Better the Devil You Know

by Neen Cohen

What would you do if your past came back for retribution?

After the magical community learned the truth about Three Roads, Erin Dails fled her hometown and the woman who broke her heart. In the fallout, her purple magic vanished, leaving her little more than an earthen human.

Five years later, Erin has built a quiet life as a university library assistant, surrounded by books and people she trusts. But when women begin disappearing from campus, quiet is no longer an option.

A routine trip to the basement archives awakens something dark. Erin's purple returns with a vengeance, and so does the past she tried to outrun. Face to face with the one person she swore she'd never trust again, the woman who broke her heart, Erin learns the truth of the missing women.

To save all that she holds dear, Erin must let go of the pain of her past and trust the devil she knows.

Lost Witches of Hecate begins here.

410 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication March 31, 2026

About the author

Neen Cohen is a Sapphic Speculative Fiction author. Her debut novella, Cold as Hell was released in May 2021, with the sequel, Black as Day due out in November 2022.
She has a Bachelor of Creative Industries and is a member of the Springfield Writers Group.
Neen lives in Brisbane Australia with her partner, son, and fur babies. She loves to roam cemeteries, botanic gardens, and construction sites and can often be found writing while sitting against a tree or tombstone.
Check out her latest adventures here
https://linktr.ee/neencohen

Reviews

[Marybeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fascinating tale of magic from Neen Cohen. In this one, Erin and Octavia are immediate friends when Erin begins at the witch school in Three Roads. Their relationship is key to the book whether together or apart. Erin has found a life outside Three Roads and thanks to Maeve the librarian. She has friends and good life. It all goes to hell when witches start disappearing. Her magic dormant for years races back after a visit to the basement archives on a search for a book. The book was requested by none other than her previous lover. There is a lot of excitement and adventuring as a small band of friends works to save the day. Lots of spice too! This is a good read. I was a little distracted trying to nail down the timeline as the POV switched between people, places and times.

[Xiaoqing · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is an exciting romance/fantasy with sapphic spin! It is about the witches and magical humans, the second chance romance with an beautiful ice queen, and the heavy subjects of parental abuse, evil worshiping and the sweet revenge and happy ending! The book covers lots of history between the MC couple, the back and forth timeline sometimes feels confusing and I have to really pay attention to understand the stage of the story. There are too many breakup/makeup cycles and unnecessary angsts that really frustrates me at times. But overall I like the characters and the story is interesting!

[Christine Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow another phenomenal story I loved the main characters their connection shined throughout their journey was heartbreaking in parts plus the twists were exceptionally written keeping you hooked from the first page till last i couldn't put it down, I can't wait for more a must-read congratulations