A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon
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4.1 • 40 Ratings
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
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.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Hawley delights in her humorous and romantic paranormal debut about soul bargains, self-fulfillment, and family dysfunction. Mariel Spark grew up in the shadow of her mother, Diantha, the matriarch of an extremely powerful line of witches. Diantha is unimpressed by Mariel's innate nature magic and demands Mariel practice summoning spells. This leads to baker Mariel flopping a spell to summon flour and instead summoning Ozroth the Ruthless, a demon renowned for raking in mortal souls. This would be terrifying, except Oz recently accidentally acquired a mortal soul and feelings himself, which soon revolve around Mariel's smile, generous curves, and adoration for all things that grow. Due to some supernatural fine print, Oz can't leave until he's made a bargain for Mariel's soul, which Mariel is not about to give up, so to explain his lingering presence to her friends and family, the pair agree to claim they're in a relationship. As they grow closer, they come to understand each other's heartbreaking histories and become determined to fight for their love. Hawley ably navigates life and love among toxic family members, fantastical chaos, and small-town politics—with some steamy scenes and plenty of dad jokes along the way. This is a treat.
Customer Reviews
just adorable
don’t rlly like the cover but it really is just such a cute sweet heart warming book and if that’s what ur looking for i completely recommend
Good series, least favorite of three
I want to start by saying that I read the entire series before reviewing each book. The author is clearly talented, with an excellent vocabulary and decent storylines. I love the premise behind the story, but I have some issues with the execution.
Some of the pop culture references felt too on the nose, which might alienate readers who don't share the author's background. The main character, Muriel, also used language that seemed too crass and out of character for how she was portrayed.
On the positive side, many of the critiques from the first book were addressed in the second and third. The storyline is still worth reading, but the main reason I continued with the series—beyond the improvement—was that I didn't want to find a new author. I'm glad I stuck with it. While it’s not groundbreaking, if you can spare $33 for the series, I think you'll find it enjoyable.
Delightful and fun
Four and a Half Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭒
A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon by Sarah Hawley is a delightful, paranormal romance that is light and fun.
Story Recap:
Mariel Spark is prophesied to be the most powerful witch in centuries. But, Mariel prefers to bake and garden and doesn’t show any interest in her limited powers. She practices witchcraft so rarely that when she does, it often goes wrong. Like the time she tried to summon some flour to bake with, she inadvertently summoned a demon to make a bargain.
Ozroth the Ruthless is used to making bargains for souls and has a reputation of being ruthless and merciless in his attempts to get souls. But, recently his reputation took a hit after one of his deals went awry. He’s working to re-establish himself as the best in the business.
But, when he’s summoned to Mariel, he’s in for a struggle because Mariel has no intention of making a deal with Ozroth. But, she can’t tell her parents that she accidentally summoned a demon, so she tells them she is dating Ozroth. Soon they find a friendship and then more. But, Ozroth only has so much time to make a deal, and I Mariel makes a deal, she will lose her ability to love.
My Thoughts:
Sometimes I just need to escape into a light, funny book, and A Witches Guide to Fake Dating A Demon fits the bill perfectly. I laughed, I cried, and I was engaged throughout their entire journey. I was swept away by the hilarious banter and entertaining story.
The side characters are also delightful. Mariel has a wonderful set of friends, and I enjoyed their interactions as well. The fake dating, opposites attract, paranormal romance is just the book for a fun afternoon of reading.
This book is also steamy and sexy. So if open-door sexy time isn’t your thing, this wouldn’t be for you.
Recommendation:
I highly recommend A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon to anyone who enjoys romance. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.