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The Witch Trials #2
The Demon and His Viper
Not yet published
Expected 2 Mar 26THE DEMON AND HIS VIPER is the
final
book in a MM paranormal romance series of heart-pounding romance, witchcraft, and bloodthirsty enemies, perfect for fans of The Serpent and the Wings of Night and Her Soul to Take.
Hector Briar may have walked away from the Witch Trials alive, but not whole. His failure handed the Witch Hunters a weapon capable of shattering Witch-kind—and placed the ancient demon Bahmet firmly in their grasp. Now the Hunters are poised to burn magic out of the mortal world forever.
Arwyn Hopkin spent years living a lie. Meeting Hector changed that. Manipulation got him so far, until his success during The Witch Trials bound him to Bahmet, a demon who whispers promises, demands obedience, and hungers for freedom. Everyone wants to use the Witches, the Hunters, and the demon inside him. Surviving any of them may be impossible.
When Hector and Arwyn’s paths converge, the Witch Trials ignite once more. Forced into a deadly contest of loyalty and power, Hector will do whatever it takes to stop fate from repeating itself. In Bahmet’s domain, love becomes a weapon, trust a gamble, and every choice carries a cost that could reshape the world. Witches and Hunters face off in one final battle that will determine the fate of their world forever.
And beneath the rising chaos, desire sparks hotter than it ever has between them—dangerous, undeniable, and impossible to control. As enemies and lovers collide, their bond becomes both salvation and ruin, pushing them to the edge of temptation and betrayal. To claim each other—and save magic itself—sacrifices must be made, and the price of their passion may be the one thing neither is ready to give.
Hector Briar may have walked away from the Witch Trials alive, but not whole. His failure handed the Witch Hunters a weapon capable of shattering Witch-kind—and placed the ancient demon Bahmet firmly in their grasp. Now the Hunters are poised to burn magic out of the mortal world forever.
Arwyn Hopkin spent years living a lie. Meeting Hector changed that. Manipulation got him so far, until his success during The Witch Trials bound him to Bahmet, a demon who whispers promises, demands obedience, and hungers for freedom. Everyone wants to use the Witches, the Hunters, and the demon inside him. Surviving any of them may be impossible.
When Hector and Arwyn’s paths converge, the Witch Trials ignite once more. Forced into a deadly contest of loyalty and power, Hector will do whatever it takes to stop fate from repeating itself. In Bahmet’s domain, love becomes a weapon, trust a gamble, and every choice carries a cost that could reshape the world. Witches and Hunters face off in one final battle that will determine the fate of their world forever.
And beneath the rising chaos, desire sparks hotter than it ever has between them—dangerous, undeniable, and impossible to control. As enemies and lovers collide, their bond becomes both salvation and ruin, pushing them to the edge of temptation and betrayal. To claim each other—and save magic itself—sacrifices must be made, and the price of their passion may be the one thing neither is ready to give.
571 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication March 2, 2026
8 people are currently reading
194 people want to read
About the author
Ben Alderson
30 books14.4k followersBen Alderson is a #1 Amazon bestselling author. His stories are set in fantasy worlds filled with magic, adventure and MM romance. Ben lives in Oxfordshire and, when not writing, can be found reading, taking Winston - his Labrador - out for long walks, or obsessing over Marvel’s The Scarlet Witch.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
Here’s the problem with Ben Alderson’s books … I’m running out of ways to say how amazing they are. Every single book of Ben’s that I have read has left me an emotional mess and absolutely convinced that Ben will remain one of my favourite writers for the rest of my life.
So… The Demon and His Viper is the second book in a duet that Ben has called the Hunger Games but with gay witches. Yes, that sums up the book, but it certainly doesn’t do it justice.
In the first book “The Witch and His Crow” we were introduced to Hector Briar. He is a witch and hunters killed his parents. Along with his Crow familiar, Hector has spent his life becoming a weapon and he is locked in on getting revenge.
Things flip on Hector in a flash and he finds himself forced into a competition to become Grand High Witch. The Hunger-Games-like competition only ends when everyone is dead. One person will remain and that person will be the Grand High. Hector is determined that he will be the last witch standing.
At the end of the book, everything that could go wrong does. In true Ben Alderson fashion, nothing was as I expected.
SPOILERS (Book 1 and 2) PAST THIS POINT
So… The Demon and His Viper is the second book in a duet that Ben has called the Hunger Games but with gay witches. Yes, that sums up the book, but it certainly doesn’t do it justice.
In the first book “The Witch and His Crow” we were introduced to Hector Briar. He is a witch and hunters killed his parents. Along with his Crow familiar, Hector has spent his life becoming a weapon and he is locked in on getting revenge.
Things flip on Hector in a flash and he finds himself forced into a competition to become Grand High Witch. The Hunger-Games-like competition only ends when everyone is dead. One person will remain and that person will be the Grand High. Hector is determined that he will be the last witch standing.
At the end of the book, everything that could go wrong does. In true Ben Alderson fashion, nothing was as I expected.
SPOILERS (Book 1 and 2) PAST THIS POINT
Review of advance copy received from Author
Okay, maybe I should have believed the author when he said this book is like 99% pain and 1% happiness because holy hell did this hurt. That being said, I'm a masochist, so I enjoyed every soul-crushing second of it. And no, the happy ending does not magically make it all better.
I loved jumping back into this world of magic and mayhem. I loved these characters so much in the first book, and being able to continue with their stories was so much, well, I can't say fun because of the amount of trauma, but you get what I mean.
The new character additions are fantastic, and there are some twists that I never saw coming (and one that I called from the start, was convinced I was wrong, and was then right all over again and I'm still blown away by that play).
I'm also a major sucker for the found family trope and this delivers on that promise in the best ways possible, both in terms of the family you choose and the family you never knew existed.
Now, don't get me wrong, there were a couple of questions that were left unanswered for me, but I have a feeling that I am probably going to be one of the few stuck on those because they're not really relevant to the plot, but that's my problem to deal with (and tag the author on threads about).
Like the Witch and His Crow, the Demon and His Viper is fast-paced and hits the ground running, and the only reason it took me over a week to finish it is that it was stressing me out. Well, that and the fingers scene, so like, trigger warning on finger injuries because that part was rough.
For my first book of 2026, I don't think I could have picked a better one because even through the pain and trauma and anxiety, the foundation of hope and trusting that things can work out in the end with enough effort, that the good is worth fighting for, really sets a tone that I feel is deeply needed. Ben Alderson never fails to deliver on amazing stories and this is really just more proof of that.
I loved jumping back into this world of magic and mayhem. I loved these characters so much in the first book, and being able to continue with their stories was so much, well, I can't say fun because of the amount of trauma, but you get what I mean.
The new character additions are fantastic, and there are some twists that I never saw coming (and one that I called from the start, was convinced I was wrong, and was then right all over again and I'm still blown away by that play).
I'm also a major sucker for the found family trope and this delivers on that promise in the best ways possible, both in terms of the family you choose and the family you never knew existed.
Now, don't get me wrong, there were a couple of questions that were left unanswered for me, but I have a feeling that I am probably going to be one of the few stuck on those because they're not really relevant to the plot, but that's my problem to deal with (and tag the author on threads about).
Like the Witch and His Crow, the Demon and His Viper is fast-paced and hits the ground running, and the only reason it took me over a week to finish it is that it was stressing me out. Well, that and the fingers scene, so like, trigger warning on finger injuries because that part was rough.
For my first book of 2026, I don't think I could have picked a better one because even through the pain and trauma and anxiety, the foundation of hope and trusting that things can work out in the end with enough effort, that the good is worth fighting for, really sets a tone that I feel is deeply needed. Ben Alderson never fails to deliver on amazing stories and this is really just more proof of that.
January 19, 2026
Words cannot describe the range of emotions I went through while reading this book 🥹
So many ups and downs, with surprises I never saw coming.
It’s rare for a sequel to revive my love for the original, but this book nearly matches how much I loved the first 🤍
The found family trope was a standout for me.
And just like in the first book, Hector is still my favorite character 🖤
Highly recommend ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐️
So many ups and downs, with surprises I never saw coming.
It’s rare for a sequel to revive my love for the original, but this book nearly matches how much I loved the first 🤍
The found family trope was a standout for me.
And just like in the first book, Hector is still my favorite character 🖤
Highly recommend ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐️
January 9, 2026
Ben Alderson is a GENIUS. I loved this book SO SO SO SO much. It was action packed, full of witchcraft, action, a little bit of smut and very well paced. I couldn’t wait to get to the next chapter. I’m absolutely gutted to be saying goodbye to Hector and Arwyn but it couldn’t have been a better ending for them both. I look forward to whatever it is Ben is writing next!
Want to read
January 7, 2026I AM INSANELY EXCITED FOR THIS
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews