#a witches guide to fake dating a demon

[anonymouslylovesyou]

[shxpeshifterr]

[between-the-pages657]

Is it bad that I’m picturing Astaroth as a grown-up Draco Malfoy?

[ifancyharry]

I’m currently reading a witch’s guide to fake dating a demon and when I tell you it’s giving me butterflies omg it feels like a spooky tumblr fic and I’m loving it so much

[gollancz]

Looking for a sweet treat over the festive season? How about book two in the Glimmer Falls/Witch's Guide series? Fun, romantic, really rather saucy - everything you could ask for!

A DEMON'S GUIDE TO WOOING A WITCH is available now!

[theliterarymess]

My new favourite type of magic is accidentally summoning a chicken and then accidentally blowing it up when you try to send it back

[beatrixacs]

New batch of purchased books AKA new addition to my 'published Reylos' shelf thanks to @MsSarahHawley, @_JessicaClare and @EverSoAli  Thank you for making us proud!

[witchywriter18]

Do you guys know how hard it is for me to get attached to a book? Very.

But that changed last weekend when I got a book called "A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon" by Sarah Hawley.

I finished it two days after I got it and decided to tell you guys about it.

It's about a witch named Mariel who is an expert at plant magic. Unfortunately, her family doesn't approve that sort of magic, thinking it not the proper type of magic someone of their family should use.

One day when trying to summon flour, she accidentally summons a demon, Ozroth the Ruthless.

He can't leave till a bargain is struck for her soul.

As the two become temporary roommates and pretend boyfriend and girlfriend, feelings start to blossom.

It's my absolute favorite book now. I also feel spiritually connected to it and kind of like to just have it near me. I'm not sure why. Is there such a thing as a soulbook, kind of like a soulmate 🤔

[ijustkindalikebooks]

currently reading.

[bluesey-182]

i have 3 shifts left at my job so today i used my employee discount to buy the stack of books I've been collecting behind the counter for months. 35% off baybee

[bookcoversonly]

Title: A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon | Author: Sarah Hawley | Publisher: Berkley (2023)

[anonymouslylovesyou]

[wedontburnbookshere]

☆☆☆☆

I've been wanting to give the romance genre a shot, and since I like modern fantasy, I thought A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon sounded like a good start.

Mariel Spark is supposed to be the most powerful witch, but she only ever feels like a failure, unable to get basic summoning spells right, even if her plant magic is unparalleled. When trying to recall the magical name for flour to summon ingredients for muffins, she accidentally summons a demon, Ozroth the Ruthless. Now they're stuck together until Mariel sells her soul, but as time goes on, Ozroth doesn't want to see her lose it.

This book was fun, even if it took me a while to get into it at first. It's possible that wasn't the book's fault, though. Like many, I've looked down on the romance genre before, which is completely unfair (especially when I read YA, which is also looked down on), so it might have just been me struggling to get into a new mindset to enjoy a genre I'm not well-acquainted with.

I am well-acquainted with cozies, though, so Witch's Guide felt like a perfect starting point for me. It takes place in a small town full of eccentric people, including an elderly character who wears absolutely ridiculous clothing. I'm pretty sure Alzapraz would get along with Gertie from the Miss Fortune series by Jana DeLeon (that or Gertie would put Alzapraz's immortality to the test).

The world-building was straight-forward and perfect for a cozy or romance, the magic system reminding me a little of Sabrina the Teenage Witch... actually, maybe Charmed more. There's rules and limits, sure, enough to keep the stake of the premise high, but it's easy to tell from the get-go that Mariel and Oz will get their happily ever after (this is a romance after all, and the genre has its own rules and limits).

Mariel's inner struggle hit hard; she was an easy protagonist for me to sympathize with, especially when it came to her faults. She turns on Oz and her friend Themmie, when they were only trying to help and defend her to her mother. She felt like a well-rounded character, and it was nice seeing her bloom just like her flowers as the story progressed.

Oz undergoes his own transformation, and I enjoyed seeing how they worked both against and with each other. I also both cringed and laughed during the first sex scene, when Mariel asked Oz if demons knotted, only to then describe it when Oz had no clue what that meant. Makes me wonder if Mariel's a destiel girlie or a wincest girlie.

To be honest, I'm not totally sure if I'll read the sequel, A Demon's Guide to Wooing a Witch. The first two chapters are in the back of my copy of Witch's Guide, though, so now that I'm settled in my new apartment, I might read that before deciding. (Though I'll need to wait until I have more money in my savings before buying any books ^^")

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 4.5/5

Book Blurb: Mariel Spark knows not to trust a demon, especially one that wants her soul, but what’s a witch to do when he won’t leave her side���and she kind of doesn’t want him to? Mariel Spark is prophesied to be the most powerful witch seen in centuries of the famed Spark family, but to the displeasure of her mother, she prefers baking to brewing potions and gardening to casting hexes. When a spell to summon flour goes very wrong, Mariel finds herself staring down a demon—one she inadvertently summoned for a soul bargain. Ozroth the Ruthless is a legend among demons. Powerful and merciless, he drives hard bargains to collect mortal souls. But his reputation has suffered ever since a bargain went awry—if he can strike a bargain with Mariel, he will earn back his deadly reputation. Ozroth can't leave Mariel's side until they complete a bargain, which she refuses to do (turns out some humans are attached to their souls).   But the witch is funny. And curvy. And disgustingly yet endearingly cheerful. Becoming awkward roommates quickly escalates when Mariel, terrified to confess the inadvertent summoning to her mother, blurts out that she's dating Ozroth. As Ozroth and Mariel struggle with their opposing goals and maintaining a fake relationship, real attraction blooms between them. But Ozroth has a limited amount of time to strike the deal, and if Mariel gives up her soul, she'll lose all her emotions—including love—which will only spell disaster for them both.

Review:

A witch with no control over her magic accidentally summons a demon and now he can't leave until she's given him her soul... and what starts off as fake dating begins to feel very real as they spend more time together. Mariel Spark is prophesied to be the most powerful witch in centuries of the famed Spark family, yet to her mother's constant disappointment, she can't seem to really get her magic working and only seems to be really good at plant magic. When a summoning spell goes wrong, Mariel accidentally summoned a demon for a soul bargain. Ozroth the Ruthless is legendary among demons, he was powerful and merciless and collected tons of souls... that is until he found himself with an actual soul inside of him and now he's being summoned by Mariel, and he see's her untapped powers and if he can strike a deal for her soul he can earn back his reputation that was damaged when he found himself with a soul. The only issue is Mariel didn't mean to summon him and refuses to enter into a soul bargain and he can't leave until she does. It only makes matters more complicated when Oz begins having actual feelings for her and the more time they spend together the more the feelings between them grow... yet Mariel can't give up her soul and Oz is a literal demon who is immortal... can they really have a relationship? With Mariel's pressuring family, her untapped magic, and Oz's own demon boss after him, their lives are about to get very complicated. This was a really cute witchy rom com. Mariel is dealing with a lot of stress and family dysfunction and just needs someone in her corner and Oz is such a sweet boyfriend for her. Her friends were really fun to get to know and I can't wait for the second book!! I loved that we got to see Mariel and Oz grow as people and how they both support and love each other and it was just so cute.

[sarah-hawley]

Look at this gorgeous UK cover for A WITCH’S GUIDE TO FAKE DATING A DEMON!!! I’m obsessed 😍

[gollancz]

Petition to make tiny cardboard cutouts of characters for all our books because I'm obessed with this.