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The Society of Reformed Dark Overlords #1
The Lich Overlord's Birthday Party and Other Disasters
If you enjoy stories like Assistant to the Villain or A Dark Lord’s Guide to Dating, but wish they were a touch cozier, a little softer, and gently gothic… this might be for you.
When a green-haired witch gets lost in enchanted marshlands while filming an InstaGrimm video, she accidentally stumbles into the castle of a very grumpy lich overlord.
Seven feet tall. Brooding. Probably cursed.
Julie has read enough fantasy books to know exactly where this is going.
Unfortunately for the lich, she refuses to be intimidated.
Soon, Julie is spoiling his terrifying hellhound with dog treats and ear scritches, decorating his flesh-eating plants with fairy lights, and affectionately calling his battle bats “upside-down puppies.” Worst of all, she insists on celebrating his birthday with positive affirmations and gratitude.
Somehow, against all logic and good judgment, she begins to change the quiet gloom of his world.
And even more annoyingly…
she might be finding her way into his heart—
if he could only remember where he put it.
When a green-haired witch gets lost in enchanted marshlands while filming an InstaGrimm video, she accidentally stumbles into the castle of a very grumpy lich overlord.
Seven feet tall. Brooding. Probably cursed.
Julie has read enough fantasy books to know exactly where this is going.
Unfortunately for the lich, she refuses to be intimidated.
Soon, Julie is spoiling his terrifying hellhound with dog treats and ear scritches, decorating his flesh-eating plants with fairy lights, and affectionately calling his battle bats “upside-down puppies.” Worst of all, she insists on celebrating his birthday with positive affirmations and gratitude.
Somehow, against all logic and good judgment, she begins to change the quiet gloom of his world.
And even more annoyingly…
she might be finding her way into his heart—
if he could only remember where he put it.
302 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 30, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
Review of advance copy received from Author
I was honored to have received an ARC from the author and honored to read this fun, sweet story!
The characters were loveable (except the villain, of course), the animal/plant companions were cute and fun, and the found family aspect was the best part. Julie is not at all afraid of the lich lord or anything, instead offering help in regard to animals and decorating the castle. There is some action and scary parts towards the end but, overall, the book is cozy and fun. There is character growth for the two main characters.
You will find the following elements in this fantasy:
-portal to another realm
-veterinarian MC
-hellhound pet
-grumpy x sunshine romance
-surprise party
-gothic atmosphere
I was honored to have received an ARC from the author and honored to read this fun, sweet story!
The characters were loveable (except the villain, of course), the animal/plant companions were cute and fun, and the found family aspect was the best part. Julie is not at all afraid of the lich lord or anything, instead offering help in regard to animals and decorating the castle. There is some action and scary parts towards the end but, overall, the book is cozy and fun. There is character growth for the two main characters.
You will find the following elements in this fantasy:
-portal to another realm
-veterinarian MC
-hellhound pet
-grumpy x sunshine romance
-surprise party
-gothic atmosphere
Review of advance copy received from Author
I was lucky enough to get an ARC version of thus book. I enjoyed the story tremendously. The characters were fun to follow throughout the story and the plot was paced very well.
It had vibes similar to Assistant to the Villain and was a very fun read.
can’t wait to read the next book!
It had vibes similar to Assistant to the Villain and was a very fun read.
can’t wait to read the next book!
November 1, 2026
I loved reading this dream like fantasy with an enemies to lovers vibe, and though dark and gothic it is really romantic too. This is the story of Julie, the young human witch who inadvertently ended up crossing into the fae realm. There she came across a grumpy lich who would have put her in his dungeon but his assistant instead gave her a room for the night. This soon turned into a permanent room, a time in which Julie brought life back to the dark and gloomy castle. She was an animal tamer and his hellhound was the first to succumb to her gentle ways, then the flesh eating plants got given treats, and were decorated with fairy lights, and soon the grumpy lich got to celebrate at his surprise birthday party. All these changes happened thanks to Julie who slowly but surely started to make her way into his heart too, a heart he did not have due to it's being stolen, and kept by his ex, the wicked and cold hearted Queen. Julie wanted to get his heart back for him, and was prepared to fight the Queen as well as the dragon in order to do so. This is a truly magical book, a real pleasure to read so much so that I didn't want the story to end but as all good things do it did and on a real lovely note too!!
October 30, 2026
Good
Julie’s planned foray into the swamp for an Instagrimm reel, lands her instead at the castle of a Lich Overlord. It’s a terrible misunderstanding, but Julie doesn’t really mind actually being in one of her fantasy novels; she just needs the grumpy overlord to cheer up a little…
What a lovely, cosy, Halloween read! I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Julie’s adventures in the Otherworld, and it was a joy to read a book in which the FMC is creatively competent but also fun.
It is really hard to pick a favourite side character, I enjoyed them all so much, so I will just say they are a fun bunch, and entertaining to boot.
There is certainly a romance here, but it takes place behind closed doors and is on the sweet side; and while definitely Gothic in design, the story is as bright and cheerful-natured as Julie herself.
That doesn’t mean there aren’t bad things to deal with, there are, but the book’s tone is upbeat, and Julie’s story is completed with a definite happy ending.
If you are looking for an entertaining, cosy read for Halloween, spooky season, or those darker nights, then I can definitely recommend this as worth the read!
Julie’s planned foray into the swamp for an Instagrimm reel, lands her instead at the castle of a Lich Overlord. It’s a terrible misunderstanding, but Julie doesn’t really mind actually being in one of her fantasy novels; she just needs the grumpy overlord to cheer up a little…
What a lovely, cosy, Halloween read! I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Julie’s adventures in the Otherworld, and it was a joy to read a book in which the FMC is creatively competent but also fun.
It is really hard to pick a favourite side character, I enjoyed them all so much, so I will just say they are a fun bunch, and entertaining to boot.
There is certainly a romance here, but it takes place behind closed doors and is on the sweet side; and while definitely Gothic in design, the story is as bright and cheerful-natured as Julie herself.
That doesn’t mean there aren’t bad things to deal with, there are, but the book’s tone is upbeat, and Julie’s story is completed with a definite happy ending.
If you are looking for an entertaining, cosy read for Halloween, spooky season, or those darker nights, then I can definitely recommend this as worth the read!
November 2, 2026
I had to Google the "lich" creature and his phylactery lore (horcrux, for HP fans) because I was unfamiliar with those terms, and it's not explained very well in the story. The story glosses over how the "lich" specfically becomes that creature and what he was before the transformation, but mentions that he blames his ex-girlfriend for the near-permanent transformation and has some trust issues because of the ex. Which we can all sympathize with; loving the wrong person leaves scars.
The FMC is sunshine to the MMC's grumpiness. She is whimsical and goes with the flow, willing to see her situation (being stuck in a shadow or parallel magical word) as an adventure. She leans into her newly discovered abilities, makes friends with everybody she meets (except the MMC's ex-girlfriend), and fixes the MMC's world. Spicy scenes are off-page and don't detract from the storyline.
This was a quick read, but fun. No grammatical or spelling mistakes were noticed, and the dialogue flowed.
The FMC is sunshine to the MMC's grumpiness. She is whimsical and goes with the flow, willing to see her situation (being stuck in a shadow or parallel magical word) as an adventure. She leans into her newly discovered abilities, makes friends with everybody she meets (except the MMC's ex-girlfriend), and fixes the MMC's world. Spicy scenes are off-page and don't detract from the storyline.
This was a quick read, but fun. No grammatical or spelling mistakes were noticed, and the dialogue flowed.
November 2, 2026
Finished The Lich Overlord’s Birthday Party by R.S.S. Rodrigues, and what an adventure! This story took me through twists and turns I never expected. Going into it, I honestly wasn’t quite sure what I was getting myself into, but I am beyond thrilled that I took the leap. What a wonderful, unexpected adventure! I’m so glad I gave this one a chance, and I’m already looking forward to exploring more of this author’s work. 🖤
October 30, 2026
Fantastic
Love the premise, trying to instagrim,end up somewhere no idea where, feeds dog, its a hellhound no biggie, scary creepy castle, carnivorous plants oh they get treats too,love this woman! Sweet fun
story with new twists couldn't put it down , literally was sneaking to read at work! I did get early arc copy, and this is a fantastic book!
Love the premise, trying to instagrim,end up somewhere no idea where, feeds dog, its a hellhound no biggie, scary creepy castle, carnivorous plants oh they get treats too,love this woman! Sweet fun
story with new twists couldn't put it down , literally was sneaking to read at work! I did get early arc copy, and this is a fantastic book!
November 1, 2026
I read an ARC and I LOVED this. Buck is my new favorite sidekick and needs his own story. Julie cracks me up and thanks to dog treats she’s ready for almost anything. Devimir has a heck of a redemption arc and his allies are awesome. More please!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews