A Witch’s guide to fake dating a demon is a cozy Autumnal treat!

Demons and Witches falling in love go together like chocolate and milk! Seriously this is a popular pairing in romance novels, and I enjoy it. But what sets A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon apart from the rest? The all-powerful witch in this story sucks at casting spells and excels at caring for plants. Not to mention this novel is set in a small town full of supernatural creatures. I don’t know about you book besties, but that sounds so cute.

Summary:

Mariel Sparks is a witch that prefers her plants and baking sweet treats to casting hexes and causing mischief. Mariel prophesied to be the most powerful witch in the world, but first, she must master the art of casting spells.

But when Mariel accidentally summons a demon instead of flour, she meets the handsome Ozroth the ruthless, and he won’t leave her side until she gives him her soul. Oz is powerful and a legend among demons, but ever since a bargain went awry Oz’s reputation has suffered. But gaining Mariel’s powerful soul could bring back his prestige.

Mariel isn’t the cunning and bloodthirsty witch Oz expected, and she’s very much attached to her soul. But after an interesting turn of events, Oz pretends to be Mariel’s boyfriend while also becoming her roommate. And while absent makes the heart grow fonder, close proximity makes both Oz and Mariel catch feelings.

Thoughts:

A Witch’s guide to Fake Dating a demon is a cozy romantic comedy perfect for a weekend read. What I enjoyed about this story, besides the witch and demon romance, was that this story set in a small town filled with supernatural beings. This sets the story up for some interesting situations. For example there’s a scene in which Oz stumbles about a Siren sunbathing in a fountain in the middle of town. And Mariel’s boss is a werewolf and the owner of a plant nursey. I thought that was adorable and silly!

Speaking of Mariel and Oz, this witch and demon combo was delectable. Mariel’s a witch that excels in growing things and speaking to nature. While Mariel’s described as curvy and stubborn because of her gifts, she often has leaves stuck in her hair which is illustrated on the cover. Mariel’s also very passionate about the biodiversity of the woods in her town and works hard to protect them. Although she’s passionate about these things, she’s not confident around her parents and won’t challenge their demands. But when Oz enters the picture, she finds herself unable to stand her parents scrutiny anymore.

Oz’s a powerful demon that unfortunately ends up receiving the soul of a wizard, thus changing his heartless ways for good. When Mariel summons Oz, he attempts to bargain for her soul immediately, but when that fails, he ends up shadowing her instead and pretending to be her boyfriend. But despite Oz’s fierce reputation he is quite lovable in this novel. And yes, I may like romantic leads in novels to be described as tall, dark-haired, and handsome that’s besides the point. Oz’s weakness is his battle between his duty and his romantic feelings for Mariel. And although he unquestionably supports her, he’s also plagued with the guilt that failing to take Mariel’s soul means the demon realm tentative existence is in jeopardy.

Speaking of the demon realm, the way Oz describes the demon world sounds interesting and intriguing. It’s described as a place of happiness despite it’s unconventional setting. That world’s existence relies on its dependence on human souls that seem to power it. I thought this was a unique twist to the underworld, and I wonder if it’ll be explored further in the sequel. 

The plot of this novel is character driven rather than a plot driven, with a villain antagonist. Although that’s part of the plot too. What I enjoyed about this story is that it’s easy to lose yourself in it’s coziness.

Something I didn’t enjoy from this story was Mariel’s friend Themmie. Themmie’s a pixie influencer and could have made for an interesting character, but I felt her character lacked a purpose. She popped in sparingly to cause tension with Mariel and her family and towards the end to speak words of wisdom to Oz. Themmie could have been an intriguing character, but I feel the author did not do her justice. I would have loved to see Themmie be a friend to Mariel, but she hung around town and did not do much.

Overall, I would recommend this novel to lovers of romcom, small towns, and paranormal romances. This novel is cute and fast read. I will mention that after reading this novel, I discovered it was originally Reylo fan fiction, and I would not have guessed. Although, Oz’s character and description should have made it glaringly obvious. Because if there’s one thing about the reylo fanfictions that get published, it’s that the love interest resembles love interest.

This story has a sequel titled A Demon’s Guide to Wooing a Witch and follows Mariel’s bestie, Calladia, and our arch nemesis from this story, Astaroth. But I will probably not be reading it because Astaroth’s boring, but if anyone does read it, please let me know if it’s worthwhile.

Alright book lovers I hope you liked this review because next week I have an extra treat for readers that are a fans of reylo-coded novels!

Until next time you’ll fine me living in libros,

Gabriela