Barred

by Aella C Grey

"Knowing right from wrong, or good from bad is easy, Ms. Leclair. Standing up for what is right, and good, no matter the cost? That’s the hard part."

Azura Leclair thought escaping her abusive father meant a fresh start for her family. Now, as she juggles working as a receptionist at Blackwell Law Firm and keeping her brother Cole out of trouble, she stumbles upon a disturbing truth—the school is violating students’ constitutional rights.

Desperate for help in a race against time, she turns to Vassago, a powerful attorney from Gloam Legal and her boss’s biggest rival.

Threats close in, and as danger lurks at every turn, Azura is forced to question everything and everyone around her. In a world where morality is as elusive as a shadow on the wall, she must decide if standing up for what’s right is worth losing everything she holds dear.

Will Azura save her brother and his future? Find out in Barred, a paranormal romance, and book two of the Prince of Hell series.

246 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 25, 2025

About the author

Aella C Grey is an author hailing from Winnipeg, MB, Canada, currently residing in the sunny state of Florida. When she's not immersed in the world of writing, Aella indulges in her other passions, such as playing video games, diving into captivating books, and cherishing quality time with her beloved dog and supportive husband.

With a vivid imagination and a deep appreciation for storytelling, Aella brings her unique perspective to the realm of fiction. Her love for literature and interactive entertainment has fueled her creative endeavors, inspiring her to craft compelling narratives that transport readers to captivating worlds.

Aella's writing draws readers in with dynamic characters, intriguing plots, and a touch of magic. Whether she's exploring mystical realms or delving into the complexities of the human experience, her stories are infused with emotion, suspense, and a dash of the unexpected.

Stay connected with Aella C. Grey through her website to discover more about her upcoming works, behind-the-scenes insights, and to join her on thrilling literary adventures.

Reviews

[megzlibrary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did I just fall in love with another fictional character?
Yes.

Did I scream when a certain couple showed up?
Absolutely.

Do I recommend this book to anyone?
MOST DEFINITELY.

I had the opportunity and pleasure of ARC reading Barred and I extend my gratitude to the author and her team for giving me the opportunity to arc read. In exchange, I leave my honest review.

Barred follows the life of two siblings, Azura and Cole, as they seek refuge and freedom in a small town after escaping the brutal torment of their father. After years of sustained violence and abuse, their mother gathers the pair and flee to Rennensberg, a small secluded town in the middle of nowhere. After attempting some normalcy, dark secrets of the town start to come to light and the pair must fight for their life.

In my opinion, Barred is written much better than Summoned. Summoned is also such a great book, but there is something about Barred that kept me hooked from the beginning. I had an instant connection to the main characters and felt more sympathy towards them. Every tear they cried, I cried. Every heartbreak they felt, I felt. Their wins were my wins and their failures were my failures. The two stuck out to me more and all I wanted was for them to finally get their happy ending.

I also enjoyed Vassago, he reminded me of a Golden Retriever puppy who just wanted to be around Azura as much as he can. It’s endearing and had me giggling and kicking my feet. His connection to both Azura and Cole is so pure, it makes me happy knowing that they have someone like him!

I want to commend Aella for creating a constant flow of highs lows, especially with the pacing. I am such a stickler when it comes to pacing and for being a 200 page book, she nailed it. When moments are meant to speed to up, it does. And when moments are meant to slow down, it slows to a pace that allows the reader to breathe.

There are two spicy scenes, but I love that it’s not the forefront of the book. There is such a deeper message that Aella wanted to convey in this series and I appreciate that she didn’t add spice in every chapter, but allowed spice when Azura felt at peace and safe.

I am so excited to see where Aella is going to take us for the rest of series!!

[Laura Jowett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emotional. Captivating. Mysterious

Words can't describe how much I loved this book. I was a huge fan of Summoned, but the storyline of Barred was utter perfection.

Azura finds herself in a battle that she did not see coming. When she finds out that her brother is facing consequences at his new public school for not participating in mandatory prayers, she tries to get to the bottom of what is going on in this school. When she is met by resistance from not only the school but everyone in the community, she is desperate to find a lawyer who will take her case and help her stop her brother from being expelled. This is where Vassago comes in, a prince of hell who takes an interest in Azura and her brother and will do anything to help them.

The healing journey that Azura has was fantastic. Her relationship with her brother was beautiful. Seeing Vassago step into her life and be the person who supports her when she's always had to support herself was amazing. We get to see a cameo from Seir and Ori, which was absolutely PHENOMENAL, and the books were connected perfectly.

This book has tension, spice, cults, religious trauma, self-healing, and found family. It deals with some dark topics with religious trauma at its front. What I loved so much was that it had such a strong storyline, and the romance was also well written and woven beautifully into the plot.

I can't wait to read the rest of the series, but this will definitely be a tough one to beat!

Thank you, Aella, for allowing me to be an ARC/Beta reader.

[bookishpadawan · Rating 4 out of 5]

▸Paranormal romance
▸Demons
▸Secret society
▸Cult
▸Found family
▸Religious trauma
▸Interconnected standalones

"Knowing right from wrong, or good from bad is easy, Ms. Leclair. Standing up for what is right, and good, no matter the cost? That's the hard part."

I am really taken by this series, great plot, great characters, heartwarming, sweet, and exciting. this book is a sequel to Summoned, first book of interconnected standalones Princes of Hell series, the main characters are different from book one, but no less entertaining. I enjoyed reading about Azura and her family situation and how the sibling helped each other to heal. Azura is like an all-rounder sister that we all need, I loved how she takes care of Cole and how calm she faces the back-to-back unfortunate situations she had, Vassago is a perfect prince for her. and I loved book one so much, I'm so happy to meet Seir and Ori again in this book! it's really a great story and I’m excited for the next!✨

Strange rules at Cole's school threatens Cole to be expelled from school—the school is violating students' constitutional rights—this leads Azura to meet a lawyer who is able to take this matter to court, Vassago. But danger threatens Azura and Cole's safety as they try to uncover the dark truths related to a large cult organization.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. huge thanks to author and Booksirens for the gifted copy♥️♥️

[Kim Bobbitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barred is book 2 in Aella C. Grey’s Princes of Hell series. This book is focused on Vassago and Azura. Azura is thrust into a parental role with her teenage brother Cole when her mother suddenly falls ill with cancer. Azura and Cole were badly abused as children and their mother is the only parent they have to rely on. While Azura’s mom is ill in the hospital, Cole gets into some trouble at school. Azura does not agree with the school’s policies and needs to seek legal counsel. No one in the area of her remote town will take action against the local, so she is forced to seek council hours away from the only attorney who will take her case.
Vassago is a powerful attorney and he agrees to meet Azura to speak about her case. As soon as she walks through the door he knows that not only will he take her case, he feels a connection to her and has a need to help her. What secrets will Azura and Vassago uncover? Why does everyone in this town seem so connected to this school’s clearly unconstitutional policies? What is Vassago willing to do to keep Azura safe? This story runs deeper than meets the eye and there are some pertinent cautionary elements. Barred is a standalone and can be read separately from Summoned, but characters from Summoned will be featured in Barred as well. Tropes you can expect in both books are:

🔥 Touch Her and ☠️
🔥 He Falls First
🔥 Secret Society
🔥 Demon MMC
🔥 Slow Burn

[Amy M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great, quick read from Aella C Grey. I liked that this book still tied in characters from book 1 while still being standalone. The religious abuse is still gut-wrenching, but I do love the trend that all men (except Cole) are trash, and the literal demon princes are the gentlemen.

Azura is attempting to navigate being a surrogate parent to her brother Cole while their mother is in the hospital. She discovers Cole's high school is violating his rights and hires Vassago to represent them when her boss refuses to take her case.

There is a lot less tension in this book than the last one, so it took me a bit by surprise when the MMCs finally got together. I thought Azura's touch aversion was going to be a bigger plot point, but it ended up only being relevant for one scene. Vassago, although wonderful, had zero personality outside of feeling "safe." I wanted to see more of his personality like we did with Seir in the first book, but this one focused more on plot than it did character development.

I really like the world building that's starting to happen with the mention of magic, I just hope the next prince is even sassier.

Thank you to BookSirens and Aella C Grey for the free eARC.

[Inanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I also ARC read the first book of this series, Summoned, and enjoyed it. This one was even better in my opinion.

There were parts that made me cry, there were parts that made me laugh, and there were parts that made me fan myself *phew*. Please, if you have triggers (or even if you don't) read the content warnings because there is some seriously heavy stuff in this book.

While reading I thought there was no way a public school could be getting away with requiring prayer twice a day from all students and the whole premise of the plot was kinda unbelievable because of it. But, then I realize when the police, paramedics, lawyers, schools, and churches are all in on it too, who would anyone even call to report it? Even worse, who would be brave enough?

I love how it's all linked into the same bad guy organization from book 1 and that Ori and Seir play a good part in this one as well. I enjoy interconnected standalones very much.

I was hoping the 2nd book would have more about Hell and the Princes, but I'm happy with what we got in this one. Maybe we'll get some more back story and lore from the 3rd book, which I WILL be reading :)

[Allyse Reinauer · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is just something so effortless and easy about Vassago and the way he worms his way into Az’s life. The effortless way Vassago charms her is sensational, but I think if there was a little more tension it would have been a 5-star read for sure. I think that Ori and Seir just set the bar SO HIGH, but them being so involved in this story was an unexpected surprise that I appreciated very much!
As always the elements of magic, cults disguised as religious crusades was just so captivating I couldn’t put this book down.


I received an ARC and this is my honest review.

[Dev · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Aella continues to outdo herself with each book she writes. I felt like I was in the book, along for the ride with all the characters. The emotional roller coaster she takes you on is immaculate. I adore this book, and I could not put it down from the time I started to the time I finished. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and cannot wait to read more of the books that she releases.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Marceline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am seriously hooked into this world. It’s a good read and honestly makes my little heart happy. The chemistry between Vassago and Azura was beautiful. Also big props for the glossary for pronunciation of names, a huge help.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Katie Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it ! I love how she still connected the first book! Spicy 🔥🔥🔥

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I ended up staying up past 2 am to finish this book, I could not put it down. I loved that this book includes the two main characters of the previous book. I can't wait to read the next!

[Robyn Tetreault · Rating 4 out of 5]

Falling in love with the demon Princes of Hell.
Azure has one traumatic event after the other in such a short amount of time. Thankfully, Vassago is always there to help out!
Not all demons are evil, Vassago and Seir have proven that once again.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so freaking amazing it’s possibly by far my favourite book if that’s even possible because I love all of the other books too I will however have to figure out what I just put myself through the last 3 days because everything is a blur lol I love the characters I did however find i hard to know who to trust but Aella did an amazing job at this book im looking forward to book 3 and the rest of the series but i enjoyed every single bit of this book