Rating: 4.5 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novel
Valvach isn’t a normal demon. He hates torturing souls, finds it messy and uncomfortable, and wants nothing more than to live life somewhere other than Hell. Val manages to broker a deal to get him sent to the surface without being summoned, though he needs to blend in in order to be able to stay. He finds a job as a personal trainer and does as much research as he can on humans.
Jacob has his eyes set on a man, but in order to get him, Jacob needs to bulk up and put on muscle mass. When he joins a gym, Val helps him out, but when Jacob can’t afford Val as a personal trainer, Val suggests Jacob be his case study. However, the night they begin, the truth comes out. Jacob finds out Val is a demon, and vows to help Val fit in as a human.
What starts out as a friendship with mutual help, quickly turns into more. The more time they spend together, the more feelings develop. When Jacob finds out his crush isn’t what he wants, he turns to Val for solace. One thing leads to another, and Val and Jacob act on their attraction. Falling in love with each other is easy. But when it turns out Val broke important rules by beginning a relationship with Jacob, it will take some creative negotiating and the help of a friend for Jacob and Val to get to be together forever.
I’ll admit that the title was what drew me to this book, as I’m a sucker for a play on words. But as soon as I began reading, I was sucked into this romantic comedy with two very sweet MCs. Neither man really fits in with the world, but they fit with each other very well. I was rooting for them from the start. This book is part of the multi-author Possessive Love universe where demons find their happily ever after, and works perfectly well as a standalone.
Val is very earnest, and it’s endearing in the extreme. I thought the author did a good job walking the line of Val not knowing how the human world works, and the missteps that involves, while also keeping it from turning into a farce. Val is a lovable character who just wants to live life in a way that makes him happy, which is very much at odds with his traditional demon role.
Jacob is his own kind of endearing. He’s a little bit weird and a man who sometimes fixates on things that aren’t good for him. But he’s a sweetheart who sees a person in need, doesn’t freak out at the demon thing, and is determined to not only help Val, but to be his friend. The connection between the MCs is clear right from the start. Though it does start, and build, as a friendship, there is attraction between them. Val recognizes it for what it is first, but he’s also supportive of Jacob’s plans and wants. The two of them together are very sweet, and when their relationship changes, the chemistry sparks and sizzles.
This was a fun and funny book that hits the right notes for a romantic comedy. Both Val and Jacob are endearing and the cuteness between them is only enhanced by their chemistry. I wanted nothing more than for them to figure out a way to spend their lives together, and the ending is a wonderful, and amusing, conclusion. All in all, this was a nice way to spend a few hours.
