No Sugar Coating It

Femme Fatale Monsters #1

by D.J. Russo

She was supposed to be another notch on his bedpost…

Byron Waits has it all: a job that pays bank, a bevvy of women waiting to sleep with him, and a fit physique. Content to go through life treating people like crap and suffering zero consequences for it, he finds himself in a candy shop run by a buxom beauty with raven hair and the most incredible rack he’s ever seen. He swears she’s the woman of his dreams, but little does he know she’s the woman of his nightmares.

… He was supposed to be a steppingstone to a promotion.

Faith’s job as a lesser demon of the second layer of Hell is to siphon the souls of the damned and collect her paycheck. She’s on the verge of being fired when she gets the brilliant idea of opening up a candy shop to lure poor, unsuspecting damned souls through her doors. But when a human male with a sweet smile and submissive streak enters her shop, she might have gotten more than she bargained for.

No Sugar Coating It is a novella-length monster romance feat. a demon FMC. While lighthearted and fun, this book is incredibly spicy. Please refer to the author's website for TWs.

Genres: Novella, Romance, Paranormal Romance, Monster Romance, Fantasy, BDSM, Monsters

Unknown Binding

First published February 14, 2024

About the author

American author living in the Netherlands.

Keep up to date with everything I'm working on!

https://authordjrusso.carrd.co/

Reviews

[spidermse · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew this was going to be extra spicy but DAMN 🥵 DJ delivered! There's a lot of kinks happening and pushing the limits, but both characters are always checking in and making sure they're both on the same page. Consent is sexy!

Smut aside, the story between the two MCs was so sweet. It is sort of quick with the romance but that was fine for me because it's a shorter book. Glad they both got their HEA.

The humor was really fun for me, too. In between the sweating and fainting, the characters had me giggling.

I hope DJ writes more stories like this! 💖

[Poppy || Monster Lover · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC review
This was a super cute read. Faith was the most sunshiny, delusional demon who was obsessed with consent. Ironic, considering her profession. They had a precious dynamic and some hot spice that involved pushing past vanilla norms. Byron had a good redemption arc as well. Only thing I would have liked was a bit more time for them to get to know each other.

Spice: 5/5

Triggers: torture (off page), womanizing

[Lia ☾ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly don't remember the last time I laughed so much while reading a book 😂

"Having someone at your mercy is always a pleasurable experience, but having someone submit to you because they want to? It's as close to divinity I'll ever get and I don't want this feeling to ever go away."

----------------------—

Story rating: 4.5 ⭐️
Romance lvl: 3.0 ⭐️
Spice lvl: 3.5🌶️ 
Smut frequency: 4.0⏳

----------------------—

Tropes:
🖤 Lust demon x Playboy
🌚 They're both morally grey
🕰️ Age gap (FMC's older)
🦋 Redemption & self discovery
☁️ Cozy & smutty romance
🔥 "Good boy"

----------------------—

~ STORY 📝 ~

No Sugar Coating it in a nutshell:

➡️ She's a demon that sucks at her job and faces repercussions for it if she can't bring back some very corrupted soul in the next 48h.
➡️ He's a self-centered alpha-hole playboy whose only hobby is to have sex with a different woman every day.
--
When Faith comes to collect Byron, he knows he deserves it. But, he wants redemption, and Faith, the ever-bad demon, is willing to help him clean his soul in exchange for a corrupted soul in his company.

Of course, that cleansing will require a lot of... punishments 😏

--

Gosh, I had so much FUN reading this book! I laughed so often, and out loud for Christ's sake! Seriously between the banters and the inner dialogues, I had more than my fair share of funny things to read 😂

The characters are so endearing and sweet to each other. Faith is the worst demon but the cutest Dom hands down. Always so sweet even when she tries so hard to be mean... 🥰😂

Byron is also an adorable sub, always so eager to please 😏❤️‍🔥

I loved their relationship, it always felt so balanced even considering their circumstances. ✨


~ SPICE 🌶️ ~

Spice comes quickly and is steady throughout the book.

If you read this book, you're in for:

😈 D/s dynamic
😈 Rimming
😈 Pegging
😈 Bondage
😈 Temperature play
😈 Candy accessories
And my favorite
😈 Special anatomy

All of this happening following a simple rule: ✨ consent ✨

This book is definitely kinky on the power dynamics, but no violence whatsoever is happening between the MCs. Everything's about their trust & pleasure. 😉

----------------------—

This is an arc review. Thanks to the author for the advanced ebook copy 🙏💖

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[monsterinthepages · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘No Sugar Coating It’
RELEASE DATE: 14th February 2024

━━ † ━━

⭐️ overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📚 plot intensity: 📚📚
🔥 burn: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
💋 spice: 💋💋💋💋
🍬 sweetness: 🍬🍬🍬
🩵 the feels: 🩵🩵
🤣 humour: 🤣🤣🤣
🩸 gore/violence: 🩸
👤 POV: 1st person — Dual POV

━━ † ━━

I came for the spice and got TOTALLY hooked on the SWEETNESS of this cheeky little novella! I definitely wasn’t expecting it and I thoroughly enjoyed the blindside of having tenderness, cuteness, love and wholesomeness nestled within some FILTHY spicy. I couldn’t think of a more perfect combination!!

This is my first book of D.J. Russo and found the writing very enjoyable, light and engaging which is just perfect for this story. Even though this novella is fairly short, it still manages to explore two characters who are very loveable and a little story that had enough backbone to carry itself along with the heavy spice.

Both Byron and Faith are two very individual characters and it’s fun to read their humorous and flirtatious banter in between some scorching spicy scenes that involve both numerous entertaining uses of candy canes, liquorice rope and a “gummy” peen (it’s cherry flavoured too!!) and a very refreshing Dom/sub dynamic that’s fully built on heavy consent, constant check-ins and knowing when to stop — Faith is my forever consent queen now and I LOVE her.

Most of the triggers revolve around the spicy sections of the book (which are quite LARGE sections of the book) but there are a few others that I will list below — these aren’t all of them, but the ones that I think might be of most importance to share to fellow readers.

━━ † ━━

⚔️TRIGGER LIST⚔️
— Explicit sex scenes
— Impact play (flogging)
— Dom/sub relationship
— Parental abandonment as a child
— Depictions of hell and demons
— Choking/breath play
— Pegging
— Rope play & suspension
— Food as sex toys
— Temperature play

━━ † ━━

‘No Sugar Coating It’ is a delicious treat of high heat spice with all the kinky goodness, a blossoming romance that’s surprisingly sweet and wholesome, comedic banter, entertaining use of food/candy and a refreshing consent positive BDSM experience that will leave your mouth watering and blood running on a delectable sugar high. 5/5 stars!!

━━ † ━━

❗️I received this ARC via sign up and every part of this review is written willingly and genuinely with my own personal feelings/thoughts and is under no conditions or obligations❗️

[Nastia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy hell. This woman is a menace, and I think I’m falling for her.

4⭐️
What a fun story.
We have a lesser demon Faith - succubus - who desperately needs to find a sinner’s soul. Not a regular sinner, but the sinner of the sinners, so she can reach this month’s quota. And she had only three days till the end of the month or she we will be send to pit for internal punishment. Yay, fun.
Byron is not a nice person and his soul is quite dark. He is a playboy, heartbreaker, not a nice colleague and etc. So from first glance he is an ideal candidate for her mission.
And as a result our lucky girl found this guy fast enough and his punishment and „fun” began.
Aside from this whole succubus&sinner part of the plot we have soooooo much smut and it’s nice, thrilling, hot and oh so creative. No regrets.
Finale was amazing and i was heartbroken one moment and joyful after plot twists!

If you like strong girl who is secretly a softie and man who is so smitten with her from the very beginning, this book will be ideal for cute and amazing evening.

[Marian Pattechat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky to receive an advance copy before the book's release, and here are my thoughts :) In short: sweet, extra spicy, and funny!

The characters: original! It's rare to find a romance book with a non-human FMC who's a grey character. Naughty and nice, Faith won me over from the get-go. The MMC was a convincing playboy in need of punishment :P His redemption arc was fun to read.

The story: I didn't expect there to be much of it, but it was there and it gave me the feels! This is not just a story about a she-demon getting kinky with a bad boy. It's a story of redemption, self-discovery, and healing. I loved it!

The spice: at call-the-fire-brigade level! Make sure to read the CWs! That said, the intimate scenes were sweet as well, and not just because candies were involved :D There was consent at all times, and care for the other's feelings, and blooming affection that added tenderness to the heat.

The humor: hilarious! I giggled throughout the book.

In conclusion: No Sugar Coating It is a refreshing blend of spicy, sweet, and funny. It's a gourmet candy I crave more of!

[christy - pr0bablyreadingsmut · Rating 5 out of 5]

dommy mommy demon x alphahole subby human???
god this story wasp so steamy and adorable. i’m in love with both main characters so so so much. the steamy scenes are next level and the character development is sickly sweet. i love these two. what a perfect valentines treat

five candy vine stars

[Shauna Anderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Idk I didn’t love it. This was my first femme monster and while I’m not opposed to it, it didn’t hit the same. Honestly would be better sapphic, I just don’t care about human men enough to want to read them falling for a monster 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Rachelqueenvixen · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounded up to a 5. This book will be available 2/14/24.

I loved this! It was so spicy and the way it ended made my heart so happy!

Deff look at the tw page and enjoy

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually wish this had gone harder on the femdom 🤷🏼‍♀️😅

[Diana Wolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stars: 5
FMC: Faith
MMC(s): Byron
Tropes: Morally grey FMC, Morally Grey MMC, Alphahole, age gap (Faith is older), toys toys all the toys, Food play, depictions of heaven and hell, D/s relationship, womanizing jerk of a man
> Reviewer add: Candy play, candy as toys, healing a problematic man, demon FMC, heaven and hell drama, angels are dicks
Perspective:
Plot or character driven: Character
Spicy scenes breakdown:
> Present? Yes
> Detailed? Yes
> With only one character? No.
> Multiple, with both/multiple characters? Yes.
> Personal favorite? Up against the wall.
> State of the joystick? Human, she’s the monster. And she has two.
> Anything else to note?
Burn speed: Fast
Can this be read as a stand-alone: Yes
Re-Readability: High
Monster level: 1 - Mainly human, a few extras
Content/Trigger Warnings/Enticements: Parental abandonment of a child (past),

I received an advanced reader copy of this book, and this is my voluntary, honest review.

“My dearest Byron, I am not a goddess. I am a monster.”

Byron is trying to bury his feelings beneath a whole lot of sex, Faith is a demon that is trying to get a penthouse like one of the succubuses. Woman’s got goals, I respect that. He starts lusting after her in a sweets shop and she’s looking for a soul to get her back on track in hell. Nothing goes according to plan.

Giddy. I felt giddy reading this. I read most of it while I was at the gym yesterday and then, when I went to pick up my groceries, they were taking a bit longer cause the store was slammed, and I was like let me see if I can read a few more pages and ended up finishing it there in the parking lot because I couldn’t wait to get home. And the end was delicious. This thing had me giggling from page one, with that big long author’s note (read it) cause it’s FACTS, but then I hated Byron in that delicious – you’re going to get your comeuppance bud – way on the first few pages. IT WAS DELIVERED. And in between all the candy/food play there’s this really sweet romance brewing where neither one of them expected it.

I’m so glad I got an ARC of this, it was the highlight of my weekend.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, sweet, smutty read. Found myself kind of bored, tho. I liked that we have a monster FMC x human MMC. All too rare to see. I also liked all the kink. The plot feels a litte rushed due to the page count, but honestly, if you just need a quick femdom reading snack, then this will serve well.

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am absolutely loving monster romance where she’s the monster lately and this one was so deliciously spicy! If you pick this up you might need a cold shower after and it’s absolutely worth it!

[Ivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short fun made me want two things: a sugary snack, and a woman like Fatih in my life.

This book is above all very fun. There are fun dialogues between the main characters that are full of jokes that made me laugh. The story is written in a very lighthearted way making you enjoy the book with ease. Then to top it off the book is full of candy and sugar delights that make it a delicious snack of a book.

The smut was a lot of fun and I love it when femme's are dominant in the bedroom. Something about that really gets me going and this book handled that great. She is dominant and caring, but also cruel in the right ways. The way Byron enjoys this is clear and is his joy is felt throughout the book. Together they make a pair that works together really well and that gives smutty scenes that are extremely hot.

The little bits of plot monster romances give us I usually don't care much about. But I have to say in this book it felt quite refreshing and actually quite fun to read some world building. It makes me curious to what else is hiding in this world.

Concluding I would recommend this to all smut lovers of femme doms with a sweet tooth.


I received an eARC and this was my honest review.

[Sierra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't really expecting a whole lot going into this, and in the end I think it just ended up being okay.

[Anna Makowska · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fairly short novella that's mostly smut with plot - more the first than the latter. The sex was varied and kinky and the characters' personalities played well into the plot: when a playboy meets a succubus, both used to easily seducing others and sex without attachments, suddenly they both start seeing a mirror to their face and questioning their beliefs, so they go from wanting to exploit each other to deciding to help each other in a predicament. And apparently find out neither of them are really as evil as they pretended to be.

The biggest downside imo is that the story happens only over a couple of days, so the characters don't need much convincing to go with whatever plot twist happens and the relationship centers around insta-love. But I feel that's a common trope in monster romance novellas - it's either fated mates or some other excuse for insta-love. I think most people pick these for the spice, not the story anyway.

If you like a role-reversed monster romance (she's the monster, she's the dominant in the relationship), it's a fun and enjoyable read. Just don't expect much plot.

[Amelia Lin · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
TW: morally gray leads, age gap (she’s an immortal demon), parental abandonment as a child, alphahole, rimming, pegging, rope play, food as sex toys, flogging, impact play, temperature play, oral sex (both male and female), depictions of heaven and hell, demon smut, Dom/sub relationship, womanizing butthole of a man.
👉 femdom demon FMC
👉 Billionaire MMC with a blacken soul
👉 Saving his soul via bdsm
👉 Morally Grey characters

Faith couldn’t meet her quota for the month and is at risk for being sent to the pit in hell. Therefore, must collect at least one blacken soul to bring to the depths of hell in order to save herself. That person was Bryon but fortunately for him, Faith was more than willing to work to save his soul from hell.

Okay so this book is pretty kinky and they have fun with lots of candy! 🍭 it’s pretty fun and I hope you also enjoy it! You don’t get to read many monster fmcs and human mmc so I was really excited to pick this one up and I was not disappointed!

[katie ୨୧ · Rating 1 out of 5]

‘No Sugar Coating It’ is about a domineering demon and a bratty office playboy. Whilst, the erotica aspect was intriguing at first but overall it proved to be a massive let down. The characters would say one thing then throw that out the window 5, 10 pages later. I think there could have been a lot more development into their personalities. Byron, the MMC, was meant to be this total womanizer and a domineer in bed, yet he had a complete 180 in sexual preference within the span of MINUTES.

I think that the main characters are self absorbed and flat and quite frankly had no backbone. Faith is 1000 years old yet acts like a horny teenager 95% of the time.

But hey, if you’re reading this, you’re reading it for the smut and whilst it’s a little funky in this, it’s worth the read for that aspect alone.

Thank you BookSirens & D.J. Russo for the free ARC ☺️

[Summer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honest ARC Review: What a fun, spicy, monster novella perfect for Valentine’s day! Faith is a demon whose job is to seduce, torture, and collect souls from humans. Problem is that Faith really sucks at her job and only has one last chance before she's fired. So she comes up with a plan and waits eagerly. Byron is a rich corporate playboy who is always on the prowl for his new conquest. On a whim he decides to check out the new candy store across from work. He's dumbstruck when he see's the most gorgeous goth chick he has ever seen and is immediately obsessed with her. Back in hell Faith realizes that Byron won't be what she needs but she agrees to help him clean his soul. These two were so much fun to read. Faith is seductive, feisty, and a bit delusional. She has never been like this with a mark and she knows she should be preparing to be sent to the pit but she's having too much fun. Byron is a playboy that goes through woman fast and doesn't see anything wrong with his actions. That's until the aggressive and sexy demon sees past his ego to the truth. I loved now fast Byron turned into a love sick puppy for Faith. One of my favorite parts about this book was the power exchange dynamic between them and how healing and informative it was for both of them. That said the spice was steamy and so much fun. The sexy scenes were scorching and unique. I would recommend this book to someone who looking for a short Valentine's day read with femdom, licorice bondage, edging, an f-boy turned love sick, "good boy", and a super sweet happily ever after.

[Michelle Lebron · Rating 4 out of 5]

A demon who is always behind on her soul quotas is about to be cast into the abyss of hell. In her desperation to find lost and corrupt souls, she opens a candy shop, hoping that corrupt souls will appear there. Byron is quite the playboy, but when he sees Faith in that candy shop, his world changes completely. It’s a fun story, especially filled with spice. I love the banter between the characters, particularly how they open up to each other—they are so loving towards one another. I loved the quick romance in this book; it developed so organically between them, and the chemistry was perfect. If you like kinks, you’ll find plenty of them in the spicy parts of this book. Russo creates monster FMCs that are more than perfect, which I love; it captures what we readers have been looking for for a long time.

[Jess (scijessreads) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I so wanted this to be more. The idea was great (and the candy-assisted spicy times a nice touch), but even for a novella this one seemed to be too short. The relationship and characters a little flat. The motivations not super clear, and things happen much to quickly to know if what happened would stick. This would make for a better longer book, with more time spent especially on Byron. And even Faith the demon was a little bland.

[River · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. I have read all the other books in the series and absolutely loved them so I came into this with really high hopes. unfortunately I just wasn’t really able to connect with any of the characters or the plot. I just wasn’t Vibin and honestly almost DNF because I was not enjoying myself. I guess I was just hoping for more monster and I’m not entirely sure where a demon falls under the monster classification, but I was just looking for more.

[Sarah L · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a huge fan of monster romance/erotic, I really looked forward to reading this. I especially liked that she was the paranormal and he was the everyday human as it’s so often the other way around or they’re both paranormal.

There were some issues with this story though. There were 180s in characters with very little happening to convince them of this change, for example, Byron is this alpha hole, big boss and suddenly we see him flip to being a sub. Faith is a sex demon and her focus is on consent? Yes, they are both getting a redemption arc but it just didn’t quite flow.

Whilst I am no prude, I found the sex scenes a bit boring and repetitive too. Perhaps due to the odd character development, I didn’t click with that part of their relationship.

The ending was fabulous though.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Gleeful Goblin Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gleeful Goblin Review: Something that tickled me and that I'm also ludicrously grateful for is the author's note at the front of the book. In a world where A HORRIFYING AMOUNT OF PEOPLE decided that 50 Shades of NOT LIKE THAT DEAR GOD is an example to follow for kínk/BDSM you gotta love an author who not only puts content info at the front of the book but also: "Also, I know this should go without saying, but… there’s a lot of kínky shít in this book. Softer kínk. This is still a cozy monster romance, after all. But there’s stuff here that I wouldn’t recommend trying at home without proper safety measures and adequate research. In short, this is not how I would personally do kínk in my real life, nor do I suggest you follow in Faith and Byron’s footsteps. This story is purely for entertainment purposes only and should not be considered a manual on BDSM. There are plenty of resources available, so if anything in here piques your curiosity… definitely do your homework. (And please do not stick candy canes in your holes!)"

Also, a truly masterful job of making me loathe Byron from the very start! His baseline character is just about every character trait that makes me avoid cishet dudes but I knew what to expect going into this book and having read the author's work before I HAD FAITH IN FAITH Y'ALL and she does not let me down. "From the moment the human male stepped into my shop, I could smell it: a dirty, disgusting soul rotting within his muscular meat vessel. Waiting to be plucked out, perhaps through his nostrils or maybe even his navel if I’m feeling so inclined. The warm, viscous fires of the Lake of Fire envelope the two of us completely. His delightful screams of terror carry throughout the air before we’re submerged. And then, with a snap of my finger, it’s all gone. Only pitch-black emptiness surrounds the two of us. In my true form, I’m even more gorgeous than before. With velvety ruby skin, piercing violet eyes, and a pair of pointy horns on the top of my head, I know I look good. I’m still wearing the dress and the fishnets, of course, but they’re now a deep purple to mimic the night sky of hell, devoid of the stars and moon humans are so accustomed to. Down here, there are no stars and certainly no moon. Only the deepness of the void. My crimson tail, pronged thrice on the end, curls around his quaking form as he curls into the fetal position before me. He’s petrified. I love it when men like him get their just desserts. And they always do, in the end. “Stand,” I demand, my voice deep and husky like before, only now more visceral and dangerous. He removes his trembling hands from his face and looks up at me, tears streaking his cheeks. Oh, poor baby. He’s so scared he’s crying. “Now. I will not tell you a second time.” YES FAITH, BÁD BÍTCH TIME IS NOW.

The interaction between Byron and Faith that sets the stage for the sweets centric play time is full of witty banter, some scheming on both sides, and an unconventional arrangement that they both agree to in order to get out of Hèll and not get demoted respectively. Once the sweet torture begins there's a cheeky balance between being mindful of consent even within this morally gray context and then the utterly ridiculousness of using sweets as implements. It's deranged and I'm here for it. "When I snap my fingers again, a rainbow-colored candy cane appears in my hand. Okay. I think I’m getting the hang of this. Normally, I’d move straight to knives, whips, and other instruments of torture. But this is play time with Byron, and I need to think outside of the box if I’m going to warm him up properly. Licking the straight end of the candy cane, I then gradually insert it into his hole. Not all at once, of course. I’m a demon, not a monster. Inch by inch the candy cane slips into him, and Byron lets loose a gentle hiss like he’s a teapot ready to boil. I rub his backside with my free hand in what I hope is a soothing gesture, and look up to search for any sign of pain on his face. I wind up staring at the stubble that’s beginning to appear on his cheeks and flick my tongue across my lips, moistening them. “Are you okay?” I murmur. “Perfect,” he replies. “Do I even want to know what you’re putting into me now?” I smirk and rake my claws against the soft skin of his áss again. “Candy cane. This one tastes like every single fruit on your miserable little planet, so it’s revolting, of course.” “Of course,” he agrees, then lets out a throaty chuckle. “At least it isn’t one of those Oreo flavored candy canes, though. Now those are practically a criminal offense.” I tap my cheek with my claws as an idea comes to me. “Hm, maybe I should hunt down the inventor of those, then. Take their soul down to Hèll.” You can't read these bits and not grin, it's impossible, I dare you to try it. Also, that's 100% facts about the Oreo candy canes. I love Oreos but as a candy cane? Abomination. Now, as ridiculous as some scenes are in many ways, I'm especially here for the fact that you still see good top behavior from Faith in knowing and respecting her sub's limits **especially** if the sub is way less experienced and aware of their body and the need for things like aftercare as is the case with Byron. Still definitely not a manual as the author clearly states but we love a mindful and in control top in this house!

This story, for all its cheeky and smexy fun times (and there is a ton), is ultimately about knowing yourself. It's about working through pain in healthy ways INCLUDING THERAPY, and figuring out who you are and who you want to be at the end of the day. I loved this journey and I think you will too. 5/5 Stars

[D.J.]

Why yes, yes I DO count my own books toward my reading goal. I've read this book at least five times at this point!

~TWs for those who would like to read them~

Updated Feb 7th

— Explicit sex scenes
— Impact play (flogging)
— Dom/sub relationship (she's the Dom, he's a switch)
— Parental abandonment as a child
— Depictions of hell and demons
— Choking/breath play
— Pegging
— Rope play & suspension
— Food as sex toys
— Temperature play
— Human skin used for a handbag
— Morally grey leads (she's a literal demon, he's a playboy)

[TrishSparklerReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

A funny, spicy, kinky read.

[Tara | Mangoes and Mayhem · Rating 5 out of 5]

🍬 A tale of redemption that will satisfy your sweet tooth. 🍭

📖 Dual POV, first person, present tense

✨ Synopsis:
Faith’s job as a lesser demon is to siphon the souls of the damned into Hell. But she’s not meeting her quota. In a last-ditch effort to avoid the fiery Pit and eternal damnation, she opens a candy shop to lure unsuspecting prey.

Byron has it all: wealth, an endless rotation of beautiful women, and zero consequences. That is until he visits Faith’s candy shop.

Faith’s job should be easy, but Byron has a submissive streak she can’t resist.

✨ Review:
While this is light-hearted, funny, and spicy, it’s also a deeply satisfying read.

At the start, I wasn’t sure what to expect from these two because they both had some serious growing to do. Byron was a total douchebag—the classic character you love to hate—and Faith seemed completely incompetent. But then, when their layers were peeled back, it became apparent there was so much more lurking underneath.

While Faith may not be good at siphoning the souls of the damned, she has a knack for serving Byron his just desserts. I adore the creative use of candy for bondage and all the candy s ë x toys. Every spicy scene has been permanently seared into my brain.

No Sugar Coating It is filled with fantastic imagery and some pretty hilarious lines (I kept highlighting sections and had a hard time narrowing down which quotes to use). And I may have teared up a bit towards the end.


Overall Rating: 🥭🥭🥭🥭.5
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

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[Bookfairymel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Submissive men will always be my weakness and this checked alllllll my boxes. I loved that when we met Byron, he was this strong, confident womanizer and as soon as he met Faith, he was on his knees for her. He sank into being a sub so easily, it was like candy for me *wink wink*. SO eager to please, begging to touch her and willing to try new things as long as Faith smiled at him. He was so endearing, so adorable and so lovable. I loved that Faith wasn’t a traditional demon either, that she struggled at her job because she was too kind. She actually wanted to make a difference with people, and I found her endearing and snarky, a perfect mix.

All the submissive scenes were great, I loved the consent and the different kinks introduced. We had breath play, temperature play, restraints, impact play and even candy play to name a few. I really enjoyed the spice and the sweet moments sprinkled in between them. The writing made it feel like more than two days had gone by, and I found myself wanting more of them. All the demon lore was cool as well, plus the ending was so sweet. I really enjoyed it!

[Sydney Linn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Spicy novella ✔️
Femdom ✔️
Monster romance ✔️
Consent Queen ✔️
Dual POV ✔️

Thank you DJ Russo for an arc of No Sugar Coating It 😍 this was such a fun, quick, and spicy read 🔥

This book follows Faith, a lesser demon who collects souls of the damned. She has her eye on a penthouse in Hell, but is on the verge of being fired from her job and sent to the Pit. She decides to set up a candy shop across the street from a big corporation to lure in corrupted souls. Byron is a womanizer and goes through life without any consequences. When he sees an attractive woman running the new candy shop across from his job, he just has to stop in.

They end up helping each other. Byron wants to help Faith get her penthouse and Faith wants to help Byron with his damaged soul. Faith realizes their time together is coming to an end, no matter how badly she wants to stay 😭 So she focuses herself on just helping Byron and comes to terms that she’ll be going to the Pit. But Byron refuses to believe that and will do what it takes to keep Faith 👀

I loved this book 😍 Full of kinky 🍭 candy 🍭bondage and a demon fmc who is huge on consent 🔥 Faith and Byron are so cute together and this was such a perfect February read!

If you’re looking for a short and spicy monster romance, give this one a try 😍

[Meagan Bowman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice- 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

Review- This was such a fun, cute, and spicy novella. One minute you are giggling and the next you are fanning yourself. I really enjoyed the fact that she was the Monster (Demon), and he was the human which is where the age gap comes in. I also loved the fact that her name is Faith when she is in fact a demon.

The banter and sweetness between the MCs are what kept me completely hooked to the story. Even though Faith is a mommy Domme she was so gentle with Byron even though at first you don't think he deserves that kindness with the way he plays with females as if they are toys to bed every night. I don't usually do insta love but this was done perfectly that I had zero issues with it. I was sad when I got to the end of this book because I was desperately wishing that it was longer. I highly recommend reading this when it releases on Valentines Day!

Thank you so much D.J. Russo for allowing me the chance to ARC for this book. I loved it!!