The last thing Silas Cromwell expected was for a book to change his life. When a rare first edition book from a famous 19th-century Occultist ends up in Silas's lap at an auction, life as he knows it suddenly changes. Pressured into performing one of the rituals from the book by a friend, Silas gets a tease of regret. Now Silas can’t sleep, is having nightmares that end with him waking up terrified. Something obscene, dark and deadly wants Silas and he isn’t human. Bazaduil lusts for Silas and won’t take no for an answer, even if it means tricking and seducing him. In a life where being told ‘there are no monsters,’ it will be one lie Silas will have to face. Will Silas be able to ignore Bazaduil advances or will he submit to this demon’s twisted agenda? An M/M Black Monster erotic short story that has dubious consent, a tad bit of bondage, informal dominant/submissive play, implied mpreg, breeding kink, tail kink, and monster sex.
Georgina Kiersten (Rian Fox) is an author known for their wide range of LGBTQ+ romance novels that center around the stories of Black queer and trans individuals. As a Black-disabled trans person who was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. In addition to having dyslexia, being autistic, and having ADHD. They have a unique perspective on writing romance. It also drives their passion to create a diverse and inclusive romance genre for everyone.
When they're not writing (which is rare), they can often be found reading a good book, watching bl dramas, drinking their body weight in tea, and co-parenting their five children, two dogs, and their growing horde of stray cats.
Thank you to the author Rian Fox for sending me an e-copy of this!
The fall season is practically here, the spooky season is going to be starting pretty soon. If you want a steamy, scary novella, The Devil's Bargain might be the perfect choice for you!
Silas just became the owner of a rare first edition book from a famous 19th-century Occultist. He accidentally unleashes something (or someone) terrifying from that book and his life is forever changed.
Definitely a monster romance, this book will give you a scary big demon and a human who wants him so badly. The way Bazaduil appears in Silas's life is so creepy and it really puts you in that scary/spooky horror romance vibe. I wish this was longer, I understand it's a very short story and it did what it was supposed to do! But the story was super interesting and I wanted to know more about these characters and see a development in their relationship.
Content warnings for dubious consent, implied mpreg, informal dom/sub play, and breeding kink.
Really enjoyed this short about a preppy, nerdy gay black gentleman who feels out of place in the areas that interest him most, and has fantasies of being overpowered and hurt a little by someone much larger than himself. At an estate sale, a certain item thought to be lost turns up, and with it, something he's drawn to and didn't realize he wants.
If you're not into more monstrous demons, it's best to shy away from this one.
Silas finds himself in the posession of a rare occult book with which he quickly becomes engrossed. Inadvertently summoning a (male) demon, he must employ all of his wits to avoid being overcome with the lust it inspires, and losing his soul for all eternity. On the other hand, to not submit to the demon will render him incapable of relief for the rest of his life. What exit strategy will he conjure up to propose?
There is a strange sense of fulfillment (no, not the way you’re thinking though there is that too) and hope weaved in. It begins with a successful, albeit lonely, man who seems to be mostly drifting along life now. Through the story’s journey, as he battles desire and the supernatural, he starts to ascend to a different existence which is perplexingly strange, but not neccesarily unwanted.
‘The Devil’s Bargain’ is intelligently written from both grammatical and creative standpoints. The premise seems simple enough, yet the plot is interesting and engaging. The main character and his plight are endearing. The imagery is vivid, including the kinky sex. Being a fan of demons (in both sexual and non-sexual ways), I can assure that the steamy scenes in this tale are better than any demon themed porno I have seen to date.
It is a short read and while enjoyable, I loved it so much that I could definitely read a novel based on these characters and this setting. I appreciate that the author lists topics in the description (and in the front of the book) which some readers may find offensive or triggering. I do not personally need content warnings, but when dealing with something of this nature, I think it’s thoughtful that they are given. I’ll be awaiting future publications from Rian Fox.
TW: "dubious consent", some dom/sub action, and implied mpreg
I'm giving this 4 devilish stars!!
Can I first just say that when I saw the synopsis for this erotica short story I was SO excited!! So I'm super happy that I got to read an ARC of this!
The main character, Silas, a gay black man living in Philly, who's a dresser,a soft boy, and the owner of an antique shop. I really loved reading his character and I thought he was just so easy to read the perspective from almost immediately. You definitely get an understanding of his personality right from the beginning.
The way that the Devil's son, Bazaduil, showed up was both terrifying and hot (imma be honest). Like I probably would pee myself if I found a devil in my bed but in this story I ATE IT UP. And Bazaduil was rough but the author still wrote it in a way that was still hot and I'm grateful.
This is only 50 pages so there's definitely not a lot of time to pursue what their dynamic and relationship would be, but I would love more and I had a great time reading it.
When Silas buys a very old book at a library he would have never expected that this book will turn his live upside down.
This was very short, very steamy and still somehow cute at the end.
Of course this could have been longer. I would have enjoyed more about Silas and his demon but also about Silas best friend and how he would explain the situation. However for being so short it was an amazing book.
I will definitely look out for more books of the author.
So many careless typos are super distracting to the story and make the author seem like they don't care all that much about their own art. What a turn-off. And the story felt so very rushed. Would have made a terrific novella or even longer short story if the author had taken their time to develop/edit with any care.
Very quick read as it's short. But also to the point for being M/M spicy romance. I kinda hope there's more. I do plan on reading the authors other works as well.
The smut scene was nice, actually made me feel something. Unfortunately, everything else was just eh. Mpreg isn't really for me and there were too many inconsistencies and errors for me to enjoy it. Sad.
Sweet, adorable Silas buys an ancient book at an auction and accidentally releases a seriously hot, dominant demon who wants his soul. The sex was steamy as hell and the ending was really sweet, which actually caught me by surprise. Silas’s relationship with his cat Pearle made me laugh as well, it was very relatable. I would have liked to have seen what Pearle thought of Bazaduil in the end!