What do you think?
Rate this book
One Hell of a Brownie: Applecrest After Dark: Book One
When Bel Tenley dropped out of a grad school program she hated and her long-time boyfriend dumped her for losing focus on their future, she said good riddance. Back in their small hometown, she’s built a bookmobile business in just a few month's time, but she’s living over her parents’ garage, and she can’t shake the feeling of failure left over from quitting school. Oh, and her ex? He’s already engaged to the girl he told Bel not to worry about.
Bas hates his job in Hell as an office grunt, stirring up the sin of wrath in mortal lives. Under pressure to earn a promotion and follow in his father’s footsteps, he’s going through the motions until a cute bookseller accidentally summons him to a small mountain town where the locals spill tea with abandon. He knows he should try to get back to work, but this might be just the shakeup his life needs. One thing leads to another, and before long he’s feeling things demons don’t usually feel, and he’s not sure he ever wants to go home.
Now Bel’s ex is home for the holidays, and Hell is calling Bas back to work. As tension mounts and the things they aren’t saying to each other get louder and louder, can a bookseller and a wrath demon make it through Thanksgiving dinner to a happily ever after?
If you want cozy Stars Hollow vibes with a dash of demon hijinks and lots of spice, this is the small-town paranormal romance for you.
Small-town paranormal romance with Stars Hollow vibes
Bookworms in love
Sweet FMC starting over
Spicy Bookmobile/book club
Cinnamon Roll demon MMC
So preciously morally gray
Ex drama
Touch her and perish by a thousand infuriating inconveniences
He falls first but doesn’t know how to say it
spice and dirty talk
First in an interconnected series
Bas hates his job in Hell as an office grunt, stirring up the sin of wrath in mortal lives. Under pressure to earn a promotion and follow in his father’s footsteps, he’s going through the motions until a cute bookseller accidentally summons him to a small mountain town where the locals spill tea with abandon. He knows he should try to get back to work, but this might be just the shakeup his life needs. One thing leads to another, and before long he’s feeling things demons don’t usually feel, and he’s not sure he ever wants to go home.
Now Bel’s ex is home for the holidays, and Hell is calling Bas back to work. As tension mounts and the things they aren’t saying to each other get louder and louder, can a bookseller and a wrath demon make it through Thanksgiving dinner to a happily ever after?
If you want cozy Stars Hollow vibes with a dash of demon hijinks and lots of spice, this is the small-town paranormal romance for you.
Small-town paranormal romance with Stars Hollow vibes
Bookworms in love
Sweet FMC starting over
Spicy Bookmobile/book club
Cinnamon Roll demon MMC
So preciously morally gray
Ex drama
Touch her and perish by a thousand infuriating inconveniences
He falls first but doesn’t know how to say it
spice and dirty talk
First in an interconnected series
372 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 14, 2024
35 people are currently reading
69 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
November 16, 2025
Yeah. That’s right. You bring her coffee, I bring her dirty books. We are not the same.
He just wants to read his smutty book. She just wants brownies. What could go wrong?!?
This book was hilarious! And full of so much cuteness. I love the main characters and was rooting for them the whole time. Sebastian (Bas) and Jezebel (bel) were adorable together and so hot. There’s also so much more with the whole secret witches thing and awful ex boyfriend. It was a really fun read with actual plot. Interesting plot. So perfect for the holidays too. This was such a good read!
He just wants to read his smutty book. She just wants brownies. What could go wrong?!?
This book was hilarious! And full of so much cuteness. I love the main characters and was rooting for them the whole time. Sebastian (Bas) and Jezebel (bel) were adorable together and so hot. There’s also so much more with the whole secret witches thing and awful ex boyfriend. It was a really fun read with actual plot. Interesting plot. So perfect for the holidays too. This was such a good read!
November 19, 2024
🔥🔥🔥
This book is so cute and hot! I loved it!!! I can’t wait for the other books! Hera did such a great job!
This book is so cute and hot! I loved it!!! I can’t wait for the other books! Hera did such a great job!
October 27, 2024
I thought this book was super cute. Bel and Bas were ridiculously perfect for each other, but they both had people in their lives that made them feel self doubt. I liked how many friends Bel had around her.
As a love story it was a 5/5 and I stand by it but a few structural things stood out as needing improvement. There are mentions of a secret society that were hinted at early on but mostly didn't come up again. I'm sure it will come into play later but it felt very open ended. There was some stuff with Bas's family that felt like it needed one more scene to address.
The formatting of the text got weird sometimes and there was a noticeable amount of typos, but that didn't diminish my enjoyment of the book.
Overall, I really liked this book and can't wait for the next one!
As a love story it was a 5/5 and I stand by it but a few structural things stood out as needing improvement. There are mentions of a secret society that were hinted at early on but mostly didn't come up again. I'm sure it will come into play later but it felt very open ended. There was some stuff with Bas's family that felt like it needed one more scene to address.
The formatting of the text got weird sometimes and there was a noticeable amount of typos, but that didn't diminish my enjoyment of the book.
Overall, I really liked this book and can't wait for the next one!
September 4, 2025
★ “You can change your mind about what you want to do with your life, even if it disappoints people you care about. It’s your life.” ☆
This book had such a great mix of spice, comedy, realism, and just enough angst to keep things interesting. Bel was an instantly relatable FMC, and I adored how unapologetic she was about her smutty bookmobile: truly a dream come true! Her shyness about the merch felt genuine, and I loved how Sunny and Bas encouraged her to overcome that. Bas himself was such a standout; his support for Bel, from reading the books to helping with the shop, was ridiculously sweet and made me root for him from the start.
☆ “Yeah. That’s right. You bring her coffee, I bring her dirty books. We are not the same.” ★
The chemistry between Bel and Bas was both fun and steamy, and I appreciated how the spice was plentiful without ever feeling repetitive or overwhelming; it always fit naturally into the flow of the story. Bas’s protective streak was another highlight, especially how he shifted the focus away from Bel’s breakup and onto Edmond’s wrongdoings. That level of care for her made their relationship feel even more heartwarming.
★ “What do you say, Bel?...You ready to be a good girl for me?” ☆
The one thing still lingering in my mind, though, was the whole DUN and that odd prophecy-like detail that seemingly surrounded Bel and Edmond. It was brought up multiple times but never really explained, and I couldn’t help but wish we had gotten more clarity there. Overall, this was such a fun, spicy, and heartfelt read with characters I easily connected to, and it left me even more excited for the next installment; I was hoping it would be Sunny’s and when the epilogue confirmed it, I was so happy!
Spice: 4/5
Tropes:
☆ Small Town ★
★ Forced Proximity ☆
☆ Demon x Human ★
★ He Falls First ☆
☆ “You messed up and gave yourself to a demon…I’m jealous, I’m possessive, and I’m f*cking greedy…Never giving you up, baby.” ★
This book had such a great mix of spice, comedy, realism, and just enough angst to keep things interesting. Bel was an instantly relatable FMC, and I adored how unapologetic she was about her smutty bookmobile: truly a dream come true! Her shyness about the merch felt genuine, and I loved how Sunny and Bas encouraged her to overcome that. Bas himself was such a standout; his support for Bel, from reading the books to helping with the shop, was ridiculously sweet and made me root for him from the start.
☆ “Yeah. That’s right. You bring her coffee, I bring her dirty books. We are not the same.” ★
The chemistry between Bel and Bas was both fun and steamy, and I appreciated how the spice was plentiful without ever feeling repetitive or overwhelming; it always fit naturally into the flow of the story. Bas’s protective streak was another highlight, especially how he shifted the focus away from Bel’s breakup and onto Edmond’s wrongdoings. That level of care for her made their relationship feel even more heartwarming.
★ “What do you say, Bel?...You ready to be a good girl for me?” ☆
The one thing still lingering in my mind, though, was the whole DUN and that odd prophecy-like detail that seemingly surrounded Bel and Edmond. It was brought up multiple times but never really explained, and I couldn’t help but wish we had gotten more clarity there. Overall, this was such a fun, spicy, and heartfelt read with characters I easily connected to, and it left me even more excited for the next installment; I was hoping it would be Sunny’s and when the epilogue confirmed it, I was so happy!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spice: 4/5
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tropes:
☆ Small Town ★
★ Forced Proximity ☆
☆ Demon x Human ★
★ He Falls First ☆
☆ “You messed up and gave yourself to a demon…I’m jealous, I’m possessive, and I’m f*cking greedy…Never giving you up, baby.” ★
January 24, 2025
Fun and easy read
When the book with demons is one of the best I've read all week, with the most realistic situations happening, there might be something special about the author. I hope that is the case because I'm looking forward to the next book in this series!
Bel (side note, who names their kid Jezebel and doesn't turn out to be an antagonist in the story?) is a decent mix of intelligent but imperfect and all around sweetheart who just needs some decent support in her love life. Bas is skilled but a little lost and needs a muse to spur his career path and success. Just add rooster eggs, some weird as hell local myth, and a little dash of chaos for a good story! The girl squad in this story is nothing to sneeze at either!
The story is interesting and has some decent unique touches to keep things fresh. The pacing is excellent; I never felt rushed through good scenes or bored through building scenes. Unlike so many authors today, Best keeps the bedroom antics timed perfectly within the story, comfortable between the characters, and a bit fresh from scene to scene (no one's stopping to weave baskets right after hearing they need to go to the town meeting in this book!). Oh! And the editing is excellent without a single noticeable typo pulling me out of the story.
When the book with demons is one of the best I've read all week, with the most realistic situations happening, there might be something special about the author. I hope that is the case because I'm looking forward to the next book in this series!
Bel (side note, who names their kid Jezebel and doesn't turn out to be an antagonist in the story?) is a decent mix of intelligent but imperfect and all around sweetheart who just needs some decent support in her love life. Bas is skilled but a little lost and needs a muse to spur his career path and success. Just add rooster eggs, some weird as hell local myth, and a little dash of chaos for a good story! The girl squad in this story is nothing to sneeze at either!
The story is interesting and has some decent unique touches to keep things fresh. The pacing is excellent; I never felt rushed through good scenes or bored through building scenes. Unlike so many authors today, Best keeps the bedroom antics timed perfectly within the story, comfortable between the characters, and a bit fresh from scene to scene (no one's stopping to weave baskets right after hearing they need to go to the town meeting in this book!). Oh! And the editing is excellent without a single noticeable typo pulling me out of the story.
March 9, 2025
This book is pretty much my new obsession. I adored every delicious morsel that came with this small-town paranormal romance. The book I hoped would never end.
Bel and Bas made such an adorable, nerdy-cute meets sexy couple. As Steve Carrell says in Crazy Stupid Love, “You’re like the perfect combination of sexy and cute.” Their banter and chemistry were just banting and chemisting.
Applecrest was a nice witchy-cozy delight. Bels Bookmobile was adorable. And I had just the funnest time diving into the 8 rings of Hell.
And then we come to Smutglutton;) IYKYK
I just devoured the social media inter-dimension content, it was just delicious. So fun. So relevant. Just me over here with that extra much, kicking and screaming.
Will happily summon a demon next time I come across that particular brownie recipe 😜🔥🙌🥵🫶🥰
Spice level: 3.5 🌶️ (and upwards, Kinks welcome)
Bel and Bas made such an adorable, nerdy-cute meets sexy couple. As Steve Carrell says in Crazy Stupid Love, “You’re like the perfect combination of sexy and cute.” Their banter and chemistry were just banting and chemisting.
Applecrest was a nice witchy-cozy delight. Bels Bookmobile was adorable. And I had just the funnest time diving into the 8 rings of Hell.
And then we come to Smutglutton;) IYKYK
I just devoured the social media inter-dimension content, it was just delicious. So fun. So relevant. Just me over here with that extra much, kicking and screaming.
Will happily summon a demon next time I come across that particular brownie recipe 😜🔥🙌🥵🫶🥰
Spice level: 3.5 🌶️ (and upwards, Kinks welcome)
March 4, 2025
One Hell of a Brownie
Good Kitten
Hera Best
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶🌶🌶
When a golden retriever demon meets a book girly, you get Bel and Bas, the perfect book-loving couple. This spicy, small-town, paranormal romance was well-written, with good character development. The story featured banter, chemistry, jealousy, revenge, and a secret society. I enjoyed the social media aspect, particularly how the characters tagged each other in posts, which is relatable to today's social media. However, some plot points were left unaddressed, including the secret society, Edmund's feeling that Bel is fated to be his and Bas's family, which left many unanswered questions. Additionally, I absolutely loved the little, short story titled Good Kitten, where Bas and Bel take things up a notch. 😈
Good Kitten
Hera Best
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶🌶🌶
When a golden retriever demon meets a book girly, you get Bel and Bas, the perfect book-loving couple. This spicy, small-town, paranormal romance was well-written, with good character development. The story featured banter, chemistry, jealousy, revenge, and a secret society. I enjoyed the social media aspect, particularly how the characters tagged each other in posts, which is relatable to today's social media. However, some plot points were left unaddressed, including the secret society, Edmund's feeling that Bel is fated to be his and Bas's family, which left many unanswered questions. Additionally, I absolutely loved the little, short story titled Good Kitten, where Bas and Bel take things up a notch. 😈
December 2, 2024
Couldn't put it down, but like, I NEED a sequel.
I have so many questions.
Stop reading if you don't want spoilers
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
Why was it supposedly fate that Bel and Edmund would end up together?
What does the DUN have to do with them being together?
Did they employ a witch or something? Because how those to got together seems very mysterious, and they way they (The DUN) kept repeating her eye color and birthday...
Is Edmund gonna end up in jail where he belongs?
Poor Julia, she needs a HEA. Also did she realize Edmunds plan?
Umm, Nando might be Sebastian's dad...definitely need to know that family drama
I have so many questions.
Stop reading if you don't want spoilers
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
Why was it supposedly fate that Bel and Edmund would end up together?
What does the DUN have to do with them being together?
Did they employ a witch or something? Because how those to got together seems very mysterious, and they way they (The DUN) kept repeating her eye color and birthday...
Is Edmund gonna end up in jail where he belongs?
Poor Julia, she needs a HEA. Also did she realize Edmunds plan?
Umm, Nando might be Sebastian's dad...definitely need to know that family drama
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 13, 2025
This book is perfect to read both during fall and when you wish it was fall. And the Gilmore Girls/small town vibes add a whimsy to the atmosphere that is so strong you can smell the apple groves on the wind. And Bas? He would have been a 10/10, but he has horns so that ramps him up to like 100/10 because horns are hot. Duh. 😈 This book has everything from a relatable FMC, a swoonworthy MMC, a douchebag ex, fun friends, and small town drama! Loved it all! Now excuse me while I go search my recipe books for a spell to summon my own demon! 😜
October 20, 2025
Cute fall read, Bell and Bas were a fun demon/human couple. Bas was possessive and protective and fell hard for his girl, him loving books as much as Bell and his support for her business was sweet. I feel like the ending was rushed and that sucked because I wanted more there was potential there and I feel like conversation that needed to happen that didn’t but for a light fun fall read, this was good.
January 10, 2025
I need more
This book was exactly what I needed and wanted. It was sweet, spicy, funny, everything just *chefs kiss*. It was a perfect palate cleansing read, not too angsty, not dark or super intense just perfect. I wish there was more in not just for Bel and Bas but in this world in general! I can’t wait to see what’s next!
This book was exactly what I needed and wanted. It was sweet, spicy, funny, everything just *chefs kiss*. It was a perfect palate cleansing read, not too angsty, not dark or super intense just perfect. I wish there was more in not just for Bel and Bas but in this world in general! I can’t wait to see what’s next!
February 25, 2025
This book was so cute! I had so much fun following Bas and Bel's love story. And can we talk about how unique the plot was?? I loved the summoning spell cast through a brownie recipe. I can't get over how adorable and hilarious it is at the same time. Bel was a sweet protagonist and Bas had me fanning myself throughout the book.
5/5 I loved it!
5/5 I loved it!
November 26, 2025
Like a good brownie recipe, just enough of everything from the start. I was drawn in from the 1st scream to the pinch that started a fight. Loved the thrist trap codes! Now please make a book about Sunny, can't leave that poor girl hanging
September 5, 2025
Fun with excellent smut.
September 12, 2025
I loved everything about this book!
November 27, 2025
It was a fun romp. loved Sebastian 😍
July 11, 2025
im obsessed, this book was so sweet and had me cackling, laughing out loud at some of the banter and inner monologues- particularly of the mmc, Bas, but Bel holds her own too. I loved the rich cast of side characters, from her awful ex, to her sassy best friend and everyone else; they really made the world feel real and lived in.
There's something to be said about a story where everyone is just a little bit sassy tbh.
while this book is fun and light and hilarious- and very spicy- it also had quite an emotional story that centered around themes of gaining confidence, healing from toxic family trauma, and taking your life into your own hands. both characters had to put in the work to believe themselves worthy and it made for a really sweet story.
here's some of the tropes:
fake dating
forced proximity
demon mmc
toxic ex
toxic family
touch her and die
There's something to be said about a story where everyone is just a little bit sassy tbh.
while this book is fun and light and hilarious- and very spicy- it also had quite an emotional story that centered around themes of gaining confidence, healing from toxic family trauma, and taking your life into your own hands. both characters had to put in the work to believe themselves worthy and it made for a really sweet story.
here's some of the tropes:
fake dating
forced proximity
demon mmc
toxic ex
toxic family
touch her and die
October 19, 2025
If you like sweet and spicy paranormal romances, you MUST read this book. OHOAB has such a unique premise (wrath demon accidentally summoned by bake sale brownies by bookseller) and will have you giggling one moment and reading steamy romance scenes the next. The way the romance unfolds from dislike to lovers was really well done. The chemisty between the two main characters was apparent and when they finally became a couple, it seemed so natural. Highly recommend this book and also Hera Best's other books.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews