Throne in the Dark

Villains & Virtues #1

by A.K. Caggiano

His dark destiny awaits, and nothing will stand in his way. Except her.

Dark lord
Demon spawn
Prophesied realm destroyer

With a demon for a father, Damien Maleficus Bloodthorne’s destiny could be nothing but nefarious, and with the completion of his most vicious spell, Damien is on the cusp of fulfilling the evil inevitability all of his dark machinations have led to.

And then, her.

Bubbly
Obnoxious
Blonde

Harboring secrets of her own, a tiny yet troublesome thief calling herself Amma completely upsets Damien’s malevolent plans when she mistakenly gets chained to his side through magic, forcing him to drag her across the realm. Killing her would fix things, of course, but the nauseatingly sweet Amma proves herself useful on Damien's unholy crusade and then proves herself the source of something even more sinister: feelings.

Will Damien be forced to abandon his villainous birthright to help the tender thorn in his side? Or will he manage to overcome the virtue Amma insists on inspiring and instead cut it out at the heart?

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Romantasy, Fantasy Romance, Audiobook, Enemies To Lovers, Magic

459 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 28, 2022

About the author

Ashley is an indie author who likes to write silly little stories that hopefully bring readers joy. She likes cats, guacamole, feminism, and the internet.

Reviews

[Allison E · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am unreasonably annoyed at this book. My rating is more based on my feEliNgS and pettiness than the actual quality but here are my thoughts.

The first 75% of this book I wanted to DNF so badly but I was told to stick it through and so I did… the last 25% almost had me thinking it should be a higher rating but then I consider the following things and I get angry again:

- [ ] The way that the father figure who’s supposed to be an evil demon uses words like “kiddo”, “bud”, “champ” & “pops”. I get that this was done to play with genre convention / expectations and deliver on the whole fantasy rom com thing but it just pissed me off. Twas very cringe and incongruent.
- [ ] The absolute lack of agency that the FMC Amma has for 75% of this book. Without spoiling anything there’s a ~magical~ reason for her lack of agency and so she just gets controlled and ordered around for most of the story and it only served to piss me off more
- [ ] Speaking of the FMC…I have never been more irritated and bored to be inside someone’s head. The girl’s only personality trait is that she’s nice. Which wouldn’t be the worst thing in the word if we literally knew anything else about her. Genuinely you don’t know who she is until the last 25% (do you see a pattern).
- [ ] Actually she’s nice AND she also whines a lot. That’s her other personality trait. Amma whined or whimpered a total of 27 times. And I couldn’t fucking stand it. This my pettiest complaint of this whole list but those two verbs don’t inspire any sympathy in me I just wanted to punch Amma in the face.
- [ ] Wait I thought of another thing she is always an idiotic damsel in distress so when not being a sugary sweet piece of cardboard bread she is wide eyed with paniCC. I think you all get the point but Amma was a very grating character for me
- [ ] The info dumps at the beginning of this dear god
- [ ] Damien the love interest is supposed to be the like typical dark brooding love interest but with a rom com twist. For the majority of this story he was just a childish asshole with an attitude problem. I didn’t hate him nearly as much as Amma though lol and he did do some sexy things with ropes (there is no chili pepper in this book tho)
- [ ] Fyi - I focus on characters so much in my reviews because characters are typically what drive me through a story. You can give me the craziest plot ever but if I don’t care about the people said plot is happening to I’ll just be reading like this -_-
- [ ] The plot in question…just kind of lacked direction? This is essentially a quest fantasy but the journey just got derailed for the entire story and… that was the plot I guess. It left me feeling very unsatisfied (this is a series tho).
- [ ] Words and phrases to prepare yourself for in a fantasy setting: “toodles”, “I have a resting villain face, “waste of an only-one-bed situation” (very meta), “Amma, my father is a demon, not a thespian”

OKAY all of this aside let me say some nice things because this book genuinely isn’t bad. It doesn’t deserve this two star… I’m just mad.

- [ ] The sense of humor sometimes was actually hilarious. The chapter titles in particular were comedic gold (the humor didn’t always work for me but when it did I was 10/10 chuckling)
- [ ] Some of the romantic moments were unbelievably well written? How the author was able to write chemistry between an emotionally stunted demon and the flattest female character I’ve ever read is truly beyond me.
- [ ] Damien experiences some nice little character growth and gets in touch with his feelings which, while formulaic, was admittedly cute and funny
- [ ] Damien is not only a consent #king but he’s also a bisexual villain. And that rocked
- [ ] There were tons of fun magical creatures. A good old fantasy magical creature soup. Yum
- [ ] The overall vibes of the story I was loving. I need to read a fantasy rom com I like bc the idea has such potential? I just didn’t like the execution

If you’re still reading this I do want to mention that I WOULD actually recommend this book LOL. It’s a story that’s worth giving a chance and I can see it being very enjoyable to a lot of people… it just wasn’t working for me personally. (I partially blame my The Will of The Many induced book slump)

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another hidden gem! I’m a sucker for grumpy/sunshine. Especially when said grump is a half-demon blood mage, who happens to have a soft spot for the annoying and bubbly human he accidentally placed an evil enthralled talisman inside of. This is a slowburn, and it is perfectly paced. The humor in this book was top tier. I literally lol’d more than a few times. The banter is spot on! I loved the magic and all the creatures. High fantasy at its best. Like with any fantasy, it takes a bit to learn the world and how it works. Im obsessed and I can’t wait to dive into book 2.

[✨Julie✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

✩ 4 stars ✩

What to Expect:
➼ Grumpy x Sunshine
➼ Morally Gray MMC
➼ Half-Demon Mage x Human
➼ Slow Burn
➼ Forced Proximity
➼ Banter
➼ Fantasy Rom-Com
➼ Blood Magic (His Own)
➼ Opposites Attract
➼ Magical Quest
➼ Secret Identity
➼ Third Person POV

“Did you hear that?” Amma’s sharp whisper cut into Damien’s mind as it began to drift into sleep.
He groaned. “You mean that terrifying cry that sounded like a woman being gutted?”
“Yes!”
“No, I didn’t. Go to sleep.”

This is a true grumpy x sunshine slow burn romance between Damien, a Half-Demon Mage and a blonde bubbly soft hearted human named Amma. Just as Damien is on the cusp of completing his evil quest, he crosses paths with Amma whose penchant for theft finds her tied to the one magical artifact he needs to enact his nefarious plot. He could of course just kill her and be done with it, but Amma’s tender nature brings out a softness in him that takes him on yet another quest to safely separate her from the object.

This was such a fun and lighthearted read! The author has a great sense of humor and her writing had me smiling and laughing through out. Everything was just really well done! The side characters were quirky and well developed, the banter between the MC’s was on point, the world the author created was somehow both simple and creative. Honestly I think fantasy rom-coms are for everyone, but certainly if you loved Assistant to the Villain, you will love this book! I honestly think I enjoyed this one more! A great book for anyone who wants to disassociate and take a break from the real world for a little while. 😁

✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼

Pre-read: So excited that my library finally purchased this series and there wasn’t even a wait! Immediately moved this to the front of the line!! 💜

≪ ◦ ❖ ◦ ≫

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[stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

"But there was one creature that trolled Aszath Koth’s alleys that night, one from beyond the Infernal Mountain’s pass, that he couldn’t have counted on, and that creature would prove to test Damien’s resolution more than any darkness ever could."

i felt like i was born to read this. like this series is the becoming of my own destiny. this book was so much fun and so beyond the depths of incredible. the world building, the characters, the weird little creatures and horrific monsters described, everything. literally everything

the slow burn is definitely burning slowly and i'm in love with amma and damien's "situationship" (the best word i can describe it as but god they're so in love i want to scream). banter was top tier. the comedic timing was perfect and i actually laughed out loud which is very rare for me when it comes to funniness in books. i squealed with excitement and anticipation. my feet were kicking. my tummy even had butterflies during some of the scenes (iykyk) (cough the rope tying scene cough)

it's like the author knew every single one of my favorite tropes and put them in a blender and this book was the result. this book is the smoothie of book brilliance and i want to just show everyone and be like "hey you should read this. why? because “Well, you know, sometimes you just need to have some fucking fun, all right?”" i could quote this book all day tbh i have so many moments annotated and i keep going back and looking at them because i'm just in love

i'm so ready for the ride i'm going to be on for the rest of this series like i'm already mourning the ending and i'm not even halfway done yet

i just. yeah. read this book and maybe read it again because i know i will

[Kaila.Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was the perfect romantasy rom com x princess bride coded … I’ll be continuing the series !

[Marianna Moore · Rating 2 out of 5]

Damnit. I really wanted to like this one! In fact I tried so hard to like it that I was gaslighting myself for the first 50% into thinking it wasn’t that bad and was going to get better…. I fear that it did in fact get worse.

The overall plot had a lot of potential but ended up being so boring. Our MMC Damien is a demon/blood mage and created a talisman to free his father from prison. He gets into a predicament when our FMC Amma absorbs the talisman so he ends up having to take her with him on his quest to to free his father and now find a way to remove the talisman without killing her…. So it’s essentially a quest plot but the quest is weak at best and not much else goes on other than them wandering around to woods getting attacked by random creatures every now and then. The world building was extremely clunky and one big info dump so getting into this book was also tough. And I felt like there was a lot going on yet absolutely nothing happened at the same time.

This is grumpy sunshine which I’m a sucker for so I did like Damien and Amma’s dynamic, they had great banter and the tension definitely built throughout the book, but it kind of stopped there in terms of what I liked about their relationship because it didn’t really give me anything else. Damien was scrumptious he’s a demon cinnamon roll and I did really like his character, he’s so confused by his emotions towards amma and doesn’t understand how/why she makes him feel the things he does and his inner monologue is hilarious. So I was actually really disappointed that the rest of the book gave me absolutely nothing because unfortunately he was not enough to keep me interested. Amma also gave me absolutely nothing, she had zero depth and was quite frankly annoying as fuck so there’s that.

Everything was very low stakes, the ending was very anticlimactic and I feel like I just spent 450 pages reading about two people banter while walking through the woods. So I have negative interest in continuing the trilogy.

Would I recommend…? No. No I would not.

[Lucie V. · Rating 5 out of 5]

✅ 2 POVs
✅ Grumpy x Sunshine dynamic
✅ Forced proximity / Slow burn
✅ Good banter
✅ Rom-com vibe in a fantasy setting
✅ Magical quest
✅ Half demons, imps, mages, and other creatures
✅ Pace and plot
❗️❗️Trigger warnings: mentions of past sexual abuse (no details, only mentioned)

4.5 stars

The prophecy said the hallowed son, not the hallowed son, the Abyss’s most annoying servant, and some girl who got herself in the way, but then again, now was no time to start putting complete stock in the words of a diviner even if everyone else already had.

Damien is a grumpy half-demon blood mage on a quest to free his demon father from the magical prison he has been put in. He is set on vanquishing the realm’s king, freeing his father, and proving to everyone that he is the most evil there is. When Amma, a bubbly, optimistic, kind, and sweet human, accidentally finds herself magically bound to Damien, he ends up having to change his plans. The problem is, the more time he is forced to spend with Amma, the more he realizes that he might not be as villainous as he says he is. Even worse, he might be starting to care, even though he claims half-demons can’t feel love.

The beginning of the book is intriguing and engaging, but it does drag on a tiny bit near the middle. The pace does pick up in the second half, though, and the ending was great. It makes me happy that the second book is out already, and that I do not have to wait to read it.

I was afraid at first that Amma would be a little annoying with her positivity and willingness to help everyone just because, but she is so genuine, it is impossible not to like her. She is always willing to help others, simply because it’s the right thing to do, but she is not gullible and naïve because of that. She is clever, and she knows how to use her appearance and her bubbly personality to her advantage. Amma also keeps many secrets about her identity and her past, and I like how it was hinted at, but not revealed right away. I guessed it all by the time it was uncovered, but it was still nice to keep a little mystery around her, and for her to be more than just a naïve, cute blonde woman, as she first appears. It is admirable how much she cares about the people around her, no matter if she knows them or not.

Damien had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. “Surely, I don’t look like that.”
“It’s close,” she warned, features relaxing. “You have resting villain face.”
“I am a villain.”
And then Amma, the girl he had abducted, dragged across the realm, and threatened to murder, actually rolled her eyes at him.

Damien is not a good character, but not a very good villain. He likes to remind Amma how horrible and villainous he is, but his actions show that he is a big softy underneath his snark. Even before he met Amma andwas forced to spend time with her, I can’t say that he felt that evil. He is definitely an antisocial grump, but he is far from being the dark evil plague he claims to be. He cares too much about the welfare of his people, and he has some limits that he does not cross, especially when it comes to free will and consent. Damien has complete control over Amma, yet he never abuses it. Sure, he tells her to stop talking or forces her to remain in her room, but he never takes it further. If he truly was that evil, he would have abused this power over her for sure.

“On second thought, your assistance may come in handy.”
“Are you sure?” She bit her lip. “Because Branson seemed really interested in showing me how those barrels get filled.”
He glared across the tavern at the man. “The only thing that barkeep is interested in filling, is you with Branson-son.”
She gasped, too playful now to be convincing. “No! That can’t be what he meant. It’s got nothing to do with chickens.”
“Chickens?”
“He said if I went back there with him, he’d show me his massive co—”
“Sanguinisui, go outside!”

The way the romance is developing between Amma and Damien reminds me of a rom-com, but set in a fantasy world. They are forced to travel together, and there is good, but not forced, banter. Their situation is serious, yet the book maintains a light tone. Almost as if we are meant not to take it too seriously. This book feels cozy and cute, while also having fantastical elements, as well as some politics and action/fighting.

Because Damien recognizes the imbalance of power created by the enchantment between Amma and him, he does not cross any line with her. They have yet to kiss properly and do more than yearn for each other, making this a cozy slow-burn. There is some sexual tension building here, and I am eager to see how things will develop between them. I also want to mention how nice it is that we can see how they are attracted to each other, yet we don’t have to read page after page of them thinking how gorgeous and perfect the other is. It is mentioned a few times, but it is not over the top, and it does not make it seem as if they are both living Greek statues.

“Um, Damien?” Amma cleared her throat. “Are you really complaining they didn’t put us in a sturdier cell?”
“I know you’ve likely become accustomed to this, Amma, but I find it ridiculous. Is it too much to ask to be treated like a threat? I mean, look at me.” He held his hands out, turning to her and standing to his full height.

In a way, this book reminded me a little bit of The Lightning-Struck Heart. It is a fantasy book with a magical quest, yet it is not always very serious, and there is good comedic relief and banter to go with the “I am going to end the Realm and rule over everything” quest. The side characters were also very funny. The way Damien’s dad, the big bad demon, sounds like an everyday good old father, calling Damien "kiddo" or "champ" and asking others to hug him because he seemed to need it, was funny and so adorable. Damien’s half-giant friend and his BFF living in their swamp and trying to recreate something akin to Frankenstein’s monster was weird, but also fit perfectly with the mix of funny and fantastic in this book. Xander is also an intriguing character, even if he was not that present in the book. He will be more important in the sequel, though, and I have a feeling I will like his sassy rivalry with Damien very much.

I saw many readers compare this book to Assistant to the Villain. I haven’t read this one yet, but I really did enjoy the fantasy rom-com feel of this book, so I might very well give Assistant a try if it has a similar vibe. I think I enjoyed it even more since I just finished reading The Handmaid’s Tale, and am currently reading The Testaments, and I need something lighter to compensate for the darker mood of Atwood’s work.


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[Books_and_Crafts · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ULTIMATE grumpy sunshine book.

The definition of an agonizing slow burn.

Comedic relief and banter the experience.

5 stars no notes.

[Rachel (ravenhairedreader) · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5*

[nikki | ཐི༏ཋྀ​​݁ ₊ ݁ . · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am really loving the sunshine x grump trope rn, esp when the grump is an evil, half-demon mage who's attempting realm domination but keeps having his jaded heart thawed by the sunshine damsel in distress he's holding hostage.

it's a slowburn but i am fully expecting AKC to give us some extremely hot spice in book 2, which i need ASAP PLS.

this was a fun mix of slightly dark fantasy with humor that had me constantly cackling aloud to myself:

“Did you hear that?” Amma’s sharp whisper cut into Damien’s mind as it began to drift into sleep.
He groaned. “You mean that terrifying cry that sounded like a woman being gutted?”
“Yes!”
“No, I didn’t. Go to sleep.”

some tropes:
- slow burn
- sunshine x grumpy
- blood magic
- forced proximity
- epic quest
- secret identity

waiting patiently for book 2, pls and thanks.
-----
spoiler alert, i loved the rest of the series AND the two spinoffs (bound to fall and bound & tied)!! read this now!!!! 💖

[✮ malia ✮ (school…) · Rating 4 out of 5]

ITS A 4.5

i loved this so much and its so underrated for no FUCKING REASON please read this book pls pls it’s such a cute romance. WHY ARE PEOPLE HYPING UP SHITTY ASS BOOKS WHEN THIS IS RIGHT HEREEEE LIKE WHYYYYYYYY.

the banter, the world building, the fantasy, EVERYTHING!!!! i lovedddd itttttt

[Tree ✶.˚⟡ ࣪ ⋆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a satisfying read. I will always love the grump with the sunshine trope. The characters were charming and well developed by the end. The slow burn romance was very well paced and the story at the center of it all; wickedly fun. I laughed out loud more than a few times and I can’t wait to read more of Damien, Amma and Kaz’s adventure since it ended in a bit of a cliffhanger. I need book 2 now!

[SHOMPA · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just couldn't shake this feeling that the book needed a bit more work, you know? It felt like there was just too much stuff in there that didn't really need to be, and the writing was kinda heavy-going in every scene. But hey, despite all that, I'm still pumped to see where the series goes from here. It had all the stuff I love: adventure, those characters who are grumpy but also kinda sweet, a magical world, a hero who's a bit shady, some slow-burn romance, and loads of suspense. And the best part? It's all about the journey, you know? Like, the classic trope of a group going on a quest. That's the stuff I'm all about! I absolutely live for this type of fun thing!

[♥︎ Heather ⚔ (New House-Hiatus)]

I keep hearing about this - think I need to move it up on my TBR 💜

[Francesca · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️ Ragazzi avvicinatevi…piano, piano, non fate troppo rumore. Quello che vedete davanti è un esemplare rarissimo e in via di estinzione. La mia voce trema solo a mostrarvelo. Esatto, è proprio lui. Un vero slow burn. SHH SHH, CALMI! Sì, esatto, un vero slow burn! No, non vogliono strapparsi i vestiti a pagina 50! Ora voglio che prendiate un bel respiro perché quello che sto per dirvi potrebbe sconvolgervi. Sedetevi lì nelle sterpaglie, attenti a non fare rumore, se no si spaventa e scappa via. Eccoci. Quello che vedete davanti a voi è un romantasy, siamo tutti d’accordo? La parte romantica è al centro della storia. Ma…non c’è neanche un bacio. SILENZIO, lo spaventate!! Esatto, neanche un bacio, solamente tanta tensione e momenti di conoscenza e avvicinamento tra i due protagonisti! Non si vedeva un esemplare del genere dai tempi di Mulder e Scully. Magnifico, così raro, dal valore inestimabile.

[alli☀️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 ☆
Did I understand anything that happened? No. Did I understand the crazy info dump and descriptions in the beginning? No. So was I confused pretty much the whole book? Yes. Was I disconnected from a lot of it? Yes. But did I enjoy the vibes this gave off? Yes.

Honestly reading this felt like a mess. This is supposed to be quirky and fun which I guess it was but that was all it was. I felt no connection with any characters. They didn't have too much chemistry. But I did enjoy the constant going to places around the fantasy world vibes.
☼ ☼ ☼
• Grumpy x Sunshine
• Slow burn
• Forced proximity
• Magic / High adventure
• Touch her and 💀
☼ ☼ ☼
Main Characters
Damien - Demon. Villain (but not really). Controls the fmc with magic for a large portion of the book😬.

Amma - Loud. Clumsy. Airhead. Needs constant rescuing.
☼ ☼ ☼
I am probably not going to continue with the series. Each book is around 450 pages for the same couple and I don't know if I can be bothered😚.

[Mary L · Rating 1 out of 5]

19% DNF

I was in the mood for a good enemies to lovers fantasy book and I got recommended to this series and I'm sadly disappointed, I really was expecting to lose myself to the book but that didn't happen.

-This book is a lot of tell and not show.
-And thanks to that the book is full of info dump after info dump accompanying with a lot of useless descriptions
-I think it was a bad idea to throw us into this world with a lot of specifications and info dump without heads or toes, like I didn't understand and therefore I couldn't care for anything or anyone.
-I also felt disconnected to the story because his reason to his journey wasn't enough, at first it was revenge and to free his dad but his dad didn't seem as mad or vengeful like he literally was a chill dude even though he is supposed to be the lord demon, he was totally a cinnamon roll so the reason for him to start this journey seem not transcendental.
-Their banter was weird and cringey.

At the end I felt like I was reading a bad fanfic, I don't think it is the worst but surely not the best.

[Brend · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lives were changed

[Chels · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most underrated book I’ve ever seen 🙌
Was it perfect? No. Does it have the slowest burns of all time? Yes 🥲 Did it entertain me on every chapter? HELL YES ⚡️🌟🔥

I’m in love with this book and its vibes!! Think more adult version of Assistant to the Villain, but even sillier and sarcastic 😂 It was like watching a medieval and magical sitcom with a huge, rambunctious cast of kooky characters with the unlikeliest set of mc’s to go on an adventure together. The slow burn and tension was HOT 🥵 But unfortunately the burning is still burning… 🔥 👀 I have to get into the rest of the series STAT because I must know what happens next!! 😩🙌

I could honestly read a 10 book series of these characters going on their adventures. All the craziest situations they get into and the weirdest people they meet 😂😂 The banter!!! The slow burn!!! The warm mushy feelings!!! I was kicking my feet and squealing at certain scenes😍 So good!!

I especially loved that the author kept Amma’s identity a secret to the reader and dropped hints here and there. So when her secrets and identity had been revealed, it was like a bomb dropping and leaving me with my mouth wide open!! I loved learning her story and her motives!! The climax was so satisfying 😌

Don’t sleep on this book 😩 If you love humor, romantasy, adventure, magic, and tension that will curl your toes, then what are you waiting for!!!! 😂

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

DAMIEN AND AMMA SUPREMACY! 🦅🦅

There was something so campy and lovely about this book that just made me stumble over myself.

“You dare accuse me, accuse the crown, of acting in the interest of evil? Yet you…you abduct the baroness only to…to bring her back and abduct her again?”

“Right. I did do that.” Damien brought the dagger back and tapped it against his chin in thought.

Cedric’s pushing abated for a moment, brow pinched. “It just seems quite complex and roundabout and unnecessary.” A low murmur of agreement rose up from the assembled, forgetting their fear. There was even a clattering of bones that seemed to suggest slight confusion.

Damien let out a growl, gesturing with the dagger flippantly. “Well, you know, sometimes you just need to have some fucking fun, all right?”

But there is also such pure chemistry between Damien and Amma that actually seems fun. It'd not just sparks and fire - they actually care about the other and are changing each other as the story goes on which is such a rare find for me. And even through all of the silly schemes and moments there is still heat which is such a miracle to create.

“I need both hands to untie you,” he said, and with a noise like she’d suddenly woken from a dream, she planted her feet firmly on the ground. Amma held her hands out to him again, face flushed and looking everywhere but at him. With room to breathe, he could have undone the knot he’d made very simply, but instead leaned in. “You do want me to untie you, don’t you?”

Amma swallowed, hesitating. Then she pushed her bound wrists closer to him, nodding.

With her between him and the bars, he cupped her hands and took his time carefully working in a finger, slipping the rope free of itself. Dropping the thin cord of hemp, he surveyed her wrists for damage. Only slightly red from the pressure, the markings would be gone in just a few moments, but he rubbed his thumbs over the soft flesh on the inside of her wrists anyway. “Apologies if I was too rough for your liking.”

She shook her head, still averting her gaze as he tried to find it with his own.

“I see. Tighter next time, then,” he whispered as the flimsy door on the cage opened with a creak.

It was just such a joy to read and - do you ever love something so much that you just can't bear to belive that it's over? Like it's physically painful to put it down? That's how I feel. I have no clue how I'm going to survive after I finish this series.

[Cee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so much fun. I will admit that the first few chapters were rough for me-- maybe because of the unknown words and trying to make sense of things, but most likely because I was tired-- but the farther I read into the book the more I loved it. It is sweet and charming and oh so swoony, but mostly I laughed. Laughed until I cried sometimes. Chapter 21 *chef's kiss*

I am throwing it on my "dark" shelf though because it IS captor/captive and he can AND DOES control her at times. There is also the heavy alluding to Amma being raped prior to the story. So, this isn't the deepest pit of dark, but it still does cross the lines.
That being said, it is more cozy and charming than angsty or gritty. Damien recognizes that he can force Amma to do what he wants and the imbalance of power between them, so he hasn't furthered their relationship. Yes folks, this is a slow burn romance and damn if it isn't done so well. It reminds me of why I love a good slow burn and just how much I've missed them. There is still tension, but you can read it building and we aren't plagued with pages upon pages of how gorgeous they both are. So refreshing.

So, at this point I know I'll be reading the sequel ASAP and if the series remains awesome, I'll probably add everything this author has ever written to my TBR. I seriously am so hyped to continue this series.

Additional tropes/vibes: grumpy captor/ sunshine captive, "mine", touch her and die, villain with a heart of not-quite-gold, villain romance (he plans on killing her, he is planning on destroying the realm), slow burn romance (kissing and cuddles so far), quest/prophecy, adventure

[Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun start to what promises to be an enjoyable slowburn romantasy trilogy. The story we got felt like a strange, but very successful, blend of romantasy, regular YA adventure fantasy, and a Disney movie! We got romance, adventure, mystery, and plenty of cool magic and creatures in this tale.

Damien Maleficus Bloodthorne, half human-half demon, son of the imprisoned Dark Lord has finally completed his work on a magical talisman that can be used to fulfil prophecy and free his father from his enchanted prison. All Damien’s plans go awry right at the start of his great quest as he gets pickpocketed before he even gets out of his father lands! Damien’s crucial enchanted talisman immediately bonds to the pickpocket with the only way to get it back being death. Luckily for Damien a side effect is the fact that the magic talisman’s aura is masked while being bonded so he decides the best course of action is to drag the thief along on his quest. The would-be thief, a cute bubbly blonde do-gooder called Amma, might end up the biggest obstacle in Damien’s nefarious quest as the longer he spends with her the more he gets hindered by pesky feelings developing that could derail his essential plan to kill her at the end of his journey!

I loved the tale. It was a slow burn forced proximity fantasy romance. Given the nature of the magical talisman this also felt like a romantasy version of Ella Enchanted what with Damien having the power to compel Amma.

The romance was slow burn but really fun. Damien and Amma were both pretty easy to like and root for and they had great chemistry as a romantic pairing. Their interactions were pretty fun all the way through the story.

The other character of note was Damien’s foul mouthed imp companion. He offered a bit of comedy relief to the tale while being a weird mix of cute and vaguely evil.

Most of this was pretty light and fun in tone but there was always some hints of some darker elements just below the surface.

All in all I really enjoyed this one. It probably lacked that indefinable special something that makes a book an out and out 5 star read but it was still fun. I’ll be reading the other books in the series for sure.

Rating: 4 stars.

Audio Note: This was performed by Ellen Quay and Seth Podowitz. I felt like both narrators did a good job. I’m still not a giant fan of duel narration when the production does not utilised consistent narration for all the dialogue regardless of which character is the POV lead. It feels like a waste of having multiple narrators and can offer an inconsistent interpretation of the characters.

[Dora · Rating 4 out of 5]

An unexpected hidden gem of a cozy fantasy full of whimsy, dedicated half-demon mages with power to raise the dead and awkwardly sweet drunken confessions ! 😊

“What’s your favorite animal?”
He scrunched up his nose then shrugged. “Raven.”
“Food?” she asked quicker.
“Meat.”
“Moon?”
“Uh, Ero, I guess?”
“Hobby?”
“Spilling the blood of my enemies.”
At that Amma clicked her tongue. “And I suppose your lifelong goal is realm domination or something?”
Damien tipped his head to the side. “Actually, yes.”

I had my doubts at the beginning but then the Elderpass debacle happened and I was IN LOVE. The humour in general is excellent, the world feels whimsical and full of lovely twisted things and the general vibe is just "if Between, Howl's Moving Castle and Inuyasha had a one night stand" ✌😏
Damien is wonderfully wicked and seriously dedicated to his chosen path of villainy and mayham -and he is so so soft. SO SOFT. And Amma... Honestly? I thought she is gonna be annyoing af but ended up just being... genuine in her kindness and care for other people...? Her and Damien BELONG together (that scene where drunken Amma stops him mid speech and holds him and tells him he doesnt have to pretend with her... and Damien takin her to bed and kissing her forehead... and the way he asks her about the trees to keeps her mind off the ghosts...) I love them and I cant believe they havent yet kissed properly omg the slow burn is REAL 💘
Kaz and Damien remind me of Sesshomaru and Jaken - their interactions always make me laugh! All the side characters are just marvelpus in general...The half giant alchemist and his bff witch in their frankensteiny swampy tower! The banished demon dad who sounds like an american car seller... Tia the captain of the guard who is so clearly in love with Amma's half-elf bff... Oh and Xander ofc, that pompous arse is gonna be one of my faves in the next book, I'm sure of it 🥰
Also that moment before the final showdown when Amma tells him not to raise the undead army because everyone will think him evil even when he is doing it to protect people and Damien says "but you'll know... what else could even matter" *sound of my heart exploding*

side note: no spice but gods was that rope exibition in prison scene HOT 🔥

(read for the dfk bookclub)

[buket]

not gonna rate because i don’t wanna be mean but i skimmed A LOT like i have no idea what the actual plot is and i was so bored most of the time.

BUT the couple😌 chefs kiss🫦 ten stars a million stars i adoreeeeee them so much🙂‍↕️🩷

but yeah no rating

[BookishKB · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review to come tomorrow because I simply do not have it in my soul to write one tonight. 🙃
I did really enjoy this one! Very funny!

[—lex♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yo creo que el problema fue que la persona que me recomendó esta historia lo hizo bastante mal. A mí me dijeron que me encontraría un villano malo malísimo, que es conquistado por una chica tan buena y dulce como la miel, que ella sería su debilidad y esto sería malditamente fantástico.
Y no.
Ni él es terriblemente malo, ni ella maravillosamente buena.
Solo el típico tropo de grumpy incomprendido y sunshine medio damisela en apuros, que perdona a todo el mundo como una tonta a pesar de que tiene 25 años y por motivos de trama debería saber cómo tomar decisiones difíciles; medio badass cuando el guión lo requiere.
No he logrado conectar con la historia sino hasta el 80%, que los chistes empezaron a surgir efecto y que por fin vi algo de acción real. Sin embargo, el final me ha dejado totalmente helada.
Tiene una trama con un potencial tan grande: el hijo de un demonio quiere liberarlo porque está escrito en una profecía que el demonio debe tomar venganza del rey del país. Luego tenemos el romance entre ambos, que si bien no me gustaba al principio, en ese último 20% parecía picante, atractivo, quería saber. Y la trama de la ciudad de Amma (*gritos de rabia*), que no es lo más grandioso del mundo, pero algo pudieron haber hecho. Pero no, todo queda medio esbozado.
Desde mi punto de vista, esta no es una forma de venderme una saga. Si ningún aspecto del libro tiene una resolución, algo que pueda dictar un fin, porque es un objetivo mínimo que están persiguiendo desde el principio para el gran esquema de la trama, pues siento que fue una perdida de tiempo y no me interesa continuar.
Por ejemplo, en Harry Potter, aunque es una saga (y no me gusta, xd) cada libro se desarrolla dentro del año escolar de Harry. La aventuras independientes que tiene en cada uno y lo que esa aventura significa para él en su crecimiento como mago, que al final tendría que aplicar contra Voldemort. La misma dinámica está en Percy Jackson, Cazadores de Sombras, novelas negras. Existe, al final del libro, algo que cambia dentro del personaje, un viaje no literal y un pequeño objetivo físico que es menester para el resto.
Aquí no.
Aquí los dos objetos importantes se obtienen con una facilidad que da pereza. No hay obstáculos, los personajes se sienten y se nos demuestran invencibles, por lo que no hay emoción. Y, sinceramente, no empaticé con ellos ni sus luchas en lo más mínimo, debido a lo insípidos que me resultaron.
Ambos protagonistas no cambian en lo más mínimo y el punto en el que cierra el libro es como si de repente hubieran cortado a la mitad en una parte meh.

[elin ୨୧ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was awesome!! Super underrated, would definitely recommend. The banter between the two main characters was so cute and funny. 4.5 ⭐️

[Booksblabbering || Cait❣️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

The son of a demon aiming for great evil and domination and a blonde, bubbly, cinnamon roll romance book lover are accidentally magically chained together. Damien must put up with Amma, this tender thorn in his side. Amma must up with this villain, this burn the world down hero for her.

This was like candy floss. Sweet, over-the-top, lacking substance, yet quite addicting.

Damien had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing.
“Surely, I don’t look like that.”
“It’s close,” she warned, features relaxing. “You have resting villain face.”
“I am a villain.”
And then Amma, the girl he had abducted, dragged across the realm, and threatened to murder, actually rolled her eyes at him.

The innuendoes were hilarious.
Damien’s demon was a chaotic mood.
The tension was intense.
The necessary heroine becoming drunk scene and being too open-mouthed was hilarious.

Yes, Amma was too naive.
No, Damien isn’t truly evil incarnate.
Yes, the big twist/reveal was obvious from the start.

Overall, don’t take the book, yourself, or the jokes too seriously and you’ll have a fun time.
Available on kindle unlimited!
The audiobook is great as it has two narrators for the dual pov.

Bookstagram

[Noi (in & out) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tomorrow is the audio's release date, and I got it early! Love my library 🥹
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Really fun, I want the next.

[Olivia Wildenstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute, witty, and all around fun.