This book definitely delivers on what it promises. It reminded me a lot of A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon. A small town bookstore owner discovers that the town grump want to learn about dating, and when she goes to his house with a dating book, things to not go as expected. Both main characters have some major baggage and insecurity, and it was really fun to watch them navigate it together. I also LOVED that both characters were a little chubby! The only thing I didn't love was the sex scenes, they felt a bit forced to me, and I think I would have liked the book better as a closed door romance.

The narration was spot on- and brought the story to life in many ways! I think the demon's character could have felt very cartoonish if done poorly, but it was excellent.

Rating: 4/5

This was SUCH a fun romp of a cozy romance/romantasy!

Nancy is helping Jack, who is actually a demon that needs to learn how to become a 'worthy human man' to get a specific woman to love him before he is forever doomed to Hell (where his dad, Satan, is) in a sort of contract/deal that is repeatedly compared to Beauty and the Beast. Nancy doesn't know that Jack isn't actually a human, though, yet she still agrees to help him despite his bad reputation *and* her unwelcome attraction to him. After all, he's after another girl, and he has a deadline. . .

I had a lot of fun with this one - I love cozy fantasy, I love humor, and I love romance. . . this has it all! The premise was intriguing and pretty compelling throughout, and it felt like they were going on little 'adventures' each time Nancy was 'simulating' real dating with Jack to 'teach' him. I like how fast paced it was for the most part; some parts seemed a bit repetitive or slower, but overall, I thought it moved along well.

Jack's character is really what made the book for me! I absolutely started to fall in love with him; he's funny and a little ridiculous in all the best ways. He's adorable! I did really struggle with Nancy's character, though, which is why this didn't become a 5 star for me; I found her ignorance surrounding the whole situation really frustrating and a bit unbelievable (as it is GLARINGLY obvious what the 'reveal'/twist is from the start).

I think the plot could have been more complex and intriguing if the portion of the story after the 'reveal' was expanded upon (perhaps if the 'reveal' came much earlier in the story). The ending really picked up, and I actually found myself wanting more of the story magic/Nancy's magic. The plot itself had me hooked more and more as the story went on; I wanted more!

Generally, the characters are complex and go through a lot of development as the story and romance progresses, which I loved. Even though it is a fun romance with tons of humor, it definitely speaks to resonant themes about belonging and self-worth. The romance was super cute, and I couldn't get enough of the banter, humor, and quirks of the characters. I thought that the integration of character background with the romance/plot was done really well!

I did really enjoy the little details of the 'world' that we get through Jack's character and the events of the story; it was relatively easy to follow, and I really liked how magic played a role. It added a perfect addition of whimsy to the story (in addition to the demon/Hell aspect, of course)!

AUDIO-SPECIFIC notes: I thought that the narrator did a relatively good job with the audio - the emotions and humor definitely came to life. Nancy's character was executed really well for me, but I did get pulled out of the story a bit every time the narrator altered her voice for Jack's dialogue. It didn't seem to fit and stood out. The narrator's voice for Jack just didn't seem to fit his character.

Summary of what I loved:
- the humor
- quirky characters
- spicy but sweet romance
- romance arc
- character depth & arcs
- plot evolution (much more compelling as it went on)
- world details, demon aspect, and magic (the fantasy elements

What I struggled with:
- Nancy's character (unbelievable to me and frustrating)
- pacing at times a little slow/plot not super engaging
- Jack calling Nancy 'kid' despite their romance didn't sit right with me
- audio narration of Jack's dialogue

I'd absolutely recommend this as a fun, light romantasy/cozy fantasy with romance, and I'll be on the lookout for the author's future books!

Thank you to Netgally and MacMillan Audio for the opportunity to list to the ALC, Dealing With a Desperate Demon. Release scheduled 10/7/25

While I'm not one for super smutty books, this one seemed fun. I'm so glad I gave it a chance, as it was a wonderful breath of fresh air. Magic, witches, mythical creatures, a bookstore, and a relatable FMC? Sign me up! The spicy bits were peppered in where they made sense, and I found I didn't mind them at all! The characters are funny, and their banter is charming. Definitely a cute paranormal romance you should add to your TBR!

The novel follows Jack and Nancy as they learn their self-worth. Jack relies on Nancy to help him learn how to be the best version of himself that he can possibly be. While doing so, Jack is teaching Nancy how she deserves to be treated after a rough childhood, and not so stellar time with dating. The chemistry between the two is explosive. You can feel the love they gave for each other. You'll be rooting for them from the start.

I'd absolutely recommend this book if you are into paranormal romance. It's fun and fresh. While it has a Beauty and the Beast vibe, it doesn't feel tired or over done. 4.5/5 stars!

Oh my gosh, I loved this book. I devoured it so fast.

He is so gone for her. It is adorable!!! He is just trying to figure out how to be human and "normal". He tries so hard but isn't very good at it and she likes all of those things about him.
Obviously, as someone who reads romance novels, it was very fun to see a bookstore owner who loves romance novels and her man who devours 6 all in one night just to learn more about what she likes and he likes them a lot too.

Content Warning: As a child, she was put in an institution that tried to make her think magic wasn't real even though she is clearly a witch. This is not described in a lot of detail but it is mentioned a few times throughout the book.

This series is killing it so far. The stories have depth and the characters have trauma. But is still light hearted and fun. The amount of times I giggled through out this audiobook was more than I can count on both hands. While I already read this book I was excited to hear the narrators take on the characters. I thought it was well done and enjoyed every minute.

I had a tough time finishing this book. I usually avoid DNFing arcs, so I had to force myself to complete it. However, I found the story disjointed and the characters inconsistent in their behavior. The writing was immature, and the narration was lacking. I’m not sure if listening to the audiobook would have made a significant difference, but it’s possible. I genuinely wish I had something positive to say about this book, but I don’t. I’m glad there are others who enjoyed it!

Thank you NetGalley for the audiobook arc. Super cute supernatural romcom with a witch and demon. He’s trying to blend in with being human and she steps up to help him woo the girl of his dreams. They sorta fake date to prep him for the real things and as their friendship grows she finds out he’s not human but a demon and the reason her family suppressed her childish dreams was because she’s a witch and they were hiding it. The banter kept me laughing out loud the awkward encounters were fantastic.

This is a cute, low stakes paranormal / monster romance with fake dating, grumpy / sunshine, a sprinkle of forced proximity, and he falls first. I thought this was a decent time. I listened to it in basically an afternoon, and I thought the audiobook narrator did a great job of making our FMC sound kind of aloof, clueless and all around confused. Because...she was. Parts of this story were slow and parts were too fast, but my main beef and why I'm docking a star from the overall story was that the "kid" pet name / nickname really bothered me. It took me out of most of the scenes, and I know there was a technically huge age gap between the characters, but child-like nicknames feel icky. Other than that ick, I thought our MMC was a ridiculous sweetheart. I would continue to read Charlotte Stein books, and I think this one is good for a quick, easy read.

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.
After having read the book and listened to the audiobook I am totally obsessed with this story. The narrator did an amazing job with so many characters with different accents, genders, and ages. The voice acting was perfect!

The definition of a book you can't put down. Charlotte Stein just keeps getting better and better. This was such a fun and easy read. I was slightly concerned that the demon part of of this book would make it too dark and less of a cozy fantasy, but I was so wrong. I was hooked from the very beginning and I honestly wanted more. I love the premise behind the FMC teaching the MMC how to date and be more human. There were so many cute nods to pop culture along with some fun supernatural goodies sprinkled in. I loved unraveling the backstory and honestly wanted even more of it. The double date was such a fun way to revisit beloved characters from the first book. This may just be my favorite Charlotte Stein book yet. Spice 2/5

A demon. A BIG demon. And the most unlikely match you could image. The visuals…WOW!

Poor insecure demon just needed a little schooling… and she doesn’t just school him, she gives him the full crash course, extra credit, and maybe detention. Watching him bumble, brag, and blush his way through was hilarious. There’s magic, there’s banter, there’s a bit of heat, and a whole lot of “awww” moments.

It’s like someone tossed a rom-com, a touch of witchy charm, and a dash of hellfire into a blender, then hit puree. I flew through it grinning like a fool. Feeling lucky I got to read it before it’s out. 4 stars…demonlicious!

Ok this was a bit different , I feel the guy voice could have been done a bit better I keep cringing every time he talked but overall it was just ok on the audio part.
The story was good, entertaining. I enjoy some parts but the audio didn't helped much to said the truth. I feel as physical read it would have been better. Ill try to keep on in the kindle as I was extremely interested on the story.
Anyway an easy read.

This was super cute but its one of those instances when you are reading a heroine and thinking there's no way she can be this stupid. It's clear, like glaringly and painfully clear she's the one he's in love with and she is too blind to see it, in a way that it ended up bringing me out of it. This book relies heavily on the miscommunication/lack of communication trope so if that bothers you I would skip it

I really feel awful being this harsh on a book but I need to be honest.. this book was a mess. Had I been reading the eARC I would have thought it was an early draft that needed we some major editing and may have given it a pass. How we, being an audio ALC, it’s the finished copy and I’m left flummoxed.

I have not read this author before and I did not realized this was the second book in a series. That being said, it was fine to jump into it and so don’t feel like I was missing anything from not reading book 1.

The prose seemed disjointed and simply unfinished. There were several large plot holes that couldn’t be filled in with some imagination. The pacing was incredibly choppy even with it being narrated which usually can smooth things over, but not in this case.

It was narrated by Yael Rizowy and while her voicing of thr FMC was great, all went completely down hill when she attempted the MMC. It was hard to listen to and completely ruined any potential enjoyment that could have been had. I needed to speed it up to 2.5x just to speed through it as it was unlistenable.


I am thankful to have gotten a complimentary audio ALC from McMillan Audio through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

My general rating system is below. Since I primarily read ARC books I rate according to how I think like minded readers will receive the book. I will round up or down depending on many factors and try not to let my personal wants affect a books ratings.

⭐️ Hated It but pushed through as I don’t DNF ARCs I have received.
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, content issues, poorly edited.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but it had something that stopped me from rounding up. Usually the book may have much more potential than what was given. I recommend it but with reservations.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I Really enjoyed it or think others will. These are solid reads that I definitely would recommend for a variety of reasons.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! These are books that remain rent free in my head for well after unfinished the book. It can be for a variety of reasons from being very well written or just the vibes that captured my mind. These books are also ones I would probably read again