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Aetherborn
Aetherborn
Just a warlock. Standing in front of a demon girl. Wondering how to avoid her.
Untenured philosophy lecturer with a side gig owning a bar—it doesn’t shout chaos, does it?
I liked hiding. With powers as weak as mine, staying under the radar just made sense.
One wrong fight in my bar, and magic I didn’t even know I had kicked in, bonding me to Kara—a not-a-succubus demon with a fast whip, faster tongue, and zero interest in me. The feeling’s mutual.
Turns out our little accident set off a supernatural chain reaction and brought half the city’s power players down on us.
Now we’re stuck with each other. Hunted by factions eager to exploit us—or erase us.
I didn’t ask for this, and neither did she. But the truth of what binds us will shake the world—it’s already put a target on our backs.
It’s not love. It’s survival. With attitude.
***
For fans of The Dresden Files, Iron Druid Chronicles, Burn for Me, and Demon Days, Vampire Nights.
Contains slow-burn reluctant bonds, and emotionally committed relationships that don’t follow traditional pairings.
What readers
“…sharp, witty repartee, a side order of violence, and smoldering denial…” — Clare Neilson, Author
“You know how they say you couldn’t put it down? I carried it around the house.” — Angela Burka
“Very gripping and enjoyable read all the way through. I loved it!” — Alex Mallon
"Badassery and a dark magic whip? Sold!" — Liz Abbott
Genre & Urban Fantasy · Paranormal Romance · Supernatural Conspiracy · Warlock/Demon Bond
Enemies to Lovers · Forced Proximity · Slow-Burn Romance · High Heat · Reluctant Hero · Dangerous Heroine · Power Couple · Political Intrigue · One Bed · She Falls First · Banter as Foreplay · Magical Tether · Found Family
Untenured philosophy lecturer with a side gig owning a bar—it doesn’t shout chaos, does it?
I liked hiding. With powers as weak as mine, staying under the radar just made sense.
One wrong fight in my bar, and magic I didn’t even know I had kicked in, bonding me to Kara—a not-a-succubus demon with a fast whip, faster tongue, and zero interest in me. The feeling’s mutual.
Turns out our little accident set off a supernatural chain reaction and brought half the city’s power players down on us.
Now we’re stuck with each other. Hunted by factions eager to exploit us—or erase us.
I didn’t ask for this, and neither did she. But the truth of what binds us will shake the world—it’s already put a target on our backs.
It’s not love. It’s survival. With attitude.
***
For fans of The Dresden Files, Iron Druid Chronicles, Burn for Me, and Demon Days, Vampire Nights.
Contains slow-burn reluctant bonds, and emotionally committed relationships that don’t follow traditional pairings.
What readers
“…sharp, witty repartee, a side order of violence, and smoldering denial…” — Clare Neilson, Author
“You know how they say you couldn’t put it down? I carried it around the house.” — Angela Burka
“Very gripping and enjoyable read all the way through. I loved it!” — Alex Mallon
"Badassery and a dark magic whip? Sold!" — Liz Abbott
Genre & Urban Fantasy · Paranormal Romance · Supernatural Conspiracy · Warlock/Demon Bond
Enemies to Lovers · Forced Proximity · Slow-Burn Romance · High Heat · Reluctant Hero · Dangerous Heroine · Power Couple · Political Intrigue · One Bed · She Falls First · Banter as Foreplay · Magical Tether · Found Family
- GenresUrban FantasyHarem
383 pages, Paperback
Published July 23, 2025
53 people are currently reading
54 people want to read
About the author
Jason Marino
10 books5 followersI've been writing since I was sixteen - many years ago now - and my passion has always been fantasy and romance. Fantasy offers the escapism that I love in stories, and what would life be without the chemistry of romance? Wholesome, dark, angsty, unrequited, devoted, adoring, angry ... I've written them all. Lived most of them, too.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
July 30, 2025
If I had to pick one word to sum up this book, it would be "Phenomenal".
The MC is a very low level "supe" in a world with both super-powered people and normal humans. He's a adjunct philosophy professor in a place in New Hampshire that has one of the densest populations of supes in the nation. He also owns a bar, and as our story starts on Halloween night, he's tending bar. And from that point on, he's between a rock and a hard place. Every time you think he has time to breathe, something new disrupts things.
The MC has one lover, but two bonded. While there is a bit of dual cultivation going on here (which I loathe), it is being handled a bit differently. He hasn't intentionally bonded anyone, but his status as a Aetherborn means it will happen, and people will seek him out, either to kill or bond with him. I liked the two women so far, as they play off one another well.
This was one of the cleanest books that I've ever read in haremlit. There was a single error I noticed near the very end, otherwise it had spectacular editing.
I very much look forward to the next book in this series.
The MC is a very low level "supe" in a world with both super-powered people and normal humans. He's a adjunct philosophy professor in a place in New Hampshire that has one of the densest populations of supes in the nation. He also owns a bar, and as our story starts on Halloween night, he's tending bar. And from that point on, he's between a rock and a hard place. Every time you think he has time to breathe, something new disrupts things.
The MC has one lover, but two bonded. While there is a bit of dual cultivation going on here (which I loathe), it is being handled a bit differently. He hasn't intentionally bonded anyone, but his status as a Aetherborn means it will happen, and people will seek him out, either to kill or bond with him. I liked the two women so far, as they play off one another well.
This was one of the cleanest books that I've ever read in haremlit. There was a single error I noticed near the very end, otherwise it had spectacular editing.
I very much look forward to the next book in this series.
July 24, 2025
Xan is just a warlock who finds himself standing in front of Kara a demon girl. Now he's wondering just how he can avoid her permanently.
Xan normally would be lecturing in philosophy, but as he doesn't have a permanent gig at the moment, he contents himself in owning a bar – that can't shout chaos at all now.
Kara prefers to keep to the shadows, hidden away. With her kind of powers, it makes more sense for her to stay under everyone's radar.
All it took was one wrong fight to break out in Xan's bar, and suddenly magic that he didn't even know he had was flooding his body, and what more he found himself bonded to Kara – this woman who said she wasn't a succubus demon but had a whip, and even faster tongue, and absolutely zero interest in Xan. And that was a feeling that Xan shared fully.
As it would turn out, their little accident had set off this supernatural chain reaction and that brought half their city's power players down on them.
Now not only are they stuck with one another but they are being hunted by different factions that have their own agendas. They either want to exploit Xan and Kara or they want to completely and totally erase them from existence.
Neither Xan nor Kara asked for any of this. But, when they learn the truth of what binds them together, they know it's going to shake the very fabric of the world. And their bond has already put a huge target on their backs and they haven't even done anything yet.
This isn't love, this is all survival, just done with attitude.
***
For fans of The Dresden Files, Iron Druid Chronicles, Burn for Me, and Demon Days, Vampire Nights.
Contains slow-burn reluctant bonds, and emotionally committed relationships that don’t follow traditional pairings.
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Supernatural Conspiracy and Warlock/Demon Bond.
Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, Forced Proximity, Slow Burn Romance, High Heat, Reluctant Hero, Dangerous Heroine, Power Couple, Political Intrigue, One Bed, She Falls First, Banter as Foreplay, Magical Tether, and Found Family.
Aetherborn by Jason Marino. This was the first book by this author that I have ever read and I can say that after getting hooked into the story after the first page and I found it very hard to put it down, I found this to be a very enjoyable read and I am going to read other books by this author in the future.
Xan normally lectures in philosophy, but at the moment he doesn't have a tenured position. So he's contented himself with running the bar that he owns. After all, that doesn't shout chaos at all now, does it?
One night, a fight breaks out in Xan's bar and all of the sudden he finds that a magic he never knew he had is flooding his body.
Kara prefers to keep to the shadows, keeping herself safe, hidden away from view. She's a demon but she's not a succubus. But, with the powers that she does have, it makes more sense for her to stay out of everyone's sight and under everyone's radar.
Kara is intelligent, strong, and powerful, she loves to use her whip but her tongue is just as fast and sharp.
The night of the fight she is in Xan's bar and she witnesses Xan's power awaken. And more than that she finds that in that awakening, a bond between Kara and Xan is formed. Now they are being hunted by multiple factions and each faction has its own goal. There are the factions that want Xan and Kara to join them and the factions will use them to their own end. And then there are the other factors that want to totally destroy Kara and Xan and wipe them off the face of the earth.
I found that from the very beginning, this book grabbed my attention and enthralled me. Jason has written an action-packed story that has enough content that keeps you interested in the story and makes you want to know what happens next.
Jason has created a world that feels real and yet at the same time feels otherworldly, magical, and supernatural. And the characters that Jason created were perfect for this story and they were a mixed bag and were so different that they made you feel like they were you could meet them on the street the next time you were out and about.
I recommend that you read Atherborn as it is an enjoyable and entertaining read. Jason has done a great job with this book and I look forward to reading more of his other books.
Xan normally would be lecturing in philosophy, but as he doesn't have a permanent gig at the moment, he contents himself in owning a bar – that can't shout chaos at all now.
Kara prefers to keep to the shadows, hidden away. With her kind of powers, it makes more sense for her to stay under everyone's radar.
All it took was one wrong fight to break out in Xan's bar, and suddenly magic that he didn't even know he had was flooding his body, and what more he found himself bonded to Kara – this woman who said she wasn't a succubus demon but had a whip, and even faster tongue, and absolutely zero interest in Xan. And that was a feeling that Xan shared fully.
As it would turn out, their little accident had set off this supernatural chain reaction and that brought half their city's power players down on them.
Now not only are they stuck with one another but they are being hunted by different factions that have their own agendas. They either want to exploit Xan and Kara or they want to completely and totally erase them from existence.
Neither Xan nor Kara asked for any of this. But, when they learn the truth of what binds them together, they know it's going to shake the very fabric of the world. And their bond has already put a huge target on their backs and they haven't even done anything yet.
This isn't love, this is all survival, just done with attitude.
***
For fans of The Dresden Files, Iron Druid Chronicles, Burn for Me, and Demon Days, Vampire Nights.
Contains slow-burn reluctant bonds, and emotionally committed relationships that don’t follow traditional pairings.
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Supernatural Conspiracy and Warlock/Demon Bond.
Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, Forced Proximity, Slow Burn Romance, High Heat, Reluctant Hero, Dangerous Heroine, Power Couple, Political Intrigue, One Bed, She Falls First, Banter as Foreplay, Magical Tether, and Found Family.
Aetherborn by Jason Marino. This was the first book by this author that I have ever read and I can say that after getting hooked into the story after the first page and I found it very hard to put it down, I found this to be a very enjoyable read and I am going to read other books by this author in the future.
Xan normally lectures in philosophy, but at the moment he doesn't have a tenured position. So he's contented himself with running the bar that he owns. After all, that doesn't shout chaos at all now, does it?
One night, a fight breaks out in Xan's bar and all of the sudden he finds that a magic he never knew he had is flooding his body.
Kara prefers to keep to the shadows, keeping herself safe, hidden away from view. She's a demon but she's not a succubus. But, with the powers that she does have, it makes more sense for her to stay out of everyone's sight and under everyone's radar.
Kara is intelligent, strong, and powerful, she loves to use her whip but her tongue is just as fast and sharp.
The night of the fight she is in Xan's bar and she witnesses Xan's power awaken. And more than that she finds that in that awakening, a bond between Kara and Xan is formed. Now they are being hunted by multiple factions and each faction has its own goal. There are the factions that want Xan and Kara to join them and the factions will use them to their own end. And then there are the other factors that want to totally destroy Kara and Xan and wipe them off the face of the earth.
I found that from the very beginning, this book grabbed my attention and enthralled me. Jason has written an action-packed story that has enough content that keeps you interested in the story and makes you want to know what happens next.
Jason has created a world that feels real and yet at the same time feels otherworldly, magical, and supernatural. And the characters that Jason created were perfect for this story and they were a mixed bag and were so different that they made you feel like they were you could meet them on the street the next time you were out and about.
I recommend that you read Atherborn as it is an enjoyable and entertaining read. Jason has done a great job with this book and I look forward to reading more of his other books.
November 10, 2025
Let me start by saying the book was fine- it's well above average for the mens' romance genre. That's not saying much, given that the average is often like a taking an ice-bath in 100% pure cringe. Aetherborn has an everyman hero that unexpectedly discovers he's super powerful, there are sexy ladies who were totally out of his league that now find him irresistible, and there's a setup for a sequel that will add even MORE sexy ladies to his stable. That is to say, it's structurally identical to 80% of the genre. If you like that sort of thing this will scratch the itch.
If that was all, I wouldn't bother to write a review. The much more notable aspect of this book is that I'm 95% sure that it's largely AI generated. The signs are subtle, and come from both limitations of the models and somewhat inexpert prompting. For example, one super notable tell that could be fixed with more careful structured prompting is that characters, places and items don't consistently have extended descriptions on first introduction. This is something human writers do almost automatically, but models struggle with because they don't have the entire novel in context so don't know what's already been described and what hasn't. This leaves you curiously unable to visualise anything in the novel. Other issues are more inherent to AI, and character names, scene descriptions, chapter structures in this novel all have the whiff of AI about them.
There are two things to say about this. First, genre fiction is already caught in an absolute tidal wave of AI content that nobody is mentioning and that the publishing industry has not even begun to grapple with. Second... frontier models are now good enough at long-form coherence and prose that it's getting very hard to really be sure what is AI and what isn't. I suspect we have about 6-12 months left where it will be possible to distinguish human from AI in low-tier genre fiction (the bulk of all books read!), and after that all bets are off.
If that was all, I wouldn't bother to write a review. The much more notable aspect of this book is that I'm 95% sure that it's largely AI generated. The signs are subtle, and come from both limitations of the models and somewhat inexpert prompting. For example, one super notable tell that could be fixed with more careful structured prompting is that characters, places and items don't consistently have extended descriptions on first introduction. This is something human writers do almost automatically, but models struggle with because they don't have the entire novel in context so don't know what's already been described and what hasn't. This leaves you curiously unable to visualise anything in the novel. Other issues are more inherent to AI, and character names, scene descriptions, chapter structures in this novel all have the whiff of AI about them.
There are two things to say about this. First, genre fiction is already caught in an absolute tidal wave of AI content that nobody is mentioning and that the publishing industry has not even begun to grapple with. Second... frontier models are now good enough at long-form coherence and prose that it's getting very hard to really be sure what is AI and what isn't. I suspect we have about 6-12 months left where it will be possible to distinguish human from AI in low-tier genre fiction (the bulk of all books read!), and after that all bets are off.
July 24, 2025
💜 Blurb -
Just a warlock. Standing in front of a demon girl. Wondering how to avoid her.
Untenured philosophy lecturer with a side gig owning a bar—it doesn’t shout chaos, does it?
I liked hiding. With powers as weak as mine, staying under the radar just made sense.
One wrong fight in my bar, and magic I didn’t even know I had kicked in, bonding me to Kara—a not-a-succubus demon with a fast whip, faster tongue, and zero interest in me. The feeling’s mutual.
Turns out our little accident set off a supernatural chain reaction and brought half the city’s power players down on us.
Now we’re stuck with each other. Hunted by factions eager to exploit us—or erase us.
I didn’t ask for this, and neither did she. But the truth of what binds us will shake the world—it’s already put a target on our backs.
It’s not love. It’s survival. With attitude.
💙 Review -
This was such a gripping read. I hadn't read anything by the author before but after reading this book I will definitely be reading more by them. I was hooked from the very first page and I kept reading until the end. The story was action packed and had enough content to keep me interested. I loved the author's writing style and the different mix of characters. I highly recommend it and I look forward to reading more by the author.
💝 Thank you to Various Readers Only, the author and publisher for my arc copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Just a warlock. Standing in front of a demon girl. Wondering how to avoid her.
Untenured philosophy lecturer with a side gig owning a bar—it doesn’t shout chaos, does it?
I liked hiding. With powers as weak as mine, staying under the radar just made sense.
One wrong fight in my bar, and magic I didn’t even know I had kicked in, bonding me to Kara—a not-a-succubus demon with a fast whip, faster tongue, and zero interest in me. The feeling’s mutual.
Turns out our little accident set off a supernatural chain reaction and brought half the city’s power players down on us.
Now we’re stuck with each other. Hunted by factions eager to exploit us—or erase us.
I didn’t ask for this, and neither did she. But the truth of what binds us will shake the world—it’s already put a target on our backs.
It’s not love. It’s survival. With attitude.
💙 Review -
This was such a gripping read. I hadn't read anything by the author before but after reading this book I will definitely be reading more by them. I was hooked from the very first page and I kept reading until the end. The story was action packed and had enough content to keep me interested. I loved the author's writing style and the different mix of characters. I highly recommend it and I look forward to reading more by the author.
💝 Thank you to Various Readers Only, the author and publisher for my arc copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
August 22, 2025
DNF, but maybe some will like it
For the first 10% of the book, I kept wondering why was reading about the MC and not his room mate or the girl. The MC came across as a pretty wimpy guy who basically had zero charisma. I stopped at the 10% mark when it appeared that the rest of the book was going to be him saved by dues ex or some.plot device. He was weak and needed to use other peoples power and mind control them. For Harlem book, mind control by the MC is just r*pe. While that may have never came to be in the book, I wasn't sticking around to find.out.
For the first 10% of the book, I kept wondering why was reading about the MC and not his room mate or the girl. The MC came across as a pretty wimpy guy who basically had zero charisma. I stopped at the 10% mark when it appeared that the rest of the book was going to be him saved by dues ex or some.plot device. He was weak and needed to use other peoples power and mind control them. For Harlem book, mind control by the MC is just r*pe. While that may have never came to be in the book, I wasn't sticking around to find.out.
August 8, 2025
Fantastic
I did read the thr first two books of Jason's other series, but unfortunately, I don't remember it to much and that means that it wasn't bad, but not necessarily amazing ( I read a lot of books). What I can say is that I believe this book is a great next step for Jason, and I will remember this one and remember to keep an eye out for the next one. The book had great characters, a really nice hot and cold slow burn, and a fantastic ending.
I did read the thr first two books of Jason's other series, but unfortunately, I don't remember it to much and that means that it wasn't bad, but not necessarily amazing ( I read a lot of books). What I can say is that I believe this book is a great next step for Jason, and I will remember this one and remember to keep an eye out for the next one. The book had great characters, a really nice hot and cold slow burn, and a fantastic ending.
August 18, 2025
I thought I was signing up for a casual little read with some rookie vibes. Ha! Joke’s on me, this book grabbed me by the collar and yeeted me straight into chaos from the beginning. Twists? Delicious. Morals? Questionably questioning (just how I like them). Characters? I’m unreasonably attached. Plot? About as predictable as a cat on catnip. Honestly irritated I have to wait for the next one. Author, please stop playing and sequel! Now. Please. *Master*.
September 22, 2025
I am not usually a fan of harem books, but I really enjoyed this one (even if it seems like the harem is just starting, so there is only one partner in this book). I also liked the main character a lot more than Dresden or the Iron druid. Overall, a very good start of the series, looking forward to the next.
December 15, 2025
A fun book
Liked this one! A good cast of characters. Lots of tension and people pulling at the MC left and right. Interesting FMC’s. A good amount of time was spent on the relationships and what they mean going forward for the story. Hoping for a bit more down time to feel these people out when they aren’t being pushed constantly in book 2.
Liked this one! A good cast of characters. Lots of tension and people pulling at the MC left and right. Interesting FMC’s. A good amount of time was spent on the relationships and what they mean going forward for the story. Hoping for a bit more down time to feel these people out when they aren’t being pushed constantly in book 2.
July 31, 2025
Well-written and engaging. Excellent dialogue, and intriguing story. A couple of "spicy" scenes well-placed in the narrative, without overdoing it. The world he's created for this book could very well sustain a series, and I look forward to reading the next one by this author.
July 23, 2025
I was given a copy of this book by Author for a honest review. I did not get to the end of the book.
July 24, 2025
A slow burn dark magick power couple. Throw in some witty dialog and world building. Another gonna read it straight through without a break.
July 25, 2025
it was a good book the spice was great.
July 26, 2025
Very good book
This is a fine fantasy adventure novel. It is well written and edited. I especially like the Sentinel in white. I anxiously await the sequel.
This is a fine fantasy adventure novel. It is well written and edited. I especially like the Sentinel in white. I anxiously await the sequel.
August 7, 2025
A Very Good Start
A really good story. Terrific characters both good and bad. Plenty of excitement and action. There can be a lot more to come.
A really good story. Terrific characters both good and bad. Plenty of excitement and action. There can be a lot more to come.
August 7, 2025
Spectacular, Page Turning book
Do yourself a favor. Read it. I couldn't put this down at all. You won't either.
If you loved Warlock or Mob Sorcery, you'll enjoy this.
Do yourself a favor. Read it. I couldn't put this down at all. You won't either.
If you loved Warlock or Mob Sorcery, you'll enjoy this.
August 14, 2025
Must read
Very good book. Highly recommend. Right amount of spice. Right amount of plot. Nice setup for the next book. Nice bit of world building.
Very good book. Highly recommend. Right amount of spice. Right amount of plot. Nice setup for the next book. Nice bit of world building.
August 17, 2025
It was ok
I would give it 4 stars but the Male MC is kinda annoying. I don't know he just rubbed me the wrong way until the end he did get better
I would give it 4 stars but the Male MC is kinda annoying. I don't know he just rubbed me the wrong way until the end he did get better
October 1, 2025
Two annoying idiots yammering at each other. It didn't seem like they were ever going to stop, so I did.
August 2, 2025
Quickly became one of my favourite in the genre.
This book quickly became one of my favourite in the genre.
First off, the story alone was so well written and so engaging that I would have given it 4 stars just for that.
It’s the characters that sell this for me. The main character is smart and calculating, but a good person. He genuinely cares about his love interests.
The romance itself is not instant and fake like a lot of books in this genre. There is genuine build up with tension and satisfying outcome.
The love interests are just awesome. They are strong, smart, unique, and both have fun personalities in their own way.
I can’t wait for the next in the series.
This book quickly became one of my favourite in the genre.
First off, the story alone was so well written and so engaging that I would have given it 4 stars just for that.
It’s the characters that sell this for me. The main character is smart and calculating, but a good person. He genuinely cares about his love interests.
The romance itself is not instant and fake like a lot of books in this genre. There is genuine build up with tension and satisfying outcome.
The love interests are just awesome. They are strong, smart, unique, and both have fun personalities in their own way.
I can’t wait for the next in the series.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews