Why I Hated You So Much: The Falling of an Angel

by Bethany Baker

Could an angel ever love a demon?
Malcifer is a minor demon with a major problem. Scapegoated for his boss’s mistake, he’s been relocated from the city to the place he hates most—the quaint town of Littleton.
Remiel is an overachiever even by angel standards. Cold, cruel, and unyielding, he reinforces God’s order with an iron hand.
At least, that’s how he was ten years ago, when Malcifer only barely escaped Littleton with the child he was protecting.
Thrust back together, the angel and demon clash like the opposites they’ve always been. But in ten years, a lot can change—
Even an angel.

WHY I HATED YOU SO MUCH: THE FALLING OF AN ANGEL is a demon (M) x angel (M) story series (22k words) featuring a second chance enemies to lovers romance novelette and two spicy extended epilogue stories.

This book contains content that may be triggering for some readers. Content advisories are available in the book and on the author’s website.

Genres: Fantasy

ebook

Published July 22, 2025

About the author

Bethany Baker (she/they) writes erotic romance that blends the familiar and the fantastical, the erotic and the emotional, the silly and the sexy—into one downright tasty concoction.

When she's not baking cookies or writing smut, she enjoys collecting weird animal facts and going for walks with her partner. She has two cats, who go by "Disaster Bean" and "Chaos Baby" more often than their actual names.

Content advisories for all works are available on her website.

Reviews

[lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

i had a review copy from the author! i have disclaimed!!

so i am a fan of working through religious trauma and deconstruction via angel/demon erotica in general, and in this particular. well written! sexy! very, very gay!!!! very quick and enjoyable read. since this is a tiny little novella and about half of it is extended sexy epilogue time, all the character growth happens before the story begins. what this means is that i found myself wishing for more grovelling before they remiel and malcifer get together, but this is not that kind of book.

honestly the only thing i didn't like is that malcifer and remiel are so thoroughly men. not in like a, i hate men kind of way. more in like a, you have an angel and a demon and you made them have gender?? these transcendent beings having something so earthly as gender was a bit of a shock to my system. the angel has seven eyes!!! and yet he is also a Man.

anyways, other than my personal gender problems that aren't worth getting into here, i had a great time. would recommend! also i have no idea how to rate this.

[Emma Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short but powerful demon/angel romance packs an emotional punch wrapped in divine tension and sizzling heat. Why I Hated You So Much is a second-chance, enemies-to-lovers story that dives straight into the angst and chemistry between Malcifer—a snarky, wronged demon—and Remiel, the cold, unforgiving angel who once stood in his way.

The worldbuilding is tight and vivid, with the sleepy town of Littleton serving as the unlikely backdrop for celestial conflict and buried emotions. The dynamic between Malcifer and Remiel is electric—filled with pain, regret, and a grudging attraction neither wants to admit. Watching them come undone and rediscover each other is deeply satisfying.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Rhiannon Cheyenne Cheyenne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This my second book I’ve read from this author, and they are becoming one of my favorites. I’m very grateful to have been gifted a copy of this novella. I absolutely adore Mal and Rem. Mal is my favorite character though. Especially due to some of the things he says when he’s trying to help Rem grow and understand things outside the Angel point of view. I also enjoy the world that the book takes place in. It’s wonderfully written and overall I love this book. I highly recommend yall check the novella out and other works by the author as well.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Out of 5 Stars ⭐️

Genre/Tropes ✨MM, demon x angel, corruption, BDSM, romance, novella, erotica

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review for Why I Hated You So Much: The Falling of an Angel by Bethany Baker

I am so happy I took a chance to read this author's book. I love Remiel (An angel that can't help doing good) and Malcifer's (a minor demon) story/connection with each other. Once I started reading the book, I just didn't want to put it down. Being an adult can suck, right? Lol. The storyline was fantastic. I haven't read that many books with this type of story, but I think I will be reading some more. Poor Malcifer is a scapegoat for the choices his boss made. But in the end, it was the thing that was the best for them both. I look forward to trying more books by this author.

Nicole Harvey

[Anastey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you BookSprout, and Bethany Baker for sending me this advanced review copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was hot as hell, and the spice was beyond amazing. I really enjoyed the sarcastic banter between Malcifer and Remiel too.

The theme of healing and repenting through pain was beautiful. My favorite parts were the quiet soft moments between the punishments, where their love shines through.

Overall this is a great quick read, with a surprising depth of emotion to work through for such a short book. I would love to see another story with these characters again in the future!

[Jennifer Graves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why I Hated You So Much: The Falling of an Angel is a hot and sensitive examination of what it means to be seen, heard, healed, and loved. Through multiple sex scenes Baker weaves a story of freedom from useless rules. Bear in mind that if you’re religious this might not be the book for you (as there’s one scene in a church where a Bible is… stained). The sex is hot throughout, and the romance that underlies it is incredibly sweet and supportive. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series as Baker writing carries the reader along.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Ryan Quirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story of an angel and a demon falling in love or rather acknowledging that they’ve been in love with each other the whole time. This was a great quick read if your looking for a palette cleanser or just weekend PNR story. I loved seeing Remiel come to the “dark side” and give in to his true feelings for Malcifer.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[L · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how Bethany Baker manages to pack so much story into a teeny little novella. It’s truly a talent to give characters such depth with so few words. Mal and Rem’s story runs the gamut of atonement, forgiveness, compassion, freedom, and love. As someone who has a lot of religious trauma, this read was SUCH a vibe for me.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Nell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novella was an interesting read. I liked the take on religion and the desire to be who you are- to be accepted for that. I was not expecting the BDSM element at all, but I guess contextually it made a lot of sense for their relationship. I felt like the yearning didn't go on for very long at all. Forgiveness came too easy, even for a novella.
Overall, I liked some of it. It was a bit smuttier than I expected, but it was still good.

[Nicolle Persoon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This actually turned out to be a beautiful lovestory.

An angel wants to atone for his sins, a demon knows exactly what punishment this particular angel needs.

Loved the characters, the steam and the great dialogues.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[The Book Farmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short, sweet and hot 🔥

Rem and Mal delivered, I'm amazed how much feeling is contained in so few pages! and let's not forget the spice!

5 stars!

[Grace C · Rating 4 out of 5]

*A big thanks to Bethany Baker and BookSprout for providing me with an ARC of this book; this in no way affects my honest review*

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and loved it. I would love to read more about Malcifer and Remiel

[Tawny Xu · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first Bethany Baker book, which came off a request on Threads asking for monster romance rec's!

I must say, the concept in this book is great. I love that there must be an angel *and* demon in the space and Rem and Mal delivered!! It was great to see the character ARC that Rem went through as he began to understand life outside of his 'job'. Mal did a great job of coaxing Rem, and the harsh realizations broke my heart!

This novella packs a punch in the short space it has and it doesn't disappoint. There's lots of play in here, lots of unpacking and lots of coming-to-terms. I've already looked at Bethanys backlog and have a few more that I'd like to read, based off this book.

If you're religious, this probably isn't the book for you!
Check your TW's and CW's prior!