Category: Check Content Warning/Triggers

Demon With Benefits by Aurora Ascher

On By TracyIn Check Content Warning/Triggers, Paranormal / Fantasy, Part of a Series, Romantasy, Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Demon with Benefits (Hell Bent, #3)Demon with Benefits by Aurora Ascher

Tracy’s Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Hell Bent, #3

Release Date: July 29, 2025

Blood witch Iris Donovan has known loss at the hand of a demon, but when her twin sister Lily falls in love with a demon, Iris must accept him and his demon friends in order to have a relationship with her sister, even if it means lying to her witch friends. The more time she spends with them, the more she realizes that she might have been wrong to judge them so harshly – well most of them. The demon Meth, who in his human form is a pierced and tattooed bad boy and doesn’t seem to take anything seriously. And to her complete mortification – Iris is turned on by him. But she reminds herself that she has sworn off bad boys, too bad she doesn’t listen to herself. Things get hot and heavy between the, but when feelings get in the way and a mutual enemy threatens them – Iris will have to find her own power to save the demon she has come to love.

For hundreds of years Meth was basically a slave to demon master, but when he was finally freed by his brothers, he made sure that he could never be used that way again. He has deep scars that he hides behind his carefree, party boy attitude, but the pain is there and of late has made physical contact virtually impossible, so he secretly uses his art as a way to escape the pain – until he meets Iris. What starts as a no strings attached booty call, turns into something deeper, something that Iris isn’t ready to accept. But when they part and Meth is taken by their mutual enemy – will she figure out what happened in time, or will he be lost again?

OMG – I LOVED THIS BOOK! The narrator was wonderful, and her voices and cadence were spot on! As to the story, I absolutely adored Iris and Meth as a couple – she is snarky, and he is a smart-mouth and together they set the pages on fire! This book has enemies to lovers, old friends, a hellhound puppy, scorching hot love scenes, secrets, a common enemy, surprises and finally a heartwarming HEA. If you like the enemies to lovers trope with a healthy helping of smoking hot love scenes – this is the book for you! This is the third book in the series, and this book picks up shortly after the end of the previous book, and I think it could be read as a standalone title with no problems – but, if you have time, I highly recommend reading all the books in the series – you won’t regret it.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *

A Reputation Reclaimed by Demri Hess

On By TracyIn Check Content Warning/Triggers, Debut Novel, Georgian Era (1714-1837), New To Me Author, Part of a Series, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

A Reputation Reclaimed (Sins of the Season, #1)A Reputation Reclaimed by Demri Hess

Tracy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Sins of the Season, #1

Release Date: July 1, 2025

Miss Helena Hargreaves and her twin sister Felicity take the ton by storm, but while her sister finds love quickly, Helena is not as lucky and will settle for nothing less. She doesn’t lack for suitors, but when one doesn’t want to take no for an answer, things get ugly, and Helena becomes the subject of salacious whispers. While her reputation is not completely ruined, she feels the change in her status and when she is caught in a compromising position with Lowen Roskelley, the Duke of Carrivick, a man who clearly dislikes her, the hope of a love match seems almost impossible.

Lowen, the Duke of Carrivick, never thought he would be the duke, but with the death of his older brother, followed quickly by his father and mother, Lowen finds himself in a position he was not prepared for, not only as the duke but also caregiver to his baby sister Thomasin. Lowen has held himself to a high standard and Helena Hargreaves though beautiful is definitely not someone he would ever consider as a bride – until he has to. But that doesn’t mean he has to like it, yet he finds himself torn between contempt and desire for his unwanted duchess. Is happily ever after possible for them or are the destined for a loveless future?

This was a new to me author and I was pleasantly surprised by this emotional story. I liked Helena and Lowen as individuals and really wanted them to find their HEA, unfortunately, they didn’t seem to make it easy on themselves. The book was filled with a lot of emotion, rumors, misconceptions, preconceived notions, a bit of spice, some heartache, and finally a very, very, very hard-won HEA. I liked this story but will admit it was somewhat predictable and then seemed to resolve itself without much effort. I definitely felt that Lowen needed to grovel a lot more than he did, but overall, it was a surprisingly good read and one I would be happy to recommend to my fellow HR readers. It should be noted that there are scenes in this book that might be upsetting to some readers, and I would strongly suggest reading the content warnings before reading this book.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *