Joined in 2023 
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Ozroth's only job is to make bargains with witches so that he can use their souls to power the demon plane. I would have loved to have seen more of his denial or anger towards having gained emotions/having to deal with a witch with no control of her powers, but instead he was fighting attraction straight away and cleaning up her house. A young witch who hasn’t discovered her full potential, nourishing her plants, enduring her ultra narcissistic mother’s verbal abuse accidentally summons a powerful demon who insists to take away her magic/ soul! I don't want this to come off as prudish and I don't want to spoil anything, but there were elements of this book that made it seem like self-insert fan fiction, or maybe a Wattpad serial.
Ozroth can’t leave Mariel until the soul bargain is completed and Mariel plans on putting up a fight. Instead it was pleasantly intriguing without being either falsly modest or full of pantomime like OTTP charachters.There was also a lot of growth from our FMC, which I was so happy to see, as well as some very positive messaging, especially near the end. When a spell to summon flour goes very wrong, Mariel finds herself staring down a demon – one she inadvertently summoned for a soul bargain.
Also my brain completely glossed over the chicken thing at the start, but now that I've read a few reviews mentioning it. But, when he’s summoned to Mariel, he’s in for a struggle because Mariel has no intention of making a deal with Ozroth. She co-hosts the Wicked Wallflowers Club podcast about romance fiction, which was featured on Entertainment Weekly's "Must List. What is beautiful is the connection they build as he defends her, supports her, and learns about who she really is.
Hawley ably navigates life and love among toxic family members, fantastical chaos, and small-town politics-with some steamy scenes and plenty of dad jokes along the way. Mariel Spark is supposed to be the most powerful witch in her family for centuries but she just can’t do anything to please her mother to save her life. I felt so much sympathy for Mariel (h) that her family was powerful and therefore so much was expected from her, but she struggled hard with her magic. Ozroth can't leave Mariel's side until they complete a bargain, which she refuses to do (turns out some humans are attached to their souls).
This is more of a personal preference but I hate when books take modern day technology/objects and alter the name to make it sound more mystical. So throwing in an additional arc of their breakup (which could have - and was eventually - solved with the simplest of conversations) was so unnecessary. Even non Fantasy fans looking for an transformative love story should easily be able to overlook issues around the fantasy and simply appreciate the uplifting book. Mariel Spark was prophesied to be the most powerful witch for centuries, unfortunately her magic didn’t get the memo.Hawley’s delightful debut is a welcome addition to the witchy rom-com genre with its ecological flavor, fresh take on the demon realm with a fascinating cosmology, and enticing secondary characters who deserve their own stories. I quite nearly dnf'd this at one point because I found it so difficult to listen to her family continuously berate her on page over and over again. I couldn’t tell if this was meant to be a grumpy x sunshine because both the fmc and mmc went back and forth with being grumps. This book has great romantic tension due to forced proximity and slightly unconventional meeting, and is perfect if you want all the autumnal vibes but none of the fear.
My eyes glazed a bit at the end and even now when I know what happened, my eyes still roll a bit by what Mariel was forced to do. I don't know why 3rd act breakups are thrown into books that already have drama and tension in the plot. He could not have left her side till the bargain was completed and yet she belittled him over and over, gave him no respect and always doubted him even though he was always forthcoming and honest, did not hide anything from her. Ozroth, a 200 and something year old demon, appears ready to bargain for a soul until he realises that this was all a mistake. But, she can’t tell her parents that she accidentally summoned a demon, so she tells them she is dating Ozroth.Hawley delights in her humorous and romantic paranormal debut…Hawley ably navigates life and love among toxic family members, fantastical chaos, and small-town politics—with some steamy scenes and plenty of dad jokes along the way. This was a really cute and funny read that also managed to pack in some big emotions, family drama, and angst. He likes devouring spaghettis, attending to the protests for safe ecosystem, making jokes, spending time with her besties. Here’s the quick recap of plot: before Mariel Spark’s birth, the wind, the earth and the stars had all signified that she was going to be the strongest witch in the generations of the famed magic family.
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