3.5 Love Handles Stars ⭐️
Spicy Level: 🌶️🌶️.5/5

You know when a book title gives you a certain expectation, but then you read the book and realize you were totally off the mark? Yeah… that was this book!!! I went in expecting some kind of Valentine’s Day romance between a girl and a demon, only to end up with two characters bonding over jazz music and a song I’ve never heard of...

𝙎𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨:
We start with Asmodeus, Belial, Mephistopheles and Raum, who have all escaped from Hell, deciding to try their luck at living like humans. The problem? Asmodeus has been cursed... a curse that robs him of any kind of pleasure or sensation. He can’t taste, smell, feel, or see colour, and to top it off, anyone who might have found him "attractive" now sees him as appealing as mouldy sandpaper. He has lived in isolation, untouched and unnoticed for millennia. One night, they visit a jazz club, and Asmodeus finds himself mesmerized by a violinist on stage. Their eyes meet, and something shifts. That violinist is Evangeline and when she walks over to introduce herself, it sets everything into motion. But here’s the kicker, these demons aren’t supposed to be here, and now that they’ve broken free, they’re being hunted. And when a gargoyle tracks them down, and Evie sees their demon forms... things get complicated.

𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨:
Evangeline is interesting. She’s badass, but at times, way too chill about what’s happening. Like, girl, you just saw a full-on demon execution and your reaction is… mild concern? She has one brief moment of freaking out, and then she’s fine, which made some of her reactions feel a little too blasé. I would’ve liked a bit more depth to how she processed everything. And her mother's advice... "Maybe you should explore this"... Because apparently, almost witnessing a demon battle to the death is not a reason to run for the hills.

Asmodeus and his demon brothers are adorable. And yes, I just called demons adorable! Asmodeus, in particular, is the least attuned to human norms... probably because, for the last three millennia, no one has paid him any attention. He has no idea how to interact with people, which results in this hilariously HIMBO energy. He’s clueless about basic human customs, norms and technology - especially things like how television works. It was just stupidly cute.

I didn’t expect this to have multiple POVs, but it really added to the story. You can tell Aurora Ascher really did her research on demonology, and while some creative liberties were taken with the characters’ personalities and backstories, a lot of their story is based on traditional biblical lore. And listen, BECAUSE I am obsessed with learning random things from books, I loved going down the rabbit hole of researching who these demons were and what they stood for.

Even though he is not the main MMC in this, Belial might be my favourite. He has zero chill and the worst temper, and when he gets angry, he has "little flame" temper tantrums. It was hilarious and endearing how his brothers and Evie calmed him down. I think that's a big thing that I loved about this book, how strong the bonds were between the brothers! I loved seeing how this ragtag group of escaped demons had become a brotherhood... fiercely protective of each other in a world that didn’t want them to exist.

Now there isn't much plot to this story, but it is a fun ride! The characters carry it, and for me, that was enough. I loved watching Asmodeus and Evangeline bond over something as human as music... Seeing them connect through that, how their shared passion brought them together and changed them, was unexpectedly sweet.

There was one thing that annoyed me... The one demon's name is RIDICULOUS and I HAVE NO CLUE how to pronounce it... Mishetsumephtai. Every time I saw it, I mentally rolled my eyes and just skimmed over it because, honestly, I wasn’t about to butcher it in my head.

𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨 and 𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙧𝙤 𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨::
▶ DemonXHuman Relationship
▶ Touch Her You Die
▶ Burn The World for You
▶ Band of Brothers
▶ Hidden Identity
▶ Winged MMC
▶ "Mine"
▶ "More"

Overall, this book wasn’t what I expected, but that ended up being a good thing. I went in blind and got a unique, slow-burn connection between two unlikely characters, bonded by music and shaped by their circumstances. It was fun, it was engaging, and it gave me a demon MMC who had no clue how anything worked, which is always a win. My expectations were completely shattered but in the best way possible.

Thank you so much to Kensington Publishing, Netgalley and Aurora Ascher for the gifted copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own