4.5/5

I loved this story. I had a great time reading it. At some points, it was a bit slow, but when things were happening, I was invested. I am very happy with how it ended, I thought it was a good ending for them and something they deserved. I am very happy with this. I knew that it was going to be up my alley from the description alone.

Exorcist con artists facing a real demon possession? Delicious.

Thank you to She Writes Press and E.L. Deards for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The premise of this book sold me immediately, and I loved the exorcism hijinks and early banter. The dynamic between Colton and Lucian was entertaining, and I thoroughly enjoyed much of this novel. Even when I was frustrated, I wanted to know what would happen next.

However, I started to feel like I was being left out of all the fun, with the story skipping over large periods and only briefly stopping to address them. Weeks (or months) would pass in a line, while the next scene would spend pages stuck in Colton’s thoughts. I couldn’t get a handle on the pacing, and it pulled me out of the story.

The writing itself seemed to flourish in some places, with beautiful and detailed language about the settings and ambiance. The author immerses us in the world she’s created, and I appreciated that. But there were some world-building details that I struggled to understand. Even at the end, I’m not sure I fully understand the Ivory/Iron/Indigo division, although it was fundamental to the plot.

Overall, this had an excellent premise and world concept, but I felt like there were a few places it could have been tightened up.

This book felt like two stories in one: the first half being a light-hearted, soft romance between a scammer from a long line of demon hunters and a disgraced aristocrat looking to save his sister from an arranged marriage. The dynamic between Colton and Lucian is fun, full of banter and mischief as we accompany them through their adventures. It's not too intense, E.L. Deards draws a good balance between serious scenes and the light moments between the main characters.

The second half takes a very dark turn, and at times feels like a different book entirely. The boys' adventures (and enemies) catch up to them, and Lucian is possessed by a very real demon—one hellbent on using Lucian's wealth and status to bathe the city in fire and create a new one in his image. It was a bit more dark than I was expecting, with lots of gore, death, and scenes that allude to or include sexual assault. The entire second half is a rollercoaster of a read, I can say there were a lot of times I didn't expect the next twist and was in shock—but I honestly really enjoyed this story.

However, I felt that some of the scenes of sexual assault were glossed over. I know the character in question was possessed and not able to react, but that's a lot of trauma being drug back up and relived. Plus, watching your partner go through that is an unimaginable, horrible experience that I don't think was really addressed. In retrospect, it felt like a lot of their struggles weren't touched on as much, especially when it comes to how it affects relationships (e.g sexual abuse, drug abuse, etc).

There were a few smaller issues I had with the novel, but I think they all can be boiled down to a lack of depth. I think this story really could have benefited from spending more time on the important parts. The build up to the romance, the bond Colton and Lucian share, the trauma they each have and go through, the side characters, the flow of the narrative—even the setting. I know it only takes place in the Iron and Ivory districts, but we almost complete skip over the Indigo district (just like our characters). We get so much focus on the differences in culture between Ivory and Iron—beyond wealth differences—but know nothing about the district that resides between them.

Despite the criticism, I really enjoyed this book and all the fun aesthetics and images—the jellyfish, the lavender symbolism, the steampunk Victorian setting, and the undercurrent of violence that is present even during the light-hearted parts of the book. I can't wait to see what E.L Deards comes out with next and just hope she grows as an author.

DNF at 37%

I'm so sorry to say that I did not like this book. I was excited about the concept and it started off strong, but once we started getting into the main story, it became very slow and I kept waiting for the promised possession to happen with no results. The scenes with the actual "exorcisms" were very exciting, but everything in between sort of fell flat.

Many conversations in the book were very cringe and I had to convince myself to continue reading (for example, "rawr" and "this place smells like a butt"). This book presents itself as having a Victorian steampunk vibe, but the language often did not match.

There were inconsistencies throughout as well in the perspective. For the most part, the book is written in 3rd person about Colton, but there were random lines where it became 1st person that didn't make sense.

The world seems interesting, but not much time is spent getting to know it other than sharing that there are 2 halves of this city - the glittery, rich Ivory side, and the rough, poor Iron side.

The main characters were likable and I did enjoy their chemistry.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC, however this one just didn't work for me.

"For readers who loved New York Times bestseller Gideon the Ninth, Deards delivers a queer speculative fiction novel about what happens when a con artist exorcist becomes possessed for real.

A pair of con artist demon exorcists scam the nation's wealthiest...until one of them is possessed for real.

Colton and Lucian make a living conning the desperate with fake exorcisms - Lucian is the charm, Colton the trick, and together, they've turned deception into survival. Their work is dangerous, their romance even riskier, but they've always found a way to stay ahead.

Until Lucian is truly possessed.

A powerful demon takes hold, twisting his body into something unnatural, horrific, wrong - and no priest, no con, no desperate lie can fix it. With time running out and Lucian slipping further away, Colton has no choice but to learn real magic, break every rule, and attempt the impossible.

Because if he fails, Lucian won't just be lost. He'll be something else entirely."

I mean, isn't that always the risk of faking being an exorcist? Getting possessed. For real.

Thank you to NetGalley and the team behind this book for the chance to read!

Unfortunately, this was a 2/5 stars for me. I believe most of that was the misinterpretation of how the book was marketed versus the actual story. It was described as a frenemies to lovers book and while I can see semblings of that, it isn’t true to the story.

Lucian and Colton seemed to instantly get along, respect each other, and only go as far as throw playful banter back and forth on occasion. I see Colton and Lucian’s relationship working beyond this book and believe they are well matched and good for each other. Although, I wish there was a longer period of yearning and tension building. It felt as if that aspect was rushed where very soon after they became business partners it was an unspoken understanding that Colton was in love with Lucian. The romance felt rushed and underdeveloped, making it difficult to fully invest in their connection despite it being a central aspect of the story. One of the main aspects I was excited for was the exploration of how substance abuse impacts relationships. These often silent, struggles so many grapple with matter so much to write about. Although, it did not read as realistic and felt more as a quirk than a real struggle.

My favorite character in the whole ensemble was the pig. What a cute side character and the way the pig was discovered in the beginning of the story was so funny!

The world building started well off but if I was not told that this was based in England I would have never placed it anywhere of the sorts… While the story leans heavily on character development, the execution fell flat at times, with more telling than showing, leaving some character motivations unclear and the pacing uneven. The exorcism scenes were fun but I just wish there had been more of them in action, rather than referred back to.

The book summary drew me in with its unique premise, but the plot meandered and lost focus. There’s definitely potential here, and while it didn’t fully land for me, it could resonate more with readers looking for a supernatural-tinged romance that is quick paced.

Actual rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars

This was such an interesting little read. From the beginning, it gave me similar vibes to “Once Upon a Broken Heart”. It’s light, whimsical, romantic, and not overly serious in tone. It felt more like a cozy adventure than a high-stakes fantasy, which I enjoyed. The story centers on Colton, a charming fraud exorcist, and Lucien, the bubbly aristocrat with an agenda. Their dynamic is fun, and the romance between them is soft and sweet, more emotional than physical, with most intimacy left off the page.

Around 20% in, I was appreciating the tone of the book. It’s adventurous without being too intense and strikes a good balance between magical and lighthearted. That said, some parts felt like they could have been fleshed out more. The exorcisms, for example, are mostly glossed over. I found myself wishing for a bit more texture there to really understand how they pull it all off.

The dialogue was a bit jarring at times, occasionally reading like something out of a much more modern or casual setting. It reminded me of a YA novel, though the book doesn’t seem to be marketed that way. The writing over all felt a little rushed in places. Certain serious events, including scenes that allude to sexual assault, were brushed past so quickly that they left me confused about how I was supposed to feel. It did not seem intentional so much as underdeveloped. Of course I don’t want to read about SA in detail out of nowhere, but it was like the character didn’t even have any reaction to it. It was just odd.

That said, I did enjoy the book. The world was interesting, the characters were darling, and despite the rougher edges, I had a good time reading it. I am curious to see how this could expand into a series, but I’m not sure it set the groundwork well enough for that. Still, if you’re in the mood for something light, romantic, and slightly magical, this book is definitely worth picking up.

I am deeply grateful to NetGalley and She Writes Press for this opportunity to read a digital ARC and provide my honest review.

i really wanted to love this because the premise sounded genuinely so interesting. there’s a nice effort with the character diversity and relationships, which i appreciate a lot and the first half was actually engaging.

the second half was… something. it felt rushed and vague, especially when the story touched on heavier topics and situations that deserved more time and depth. i kept wishing it’d show more than simply just telling this and that happened, it made the writing feel choppy and rushed.

the world building needed more depth and honestly the whole thing got a bit confusing and boring at times because of how things were being handled. there’s definitely potential that just needed a more thought out execution and smoother flow.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC — opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Giving this one 4 stars because I feel bad leaving bad reviews for debut authors. I was so excited by the premise of the book - gay con artists who work together to exorcise demons? It sounded great but unfortunately fell flat. I wanted to love it so bad but the flow of the story and the writing gave me a weird feeling :(

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc

My thanks to She Writes Press and Netgalley for providing me an ARC to read and review.

Colton comes from a long line of Demon Hunters, but does not believe in it. Instead he uses his upbringing providing theatrical exorcisms in order to earn his bread and beer. Lucian is a disowned son of the famous Beaumont family. In order to earn his independence, he creates an exorcism business with Colton. Together they work they way up, until one job leaves Lucian possessed.

The highlight of this story are the characters, absolutely. I love Lucian, I love Colton, I love Mai and Odessa. I will admit, Mai and Odessa are a bit on the blander side. I wish they had a bit more dimension even as side characters, yet I love them regardless. The first half of the story was also incredibly enjoyable. Colton and Lucian's interaction with each other was entertaining and adorable, I absolutely adore how their friendship and romance developed.

The second half of the book is not as good sadly. The story certainly has promise but the story beats didn't hit me as hard due to the pacing of it. I understand that Lucian and Colton are front and center in this story, but I feel other story points in the later half suffered due to the focus on Lucian and Colton's romance. Every major event fell flat due to the lack of build-up towards it. The build-up was often rushed and written in a matter-of-fact matter. We were told a lot, but not shown a lot. In fact, this was the case throughout the book. A lot of focus was between character interactions, not so much on other elements. I didn't have the time to feel the intensity or gravity of the situation.

I still enjoyed it nevertheless, I just wish the second half was a bit better.

This sharp and emotionally charged paranormal romance offers a thrilling blend of dark fantasy, steampunk flair, and reluctant heroism. Colton and Lucian are con artists with chemistry to spare, scamming the elite under the guise of exorcists until a real possession throws their grift into chaos. What starts as a clever, high-stakes con quickly becomes a race against time as the supernatural becomes deadly serious. The tension between the pair simmers with wit and heat, making their shift from frenemies to something deeper feel both natural and hard-won.

Beneath the fast-paced plot and clever worldbuilding lies a poignant exploration of love, identity, and sacrifice. The story doesn’t shy away from the emotional weight of its themes, especially as Colton must confront how far he’s willing to go to save someone he might not be ready to lose. The steampunk setting adds a rich, atmospheric backdrop without overwhelming the heart of the narrative. With its blend of snarky dialogue, romantic angst, and truly eerie stakes, this is a standout romantasy that feels both unique and deeply heartfelt.

Thank you so much to the author for the ARC!
Getting a free copy doesn’t affect my opinion, this review is entirely my own and reflects how I truly felt reading this book.

Let me start by saying: I adored the vibes. The Lavender Blade is the kind of fantasy that feels both poetic and fierce, with an undercurrent of rebellion and longing that got under my skin.

The writing is beautiful and immersive, with a quiet power behind every sentence. I loved the way queerness is celebrated unapologetically in this world, it’s not questioned, just lived. That kind of representation means so much, especially in fantasy where it still often feels rare.

The main character’s journey is subtle but emotional. There's a quiet kind of strength in them that grows with each page, and I really connected with that slow-burning intensity. The pacing is more reflective than action-heavy, but the emotional stakes are high, and the moments of tension hit hard when they come.

Also: the atmosphere? Immaculate. Soft and sharp at the same time, like lavender hiding a blade.

That was a ROLLERCOASTER. Woah.

The first half of the book was so laid back for the most part. Letting us get to know Colton and Lucian, and letting them get to know each other, as they go on their scheming, fraudulent escapades. And THEN a switch got FLIPPED. It was almost like reading a completely different book, but still made sense considering the livelihood they were sinking deeper and deeper into.

I struggled with the pacing at times. Something moved too fast in the first half, too slow in the third quester, then too fast once again in the final act. But dang, I still found myself emotionally invested in this whole story. The characters were so loveable, I was completely endeared. Both Colton and Lucian stole my whole heart. I felt so deeply for both of them and what they were going through, as well as what they went through in the past. I want to take Lucian, wrap him in my arms, and never let another being hurt him again. But there was also Colton's best friend Mai and Lucian's sister Odessa who were incredible sidecharacters. Wonderfully fleshed out and not at all being lost in the shadows of the main characters. Odessa, especially, brought out a lot of emotion in me. I loved her. I loved her relationship with her brother, her growing relationship with Colton, her strength, her fortitude, her humor, her heart. She was splendid.

Overall, while I think pacing and plot structure could use some tweaking, the story was held together by splendid, fleshed out characters, raw emotion, and intrigue and shock to make for a pretty enjoyable read. I even cried a little at one point.

I can't remember the last time I've been so angry at a book and that includes Blood of Hercules. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

In case you couldn't tell from the opening sentence, this book deeply frustrated me. I requested this from NetGalley thinking it would be fine, but nothing particularly memorable. I was intrigued by the premise and perhaps too hooked by the comparison to Gideon the Ninth. The book started fine, became a little boring, and then utterly lost the plot.

The first red flag was that damn pig.

I do not care for animal companions like Marbles. Marbles was a prop. Marbles was a sign to the reader that Colton acts like he doesn't care but really cares a lot. Marbles got forgotten about for about 30 pages at the end when possessed Lucian was doing a Thinly-Veiled Connection To The Rise Of The Far Right (we'll get to it!). I am slightly disappointed that Marbles made it out alive. If you don't mind animals that are just kind of there, then this will not bother you. It unfortunately bothered me.

The next read flag was the dialogue, and I'm almost certain that this (combined with the exorcism stuff and the gay people) is what got this book the Gideon the Ninth comparison. And ok, I think you can make the argument that both of those books are written in a more modern cadence, however, Gideon the Ninth did not make me physically cringe every other page from how inane the dialogue was, heightened by the contrast with the setting. It's some kind of Victorian fantasy Britain; why are characters saying "dude"? And it only got worse. I just could not stand how twee and obnoxious it was.

Remember that setting I mentioned before? I doubt anyone else did. It was so incredibly nothing to me. When the king was mentioned at 70%, I gasped out-loud. No idea that that was a constitutional monarchy, and that seems kind of important. Especially if a key part of your plot hinges on elections for the prime minister. Colton and Mai both have the world views of modern day progressives who have been to therapy, while being gay isn't allowed in the Ivory district for some vague hand-wavy reason. Why does the city have strictly delineated zones? Unclear. We have a very convenient reason for why our exorcist protagonist doesn't know much about exorcism, and that's a whole other can of worms.

Why don't we know more about the (and I hesitate to call it this) magic system of this world? After I finished this book, I could not tell you much of anything about how any of this all works. Part of this is because Colton is fraudulent, and the one scene of him and Mai doing research on is mostly skipped over, but why do I as the reader know nothing about how demons and exorcisms work? There are other legit exorcists. Someone must know something about something. Colton knows something about something, but we aren't shown it for reasons that are far beyond my ken. You know the reason we don't know a lot about necromancy in Gideon the Ninth and it doesn't feel like author bullshit that we don't know anything? Because Gideon herself could not give less of a fuck about necromancy, and we're reading her point of view. Colton knows at least some of what he's trying to fake, and all I could tell you is that there are sigils and candles involved sometimes. There's no reason that I shouldn't know more about the magic in this world. The whole thing is incredibly shallow and does not endear me to the world at all.

I also could not stand any of the characters by the end, mainly due to the god-forsaken dialogue. Lucien's puns are not nearly as charming as anyone in-narrative finds them. Colton's modernism made me groan, and not in a good way. I found the ways that both of their addictions were handled really sloppy. It seemed like they only struggled with addiction when the plot needed them to. I simply don't buy that Colton totally stopped drinking just because he was hanging out with Lucien and feeling better. Lucien's Blossom use was only mentioned when it was plot relevant (such as the OVERDOSE that needed fantasy NARCAN), to the point where I completely forgot about it until it got brought up. Speaking of insane shit related to Lucien, why on earth was Lucien getting raped by an older woman when he was 14 brought up once and then never again? Speaking of rape, why on earth was it so heavily implied that Lucere raped Colton, and then straight-up said that Colton was raped by cops (I'm just not sure what happened in that moment between Lucere and Colton; it was written like a cut to black rape scene, and the next scene is a flashback to the cop rape, so it sure as shit reads like rape)? And this was brought up once and never brought up again? This is some serious trauma that either of these characters would have from these events, and it's just treated as something for them to angst about in the moment. I do not have an inherent problem with main characters who have suffered more than Christ himself (source: how I feel about Felix Harrowgate), but if you're going this route, you have to account for their trauma.

The pacing in this book is a nightmare, including the pacing of the romantic relationship. Things just kind of happen, and things that would be interesting to hear about get skimmed over. Lucien and Colton have like one conversation and then they're perfectly in love forever (minus the influence of Lucere, but extenuating circumstances). Colton and Mai do a bunch of research, seemingly in one afternoon, and have learned everything they need to know about Lucere and how to stop him. Number one, as a grad student, that's not how good research works. That's how I do research when I've got something due the next day, and I do not learn everything I need to know from it. Number two, since it takes Colton like a month to try to exorcise Lucere anyway, why on earth didn't that research get done over the course of that month? Why couldn't we the reader have followed along with these characters as they did that research, and maybe learned some other tidbits. Why the hell did the actual government repression happen over the course of like 30-40 pages at the end of the book? We surely could have trimmed some of the scenes of Lucien and Colton bantering for that. The banter wasn't even good. Worst of all, The Arm.

The Arm pissed me off so badly that I stopped reading the book for a minute, and it was the moment that this book went from a 3 star to a 1 star. One of the few things that we the reader know about exorcisms is that if the part of the body with the demon in it gets cut off, it needs to get burnt. So when Lucere cuts Lucien's arm off, I said "oh, we need to burn that arm". Guess what? WE DON'T BURN THAT ARM! Why? BECAUSE ODESSA WANTED TO KEEP IT SO LUCIEN COULD LOOK AT IT OR BURY IT, AND THE COLTON SEEMINGLY FUCKING FORGOT ABOUT IT. HE FORGOT ABOUT IT. And THEN it turns out that the arm might have been a red herring the whole time, so it didn't even matter, because Lucere just randomly came back. Fuck me. I should have hurled my phone across the room.

The ending of this book was even worse. Lucien somehow survives getting stabbed in the heart (fine, I don't know how hearts work, that's none of my business), but he gets a fucking mechanical replacement heart . You CANNOT just introduce something like that at the end, unless you're going for an extremely grating and poorly done deus ex machina, in which case, yes, that's exactly how I'd do it. So damn much of this novel is Colton angsting about having to kill Lucien, and you're telling me they could have killed him and then brought him immediately over to a hospital to get a replacement heart? If there's a reason that this only could have happened because Colton became prime minister, then you have to explain that beforehand, because this feels so fucking cheap. Colton has a bad reaction to seeing Lucien again, because he thinks it's Lucere, and THAT could have been so cool to play with! Colton and Lucien trying to get back into the groove of their earlier relationship after Lucien's possession should have been at least half of the book! That would have been so interesting to watch them heal from that trauma! But no, they spend like a month apart, and then they get married. It's fine. It's all fine. Everything is perfect. Lucien fixed all of the damage that he caused by burning down half of the Iron district and DEFINITELY killing people. It's fine. It's all fine.

It might not seem like it, but I really, truly wanted to enjoy this, and I feel that I gave it my best shot. But this was really a mess in the back half, and the front half was not nearly good enough to mitigate the damage done in the back half. There is no reason to read this with the amount of good or even mediocre MLM fantasy on the market right now. I really hope Deards improves as a writer in the future, because this was a genuinely compelling idea for a novel, but the execution was just terrible. Bless your heart for making it through this essay.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher/author for an ARC.

'tis is 2.5 stars rounded up to 3. The worldbuilding, although a bit wonky and confusing at times, was interesting, mixing supernatural elements with a queer, urban setting. The story follows Colton and Lucian; Colton runs a fake exorcism con, which Lucian discovers and helps turn into a sustainable business for both of them. Naturally, their partnership starts to develop into something more.

I’d say this is very much a character driven story, but at times, the character who’s supposed to be driving it forward felt inconsistent and suffered from a serious case of ''telling'' rather than ''showing''. I loved the exorcism parts of the story, especially the first one performed by both Lucian and Colton, and was disappointed we didn’t get more like that on the page. Instead, we were mostly told they were happening.

The found family, friendships, and some of the themes were really lovely. But the romance? It felt rushed, lacked depth, and wasn't believable even though it took up a big chunk of the book.

The first 40-ish percent of the book was great, but after that, the plot kind of lost its way... and so did my interest. I wish this had lived up to the expectations I had after reading the synopsis, but it was still a nice, different experience, a story with a lot of potential. Maybe it just wasn’t for me, but it could easily be someone else’s five stars read.

I really like the steampunk aesthetic this book has going on. It is very well written, and the dialogue is not cringe. I was living for the romance and subtle moments.

The Lavender Blade by E.L. Deards is a sharp, stylish historical fantasy with sapphic intrigue and espionage flair. The pacing is brisk, the banter is clever, and the queer romance simmers beneath layers of secrets and swordplay. Some plot threads could’ve used more room to breathe, but it’s a gripping ride with a satisfyingly defiant heart.

The Lavender Blade has a great premise: Colton, a charming con artist posing as an exorcist, ends up facing real demons—literal and emotional. Alongside the mysterious Lucian, he’s pulled into a world of magic, political secrets, and queer romance.
The first half is sharp and fun, with great banter, a unique setting, and enemies-to-lovers tension. But the second half stumbles. Key moments are rushed, character development happens off-page, and the worldbuilding lacks depth.
Still, it’s imaginative and heartfelt. Fans of Gideon the Ninth or Our Flag Means Death may enjoy its dry humor and morally gray leads. Not perfect, but definitely intriguing.

3.75

This one was so much fun. It wasn’t anything that changed my life but I haven’t had this much fun reading something in a while. The pacing of this book was extremely fast, and in some moments it felt like things were skimmed over (like some of the conversations Lucian and Colton had). The second half of the book lowkey had me so invested I didn’t want to put it down. The characters I adored and the way they interacted was so cute, although I’ll admit they all progressed awfully fast of which I was not the biggest fan.

I wish the world was explored much more - the districts and their relationships within, how exorcists work and their power and heritage. I wish we got more on the Order as well, especially towards the ending. But if you look past this lack of real information and just read on, it’s just a wild, fun ride. I enjoyed my time with this, definitely got me out of a slump! Definitely recommend if you’re looking for something easy and mostly light-hearted to read.

3.5 ✨

The premise caught my attention immediately.

Our MMCs are chaotic, clever, and achingly human. Their grifting partnership slides into romantic tension and emotional complexity with surprising ease, even as they cross paths with shady clients and even shadier spirits. The tone balances the bizarre with the intimate, sometimes comical, sometimes unsettling.

That said, the second half of the book veered into rushed territory. Plot points that deserved a bit more depth felt like they were skimmed over instead of explored. A few scenes could’ve used tightening or another editing pass, but the heart of the story remained solid. Two men trying to build something out of smoke and lies, only to find truth lurking beneath it all.

Overall, This delivers offbeat blend of supernatural intrigue and queer romance. It’s imperfect, yes, but compelling and I’m glad I read it.

Thank you to Net Galley & The Author for the ARC to this, I am leaving this with my honest opinion.