Demons & Doves

Freaks of Nature Duet #2

by Clio Evans

Welcome to New York City, where the roaring twenties are filled with rippers and revenge.

Florence has returned back home after facing months of torment, but she still cannot escape the demons that haunt her.

A Vampire. A Shapeshifter. A Demonic Jester.

The Rippers have lost everything because of Florence. Her past is dangerously intertwined with their future, and nothing will tear her from their blood thirsty grips. But the further they drag her into hell, the more they realize that fate is far more evil than any monster could be—and that they aren’t the only creatures after the doves.

Love is a weakness. Trust is a weapon. And if these four are ever to find either, they will have to reopen wounds that are better left untouched.

Can the demons love the very human they are destined to hate? Can Florence ever love them back?

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Why Choose, Monster Romance, Dark Romance, Romance, Dark

422 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2024

Reviews

[Alaine McDaniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Demons and Doves- Clio Evans

Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Has there ever been a hotter book? JFC I don’t think so. You may be wondering, well then why didn’t I give this 5🌶️? Well the answer is because I reserve 5🌶️ for erotica where it sex is the plot, and there is no other story line. D&D has a phenomenal story line because Mommy Clio writes the best monster stories, with the hottest spice. I can’t recommend this book enough. But definitely make sure you read book one, Doves and Demons, first as there are major plot points that happen in that book that directly correlate to what happens in book two, even through the two books have two completely different sets of characters.

[Casually Bookish Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm giving this a 3.5 ⭐(rounding up) 5🌶️ 3 🖤 I love the Freaks of Nature world (poly monster romance in a 1920s steampunk setting? dark romance? Yes, yes, and yes.), and getting closure for Book 1 and the Dove situation was fun to read.
I think for me, this was a hair too dark, and it got into a couple of CWs that aren't my cup of tea. I wish there was a little bit more relationship-building for how dark things are. I feel like I'd enjoy a .5 book that went into their "before" phase.

[Kate]

I am not the intended audience for this book. I read book one due to false advertising from a reviewer online, and when I told my friends about it, I was told it was my duty to read the second book and report back. And because I love my friends, I'm a good little soldier and ventured into book 2.

[Paige (lazylesbianauthor) · Rating 5 out of 5]

enormous thank you to clio and her arc management team @monstermistresspa for gifting me an e-arc of the second book in the freaks of nature duet!

i know i don’t even have to tell y’all how EXCITED i was for this book! that excitment was justified because this was a wild ride!

after loving irene and her monsters and falling into this dirty and dark new world, i was excited to jump into florence’s side of the story!

jumping into book 2 you’re greeted with a trigger warning list, which is a norm for clio and my personal favourite of all her books, and a recap of the first book. both of these things i loved! i was immediately obsessed with the tw list as it contained some very new things for me, such as erotic consensual flesh eating and a broken jaw during play. i loved every single minute of the smut in this book and i now want more erotic flesh eating in smut!

ok so onto the actual story, florence is in new york and is trying to start her life a fresh after the trauma of book one. things seem to be going well with her new beau until she starts seeing things, aka her past tormentors. that’s right! ace and cat are on the hunt for the very woman that ruined their lives and they’re not happy, no seriously ace has his angry mask on like the entire introduction.

honestly can’t even lie, this was a lot of vibes. vibes that had me gripped to the edge of the page. i actually had to read the last paragraph of the book to make sure no one died bc i couldn’t take the anticipation #slayspoilers

i also want to mention that i loved the communication in this book. clio truly hits the mark everytime with communication and healthy relationships and she did it again with thea guys. ace and jack are like the most not good people on the planet and although they had bad communication at times, they were so aware of that and ace was so intent on making that better. ace is such a special character to me and i deeply resonated with him. he’s just such a sweetheart and i love that he has cat, jack and florence to give him the love he deserves.

there was just so much to love about this book and the way clio brings her characters to life, the way they act and feel, it’s just an amazing experience. i am honestly sad to see these character go as this was a duet but i am excited for nocturnal as it is set in the same world! i am eager to see what awaits in this next book!

[Trinity]

DNF @ 10%

Ngl, I wanted Jack to stay dead but instead, upon her return she compels a group of mortals to undress and pleasure her and I cringed hard. This is not a MC I see myself liking so I'm bowing out



TW - violence, torture, body mutilation, mental abuse, gaslighting, manipulation, hypnotism (incl non-con scene), breaking a jaw (within a sex scene), body used as a dartboard, past parental death, grief, discussions of sexual assault, on page death and murder, amputation, branding, poisoning, death of a bird, use of drugs, amnesia, kidnapping, hostage situations, depression, nightmares, drinking / drugging herself to sleep

CW - DubCon, consensual erotic flesh eating, somnophilia, oviposition, CNC, humiliation, breeding kink, exhibitionism, voyeurism, sadism, masochism, DP, blood play, blood sharing, monster cocks, breeding without pregnancy, choking, breath play

[Ahren McNamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highlights:
Somnophilia
Oviposition
CNC
Breeding Kink
Squirting
Consensual Erotic Flesh Eating

I am unwell. I was certain Clio could not shock me more than they already had in Doves & Demons but here I am- gobsmacked and scaroused. This duet is fantastic and you are going to be equally feral for the Rippers as you were for the Freaks! It’s dark, it’s shocking, it’s sexy AND there are twists and turns I did not expect, which kept me furiously turning pages well into the night. I really can’t put into words how affected I was by this book- I wish I had documented my reactions to some parts. I’m sad the duet is over but I know we’ll see more in this world!

[Kaylah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this book.

[Lia ☾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

" I hated her so much I wanted to see her soul rot in misery. And I loved her so fucking much that I wanted to see her become strong enough to destroy us."

----------------------—

Story rating: 3.75 ⭐️
Romance lvl: 2.0 ⭐️
Spice lvl: 4.0🌶️ 
Smut frequency: 4.0⏳

----------------------—

Tropes:
👉 MMFF romance
🖤 Mafia monsters (and they're real villains)
🕊️ Unexperienced FMC
❤️‍🔥 Hate to love
👀 Full of mysteries
💫 Fated mates

TW: violence, blood, gore, rape, non-con, dub-con, pleasure in pain, branding by fire, drugging, consumption of flesh (consensual)

----------------------—

~ STORY & PLOT 📝 ~

Like the first book, we continue in that dark steampunk ambiance but this time we have quit London and we now are in New York; with new monsters and new mysteries to uncover! ❤️‍🔥

The writing and the pace are really perfect, the story is so easy to fall into, I read it in one sitting. I liked the story even more than in Doves and Demons because I found it more present and more ansgty while in the first one, I felt it was more on the background in profit of the erotica.


I was also more prepared for what I was about to read so I guess it helped 😂

Fair warning tho, from my point of view, this is not a romance.It's a dark erotica with some touches of romance with monsters that act like monsters and look like monsters. They're fated so they love each other but that's that. Villains are real villains, real fuckeries are done, and no redemption arcs are present in this book.

The only thing for me was trying to make them relatable. Like Ace "who never kills innocent only kills people that prey on them" (bc of some childhood stories) but then the only 2 people he loves in his life are the worst predators of innocent people? Jack even more. She rapes and kills without any second thoughts.

So if he kills predators bc they make him think of what his dad did to him, what does he see in her? They could just be monsters that don't give a shit of the lives of people they don't care about, it would have bothered me less...

Also, I won't lie, the fact that they tortured her, kinda raped her, and lied to her WHILE HAVING HER CAPTIVE and then have some GUTS to act like anything was her fault (bc let's be real, Jack got only what she deserved if she had kept her words she wouldn't have been killed) and proceeded to torture, kinda rape and lie to her some more as revenge (???) BUT NO GROVELING? No.


~ SPICE 🌶️ ~

This book is heavy on spice but also on triggers so check before going in!

If you read Demons & Doves you'll be in for:

👉 FF, MM, FFM, MMF, MMFF explicit scenes
👉 Monsters with very special anatomies and lots of features
🕊️ teaching
🕊️ breeding (without pregnancy)
🕊️ biting
🕊️ oral
🕊️ masturbation
🕊️ anal
🕊️ beg for it
🕊️ praise
👹 degradation
👹 squirting
👹 restraints
👹 primal play
👹 pleasure in pain | sadism | masochism
👹 somnophilia
👹 oviposition
👹 consensual flesh-eating




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

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[felicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5 stars ⭐️

Man, this was deliciously dark! After reading and absolutely loving Doves and Demons, I couldn’t wait to read this book. Florence was an unlikable character, at least for me, in Doves and Demons. The rippers, aka Jack, Cat, and Ace were such morally grey characters. But nevertheless, I was so eager to read and unfold their own characters. And I wasn’t prepared to be emotional by these characters backstories as I was. They all three had traumatic pasts, in which formed them to be the villains they are. I ended up caring and loving all of these characters in the end.

I will say that Clio Evans makes an exciting and astonishing world-building experience that feels authentic and so real. It felt as if I was teleported back in time to 1920’s in New York. I appreciate and admire Clio for that, since it makes the overall reading experience so much more enjoyable.

I have so many favorite and memorable scenes from this book, for example the knife throwing scene or the dart scene. HOT! The wine bottle scene between Florence and Jack in the bath tub? So hot. Or the branding scene?? Everything about this book is hot, gruesome, and violent at its dark nature but absolutely stunning and beautifully at the same time.
Couldn’t recommend this series enough for people that love dark romance with steampunk elements filled with why choose goodness.

[Natasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very rarely cry during a book but I did not read the triggers before hand and after two VERY SPICY scenes I was feeling great all was well and then eggs happened. I don't know how to explain it but that stressed me out so badly because all I could think of was like chicken eggs and I just I think I found a trigger of mine. Aside from that, this story was everything. The groveling was great, the revenge, the twists just top tier. I did feel as if it was a very long book but not in a bad way just in a oh shoot this is probably over oh no I'm at 47% kinda way. I never read or really knew what steampunk is/was but it's cool and I definitely would read more. No eggs tho

[BeesBoo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was originally looking forward to reading this after finding out there's a second book. However, I found it didn't hit as well as the first. The story wasn't as interesting and the characters didn't spark as much curiosity about them.

I think part of the problem was also the story not doing much that was new in comparison. This is especially so with the main plot point of both books being the need to find a dove because someone bad/worse is after it

[Crazy4bookscruz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still processing…. But just WOW 🤩
I’ll be back to review fully when I get my thoughts in order!

[Eryn Uribe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the first one but nonetheless a good read. I enjoy this authors writing a lot, which helps.
Also the spice is SPICY in this one yall.

[Signe · Rating 3 out of 5]

florence is a wet rug compared to irene and nothing will change my mind.

[Ray 💜 · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 ⭐️

Falling in love in less than a week after months of being tortured and manipulated by the same monsters isn’t ideal, but paired with the absolute lack of chemistry past lust and Jack’s insufferable personality this one is a no from me dawg.

[Maeve I. · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh my these books are the dangerously good. everything i was wondering about after the first book was essentially answered in this one. i honestly can’t tell which team i love more! i loved the development and continuation of the story after book one. i think it makes perfect sense and really builds upon the world we’ve been give. i will say something that i really appreciate about demons and doves is the unfiltered insight into how long term relationships can be. i feel like we get to see these parts of relationships that aren’t always talked about in books and movies. of course they are, but i feel like when it’s the center of the plot oftentimes the dialogue shared between people feels kind of forced, and a bit too intentional if that makes sense. idk how to explain it, but reading it here felt so natural, and the impact felt much greater. i also think the sequel does something that the first does not. our three main monsters are all mated to each other, so we get to see a different kind of bond and connection. there’s so much more at stake, and it’s done really well. the mate aspect of these characters is what’s missing in the first book. not to say it makes the first one any lesser, but i’d argue that the reason why most people like the second better is because of how these characters are written. everyone loves the freaks too, and i don’t think there’s anything about the rippers that are particularly better than them. i genuinely think it’s the relationship between all of them that makes them more enjoyable to read. the monsters in book one aren’t mated to each other, and when james and charles do it wasn’t the ideal situation, so it just doesn’t feel the same. so, all in all i do think the mating bonds make the book stronger, which is probably why i keep thinking about the rippers more, except morte, i always think about him. but all in all, every single one of our main characters are so beautifully dark but also morally grey, so addicting to read and i will miss them all so much🥲i want to return to this world asap, i cannot wait for nocturnal!🖤🖤

[Rebekah ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved every single part of this book, from beginning to end it was amazing. Florence was a wonderful FMC and she was so strong through everything she was put through. I loved how she could with each member of her quad in different ways and could be their bright light in a dark work. Cal was a hot werewolf, shapeshifting, daddy of a beast and I loved how he could one minute be the d0m and the next be the sub. Jack was soooo hot and sooooo domme mommy in the best ways possible. She shocked me with just how long she could hold out on sharing her feelings. Ace, my sweet little demonic jester baby. Oh, how I loved his character. When his back story was being told I was nearly in tears and I loved how Florence loved him nearly unconditionally and how much he truly needed that. He was crazy, but at the same time he would destroy the entire world to save those whom he loves, and I think that is so heartwarming. Overall, the plot was amazing, the story and world-building left you on the edge of your seat, and the ending was soooo needed. I can't wait to read more from this world, though I will miss Ace (and Morte). ❤️

5/5 ⭐
5/5 🔥

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I hated her so fucking much that I wanted to see her soul rot in misery.
And I loved her so fucking much that I wanted to see her become strong enough to destroy us.”

Clio Evans has this delightful way of picking you up out of the real world and placing you into her fantasy setting. Despite the dark themes, the book is easy to dive into and keeps you flipping pages. I devoured this book with the grace of an orange cat, meaning I fell into it and pretended I knew what I was doing the entire time. From the beginning pages, where I dreaded for Florence's wellbeing, to the end where I was rooting for a happy ending (as much as we can get here), this story kept me in its claws. The steampunk atmosphere felt well thought out and complete. The characters felt well rounded and tangible. If you’re familiar with Clio Evan’s spice, you won't be disappointed here as there is plenty of it.

4.5/5 ⭐️ Highly recommend!

[BobbiJo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, pretty sure this is the darkest Clio has written. Fair warnings, absolutely check the triggers on this, it’s dark and wild. This book is the relationship between three very evil monsters and a human. The spicy scenes are not going to be average, matter of fact, the spicy scenes are out there… but they are really hot.

It’s also important to note that the monsters are 100% villains and that’s not going to change.

This book is high heat and fast burning when it comes to spice, but it’s a slow burn when it comes to getting to a point of admitting love.

Nothing about this book is sweet or cozy, except for maybe how Ace knows and doesn’t really question the fact that Florence belongs with them.

Florence, Jack, Cat, and Ace have a rough journey to figuring out their feelings, but it’s a wild ride that I highly recommend when you want a really dark romance.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all a big thank you to Clio Evans for providing me with an ARC of her new upcoming release.

Second of all, hoooooly shit. You weren't lying when you said these were the bad guys.

If you thought the first book was dark, think again. Jack and her mates are brutal.

They're out for blood and the only way they'll get it? Hunting down their pretty little human mate.

Secrets divide the four of them and is they want the get their hands on the last dove? They'll have to work together. Actually work together. Kind of. They mostly play together.

If you call throwing knives or darts playing...

Anyways, these monsters are CRAZY and I'm so here for it.

Ace might be my favourite. This Jester actually creeped me out, but he was the first one to actually THINK. He had a soft side, but only for his little plaything.

Clio, you're amazing but your brain scares me sometimes.

[Maddie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is going to be controversial…but I did not like this book, especially compared to the first one. I only liked Cat and Ace but Florence was a wet blanket with no personality and Jack endlessly pissed me off.

Also the book started off strong with just a manipulative rape scene. Like Jack wakes up and just manipulated everyone around her to have sex with her and kills them. Not sexy…very yucky.

Some of the sex scenes went too far too…breaking her fucking jaw WHILE eating her flesh?!? I couldn’t do it.

Lastly, the three of them are mates where? The three of them love each others where? That was the most chaotic, unfeeling mateship that never goes anywhere.

[Nisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could read a million more books about the Rippers. Although my love for the Freaks is still strong there was just something about this group that really stole my heart. &Obviously Ace is my favorite. Sorry not sorry. 😜 I also really loved Jack’s character, TAKE NOTES AUTHORS we absolutely need more FF rep in the world. Clio nailed the entire group dynamic. D&D had the perfect balance of action&… well… action. 👀🤣The duet also had such a satisfying ending&I can’t wait to see what else Clio graces us with from this world.

[monsterinthepages · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘Demons & Doves’
RELEASE DATE: 1st March 2024

━━ † ━━

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

━━ † ━━

I thought I loved the first instalment of the ‘Freaks of Nature’ duet, but I have to say that the second book ‘Demons & Doves’ has raised the bar even HIGHER, if that was at all possible! I think that this duet might actually be my new favourite series from Clio and that’s saying something, because I love a lot of Clio’s work and series’.

Please also note that this book can NOT be read as a standalone, and you need to have read the first book in the duet ‘Doves & Demons’ first.

There is just something really special about how this story (along with the first one ‘Doves & Demons) is written that doesn’t shy away from the true monstrosity of TRUE villainous monsters while at the same time getting the reader to feel how much they need and deserve love just as much as everyone else. You feel at times you SHOULDN’T be rooting for, and falling in love with these characters, but they are just so cleverly written that you can’t help it. The characters are all uniquely wonderful and possess their own stories and seeing how they all intertwine—sometimes beautifully, sometimes messy—is truely lovely.

Jack is back baby! My favourite vampire only became MORE so after learning more about her and her past—at times I wanted to slap her and then I wanted to kiss her haha I love her! We didn’t see a lot of Ace or Cat in the first book so seeing more of them in the second was fantastic, as they really were these enigmatic creatures that only blossom further in ‘Demons & Doves’. The three monsters are such raw mates, build on a strong sense of passion and love, but sometimes lacking in other qualities that are needed to make a relationship work, and with the addition of Florence, the human, to their dynamic, they all learn to grow together through gritty moments of some pretty fucked up shit—but it works out for the better in the end.

I will say here that there is one particular scene that I think has forever changed me…I won’t give too much away, but let’s just say that the term the author puts in the trigger/content warning page of “consensual erotic flesh eating” is both the perfect description and lacking the pure emotive FEELS that scene gave me—the chills in ALL the best ways and I send my prayers to Clio and say THANK YOU for writing that scene!!!

Which leads me into the spice…and my GOD is there some utterly mouthwatering spice in this book. Like blushing and rethinking all my life choices type of spice haha I will say that this book does have a bit more “darker” style of play than the first book (‘Doves & Demons’) and embraces some more sense of primal play in some of the scenes (especially with Cat). And, I do have to say here: PLEASE READ THE TRIGGER WARNINGS BEFORE READING! The spicy scenes are all pretty intense if you aren’t used to reading darker romance — but also, they are so goddamn HOT!!

Speaking of trigger warnings, this book has a LOT! So much that I won’t be able to list them all, but I will put down the ones that I think are MOST important. This book handles some dark themes in both the plot and spicy moments that the author lists extensively at the beginning of the book as well as on her social media so PLEASE READ THEM BEFORE YOU READ THIS BOOK IF YOU ARE EASILY TRIGGERED.

━━ † ━━

⚔️TRIGGER LIST⚔️

— Explicit sex scenes (MM, MF, FF, MMF & MMFF)
— Violence, torture, body mutilation, branding & amputation
— Mental abuse, gaslighting & manipulation
— Hypnotism & amnesia
— Dubious consent & CNC
— Consensual erotic flesh eating & knife play
— Breaking a jaw within a sex scene
— Body used as a dartboard
— Sadism & masochism
— Blood, gore, blood play, blood sharing
— Past parental death, grief & depression
— Discussions of sexual assault
— Poisoning & use of drugs
— Choking
— Kidnapping & hostage situations
— Somnophilia
— Oviposition
— Breeding kink & breeding (without pregnancy)
— Exhibitionism & voyeurism
— Wine bottle as a sex toy
— Chasing/hunting scenes

━━ † ━━

‘Demons & Doves’ is the PERFECT completion to the ‘Freaks of Nature’ duet. I utterly loved this story; from the plot, the characters and the spice…it’s all phenomenal! If you love your romance dark and monstrous (with actual monsters who aren’t afraid to be evil…and who have unique monster peens), your plot intriguing, your female MC broken but badass and strong, your spice as scorching as it is sometimes utterly fucked up and a romance that’s complicated but build on a raw sense of love then this is the book for you. I would highly recommend this book! 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❗️

[Cassandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just cannot get into this book. I struggled just to get to 15%, and I don't really want to keep going. Below is my progress and views as they happen, so you can get an idea of what I'm thinking. If you are wanting to know if I decided to DNF, scroll to the bottom of my review.

I am currently at 16% right now. So far, I just can't get into it. We have these bad guys from the first book, and now we are supposed to like them? I just can't bring myself to care.
Then there is Florence. I didn't like her in the first book, and I still don't like her now. She is boring. It just said she cried for 2 hours after finding a dead dove on her doorstep. She has had to deal with monsters and watched some of them get killed, but a dead bird makes her cry?
The author doesn't really convey emotions very well. I noticed this in the first book, too. She tells us OK, but I can't feel anything between them or for them, so them being upset over Jack being gone just doesn't really bother me. Not to mention, these are the same people who manipulated and held Florence captive, but now I'm supposed to believe they are love interests?

I'm now at 38%, and she's just had her date with "Julian". All of a sudden, she is into pain. That just came out of nowhere. I still can't get any real emotions from anyone. If they were all to get stabbed and die on the next page, I wouldn't really care all that much. I am extremely close to deciding to DNF this thing. I'll keep going one more time, but I'm barely hanging on here.

84% - Things picked up a little bit, but I have to say, I still don't like Jack at all. I can't seem to find anything about her that I like, which is skewing my views of everything. I did just find a typo, too. The word too was used, rather than to.

OK, I did it. I actually finished it. It was touch and go there, for a while, though. I took some time away from the book, too, to reset, which helped.
I still didn't like Jack. The other 2 were OK, but I unfortunately didn't get feel any emotions from any of them, just them saying I love you. She was held prisoner and tortured for months, and then she supposedly falls in love with them in a week? Just doesn't feel right on the timing.

I am glad these two books are over, though. I'm ready for something else.

[Leon · Rating 5 out of 5]

(ARC review. Thank you to Clio and their team!)

This book was a crazy ass ride. I liked book one, and the first book definitely left room for expansion. This duet follows two sisters, Florence (book 2) and Irene (book 1). Each of the two sisters has 3 monster mates. Book one was MFMM, and book two is FFMM with MM scenes, MF scenes, FF scenes, MFFM, MFM, MMF (basically literally every variation you could make with two girls and two guys lmao)

I'm a big fan of Clio Evans, and I've read most of their works. This duet was definitely darker than their usual, though, and I loved it. Think Steampunk meets Mafia meets Roaring 20's meets that one scene in Revenge of the Sith where Anakin turns to the dark side and Obi-Wan can't save him

There's 3 love interests for our MC, Cat/Cathal (shifter) Ace (jester, NOT a clown), and Jack (genderbent Jack the Ripper & badass vampire) we're briefly introduced to Jack in the first book, and it's.... not in a positive light, lol. I want to say that the love interests are morally grey, but I think morally black would be more accurate. Mass murderer & cannibal pookies (is it cannibalism if you're not technically human? we may never know)

This was very plot-heavy while also having the spice level of Phaal curry. I Googled 'world's spiciest food', I do not know what Phaal curry is, but apparently you have to sign a waiver to eat it. I can't give y'all details, but the extensive list of content warnings gives you an idea. It's definitely a book you don't read in public without a poker face

This book had the same vibes as the Sinners duet by Sophie Lark, but with a monster + mafia + poly twist. I listened to Sleep Token while reading, and it definitely added to the experience. The only complaint is that wording was a little redundant at times, but this book is over 600 pages, so you can't nitpick at that. Overall, it was a very thrilling read with a good spice to plot ratio. Def recommend, but not if you're new to dark romance & monster romance jajaj

[Brooke (darkcoffeedarkerreads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐ 5🌶️

Yes, yes, 1000x yes. Demons and Doves was everything I hoped it would be…and maybe, even a little bit more. I was a bit hesitant coming in because of how great Doves and Demons was, but Clio only continued the awe in book two. She ramped up the world building and intrigue, as well as the white hot spice–I haven’t found a FF yet that has been as scorching and captivating as Jack and Florence, and this may be my favorite Clio book yet.

This book was quite a bit darker than its predecessor and I found that I truly enjoyed it–what that says about me, you can decide. The utter depravity amongst the Rippers, even during the spicy times (iykyk that Ace x Jack scene was 😈❤️‍🔥!), was exceptionally written and I loved seeing each of their monstrous personalities be so uniquely expressed, each a puzzle piece and balancing addition to these poly mates.

I loved the resolution to the automaton dove mystery and all of the twists and turns along the way. I really enjoyed the backstory of why the doves were truly created, what happened to the Ellis parents, and how all of these events were set into motion centuries before either Irene or Florence were born. I saw nearly none of it coming and the details of book one were so intricately tied into book two, it was fantastic. The subtle hints at Alice in Wonderland themes (White Rabbit, dead rabbit, tea, and the Mad Hatter all making brief appearances/references) also had me completely feral and down a rabbit hole (pun intended) of research after finishing the book.

I’m sad the duet is over but I will be circling back to read more Clio books in the very near future and will be shamelessly begging for more dark content in the future.

[Anya Z. · Rating 5 out of 5]

🎭 ARC Review 🎭

Demons & Doves by Clio Evans is Book 2 of the Freaks of Nature Duet. It continues with Florence's Story and the Monsters Jack, Cat & Ace that we met in Doves & Demons. If you read Doves & Demons (which I highly recommend you do first)... you know this story was going to be about villians. Murderous, extremely violent, selfish - dare I say - vërƴ sëxƴ & därƙlƴ dëlïcïöus villians... 😏 How Clio was going to tell their story - well... that is the absolute genuis of Clio! ✨️

⚠️ - Read/Research all the TWs! Clio responsibly includes an extensive list covering everything that will happen. If any of that is not your cup of tea, just stop reading. 😉

With that being said, I can say there will be several scenes that will forever live rent free in my head... 🥵🔥💋 *Julian* driving Florence to their date, all the dining table scenes, all the wall scenes, Jack & Florence in the bathtub scenes, Ace caring for Florence, Ace's backstory, Jack's Submission to Ace, Cat's Submission, Ace's Submission, Cat & Ace together, Florence & Irene fighting as the Doves, 🫧thë mö§t §pëcïal & gïrthƴ pëën§,🫧 Ace & Morte's convo in the car, Florence's Bridal Hunt, James, Charles, Morte & Irene popping up briefly, the I-Love-You's & Mating Marks... Good Lord - it's basically the whole book! 🥰

Clio's creative genuis is their masterful world-building, emotional range, character's growth, revelations & dialogue... and of course all the §ëx & kïṅk§ (faves & newly discovered) that is gifted to all of us...
🖤🩶🤍

All of Clio's Books are an auto-buy for me. I absolutely trust Clio will take me on a wild & unforgettable ride!
🫶🏻📚🫶🏼📚🫶🏽📚🫶🏾📚🫶🏿

[Naiara Chiquetto · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Demons & Doves we return to the universe of Freaks of Nature, the steampunk 1920s world that is my favorite Clio universe! If you haven't read Doves & Demons, go back to it because this is book 2 and you need to follow the order.

After the events in London in book 1, Florence returns to New York, and is trying to live a normal life (spoiler: it won’t happen lol).

It turns out that the shapeshifter Cat and the demon jester Ace move into the house across the street, and are dying to take revenge on Flor for the death of their mate, the vampire Jack, the Ripper (but did she really die? 🤓).

You see, Cat, Ace and Jack throughly tortured Flor in London, and the girl is very traumatized. So when I say that this is enemies to lovers, don't underestimate the enemies part. They are truly enemies. And even when they come to an agreement and start fucking (there's no lovemaking here, haha), things have a good dose of hatred and psychological terror.

You know all that cuteness you find in Clio’s other books? There's none of that in this duet. It's dark, it's depraved, it's morally questionable. Everyone is a little crazy. And I love it.

Demons & Doves gave some depth to the facts of book 1, but maintained the sinister atmosphere and the poetry of the writing.

Florence may be delicate, but she is no damsel in distress. Jack is the definition of a mafia girl boss, it's no wonder her name has been feared for so many centuries. Cat is a very delicious wolf. And Ace... when Clio writes a crazy, psychopathic demon, we already know he's going to be our favorite, right? 😂🤌

I really enjoyed it.

[nic · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC REVIEW (thank you to Clio and their team!)
5 STARS! ✨

omfg no words. I honestly will read anything Clio writes.
This duology is so good, so creative, so well written, so well developed worldbuilding and i cant fault it. (This duology ignited the love i have for fantasy/gothic romance!!)

I always think there is nothjng else that can be added to a Clio trigger/content warning list but the list outdoes itself everytime.

I loved all these characters, the well written and thought out backstorys, the plot and how everything connects to the first book. ALL MY LOVES FROM THE FIRST TOO JAMES, CHARLES, MORTE AND IRENE.

JACK, CATHAL, ACE AND FLORENCE despite everything that went wrong between them and everything they did to each other. It was nice to see this part wasnt rushed and took time for forgiveness. Especially Jack and Florence!!

ACE AND CATHAL DUO AHHHHHH!! ALSO JACK WITH THEM OMG I COULD CRY LIKE PERFECT TRIO AND FLORENCE IS THE CHERRY ON TOP FOR THEM.

THE SMUT. I AM NOT A BIG SMUT GIRLIE BUT OMFG THIS IS SMUT LIKE WTF I HAD TO PAUSE AND SIT THERE AND THINK. BUT WOW. SMUT YOU DONT SEE COMING BUT LEAVES YOU WANT MORE? < (all of clios books to me tbh)

and i really like how Clio isnt afraid to write what they want to, going out comfort zones and just writing.

I cant fault this book. This duology is one that will still with me forever will miss this series and them all!! as always tears were shed. 🥹🥺🥹

CANT WAIT FOR NOCTURNAL!!

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gosh, where to start? I like... stuff... but I might be too vanilla for this book.

1. Erotic flesh eating wasn't erotic.... go figure.
2. Breaking a jaw during BJ is really not my thing.
3. The rest of the smut was good. More than good actually, Ibreally enjoyed it.
4. This started with a r*pe scene, and Florence (our fmc) falls in love with the r*pist, Jack (another fmc and love interest)
5. Florence has a personality of a limp noodle and a blow up doll. Someone needs to introduce her to therapy so she can learn that whatever manipulative shit happened in this book is not love
6. Jack was infurating, and I quite literally hate her. She not only manipulates Florence but also her so called mates, Ace and Cat
7. Ace and Cat were literally the only good thing in this book (besides the smut scenes, excluding those stuff from points 1 and 2). If this book was only Ace and Cat, I'd rate it million stars.
8. The rest of the plot was okay? I didn't particularly care about it.

I knew this was not going to be my thing from TWs at the beginning, but I had hopes nonetheless. But to be completely honest, none of them bothered me as much as Jack ruined the whole book for me. She's probably one of the worst, most disgusting characters I've ever read about, and I just can't get past that. She treats everyone like shit, and Ace and Cat just go like oh well that's Jack for you... manipulative toxic bitch imo.