Seb is delighted to meet Jinx. The young man is gorgeous, sexy, funny, incredibly sweet. He is mute, but they communicate just fine. He’s also an incubus. Which considering Seb is descended from a long line of mages renowned for demon banishings, is a bit of a problem.
And so what if they met when Jinx appeared in Seb's bedroom to seduce him and feed from him? Dating apps are overrated anyway.
Anyway, as far as seductions go, it was terrible. Jinx was brand new to the human realm and totally clueless on what he was supposed to do. Seb had to teach him. Jinx was basically a first-time incubus.
Jinx is also a bit of a handful. He doesn’t understand some things, like how to behave in human society. But Seb soon realizes that none of that matters. He adores Jinx.
As his feelings grow, so do their enemies. It seems no one wants them to be together. Seb will just have to prove them all wrong.
I love characters who are battered and broken by life, who through the course of finding love, discover they are strong. Despite everything, because of everything, I will always believe that love conquers all.
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...what happened here?! This was doing pretty good until about halfway through, where something horrible happens and the necessary groveling does not occur. Then the plot took a nosedive too and it was all shot to hell.
Jinx was great. He's a very freshly summoned incubus who hasn't worked out how to be in a human body yet. He's a gorgeous golden retriever puppy character, but watch out for those claws. There's a lot of mostly not-graphic murder, if you exclude the cannibalism (that was quite unexpected, I feel like that should've been mentioned somewhere).
Seb was...iffy at best. Initially self-centered but still sweet in a way that made me hope he'd grow nicely, it was unfortunately downhill all the way. Such an unlikeable character who did nothing to redeem himself.
Jinx deserved way better than that asshole and I do not buy them as a couple at all. Do they have anything in common apart from enjoying sex together?! It felt horribly one-sided.
I didn't particularly notice the writing style in the beginning but it ended up being quite stilted and jerky with a lot of dialogue missing the contractions and fluidity of spoken discourse.
I would not recommend this. I already own another book by this author picked up as a freebie previously and I'm not sure I'm going to read it now.
So cute! Incubus being harmless. Until ya threaten their intended. You find yourselves raving to the heavens. There are no gods to hear your plea. As your shredded intestines slowly slide out of your torso onto the night clubs floor. Now who's laughing?
I read Past Life Lover a while back and was excited to read Jinx's story since delightfully quirky characters like him are what I live for. Unfortunately, How to Romance an Incubus ended up being extremely cringey for me.
The writing is good, & it started out well. I liked that there was a bit of a fated mate vibe in the beginning, & I was also getting a bit of an Alice Winters vibe as well. She's hilarious so 'nuff said.
The thing that lost me was just how much of a nosedive Seb's character took. I love me some good character development, but rather than develop, he just started and continued to devolve as events occurred. Ultimately, I found him to be completely unlikeable. He went from seemingly easy going, sweet, and protective to self serving, thoughtless, spineless, and downright stupid at moments. Additionally, the amount of hot and cold thoughts he had regarding Jinx (even after Jinx saved someone important to him) was unfair and unjustified. I'd say the worst moments were when he'd call himself out on something only to think or do something equally crappy (or worse) not too long after. Sometimes within a few sentences. I'd start to think he was getting it together but nope. He never recovered.
As far as the relationship between Jinx and Seb, that was also a disaster. It wasn't a balanced partnership because Jinx was hopelessly devoted and understanding the entire time (even forgiving Seb in a matter of days after he seriously hurt him. Don't get me started on that. It was a dumpster fire) while Seb (who was supposedly also crazy about Jinx the majority of the time) just did his thing. I'm leaving out the spoilers, but he continued to make bad choices, wouldn't even stand up for his boyfriend during important events, consistently had doubts about Jinx and his intentions (solely because Jinx was a demon mind you. And this was occurring even in the final chapters...), & there were times where it felt like Seb just didn't respect him. I wouldn't say the relationship was abusive. However, there was some definite negligence in there if nothing else, & Seb was dropping red flags left and right.
Coincidently enough, a Jinx quote from farther along in the story is "My brother had tried to warn me, tried to tell me that humans did not love the way that demons did. But I didn’t care. As long as Seb kept me by his side, I would be happy. My love for him was unconditional. As boundless as the ocean. He didn’t need to love me back." How does that even fit in a romance novel? Uh yeah, he does need to love you back, & he also needs to treat you right!
Quite frankly, Jinx was done a great disservice. He deserved substantially better than being saddled with a bozo who failed him over and over again.
Another wonderful read by Sez. This was a laid back, easy, sweet read I enjoyed it very much. Jinx is such a little sweetheart <3 Also loved the cameos of Silas and Ezekiel. Can't wait to see more from this world!
Jinx! That sweet loveable Incubus demon was just adorable and I loved getting to know him better after having met him in Past Life Lover. Honestly he might be the cutest demon I've ever read about. There is something so naive and wholesome about him, yet he's also powerful and of course a total sex fiend.
Seb's was an interesting head to be in for the majority of the book. He's a powerful mage, though we don't get to see him do anything nearly as powerful as my homeboy Silas Darkstar. Speaking of Silas, he has a small cameo in this book and I was delighted with his scene. This series is much lighter than Silas', yet I enjoyed it all the same. I am hoping to see more of Jinx's big bro in the future, maybe in his own book? You wouldn't hear me complain one bit!
How to Romance an Incubus was fantastic!! We first met Jinx in Past Life Lover and I was so happy that the author gave him a story. Jinx and Seb was so sweet, hot and steamy together! Jinx is an incubus that has been summoned and ends up in Seb’s bedroom. Jinx is naïve and just so happy! Seb is happy to see him and loves feeding him! Of course, trouble seems to find both Jinx and Seb! And we get a cameo of Silas Darkstar! The story sucked me and didn’t let me go, left me smiling!! Overall, a fantastic read. Well written with catchy pacing!
I'm beginning to learn the lesson to steer clear of Rodman's books; this is, once again, a really neat plot with an execution and writing that absolutely does not follow through.
We are dropped in medias res as Seb (short for Septimus, which makes zero sense to me but whatevs) is visited by an incubus he names Jinx, a demon who is clearly new to the game and also is mute owing to having zero language understanding. On the one hand, I love that there's representation for the disability of muteness; on the other, it made zero sense for most of the book until we got to hear from Jinx himself. (This, by the by, happens about halfway through and has no markers except context for the POV switch. Does it happen again? Yes. Do we know why? Nope. Is there a pattern? Nope. Is it mostly because Rodman couldn't figure out how to get some plot development to us without using Jinx's voice? Yep. That's lazy storytelling, really.) So Seb and Jinx do the sex and now we're in the beginnings of what is less a novel and more a character/relationship study.
Fine, but then Rodman tosses pieces of plot out almost to see what sticks. There's some mafia business; do we have any concept of the mafia other than We Need a Threat? Nope. And they really only appear when there needs to be that external pressure for plot advancement--it's painfully clear that the relationship is the point but again, Rodman couldn't figure out how to get the relationship to shift without a secondary (tertiary?) antagonist. There's a jealous kind-of boyfriend; does he get any scenes that give him standing as a character in his own right? Nah. And there's a controlling family with awful dynamics that has shaped Seb; do we get to know them other than through one scene that vindicates Seb being a jerk? Not really, although we get glimpses of Esme the sister being a far better human than Seb.
That's another thing that kept throwing me off: Seb is an asshat. I know that some protagonists are meant to be that way (the unlikeable narrator is a thing, I'm aware) but even when he's supposed to be doing a good thing, he's a jerk. He's awful to his sister, wildly unpredictable to Jinx, an absolute bitch to his sorta-hookup-boyfriend, and deeply unpleasant in his selfishness as a narrator that lasts until the very last page. I disliked him more as we went on, which isn't usually what's supposed to happen. About the only relationship in which he has anything approaching empathy (without being shoved into it, at least) is with Daisy. Who is two. And is, like most of the secondary characters, never given narrative space except as a plot point.
The writing needs an editor--sentence fragments and weird word choices that I think are just Rodman not knowing the actual word ("taunt" for "taut" comes to mind) are the most common errors but again, this is a book meant for purchasing and therefore should have a higher standard than an AO3 fanfic. (Which is not at all to razz on those; there are several masterpieces there that are lightyears ahead of this.) The pacing was odd and the worldbuilding half-done. There was a moment that I have no idea what to do with that I'm going to put under a spoiler tag just in case:
So this is 1.5 stars rounded up because I do love Jinx and Esme. They just deserve so much better than Seb and this half-baked execution of what could have been a cool story.
I first discovered this author by reating Prison Mated because I was in a prison mm romance phase and have since devoured practically all their books!
How To Romance an Incubus is, like practically all of this author's books, excellent. It is fun, action filled and has awesome characters. Whenever I start a Sez Rodman book I know I will laugh, fall in love, feel just the right amount of angst and end with an amazingly satisfying hea as well as an eagerness to find the next book to discover the story of one of the side characters.
I love reading romance. Mostly dark and paranormal. And I read A LOT. Whenever I find a book I love, I'll try the author's other books, even when it's not a series (although that really is my favorite, getting glimpses of previous couples in new stories). Most of the time, if I enjoy one book, there's a good chance I'll enjoy the author's other books because I know I appreciate the writing style as well as the romance style. And this is almost always the case. Usually, after reading 5 or 6 books by an author, the stories will almost get intertwined in my mind because of certain similarities that appear time and again. I have absolutely no problem with this. Obviously the pattern fits. But in reading Sez's books I realized how amazed I was by the absolute clear distinction between characters from one book to another. It truly amazed me. Each character is perfectly imperfect in their own way. Even the writing style and references are adapted to that particular character's POV to fit their perspective. I think what shocked me the most by this is how unusual it was. Author's usually have a "type". They can be shy or outspoken, but they usually are very loyal to their friends, hot but humble, funny in a very quirky way. Whatever their traits, they are relatively similar from one story to another, aside from superficial elements (nerdy instead of artsy, or loves cats instead of dogs). But whenever I read Sez's stories, I immerse myself in a new character and discover their own perfect blend of individuality. Some are meek and submissive while others are absolute savage badasses. Some are jealous and overprotective while others are gentle and caring. It's never the same combination that creates the perfect couple and I absolutely love it. To me this means that Sez is someone who can see beauty in everything and knows how to help others see it too.
After meeting Jinx (& then him suddenly disappearing) in Past Life Lover, it was really great to read his & Seb's story to find out just what happened to them! Seb & Jinx's story was very sweet, and a fun & easy read. I got a little bit of the ick when Jinx's age was called into question, but that's also exactly what Seb was feeling so it was still a relatable moment that was clarified fairly quickly. I saw in another review that readers want to see more of Jinx's brother (Zeph), the Prince of Hell, and I have to agree (surely even a short story about Zeph & Joseph...original meet & reunion...please Sez?!)! There was also an interesting connection revealed between Zeph and Ezekiel from Incubus Broken - I just love how all of these stories connect in such interesting ways. Definitely worth a read if you have devoured & enjoyed everything else S. Rodman has written (like me!)
Please note that this book was supplied as an ARC for free in exchange for an honest review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Loved this book, but read the triggers first please. It is a cute side story to Evil Omega, FYI. It starts off with a bang quite literally and doesn’t stop. Seb and jinx meet when jinx’s is drawn to him by his magic. Jinx was unfortunately part of a summons gone bad. Seb grapples with his own demons while trying to come to grips that he is actually in love with the adorable if not naive nature of jinx. Through the book we learn who jinx is related to and watch as Seb challenges everything he knew about demons. We get to watch as Seb tries to guide jinx and learn to communicate with him through sign language as well. Love the support from his sister and the niece Seb watches.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
A little bit crazy, but a fun and spicy read. This book is slightly lighter and different in tone compared to Rodman's other books, but no less enjoyable. There were several laugh out loud moments and heartwarming scenes as well. Jinx is innocent, sweet, and very enthusiastic about sex! He and Seb make a great pair. I enjoyed the world building and how this story is interconnected with the others. We first meet Jinx in Past Life Lover and in this book Silas of the Darkstar series and Ezekiel from Incubus Broken make an appearance as well. (I loved the Silas scene.)
I'm looking forward to more books in this expanding world and hope Jinx and Ezekiel show up in future stories.
The great thing about all these paranormal stories that S. Rodman is releasing is that they are all interconnected but also work as standalones. It was lovely to get Jinx's story. In Past Life Lover he was a side character that caught my attention with his exuberance and I hoped for a book for him. Seb was great with him. Sure, he made mistakes but he deeply cared for Jinx, putting his safety above his own. Of course there are darker themes that are common in S. Rodman books, but they are balanced with a lot of cute scenes (the cake!) and a fair dose of steam.
Cute little story about a guy who is approached by a new incubus who can't seem to speak. When he's forced to take him on full-time or banish him, he realizes he really likes him, but his magical family will freak if they know he's with a demon. There was lots of humour as Jinx explores being human as apparently the demon gets sucked into a human body and this guy was young so knew nothing like what food was or how to use utensils and hates shoes. Some drama with a gang to do with the mage's job as a demon hunter, an evil ex, shitty mother, and helpful sister.
A story with an odd mix, as it has a new incubus who is both filled with innocence and extremely sexually competent. Then the sorcerer who wants to be with the incubus and enjoy and have fun, but also wants the incubus to be happy and to choose who he gets to be with. They are both contradictions and the world that they live in doesn't like them being together which causes problems. It was a fast and easy read with some sexy times, some miscommunication issues, and some very sweet relationship times.
The main character in this book is irredeemable. Jinks is adorable, and deserves better. The most annoying thing about this book was that some of the world building was incredibly well done, and some of the side characters were unique and interesting (far more so than the narcissistic and perpetually insecure main character). But the world building was overshadowed by the terribleness of the leading man and unresolved issues.
This was one of those love/hate kinda reads... I loved Jinx the entire time, but kinda hated Seb so often... Him and his family, outside of Daisy, were stuck up butt faces... There were actual times I wished Jinx would NOT forgive Seb... Just my opinion... Just a bit toxic, while trying to make it acceptable for Seb to behave distrustful of Jinx... Yet, just apologize for crap actions/reactions... 🤔🤔🤔 The last chapter was pretty random, too...
I love Jinx so much and he and Seb are so good together! What a cute story! If you like the little innocent, adorable, killer vibe that's Jinx. I alos enjoyed that Seb wasn't big and hulking. Watching them grow together was utterly sweet. There are several not great things that happen, but they are relatively quickly resolved and there's just so much joy in this book I never worried too much about any angst.
How to Romance an Incubus is a sweet read all about demons, an incubus, and mages. The book follows Seb and Jinx's story and was filled with enjoyable moments and great characters. The book was great world-building and a good story. Overall a very good read and looking forward to reading more in this world. I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
***Possible Spoilers*** I enjoyed seeing Jinx and Seb's story develop, and it was definitely steamy. The only part of the story I didn't like was Seb being tortured and losing some of his fingers. I felt that trauma was not needed for the story to have plot and drama.
Beautiful book. I loved the relationship between Jinx and Seb. All the twists and turns kept me rolling. The idea that Seb finds a way to communicate with Jinx despite him being mute is endearing. I honestly couldn't put the book down once I started it. 5 Stars all day long.
I really enjoyed this book. Seb and Jinx were really sweet and also scorchingly hot together. There were plenty of laugh out loud moments. The communication workaround was really neat and the twists and turns kept me thoroughly engaged.
I love this authors work and how each book is some how linked to the rest with a character or two popping up. Honestly it’s a fantastic set of stories that can be read alone but their work is too good not to find the read order. Highly recommended
This was cute and a little bit of spice. The story felt incomplete with some unresolved issues. What happens with the council and collaring thing and expounding on the family issues a bit. Feels like a tbc/hfn. But it was a decent story
Cute story and I really like the demon but the mage is so repetitively clueless I don’t think there’s any hope for him. Also needs a good edit read as there were several of misused and misspelled words. Fun romp.
Loved reading about Jinx, what a cutie! I had previously read Silas's books so it was awesome to see his camo here. I wasn't aware Jinx showed up in a prior book, so I'll check that out next!
So dang cute! Such sweet, lovely MC's. MC's from "Past Life Lover" and "Incubus Broken" make appearances here and I recommend reading them first but it's not integral to this story.