The Dame & The Devil

Devil's Dance #1

by Dalia Davies

Good Girls Go To Hell

For the last twelve years, I’ve spent All Hallows Eve hunting the Devil on a dance floor suspended over the pit of hell.

Those of us considered saints dress in our funereal best and are transported into the hands of sinners disguised as devils. We are their only hope for absolution.

One kiss can seal two fates, for a saint’s lips will save the sinner.

But the Devil lurks among the dancers, and his kiss will damn even the most innocent.

This year, I plan to make him mine.


The Dame & The Devil is a monstrous Halloween novella.
ALWAYS CHECK CWs/TWs AT FRONT OF BOOK

Genres: Romance, Monster Romance, Fantasy, Novella, Halloween, Demons, Paranormal

78 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 16, 2022

About the author

Dalia Davies fell into monster romance--almost by accident--and loves it here. She drinks her weight in tea every day and has been told on numerous occasions that she “knows too much”.
She pairs old gods, monsters, and aliens with human women who get exactly what they want and maybe a little more than they came for.
Brought up on fairytales read while hiding in the back stacks of her small-town library and sneaking in creature features at friends' homes, she always wanted a way to meld two fantasies into one. When not writing, she plays the banjo poorly, dreams of traveling the world, and avoids large crowds and loud noises.
Living in the southwestern US, she lets the outside heat permeate her stories and hopes they leave you panting.

This is, of course, a pen name. It is one of many I write under. You can find my other works as:
Andi Simms - Contemporary Romance
Ava Lunaria - Paranormal Romance

Reviews

[Darkest Bellé · Rating 2 out of 5]

2⭐️ 58 pages of tricking the devil into pleasure & falling in love, super short, smutty novella!

[Melanie (mells_view) · Rating 4 out of 5]

And now, you’re mine.

A “I want to get jiggy with the Devil” novella. Basically on All Hallows Eve Kerse has to go down to h e l l and dance with a bunch of Devil look alikes and risk kissing one of them and it actually being the Devil. Plot twist, she wants to kiss the Devil himself… I don’t want to say much more because it will give it all away, but yeah. That’s the overall idea of it. If you’re looking for something sort of Halloween adjacent and quick, then you’ve found it!

Tiktok - https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRHU8nvD/
Tiktok - https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRHURXFL/

[Grapie Deltaco · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very selfishly wish this were longer so that we could get a more in-depth and epic revenge plot to run alongside this romance between a saint and the Devil.

But I am a Dahlia Davies fan first and a person second 🫶 this was wild and compelling from start to finish.

CW: explicit sexual content (including BDSM), blood, death

[Poppy || Monster Lover · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the perfect stabby using the devil for revenge book I didn’t know I needed. As someone with oodles of religious trauma, I deeply appreciated the frustration with who is considered a “sinner” to a holy being. The devil was a complex and morally gray character and his dame was the avenging Angel he needed.

Spice: 3/5

Triggers: violence, gore, torture, eternal damnation, mentions of various people who ruined other people’s lives via religion and money

[Bon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yeah, a little too much sinner and saint chatter, wonky worldbuilding, and this could have used another grammatical run-through, but for Baphomet fucking it was decent. Horny - I mean horned gods fans, enjoy.

[Sara Chandler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fantastic book with so much packed into the story. I don’t know how Dalia manages to do it.

Perfect quick read for Halloween.

I’ve always wanted to f*ck the Devil. (I don’t want to know what that says about me) Dalia just made it even more enticing

I would absolutely love to have this expanded on because the characters are great. I wanted more.

I got an arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Molly Likovich · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up Catholic. It sucked. I want to fuck the devil. Snakes as nipple clamps was a brilliant idea. Dalia is brilliant. Her short, steamy monster romances are brilliant. This is the perfect Halloween read🎃will grab a physical copy as soon as that paycheck hits cause god that cover is gorgeous.

[•Mrs Pizza• · Rating 3 out of 5]

Happy Halloween. It’s sexy duck duck goose with the devil. 🎃🦆😈

[Victoria Lorien · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zafa zafa, igual, lo leí imaginándome que su cara era la de un humano todo el tiempo jsjs

[Dora · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very tame for the devil's standards... or at least, mine 😅
The characters did have chemistry and I think this would've been such a good angsty romance if it were a full novel 🤗

[lobelyys · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book, for being a short, smutty, monster fucker book, was weirdly poetic and fascinating… i really liked it

[ricki · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️

“You can’t fuck the Devil, Keres.”
“You can if you aren’t a coward.”

umm this was HOT. it has maaaany of my favorite sexy things - tail play, breath play, size difference 🥵😩😮‍💨 i, too, would love to f*ck the devil 😈 i thought keres was quite the bad*ss, and little fool?!?! i LOVE pet names with “little” in it and this one is a definitely a new favorite.

i will say i was a little confused in the beginning, but it didn’t ruin it for me (i also hardly ever read the synopsis so that also could have been why i was confused lol)

⚠️tw/cw: blood, bondage (light), breath play/choking, death (implied, off-page), degradation (light), pain play, polycoria/trypophobia (brief description), tail play

[Ana Paes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Notes: The idea was interesting but the execution was terrible.

First of all, the world building is a mess. I spent the entire book trying to understand why the dance happened every year and why the saints had to kiss the sinners, why they vanished and who was punished for what. It seems like the rules of the devil and the god are set but they're never shown.

The scenes aren't smooth, the story seems to jump from one scene to another without any sense. Keres just has a smoke dress for no reason, and other moments where stuff just doesn't make sense.

Keres is a brat mistaken for a badass, she doesn't give motive to why she's etching the names of random people on her skin. What the first name did? It's not shown, but the drama is there. She just felt like a brat with her "plan" to seduce the devil and make him play on her hand. I particularly don't think she succeeded much, and I felt the devil was a very lacking villain.

Although the sex scenes where awesome and super hot, the plot is badly executed and the story clearly needs some editing.

[Wicked Fox ✨️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Hello little fool"

This was such an easy book to lose myself in! It was short and beautifully written. I adore the spooky vibes and the cover! 5/5 stars!

[☾⋆⁺ Nurse After Dark · Rating 2 out of 5]

It only takes the barest tug to pull the Devil's lips down to mine and I take what I've been searching for for years.
And now, you're mine.

2.5 stars. I actually quite liked the whole plot concept of this novella - the dance with the devil and how she stayed for eternity after. I would enjoy a similar story further expanded even. What I wasn't super into was the list of people the heroine wanted to punish (it felt random and unnecessary in this short smut-focused story) and I skimmed most of the talk about God etc.

I guess I'll give the author another go around Easter with Railed by the Easter Bunny because who can resist that title!

[Averie · Rating 3 out of 5]

*2.5 stars

This, unfortunately, let me down:(

I am a lover of monster romances and was so excited to read a devil one. But there were just so many things I was confused by while reading. What was the point of dancing on Halloween?? Why do humans get picked to go down there?? Who was the first guy she wanted to punish?? What did he do??
Ugh, I wanted to love this but I was just so confused.

I love the dark vibes and the devil in here, though!

[Naia Pard]

This book was so short that I cannot call it even novella.

It had great potential because it went straight to the target (it did not exhaust the reader with long descriptions of things to happen that were evident already from the blurp)

Also, this is a wanna-be erotica.

Instagram\\my Blog\\

[Tieraney (arobynns version) · Rating 4 out of 5]

short, sweet & spicy little novella! i loved the dynamic between the devil and keres! i’d love to read more about them

[Ashlee Jo · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ✨

[Pelingül Uçar · Rating 1 out of 5]

ugh idk... that's a no for me.

[Deniz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tbh i get her😌😈

Çok kısaydı dişimin kovuğuna bile gitmedi… Ayrıca Dalia abla yılana hiç gerek yoktu diye düşünüyorum tadım kaçtı…

[SarahinWanderland · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent

The writing is superb, the story’s timing and pacing was excellent for a little novelette. The spice was deviant and delicious.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

hey siri play Goddess by Xana

[Kaarla Amaya · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fue raro pero entretenido.

[Thais Lopes · Rating 3 out of 5]

O maior defeito é ser curto - no sentido de que merecia ter muito mais desenvolvimento de tudo. É uma leitura rápida e interessante, mas é isso: é rápida. Não tem construção pra valer de nada, nem da relação entre os personagens (e as cenas hot tbm foram tão rapidinhas que meh)

[Johanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever fantasize about fucking Baphomet? Goat head and all? Here ya go. Read this. Its cute in its own hellish way.

[Quiny · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Dame and the Devils is a bold, mischievous little Halloween novella that knows exactly what it wants to be. At just 58 pages, it’s a quick flash‑fiction read that leans fully into temptation, wit, and supernatural charm. The story wastes no time setting up its premise, delivering a playful take on seduction and power wrapped in dark, seasonal vibes.

What really stood out to me was how intentional the tone felt. This isn’t a story trying to stretch itself into something bigger, it embraces its short length and focuses on being fun, daring, and indulgent. The dynamic between the heroine and the Devil is driven by cleverness and control rather than fear, which makes their interactions entertaining instead of overwhelming.

Despite the limited page count, the chemistry works surprisingly well. Dalia does an impressive job of establishing tension and personality in such a short space, especially with a heroine who feels sharp, confident, and fully aware of what she’s doing. The Devil’s presence adds flair without overpowering the narrative, creating a dynamic that feels playful rather than one‑sided.

My biggest complaint is honestly how quickly it ends. I selfishly wanted more room for the story to breathe, especially for a more developed revenge arc to run alongside the romance. The concept had enough potential to support something longer and more layered, which made the ending feel abrupt even though it was satisfying.

As a Halloween read, though, this novella absolutely works. It’s dark, cheeky, and designed to be devoured in one sitting. The Dame and the Devils isn’t meant to be deeply analyzed, it’s meant to be enjoyed for what it is. If you’re looking for a quick supernatural romance with attitude and seasonal flair, this is a great pick.

[ForTheLoveofBrishen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Talk about an opening. None of this damsel in innocence minding her own business and oops, falls on the devil's D. Nope, Keres is a woman on a mission and she grabbed me by the neck and dragged me on this whole journey with her.

You think your heart is wicked

This is the same author who managed to do some SICK worldbuilding in maybe three or four pages for Railed By The Easter Bunny. I've come to expect captivating writing, because yes we all know where it's heading but dang it I'm a sucker for some good prose. Davies has done it again to an extent.

Spice level: there was never any doubt this would be debaucherously hot.🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶
Plot/Storyline: -1 Fast paced and sharp all the better to hook you with it. Also, how do I glean this location of Hellmouth - for science purposes. Do I need a grimoire, do I need to enlist the help of a hellhound? Shall I contact my local coven - I just want to ask for directions please.

I wanted it to be longer - I'd read a full length novel with this entire premise .

Characters: She wants what she wants and no white light or stairway to heaven is going to distract her. She is confident, laser focused, a whole force of nature. The Devil is a bit of a beefcake and not enough of that fallen angel - he's a bit two dimensional. Just a bit.

Favorite scene/quote: The Dance of the Devil sequence. All the "sinners yanked to hell. Between one blink and the next, I’m dragged to Hell and thrust into the arms of a sinner, twirling over the flames of the Devil’s ballroom. Hundreds of people in their funereal best spin around the dance floor beside me. All of us in the arms of false devils.

A solid 3.5

[Adrianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the only complaints I have... what time period is this?? It feels like it should be set in ye old olden days, but it suggests otherwise?? Like it's in the realm of having phones and stuff but we never hear about technology...and women are getting married before 18 (granted to avoid circumstance but still.)

Since it's so short, the lack of a set time period doesn't bother me too much so this really can be interpreted as a pet peeve. But if the story was longer, it would be really perplexing.

Plus I feel like I had no idea what the MC's name was by the middle of it. Like the Devil says her name and I'm like "wow I haven't heard her name until now." Which kinda sucks because that's one less element of important "character development" ( this book is so short I don't even know if that can actually be achieved in 70 pgs.)

[Petra Hart · Rating 3 out of 5]

A curious darkness.

3.5 stars
By curious I mean that I’ve never read anything quite like this. It’s dark but playful, and the dialog, unlike so many “dark” romances I’ve read, is delightfully matter-of-fact, not all drama and anguish.

It’s also curious because it feels like an excerpt of something larger. What’s missing is the WHY. Why go to such lengths? It’s not answered satisfactorily. She just wanted in his pants? She needed 6 people punished? And for this an eternity? With no strong reason why there’s no tension because it doesn’t matter if she succeeds or not.

Bottom line: I liked the playful dialog, but there’s no real tension and the story doesn’t go anywhere.