following the thread and reasoning for anything, really, and the silliness was off-putting with the rest of the story. Sorry, this one had too many problems for me.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Dealing with a Desperate Demon follows Nancy as she helps a demon (unknowingly) be more human and break his curse. However the demon has learned how to be a human from books and tv shows and is the most awkward human. This delightful and quirky book was a fun read.
Things I really enjoyed - how awkward the demon was - Charlotte Stein did an amazing job at making you feel how uncomfortable some of the situations were which provided some good laughs as well! I also enjoyed the magical elements in this book.
I did struggle a bit with the timeline in this book (it felt very fast) and some parts of the story felt unnecessarily long.
This was a 3.5⭐️ read for me - would recommend to anyone looking for a quirky love story with an awkward demon.

This book has a unique and intriguing premise, blending paranormal elements with a touch of humor. The idea of a desperate demon needing help in the most unexpected of ways was definitely fun, and there were moments that made me laugh and smile.
However, the story felt a bit shallow for my taste. While the characters were interesting, I found it hard to really connect with them, and their development was somewhat limited. The plot, though creative, didn’t delve as deeply into the world-building or the emotional stakes as I had hoped. The pacing also felt uneven at times, with parts of the story dragging a bit.

That said, it’s still an enjoyable, light read for fans of paranormal romance or quirky humor, just don’t expect a story with much depth or complexity. It’s fun, but it could have used more substance to truly stand out.

Let me know if you’d like to make any

Thank you so much st. Martin press for an early look!! I hate to leave such a low review because I loved this authors debut novel “how to help a hungry werewolf” but this book just was not it. I have no idea what happened with this book but it felt like she was continually trying to reach a word count. I mean the entirety of chapter 8 is just describing the fmc teaching the mmc how to hug, I’m pretty sure there was only 12 lines of dialogue in the whole chapter. The mmc dialogue was super cringy, the fmc had absolutely no confidence whatsoever making the inner dialogue insufferable, there was no chemistry between the characters and again the description and inner monologue was the entire book.

NANCY IS MY FAVORITE!! No, wait, JACK IS MY FAVORITE! Oh heck, they are both my favorite!! I loved this book! Grumpy sunshine at its finest, Nancy is so sweet and kind and giving and Jack is so lovely and awkward and giving. Watching Nancy try to help Jack was absolutely lovely and engaging, I could not put this book down!!

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was an engaging read! I enjoyed the plot and would read it again.