The Demon's Kiss

Demon Lovers #1

by Scarlett Ash

Prepare to be seduced by this demon's kiss…

Every night, Violet meets her demon lover. But every morning, she’s sure he was all a dream.

The dreams are almost perfect. Rath is a seven-foot tall, dark haired, impossibly handsome demon, and though they can touch, he refuses to kiss her.

Until one fateful night, when Rath offers Violet a choice that is all too real. He offers to take her to the demon realm for thirty days, and if she kisses him, she can stay there, by his side, forever.

But life in the underworld can be terrifying, even if spending time with Rath is sweeter than she ever could have imagined. Will Violet be tempted by her demon’s kiss?

Tropes:
- Spice
- Fated mates
- Touch her and die
- Hades/Persephone Retelling
- Shadow Daddy
- Dark Romance

Genres: Dark Romance, Romance, Romantasy, Dark Fantasy

368 pages, Paperback

First published September 24, 2026

About the author

Sometimes writing as Scarlett Ash, Madeline Warthan is a gothic romance author who lives in Texas with her husband and puppy, though her soul belongs in Dracula’s castle. She believes the most beautiful stories are found in the shadows—or, in her case, her laptop, where she weaves her experiences with OCD and chronic pain into tales of messy immortals and unfettered yearning. If she isn't writing for the million-plus readers who read her fanfiction online or working on her English Literature Master’s, she’s likely lost in a gothic movie marathon with a warm cup of chai nearby.

You can connect with Scarlett/Madeline almost everywhere online @maddieisbooked.

Reviews

[Mads]

Love.🖤

[Dani]

Review of advanced copy from Forbidden Wing

2⭐

I was so intrigued by this when it first arrived because the premise sounded genuinely interesting. A woman living a normal, 'boring' life visited by a demon in her dreams, who ends up making her an offer to spend thirty days in a demon realm to see if she wants to stay with him sounded so interesting. There was so much potential there for a great story but it just fell flat for me personally.

I was hoping for more of Violet out in the world and the delights and dangers the realm brings but most of the time was spent in the castle.

I'm not a huge fan of insta-lust but I pushed that aside since it made sense with the context of the book. The problem came from how long it was just lust on one characters side and what felt like a lack of chemistry for a rather long time. It mentions in passing they did a few things and it would have been nice to get some longer glimpses of the scene and how their relationship developed.

Now I do love myself a spicy book sometimes and this has a lot of it, but it just ended up feeling a little excessive and repetitive with how often it was at the forefront of the story, leaving an interesting plot feeling thin and like an afterthought. The book has such an interesting premise and I was hoping for more focus on the whole getting his kingdom back from the evil uncle thing.

Another thing that really confused me was Rath saying how he could read emotions, not minds, but then would answer all of her unspoken questions. The most recent example being:

God, he was so wickedly beautiful that it made her breathless.
Rath grinned wickedly. "God has nothing to do with you and me."

What emotion would have him know that she was thinking exactly that?

It wasn't all bad though, despite me being rather harsh on this so far, and I did rate it 2.5 on my own so I was entertained enough not to put it down or want to throw it into a dumpster.

Rath is extremely loyal, protective and devoted. He's definitely the 'touch her and you die' type and becomes a pretty lovable character by the end. Violet struggles a lot with self worth and self esteem but grows by the end of the book. Keil was definitely a highlight and a character I was actually really interested in.

The lead up to the end of the book did admittedly feel a little rushed but I was satisfied with the actual ending.

I'm pretty sure this is a debut novel and I'll say I genuinely believe that they have great groundwork to grow from and put out some amazing novels that I might love in the future, but this one was not for me. The premise was great and with some more focus on that imagination and plot, I see a lot of potential for great work. I just need a better balance between plot and smut for my personal tastes.

[Helena]

DNF 25% - dang, two back to back! This one had potential but it really felt like something you would write on Wattpad : no world building, no real set up, just straight up the parts you wanted to write about. Unfortunately, a story can’t stand on its own like that.

[Jordyn Sacks]

3.5 but rounding up!
I would say this book is less fantasy, more paranormal romance because there are not many fantastical elements outside of the demons and demon realm itself. Which is essentially just a dark city. This book is simply a good time, not a grand adventure with high stakes, or an epic fantasy. It is almost entirely centered on the romance aside from the time spent on the FMCs inability to know what she wants. Rath is a lover boy/demon, and Violet should have made her damn mind up far sooner because he didn’t deserve to be left wondering like he was! Like girl, you know those folks on earth don’t care about you! Stay with your man! I get wanting to give Violet her little self-care/self-love arc but I feel like something more fun and fresh could have been done there!

[Suzanne Delgado]

This is a Persephone and Hades inspired paranormal HEA. A have your cake (pomegranate) and eat it too story of falling in love with a demon but it’s also a journey of self-discovery.

Violet is a young woman just getting started in the real world but discovering her that life as an adult is a little underwhelming. She works all day, goes to Pilates and snuggles her cat, Bee, but the best part of her day is going to sleep where she dreams of a demon named Azarath.

I loved Rath, he is so incredibly sweet and passionate and he loves Violet so much. He is desperate to kiss her, an act that would seal their lives together. The kiss symbolizes consent, control and Violet has all the power.

I did feel like there story was missing a bit of depth. I felt we spent too much time in the castle not moving the plot further or learning much. There was a lot of miscommunication or I should say lack of communication between Violet and Rath. I was the Violet would have forced answers out of Rath versus thinking them and waiting for him to share freely, but again that could be due to her age and confidence.

Noteworthy side characters: Bee the cat was a sassy little spitfire (aka a cat). And Kael, Rath’s brother was witty and sweet, wish we had more story development with him.

[Haley Warrington]

A beautifully written book that will leave you foaming at the mouth for more 👀

[Kelly Niehaus]

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the opportunity to read The Demon’s Kiss by Scarlett Ash in exchange for an honest review. I’m always grateful to be given the chance to discover a new author and experience a story before publication, and this was such a spicy, dark romantasy to get lost in.

Violet lives a fairly ordinary life, but every night she enters a very different world in her dreams, where she meets Rath—a seven-foot-tall, dark-haired, gorgeous demon. What begins as a dream gradually becomes something much more real when Rath offers Violet the chance to spend thirty days with him in the demon realm. If she chooses to kiss him, she can stay with him forever. But the demon realm is not quite the fantasy Violet imagined, and as she becomes more immersed in this dark and dangerous world, she has to figure out what is real, who she can trust, and what she truly wants.

I really enjoyed Violet as a main character. One thing that stood out to me was her insecurity about herself. She doesn't always see herself the way others see her, and I think that's something so many of us can relate to. That feeling of wondering, “Why would someone choose me?” or questioning whether we're enough can be incredibly real, and I appreciated seeing those insecurities become part of Violet's journey. It made her feel more relatable and human, even in a story filled with demons and a completely different world.

And then there's Rath. He's mysterious, powerful, possessive, and exactly the kind of dangerous demon who makes you understand why Violet has such a hard time resisting him. The chemistry between the two of them is intense from the beginning, and I loved the push and pull between attraction, uncertainty, and trust.

The demon realm was another part I really enjoyed. It had a dark, gothic atmosphere that made the story feel like a seductive fairytale with a much darker edge. There were secrets, danger, and enough uncertainty to keep me wondering where the story was going.

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️️ If you're looking for spice, this definitely delivers! The intimate scenes are explicit and plentiful, and the chemistry between Violet and Rath makes them fit naturally into the story rather than feeling completely separate from the romance.

Overall, The Demon’s Kiss was an addictive, dark, sexy romantasy with a compelling premise, a demon romance, a beautifully dark setting, and plenty of spice. Definitely recommend it to readers who enjoy dark romantasy, demon book boyfriends, fated mates, gothic vibes, and VERY spicy romance.

4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Magpies.Books]

Book 2/5⭐️

I received this book with The Forbidden Wing subscription box

Stopped reading it at page 114 and for a few reasons that might actually be very my problems.

I was actually very existed on the premise of this book, I love demons and the ones that bite as well as we find out, but but but...

I realise that I have some hard personals stops, thing in books and in character's personality that I can't stand and it is my problems. In this case it was FMC.
At page 114 I already sniffed the smell of what I hate so I quickly turned a few pages to see if Im wrong, praying that Im wrong, but no. It was the truth. Our FMC has no backbone, can't stand for herself and is a simp for a good f*ck and our demon putting one hand or her waist is enough to make her forget all her problems. The situation that happened during these pages made her very angry, for a valid reason too, she was brought to demon realm, left alone for the first day here, then she find out he marked her with tattoos without her reason, hasn't explained anything, she was so sure she will confront him today, make him tell her what is happening and perhaps with ask to bring her back to human realm, but then she saw him, he licked her neck and she was hihi a puddle. An then after like a few sentences he announced to the whole court that she is his fated mate and future queen, and SHE HAD NO IDEA, HE BLINDSIDED HER.

After the puddle incident and then after this announcement I felt fire burning inside me in place of the FMC, I can't stand thing being done to me, around me wihtout my knowledge, decisions being made about me without my input. So I prayed, common, grow a few now for sure, but as I felt suspicious I flipped a few pages and what do you think? D*ck solves everything, as her last thought were "maybe I will talk with him tomorrow". Of course tomorrow he left her alone the whole day too and at night she AGAIN said "meh, tomorrow lololol".

No, b*tch, common, no d*ck can be THAT good just to let whatever happen to you. We could see from how she acts at her job in human realm that she is meek and oh well, I am damsel, whatever happens to me I can't change, even if my boss is a sleazy piece of dung I need money! But at least until that point there was no concrete explanation why she is like she is and we had time to explain it.

And so I dropped it, because of personal reasons, as damsel who are blind to anything but a good f*ck do not seems very good FMCs to me :/ And I absolutely, really, very much wanted to love this book :(

[Brittany Montano]

4.5 Stars rounded dow to four.

The Demon's Kiss by Scarlett Ash had me at seven-foot-tall demon lover who visits your dreams, but it was the central bargain that really sold me on this story.

Every night, Violet dreams of Rath. He feels real. He can touch her. They can talk and spend time together. But there is one boundary Rath absolutely refuses to cross: he will not kiss her.

And when we finally learn why? Oh, I loved it.

Rath offers Violet thirty days in the demon realm—a chance to experience a life with him outside of her dreams and decide whether this strange, dangerous world could become her own. But there's a catch. Of course there's a catch. This is a demon romance; we're not filling out paperwork at the DMV.

If Violet kisses Rath, she stays. Forever.

I loved the simplicity of that contract because it gives something as ordinary and romantic as a kiss enormous weight. The tension isn't simply about whether Violet and Rath want each other. That's obvious. It's about knowing that crossing this one particular line means making an irrevocable choice. Every moment of attraction carries the question of whether this will finally be the moment Violet decides that Rath—and his world—is worth leaving everything else behind.

And Rath refusing to make that decision for her made the dynamic even better. For all the possessiveness and touch-her-and-die energy you'd expect from this kind of demon romance, Violet still has to be the one who chooses. He can tempt her. He can show her what staying could mean. But ultimately, the kiss has to be hers to give.

The demon realm itself adds plenty of danger and darkness to balance the romance, and I enjoyed watching Violet discover that the fantasy she'd experienced every night was only one tiny piece of Rath's reality. Their chemistry is fantastic, the banter works, and there's plenty of heat without losing the emotional tension underneath it.

There's also something wonderfully fairy-tale-like about the entire premise. Come with me for thirty days. See my world. See what your life could become. And if you want to stay, kiss me.

Excuse me? Where do I sign?

Sexy, dark, romantic, and ridiculously addictive, The Demon's Kiss gave me exactly the kind of supernatural romance I wanted. But it was the meaning attached to that single kiss—the temptation, the restraint, and ultimately the power of choosing it—that pushed this one to 4.5 stars for me.

Thank you, NetGalley, Scarlett Ash, and Avon Books UK for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[alyssa]

Official Rating: 2.5 stars

The Demon’s Kiss is a paranormal spicy fantasy that follows the relationship of Violet and Azarath. Violet is a lonely 25 year old, stuck in the monotony of daily life as an accountant. Azarath is what Violet describes as a sex demon who visits her dreams. He distracts from her boring and decidedly unfulfilling life.

This book jumps right in on the spice pretty immediately in the story, which can be good for some and detracting for others. I think eventually the spice felt a little boring and repetitive after a while, but I can see how others would enjoy it.

I was excited to see the journey that Violet would take in her self discovery and finding the kind of person she wants to be and not what other people expect of her. I felt even that was a little lackluster. I feel like a lot of the problems Violet and Rath were having would have been solved relatively easily by some simple conversations early on. There was little productive conversation until the last ¼ of the book.

The stakes of the book never felt very high. There was a deadline looming, but nothing ever felt important about it because we didn’t know what was going on politically until later in the book. Violet was also consistently questioning herself and the role she would eventually take, if she were to stay with Rath, and I never felt like she was going to be capable of that role. If anything, she seemed quite selfish - if she believed that by marrying Rath he would be able to essentially save a bunch of people, she was constantly choosing not to.

I also was quite confused with Rath saying he couldn't read her mind, while very clearly saying things she was thinking. That was not someone interpreting emotions and making educated guesses at what she may be thinking - he was stating the exact words she was thinking. This was a small random thing, but every time it happened - it took me out of the story.

If you’re looking for a story that primarily focuses on self worth issues of a human trying to see herself as worthy for a demon, with a healthy dose of spice - this might be for you.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Avon Books UK, and Scarlett Ash for this advanced copy of The Demon’s Kiss in exchange for my honest review.

[Caitlynn Burnaman]

Violet is torn between a mundane world she called home and a realm that claims her heart and soul, forcing her to look beyond an edict of fate into the terrifying power of choice in love.

Violet is faced with the dilemma of leaving her lackluster life behind – a life where she gives and gives and no one chooses her. Rath appears in her dreams and offers her a life she barely believes to be real. So, of course, she's cautious not to throw herself into a new life in an unbelievable place. Having the sort of agency to be able to choose her path makes her cautious about making the decision too quickly. In the demon realm, she's determined to maintain her power of choice, holding onto her independence, ensuring she isn't cast aside or forgotten.

The Demon's Kiss is seductive, sensually tense, and darkly romantic writing. It has a rich fairytale structure grown up with gothic notes and tinged with sinuous darkness. While this book is grounded in fantasy, it heavily leans into its romantic roots of fated mates, touch-her-and-die tension, and intimate open-door scenes. Violet and Rath's visceral and primal sexual tension is instant and incredibly intoxicating. It's impossible to not feel their lustful attraction and connection. Rath is the new standard for dark and dangerous book boyfriends (or demon, in his case). The story's writing and pacing is different than I expected, and I did need to pay close attention so I didn't miss important details. This wasn't a detractor for me, instead it caused me to lean a bit closer to the text as I was swept away by the demon world, cloaked in shadowy mystery, unlike any I've ever read before.

Thank you so much to Scarlett Ash and AvonUK for the opportunity to read and review The Demon's Kiss.

[The Soft Curse Eva]

The Demon’s Kiss by Scarlett Ash

A demon romance with gothic vibes, fated mates, a dangerously devoted MMC and enough spice to make some very questionable decisions suddenly seem reasonable? Obviously I was going to have a good time.

I really loved the concept of The Demon’s Kiss. Violet goes from her completely ordinary life to this dark, seductive demon realm where Rath has been waiting for her, and I loved that almost twisted fairytale feeling of the whole thing.

But let’s talk about Rath because… RATH.

Powerful, possessive, mysterious, completely obsessed with Violet and somehow also incredibly tender with her. He was easily my favourite part of the book. I also really liked that despite the whole fated mates element, Violet still has a choice. Rath wants her desperately, but ultimately she has to choose him, and that made their relationship much more interesting to me.

And the chemistry? 🔥

The spice is definitely spicing.

Where the book lost me slightly was in the middle. I loved the demon realm itself, but I kept waiting for the bigger plot and danger to really kick in. There was so much potential surrounding the politics, secrets and conflict of this world that I wanted to explore more of it.

I also struggled a little with Violet and Rath’s communication. Their physical connection was VERY convincing but emotionally I wanted more conversations between them. A little less assuming what the other person was thinking and a little more actually TALKING PLEASE.

That said, once things started moving again, I was completely invested.

Dark, sexy, atmospheric and slightly unhinged in exactly the way a demon romance should be.

And apparently my standards have now evolved from morally grey men to morally questionable supernatural entities.

[Lisa C22]

It took me a little while to get into this one, but after a certain point I ended up really enjoying it.

While I’m a fan of epic, high-fantasy books, I also love a quick, easy read/listen that gets to the point fairly quickly. This seemed to start off that way, which, given that was exactly what I was in the mood for, felt like a great start. But then it kind of paddled about in the land of miscommunication and lack of information for a while, and that was when I started wondering if this was going to end up being a bit of a “meh” book for me.

At that point, although I already had a soft spot for Rath, I wasn’t completely feeling the characters or the story. Then we got to see more of Rath, started finding out more about what was actually going on, and suddenly I couldn’t put it down until I’d finished.

I really liked Violet and Rath’s story, I loved Rath (obviously 😂), and I generally enjoy a good demon story anyway. This has the fated mates element, and Rath’s love and devotion definitely stole the show for me, but there’s also a nice thread of self-discovery running through the story.

I also really liked Kael, Rath’s brother, so I’m more than happy to carry on with the series knowing the next book will focus on him. From what I can tell, this is one of those series where each book focuses on a different couple, while the overall story continues throughout the series.

On audio, this is single narration and Ivy Arden Grey did an amazing job. I would have really liked this one to be a duet though, because I can just imagine completely melting over Rath if one of those male narrators who absolutely nails this type of character had been narrating him too.

[allthingsbooksx_]

The demon’s kiss
Genre: Gothic romantasy
Pages: 272
Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

“Every good part of me that exists is because of you.
Before you, I was soil: cold, dark, hard. Yet you have watered me, and you have made nightflowers bloom in my heart."

“You will never have to fear the dark, nightflower. Because I will be the only monster in it.”

“My nightflower. You have come home.”

Violet lives an ordinary life but when nighttime falls she dreams of Rath, but is it really just a dream?

I absolutely loved this. It was dark, beautiful, and completely captivating. The yearning and the chemistry between Rath and Violet were so good.
I absolutely loved the setting of the demon realm it was so ethereal, dark and mysterious yet hauntingly beautiful.

I really didn’t like Nithe she gave bitter mean girl vibes, i adored Kael and Violet’s relationship and how he were keeping her company so she wasn’t alone, I’m super excited for book 2 for his story eek!! Beelzebub is actually adorable omg! I absolutely love when there are pet characters. The last few chapters had me on the edge of my seat, completely invested and desperately rooting for Rath, he deserves all the happiness! Also the throne room scenes iykyk😭

I really enjoyed Scarlet’s writing style. It usually takes me a few chapters to get into third-person narration, but I found myself settling into this one really quickly.

This is a perfect read for autumn/spooky season.

Tropes:
❦ Fated mates
❦ Forced proximity
❦ Lots of spice
❦ Touch her and d¡e

[Bookreviewgirl_xo]

⫷ The ARC of this book was provided by NetGalley and Avon Books in exchange for an honest review ⫸

Violet Laurie + Azarath Mephistopheles

- Forbidden Relationship
- Fated Mates
- "He Falls First"
- Age Gap Around 300 H/ 25 h
- Future Demon King/ Accountant
- OW Drama
- Separation
- Single POV [Third Person]
- HEA [No Epilogue]


Thoughts :

- Beelzebub. That was unexpected. You'll know what I'm talking about once you read the book.

- What annoyed me about the main couple was the fact that their communication skills were very poor. It was one of the reasons I was not convinced of their feelings for each other.

- H said he couldn't read h's mind but could sense her feelings or read her emotions. However, the way he replied to her thoughts without reading her mind was not believable. It's impossible in my opinion. This really annoyed me. Because this was not necessary, and it happened a lot.

- Kind of not what I was expecting. Every important thing with the antagonist happened off-page. I didn't wanna read a shorter version of what happened with the villain. This made the whole plot pointless.

- The h was worried that she was not a good fit to be a queen, and honestly, the author did nothing but prove her doubts were not wrong. And till the end, we never got to see her go from just a normal human being to a strong and fearless queen. It would've made the book more interesting.

[Rebecca Holdsworth]

The Demon’s Kiss by Scarlett Ash was my first ever Locked Library edition, and I think it may have officially started an addiction. 😂🖤📖 There is something very dangerous about discovering a gorgeous special edition subscription and then immediately wanting more.

I really enjoyed this book as an erotic romantasy, particularly the romance, fated-mate bond, gothic atmosphere, demons, magic and, of course, Rath’s shadow daddy energy. 🖤🔥

One thing I particularly loved was how romanticised so many of the quotes were. The book had so many memorable lines that choosing just one from each chapter for my TikTok quote series was genuinely difficult.

A few of my favourites:

“I am not a king with you, nightflower. With you, I am only a fool.”

“Every good part of me that exists is because of you.”

“Azarath was her fated love, yes, but he was also a choice she would make every time.”

That said, I did feel like the story needed more plot and depth. I would have liked more subplots, stronger character development and more time devoted to the world-building and wider story. The book leans heavily into the erotic romantasy side, which I enjoyed, but I think there was so much potential for the story itself to be developed further.

Overall, I had a really enjoyable time reading it, and it certainly gave me plenty of memorable quotes, a new favourite shadow daddy and, apparently, a new Locked Library addiction. 😂🖤

I’m definitely curious to see where the series goes next.

[Second Chapter Books]

I came for the demon book boyfriend. I stayed for the addictive chemistry and gothic atmosphere

The Demon's Kiss immediately pulled me in with that premise, but it was the chemistry, atmosphere, and unforgettable romance that kept me turning the pages.

Scarlett Ash delivers a dark romantasy filled with gothic vibes, a dangerously seductive demon book boyfriend, and a romance that burns from the very first encounter. Rath is protective, possessive, morally gray, and impossible not to fall for, while Violet is a heroine who refuses to give up her independence, making their relationship feel balanced despite the intense attraction between them.

The Hades and Persephone inspiration, fated mates, "touch her and die" energy, and open-door spice are woven seamlessly into a richly imagined fantasy world. The story rewards readers who pay attention, gradually revealing its world and mythology without slowing the pacing.

If you're looking for a dark romantasy with addictive chemistry, high emotional stakes, plenty of spice, and a demon book boyfriend you'll be thinking about long after the final page, The Demon's Kiss absolutely deserves a spot on your TBR.

Thank you to Avon UK and NetGalley for the advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

[KathrynAlyse]

A huge thank you to author Scarlett Ash and NetGalley for the ARC of The Demon’s Kiss!

The fact that this is her debut novel?! Round of applause! I will absolutely be reading more from this author because WOW… this was freaking good!

This was a solid 4.75-star (Rounded up) read for me, and I genuinely did not want to put it down. I really loved the development between Violet and Rath. The way their connection unfolded was such a cool and unique take on demons entering the human world.

And let’s be honest… who doesn’t love a fated mate and an MMC who is possessive, obsessive, and completely, unapologetically in love with his FMC? 🔥 And the spice?! HOT.

If I had one small critique, it would be the middle portion of the story. I found myself expecting a little more-more risk, suspense, or something to really keep me on the edge of my seat. That element was fairly minimal for me, but honestly, it didn’t take away from how much I enjoyed the overall story.

And that dinner announcement and what happens afterward in front of EVERYONE?! HILARIOUS. HOT. I was absolutely living for it!

Overall, this was such a fun read, and for a debut novel, Scarlett Ash absolutely knocked it out of the park. I can’t wait to see what she writes next!

[❤️Tina❤️]

'𝑻𝒐 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒕 𝒂 𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒇𝒊𝒙 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎.'

Violet is a lonely young woman, just going about her normal day to day life as an accountant, it's all pretty boring really. She goes home to her cat Beelzebub, who's and interesting character all on their own 👀 . At night though? She dreams of a demon called Azarath who distracts her from her life in the filthiest of ways!

There's plenty of tension and we are thrown straight into the spice from the get go. Rath may be a demon but he's also sweet and cares for her so much, even if she does withhold the one thing he wants more than anything, her kiss! These two honestly suck at communication! Violet must make a choice between the mundane life she's living and the life Rath is offering her.

I love a spicy paranormal romance but dare I say this story was so focused on the spicy side of things that I found the plot lacking in places? I would have liked a little more depth in the story. All in all it's a nice spicy read though.

Thank you to Avon books for the arc for my honest review 🫶🏻

[Jemma Gill]

went into ‘The Demon’s Kiss’ completely blind and I was hooked from the very start!...

Violet has a very safe and mundane life. But when she falls asleep at night she is visited by a hot as fckk Demon 😏 she wakes up the next morning and it was all a dream... right?


Violet the FMC is so relatable in many ways. I think a lot of people feel they are not good enough, find it hard to make friends as an adult and feel like they don’t quite fit in properly.

Rath the Demon MMC is sweet, possessive, mysterious but lonely in his realm.

This is a story of finding your soulmate. Not knowing if you can truly be together given the circumstances and having to make difficult descions.

I loved the dark gothic vibes, the way Scarlett describes the city and the castle. The spiceeee, yes the spice is great! And you don’t have to wait around for it either!

I had a good time reading this one and can’t wait to read Kael’s story next!

Thank you to Avon Books, Scarlett Ash and Netgalley for the ARC!

[Comebookwithme]

The Demon’s Kiss pulled me in from the very first chapter and refused to let go. The story blends dark fantasy, forbidden tension, and high stakes in a way that feels addictive and immersive. The world is rich with danger and temptation, and every scene carries that delicious edge of “this could go very wrong very fast.”
The two leads are magnetic, flawed, powerful, and constantly circling each other with a mix of distrust, desire (yes it’s steamy!!), and unspoken vulnerability. Their chemistry is intense without ever overshadowing the plot, and every interaction adds another layer to the emotional tension.
The magic system is intriguing, the pacing sharp, and the atmosphere thick with secrets and shadows. I loved how the story balances action with character driven moments, making the emotional beats hit just as hard as the twists.
Dark, seductive, and beautifully written, an easy 5 star read for anyone who loves fantasy with teeth.

[Emma Greenway]

The demons kiss by Scarlett Ash had me completely hooked from the first page. It has a mix of dark fantasy, forbidden romance and danger🖤✨

Violet lives a pretty mundane life but that quickly changes as a mysterious demon starts to visit her and invade her dreams. Even though her feelings about Rath are true she originally didn't think it was real. That all changed when one night she agreed to join him in the demon world for 30 days and if she wants to stay with him, she must seal the deal with a single kiss.

Their chemistry is intense, complicated and brimmed with tension.
That on top of the steamy sexual tension added to their growing connection.

Scarlett's writing is fast paced, rich and atmospheric with clear descriptions of the world set out throughout the book. While this is a dark fantasy with hints of gothic aspects it has some of my favourite tropes such as fated mates and touch her a die vibes.

[Scarlett Ash]

𝑻𝒐 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒕 𝒂 𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒇𝒊𝒙 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎.

Hello, lovely readers! I'm Scarlett, the author of The Demon's Kiss, and I can't wait for this book to be shared with you soon!

What was meant to just be a darkly delicious spicy romantasy actually turned into a lot more. Violet struggles with feeling like she's always two steps behind the world, never knowing how to make friends or find a job she loves in her twenties, something I really struggled with after I first graduated from university. Watching her find her place in the world, learning to create the room she wanted to be in, was truly healing for me. And, of course, having a sexy demon there doesn't hurt. I hope you all enjoy journeying into Pandemonium with Violet and Rath as much as I enjoyed being with them there.

You can connect with me on all socials @maddieisbooked or on my website www.madelinewarthan.com. Happy reading🖤

[Shosh Stokes]

This is a romance, set in a fantasy world, rather than a fantasy romance or suchlike. It is heavy on the romance, with not much else to the story.

Rath is gorgeous - completely head over heels, genuinely trying to do anything for Violet.

Violet - gave me whiplash. Couldn't make up her mind for toffee, wanting to go back to "her world" despite her world not actually offering her anything. Frustratingly, she doesn't even fully choose Rath at the end, just finds a way to do both. I really struggled to get invested in her character.

The ending is very rushed and lost a lot of the tension as a result. Much of the book is spent with Violet moping around the castle, and I would have liked to have seen the romance develop more in sharing the date scenes in more depth, rather than references to them after they'd happened. I wasn't personally a fan of the final conclusion, and how Violet managed to get back to the demon realms, but that's just me.

[Caitlin (cottagewitchreads)]

This was overall, an okay read. I didn’t love it but it was enjoyable. It was nice. I didn’t find it a task to read.

Some parts were a bit samey - like Violet having a crisis of conscience every 2 seconds in the middle/later half of the book.

I’m not gonna lie, the first half did read like a horror story. This perfect demon swooping in with his love bombing - it got my heckles up. And I couldn’t help but feel Violet would be far happier if she just de-centred men from her life (mood). But I got over that quickly. And I did end up enjoying their romance.

The last quarter of the book was the best imo. I LOVE angst and torment and grief (what that says about me idk) and the author wrote it sooooo well. But when Violet finally decided to make something of her life and thrived, oh BOY. Yes please. It was so good. Then ofc we get the HEA, that I didn’t hate, I actually found it worked really well.

As I said, this was a fine read. Like watching a Marvel film - it’s a fun ride.

[Faye Anne]

The Demon's Kiss is the first book in a paranormal romance series by debut author Scarlett Ash.

Although I love paranormal romance and it's my comfort genre, I definitely wanted more plot in this book. It felt like about 70% of it was sex scenes, and they started pretty much immediately. And although I love spice in my paranormal romances, the problem with a spice percentage that high is that it doesn't leave much space to move a plot forwards. So because there wasn't much plot, it meant that the drama had to come from the relationship too. This meant that when they weren't having sex, the main characters were arguing or the FMC was working through her insecurities. This gave it a really hot and cold vibe with the relationship that wasn't really for me.

Disclaimer: I received an Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley this is my voluntary and honest review.

[Kayla]

This one was super spicy from the very beginning it hooked with spice. The dinner scene was by far my favorite !
I felt the Violet (FMC) was a bit naive for her age and though I understand that was kinda the point in some instance ; others were like okay come on you shouldn't really be asking that. Rath (MMC) was a well written mysterious demon, whereas she was very naive and almost immature for her age. Urador was a decent protagonist but fell a little flat could have used a little more involvement & a bigger part to give the story more plot. Overall it was a good storyline, just could have used a little more plot thickening to it to make a solid 5 stars.

Fave quote
"Let them call you illegal. Let the, call you a crime. To me, you are the only thing in this rotting world that is real. If loving you is wrong, then I will be the greatest villain this realm has ever seen."

[Lauren]

I think this was a good debut book. I can emphasize with Violet the mfc and glad she developed herself more toward the end. Rath seemed like a typical hot paranormal lead who will burn the world for the mfc but also has different world communication issues at first. Good smexy times. Rath couldn't read her mind, but basically could. I gave it 3 because nothing felt new/fresh. I did not feel invested. I was not worried at the climatic scene because I figured it'd end up in an HEA wrapped up in a bow. I love paranormal romance. I love demon fated mates stories (shout out to kresley cole IAD series). It just didn't sing for me. Might be due to third person POV. I don't think I will remember much after a month. Don't take this negative because it's not. I think storytelling and worldbuilding will improve. Thanks for the ARC opportunity, NetGalley and the publisher.

[Brittni Shafer]

This would have been a five star read if I was eighteen but being the old af age that I am, I had a rough time with the writing. It was geared toward a way younger adult age group BUUUTTTT, I still had fun. I was hoping this would feel like Kiss of a Basilisk meets like an eighties bodice ripper with the steamy instalust.. and it did but not with the maturity of the FMCs thoughts. I absolutely ate up Rath and the total simp that he was! His devotion made this a four star for sure. Theres a lot of good stuff in here with the world building and political intrigue. Shoot, I even enjoyed the other woman drama that was indeed drama filled. Again, if I was eighteen reading this, I would have absolutely loved it.. but it did hit the spot.
Thank you Netgalley and Scarlett Ash for the ARC

[Caira]

I was super excited for this and had high hopes but it just felt the plot had no grip, I wasn’t hooked, and it just felt too fluffy with no hard hitting story line. I love a spicy book but it happened too quick with no build up, and the I felt the spice was carrying the book too much. There was no plot and all about spice to create interest to the characters and storyline. It just wasn’t for me. Others may love this book and the spice over a plot, it just felt not finished and the writing felt too immature for me. It has potential with the idea but I had no connection or desire for the characters and I read over half way and had no idea what the main plot was or where it was going so it was a DNF for me