What do you think?
Rate this book
My Demon Lords #1
Demon in My Veins
All villains have a story. This is how mine began…
I began as a nobody, a tavern girl in a backwater town, with one saving grace: the ability to use fairy artifacts. That put me squarely between four of the seven High Demon Lords, the most powerful creatures in our world. Belial and Eligos want me in their bed. Oriax would dissect me. And while I don't know what Shax would do, but I both desire and fear him.
Caught in a pretty cage, my survival depends on the demons I now call lord. While matters of the heart become complicated, another plot is afoot that will change the course of our world.
Years from now, someone else will write my story. They'll call me the butcher, the destroyer, the ravager. But those people, those creatures, they don't know me. They want you to believe that I'm every bit as evil as they say I am. I'm just a woman who made an impossible choice in the name of love.
I began as a nobody, a tavern girl in a backwater town, with one saving grace: the ability to use fairy artifacts. That put me squarely between four of the seven High Demon Lords, the most powerful creatures in our world. Belial and Eligos want me in their bed. Oriax would dissect me. And while I don't know what Shax would do, but I both desire and fear him.
Caught in a pretty cage, my survival depends on the demons I now call lord. While matters of the heart become complicated, another plot is afoot that will change the course of our world.
Years from now, someone else will write my story. They'll call me the butcher, the destroyer, the ravager. But those people, those creatures, they don't know me. They want you to believe that I'm every bit as evil as they say I am. I'm just a woman who made an impossible choice in the name of love.
513 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 26, 2022
280 people are currently reading
883 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
Currently reading
July 2, 2023DNF'ing for now but only because this isn't the tone/vibe I am in the mood for.
July 12, 2024
So far this is a slow dragged out reading for me. At 43% and I’m actively trying to find another book to read, hahaha. I don’t want to give up but, let’s see.
FYI, note for me: the demon lords are based on the seven sins.
Dnf 48%
FYI, note for me: the demon lords are based on the seven sins.
Dnf 48%
October 19, 2022
I bought Demon In My Veins on a whim, and I’m so glad I did. A high fantasy with hot demons; yes please!
Lioria is an orphan who never knew her parents, making her have no lineage or pedigree. At 24, she works under contract at the Silver Roo Inn with other girls from similar situations. Many of the people in her town have some magical abilities, but Lioria is only able to use old fae magical objects. And it seems that she is the only one who can activate them. The seven High Demon Lords rule Eden, each ruling over their own section. One night Lioria was asked to sit in a meeting with the High Demons, using a magical object to create a privacy bubble. And, of course, she catches their attention.
“𝑀𝑦 𝑑𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑛 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑠 ℎ𝑒𝑟, 𝐸𝑙𝑖…”
“𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦?”
“𝐷𝑜𝑒𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑢𝑝𝑠𝑒𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢?”
𝐻𝑒 𝑠𝑛𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑠. “𝑁𝑜𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑙𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑒𝑠𝑡. 𝑇ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝐼 𝑑𝑜 𝑝𝑖𝑡𝑦 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑝𝑢𝑠𝑠𝑦.”
The relationships that Sydney has created between the characters are so compelling. Belial and Eligo’s relationship on their own is so beautiful and symbiotic. Add Lioria in, and you create magic. Although, my favorite pairing is Lioria and Teill. My little brownie baby is so fiery and full of life.
“𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑡’𝑠 𝑎 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦. 𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑒𝑎 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎 𝑏𝑎𝑡ℎ.”
“𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑑𝑟𝑎𝑤 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐼’𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒 𝑏𝑎𝑐𝑘 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑎 𝑝𝑜𝑡. 𝑊𝑒’𝑟𝑒 𝑢𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑡𝑒𝑎, 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡?”
I love the feeling I get when I read any fantasy, particularly high fantasy. The authors have the ability to create complex and beautiful worlds that I just want to crawl into, and Sydney is no exception. She designed a fantastical world of humans, fae, and demons alike. Every being has a robust background and is continuously developed. Oh, and the world-building is *chef’s kiss*.
“𝐿𝑖𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑎.” 𝐻𝑒 𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑤𝑙𝑠 𝑚𝑦 𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑒. “𝐼 𝑎𝑚 𝑛𝑜𝑡 ℎ𝑢𝑚𝑎𝑛.” “𝐼 𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒.”
I believe the next book comes out in November, and I can’t wait because we are left on a hefty cliffhanger.
Lioria is an orphan who never knew her parents, making her have no lineage or pedigree. At 24, she works under contract at the Silver Roo Inn with other girls from similar situations. Many of the people in her town have some magical abilities, but Lioria is only able to use old fae magical objects. And it seems that she is the only one who can activate them. The seven High Demon Lords rule Eden, each ruling over their own section. One night Lioria was asked to sit in a meeting with the High Demons, using a magical object to create a privacy bubble. And, of course, she catches their attention.
“𝑀𝑦 𝑑𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑛 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑠 ℎ𝑒𝑟, 𝐸𝑙𝑖…”
“𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦?”
“𝐷𝑜𝑒𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑢𝑝𝑠𝑒𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢?”
𝐻𝑒 𝑠𝑛𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑠. “𝑁𝑜𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑙𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑒𝑠𝑡. 𝑇ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝐼 𝑑𝑜 𝑝𝑖𝑡𝑦 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑝𝑢𝑠𝑠𝑦.”
The relationships that Sydney has created between the characters are so compelling. Belial and Eligo’s relationship on their own is so beautiful and symbiotic. Add Lioria in, and you create magic. Although, my favorite pairing is Lioria and Teill. My little brownie baby is so fiery and full of life.
“𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑡’𝑠 𝑎 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦. 𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑒𝑎 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎 𝑏𝑎𝑡ℎ.”
“𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑑𝑟𝑎𝑤 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐼’𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒 𝑏𝑎𝑐𝑘 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑎 𝑝𝑜𝑡. 𝑊𝑒’𝑟𝑒 𝑢𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑡𝑒𝑎, 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡?”
I love the feeling I get when I read any fantasy, particularly high fantasy. The authors have the ability to create complex and beautiful worlds that I just want to crawl into, and Sydney is no exception. She designed a fantastical world of humans, fae, and demons alike. Every being has a robust background and is continuously developed. Oh, and the world-building is *chef’s kiss*.
“𝐿𝑖𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑎.” 𝐻𝑒 𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑤𝑙𝑠 𝑚𝑦 𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑒. “𝐼 𝑎𝑚 𝑛𝑜𝑡 ℎ𝑢𝑚𝑎𝑛.” “𝐼 𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒.”
I believe the next book comes out in November, and I can’t wait because we are left on a hefty cliffhanger.
August 6, 2022
DNFd at 54%.
The story is getting so convoluted with Lioria having the dramatic running-away-pulling-my-skirts-while-crying scenes and all because of my greatest pet peeve, lack of communication.
She is literally filling in the blanks as to what Eli+Belial are thinking, for herself, instead of talking to them. The guys are also undertaking the same stupidity, to the point that Eli asks Belial did you ask her and he answers with something to the effect of I know/she acted so and so.
Then, as far as I've reached, if I've understood it correctly, Lioria is basically meant to have all 7 guys in her harem. How exactly is that meant to work and how long will it take if up to 54% with just 2 out of the 3 guys she is currently in most contact with, they still don't know how to communicate? How many books will it take for them to be in a fully functional, healthy harem?
Final thing that rubbed me the wrong way and now I just can't be bothered with the book
So, good introduction, poor execution as the book is basically built off of a lack of communication as the main plot point. And the irony is, when it comes to those she calls her friends/is making friends with, in the book, they are reluctant to make friends but she is very good at maneuvering the intricacies involved for them to get close, they give her insights and this is especially with Teill, she tells her the truth with no sugar coating and is basically stylized as a naïve character but has the most insight to offer her, but she cannot do the same with any of the guys she's so far involved with.
The story is getting so convoluted with Lioria having the dramatic running-away-pulling-my-skirts-while-crying scenes and all because of my greatest pet peeve, lack of communication.
She is literally filling in the blanks as to what Eli+Belial are thinking, for herself, instead of talking to them. The guys are also undertaking the same stupidity, to the point that Eli asks Belial did you ask her and he answers with something to the effect of I know/she acted so and so.
Then, as far as I've reached, if I've understood it correctly, Lioria is basically meant to have all 7 guys in her harem. How exactly is that meant to work and how long will it take if up to 54% with just 2 out of the 3 guys she is currently in most contact with, they still don't know how to communicate? How many books will it take for them to be in a fully functional, healthy harem?
Final thing that rubbed me the wrong way and now I just can't be bothered with the book
So, good introduction, poor execution as the book is basically built off of a lack of communication as the main plot point. And the irony is, when it comes to those she calls her friends/is making friends with, in the book, they are reluctant to make friends but she is very good at maneuvering the intricacies involved for them to get close, they give her insights and this is especially with Teill, she tells her the truth with no sugar coating and is basically stylized as a naïve character but has the most insight to offer her, but she cannot do the same with any of the guys she's so far involved with.
April 18, 2023
3.75*
I received a copy of this book for free on ‘Stuff Your Kindle Day.’ Going into this novel, I didn’t know what to anticipate and didn’t have really high expectations of me loving the story (as sometimes getting books as a promotion can be a bit hit-or-miss in my experience). But what may have been a book I would’ve otherwise passed on by, I’m so glad I had the chance to pick up and read; it was definitely worth it.
Even though I had a lot of fun reading this novel, I can’t say there weren’t any issues though.
Lioria is a small town nobody serving girl. In a culture where your lineage is everything Lioria is an orphan who doesn’t have one. Despite the ostracization this has caused her at times, she’s found contentment in her freedom from societal pressures. However, Lioria’s ignorance of the world (since she’d never left her small town) and her ‘nobody’ status was pushed a bit too hard. It made her sound like a backwoods hillbilly with no education (when that wasn’t the case for her at all). Additionally, as the story progresses and Lioria is taken by Belial and Eligos to work for them instead, Lioria becomes a rather emotional creature at times and seems to go through a stage where she’s crying and feeling sorry for herself a lot. Since this is mostly caused by the dreaded miscommunication trope by all 3 characters, it was a bit irritating. Thankfully, the situation gets sorted out fairly quickly. Nevertheless, overall, Lioria is a likable character. She speaks her mind and doesn’t hesitate to stand up for herself.
I really liked our 2 hero’s, Belial and Eligos, as well. Not only did the 2 already have a long and established relationship with one another from the start, but I loved how they integrated Lioria into what they already had. It never felt awkward and the characters weren’t [overly] jealous of one another for the relationship the other two had.
My complaint with both Belial and Eligos is that they didn’t have distinct character voices (vs the “author voice”) which blended them both together. They were so similar to one another that it was easy to get them confused when you were reading either of their POVs. It felt like the only real difference between them lay in their looks (one’s fair and freckled and the other is ebony and had purple locks). The author wasn’t able to delve into the different facets of their personalities, their likes/dislikes, their passions, or their sins/vices very well.
Speaking of blending the characters, at the start of the novel, we get a breakdown of who’s POV we’re going to get in each chapter. That’s all well and good except that this wasn’t re-stated as each chapter began. And, to make matters worse, not only did we not know who’s POV we were going to be reading when we got to the start of a new chapter, but we didn’t even get a chapter number (to try to cross-reference this with the Contents section if we so desired). I don’t know what the point was of laying that out for us only to NOT keep us informed later on. It didn’t make any sense and was annoying.
Although we get to meet the other 5 High Demon Lords, we don’t spend a lot of time with any of them – although there’s clearly a connection between Lioria and Oriax as well as Shax. This novel is set up in a way that it feels like Lioria should be with all 7 (because she can ‘unlock’ their demons once more) but With Lioria only forming deep connections with 2 out of the 7 in this novel though, that’s a lot of ground to cover with 5 guys in the sequel. It makes me nervous that the author will rush that too much (or on the other hand, will draw it out too much).
The smut of this novel was fun and enjoyable though, and I’m anxious to see how others in the group get brought into Lioria’s circle.
I really liked Teill and Naexi as well. I enjoyed the budding friendships that were developed between each of them and Lioria. I hope that this continues in book #2 (especially since Naexi left to get help of her own after their harrowing adventure).
This book ends on a cliffhanger that was not well done at all. Shax has been through how many wars and battles? For him to so easily be tricked and overpowered (by his own choice) just made him seem really naïve and I’m questioning his intelligence (even though he was the one to figure out that Alastor had been kidnapped). To make matters worse, as this conclusion was drawing closer, I really hated everyone’s aversion to killing. They’re getting ready to go into a WAR with their enemy. The fact that Belial and Eligos (in particular) but also Lioria as well are all suddenly worried about the lives they’ll each have to take in battle, felt unpractical and disingenuous if they wanted to protect their own people/nation. I rolled my eyes at every whinny comment (of which, there seemed to be a lot).
The world-building within this story was also a bit confusing. There were hints that this world started out much like our own but then the world “broke” and the characters are now living in a post-apocalyptic world thousands of years later. That wasn’t really explained well and I think the little “hints” we got about this were unnecessary. If this wasn’t going to be a focus of the world-building (which it’s not), then I don’t understand why the author didn’t just create a fully fantastical world. That’s how it felt anyway (what with demons, different kinds of fae, gods/godlings, magical devices etc.).
While the writing style was hooking and I’m interested to see where this story will take us next, this book really needed to go through another round of editing. There were fully repeated sentences (something would be said or thought and then a few lines later, the exact same line would show up again), there were a couple of times that the wrong words were used (one that made me laugh, for example, was when a character shouted “At least!” when it should’ve been “At last!”), and the punctuation was horrendous (there were commas thrown in willy-nilly at times, creating pauses where there didn’t need to be any and making the sentences appear really choppy and ill-composed AND THEN, despite her over-abundance of commas, she wouldn’t use the Oxford comma when making a list). All of this was a bit maddening at times, although I’ll admit that I overlooked quite a bit in favor of staying hooked within the story. I hope the editing gets better in subsequent novels (but I won’t hold my breath).
As a whole, this was a fun why-choose read that I enjoyed. There were a lot of little irritants throughout the story, but there was also something about the novel that just pulled me in. As I said, I’m looking forward to finding out what happens next in book #2!
I received a copy of this book for free on ‘Stuff Your Kindle Day.’ Going into this novel, I didn’t know what to anticipate and didn’t have really high expectations of me loving the story (as sometimes getting books as a promotion can be a bit hit-or-miss in my experience). But what may have been a book I would’ve otherwise passed on by, I’m so glad I had the chance to pick up and read; it was definitely worth it.
Even though I had a lot of fun reading this novel, I can’t say there weren’t any issues though.
Lioria is a small town nobody serving girl. In a culture where your lineage is everything Lioria is an orphan who doesn’t have one. Despite the ostracization this has caused her at times, she’s found contentment in her freedom from societal pressures. However, Lioria’s ignorance of the world (since she’d never left her small town) and her ‘nobody’ status was pushed a bit too hard. It made her sound like a backwoods hillbilly with no education (when that wasn’t the case for her at all). Additionally, as the story progresses and Lioria is taken by Belial and Eligos to work for them instead, Lioria becomes a rather emotional creature at times and seems to go through a stage where she’s crying and feeling sorry for herself a lot. Since this is mostly caused by the dreaded miscommunication trope by all 3 characters, it was a bit irritating. Thankfully, the situation gets sorted out fairly quickly. Nevertheless, overall, Lioria is a likable character. She speaks her mind and doesn’t hesitate to stand up for herself.
I really liked our 2 hero’s, Belial and Eligos, as well. Not only did the 2 already have a long and established relationship with one another from the start, but I loved how they integrated Lioria into what they already had. It never felt awkward and the characters weren’t [overly] jealous of one another for the relationship the other two had.
My complaint with both Belial and Eligos is that they didn’t have distinct character voices (vs the “author voice”) which blended them both together. They were so similar to one another that it was easy to get them confused when you were reading either of their POVs. It felt like the only real difference between them lay in their looks (one’s fair and freckled and the other is ebony and had purple locks). The author wasn’t able to delve into the different facets of their personalities, their likes/dislikes, their passions, or their sins/vices very well.
Speaking of blending the characters, at the start of the novel, we get a breakdown of who’s POV we’re going to get in each chapter. That’s all well and good except that this wasn’t re-stated as each chapter began. And, to make matters worse, not only did we not know who’s POV we were going to be reading when we got to the start of a new chapter, but we didn’t even get a chapter number (to try to cross-reference this with the Contents section if we so desired). I don’t know what the point was of laying that out for us only to NOT keep us informed later on. It didn’t make any sense and was annoying.
Although we get to meet the other 5 High Demon Lords, we don’t spend a lot of time with any of them – although there’s clearly a connection between Lioria and Oriax as well as Shax. This novel is set up in a way that it feels like Lioria should be with all 7 (because she can ‘unlock’ their demons once more) but With Lioria only forming deep connections with 2 out of the 7 in this novel though, that’s a lot of ground to cover with 5 guys in the sequel. It makes me nervous that the author will rush that too much (or on the other hand, will draw it out too much).
The smut of this novel was fun and enjoyable though, and I’m anxious to see how others in the group get brought into Lioria’s circle.
I really liked Teill and Naexi as well. I enjoyed the budding friendships that were developed between each of them and Lioria. I hope that this continues in book #2 (especially since Naexi left to get help of her own after their harrowing adventure).
This book ends on a cliffhanger that was not well done at all. Shax has been through how many wars and battles? For him to so easily be tricked and overpowered (by his own choice) just made him seem really naïve and I’m questioning his intelligence (even though he was the one to figure out that Alastor had been kidnapped). To make matters worse, as this conclusion was drawing closer, I really hated everyone’s aversion to killing. They’re getting ready to go into a WAR with their enemy. The fact that Belial and Eligos (in particular) but also Lioria as well are all suddenly worried about the lives they’ll each have to take in battle, felt unpractical and disingenuous if they wanted to protect their own people/nation. I rolled my eyes at every whinny comment (of which, there seemed to be a lot).
The world-building within this story was also a bit confusing. There were hints that this world started out much like our own but then the world “broke” and the characters are now living in a post-apocalyptic world thousands of years later. That wasn’t really explained well and I think the little “hints” we got about this were unnecessary. If this wasn’t going to be a focus of the world-building (which it’s not), then I don’t understand why the author didn’t just create a fully fantastical world. That’s how it felt anyway (what with demons, different kinds of fae, gods/godlings, magical devices etc.).
While the writing style was hooking and I’m interested to see where this story will take us next, this book really needed to go through another round of editing. There were fully repeated sentences (something would be said or thought and then a few lines later, the exact same line would show up again), there were a couple of times that the wrong words were used (one that made me laugh, for example, was when a character shouted “At least!” when it should’ve been “At last!”), and the punctuation was horrendous (there were commas thrown in willy-nilly at times, creating pauses where there didn’t need to be any and making the sentences appear really choppy and ill-composed AND THEN, despite her over-abundance of commas, she wouldn’t use the Oxford comma when making a list). All of this was a bit maddening at times, although I’ll admit that I overlooked quite a bit in favor of staying hooked within the story. I hope the editing gets better in subsequent novels (but I won’t hold my breath).
As a whole, this was a fun why-choose read that I enjoyed. There were a lot of little irritants throughout the story, but there was also something about the novel that just pulled me in. As I said, I’m looking forward to finding out what happens next in book #2!
July 25, 2022
We meet Lioria as she accepts a shipment of the Lord's Tonic for the Silver Roo Inn. Her name has the Demon Lord's man insulting her. Not an uncommon occurence since her name says everything about her, she's an orphan with no lineage to entice a match.
We also meet her friend Malka, she has a gift or some would say curse of seeing spirits. In Malka's case she wears a blindfold and the spirits guide her so she doesn't get overwhelmed by walking through them. Most with her gift are locked up and don't live long going mad from the whispers of the souls surrounding them.
Lioria grabs a couple vials of the tonic when she discovers Malka has never had it and they almost get caught by Mistress Claridieu, the owner of the establishment. The Mistress has a special task for Lioria that requires her special skill.
Old magical things like Lioria, and often wake for her. In this case a decorative orb is required for a meeting that will be taking place. If it doesn't work the Mistress will be in trouble with the ones who requested it.
Lioria's friend Kirra, the cook for the tavern has made a special treat for her. Four small pastries that will lead to a change in Lioria's life.
Belial is drawn by the scent of the little hand pies and finding Lioria has caused something intriguing to happen, his demon begins to awaken. This is only the first of these important men to notice her.
Eligos is the second one to encounter Lioria. She's resting after proving the orb would cover the area needed for the meeting, having depleted her magic. At first Eligos berates her for being in the room at all then realizes the reason she would be there. He gives her some advice about using the orb so it doesn't drain her magic and then stays with her while she rests. It's then he also discovers his demon awakening.
The meeting is of the seven Demon Lords, Alastor, Shax, Raum, Oriax, Valac, Belial and Eligos. They each control a part of Eden maintaining the peace that is non-existent on the continent. Well, all but Belial and Eligos, who always stay together, so they control their area together.
Both Belial and Eligos want Lioria and to make that happen they meet with her and the Mistress to come to an agreement.
Oriax decides he wants a chance at Lioria when it finally hits him that she is the one who was able to awaken the orb. There is quite the confrontation as Lioria is saying her good-byes at the Inn.
From the moment Lioria leaves with the two Demon Lords she knows her world has forever changed. From the household staff to her new position as secretary there are challenges everywhere. Oriax has taken to writing her notes which she is actually enjoying. Then there's Shax who seems to hate her but the vibes are wrong.
We meet some pretty amazing magical characters as well as some scary ones, as Lioria finds her place in this new environment.
I love the world building here, it's subtly intertwined with the story and each new area offers challenges. Some good and some downright dangerous. There's laughter, tears, action, frustration, and sizzling heat as we learn more about these Demon Lords and Lioria.
There is a cliffhanger ending but I was expecting it so it wasn't too terrible, I just have to suck it up and wait for the next book!
We also meet her friend Malka, she has a gift or some would say curse of seeing spirits. In Malka's case she wears a blindfold and the spirits guide her so she doesn't get overwhelmed by walking through them. Most with her gift are locked up and don't live long going mad from the whispers of the souls surrounding them.
Lioria grabs a couple vials of the tonic when she discovers Malka has never had it and they almost get caught by Mistress Claridieu, the owner of the establishment. The Mistress has a special task for Lioria that requires her special skill.
Old magical things like Lioria, and often wake for her. In this case a decorative orb is required for a meeting that will be taking place. If it doesn't work the Mistress will be in trouble with the ones who requested it.
Lioria's friend Kirra, the cook for the tavern has made a special treat for her. Four small pastries that will lead to a change in Lioria's life.
Belial is drawn by the scent of the little hand pies and finding Lioria has caused something intriguing to happen, his demon begins to awaken. This is only the first of these important men to notice her.
Eligos is the second one to encounter Lioria. She's resting after proving the orb would cover the area needed for the meeting, having depleted her magic. At first Eligos berates her for being in the room at all then realizes the reason she would be there. He gives her some advice about using the orb so it doesn't drain her magic and then stays with her while she rests. It's then he also discovers his demon awakening.
The meeting is of the seven Demon Lords, Alastor, Shax, Raum, Oriax, Valac, Belial and Eligos. They each control a part of Eden maintaining the peace that is non-existent on the continent. Well, all but Belial and Eligos, who always stay together, so they control their area together.
Both Belial and Eligos want Lioria and to make that happen they meet with her and the Mistress to come to an agreement.
Oriax decides he wants a chance at Lioria when it finally hits him that she is the one who was able to awaken the orb. There is quite the confrontation as Lioria is saying her good-byes at the Inn.
From the moment Lioria leaves with the two Demon Lords she knows her world has forever changed. From the household staff to her new position as secretary there are challenges everywhere. Oriax has taken to writing her notes which she is actually enjoying. Then there's Shax who seems to hate her but the vibes are wrong.
We meet some pretty amazing magical characters as well as some scary ones, as Lioria finds her place in this new environment.
I love the world building here, it's subtly intertwined with the story and each new area offers challenges. Some good and some downright dangerous. There's laughter, tears, action, frustration, and sizzling heat as we learn more about these Demon Lords and Lioria.
There is a cliffhanger ending but I was expecting it so it wasn't too terrible, I just have to suck it up and wait for the next book!
July 3, 2023
I went into this book expecting a light, fast, demon romance of the same caliber of ‘Love and Monsters’ and I got so much more. This book does hit a lot of my favorite tropes and also one of my favorite romance themes is demonic fantasy so if that isn’t for you, you might not find the same joy I found in it as anything with demons is never gonna get less than 3 stars unless it is completely unreadable. The premise hits heavy in the sex scenes, heavy on the drama, and gives great political intrigue that I was not super bored with which I tend to usually have a hard time following as sometimes in fantasy books they can drag. I cannot wait to start the next book and can’t wait for her third release in December this year.
I will say that this book would have been a 5 star read for me as far as romance books go if there had been a more polished editor’s eye on it. I know that as a self published title it is so hard to see everything with fresh eyes but there are repeats of some paragraphs, spelling errors and some clunky writing in some places that if they were relooked at would take this book to the next level in my opinion!
If you don’t like - why choose, possessive, demonic, monster fucking, threesomes things of that nature, maybe not for you 💖
I will say that this book would have been a 5 star read for me as far as romance books go if there had been a more polished editor’s eye on it. I know that as a self published title it is so hard to see everything with fresh eyes but there are repeats of some paragraphs, spelling errors and some clunky writing in some places that if they were relooked at would take this book to the next level in my opinion!
If you don’t like - why choose, possessive, demonic, monster fucking, threesomes things of that nature, maybe not for you 💖
July 31, 2022
The only real con I have to mention for this book is honestly the spelling errors throughout. Thankfully, they're not bad enough to detract from the story, so it still gets a high rating from me. And what a story it is!
I enjoyed the world building, lore, variety of races, and smart mouthed heroine. Let's not even get into the surprisingly sweet but still hot AF Demon Lords. The spice is truly *chef's kiss* and the aftercare and general consideration for their lover is up there too. It's always a pleasant surprise to see the latter presented to any extent. Initially, I didn't think I'd fully love the two main love interests in this first book, but they are really a near perfect combo.
The expected cliffhanger was perfectly shocking and I'm most definitely invested in seeing how the rest of the story plays out for all these characters, even some of the secondary ones (looking at you, Teill and Naexi). This was my first book I've read by this author, but it will not be my last!
I enjoyed the world building, lore, variety of races, and smart mouthed heroine. Let's not even get into the surprisingly sweet but still hot AF Demon Lords. The spice is truly *chef's kiss* and the aftercare and general consideration for their lover is up there too. It's always a pleasant surprise to see the latter presented to any extent. Initially, I didn't think I'd fully love the two main love interests in this first book, but they are really a near perfect combo.
The expected cliffhanger was perfectly shocking and I'm most definitely invested in seeing how the rest of the story plays out for all these characters, even some of the secondary ones (looking at you, Teill and Naexi). This was my first book I've read by this author, but it will not be my last!
August 3, 2022
Fantasy romance isn't a genre that I typically would read but I am so glad that I read this book. This is a wonderful start to a new series. The author has created a fantasy world that I would like to visit. It is full of High Demon Lords, humans, faes, and many other creatures. In this book we get some of the background of what has happened in past and what is currently going on. There is a lot of intrigue between the seven High Demon Lords. After a secret meeting at the Silver Roo where Lioria, a tavern girl, is uses a fairy artifact to create a shield so that what the lords discuss can't be heard by anyone else, she is on their radar.
I loved how the relationship between Lioria, Belial, and Eligos developed through this story as well as getting somewhat of an introduction to Oriax and Shax. It's difficult to know who should be trusted as each of the High Demon Lords have their own agenda. The story does end in a cliffhanger, and I can't wait to see what happens next.
I loved how the relationship between Lioria, Belial, and Eligos developed through this story as well as getting somewhat of an introduction to Oriax and Shax. It's difficult to know who should be trusted as each of the High Demon Lords have their own agenda. The story does end in a cliffhanger, and I can't wait to see what happens next.
October 11, 2022
Why choose one demon?
This was my first why choose book where the males were also a couple and I honestly loved it.
My first thought was totally about Ruthless Boys and how Leon would love this but Gabby and Ryder would die first 😂
That aside. This was a great book.
How does one human girl inspire so much chaos and love?
The FMC also wants to know the answer. She’s fierce and awkward and I love her for her.
This is a multiple POV book which is definitely something I like need at this point in my books and it was steamy and spicy and funny all rolled up in one. I very much enjoyed this read. It is not for anyone who is not a fan of Dark Romance.
That being said. There is very light SA so this is a trigger warning!
Spice: 🌶🌶.5 (I have a feeling the next book it will really pick up- slowish burn in this one)
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥
Sweetness: 💗💗💗.5
All around a great read that was hard to put down (had small typos but nothing that made it hard to read)
This was my first why choose book where the males were also a couple and I honestly loved it.
My first thought was totally about Ruthless Boys and how Leon would love this but Gabby and Ryder would die first 😂
That aside. This was a great book.
How does one human girl inspire so much chaos and love?
The FMC also wants to know the answer. She’s fierce and awkward and I love her for her.
This is a multiple POV book which is definitely something I like need at this point in my books and it was steamy and spicy and funny all rolled up in one. I very much enjoyed this read. It is not for anyone who is not a fan of Dark Romance.
That being said. There is very light SA so this is a trigger warning!
Spice: 🌶🌶.5 (I have a feeling the next book it will really pick up- slowish burn in this one)
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥
Sweetness: 💗💗💗.5
All around a great read that was hard to put down (had small typos but nothing that made it hard to read)
October 31, 2022
This was delicious. Initially it started off as a mild burning curiosity while introducing the characters, their world, and their stories. All of that was well written and entertaining. Morally grey Demon Lords and a woman who is for all appearances an orphan commoner working in a tavern with a gift for magical objects and a very conflicted attraction to the two Demon Lords who take her into their employ (oh and by the way she assumes they are gay, she's HALF right of course...) Once her employment starts the story really picks up pace and the fireworks soon follow. It was thoroughly enjoyable following along as Lioria worked on figuring out her identity, her place in the world, her conflictions and her position between the Demon Lords. Why choose reverse harem with moments of mild consent issues, explicit sexual scenes including both hetero and homosexuality, if you enjoyed the ACOTAR series you will feel right at home with Demon in My Veins.
April 13, 2023
I kind of hate the backwater average tavern server turned critical to the entire magical universe on its head because she is inherently magical and also happens to be the mate of demons as a trope but this was still done reasonably well. Lioria was strong willed and impressive at times while frustratingly irritating at others. I also didn’t enjoy the why aren’t two of the most powerful beings in earth enough for me to be compelling at all.
Belial and Eligos were also sweet but their secretiveness made me want to smack my head into a wall. The overall world building was also haphazard at best and I got the impression it was all intentionally vague to set up a series which I find to be cheap because you can set up a well thought out world and still advance the plot over a series. The spice was also fun and well done. A reasonably enjoyable start to a fantasy smutty set of books with some things to improve on.
Belial and Eligos were also sweet but their secretiveness made me want to smack my head into a wall. The overall world building was also haphazard at best and I got the impression it was all intentionally vague to set up a series which I find to be cheap because you can set up a well thought out world and still advance the plot over a series. The spice was also fun and well done. A reasonably enjoyable start to a fantasy smutty set of books with some things to improve on.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 12, 2022
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I got a little lost as the story began and thought I may have missed something. I was able to get back on track and get pulled into Lioria’s world. The story continued to have moments that slowed, but overall I liked and empathized with the characters and their plight. I love that we can see the contrast of their public vs. private personas adding to their intrigue. However, I didn’t connect with them too deeply past their roles in the story.
The fantasy aspect is still new to me, but that didn’t matter. The cliffhanger at the end, however, was rough and came just when things were starting to get really interesting. I took a chance on a new author and genre, and for me, it has so far paid off. I can’t wait to see how it all unfolds.
Voluntarily reviewed after receiving a free copy courtesy of the author, Sydney James.
The fantasy aspect is still new to me, but that didn’t matter. The cliffhanger at the end, however, was rough and came just when things were starting to get really interesting. I took a chance on a new author and genre, and for me, it has so far paid off. I can’t wait to see how it all unfolds.
Voluntarily reviewed after receiving a free copy courtesy of the author, Sydney James.
July 10, 2024
I wanted to like this book, but Lioria was just too off-putting...
I have no problem with having a FMC who has flaws. A lot of times I come across a book where the Author describes the FMC as having "curves in all the right places", however, that was not the case with Leoria. For a woman to describe herself as a "big woman", that is not "curves" that's straight-up fat/overweight. I honestly tried to ignore these little details about her, but hearing her thoughts about her belly jiggling, that's a hard no for me. Also, with the life she has lived, how is she overweight? It didn't sound like the type of life where she had food available to her 24/7. How can someone enjoy a book when the FMC grosses you out? As I said, I'm not looking for a perfect FMC, but the FMC in this book went beyond what I can handle.
I have no problem with having a FMC who has flaws. A lot of times I come across a book where the Author describes the FMC as having "curves in all the right places", however, that was not the case with Leoria. For a woman to describe herself as a "big woman", that is not "curves" that's straight-up fat/overweight. I honestly tried to ignore these little details about her, but hearing her thoughts about her belly jiggling, that's a hard no for me. Also, with the life she has lived, how is she overweight? It didn't sound like the type of life where she had food available to her 24/7. How can someone enjoy a book when the FMC grosses you out? As I said, I'm not looking for a perfect FMC, but the FMC in this book went beyond what I can handle.
August 5, 2022
This is a fantasy book with a little of everything. Humans, demons, fae, etc.
Lioria works in a tavern and has the ability to make fae artifacts work. She is asked to sit in on a meeting with the seven High Demon Lords and use an artifact that creates a shield preventing others from hearing the meeting.
She draws the attention of Belial and Eligos who decide to buy out her contract and take her to their home as their secretary.
The attraction and bond between the three strengthens and they become a ménage but she also finds herself attracted to two of the other Lords, Oriax and Shax.
The Lords all have areas they protect and soon it is noticed that some of the barriers are being broken. It looks as if war may be coming.
This does end on a cliffy and I can not wait until book 2!
Lioria works in a tavern and has the ability to make fae artifacts work. She is asked to sit in on a meeting with the seven High Demon Lords and use an artifact that creates a shield preventing others from hearing the meeting.
She draws the attention of Belial and Eligos who decide to buy out her contract and take her to their home as their secretary.
The attraction and bond between the three strengthens and they become a ménage but she also finds herself attracted to two of the other Lords, Oriax and Shax.
The Lords all have areas they protect and soon it is noticed that some of the barriers are being broken. It looks as if war may be coming.
This does end on a cliffy and I can not wait until book 2!
August 13, 2023
Interesting
But long winded. I almost gave up reading this a few times mainly because the heroine went on and on about being a nobody. It got tedious to read about. To me it read as though the plot was up in the air till about three quarters in. One minute she wants to run away next she's crying that they don't want her....
Sloppy writing, the info dumps just had me skipping, I found them boring. There is a plot here if you dig for it but between the smut and the now forgotten info dumps it takes some dedication. I reckon if a book is going to be epic don't try add so much going on especially in book 1. I still haven't warmed up to the heroine and this was one hell of long book.
But long winded. I almost gave up reading this a few times mainly because the heroine went on and on about being a nobody. It got tedious to read about. To me it read as though the plot was up in the air till about three quarters in. One minute she wants to run away next she's crying that they don't want her....
Sloppy writing, the info dumps just had me skipping, I found them boring. There is a plot here if you dig for it but between the smut and the now forgotten info dumps it takes some dedication. I reckon if a book is going to be epic don't try add so much going on especially in book 1. I still haven't warmed up to the heroine and this was one hell of long book.
December 1, 2023
Overall I enjoyed this book with complex world building and interesting magical powers. The relationship between Belial and Eligos was really nuanced and well done, and the romantic story line of Lioria completing them was similar to other menage books I've read. I liked the mystery around Lioria's effect on the demon lords and all the different people they meet. The world building was interesting, and revealed in an organic way, and the romance was both sweet and sexy in a very satisfying way. My biggest issue is that the story ended on a pretty major cliffhanger, and as of 2023 the series isn't finished, so be aware before reading. I still recommend this series for fantasy romance fans, but I might wait until there are a few more books in the series before picking up book 2 myself.
May 8, 2023
Amazing First Book
WHAT WAS THAT ENDING?!?! My gods what a way to end the first book. I am now desperate for book two. Feral for it actually.
Firstly, I love all of these characters. Sydney has created an amazing cast of characters in a world that was confusing in the beginning, but you begin to grasp it as the story goes on.
Belial and Eligos are the first demons our main character becomes close with and they’re the cutest couple 🥹 I love their banter and the way they can speak to each other without speaking at all.
The ending had a twist I did NOT see coming. Give this book a shot, you won’t be disappointed!
WHAT WAS THAT ENDING?!?! My gods what a way to end the first book. I am now desperate for book two. Feral for it actually.
Firstly, I love all of these characters. Sydney has created an amazing cast of characters in a world that was confusing in the beginning, but you begin to grasp it as the story goes on.
Belial and Eligos are the first demons our main character becomes close with and they’re the cutest couple 🥹 I love their banter and the way they can speak to each other without speaking at all.
The ending had a twist I did NOT see coming. Give this book a shot, you won’t be disappointed!
May 27, 2023
I tried my hardest to get through this one; but I ended up not finishing it.
I got 30% in before I DNF.
The world building was nonexistent. We get 2 of the 7 demons and you would think we’d have more information on these two; at least enough to distinguish between the two… but that’s not the case. The two are interchangeable. Also, the POV is all over the place. It’s difficult to know who’s point of view we are in. While reading I was thinking about what book to read next. When I wasn’t reading, I wasn’t excited to pick the book back up. So I decided, there are too many good books out there to waste time on ones I’m obviously not into.
I got 30% in before I DNF.
The world building was nonexistent. We get 2 of the 7 demons and you would think we’d have more information on these two; at least enough to distinguish between the two… but that’s not the case. The two are interchangeable. Also, the POV is all over the place. It’s difficult to know who’s point of view we are in. While reading I was thinking about what book to read next. When I wasn’t reading, I wasn’t excited to pick the book back up. So I decided, there are too many good books out there to waste time on ones I’m obviously not into.
August 9, 2022
This book was a little long with 56 chapters and ends on a cliffhanger. The chapters show various points of view mostly between the three main characters Lioria, Beliel, and Eligos. I will say quite a few of the names used in this book are not easy to pronounce. I love how the story unfolds. It definitely has some spice in it, but there is a good plot as well. While this book does seem a little long I feel myself wanting more. There are a few side characters I would have liked to have seen more of. but all in all great book, worth a read. I cant wait for the next one.
August 16, 2022
I received this book as an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
If you have seen Seven Deadly Sins you would absolutely love this book. It gives me the vibes of that anime while being so much more. I like the take she did on the seven deadly sins and how they are portrayed in the book. I loved how are main female character was not a damsel the whole book that she had a back bone and was not afraid to make her opinion known. Its a well written story and every chapter felt engaging and kept my attention through the book.
If you have seen Seven Deadly Sins you would absolutely love this book. It gives me the vibes of that anime while being so much more. I like the take she did on the seven deadly sins and how they are portrayed in the book. I loved how are main female character was not a damsel the whole book that she had a back bone and was not afraid to make her opinion known. Its a well written story and every chapter felt engaging and kept my attention through the book.
September 24, 2022
An incredible WhyChoose fantasy read
I had no expectations going into this - it's a new-to-me author and I've struggled with fantasy lately, but the world building in this book is done so well that it never feels dry or unwieldy as it sometimes can. The characters were unique and interesting, and the lore/concept is fascinating, I'm excited to read more in this series (I believe it's book one of five).
There were a few typos, but nothing that impacted my enjoyment of the book.
I had no expectations going into this - it's a new-to-me author and I've struggled with fantasy lately, but the world building in this book is done so well that it never feels dry or unwieldy as it sometimes can. The characters were unique and interesting, and the lore/concept is fascinating, I'm excited to read more in this series (I believe it's book one of five).
There were a few typos, but nothing that impacted my enjoyment of the book.
October 13, 2024
I should have finished this book a month sooner than I did because I was already on the last two chapters before I got distracted. But alas, here is my review:
This is the best Romantasy I've ever read. It had good world-building, character analysis, and writing, the main character wasn't insufferable, and the smut was great. I had been trying to find a book like this for a while and I would always DNF'ed them due to one or more of the above being sacrificed for the sake of smut.
I will be reading the next installments eventually, but probably not until December.
This is the best Romantasy I've ever read. It had good world-building, character analysis, and writing, the main character wasn't insufferable, and the smut was great. I had been trying to find a book like this for a while and I would always DNF'ed them due to one or more of the above being sacrificed for the sake of smut.
I will be reading the next installments eventually, but probably not until December.
July 24, 2022
Demon in My Veins by Sydney St. James has it all! Humans, High Demon Lord's, fae, fairies, mythical and magical creatures of every form. A main female character learning to view herself as more, hurt, deception, war, love, gods, spice... This book had me captivated from the beginning and watching the characters grow and discover more about themselves was heartwarming. I highly recommend this book and am waiting very impatiently for more from this author!!
July 28, 2022
This book was absolutely amazing! And the cliffhanger at the end has me screaming!
I got the pleasure to have this book be my first ARC, and I will admit there are some tiny spelling errors though out, but nothing that’s unbearable. The plot was amazing and I was on edge and zipping through this like nobody’s business! The spice was *chefs kiss*!! I can’t wait for the second book!!!
I got the pleasure to have this book be my first ARC, and I will admit there are some tiny spelling errors though out, but nothing that’s unbearable. The plot was amazing and I was on edge and zipping through this like nobody’s business! The spice was *chefs kiss*!! I can’t wait for the second book!!!
October 7, 2023
3.5 rounded up. World building, awesome! Characters, great start. Story, a little confusing and slow to start, I think quite a bit could be cut and it would still be a good story. There are a lot of grammatical and editing errors, but I think the story is so good, I was able to ignore most of them.
August 19, 2024
I enjoyed this book, the plot, and characters. While it took long to get to the spice, when we finally got there it was good. I do think too much was happening for me to keep track of, a lot of names and places and history that was tough to follow. I enjoyed the book but don’t find myself wanting to finish the series
July 26, 2022
ARC review
I wasn’t ready for how much I enjoyed this book! No idea how I’m going to wait for the next one to be released! If you like demons and spice in your books, this is the one for you. More please!
I wasn’t ready for how much I enjoyed this book! No idea how I’m going to wait for the next one to be released! If you like demons and spice in your books, this is the one for you. More please!
October 7, 2022
looking forward to next book
Honestly I wasn’t to sure if I was going to get into this one. It took me till about half way through, but I really starting to enjoy it & I'm excited to get into book #2
Honestly I wasn’t to sure if I was going to get into this one. It took me till about half way through, but I really starting to enjoy it & I'm excited to get into book #2
February 3, 2023
This book surprised me. I was pulled into the story immediately. I started this book not knowing anything about it except for the synopsis and loved it! I am fully vested and cannot wait to read the next one!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews