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Charmed Away Temp Agency #1

The Incubus's Assistant

When Avery showed up for his temp job on Monday morning, he had certain expectations in mind.

He was not expecting to end up bent over his new boss's desk. It was an innocent mistake, and he's determined to move on, but the experience left him breathless and more than a little curious. So when his new boss is left without a feeder, he volunteers to help. After all, that's what any good assistant would do. Right?

Ozen made foolish decisions when he was hungry. He is grateful that his new assistant is so forgiving. But when he finds himself starving after his new feeder throws a temper tantrum and refuses to show up, he has no choice but to ask his assistant for help. After all, he had yet to meet an assistant who was so professional. Surely they could get through a feeder contract without any issues. Right?

happy accidents; virgin MMC; hungry incubus; Ozen is grumpy when he's hungry; Avery is happy to be a snack; contracts should be taken seriously; petulant feeders will get their comeuppance; who knew you could order your perfect mate?; Avery is inexperienced; Ozen is a good teacher; mixing business with pleasure isn't such a bad idea; CEOs make busy bosses; it's just a crush, not; maybe contracts are meant to be broken; guaranteed HEA.

Includes a bonus scene, "A Case of Writer's Block."

10 pages, Audible Audio

First published December 3, 2024

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About the author

Amy Padilla

35 books270 followers

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5 stars
1,905 (44%)
4 stars
1,592 (37%)
3 stars
617 (14%)
2 stars
107 (2%)
1 star
27 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 393 reviews
Profile Image for Cat the bookworm .
986 reviews217 followers
August 22, 2026
A pleasant surprise, even if it took a bit to warm up to the world setup.

As you might assume based off the title, this is an office romance. But not the way you’d think: it’s set up in a world very similar to ours, only that the supernatural beings are the “normal” population, and humans are considered “lesser” that the rest. There’s a huge variety of supernaturals, from shapeshifters to dragons, trolls, Orks, banshees, sirens, vampires, Griffins and Hydras - if you have ever read about one, you can be sure it’s somewhere around there.

Oh, and incubi. Who need to feed regularly on - you guessed it - desire. Which is considered perfectly normal and transactional to a point where you have people working as “feeders” to keep them sustained.

Avery isn’t a feeder. He’s a human, working at a temp agency, mainly as a secretary/assistant. Only when he arrives at his new job, his new incubus boss mistakenly assumes he’s his new feeder, and… well… has a meal.

The confusion is cleared up after the meal, and things go back to as planned.

Or not 😆

What till me a bit to get accustomed to was the “transactional” sex - it’s a biological necessity for incubi, so it’s not out of the ordinary to have casual sex during lunch breaks, and then go back to work. But once you get into the spirit, it’s a lot of fun, and I really appreciated the new spin.

The audio is free on audible, and is narrated by Joel Leslie - who’s ok, even good for the most part - I just can’t stand his narration of spicy scenes 😅

Other than that - very entertaining, low on drama, high on steam.
Profile Image for Sandy Kay.
1,109 reviews111 followers
February 10, 2025
I don't know if I loved this because it was truly great or if I just needed a safe-for-me win, but, I don't care, I pretty much smiled all the way through, loved this office romance between a human and an incubus, it hit all the office-y things I love in office romance, and I had a great time.

Human-incubus pairing. Hilarious setup in which the human, Avery, is a temp who's come to the office as an emergecy last-minute replacement temp to fill in for the incubus's (Ozen's) assistant and gets mistaken for Ozen's new feeder, who is overdue to start the same day. It starts with a literal bang--TW for unknowing dub-con, as Ozen truly thinks Avery is there to feed him (aka have orgasms so Ozen can absorb that sexual energy) and Avery is the most professional accommodating temp ever and assumes this is perhaps part of the job. As an accidental (just didn't have time/too busy) virgin, Avery is actually happy to have it happen, so, didn't feel coerced and their chemistry is off the charts because...well, because. There's a very good reason.

Ozen is horrified when he realizes the misunderstanding. But no one's ever fed him so well, so completely... Avery is embarrassed but ready to be totally professional and gets down to his real job. the new feeder arrives and has a snit because Ozen no longer needs to feed right away...some OM drama from that whiny baby.

Mostly I enjoyed the growing respect and connection Avery and Ozen find with each other. They're grownups, they do their jobs, Avery is terrific at his job...and when the real feeder turns out to be a total slimeball, Avery winds up taking on the feeder position officially. But. Contracts. Lines are drawn. Rules. They must keep it oh, so professional.

HA HA HA HA HA HA.

I loved this. I really did. I guess it could have leaned in to unsafe territory because a confused Ozen genuinely tries to feed from someone, anyone, else (attempt off page, definitely does not happen), but truly can't, for said Reason, but, it never felt that way, my gut never dropped, it was so clear these two were #endgame for feeder-incubus, for boss-assistant, for respectful communication (except when a very confused Ozen starts acting totally beyond the pall getting frantic that something's wrong with him...but it just amped up the romantic conflict in a way I enjoyed...!) and for meant-to-be, no-one-else-will-do love. I ate it up.

Ozen's company partner and employees are fabulous secondary characters. Avery...huh, I actually don't think he had friends outside of work? And I don't remember who his family is? I wasn't paying attention, but, that might be underdeveloped. But I didn't care, I was having too much fun. One other criticism, we don't see ANY justice for the bigots in the office who were harassing Avery and giving him a hard time for being human, which does seem a big oversight, as Ozen was pissed about it. Too bad. But again, this book delighted me so much, I'm not taking off a star. Total re-read for me.

HEA, boss-employee, human-incubus, accidental sex feeding paranormal romance, fated-mates sensibility. No others, no cheating, no one else will do, literally physically. Could feel unsafe for some on that front, but, didn't for me, I loved it, no gut squirming. Highly recommended. More please.
Profile Image for Megan (feral hearts club).
440 reviews47 followers
May 16, 2025
Found this book randomly while browsing KU and ohhh boy am I glad I found it! I was shocked if never heard of it, and equally excited to find something new- started it right away.. and just didn’t stop reading. Avery is adorable and sweet and so perfect and thoughtful. Just a REALLY good and caring person. His boss, Ozen, and incubus doesn’t understand the draw he feels to this tiny human. Once ozen gets his head out of his ass (and, let’s admit sometimes even while it’s still up there) he’s so caring and wonderful to Avery (mostly), and has a slightly adorable grumpy side.
The spice in this is hot, the story is fun and entertaining. This was just such a fun read, I can’t wait to read the rest of the series!!! I need Taron to get his HEA!
Profile Image for Romantically Inclined Reviews.
763 reviews2,903 followers
July 6, 2025
Absolutely delightful!

Someone recced this since Im such a huge fan of the Goliaths of Wrestling series by Lily Mayne and this hit the perfect spot. While not as laugh out loud funny as Goliaths, this book was sweet & fun & sexy as hell. Definitely continuing on with the series.
201 reviews6 followers
January 20, 2025
mostly great but a 2 major issues…

Ok, most everything about this book is awesome. I loved both main characters, the spice was great (except I would’ve liked a scene or two where they leaned into the Sir aspect), and most of the supporting characters were fun and interesting to learn about.

HOWEVER (spoilers below)

As mentioned in the title of this review, there are several things that kept this from being a five star read for me. Firstly, why is it ok for Taron to leap over every boundary and decide consent (or lack thereof) doesn’t apply to him? He had Avery put to sleep without permission, invaded his home for days and refused to leave because Taron thought he knew best, and then stole Avery’s unfinished book. And Avery wasn’t nearly as upset about any of those things as he should’ve been. Taron never apologized, and was never taken to task about any of those things by Avery OR Ozen. It honestly was upsetting enough (for me) that it took quite a lot of the enjoyment out of the rest of the story.

And lastly, the people that bullied Avery on other floors in the building apparently got off scot free? I would’ve loved to see Ozen (or anyone) doing some yelling and firing over that.

All in all, I loved most things about this book, and I will reread it, but I will be skipping the parts where Taron goes way over the line, and I’m unable to rate this one higher than 3 stars. Enjoy!
Profile Image for rebecca.
654 reviews25 followers
May 5, 2025
(4.5/5) Seriously, how great is it when a book surprises you so much? This was really damn good.
Profile Image for Notagingerninja.
312 reviews19 followers
July 29, 2026
3.5⭐️

Audiobook 🎧
Narrator: Joel Leslie

This gave Insta-love vibes which was fine.

It’s very similar to E.J Russell’s “Fae out of Water” series, entertaining but very predictable.

Virgin - check
Age gap - check (27 & 3000+)
Mates - check
OTT Sex - check check

HEA
Profile Image for gracie.
899 reviews345 followers
July 11, 2026
I will admit I felt iffy about the whole humans being subjugated and discriminated against storyline, especially since our main character was a white man but this was still a fun filler read for me.
Profile Image for Verdelite.
425 reviews27 followers
June 27, 2025
DNF@21%.

The characters are really bland and one-dimensional.
There's also too much fluff, as in, there are a lot of descriptions for things that could easily have been skipped or summarized. The author also seems to have the tendency to overexplain things, which adds to the amount of superfluous text.

I can overlook the fluff thing but unfortunately, I cannot get invested in these characters or their relationships, so I'm stopping here.
Profile Image for ....
2,280 reviews23 followers
January 4, 2025
4.5☆ This one was delightful, definitely an underrated author who I hope sticks around long enough to get the attention her books deserve! My only two quibbles with this one were But despite these minor hiccups, it was bt FAR one of the best reads I've come across in a while, and I enjoyed it big time 😊
Profile Image for Molly Otto.
1,682 reviews36 followers
December 4, 2024
The kickoff to Amy Padillas new Charmed Away Temp Agency series. Ozen is an overworked incubus who tends to let his hunger take control vs. setting the right boundaries with his feeders. Avery, the new temp from Charmed Away Temp Agency, is mistaken for his new feeder, which leads to the beginning of this unique love story. They have instant work chemistry and pair well togehter to fill his needs. When things happen, Avery shows how understanding and compassionate he is for all species, even though at times. Let's be honest I question if Ozen deserves loyalty. It takes Ozen having a pretty brutal wake-up call to realize how much his choices affect both him and Avery. What makes Avery so great is that he just wants to be his own person and will do what's needed to help those around him. With a great cast of friends/ co-workers, I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next from this world.
Profile Image for Andy.
266 reviews6 followers
February 28, 2026
The audio for this one was atrocious. Imagine The Butler called Winston or Albert in some murder drama reading a smutty scene. I had to put that away and switch to eye-reading because no way I could've finished this whilst ear-reading. Weirdly I didn't see anyone comment that on the Audible app, are y'all okay?

This was a fun little romance. Little substance but also not a lot to not like about it. I might read the sequels about the other couples, but I think I'd also be fine to leave this universe as is.
526 reviews4 followers
December 5, 2024
This was a good read with a slightly disappointing third act.

I am also still waiting for the workplace bullies to be dealt with. I'm not sure why this thread was left incomplete.
Profile Image for Jen (Fae_Princess_in_Space).
886 reviews50 followers
October 26, 2025
*Cue Prof. Farnsworth voice* GOOD NEWS EVERYONE, I’VE FOUND A NEW FAVOURITE AUTHOR!

Ohhhhh my gosh this was so so so good and I’m furious with myself for not starting this series sooner. This felt like if Lily Mayne’s ‘Impromptu Match’ and Grae Bryan’s ‘Inviting Bedlam’ got smushed together into its own totally unique and completely charming story. It was one of those books that had me squealing with joy when the characters finally admitted how they felt and I am a SUCKER for a paranormal finding their fated mate, like ugh, adore that.

It’s an office romance between hyper-competent human temping assistant Avery and hyper-competent Incubus CEO Ozen. If you have a competency kink, this book is gonna do things for you. Incubus’s have contracts with people who act as their ‘feeders’ - they have sexual relations with the Incubus so the Incubus is fed and the feeders get money (and pleasure). When Avery turns up for his first ad temping as an executive assistant, Ozen accidentally mistakes Avery as his new feeder… and suddenly Avery isn’t a 27-year-old virgin anymore more. When Ozen’s actual new feeder attempts to starve Ozen because of the misunderstanding, Avery jumps in to save his boss and volunteers to be his feeder instead.

The contract very clearly states that there should be no feelings or emotions between feeders and clients… but the more time Avery and Ozen spend together, the more the contract is at risk of being broken!

Aaahhh so good and I’m so excited to read everyone else’s books too - the side characters are all absolutely gorgeous and I’m so excited to see them meet their mates!!

Read The Incubus’s Assistant for:
✨ MM paranormal romance
✨ Office romance
✨ Agency temp x CEO
✨ Human x Incubus
✨ Fated mates
✨ Pesky contract in the way
✨ So so funny and sweet
✨ Side characters are amazing
✨ My competency kink loved this
✨ Hyped for the rest of the series!!!
Profile Image for Nina .
462 reviews12 followers
July 29, 2026
I enjoyed this and it was very cute, but I really, really should have read it instead of listening to the audiobook. I just… yeah, I’m not the biggest fan of Joel Leslie’s style of narrating. But I was lacking in audio options and went with it anyway. I shouldn’t have. I think I’d have enjoyed it more. 🤷🏻‍♀️
Profile Image for Evelyn220.
758 reviews49 followers
April 29, 2026
3⭐️ Cute paranormal/workplace rom-com that’s 70% spice. It felt a bit long for how little plot there was. Joel Leslie did a good job, as always.
Profile Image for Jamie.
878 reviews133 followers
October 24, 2025
3.5 rounded up.
I thought this was a good fun unique rom com. It had an interesting premise. Very steamy. But for a fun unique rom com, it was like 100 pages longer than it needed to be.
Profile Image for Cabert A.
380 reviews3 followers
June 29, 2025
This was a fairly low-conflict novel. It also had a large quantity of spice, although it was all very brief and so not quite the quality I would prefer. Avery came off as a Mary Sue to me. Everything he did was perfect, including writing a romance novel called "The Incubus's Assistant."

I have a feeling that Padilla's writing just doesn't resonate much with me.
Profile Image for Bookstagramtea (MM Romance Addict).
370 reviews19 followers
August 15, 2026
Really enjoyed this temporary assistant and Incubus office romance.

The writing style is easy reading, a mixture of low suspense, a sprinkling of humour, and a confident predictability that meant I was really happy to relax into the story.

There were a few loose ends and the presence of them throughout the story, alongside Ozen's selfishness, meant I never really fell for Ozen.

He knew quick feeds were dangerous and still did them, even after promising he wouldn't. He felt Avery's apartment was unsafe, and vowed to find him a better one, though didn't offer an alternative or his own house as a safer location meanwhile, whilst also never coming up with one. He didn't notice Avery getting sick, he didn't ask why he couldn't afford a better apartment, he didn't know he wrote romance... Ozen's friends took far more interest in Avery personally and the love side was a little lacking with that.

When you add in the bullies never getting punished - The bosses mate and the bosses best friends' mate was targeted and nothing was done? I wanted vengeance!
Though maybe that's just my bloodthirstiness 🤣

All in all, it left me wanting more for Avery.

What I will say, is the author can write a heck of a story for me to enjoy it so much and feel so strongly for Avery. I will definitely be reading on.
Profile Image for Ash K.
191 reviews
May 11, 2026
—• 5.0 •—

Wow this was such a cute little MM office romance. I absolutely DEVOURED this book and couldn’t put it down for a single second once i picked it up. It has the perfect amount of fun, yearning and spice and was overall just such a FUN read. Avery is adorable, Ozen may be a stubborn moron sometimes but he’s also such a sweetheart and bestie Taron is so funny. also firefly is such a cute pet name??? i’ve never heard it before but now i wish it was more common
Profile Image for Natalie  H.
4,081 reviews30 followers
July 6, 2025
July 2025
Kindle edition

Read for a group challenge. Incubus should pretty much be smut. This one was surprisingly innocent. Temp Avery and boss Ozen with the miscommunication. Shitty Feeder in the background who got off easy. I liked the support characters, so looking forward to them getting their mates. Ozen needed badgering. The father tried. Thank f*ck for the grandfather knowing things. Hungry patient incubus x eager professional virgin.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for em.
151 reviews1 follower
October 17, 2025
3.5/5

this was a fun read. i love that i got exactly what i signed up for lol
Profile Image for Merry Jayned.
427 reviews14 followers
August 31, 2026
This was really really cute and sweet and I adored it. 🌶️ 4/5
Profile Image for Barbara➰.
1,691 reviews468 followers
come-back-later
September 13, 2026
ETA: I’m giving this another shot based on a recommendation.



I’ve tried this a couple of times now and just can’t get into it. I think it’s because everything is built on sex right from the start. It’s totally just me. I need a little more relationship development before the sex. And yes I realize Ozen is an incubus and requires sex, but I’d hoped they’d start actually talking or building something outside of that and maybe they do later but if I’m skipping the sex scenes already it’s time to stop.
Profile Image for Jessica.
504 reviews3 followers
April 27, 2026
Well, I found an another series to fall in love with again 🤣 This was such a cute and lovely story, can't wait to read more from this world! The audiobook was great as always and I had a great time 🥰
Displaying 1 - 30 of 393 reviews