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The Dead Ringer
Mara is a Drude, a nightmare Demon without a body of her own.
When a dark force sweeps through Hell, turning Lower Demons into dust, Mara makes a choice.
Jumping to the Human Realities, to piggyback on the bodies of unsuspecting people, Mara is determined to live her immortal life to the fullest.
Mara finds herself surrounded by Hunters, neck-deep in a conspiracy between the Fae and a homicide.
Undercover, where one wrong move could see her torn apart, Mara discovers something horrifying!
The Hunters that want to kill her?
They're her mates.
*The Dead Ringer is a violent, sexually charged, 100k word count, paranormal romance novel with morally bankrupt Demons and more than one romantic and sexual partner at the same time. It is a standalone.*
**Contains MFMMMM**
When a dark force sweeps through Hell, turning Lower Demons into dust, Mara makes a choice.
Jumping to the Human Realities, to piggyback on the bodies of unsuspecting people, Mara is determined to live her immortal life to the fullest.
Mara finds herself surrounded by Hunters, neck-deep in a conspiracy between the Fae and a homicide.
Undercover, where one wrong move could see her torn apart, Mara discovers something horrifying!
The Hunters that want to kill her?
They're her mates.
*The Dead Ringer is a violent, sexually charged, 100k word count, paranormal romance novel with morally bankrupt Demons and more than one romantic and sexual partner at the same time. It is a standalone.*
**Contains MFMMMM**
443 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 22, 2019
371 people are currently reading
472 people want to read
About the author
Michaela Haze
36 books186 followersMichaela Haze is a dog lover, mum of two, and a writer of paranormal, urban fantasy romance. In her spare time, she eats copious amounts of Japanese food.
Instagram: @michaelahaze
Facebook: www.facebook.com/theofficialmichaelahaze
Twitter: @michaelahaze
Website: www.michaelahaze.com
Instagram: @michaelahaze
Facebook: www.facebook.com/theofficialmichaelahaze
Twitter: @michaelahaze
Website: www.michaelahaze.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 127 reviews
March 7, 2020
4.5 stars
I love when questions I didn’t know I have get answered and get answered in such a spectacular way they leave me wondering what more am I missing.
The question I didn’t know I had that got answered in this book is whether a standalone RH can be slow burn. I am glad to say this book proved that it can be and without compromising on the quality of the storyline or the romance. I have been hooked on RH genre for about a little over six months now and I am glad to still be finding hidden gems and learning more about what the authors of this genre have to offer. Michaela Haze started this book with a disclaimer that this is her first RH book and this made me a little wary about if it would be worth my time or I should just go with an author a little more established in this genre. I am glad to say my time was not wasted, she delivered a product that surpasses some that have been with this genre for a while and with quite an original story and a very interesting way to tell it.
Mara is a Drude demon, last of her kind. She does not have a physical body but survives by body hopping from one living person to the next, or sometimes even possessing a dead person for a little while, if she runs out of options. By some chance events she finds herself posing as a demon hunter, moving-in in the heart of their operations, investigating the event that lead to a slaughter of a team of demon hunters. This is the crux of the story and as it can be imagined it is definitely a recipe for disaster.
In the review of the book I read before this one, I mentioned how some authors cannot pull off the first-person narration without making their characters sound like egotistical, pompous, arrogant jerk-asses. This book is written in first person, from the pov of Mara and this was done so well that I couldn’t help myself but fall in love with this low level demon. This author managed to restore my faith, by presenting a first person pov character that is bad ass, witty, funny and so delightful, for a demon, that I am left convinced that its not the first person narration that has a problem, its just some authors who cannot deliver it. This character was fun and a joy to read.
While I loved that this is a standalone slowburn and I did enjoy the delayed gratification, the harem was just too big. While each of the guys did get individual page times and some alone time with the heroine, I felt it could have been much better if the harem was not so big. There were just too many names and too many individual stories to remember in a very short period, which ended up being confusing and not easy to follow. These are the members of the harem and each has a semi-fledged story to go with, it was just too much.
Hugo Sinclair – a celibate Cambion
Ahn-Jae Lee - a reclusive Nephilim
Callum Hart – Wolf shifter who can’t shift
Warren Davenport – a mystery and a closet BDSM Dom
Remi Weber- a despondent jokester Witchling
And I must say the other thing I loved, the harem is quite diverse and such a United Nations representation without unnecessary stereotypes, this was also very well done.
Over and above these main characters, there were was the villain, whom they spent the rest of the book looking for and a whole lot of support characters and events that might or might not have added anything to the main plot, again it became too much to juggle all that was going on. By no means was it boring or tedious, it was just too much.
I have complained before that some series should have been one book as they didn’t have enough story to warrant more than one book, my complain with this one is that it should have been a series, there’s a lot going on and more it could have offered.
This complaint, though, is about the sub stories, not the main plot. With the main plot, I still maintain that it was well executed and it managed to convince me that a well written slow burn reverse harem is very very possible and something I will definitely be looking for in my future readings.
All in all, a very good original standalone slowburn reverse harem that I am hoping to re read in the future.
I love when questions I didn’t know I have get answered and get answered in such a spectacular way they leave me wondering what more am I missing.
The question I didn’t know I had that got answered in this book is whether a standalone RH can be slow burn. I am glad to say this book proved that it can be and without compromising on the quality of the storyline or the romance. I have been hooked on RH genre for about a little over six months now and I am glad to still be finding hidden gems and learning more about what the authors of this genre have to offer. Michaela Haze started this book with a disclaimer that this is her first RH book and this made me a little wary about if it would be worth my time or I should just go with an author a little more established in this genre. I am glad to say my time was not wasted, she delivered a product that surpasses some that have been with this genre for a while and with quite an original story and a very interesting way to tell it.
Mara is a Drude demon, last of her kind. She does not have a physical body but survives by body hopping from one living person to the next, or sometimes even possessing a dead person for a little while, if she runs out of options. By some chance events she finds herself posing as a demon hunter, moving-in in the heart of their operations, investigating the event that lead to a slaughter of a team of demon hunters. This is the crux of the story and as it can be imagined it is definitely a recipe for disaster.
In the review of the book I read before this one, I mentioned how some authors cannot pull off the first-person narration without making their characters sound like egotistical, pompous, arrogant jerk-asses. This book is written in first person, from the pov of Mara and this was done so well that I couldn’t help myself but fall in love with this low level demon. This author managed to restore my faith, by presenting a first person pov character that is bad ass, witty, funny and so delightful, for a demon, that I am left convinced that its not the first person narration that has a problem, its just some authors who cannot deliver it. This character was fun and a joy to read.
While I loved that this is a standalone slowburn and I did enjoy the delayed gratification, the harem was just too big. While each of the guys did get individual page times and some alone time with the heroine, I felt it could have been much better if the harem was not so big. There were just too many names and too many individual stories to remember in a very short period, which ended up being confusing and not easy to follow. These are the members of the harem and each has a semi-fledged story to go with, it was just too much.
Hugo Sinclair – a celibate Cambion
Ahn-Jae Lee - a reclusive Nephilim
Callum Hart – Wolf shifter who can’t shift
Warren Davenport – a mystery and a closet BDSM Dom
Remi Weber- a despondent jokester Witchling
And I must say the other thing I loved, the harem is quite diverse and such a United Nations representation without unnecessary stereotypes, this was also very well done.
Over and above these main characters, there were was the villain, whom they spent the rest of the book looking for and a whole lot of support characters and events that might or might not have added anything to the main plot, again it became too much to juggle all that was going on. By no means was it boring or tedious, it was just too much.
I have complained before that some series should have been one book as they didn’t have enough story to warrant more than one book, my complain with this one is that it should have been a series, there’s a lot going on and more it could have offered.
This complaint, though, is about the sub stories, not the main plot. With the main plot, I still maintain that it was well executed and it managed to convince me that a well written slow burn reverse harem is very very possible and something I will definitely be looking for in my future readings.
All in all, a very good original standalone slowburn reverse harem that I am hoping to re read in the future.
December 25, 2019
3.5.
My overall impression is that I liked this book, but it wasn't without its issues.
Mara, in many ways, carries this book. She is refreshingly irreverent and cocksure abd a bit ridiculous, but I liked her a lot. As a demon who can only experience anything through the senses when possessing a human body, she most definitely does not behave like a human. This puts her in a tricky situation when she is asked by her boss to possess the comotose body of a Hunter to work with the body's team to find out what is killing other Hunters. But she's got to attempt to impersonate her, which doesn't go well.
Whilst there she meets the guys and they simultaneously get involved whilst trying to work out what it killing the Hunters.
Whete this book fell down for me is that I don't think RH books work in standalones. We hardly got to know any of the guys and the relationships felt very underdeveloped. For some it happened way too easily and for other right at the end, which felt like a hit of a cop out.
I also wasn't massively engaged in the plot with working out what was killing the Hunters.
However, Mara is a great heroine and I did enjoy it I just wish it had been a series so things could be developed a bit deeper and explored further.
My overall impression is that I liked this book, but it wasn't without its issues.
Mara, in many ways, carries this book. She is refreshingly irreverent and cocksure abd a bit ridiculous, but I liked her a lot. As a demon who can only experience anything through the senses when possessing a human body, she most definitely does not behave like a human. This puts her in a tricky situation when she is asked by her boss to possess the comotose body of a Hunter to work with the body's team to find out what is killing other Hunters. But she's got to attempt to impersonate her, which doesn't go well.
Whilst there she meets the guys and they simultaneously get involved whilst trying to work out what it killing the Hunters.
Whete this book fell down for me is that I don't think RH books work in standalones. We hardly got to know any of the guys and the relationships felt very underdeveloped. For some it happened way too easily and for other right at the end, which felt like a hit of a cop out.
I also wasn't massively engaged in the plot with working out what was killing the Hunters.
However, Mara is a great heroine and I did enjoy it I just wish it had been a series so things could be developed a bit deeper and explored further.
August 29, 2021
standalone RH that was a heck of a lot of fun to read. I laughed quite a few times. Even though it is a standalone, I don't think the relationships felt rushed and everything felt really well paced -- I was hooked until the end!
February 5, 2020
A better book than some five series RH. I liked Mara, I liked the guys in her harem, I wish we had more of their POVs rather than the few chapters at the end. The mystery wasn't really a mystery as I figured out who the villain was immediately they appeared on scene. I also wish we got more sexy times with Hart and Jae as well. I'll be checking out more books from the author.
June 24, 2020
A fun read
A stand-alone RH. It was a fun read, the characters are likable enough and the world building was great.
A stand-alone RH. It was a fun read, the characters are likable enough and the world building was great.
December 16, 2025
December 2025
Kindle edition
Here we go again. The thought of a re-read banged around in my head two days in a row. Ooh new cover. Bit creepy, but I like it more than Doll bride IT. This book remains one of my fave RH. As much as I like the extras at the end, I do wish there was an extra for War. His big reveal seemed to be what the P stood for and the last to bond.
October 2023
Kindle edition
I'm kinda gutted this one isn't in audio yet. That's the only reason this one didn't get a revisit last year. It's funny how I remembered Mara, the phoenix and the incubus, and forgot my favourite character from the first time around. It wasn't until Mara said Birthday cake, that it clicked. My fave this time around was Warren with his commander vibe. Remi's situation annoyed me, one that could've been nipped in the bud with communication. I didn't like his flip out. I'm curious what his reaction would be at their first meeting in the meth addict's body. I've forgotten all about Ryn so again with the feeling I need to re-read the other books. Love this one.
Jan 2021
One day I’ll read the time line in order instead of just jumping to this one. It’s one of my favourite Reverse harem books and I really like that it’s story not sex, although with an incubus to tease its mentioned a lot. I like how they won’t do anything because it’s not Mara’s body.
All of the guys had their problems and I liked how Mara tackled each one sometimes blindly and by accident. Compared to Remi, Hart and Hugo, Jae and Warren’s problem weren’t ones for her to fix. I now recognise who Ryn is, which was interesting. It’s interesting that from the books read so far, Mara is the one with the most freedom. Will read again. Hopefully in order.
November 2019
Hooked from the prologue because everyone needs a virgin demon in need of an orgy, possessing a fat gay crime boss as an opening scene.
The cover was interesting, it wasn’t bully and it wasn’t academy. It does however fall into the category of demons/supernaturals and an over the top, no filter fmc bordering on psychotic.
The page count was a bit daunting but I enjoyed almost every moment and it wasn’t filled with actual sex, which is a bonus. A little multiple POV but otherwise sticks with Mara.
I loved the guys, all of them. It wasn’t too character heavy, all of them were pretty equal. Contains MM. Favourite character was probably Jae, although it was close. Bit of murder mystery, romance and a demon surviving amongst hunters. I’d read it again.
Kindle edition
Here we go again. The thought of a re-read banged around in my head two days in a row. Ooh new cover. Bit creepy, but I like it more than Doll bride IT. This book remains one of my fave RH. As much as I like the extras at the end, I do wish there was an extra for War. His big reveal seemed to be what the P stood for and the last to bond.
October 2023
Kindle edition
I'm kinda gutted this one isn't in audio yet. That's the only reason this one didn't get a revisit last year. It's funny how I remembered Mara, the phoenix and the incubus, and forgot my favourite character from the first time around. It wasn't until Mara said Birthday cake, that it clicked. My fave this time around was Warren with his commander vibe. Remi's situation annoyed me, one that could've been nipped in the bud with communication. I didn't like his flip out. I'm curious what his reaction would be at their first meeting in the meth addict's body. I've forgotten all about Ryn so again with the feeling I need to re-read the other books. Love this one.
Jan 2021
One day I’ll read the time line in order instead of just jumping to this one. It’s one of my favourite Reverse harem books and I really like that it’s story not sex, although with an incubus to tease its mentioned a lot. I like how they won’t do anything because it’s not Mara’s body.
All of the guys had their problems and I liked how Mara tackled each one sometimes blindly and by accident. Compared to Remi, Hart and Hugo, Jae and Warren’s problem weren’t ones for her to fix. I now recognise who Ryn is, which was interesting. It’s interesting that from the books read so far, Mara is the one with the most freedom. Will read again. Hopefully in order.
November 2019
Hooked from the prologue because everyone needs a virgin demon in need of an orgy, possessing a fat gay crime boss as an opening scene.
The cover was interesting, it wasn’t bully and it wasn’t academy. It does however fall into the category of demons/supernaturals and an over the top, no filter fmc bordering on psychotic.
The page count was a bit daunting but I enjoyed almost every moment and it wasn’t filled with actual sex, which is a bonus. A little multiple POV but otherwise sticks with Mara.
I loved the guys, all of them. It wasn’t too character heavy, all of them were pretty equal. Contains MM. Favourite character was probably Jae, although it was close. Bit of murder mystery, romance and a demon surviving amongst hunters. I’d read it again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 29, 2021
I now love this author
I loved the character building in this novel. Everyone had such a developed personality that was very distinct to themselves. I enjoyed the banter of everyone and how the relationships were not interdependent on Mara. I know it was one novel, but there were tiny things that I wished would happen but didn't. I wish we had seen Hart shift more. Maybe not necessarily on page, but it at least be referenced, even in passing. He was denied his wolf for so long, it doesn't make sense otherwise to me. I wish we would have known the outcome of Remi's marriage contracts. Not a lot, but just a completion of the arc to know what the blowback was. I also would like to know what exactly happened to Frankie since everyone thought Mara was frank is when she was first with everyone. Even without these things, I loved this novel.
I loved the character building in this novel. Everyone had such a developed personality that was very distinct to themselves. I enjoyed the banter of everyone and how the relationships were not interdependent on Mara. I know it was one novel, but there were tiny things that I wished would happen but didn't. I wish we had seen Hart shift more. Maybe not necessarily on page, but it at least be referenced, even in passing. He was denied his wolf for so long, it doesn't make sense otherwise to me. I wish we would have known the outcome of Remi's marriage contracts. Not a lot, but just a completion of the arc to know what the blowback was. I also would like to know what exactly happened to Frankie since everyone thought Mara was frank is when she was first with everyone. Even without these things, I loved this novel.
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August 29, 2021
What a unique and hilarious read. I loved this book so much and honestly I knew I would from just reading the prologue. The heroine is hilarious and in so many ways she is childish in regards to humans. Sure she knows a lot about us but has never really had a body of her own, until now of course. This chick is on a mission and has a really hilarious obsession with losing her ‘metaphorical’ v-card, orgies and watching/collecting porn. Given this I have to laugh because no matter how hard she tries and wants sex, she really doesn’t get any until the end. This leaves much of the storyline lots of time to develop, backgrounds to be established and the relationships between Mara and her 5 men time to blossom. The concept of the whole book was just a really unique and fun experience from start to finish. Between Mara’s inner dialogue and demonic ways, I definitely had a few embarrassing LOL moments. Really great RH standalone read.
August 14, 2021
Surprised
This was a pleasant surprise. I kind of chose it on a whim. It is not without flaws, but I enjoyed it so very much. I'm glad I decided to give it a try.
This was a pleasant surprise. I kind of chose it on a whim. It is not without flaws, but I enjoyed it so very much. I'm glad I decided to give it a try.
November 3, 2021
There were some truly laugh out loud moments coming from Mara in this book, and I found I genuinely enjoyed her character. She was stubborn and silly and selfish but also confident with an oooey-gooey center...so basically my character kryptonite.
BUT.
For a standalone RH, it was too damned short. The guys all blobbed together (not enough time to get to know them). The worldbuilding was barely a sketch--I enjoyed the descriptions of the 7 circles of Hell immensely but then the camp and the existence of the Hunters and the concept of the Balance...vague at best. This could have been easily tightened up here or there with some extra description.
The romance was sloooooow until suddenly it wasn't. At the 65% mark, I questioned whether I was reading a romance novel, because as much as Mara joked about orgies and her virginal status, there was very little build up in the relationships to keep things spicy. THEN! For her first time...oye. Mara went from zero to hero. Which, I guess is *fine* because she's an old-ass demon, after all, but a bit unbelievable all the same. NOt to mention, jarring, since there'd been very little build-up before that point between certain characters.
So, this was a fun little read if you can suspend your desire to know all the things, and it was flaky and fast on the relationship building end of things. The big-reveal/ending was a bit of an eye roll that I wish had a little more foreshadowing in the first 50% of the novel. Only at the end, did we even get an inkling that Mara had some memory problems and that the reader didn't have all the information. The "big bad villain" was also flimsy at best in terms of why they were doing what they were doing.
BUT.
For a standalone RH, it was too damned short. The guys all blobbed together (not enough time to get to know them). The worldbuilding was barely a sketch--I enjoyed the descriptions of the 7 circles of Hell immensely but then the camp and the existence of the Hunters and the concept of the Balance...vague at best. This could have been easily tightened up here or there with some extra description.
The romance was sloooooow until suddenly it wasn't. At the 65% mark, I questioned whether I was reading a romance novel, because as much as Mara joked about orgies and her virginal status, there was very little build up in the relationships to keep things spicy. THEN! For her first time...oye. Mara went from zero to hero. Which, I guess is *fine* because she's an old-ass demon, after all, but a bit unbelievable all the same. NOt to mention, jarring, since there'd been very little build-up before that point between certain characters.
So, this was a fun little read if you can suspend your desire to know all the things, and it was flaky and fast on the relationship building end of things. The big-reveal/ending was a bit of an eye roll that I wish had a little more foreshadowing in the first 50% of the novel. Only at the end, did we even get an inkling that Mara had some memory problems and that the reader didn't have all the information. The "big bad villain" was also flimsy at best in terms of why they were doing what they were doing.
August 13, 2024
I had fun 👍
May 13, 2020
One of my main issues with most RH series is that authors only too often spend the first book on might-as-well-be-instalove, and the next n on dragging out another variation of whatever convoluted plot is currently popular. The Dead Ringer could have been split into four or five 90k word books, and I'm so glad it wasn't. It's just long enough to sink your teeth into without getting boring or needing filler.
It excels in its straightforward writing, believable execution, and unique main character. The plot is forgettable, but it provides good pacing and a decent backbone for the push/pull I prefer when it comes to romance novels.
The protagonist is funny, maniacal, and unexpected. It's obvious the author had Mara's character already well-defined before she started writing, which makes her first-person narrative feel both consistent and credible.
This book does fall into a trope I find lazy—that is, conveniently delivering all the love interests at the same time and in the same place. It works here because the author takes the time to flesh out (most of) the heroes with their own individual personalities, histories, and relationships.
Considering I couldn't even finish Red City, I'm optimistic enough about Haze's growth as a writer and storyteller that I'll probably pick up her upcoming releases.
It excels in its straightforward writing, believable execution, and unique main character. The plot is forgettable, but it provides good pacing and a decent backbone for the push/pull I prefer when it comes to romance novels.
The protagonist is funny, maniacal, and unexpected. It's obvious the author had Mara's character already well-defined before she started writing, which makes her first-person narrative feel both consistent and credible.
This book does fall into a trope I find lazy—that is, conveniently delivering all the love interests at the same time and in the same place. It works here because the author takes the time to flesh out (most of) the heroes with their own individual personalities, histories, and relationships.
Considering I couldn't even finish Red City, I'm optimistic enough about Haze's growth as a writer and storyteller that I'll probably pick up her upcoming releases.
September 1, 2021
LEGENDARY
I will explain in a minute, just allow me to fangirl over this book because it deserves a good fangirling.
RH's has been the heroine to my addict because I gobbled those books up like a starved dog, okay. I was gleefully obsessed delving into page after page of a girl getting herself dicked down by five other men, but then I stopped because things were always moving too fast for my muddled brain to keep up with.
Now this gem is a slow burn of extreme proportions that just left me relaxed and happy. Mara is this Drude that just kind of floats around hopping from body to the next body and then she gets sucked into a shitstorm she doesn't have the skills for.
I am going to be honest and admit that while I initially read the book for the RH I stayed for Mara, she's witty, smart, cunning, brave (when she wants to be anyway), she can also be a little dumb, has a bleeding heart and she just was .
I didn't connect with the men that well because meh, right, the villain I saw coming from a mile away and the end did feel a tad bit rushed but I loved the book nonetheless. The steam was okay, nothing to write home about, but for the first time in a long time I read the book purely for a character, I was so invested in where Mara was going that I couldn't care about the mediocre dick she was getting.
I will explain in a minute, just allow me to fangirl over this book because it deserves a good fangirling.
RH's has been the heroine to my addict because I gobbled those books up like a starved dog, okay. I was gleefully obsessed delving into page after page of a girl getting herself dicked down by five other men, but then I stopped because things were always moving too fast for my muddled brain to keep up with.
Now this gem is a slow burn of extreme proportions that just left me relaxed and happy. Mara is this Drude that just kind of floats around hopping from body to the next body and then she gets sucked into a shitstorm she doesn't have the skills for.
I am going to be honest and admit that while I initially read the book for the RH I stayed for Mara, she's witty, smart, cunning, brave (when she wants to be anyway), she can also be a little dumb, has a bleeding heart and she just was .
I didn't connect with the men that well because meh, right, the villain I saw coming from a mile away and the end did feel a tad bit rushed but I loved the book nonetheless. The steam was okay, nothing to write home about, but for the first time in a long time I read the book purely for a character, I was so invested in where Mara was going that I couldn't care about the mediocre dick she was getting.
November 27, 2019
One of my fav rh standalones
Surprisingly much more well-developed than most rh standalone reads. And when I say surprisingly, I mean that standalones are generally not enough to contain both a well though out plot and nicely fleshed out characters at the same time. At least, in my humble (and unsolicited) opinion. More often than not, something is compromised.
But not really in this case. I really loved the heroine. I loved the concept and the storyline.
Um, maybe, I liked the heroes? I didn't, during the first half. (Which is probs the reason I only gave four stars...)
Surprisingly much more well-developed than most rh standalone reads. And when I say surprisingly, I mean that standalones are generally not enough to contain both a well though out plot and nicely fleshed out characters at the same time. At least, in my humble (and unsolicited) opinion. More often than not, something is compromised.
But not really in this case. I really loved the heroine. I loved the concept and the storyline.
Um, maybe, I liked the heroes? I didn't, during the first half. (Which is probs the reason I only gave four stars...)
August 22, 2020
2.5 stars rounded down to 2 stars for GR
The writing here is good and the world building has potential, but it is crying for a good editor to just rip it to shreds and uncover the better story hiding underneath.
The pacing is weird, the characters are inconsistent and the plot is all over the place. I was trying to get invested in the mystery but none of the characters seemed to be particularly good investigators. They mostly seemed to be solving things through coincidence. So I tried to get into the romance but honestly, what romance? And the male characters all got so little development that they were almost interchangeable.
I really wanted to enjoy this - the writing has some excellent moments, the setup is good and the characters & world building are intriguing. I also felt Mara's character had some genuinely insightful moments.
But then it would devolve to hair pulling and high school hijinks interspersed with almost-sex and sudden impossible leaps forward (and back again) in the investigation and I just lost all motivation to keep reading.
Plus there were heaps of instances of incorrect word usage. For example "facetious" instead of "fastidious". If your proof/beta readers aren't picking up on this then you really need to find new ones as it constantly threw me out of the story.
The writing here is good and the world building has potential, but it is crying for a good editor to just rip it to shreds and uncover the better story hiding underneath.
The pacing is weird, the characters are inconsistent and the plot is all over the place. I was trying to get invested in the mystery but none of the characters seemed to be particularly good investigators. They mostly seemed to be solving things through coincidence. So I tried to get into the romance but honestly, what romance? And the male characters all got so little development that they were almost interchangeable.
I really wanted to enjoy this - the writing has some excellent moments, the setup is good and the characters & world building are intriguing. I also felt Mara's character had some genuinely insightful moments.
But then it would devolve to hair pulling and high school hijinks interspersed with almost-sex and sudden impossible leaps forward (and back again) in the investigation and I just lost all motivation to keep reading.
Plus there were heaps of instances of incorrect word usage. For example "facetious" instead of "fastidious". If your proof/beta readers aren't picking up on this then you really need to find new ones as it constantly threw me out of the story.
April 12, 2023
This story centers around a nightmare demon forced to survive working for a fae after her unit in Hell was killed. I was excited for the premise of this book and the chance to try something from this author for the first time. I'm sad this is standalone since I loved this world and its characters. Haze developed better characters in this standalone than others I have seen in multiple book series. I loved everything about this, and this quickly became a favorite book. I'm anxious to read all the books that Michaela Haze has published, since they will likely become favorites too.
The writing style and plot pulled me into this standalone book. Haze kept the tone suspenseful but funny as Mara’s nature kept me laughing and rooting for her to succeed. I think it's safe to say that Mara has become one of my favorite demon stories so far. I loved learning about her nightmare nature. Her commanding officer, Warren, was her polar opposite with his commanding and serious demeanor. Her colleagues of Team P, Remi, Jae, Hart, and Hugo don't initially know that Mara is undercover and hiding in the body their colleague, Frankie. Warren enlists Mara’s help from her boss after Frankie’s unit is killed suspiciously. With the possibility of a betrayer in their midst, Warren brings the vision of Frankie back to their compound to flush out the killer. (5/5 rating)
The writing style and plot pulled me into this standalone book. Haze kept the tone suspenseful but funny as Mara’s nature kept me laughing and rooting for her to succeed. I think it's safe to say that Mara has become one of my favorite demon stories so far. I loved learning about her nightmare nature. Her commanding officer, Warren, was her polar opposite with his commanding and serious demeanor. Her colleagues of Team P, Remi, Jae, Hart, and Hugo don't initially know that Mara is undercover and hiding in the body their colleague, Frankie. Warren enlists Mara’s help from her boss after Frankie’s unit is killed suspiciously. With the possibility of a betrayer in their midst, Warren brings the vision of Frankie back to their compound to flush out the killer. (5/5 rating)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 24, 2024
Entertaining
I quite enjoyed reading this book Mara had a childlike innocence that brought about natural comedy. I feel a bit cheated though, there should have been a book 2. It's like we've just scratched the surface and got to know the key players and ..... the end.
Because I'm pedantic, I have to point out that Haiti is not in Africa. I'm pretty sure it falls under the States. Technically Remi would class as Black British since he was born and raised in Kent. I'm just saying....
I quite enjoyed reading this book Mara had a childlike innocence that brought about natural comedy. I feel a bit cheated though, there should have been a book 2. It's like we've just scratched the surface and got to know the key players and ..... the end.
Because I'm pedantic, I have to point out that Haiti is not in Africa. I'm pretty sure it falls under the States. Technically Remi would class as Black British since he was born and raised in Kent. I'm just saying....
August 19, 2022
I think I would have appreciated some more supernatural details about the characters in Team P, but overall, I really enjoyed the relationships and world building in this standalone.
May 6, 2024
starlight and darkness
Another excellent read by Michaela Haze set in the demon universe. Surprises and unexpected twists, dark humour and sarcasm. Highly recommend. 4.5 stars.
Another excellent read by Michaela Haze set in the demon universe. Surprises and unexpected twists, dark humour and sarcasm. Highly recommend. 4.5 stars.
July 1, 2021
…it’s not you, it’s me…
I don’t know what my problem with this book was. I feel like I should have enjoyed it. Sadly, that wasn’t the case. I got so bored and annoyed with this book that I began heavily skimming halfway through.
The world building was great. The different supernatural races were well developed and thought out. The characters were all different and original. No one character was similar to another. The relationships were slow going, almost until the end. Sexy times were only at the end and they were a drag.
Maybe it’s just that I had really high expectations for this book? I really expected it to be amazing. Kinda like when you order a chicken sandwich but don’t discover you were given fish until after you take a bite. Then you wanna spit it out and gag…Or when you take a huge drink of juice only to discover it’s kombucha (bleh). You know what I mean. Anyways…
I enjoyed Mara a lot. She was in no way human and she’s sent to infiltrate demon hunting humans to impersonate an introverted, stuck up sniper. HA! Watching her try to behave like a human was funny, especially since she hardly knows anything about being human. She’s cocksure and irreverent, has no shame about anything, and doesn’t much understand emotions. She likes sex and booze, she’s determined to lose her virginity but keeps getting foiled. Mara literally carries the book.
There were a few things about the story that were specifically annoying:
1) The men (Davenport) were pretty hostile and untrusting of Mara throughout most of the book. I don’t feel like she did anything to warrant their distrust. She just kept letting them walk on her and be mean to her. Even though she was their soul bonded mate. Relationships were so slow going that this didn’t feel much like an RH.
2) I wanted more from Mara. She’s a virgin demon and she didn’t even get sex until the end… sad!
3) the plot, action, and story line were really slow. It felt soooo slooooww I could hardly stand it. Not only that, but I figured out the baddie as soon as he/she showed up. It was pretty obvious. Also, I didn’t much care about the plot, I wasn’t intrigued at all.
4) OW drama until like 80% into the book
This book might be for you, you might like it. I feel like it’s something I might normally like. Read it.
I don’t know what my problem with this book was. I feel like I should have enjoyed it. Sadly, that wasn’t the case. I got so bored and annoyed with this book that I began heavily skimming halfway through.
The world building was great. The different supernatural races were well developed and thought out. The characters were all different and original. No one character was similar to another. The relationships were slow going, almost until the end. Sexy times were only at the end and they were a drag.
Maybe it’s just that I had really high expectations for this book? I really expected it to be amazing. Kinda like when you order a chicken sandwich but don’t discover you were given fish until after you take a bite. Then you wanna spit it out and gag…Or when you take a huge drink of juice only to discover it’s kombucha (bleh). You know what I mean. Anyways…
I enjoyed Mara a lot. She was in no way human and she’s sent to infiltrate demon hunting humans to impersonate an introverted, stuck up sniper. HA! Watching her try to behave like a human was funny, especially since she hardly knows anything about being human. She’s cocksure and irreverent, has no shame about anything, and doesn’t much understand emotions. She likes sex and booze, she’s determined to lose her virginity but keeps getting foiled. Mara literally carries the book.
There were a few things about the story that were specifically annoying:
1) The men (Davenport) were pretty hostile and untrusting of Mara throughout most of the book. I don’t feel like she did anything to warrant their distrust. She just kept letting them walk on her and be mean to her. Even though she was their soul bonded mate. Relationships were so slow going that this didn’t feel much like an RH.
2) I wanted more from Mara. She’s a virgin demon and she didn’t even get sex until the end… sad!
3) the plot, action, and story line were really slow. It felt soooo slooooww I could hardly stand it. Not only that, but I figured out the baddie as soon as he/she showed up. It was pretty obvious. Also, I didn’t much care about the plot, I wasn’t intrigued at all.
4) OW drama until like 80% into the book
This book might be for you, you might like it. I feel like it’s something I might normally like. Read it.
December 25, 2019
Omg, Hilarious!!d
This novel had it all. Comedy, romance, and action. I enjoyed tgis new author so much and can't wait to read more. Thank you
This novel had it all. Comedy, romance, and action. I enjoyed tgis new author so much and can't wait to read more. Thank you
June 5, 2024
So good until 86 percent. I want to curse here but I’ll refrain. Just fill in your favorite cuss words here. Why did my lovely lowest level demon suddenly turn out to be a goddess with amnesia all along? Why? Why? Why? It was stupid,stupid, stupid. Why when she was the goddess of death creator of hell and all its inhabitants would she want to live on earth with some random magical guys and hunt demons which she had created? It made no fucking sense. Why had she ever thought she was a low level demon? How did she get amnesia? I so loved her as a tough scrappy last of her kind minor demon.
Bah.
Bah.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 26, 2022
"Oriental, I would have to guess."
stop.
maam.
using "oriental" in the year 2019? good lord. what kind of casual hate crime-- i almost stopped there.
anyway, this book seemed unfinished. i really liked the worldbuilding going on here, but there were just so many plot holes, the villain was underdeveloped, there were typos, and the protagonist is so fucking stupid.
stop.
maam.
using "oriental" in the year 2019? good lord. what kind of casual hate crime-- i almost stopped there.
anyway, this book seemed unfinished. i really liked the worldbuilding going on here, but there were just so many plot holes, the villain was underdeveloped, there were typos, and the protagonist is so fucking stupid.
November 30, 2019
Several proofreading errors that drove me batty, but the story itself was entertaining. There were some loose plot threads left dangling, which I find annoying, but most things get wrapped up.
November 10, 2021
Okay so after finishing this like idk 2 days ago i wrote up a big ole review and basiclly word vomited my feelings which hello are you new here i do this for basically every review.
However i just ugh was over it so i deleted it and considered not writing anything at all but here we are.
Firstly i overall loved the story the concept the characters the mythos yes to all that imagination awesomeness
Secondly this was funny af. Like i legit laughed out loud like at least 5 seperate times which even once is rare for me and even more so with RH since im not exactly reading them for the humour haha
Thirdly its a good thing im not reading for the mystery either cause jesus it was obvious af so if you want story just read cosy mystery or like an urban cop fantasy type one like death before dragons or something amazeballs like that.
The romance was the best part but also 1 dickhead warren shouls not have been forgiven for his verbal abuse even after they both carked it.
2 dickhead warren should also not have been forgiven for his physical abuse after finding out what she was and then proceeding to torture her for days.
Some goofs
Same chewing gum wuit smoking convo happened twice in the book as if her and warren ahdnt already had that exact convo.
And when she was forced to ditch frankies bod in the salt circle and went back in she basically said it smells of decay now and she wont be able to jump out of the bod again cause itll be too far gone to jump back in. Maybe i intepreted it wrong but yeah that was fine until not what days? Later shes out of her bod like a casual afternoon stroll to slip into mare form which i get the whole night MARE trope its cute i also enjoy it but nitpicking the mare in night mare axtually hs nothing to do with the english word for horse so yeah fun but not accurate which obv its a fantasy fiction book but yeah just theres a tidbit for ya
What else.
Oh!
We needed that greenwitch bitch to actually have a punishment that wasnt not allowed in a compound.
Riley needed more girl time girls night idk some sorta scene with frankie/mara after she saved her life - all good female characters had solid friendships with other females.
Kinda hate the bitchy mean girl who also hates on the new weird etc girl trope with the passion of a thousand suns but riley was done fairly well - green witch bitch was not and overall that element made the story less fun and felt like drama for the sake of drama.
Characters and world building were amazing given it was standalone and their were a lot of them but they were very easy to discern and didnt end in one orgy like mess of every stereotype of dude for some chicks personal bucket list.
I usually dont read standalones cause i like living in worlds for a good while AND because characters and storys and worlds are given the depth and integrity they deserve this however was the exception to the standalones are shite mantra i usually abide and was seriously worth the read.
Now last pre sure but not least the quick rushed over ending not a fan
Need more epilogues more couple/family happy times we are outside looking in at the actual showdown which happens mostly off screen which not a fan of but wasnt the worst just felt a bit too quick and easy to be satisfying.
And the other idk loose ends i guess
Winter fae boss dude who got knocked unconcious by warren like he good? Whats happening there we deserved some sort of closure with him and theres probs a few other things like frankis parents whom im assuming were at the funeral which again im assuming was for her but idk cause it doesnt ssy i meam she woke up as frankie for like what a minute an jour a few days like did she get to say goodbye to her oarents did she remember shit like idk that was loose end
And of course im assuming the dudes told eveeyone what actually happened and who mara is when she waltz into the funeral and eventually became a hunter team member officially etc.
Shouldve been a scene with the balance two goddesses family reuiniting liek a fucked up famiky christmas maybe her telling frankies family see my family is just as messed up my sibling tried to murder me too and mostly suceeded etc or something.
Yeah anyway i also loved mara not like violating frankies body and trying to use it for her own pleasure vs wht she was actually suppose to which was like avenge solve the deaths etc so like props for being decent and finding ways around that.
Thats all good book reccomend if it seems your style.
Keen to check out the authors other work since she seems hilarious and totally havent had this many laughs since that cupid rh series.
However i just ugh was over it so i deleted it and considered not writing anything at all but here we are.
Firstly i overall loved the story the concept the characters the mythos yes to all that imagination awesomeness
Secondly this was funny af. Like i legit laughed out loud like at least 5 seperate times which even once is rare for me and even more so with RH since im not exactly reading them for the humour haha
Thirdly its a good thing im not reading for the mystery either cause jesus it was obvious af so if you want story just read cosy mystery or like an urban cop fantasy type one like death before dragons or something amazeballs like that.
The romance was the best part but also 1 dickhead warren shouls not have been forgiven for his verbal abuse even after they both carked it.
2 dickhead warren should also not have been forgiven for his physical abuse after finding out what she was and then proceeding to torture her for days.
Some goofs
Same chewing gum wuit smoking convo happened twice in the book as if her and warren ahdnt already had that exact convo.
And when she was forced to ditch frankies bod in the salt circle and went back in she basically said it smells of decay now and she wont be able to jump out of the bod again cause itll be too far gone to jump back in. Maybe i intepreted it wrong but yeah that was fine until not what days? Later shes out of her bod like a casual afternoon stroll to slip into mare form which i get the whole night MARE trope its cute i also enjoy it but nitpicking the mare in night mare axtually hs nothing to do with the english word for horse so yeah fun but not accurate which obv its a fantasy fiction book but yeah just theres a tidbit for ya
What else.
Oh!
We needed that greenwitch bitch to actually have a punishment that wasnt not allowed in a compound.
Riley needed more girl time girls night idk some sorta scene with frankie/mara after she saved her life - all good female characters had solid friendships with other females.
Kinda hate the bitchy mean girl who also hates on the new weird etc girl trope with the passion of a thousand suns but riley was done fairly well - green witch bitch was not and overall that element made the story less fun and felt like drama for the sake of drama.
Characters and world building were amazing given it was standalone and their were a lot of them but they were very easy to discern and didnt end in one orgy like mess of every stereotype of dude for some chicks personal bucket list.
I usually dont read standalones cause i like living in worlds for a good while AND because characters and storys and worlds are given the depth and integrity they deserve this however was the exception to the standalones are shite mantra i usually abide and was seriously worth the read.
Now last pre sure but not least the quick rushed over ending not a fan
Need more epilogues more couple/family happy times we are outside looking in at the actual showdown which happens mostly off screen which not a fan of but wasnt the worst just felt a bit too quick and easy to be satisfying.
And the other idk loose ends i guess
Winter fae boss dude who got knocked unconcious by warren like he good? Whats happening there we deserved some sort of closure with him and theres probs a few other things like frankis parents whom im assuming were at the funeral which again im assuming was for her but idk cause it doesnt ssy i meam she woke up as frankie for like what a minute an jour a few days like did she get to say goodbye to her oarents did she remember shit like idk that was loose end
And of course im assuming the dudes told eveeyone what actually happened and who mara is when she waltz into the funeral and eventually became a hunter team member officially etc.
Shouldve been a scene with the balance two goddesses family reuiniting liek a fucked up famiky christmas maybe her telling frankies family see my family is just as messed up my sibling tried to murder me too and mostly suceeded etc or something.
Yeah anyway i also loved mara not like violating frankies body and trying to use it for her own pleasure vs wht she was actually suppose to which was like avenge solve the deaths etc so like props for being decent and finding ways around that.
Thats all good book reccomend if it seems your style.
Keen to check out the authors other work since she seems hilarious and totally havent had this many laughs since that cupid rh series.
January 5, 2025
The story wasn’t great—too much hyper insta-love and nonsensical decisions. The FMC just didn’t have her shit together. If she was a nightmare demon and her entire race had been decimated, why was she acting like a teenager and following the decisions of the person who “saved” her, only to be used for his benefit? Why wasn't she angry or something of the sort? SHE IS A DEMON!!! Just kill him or do your thing! She said she was a lower demon, but if she can infuse fear and nightmares, why not use that against other demons who might actually be dangerous?? if that did not work, Why not make her way in the human world? There was absolutely nothing stopping her, and the hunters, aka the MMCs and their people, were easily avoidable.
The demons weren’t even the villains here; it was the fae. So, who gave a damn?? Honestly, 90% of the book just went by, making the EFFORT to avoid real development and connecting her with the first guy, who even said things no relationship could recover from.
That was at almost by the end of the book, and FYI, that’s abuse. But guess what? It was never resolved. Never. It was like it never even happened. Oh, and when the guy finally found her after she was "kidnapped" by the villain (because, of course), what happened? His brains got blown up—literally. Not a sweet reunion at all. He just showed up and bam, dead. But who cares, right? He was a phoenix and couldn’t actually die, so there wasn’t even a real sacrifice. Then we get to the climax of the story, and she comes back (because she’s a special snowflake), and without a single word, they just magically make up. That’s it.
I don't recommend this book. The editing was a disaster. The climax of the story was CHOPPED UP. Can you believe that? She made random connections that led nowhere, leaving you wondering why they were even included. And the “brother who wasn’t the brother” was the most obvious villain ever, yet no one cared—like, duh?! Then there’s the whole thing with her refusing to use the girl’s body, the girl waking up after the FMC’s soul “died,” and the big reveal that she was Death or whatever all along. What was that even about? It meant nothing. She could’ve been a pagan god or literally anything else, and it wouldn’t have mattered, it would’ve made zero difference.
The demons weren’t even the villains here; it was the fae. So, who gave a damn?? Honestly, 90% of the book just went by, making the EFFORT to avoid real development and connecting her with the first guy, who even said things no relationship could recover from.
Davenport continued as if Hart hadn’t spoken. “I have lost some of my most romising Hunters. Almost started a war with the Fae in the process. Used all of my resources and put several teams on finding the traitor in my camp—and you're telling me that he has been injecting you, since day one, with the very poison that has been killing the Fae under my care.”
“She couldn’t have known,” Hugo whispered. Davenport threw up a hand to silence him.
“She damn well could have. He's been injecting her for God knows how long.” Davenport snarled. “You’ve all lost your minds. Blinded by a Lower Demon that doesn’t even have its own body!”
......“I can’t believe that I entertained the idea of such a useless, selfish creature, working with us. She has the attention span of a five-year-old.” Davenport ranted. “The Ifrit box was right there. Daniel has a history with the Blood Sidhe. They killed his birth family. They attacked him last year. I should have seen this. Why didn’t I see this?”
...“She’s been distracting all of us.” The commander’s voice was menacing. “None of us saw what was right there.”
I had folded myself into the smallest possible position I could find. I hid my trembling hands beneath my thighs.
“Take Mara with you.” Davenport turned away, dismissing us. “I don’t want to look at her right now.”
That was at almost by the end of the book, and FYI, that’s abuse. But guess what? It was never resolved. Never. It was like it never even happened. Oh, and when the guy finally found her after she was "kidnapped" by the villain (because, of course), what happened? His brains got blown up—literally. Not a sweet reunion at all. He just showed up and bam, dead. But who cares, right? He was a phoenix and couldn’t actually die, so there wasn’t even a real sacrifice. Then we get to the climax of the story, and she comes back (because she’s a special snowflake), and without a single word, they just magically make up. That’s it.
I don't recommend this book. The editing was a disaster. The climax of the story was CHOPPED UP. Can you believe that? She made random connections that led nowhere, leaving you wondering why they were even included. And the “brother who wasn’t the brother” was the most obvious villain ever, yet no one cared—like, duh?! Then there’s the whole thing with her refusing to use the girl’s body, the girl waking up after the FMC’s soul “died,” and the big reveal that she was Death or whatever all along. What was that even about? It meant nothing. She could’ve been a pagan god or literally anything else, and it wouldn’t have mattered, it would’ve made zero difference.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 6, 2024
Good
Okay so a few things one the new trend of Daddy kinks over recent years in novels will never cease to gross me out and remind me of pedophilia so that's going to be a mental strike for me as a reader but also what was even the point of going there when there wasn't a bunch of bdsm scenes. The entire novel had two brief sex scenes that weren't overly graphic so there was zero point in bringing out a cringeworthy kink if the writer had zero plans of embracing it.
Next it needs to be noted that no matter the form her this character is black and that's gorgeous but the white chick on the cover kind of demeans the whole idea of an inclusive leading lady because there's a white chick on the cover and none in leading roles in the book. If Mara is at all white then Haze definitely needs to work on her descriptions because that's not how she read to me. Now I personally loved that she is black because you don't see enough stories embracing inclusive leads but I feel like the cover ought to reflect that.
While this story has scenes of gorgeous imagery a lot of lose ends are left and some connections could have been explained better like her boss sometime it seemed like a situation where she worked in return for protection that could begin and end as she wished, others there's a contract she's trying to free herself from by reducing years through this mission. I've got like a thousand left over questions about pretty much every character introduced. There's so much going on in this world the story would have worked better as a trilogy so more of that information was supplied.
The mystery didn't really work. I knew who the bad guy was shortly after he was introduced because it was obvious. Making it so obvious would have worked better if scenes were provided to get into his head and really see how twisted his mind was.
Finally Davenport was an a$$ and never stops being one. He's not once even remotely redeemable and yet Mara just accepts this and loves him and its sort of wrapped up in the idea that it's somehow okay for him to act this way because he's a dom and the two are not the same thing. Having a control kink in the bedroom doesn't mean you crap all over your partner on a regular basis and almost never apologize for it. He's emotionally abusive to say the least and she just accepts it as her due and never grows beyond that.
That said despite the story's issues I wouldn't have given it a four star rating if I didn't also think it was an interesting book. I was on the edge of my seat turning pages from the moment I started this story. Mara is an incredibly relatable character who you can't help but root for. When she takes you into her dreamscape especially it's hard not to connect with her pain and to want good things for her. It's definitely a story worth reading and I would recommend it.
Okay so a few things one the new trend of Daddy kinks over recent years in novels will never cease to gross me out and remind me of pedophilia so that's going to be a mental strike for me as a reader but also what was even the point of going there when there wasn't a bunch of bdsm scenes. The entire novel had two brief sex scenes that weren't overly graphic so there was zero point in bringing out a cringeworthy kink if the writer had zero plans of embracing it.
Next it needs to be noted that no matter the form her this character is black and that's gorgeous but the white chick on the cover kind of demeans the whole idea of an inclusive leading lady because there's a white chick on the cover and none in leading roles in the book. If Mara is at all white then Haze definitely needs to work on her descriptions because that's not how she read to me. Now I personally loved that she is black because you don't see enough stories embracing inclusive leads but I feel like the cover ought to reflect that.
While this story has scenes of gorgeous imagery a lot of lose ends are left and some connections could have been explained better like her boss sometime it seemed like a situation where she worked in return for protection that could begin and end as she wished, others there's a contract she's trying to free herself from by reducing years through this mission. I've got like a thousand left over questions about pretty much every character introduced. There's so much going on in this world the story would have worked better as a trilogy so more of that information was supplied.
The mystery didn't really work. I knew who the bad guy was shortly after he was introduced because it was obvious. Making it so obvious would have worked better if scenes were provided to get into his head and really see how twisted his mind was.
Finally Davenport was an a$$ and never stops being one. He's not once even remotely redeemable and yet Mara just accepts this and loves him and its sort of wrapped up in the idea that it's somehow okay for him to act this way because he's a dom and the two are not the same thing. Having a control kink in the bedroom doesn't mean you crap all over your partner on a regular basis and almost never apologize for it. He's emotionally abusive to say the least and she just accepts it as her due and never grows beyond that.
That said despite the story's issues I wouldn't have given it a four star rating if I didn't also think it was an interesting book. I was on the edge of my seat turning pages from the moment I started this story. Mara is an incredibly relatable character who you can't help but root for. When she takes you into her dreamscape especially it's hard not to connect with her pain and to want good things for her. It's definitely a story worth reading and I would recommend it.
Read
September 12, 2021No rating because I only read the Amazon sample, but I just want to capture my thoughts and record that I've looked at this book.
She's a drude demon and doesn't have any corporeal form, only exists like smoke, so she needs to inhabit human bodies. She can inhabit a dead body, but only for a maximum of two days (because the body starts to deteriorate). She can inhabit a live body, but a live person also has a will, so if the will is compromised, like a drug addict's or someone who is comatose, she can better control that body. When she's in the body, she can rifle through their memories.
Her boss asks her to inhabit the body of a woman who was a Demon Hunter because someone is targeting demon hunters and this woman's whole unit died. The woman was supposed to die too, as she's comatose and on life support, but the druze takes over her body as life support is being turned off, before the woman can fully die. So basically, she's manipulating the woman's body and masquerading as the woman.
The job comes at the request of the woman's commander, whom she'll need to work with. She has to be the most useless at her job because she walks right out of hospital in the woman's body without even bothering to change out of the hospital gown. It doesn't even occur to her to think about what would help her to blend in and be inconspicuous, or how to make her masquerade believable.
She doesn't attempt to mimic the woman's speech patterns or mannerisms; either she can't find out what they were by going through the woman's memories, or she can't be bothered, just like she can't be bothered to put on clothes before answering the door the next morning, and opens the door to the woman's commander while standing in her birthday suit. It's disrespectful and careless, which seem to be her main personality traits, but worse, she doesn't even care that everyone will start thinking this woman is acting out of character and start questioning it. She's blithe about everything, doesn't take her job seriously, and I did not like her. I didn't see how she could possibly succeed in her mission. Not going to read the whole book, obviously.
She's a drude demon and doesn't have any corporeal form, only exists like smoke, so she needs to inhabit human bodies. She can inhabit a dead body, but only for a maximum of two days (because the body starts to deteriorate). She can inhabit a live body, but a live person also has a will, so if the will is compromised, like a drug addict's or someone who is comatose, she can better control that body. When she's in the body, she can rifle through their memories.
Her boss asks her to inhabit the body of a woman who was a Demon Hunter because someone is targeting demon hunters and this woman's whole unit died. The woman was supposed to die too, as she's comatose and on life support, but the druze takes over her body as life support is being turned off, before the woman can fully die. So basically, she's manipulating the woman's body and masquerading as the woman.
The job comes at the request of the woman's commander, whom she'll need to work with. She has to be the most useless at her job because she walks right out of hospital in the woman's body without even bothering to change out of the hospital gown. It doesn't even occur to her to think about what would help her to blend in and be inconspicuous, or how to make her masquerade believable.
She doesn't attempt to mimic the woman's speech patterns or mannerisms; either she can't find out what they were by going through the woman's memories, or she can't be bothered, just like she can't be bothered to put on clothes before answering the door the next morning, and opens the door to the woman's commander while standing in her birthday suit. It's disrespectful and careless, which seem to be her main personality traits, but worse, she doesn't even care that everyone will start thinking this woman is acting out of character and start questioning it. She's blithe about everything, doesn't take her job seriously, and I did not like her. I didn't see how she could possibly succeed in her mission. Not going to read the whole book, obviously.
March 12, 2024
DNF 10%
I just couldn’t get into this book. The character didn’t feel cohesive. So many issues with this at 10% I figured I would only get more annoyed and gave up.
Issue number one the prologue should have said chapter 1. Books don’t have to have a prologue and when chapter 1 is at the same day and time following what just happened it doesn’t make sense.
Issue number 2 she can possess bodies of living or dead, and makes it seem like she has been doing it forever. She knows porn and tequila and drugs. She knows about junkies and pretty much everything in the known world, but then she doesn’t know that a razor is for shaving or what an autumn leaf looks like?!?! I like funny ditzy characters, but this character was just plain stupid.
Issue number 3 she is essentially a shadow with no real body, but she identifies as “female binary” *insert eye roll* and wants to lose her v-card. As with issue number 2 I find it hard to believe that she has never had the chance with the amount of experience with bodies she has had. And she is so desperate to lose her v-card that in the prologue/chapter 1 she sets up an all male orgy so she can let someone take said v-card through the back door of the man’s body she is inhabiting. Seemed like she was trying to copy Kristy Cunning’s MFC in Four Psychos with MM thrown in, but it fell flat.
Issue number 4 is the body she ends up taking over for the job she is doing. Nobody is going to notice that the body disappeared? She literally leaves the hospital in the gown with a toe tag not even trying to hide, like a complete moron and has the hunter pick her up like that. She is so worried about people finding out that she is drude even though she says she is essentially the last one, if that’s the case and her kind are extinct why would anyone suspect that, unless you’re being a moron.
I just couldn’t get into this one. It seemed like the author was trying to take some stuff from a few of my favorite books and mesh them together in a way that just didn’t work.
I just couldn’t get into this book. The character didn’t feel cohesive. So many issues with this at 10% I figured I would only get more annoyed and gave up.
Issue number one the prologue should have said chapter 1. Books don’t have to have a prologue and when chapter 1 is at the same day and time following what just happened it doesn’t make sense.
Issue number 2 she can possess bodies of living or dead, and makes it seem like she has been doing it forever. She knows porn and tequila and drugs. She knows about junkies and pretty much everything in the known world, but then she doesn’t know that a razor is for shaving or what an autumn leaf looks like?!?! I like funny ditzy characters, but this character was just plain stupid.
Issue number 3 she is essentially a shadow with no real body, but she identifies as “female binary” *insert eye roll* and wants to lose her v-card. As with issue number 2 I find it hard to believe that she has never had the chance with the amount of experience with bodies she has had. And she is so desperate to lose her v-card that in the prologue/chapter 1 she sets up an all male orgy so she can let someone take said v-card through the back door of the man’s body she is inhabiting. Seemed like she was trying to copy Kristy Cunning’s MFC in Four Psychos with MM thrown in, but it fell flat.
Issue number 4 is the body she ends up taking over for the job she is doing. Nobody is going to notice that the body disappeared? She literally leaves the hospital in the gown with a toe tag not even trying to hide, like a complete moron and has the hunter pick her up like that. She is so worried about people finding out that she is drude even though she says she is essentially the last one, if that’s the case and her kind are extinct why would anyone suspect that, unless you’re being a moron.
I just couldn’t get into this one. It seemed like the author was trying to take some stuff from a few of my favorite books and mesh them together in a way that just didn’t work.
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