Disadvantage: Why don't you roll for it?

by S.A. Burd

“A soothsayer and a witch walk into a voodoo shop with a ghost probelm” might sound like an opening line to a great joke, but dealing with a murderous ghost is only fun in fantasy games, not real life. Kathryn and Cole find themselves having to deal with such a poltergeist just days after meeting. Little did they know, that a ghost would just be the start to their problems.

Kathryn
Go to work, save money, and keep her head down at home. She couldn’t believe she gave up exploring more of her witchy powers for a man. No, not a man, a walking red flag. For now, she’ll stay the course, make a plan to safely get out of this toxic relationship, and avoid distractions. That is until it’s time to host a little table top role play game. Easy peasy, or so she thought. She never expected her best friend to bring a new player into the mix.

Cole
Repressing the gifts given to you by the gods is never a good idea; especially when you take human medication to suppress them. The gods will have their pound of flesh one way or another. Cole finds his foresight bursting through the medically induced brain fog, and someone ends up on the wrong end of his knife. He finds himself rushing back home, to New Orleans, to live with his grandma. Now he’s dealing with trying to master his foresight while learning about vampires, demons, gods, and alligator shifters. Not to mention the pretty little witchling who likes to lie about her dice rolls.

Genres: Paranormal

238 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 13, 2024

Reviews

[Kassybetweenpages · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't know I needed a dark nerdy D&D style romance book with gator shifters, but I absolutely did!!!

I could read about Kathryn and Cole every day. it is a fast paced read with insta-love, touch her and die, find your own power within and a whole lot of spice and humor.

[Evie Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

WHAT IS THIS BOOK!?!?!
OMG I LOVED IT SOOOOOOO MUCH!!! This book makes my nerd heart so happy. I love how S.A Burd combines ttrpg with the magical world she created in the Scavenger Series. WHAT COLE MAKES KAT ROLL FOR!!!!!!!!!! Omg, the whole thing was amazing.

We follow Cole who is a soothsayer with very little experience with his power. It gets him into a bit of trouble, so he's forced to move to NOLA. Enter the sassy and badassy Jamie, the BFF who introduces Cole to Kat. Kat is a no nonsense GM and overall strong FMC. She's not in the best situation, and it quickly spirals once Cole enters her life. But what's a little truama bonding betweeen the GM and her player?

I absolutely love this book. It was the perfect blend of magic, paranormal, nerdiness and HOLY CRAP THATS HOT!!!

[Sky P · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spent the evening with this gem. I went in with no expectations but having seen the authors TikTok and having bought her previous trilogy. I haven’t gotten to reading the trilogy just yet. I do wish I had read it first because some of those characters make an appearance but I was luckily somewhat aware of them from the authors TikTok and researching the trilogy. But I won’t spoil how they fit in. This story was the best way for me to spend an evening and relax into another world. It had some dark humor, a some balanced romance with some spice, some paranormal, some fun witchcraft and magic and just a rollercoaster ride of adventure and excitement. Oh and most importantly…GATORS! Gator Shifters to be exact. I love the Gators so much! Hilariously and ironically this is the 2nd book I have read the week set in New Orleans by two different authors where the gators enjoy a meal of dismemberment to remember. The Trigger warnings were on point and listed in the beginning of the book. Definitely recommend for adults. I highly recommend this book! It will go into my circulation of favorites to reread especially when I get a physical copy when it is available from the authors Etsy shop. I love supporting independent authors and this book was so fun and entertaining. I received a digital ARC from S. A. Burd and BookFunnel for an honest review. No goods or services exchanged.

[Corkey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Right from the start it grabs you. Cole has his own little bundle of issues that he’s working through when he arrives at his grandmas. He then goes starts a job where he makes a quick friend who has such a loveable demeanor. Jamie brings him to meet a client. Kat who has her own troubles that pulls him in. Cole will protect her at all costs. Although she is not a damsel by no means. She can hold her own. We love us a strong FMC with a strong MMC.

If you have read The Three Ring Scavenger series you’ll see some of the characters from there make an appearance. The squeal of excitement for Dumah. That ending though. I’m for it.

Cannot wait to see what S.A. Burd comes up with next

[Danielle Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a great book!! I couldn’t put it down!! I loved the story line and all the characters we were introduced to. The spice was amazing as well 🫣 I will 100% be recommending this book to my group of D&D friends as well! The elements that were brought through in the story just made it that much more enjoyable

[tattooedbooknerdgirl35 (Amanda Lynn) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recieved a copy an ARC copy and this is my honest review.

S.A. Burd is a wonderful author and her books are just so good. Disadvantage doesn’t disappoint.
I love the characters Cole and soothsayer, who realizes who he really is and the gift he is gifted with is good and not a curse. Then you have Kathryn who is dealing with a crappy boyfriend and trying not to let her witchy ways leave her. I honestly think she is a bad a33 character. Then you have Kathryn bestie Jamie who is more than what he seems. This story just has a ton of magical begins and gods and goddesses.

S.A. Burd even gave us a few lovely surprises with past characters from Scavenger on the Run. I can’t wait to read more and see where S.A. Burd goes with more into these wonderful books she writes.

[Melissa Melmch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I loved the setting of this story and the assortment of characters, so we have a witchling, a soothsayer, demon, vampire, gods and goddess and don’t forget shapeshifters. This dark romance has some new dice games to be played and has some laughs along with some amazing cameos from S.A.Burds previous books that tie in beautifully. I love this book I highly recommend and can’t wait to see what she puts out next

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing!!! I love how it can be read apart from Three Ring Scavenger but still have it a part of this book. It made my little heart so happy when the trilogy was brought into this world. So beautifully written and amazing detail to characters. I love Cole and Kathryn and the spice 🤌🤌. I can't wait until the next one. This was a book I couldn't put down once I started reading.

[Amanda Jernigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I loved Cole and Kathryn. The action was good, the magic was great and the spice was fantastic. I also loved how it tied into the Scavenger Series

[Samantha Moran · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun D&D style dark romantasy! It had a ton of humor, some spice, and of course, magic. Definitely a good read.

[Kayla Burns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Witches, soothsayers & demons, oh my! Sat down and thoroughly enjoyed this book. After reading S.A. Burds trilogy I was curious what else she could come up with, this book was an unexpected cute & lovely story even with a sprinkling of her signature gory details. I even kept my husband informed of all the juicy details.

[Jamie Samland · Rating 5 out of 5]

S A Burd keeps surprising me with well-rounded characters and worlds! I absolutely love the Easter eggs to her other works in this one.

[Shells · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
⭐⭐⭐.5 (bumped this up because I still think about this book)
🌶️🌶️

This was a cute and easy read! It was like dark paranormal romance and rom com had a baby. The characters were so funny and it was a delight to get to live in their heads for a while. It's got TTRPG elements with a female Dungeon Master which I really appreciated! There's some light BDSM with am emphasis on consent, and a fun kinky game between the MCs (bratty FMC/Soft Dom MMC). Then there's the witches, soothsayers, ghosts, vampires, animal shifters, and gods who all have quirky fun personalities of their own.

The only real difficulty I came across was all of the references to the author's previous book series. As a first time reader of this author, that particular section of the book where all of those pieces came together was a little difficult to wade through without having the context of the previous books. So I would suggest starting there if that would be an issue for you as a reader.

But if you love found family, instalove/fated mates, a touch of death, and a lot of humor-- this book is for you!

[Maxine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a 4.5 for me! I really enjoyed this book in so many ways. The chemistry was off the charts for Cole and Kat and I loved every moment of them getting to know each other and the way they danced around their attraction for each other. This a slow burn but in the best way possible with banter and off the charts chemistry and tension that you don't mind as they build up to the big spicy time and damn the spice, they had was spicy spicy. I loved Cole as a MMC as he was really refreshing to read in how he acted, treated and even thought about Kat. I don't know how to really put it into words, but he was the best of both worlds of having a really strong man there to take care of you when you need help but also more than happy to stand back and let you handle business because he knows you are more than capable of handling it yourself.
I loved seeing all the characters from the previous books that I had fallen in love with because I was so sad when the last book ended because that meant I would never see them again. But they more than make an appearance in this book and I got to see the crazy characters that I fell in love with again which made me so happy.
This book was the perfect balance of banter/comedy, dark romance, paranormal and chemistry between the MCs. There were also some great side characters that I really enjoyed and with how it ended I am really excited for the next installment in the series. It doesn't leave on a cliff hanger, but it does set it up for the next book and I am so excited!!

Gods, Demons, Witches and Soothsayers.. Oh my. Life has certainly taken a turn for Cole due to unexpected difficult circumstances have him starting over New Orleans. This new start comes with an estranged grandma and the new ability to tap into his gift of foresight which has been repressed his whole life. However, even with this new start and all the changes in his life that doesn't mean he is exempt from having to work for a living. So off to work we go. At this job he meets Jamie who from his visions he can tell will become someone who is like a brother to him, and it is through Jamie he meets Kathryn a woman who he can't take his eyes off as she takes charge like a general of the dental office she manages. A dental office surrounded by literal alligators that she treats like pets and baby talks to. But as much as he would like to act on his attraction for her, she has a toxic red flag dick of a Boyfriend that according to Jamie she is in the midst of planning how to safely leave. But things never turn out as we plan especially when you have supernatural forces and creatures at play. So will Cole gift of foresight or the witchy abilities of Kathryn be enough to get them through these challenges... read to find out.

I received an arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Mandi Kurth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely devoured this book! It just made my nerdy little New Orleans loving heart so happy. It had everything I needed to feel completely satisfied from a book. The characters were lovable and ridiculous all at the same time. There were moments that made you go, "Excuse me, what?". And it was near impossible to put down.
Cole, Kat, and Jamie are such amazing characters with their own special quirks to love. When first introduced to Cole, you get a basic idea of him but then quickly proven he is much more than you originally expected. My new favorite line for a spicy setup is now, "Food is her love language, and I will make it my mission to become bilingual". Um, yes please!
The spice in the book is pretty solid. It's not over done. It's not on every other page. It is well inserted (heh) and actually adds to the story. Kind of makes me want to keep a D20 handy. ;)
I follow S.A. Burd on TikTok and from her personality alone, I knew I would love her book. This is the first one I have read of hers but now I am definitely interested in reading more!
Even if you aren't a fan of DnD or don't understand or have some other weird preconceived notion of the game that makes you think this isn't a book for you, get over it and read this book! You don't need to have knowledge of DnD to thoroughly enjoy this story. It makes it a little more fun but you can still get by with little insight.

[Vikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disadvantage is a captivating read that thoroughly exceeded my expectations. As someone who hasn't played Dungeons & Dragons (DND) in a while, this book evoked a sense of nostalgia and offered a refreshing take on the genre. S.A. Burd masterfully weaves together elements of gore, spice, paranormal activity/characters, love, and tabletop role-playing games, creating a rich and immersive narrative.

The incorporation of spice into the storyline is particularly well-done, adding a layer of intensity and passion that complements the book's darker themes. The action and adventure keep readers on the edge of their seats, while the numerous plot twists ensure that the story remains unpredictable and engaging.

Fans of S.A. Burd's other series will appreciate how "Disadvantage" ties into the broader Scavenger universe. This interconnection enriches the reading experience, offering deeper insights and connections for loyal readers.

Its well-developed characters, intricate plot, and unexpected twists make it a must-read. Whether you're a fan of DND, paranormal romance/fiction, or just looking for a thrilling adventure, this book is sure to leave a lasting impression.

[Marissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super unique and captivating story that incorporates DND. I have never read anything like this before with the incorporation of having characters roll dice in the story. It really added a whole new layer to the unknown. The world this takes place in has so many different types of creature such as soothsayers, witches, demons, and more. You really never knew what you could encounter next. The plot kept me guessing and there were so many unique surprises I didn't see coming. I loved the characters both Cole and Katherine. Katherine is a strong FMC and can really use a flyswatter LOL. The connection and banter between Cole and Katherine kept my attention as well. There connection was very real. Then the ending was surprising. It had a twist I didn't see coming a reveal about one of the characters. Overall a great read! This was my first read by S.A. Bird and I am excited to read more.

[Sam’s Sagas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not gonna lie and say I read the trilogy before this, because I didn’t. But I very much want to now! I genuinely could not but this book down. I personally have never played D&D but I have friends and family who do, and this was just so amazing of a mixture of magic, lore creatures, & spice.

Cole is the soothsayer MMC that has to relocate to New Orleans with his grandma (really makes me miss NOLA and the food!!). He meets the amazing & sassy Jamie who becomes quite the friend/brotherly figure. Jamie introduces the witchy Kathryn (Kat) has his best friend and also GM to their TTRPG nights. The rest is an adventure that must be experienced! The beginning of the book was a little slow but once I got into it a bit more and characters started developing, I was HOOKED. I LOVE the way Cole talks to Kat, gave me my own butterflies ❤️

[Imperfectly Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot get enough. S.A. Burd’s writing has to easily be some of my favorite. It’s easy, but not too simple. The stories always flow so nicely and doesn’t feel like there’s major jumps to get to any specific points. I love that there cameos from her Scavenger series, but in all honesty even if you never read that series you were given enough context in this book to understand relationships, and if anything I feel that would make you want to know what happened previously and read that series. The tie in was fantastic, but again, perfect even if you’ve never read it (but you should). I loved the nerdy aspect of the di roll. Especially for some 🌶️ times. 👀 This whole book had me turning pages quickly. I’m in serious need of another.

[Brittany Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rated a 4.5 but rounded up to 5!

Cole and Kat-still reeling from this book! This book was so different and so good!

If you love witches, soothsayers and demons-you will love this gem of a book!

First off, Cole as the MMC was amazing, he is simply trying to start over in New Orleans and he finds so much more! He is everything that you want in a man. He was all man, but he knew when not to be like her ex, even though they just met. Reading that in the beginning was soul crushing.

I loved how this book has the perfect mix of banter and comedy but also missed in paranormal and dark romance. And a huge thank you to the author for not leaving on a horrid cliffhanger. I cannot wait for the next book in the series!

[Brittany Posey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first S. A Burd book to ever read. Let me just say it was absolutely wonderful. I had no clue as to what I was walking into at all, but wow, it was so good. I personally have no idea about ttrpg, but I think it was a fun addition to the book as a whole. Plus, all the extra paranormal thrown throughout. Then, it being based in Louisiana was the best choice ever. If you like books with witches, shape shifter, djinn, people who can see the future, God's and Goddesses, this is the book for you. There is a bit of spice, but that isn't the main focus the main characters and their story is.

[Ally Combs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five star read. So many twists and turns in this book and I was cackling the whole way through. I’ve never used notes before and this is the first book that I had notes throughout the entire book.
Wtf moments that had me screaming and witty comebacks throughout. This was the holy grail of darkromcoms. I loved Cole and Kathryn so much. They were the perfect pair and the spice was definitely spicen. I loved the introduction to gay characters as well. We don’t get to see enough of that.
Definitely my favorite read so far this year. Who doesn’t like spicy dnd???

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not normally the kind of book that I read as I really don't know much about dice games but I figured that I would give it a try and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved this book! I was captivated by Cole and his grandmother but then I met Kathryn and loved her even more and the chemistry with Cole and Kathryn was just amazing. If you love stories about soothsayers, witches and demons then this book is for you! This was a quick and easy read for me and the touch of spice was just as nice 😉

[Teala Lue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a cool book!
The magic of New Orleans, truly.
Cole unexpectedly uprooted his life and moves back to New Orleans, the city he was moved away from as a child. Why was he moved out of NOLA? Gooood question. But he’s back now.
We meet Jamie, Cole’s new coworker, who is an absolute riot.
We meet Kathryn, Kat (or Kitten), who is a very unusual young lady.
And we meet PLENTY of alligators.
Buckle up. This is going to be a fun ride.
Oh and the romance- is HOT.
I highly recommend this book.

Thank you for the ARC, highly enjoyed.

[Autumn Waters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

This was such an amazing story. It was a very quick read that pulled you in and kept you interested from the very beginning. The instant chemistry between Kat and Cole was undeniable. As someone who has limited DND knowledge, I was worried that I would be lost, but it was quickly made clear that it wasn't necessary in order to enjoy the story. There was a nice balance of playful banter and mystery involved.This is the perfect story for anyone who loves the paranormal and a good mystery with a splash romance.

[Alexis Crotty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed all of the magic users/different fantasy creatures in this book hiding in plain sight. I would love to see, in the future, where Cole and Kat's powers go after this. I will for sure have to go back and read the Scavenger series as there is a lot of overlapping characters. But it does stand well by itself too. I also enjoyed the incorporation of the DnD/TTRPG and thought it was a fun read with all of the different characters, backgrounds and powers, and the interwebbing from the other stories. I also tried the gravy recipe and it was delicious!

[April Tankersley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not sure I've ever read a book that was more New Orleans than this! That is where it takes place so it makes sense, but you have a witch, a demon, a reaper, an alligator shifter, goddess, vampire, soothsayer, and more magic than you know what to do with. There's another surprise guest, but it's at the end and I'm not gonna spoil it! This was such a fun story and unlike anything I've ever read before. Definitely recommend!

[Marianne Antonichuk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow what can I say alligators wasn’t expecting that to happen and where this story went perfect book easy read was a quick read for me as it was like 9 hours and I loved it all Cole and Cathryn and even Jaimie I wasn’t expecting g that at all there was so many surprises in this book and it kept me on the edge of my seat to know more and more can’t wait to see where this author goes from here and what more she puts out there

[Crimson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this as an ARC for a fair and honest review.

I found this book to be very enjoyable. I went into the read not quite knowing what to expect. I laughed a lot through the book. I was surprised at parts of it. I'll definitely be reading more by this author and can't wait for more in this series.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received This book as my first ARC and I am so Glad I did, I loved The fact that there's so many different Kinds of beings like shifters, Vampire, Demons, Djinn and more. I could not put the book down. It made me want to go And Binge read all of her other books that are connected to this one. But I cannot wait to see what she has in Store for the characters and future books