Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Dashed

Rate this book
Dear Author,
I admit I don’t drink a lot, so last night might not have been the best idea. Everyone knows that summoning demons and alcohol is a very bad not good combo, and that Dark Entities Are Not Personal Playthings or Party Favours.
So, long story short, I’m now stuck with that absurdly hot guy you can see in the picture. He owns my soul and the bastard won’t even tell me what I sold it for…
I just hope that he’s not as bad as that smirk would suggest and that my story will have a happy ending.

Photo Description:
A photograph from the chest up of a stunning dark-haired man. He has his hands behind his head and he’s looking into the camera with a look that is both devious and challenging. The smirk around his lips doesn’t promise much good— or a lot of it— depending on your perspective.

This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love is an Open Road" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.

This story may contain sexually explicit content and is intended for adult readers. It may contain content that is disagreeable or distressing to some readers. The M/M Romance Group strongly recommends that each reader review the General Information section before each story for story tags as well as for content warnings.

154 pages, ebook

First published September 5, 2015

1 person is currently reading
150 people want to read

About the author

Gwynn Marssen

9 books24 followers
I’m born and bred in the Netherlands, where talking about the weather is the national sport (although we pretend it’s soccer) and a favorite saying is you’d better act normal cause that’s crazy enough. I like talking about the weather, but I’m not a big fan of normality. Despite that, I lead a mostly quiet and disturbingly normal life and keep the craziness contained in my head.

As a child I read too much, finding the world of fiction far more interesting than everyday life, and even now I try to spend as much time as possible in other people’s heads, through books and writing, and through my alter ego life as a psychologist. On any given day, you can find me curled up on my couch with a spicy book, one or both of her two cats, some tea, and ample amounts of Dutch chocolate.

I’ve been writing for about five years, after I started watching professional wrestling, and those hot, practically naked man invaded my head, became my muses and forced me to start writing. For a few years I read, wrote, and obsessed about pro-wrestling slash fanfiction, and in the end of 2012 I made the step to writing my own characters.

In 2013 I published my first two stories: 'Running Away From Sunshine' which was published by Dreamspinner, and 'Is It Me You’re Looking For' published by ManLoveRomance Press.

This year I will once again be featured in Dreamspinner’s Daily Dose Anthology with my story 'Breaking Down Our Walls' which will be available in june 2014. Also coming this summer is the free novella Into The Wastelands, my first foray into fantasy.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
61 (26%)
4 stars
102 (45%)
3 stars
48 (21%)
2 stars
12 (5%)
1 star
3 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
Profile Image for ~✡~Dαni(ela) ♥ ♂♂ love & semi-colons~✡~.
3,574 reviews1,114 followers
September 9, 2015
~3.5~

Kudos to the author for moving beyond stereotypes in writing this genie story.

Wait, Dash would have my hide for that. It's Djinn, NOT genie. And don't ever mention a bottle.

Ciaran (aka, Pumpkin) doesn't mean to summon a demon, and he certainly doesn't mean to sell his soul, but that's what happens when you can communicate with the supernatural and get really, really drunk.

This is a cute, funny story about a demon seeking revenge and his reluctant human sidekick. Most of the story is banter and adventure.

Dash is determined to free every Djinn on earth, even though not all want to be rescued. He also wants to destroy everything he's ever built, which includes the pyramids of Egypt and Taj Mahal.

The writing is stellar, but the story was a little over-the-top for me. I mean, Dash actually blows up the pyramids. There's fire and helicopters and stuff. The news covers the incident as a terrorist attack.

This reads like a black comedy, a light farce, and those are not genres I typically enjoy.

However, I really loved Pumpkin's sister and his feisty grandma (who's a ghost, and later a cat, but that's a whole other story).

The interactions between Dash and Pumpkin are adorable. Those two fight and make up, and fight some more.

Dash is angry all the time and has an opinion about everything. He's sort of an insufferable know-it-all and mean at times, like when he abandons Pumpkin at a swanky hotel in Saudi Arabia.

Pumpkin, who's a bit scattered and unfocused, has a strong sense of ethics. He doesn't want Dash to seek revenge or hurt people.

The sexy times, although not plentiful, are steamy, and the ending is creative and sweet.

Definitely worth a read, especially if you like stories about the occult and a lot of conflict between the MCs.
Profile Image for Kristan.
379 reviews41 followers
September 7, 2015
4.5 your wish is my command stars

I'll admit it, I read the highly aggressive reindeer tag, and thought this could be epic.

And you know what?

It was.

It could have been the fact that this story is about a sexy as sin Djiin, who loves to argue, is hellbent on revenge, and watches reality tv because it's "research".

Or maybe it was Ciaran, who drunkenly summoned Dash - accidentally binding himself to the Djinn for eternity. Who has empathy in spades, and who will never think of Santa the same way again.

A lot of it was the fact that Cia and Dash have amazing chemistry together. It also doesn't hurt that this story was clever and funny. But the pages nearly catch on fire when Cia and Dash have sex.

Holy.

Fuck.

I uh... I suggest reading those parts when you have alone time.

I really enjoyed this story; it's the perfect blend of snark and sweetness.
It completely surprised me, and now I'm very interested to see what else this author has written.

Completely loved and highly recommended. Fun, sweet and very imaginative.

My thanks to the author for their participation in the Love is an Open Road event.
Profile Image for Meep.
2,167 reviews228 followers
September 6, 2015
Thanks to the author for participating and offering this freebie

Fun, quirky world; I enjoyed meeting the characters and getting to know them. It was interesting, unpredictable and at times hot. Fun but with enough depth for feels.

I'd rather like to read another set in this verse.
...and have someone to magic up coffee for me.
....do have a strange urge to make banana bread though.

Profile Image for Sunny.
1,012 reviews126 followers
September 9, 2015
Entertaining read :)

There was one instance of misogyny that made me angry, but I tried to let it go, slightly mollified by the two interesting female characters. Mostly, I just enjoyed the delightfulness that was Dash. Because he was awesome :D

I also liked Ciaran. He was a quirky, fun character, although he did have moments I didn't care for him...odd reactions, and some whining. So, my feelings for him were a bit mixed.

The writing style worked for me but there were a few continuity issues, some things left unexplained, and storyline bits left hanging. The good stuff definitely outweighed the bad, though.

Overall, a sweet, fun story that kept me smiling most of the time.
Profile Image for Borderstar.
912 reviews17 followers
March 11, 2016
A free short story from the Love is an Open Road, Don't Read in the Closet 2015 event.

Thank you to the author for their contribution! :)

-------------

I really enjoyed this one - a fun read, bit of a different take on Djinn, likeable characters and long enough that I could really get into the story.

I will definitely be checking out what else Gwynn Marssen has written!
Profile Image for Daesy.
2,467 reviews7 followers
October 20, 2015
**Grammar**

Ciaran has had a bad day. One of his collegues stole his idea and now is becoming famous thanks to it. He is drunk and pissed and has the brillant idea to summon a demon to get a little revenge. All should know that when u are drunk making a summoning circle isnt a great idea at all.
The next morning he finds an handsome stranger sitting on his couch. The man is too hot to be human. Maybe he is the demon he summoned the night before or a hooker, a thought that doesnt make the stranger happy to hear. He tries to ask the man some questions but the other smirks and tells him that he is having more fun watching him trying figuring it out. The man can read his mind, is sassy,likes to argue on everything, pisses him off,is arrogant,smart,and a JERK. But Ciaran cant stop staring at his beautiful face and body.

The only thing he is able to make the stranger say, is his name, Dash and the man is able of eating, so he cant be a demon.In the end he understands that Dash is a Djinn, maybe the most powerful of them. Dash uses that moment to tell him alsmost casually that he also sold his soul to him and they are pratically bounded forever. Ciaran or Pumpkin (as Dash calls him), asks for what he sold his soul, but Dash laughs and tells him he wants him to keep guessing bcs is fun.
He thinks that Dash stole his soul, but the other man tells him they made a contract and that they also had a witness, Arashael his sort of "guardian angel", but in reality only an useless asshole. Ciaran begs Dash to give him back his soul,saying that he will make a terrible slave, but the other only rolls his eyes, so Ciaran decides to go to sleep.This must be a nightmare.

{Before I could fall asleep, my sister called. I answered the phone with, "I'm having a nightmare. I'll call you when I wake up."}

That was funny. I usually dont like books wrote in the 1st POV, but this one was good.

When he wakes up, the stranger is still in his house and now also his sister is there. Paige tries to understand what happened and who is the gorgeous man on his brother's couch and strangely the man answers her questions. He wants to free all the Djinn and have his revenge on the ppl who enslaved and used his race to build things for thousands of years. He is not going back home and sure as hell, he is not giving Ciaran his soul back, since the thing makes him able to stay on Earth and do as he pleases. A thing he needs to get his revenge.

There is nothing Ciaran can do, he is now living together with a Djinn... Still he has work to do or at least he needs to try to work and get some money to feed them.


Ciaran is still working,(his job is making greeting cards), when he hears something on the tv. They are talking about the man that stole his idea. The man is saying he was kidnapped by the aliens and that after, they left him in the desert.. Now Ciaran knows for which wish he sold his soul....ROLF

Their bickering is awesome, made me laugh a lot of time. Ciaran refuses to do what Dash says if he doesnt ask him with a please. The Djinn could make him do all he wants but in the end he uses the word "please"so Ciaran helps him find the first Djinn to free.

Ciaran is still trying to work, when a pissed Dash comes back in the house and takes Ciaran with him. It seems he cant touch the other Djinn's container and needs the human. There was someone so stupid to ask for a million bucks, and now there are a LOT of pissed off reindeers.Dash tells Ciaran to close his eyes, but is too late. Ciaran sees the man that summoned the other Djinn fall from the tree and getting killed by the reindeers.

Ciaran is furious he asks Dash why he had to kill the man and the other answers that he told him to close his eyes. Ciaran punches him, but Dash's face is so hard that he actually breaks his hand.

{"You asshole, you fucking asshole!"..."You were the one hitting me!"}

Dash heals his hand and Ciaran is grateful, at least till the pain goes away and he remembers why he is in this mess. He wants to leave the house, but he cant, Dash keeps teleporting him back.He is having a panic attack.

{"I'm dying, help me!"...."You are having a panic attack. No one is dying." ..."I think I know when I'm dying."}

In the end Dash is able to calm him down. Ciaran tells him that he still wants to go, and Dash asks him if first he can help him find the other Djinn. Ciaran answers that this time he wants more than a "please" to help him. He wants a contract on which is wrote that he takes his soul back if Dash grants the word of a wish instead of their meaning. They glare at each other for a bit. Dash doesnt want to agree and Ciaran doesnt want to give up. In the end Ciaran wins and they make the contract.

The next days they go free other Djinn around the world and destroying the things that were made by them while enslaved. They start to spend a lot of time together and their relationship is slowly changing.

One day Ciaran's grandmother or better her ghost comes to visit him. A thing she does each week the same day and when she sees Dash she asks her nephew what happened. When she finds out he sold his soul she tells him he was an idiot. In the end his grandmother tells him that all happens for a reason and that now he needs to work with the Djinn and be patient. Maybe they will find a solution.

When they go to free a sexy Djnn and she offers Ciaran as revard a night with her, Dash pratically growls and tells her that the human is HIS. Dash getting jealous?? i think so.

Both their feelings are changing. Ciaran's sister makes him understand that Dash isnt so evil as he thought. After that reindeer episode no one else lost his life. She pratically tells him that he needs to make Dash understand that not all humans are bad.

Dash and Ciaran are having fun at the mini golf, laughing like idiots. When Dash teleports them on a beach,Ciaran watching the sunset,starts to think about where he will be in 10 years, what he will be doing, where will Dash be....

Dash doesnt comment on his thoughts, he just wraps an arm around him and Ciaran is almost sure he hears the other man whisper that he will never let him go again.


Ciaran is at work when a naked Dash appears near his desk. The human asks him why he is naked and Dash tells him that he tried to do that thing that he does all the time he takes a shower, but he couldnt understand why Ciaran liked it so much, at least not until he started massaging his lower half, then he understood.

{"Hmm...I would think something that feels that amazing should be shared. Must be one of those weird human things I don't understand."...."Yeah...well...we do...in a sense. I'll explain it to you someday." When hell froze over.}


Soon after we find out that Dash and Ciaran cant be apart more than a certain distance and is for that reason that Dash got teleported to him now. They are actually both annoyed by this and the next days they are a bad company to the other. Dash tells Ciaran to stop whining and the human tells him to stop watching TV(they sound like a married couple already..). In the end Dash promises him that after the show, he will take him somewhere. Dash takes him to Paris, and while watching the romantic city behind them, Ciaran starts to think that maybe being free isnt such an important thing anymore.

Late that same night Dash takes him in a gay club. A lot of ppl try to flirt with the Djinn, but he has eyes only for Ciaran and he never leaves him alone.
Dash asks him to dance, at start Ciaran refuses, but in the end the sexy Djinn wins. They are having fun, when Dash out of nowhere kisses him. Ciaran pushes him away asking him what he is doing and he answers that he wanted to know how that felt, in saying so he nods in the direction of 2 men kissing on the dance floor. He then says that he cant understand it and Ciaran tells him that is bcs he is doing it wrong,then he kisses Dash.

They both want to do something more than kiss, but not where all can watch them. Dash teleports them in an awesome hotel bedroom and there they make love for the first time. Ciaran being the one with more experience is on the bottom. Ciaran knows that this changes all, that this is important.

Ciaran asks Dash to make him HIS, and he means it not only in a sexual way. Later, while lying together Ciaran asks him some questions and he understands that Djinn dont have sex,they dont procreate. He also understands that Dash is angry and wants revenge towards the ppl that enslaved him and the other Djinn, but that thing is destroying everything that is good in him. Dash then replies that Ciaran's kind did this do him. After one last furious look he leaves the room, and Ciaran is left alone in the suit.

Ciaran waits hours for Dash to be back, but it seems the Djinn doesnt have any intention of coming back so he decides to leave the room,but Luck wants that someone sees him and he gets arrested. He cant explain why he was in the suit or how he got there and the police thinks he is a terrorist. While in jail he wishes that Dash could come and rescue him.

He falls asleep and when he wakes up the stupid and sexy Djinn is staring at him,commenting on the fact that he left him in a royal suit and the human was able to end up in jail. Ciaran really wants to punch the man but Dash stops him reminding him what happened to his hand last time.

When Ciaran asks him where he was and Dash replies that he was thinkng while walking on the beach, the human is so pissed that he launches himself at him. Dash cant stop laughing, then he kisses him.

Ciaran is scared that someone could see them, in a country where homosexuality is still illegal, but Dash tells him that no one can see them. Ciaran replies that he cant do this anymore, that he wants to go home and he whishes that all could forget what happened and he could pretend nothing of this ever happened.

Dash seems hurt by his words and soon after seems pissed and pulls away from Ciaran. Maybe the human didnt use the right words since Dash now is thinking that Ciaran wants to forget also about their first time. With one last thought Ciaran tries to tell him that he doesnt want to forget everything.

Ciaran is sleeping, he knows it, and he wants to wake up but he cant. He is a prisoner in his dreams and getting hurt here makes it real also in the real life.Ciaran is sure that Dash knows about it, that this is happening bcs he took his soul, but when he asks this to the Djinn he really seems to not knowing a thing.

The 2 argue and Dash tells him that he is impossible and he doesnt know why he likes him and that yes HE LIKES HIM, otherwise why he would keep Ciaran's soul in his body and not in a necklace since that would be the easier thing for him. Dash then confesses that he just wants Ciaran to like him. The only thing the human can do after hearing these words is kiss the Djinn senseless.

They spend the next days on a beach having fun and being happy, but Ciaran is still scared of falling asleep and not waking up anymore from his dreams. In the end he is so tired that the falls asleep.
He cant wake up, he is panicking. In the dream his ankle gets hurt and when he wakes up it is still hurt. Something is wrong and they need to fix it.
Dash thinks that maybe is a Demon the one trying to kill him in his dreams, but all their researches lead them to nothing. Ciaran doesnt like to think about the nightmares so to avoid this thought he and Dash decide to go save another Djinn.
They find out that the sorcerer enslaving this Djinn is really powerful and they need the help of one of the highest Demons. They are finally able to fight the sorcerer and we understand that man was the one to enslave Dash thousands of years before. Part of Dash's revenge is finally accomplished and the Djinn seems less angry and calmer now.

They are back home and trying to understand how to free Ciaran from his nightmares, when his grandmother appears in the room. They explain all to her and when she is calmed down from being angry she tells her nephew that will ask the ancestors about this. Later, when she leaves, Ciaran finds on the internet the name of a drug that is used on ppl victims of PTSD. Thanks to Dash soon after they have the medicine and Ciaran asks him to take him somewhere beautiful where they can be alone.

They are in the Grand Canyon, kissing. Is very romantic and there are also some confessions involved.

{D:"....I was trying to tell you that 'Until The End Of Time' is starting to feel rather short. We might have to migrate to another multiverse when this one goes kaboom."}

{C:"I love you, too, Dash."}

{D:"Love, huh? Is that what this is?"}

Soon after they are kissing again and then making love on a soft bed Dashed materialized for them. This time Dash is the bottom. Later when they are cuddling and Ciaran is falling asleep, Dash reminds him to take his pills. Ciaran closes his eyes praying that the drug will work.

Sadly the medication doesnt work and he is back in his nightmare and this time he is falling down. He will die he is sure of this, but at the last second he is able to change in a bird and avoid hitting the floor harder. He still breaks all his bones and when he wakes up only Dash'magic is able to heal him. The next time he could not wake up again.

They go back home and Dash tells him that he will give him back his soul, but Ciaran doesnt want it, bcs he knows his soul is the only thing that makes Dash able to be on Earth and he doesnt want to lose him. Dash half joking tells him that he could find another idiot to sell him his soul and when Ciaran thinks about someone else sharing this bond with Dash he is jealous and feels nauseous. Dash tries to confort him.

{"Maybe I'll fidn another idiot who'll sell me his soul".....Dash said with an attempt at a smile. "I'll come back".}

{No! The idea of someone else sharing this bond with him, sharing his feelings, bickering, laughing-and making up- made me nauseous.}

{"I'm pretty sure that'll always be just you.".. "I love you, Ciaran."...}

He then says that he has to do this and Ciaran asks him to put his soul in a globe or make him a ghost bcs ghosts dont sleep and is while saying this that his grandmother appears and tells him he is right.

She has the solution. She wants to offer her soul to Dash, she doesnt mind, she doesnt want to be reborn, and that her soul doesnt need to be trapped in a box, but could be in a cat, that she wouldnt mind being a cat. Dash tells her that this is for eternity and she will not be able to change her mind. She replies that there are other animals she can be.

In the end they go get a cat.

In the epilogue we see them in the 2515 AD, almost 500 years later. Ciaran and Dash are still together and in love and Ciaran's grandmother is still a cat and lives with them.

Ciaran and Dash still bicker all the time, but they are madly in love.

{D:"I love you"...."Even when you're being stubborn and annoying."}

{C:"Likewise."}

{D:"That's not how you should respond, Pumpkin"....}

{C:"You are right, my mighty Djinn. I love you in all your infuriating, bothersome, exhausting ways."}

{D:"Always"}

{C:"And Forever."}


Nice book and good end. I really loved the MCs and their relationship. The bickering was amusing and a lot of scenes made ma laugh. Some scene were also sweet and romantic and some really hot. At start Dash seems only a beautiful Jerk, but in the end we understand that he is lonely and like Ciaran he just wants someone to be with him.

I would like to read more about them, but I'm pretty happy about the ending so better not ask for more. For sure i will keep checking this author and her stories.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for M'rella.
1,459 reviews174 followers
July 8, 2017
So just it's clear - this is 3.5 stars.

Dash is an a-hole and Ciaran is lacking a back bone, seeing how it only takes a look and a hug from Dash to make all the abuse OK.
Profile Image for Jeanne 'Divinae'.
994 reviews17 followers
December 27, 2015
Ciaran got wasted one night and woke up the next morning to find a very attractive man sitting on his couch, acting like he lived there. His name is Dash and after some fumbling around, he doesn’t remember much from the night before, he figures out what he did and it has consequences. He summoned a Djinn(a genie, but don’t let him hear you say that word) named Dash and he now owns his soul.

Needless to saw Ciaran wasn’t expecting to wake up to this kind of morning. Now he is stuck with this hottie who is a bit of a jerk. They have to learn to live together and tolerate one another. But they are a good match and help each other out. Dash needs Ciaran’s help to free all the other Djinn on Earth. He also has a thirst for vengeance. Even if what he is angry at is something he was forced to do centuries ago. But Ciaran's ‘humanity and morals’ starts to rub off on Dash. They go on adventures as Ciaran has to fight his feelings he is starting to develop for Dash but it’s hard to keep it hidden when Dash is able to read his mind and thoughts.

Overall, this story was decent. It was nice to watch them become more than oil and water. Plus, super happy with the ending. Very pleased with it. We get an epilogue and it’s really lets you see how they are doing.
Profile Image for ❀~Amy~❀.
535 reviews
April 7, 2016
2.5 stars

I know I'm in the minority here but I didnt like this story. I seriously almost DNF'd this sucker at around the 50% mark. I was so irritated with both Dash and Ciaran. I held out though and it did sort of get better...eventually. If I hadn't spent so much time already frustrated with these characters, I think I would have been on board with the sweet, when it finally showed up, much quicker. Dash finally started to grow on me in the last 2 or so chapters. I never warmed to Ciaran. He was entirely too whiny!!

I do thank the author for her time and effort, providing us with a free story.
Profile Image for Molli B..
1,533 reviews62 followers
January 1, 2016
DNF @ 30%

A good—very good—idea but the MC, Ciaran, was so painfully annoying that I couldn't get any further. Some other reviews suggest that it gets better as the story goes on, but I couldn't deal with him anymore and had no desire to even try.

As of 1/1/2016, this has a 4.19 rating, so I'm definitely in the minority. :)
Profile Image for Jade.
1,393 reviews25 followers
September 6, 2015
I was not expecting this story at all. It totally kicked me on my ass with all of its swooney psychotic goodness.
Profile Image for Kevin.
2,659 reviews37 followers
October 11, 2015
This story grew on me. I enjoyed it more as I got further into it. The language is awkward and confusing in places, but the author is presumably not a native English speaker. It would be better with some rewording.
An angry genie, I mean Djinn, shows up one day in an ordinary man's life. Well he really isn't ordinary as his family includes ghosts, and they regularly summon angels, poltergeists, and demons from a young age. This man feels it is his duty to try to restrain the Djinn from excessive murder, destruction, and theft in his quest for revenge. As time goes on they develop feelings for each other.
I liked the supernatural elements, the plot,the humor, and the emotions.
Profile Image for Tiferet.
569 reviews20 followers
September 9, 2015
Obviously, as the prompter I can't be entirely objective, but this story surpassed all my expectations with how cute, sweet, funny and sexy it is! After reading the first chapter it became clear to me that Dash is indeed a cat personality, and seeing how it's my favourite type I fell in love with him hopelessly. And Ciaran, a bit awkward, a bit of an adorable loser, and yet so beautiful in Doing His Best to Do The Right Thing! Thank you so much Gwynn!
Profile Image for M.A..
Author 61 books679 followers
September 6, 2015
One of the best I've read yet. :)
Profile Image for Firenz.
216 reviews28 followers
Read
September 13, 2015
Loved it. I like stories with all powerful beings shown the beauties of the world and morality. Really well done. A new author for me will be looking at her other novels.
Profile Image for Sarah.
712 reviews5 followers
November 9, 2015
It was a great story. Very imaginative. Quite a few grammatical errors not so many that it was annoying but enough to remember that there were too many.
430 reviews
February 26, 2019
Very impossibly funny and ridiculous read that I quite enjoyed! It was quirky and it was something new. Dash even had some character development during these ~150 pages!!! It was definitely not realistic (even for fantasy haha) but I would still recommend it for a light read to someone :). Great for a FREE read!
Profile Image for Rissa.
2,251 reviews3 followers
August 11, 2017
That was a fun read!

I like Dash! I liked reading about the other Djinn! :)

I like how his and Ciaran's relationship developed!

Cute epilogue, too! :)
Profile Image for pauliree.
717 reviews31 followers
May 13, 2018
Cute story of a Djinn and a witch. Nicely written a lot of fun
Profile Image for Erin.
451 reviews1 follower
September 30, 2015
So much to like about this book! The world-building was really cool. I'd love to read more set in this universe. The characters are imperfect and likable. The secondary characters are interesting without stealing the show. And the author added a lot of little touches that really added extra flavor to the story - mind reading, teleportation and a mythology that explains how the fantasy world works.

I was little confused by the ending

I really do hope the author writes more stories in this universe, should inspiration strike. It seems like there are so many possibilities she opened up! I wonder what would happen if someone fell in love with a demon or angel. Or what will happen if the Djinn who is friends with the little girl someday falls in love with her as a grown up. Also, Cia's family sounds so interesting! I'd love more stories about them too!

So, I am giving this one four ("really liked it") stars. I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it to anyone who is intrigued by the blurb. It's free, so you have nothing to lose! Go for it!

Also, this one strongly reminded me of one of my favorite romantic comedy books, The Pleasure Slave. So, if you liked this one and also like MF romance, check it out!
Profile Image for Eve.
574 reviews
March 29, 2016
hilarious and aw gawd yass hawt. I also liked the style which the supernatural and magic came from, like it was already in the middle of knowing the paranormal even though it wasnt discussed how the MC & his family knew about it. basically I liked the ability to enjoy the "no, you dumbass!" type humor even though we didn't know much either ourselves.

it was awesome.
Profile Image for Lisa.
1,846 reviews
September 16, 2015
This was an unusual read, maybe a little over the top in places and a little repetitive in a few other spots, but it was a fun, humorous, slow burn romance with a nice twist on the genie in the bottle tale.

Dash, tall dark and handsome Djinn, is summoned by a very, very drunk Ciaran(pumpkin). Cute, a little geeky with a strong moral compass, sells Dash his soul....which becomes the source of some initial banter in the bright light of the morning after...... add in bit parts from Ciaran's sister, his ghost Grandma and a few other djinn's ......then suspend your reality check and let their adventures begin.

I felt the ending wrapped it all up well, even though the mystery of the nightmares was not answered and that niggles a little. The epilogue was fun and lighthearted and left me with a smile. Entertaining read.
Profile Image for K.
1,607 reviews83 followers
January 5, 2017
Fantasy/paranormal fun story
Ciaran (part time occultist, full time greetings card designer) wakes with a hangover to find he's sold his soul to a genie... sorry Djinn, Dash, who has commandeered a body and is out for vengeance for his kind, and more specifically to destroy what he was forced to create during his enslavement. Ciaran is understandably not too happy about this but as Dash drags him around the world to try and put right what he perceives are wrongs, the pair get closer and when push comes to shove, and it turns out it's either return Ciaran's soul or he dies, they admit that they are in love but it takes a ghostly grandmother to help give them a HEA (and eternity)

This was a very quirky fun story, with good main and secondary characters. I particularly liked turning the statues of Lenin into penguins....
Profile Image for Free_dreamer.
365 reviews29 followers
October 22, 2015
*3.5 stars*

I liked the premise of this. I don't think I've ever read about a Djinn before. And the cover is so gorgeous.
For the most part, I enjoyed this. Overall a little too light-hearted and silly for me, though. I really wanted to see more depth, especially the world building was lacking. This could have been so good, but it ended up being quite shallow, with no real details of anything. A dead grandmother that comes to visit every Tuesday after supper, a spiteful Djinn, annoying angels and vain demons all go to show that the author had some pretty awesome ideas, but didn't follow through with any of them. A shame.
Profile Image for Aislinn.
482 reviews2 followers
October 23, 2015

Early on in the book there's this exchange:

"Hell's got IT?"

"Yes of course. Who do you think invented Candy Crush?"

That had me chortling, and there were plenty of other lines along the way that struck me just as funny. It's set in our world, except that angels and demons and Djinn are real, and one drunken night, Ciaran summons a Djinn named Dash and manages to sell him his soul. Things get even crazier from there.
The characters are quirky and distinct and while the final dilemma could have had a better explanation, the adventures they went on and the way they resolved that dilemma were all entertaining.
Profile Image for Nina.
117 reviews
December 16, 2015
I loved this book, I stil can't believe it was free!
Ciaran is adorable, I loved him as the main character. Dash is, of course, dashing and charming.
I loved their relationship. I've always had a weakness for grumpy characters in my mm romance books. I loved their banter. I really like how slow he romance was. There is nothing as disappointing as insta-love.
I laughed way too hard about how they suddenly ended up in the Netherlands xD It was very familiar, especially as it was in the real world as gray and wet today as in the book.
Definitely a book I'd want to read again. Recommended!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.