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Four Ways to Fate #1

Wicked Little Tricks

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The day I met the devil was the day my life ended.

At least, my life as I knew it.

When a devil tricks me into a contract to save my life, I have no choice but to collect a debt for him. Sebastian may be hot as the hells, but his interest in me has a bevy of powerful men wanting to use me in their game.

…which sends me right into the realm of goblins, beyond the wild forests to the stone towers of the old ones in search of Mistral. I expected him to be deadly and cunning, but I didn’t expect him sit me by a fire and to offer a contract of his own.

With angelics trying to kidnap me, and vampires snapping at my heels, I’ll have no choice but to somehow fulfill both contracts. Suddenly I’m kissing goblins and cuddling up to a devil, just trying to stay afloat in their wicked game.

When the truth of the game finally comes to light, it rocks my entire world. Almost as much as realizing I have feelings for a goblin prince, and maybe some for his brooding vassal.

And as for Sebastian… Does it count as feelings when all I really want to do is rip his clothes off?

Let’s hope not. I like my soul right where it is. My heart, however, seems to be up for grabs. And for now, it is hopelessly divided.

Four Ways to Fate is a cozy “why choose” fantasy with slow burn steam and plenty of banter, romantic tension, and magical hijinks. If you love stories

Slow burn romance built on trust and respectComplex heroes ranging from a valiant brooding protector to a morally gray devilFun mysteries light on the violenceSexy goblins and elvesA female lead looking for her found familyLots of coffeeCute little goblin companions, andCelestial magicThen Wicked Little Tricks is the story for you.

P.S. If it wasn’t already clear, this series has multiple love interests. Four to be exact. Number four is a surprise and will be revealed in book two.

280 pages, Paperback

First published June 24, 2024

1806 people are currently reading
2514 people want to read

About the author

Sara C. Roethle

125 books907 followers
Sara C. Roethle is a Fantasy author and part-time unicorn. She enjoys writing character driven stories in various fantasy realms with elements of Celtic and Norse myth, humor, and metaphysical ponderings.

Her series include:

Tree of Ages
The Thief's Apprentice
The Moonstone Chronicles
Xoe Meyers
Bitter Ashes

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5 stars
832 (40%)
4 stars
694 (33%)
3 stars
424 (20%)
2 stars
77 (3%)
1 star
28 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews
Profile Image for Darcey.
1,308 reviews330 followers
d-n-f
September 19, 2024
dnf @ 40%

the cover was so cute and this sounded so fun, but it just wasn't for me :((

i got really bored and didn't particularly like any of the mmcs - though i did love our fmc, and the worldbuilding was new. just not captivating enough, unfortunately!
Profile Image for Jace.
596 reviews13 followers
August 9, 2024
DNF 30%
I may try this one again later, but for now I'm just not into it.
It's too slow, the situation is super frustrating and the main character is pretty helpless about everything and just being manipulated around non stop.

I've read other novels where the FMC is a useless human among sups or gods and didn't come out half as pitiful as this girl.
I'm shelving this as 'try again when I have patience' because it's an interesting idea and it's well written for the most part, and I really really like her little furry goblin pet she picked up.
Profile Image for Alex ⟡ ݁₊ ☪︎.
106 reviews19 followers
July 5, 2024
“I know nothing of the games played between angelics and devils, dear one. But luck does not bless anyone caught in the middle.”

This is for my Baldur’s Gate lovers who are looking for a fun and cozy why choose romantasy! I absolutely loved the vibes in this book and Sara always writes super fun and adventurous stories that are fast paced and refreshing. I loved all of the characters so much, especially Ringo, I want my own cute little fuzzy goblin companion that I can take everywhere with me 😭. I devoured this book so quickly and was so sad when it was over. I cannot wait for book two! Also, the book itself could not be more beautiful. The cover and the interior is absolutely stunning!

🌖🌗🌘🌑🌒🌓🌔

(This was also the perfect palette cleanser after reading a super dark book that I was not expecting 😅.)
Profile Image for BookTrovert.
197 reviews55 followers
February 4, 2025
3.75 ⭐️ This reminded me a bit of Cresent City. The world felt similar. I had a bit of a hard time liking the main characters, but that is probably more to do with me than the storytelling.
Profile Image for Claire Watt.
254 reviews4 followers
July 14, 2024
DNF at 90%, I tried to stick with it but I had no drive to finish this book, it was all a bit of a non story and not much happened. I liked the idea of having a world where only certain beings could pass into realms and across barriers etc but this book didn't really bring it to life. I def wouldn’t say this was a why choose read at all. Only character I quite liked was Ringo who was a small troll!
822 reviews17 followers
July 15, 2024
I don't really know what to say I guess. I liked parts of this book but will be honest and say it lost my interest more than it didn't.


The main character is fun and she has a certain charm about her, but she at times fell flat for me. I can't explain it beyond that.

As far as love interests go, I struggled because they were very one dimensional. Not a ton of depth or information throughout the book to get me engaged.

At the detriment of the overall romance plot the ongoing mystery and step by step jobs she does keeps the plot moving along. I think I just kept thinking that yes this is a way to move the plot but it gets repetitive. Task-almost die for no information see cute guy that I'm not into but really am. Rinse and repeat.


I am actually bummed because I read the blurb and jumped right in! The first few chapters even made me think this was going to be an amazing read, then it plateaued for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Lani.
250 reviews4 followers
September 10, 2024
This was an alright book. I wanted the FMC to be more of a badas* and snarkier to all the men in her life. She just kinda lets them manipulate her for their own gain. I also didn't feel the attraction between these characters. They didn't spend enough time together to suddenly jump into bed.
Profile Image for Shiny Ruins .
350 reviews8 followers
August 28, 2025
2.5⭐️

Do we all have the same dictionary? How does being hunted, threatened, kidnapped, almost being killed, abandoned by your mom, having your memories stolen equal cozy‽ This has gotten billed as a cozy RH, none of the things I listed are cozy!!!

Putting aside the miscategorization of this book, it was alright I guess. Very middle of the road. Actually no, calling this book cozy annoyed me more than anything else. It does the book no favors, as I almost DNF'd it because I picked it up wanting cozy vibes.

Hopefully book 2 will be better because I'll go into it not expecting coziness and can judge the book better on its own merits.
Profile Image for Lit Echos.
71 reviews
March 29, 2025
A Quick and Intriguing Start

✨ Why choose?
✨ Slow burn
✨ Magical mystery
✨ Found family 

Spice: 🌶️

This is a short (21 chapters), quick read that dives into a fantasy world brimming with diverse species like Celestials, Elves, Demons, and Goblins. 

The premise is intriguing, centering around a reverse harem dynamic although it's not the primary focus, which might disappoint some readers looking for more explicit content as the spice is quite subdued.

Despite this, I found myself enjoying the fast-paced narrative and the overall flow of the story. There js a sense of mystery surrounding the FMC, leaving you curious about why she's the target of so much attention. This element of intrigue is definitely a strong point and kept me engaged. 

Overall, I liked this book. It serves as a solid introduction to the series, and I'm definitely intrigued enough to continue and see where the story goes.

Profile Image for Maria.
865 reviews34 followers
June 17, 2025
3 ⭐️ IT WAS JUST OKAY

This one was just okay for me. I loved the idea of a “why choose” fantasy with a chaotic FMC and some morally grey shenanigans but somewhere along the way it lost me a bit.

There were parts I enjoyed … the main character had her charm for sure, but I found myself confused more than once about what was going on and the love interests felt kind of flat. Like yes they were there, but I didn’t feel much for any of them.

The plot structure got a bit repetitive too: almost die, mysterious task, new guy, confusing reaction, rinse and repeat. It kept moving but without a lot of emotional weight behind it.

I think this one just wasn’t for me, and that’s ok! I probably won’t continue with the series but I can definitely see how it would work for someone looking for a lighter, trope-filled fantasy romance without a lot of darkness or heavy worldbuilding.
Profile Image for Vr.
175 reviews
April 13, 2025
I really enjoyed this one! The world the author creates is not only intriguing but also exceptionally well-crafted. The Gobs are described in amazing detail, and the danger they present feels genuine. I love everything about it, especially Ringo, the little furry goblin rescued by the FMC.

The world-building is masterfully done, seamlessly drawing you in without overwhelming you with exposition. The characters are well-rounded and relatable.

Even with the situations the FMC found herself in, it wasn't at all a dark read. A light-hearted and quick read to get you out of a funk if you're not looking for something too deep.
Profile Image for Kim.
240 reviews29 followers
May 13, 2025
Wicked Little Tricks is a cozy urban fantasy with lots of magical creatures that transport you to another world, and I for one really enjoyed it! ✨

The book starts without extensive world-building; you're thrown into the story without knowing where it's headed. As someone who often struggles with world-building, I found that refreshingly different. The pacing of this book was very good—there was enough action to keep me interested, and I’m definitely diving straight into book two 😌
Profile Image for Leanne F.
1,044 reviews2 followers
August 6, 2025
unexpectedly great!!

What a great story!! Eva lives her life as a mere mortal believing she’s nothing special but a series of events, an encounter with a devil and a foray into the goblin realm, reveals just how wrong she is and sparks fly. Mild cliffhanger. 5 star read. Highly recommend.
Profile Image for Amanda.
630 reviews9 followers
December 3, 2024
Let’s go with 3.5 stars. Too short but also really liked the story! I’m not entirely sure I’d call it “cozy” though given the amount of people who kinda want to kill or kidnap Eva…
616 reviews1 follower
dnf
December 10, 2024
DNF at 31%. I don’t really like the world. It just felt lost.
Profile Image for Megan Berroth.
421 reviews2 followers
February 22, 2025
Enjoyable light read. Like a mystery with a bunch of fantasy species added to make things interesting.
Profile Image for Sarahjayne Bird.
11 reviews
March 15, 2025
Finished it but only just, didn’t really know what was going on throughout.
Profile Image for Kali.
9 reviews
September 30, 2024
DNF @ 50% - some parts I liked but it was just… so slow and nothing exciting was happening to keep me interested (plus I read some spoilers about this & book two and went ick no thanks)
Profile Image for Heather Gilbert.
1,753 reviews83 followers
July 25, 2024
interesting

Ok, so this is an interesting PNR, but I don’t get how it’s cozy, at all. And it’s rather an urban fantasy as opposed to a PNR, and there are multiple love interests - kinda? I don’t know where those will go. I’ll read the next as the plot intrigues me.
Profile Image for Melo.
806 reviews17 followers
January 30, 2025
DNF

The writing style just isn't for me. Pointless descriptions of things that are neither here no there. That is not world building. What kind of worlds are they? Who lives in them? It would make more sense for me to know that than descriptions of buildings.

I was already skim reading at 12% by 40% I found myself wondering why I was even bothering. With all that pointless yammering what does the heroine even look like???
Profile Image for Christina.
364 reviews25 followers
July 17, 2025
I kept seeing ads for this book about it being a cozy read. Is everyone’s definition of cozy different from my definition of cozy?
Profile Image for Heather.
2,705 reviews19 followers
January 21, 2025
Escape into a cozy “why choose” fantasy with slow burn steam, plenty of banter, delicious romantic tension, and magical hijinks.
Eva Nix, glorified messenger at your service.
Sure, the ability to cross boundaries into other realms is pretty neat, but when a devil tricks me into a contract, my celestial blood suddenly becomes the greatest prize in a dangerous game.
My first mission lies deep in the goblin realm, beyond the wild forests to the stone towers of the old ones in search of Mistral.
I expected him to be deadly and cunning.
I did not expect him to sit me by a cozy fire to offer a contract of his own, sealed with a kiss.
With angelics trying to kidnap me, and vampires snapping at my heels, I have no choice but to somehow fulfill both contracts. Suddenly I’m kissing goblins and cuddling up to a devil, just trying to stay afloat in their wicked game.
When the truth of the game finally comes to light, it rocks my entire world. Almost as much as realizing I have feelings for a goblin prince, and maybe some for his brooding vassal, Gabriel.
And as for Sebastian… Does it count as feelings when all I really want to do is rip his clothes off?
Let’s hope not. I like my soul right where it is. My heart, however, seems to be up for grabs. And for now, it is hopelessly divided.

If you love stories
Slow burn romance built on trust and respect (with four guys)Complex heroes ranging from a valiant brooding protector to a morally gray devilFun mysteries light on the violenceSexy goblins and elvesA female lead looking for her found familyLots of coffeeCute little goblin companions, andCelestial magic

Heather's Notes
This was not as good as I thought it was going to be. I thought I was going to read a cute story with some laughs. While the story was cute, it wasn't really funny. The two "guys" didn't really do anything, and there were only two, maybe more will show up in future books, but I don't think I will go any further. I found myself quite disappointed with the story.
13 reviews
May 24, 2025
This book feels like a rip off of Cresecent City. A city split into factions of different supernatural creatures? FMC with limited skill set at start of book? A best friend who is a werewolf? Yup. FMC gets wrapped up in a mystery, not of her own choosing and with no idea what's going on while all the important people around her push her around? Yup. Latent talent that makes her a Mary Sue? Yup.

About the only thing that is different is the author is setting this up to be a reverse harem. (It's not in the first book. The FMC starts having feelings for multiple characters without any reason for it- they are all openly manipulating her and she doesn't like it. Then next chapter, she wants sex with them.

It could have been good in it's own right, but it is like a speed-run fanfic retelling of Cresecent City. The blurb about it says "Escape into a cozy “why choose” fantasy with slow burn steam, plenty of banter, delicious romantic tension, and magical hijinks." There isn't anything cozy about this book- cozy books are small scale intrigue with everyday problems. I can't detail the major problems here without giving spoilers, but world-shattering consequences aren't small scale. The only partially good banter the FMC has is with a small goblin she befriends. And the spicy scenes are forgetful, as in I can't even remember what I read yesterday level forgettable (side from the plot point that ties into that in the epilogue. why is there an epilogue if there's a second book? epilogues are for wrapping things up. messy).

If you're looking for a throwaway, meaningless book to eat up some time, this is fine. It's not a god spicy book. It's not a good mystery because there aren't really meaningful clues or anything. Not really any foreshadowing. It is just fine. It's fine.
Profile Image for Lana.
2,713 reviews57 followers
June 28, 2024
I just loved reading this first book in a new dark reverse harem fantasy series by Ms. Roethle, Eva Nix the main character is full of mystery. She is just a night runner, however she knows nothing of her past and is in search of her long lost mother. However, interestingly enough, she is not the only one seeking her mother, a full celestial, it seems. A devil called Sebastian accosts her and asks her to accept a job, that of collecting a debt for him, since she could cross the magical boundaries, whilst he could not. But when she sets out to make a delivery at the Circus, she is nearly killed by Angelics, and soon finds herself being hunted by vampires, goblins, as well as elves. What is the sudden interest? Seems they all want to get their hands on the Realm Breaker, an almost mythological sword who many believed was just that, a myth. As she and her best friend Braxton, a werewolf shifter, find themselves in ever more danger she does not know who to trust or turn to. The high goblin Mistral who lives in the citadel in the bogs has promised to protect her but then so did Sebastian, the devil who had got her into this mess in the first place, and turned her life into a living hell being hounded by the many men suddenly interested in her. Her mother Celeste is wanted dead or alive but could she give her up to her enemies if ever she found her, even though she owed her nothing? I am dying to read book 2 of this very exciting dark and spicy magical fantasy as it seems things for Eva will be getting hotter with so many showing an interest in her.
Profile Image for jen.
116 reviews
October 30, 2024
3.5/5 ⭐️

I’m so confused, but I think I like it?? If nothing else I love the hot elf woman and hot vampire woman and the cute goblin

Eva is pretty funny, Braxton is too. Mistral (who I keep referring to as Mistrial) and Sebastian are kinda……. Boring ngl. They’re not bad but they’re not very interesting or memorable.

For such a short book, they really tried to cram a lot of world building into it. Was it fairly easy to follow? Yeah. Was it the most interesting thing ever? Eh.

Definitely gonna give book two a try!!

———

“He wanted me to collect a debt for him. I told him to go to hell.” “You told a devil to go to hell?” he laughed. “No,” I admitted. “I didn’t want to tempt him to bring me along for the ride.”

“How do you know I’m looking for someone?“ He glanced over his shoulder at the rickety sign overhead. David Monroe, PI.

“Aren’t you afraid of any enchantments?” He looked back at me with gravy all over his mouth. “I’ve got no secrets to keep, mistress. And those trolls caught me before breakfast.”

“I do not fully understand your part in everything, but let that be a warning to you as well. Do not let Eva come to harm.” “I didn’t let her fall off the roof,” he sighed dramatically.

You knew things were dire when you had to go to a devil for comfort and protection.

Looking at him standing before me, I decided maybe breathing was something I could sacrifice.


Profile Image for Froggy.
699 reviews21 followers
January 29, 2025
So this book was described as cozy, which I think was apt in that it reminded me of playing a cozy video game. It felt like being on a quest and you could almost map out Eva’s movements as she wandered the realm. The problem with this book is that it also reads like how a game might read in terms of the way info is dispersed and conversations happen. It doesn’t quite delve into the rich world that the author is teasing us with. Everything happens at the surface, and it feels like the author touches on something and then moves to the next thing rather quickly. I don’t mean that she needs to be overly wordy, but this book is just really missing depth and richness. I wanted to feel a lot more emotion while reading it and I wanted to feel more connection between the characters. Mistral and Sebastian are very interesting, but I just think there was a lot of missed opportunity to develop their connections. This is advertised as a slow burn, but we do get a spicy scene sorta out of nowhere, without any build up, and due to that lack of tension building we also have a lack of real heat as well. I thought it was a bit of a disservice because I liked to see where they were going, but it happened so fast that it didn’t feel like anything.

I still gave this book 3 stars because I do think the concept is fun, even though it’s underdeveloped.
Profile Image for Nicole Minken.
164 reviews26 followers
January 30, 2025
"𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒖𝒏𝒄𝒉 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒆𝒄𝒕, 𝒔𝒆𝒙𝒚 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒆."

“𝑫𝒖𝒅𝒆, 𝒚𝒐𝒖’𝒓𝒆 𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑰’𝒎 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒓𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒖𝒍𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒕𝒐.”

🍃 𝐅α𐓣𝗍α𝗌𝗒
🔥 𝐒ᥣⱺω ᑲυ𝗋𐓣
💞 𝐖ɦ𝗒 𝐂ɦⱺⱺ𝗌𝖾
🧚🏻‍♀️ 𝐏α𝗋α𐓣ⱺ𝗋ꭑαᥣ 𝐑ⱺꭑα𐓣𝖼𝖾
🧝🏼‍♂️ 𝐀𐓣𝗀𝖾ᥣ𝗌, 𝐃𝖾ꭑⱺ𐓣𝗌 & 𝐆ⱺᑲᥣ𝗂𐓣𝗌
🐺 𝐖𝖾𝗋𝖾ωⱺᥣ𝗏𝖾𝗌 & 𝐕αꭑρ𝗂𝗋𝖾𝗌
🌌 𝐌α𝗀𝗂𝖼αᥣ 𝐌𝗒𝗌𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗒
⚔ 𝐀ᑯ𝗏𝖾𐓣𝗍υ𝗋𝖾
🦄 𝐇υꭑⱺ𝗋
🌶 𝐒ρ𝗂𝖼𝖾

I'm completely invested in this series now. It's this fun magical mystery that has this balance of high fantasy and urban fantasy.
It's incredibly interesting and exactly what I was looking for.

It's a world where all these fantasy beings came from their home realms and kinda got stuck on earth and created borders that keep other kinds out. Like the goblin area only allows goblins in, etc.
In my head I pictured a fantasy version of Zootopia but if there were borders they couldn't cross.
The main city and some other areas are fair game for everyone.

FMC Eva has special abilities that allow her to cross any border, so she's a night runner (delivery girl).
One of her deliveries changes her life and she ends up having to make a deal with a Devil, and then a Goblin.
She also makes friends with a tiny cute goblin named Ringo. I love him.

It's supposed to be a why choose series, and you do meet a few guys who you can tell will be a part of that harem, but romance only happens with one so far.
There is one open door spice scene.
243 reviews
June 28, 2025
Sweet, funny and lots of action

This book is fun, sweet and with lots of action both from fighting as well as other pursuits. Not a ton of spice though. Seems well written. Eva Nix has to deliver a package to a person in a white suit. Little does she know that this seemingly simple job will change her live. She meets the devil Sebastian, who tricks her into a contract, while getting targeted by 2 celestial who want to kill her, a vampire who wants to capture her, and a high goblin, Mistral the goblin prince, who also tricks her into a contract or 2. All while her little blue goblin companion seems to be the only one around she can trust, unless you consider the werewolf Braxton. The book does feel like it was just a lead up to the better part of the story, introducing the characters and the world, mostly. At 282 pages I would have expected the series to be less broken up. It kind of feels like authors and/or publishers are so focused on the need to make every story into a series, they have forgotten to stop and ask when a book becomes to fragmented as a series, when the story and the readers are better served by a longer book. But that is no criticism of the story, which I'm enjoying so far. It took a while to get to any concrete timeline, but since the main character is missing a piece of her memories and trying to hide it, it makes some sense.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews

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