Review by Kayleigh

Series Name: Hell Bent, #1

This book is pure fun. 

Favourite Quote:

Eva drank the demon blood

She actually opened her mouth and swallowed a mouthful of blood that had come from Ash’s veins after he made a sizable cut in his arm right in front of her. And then, of course, she immediately sprayed it everywhere and gagged so hard she almost threw up her breakfast. 

Book Synopsis:

Asmodeus, Prince of Hell, just wants to play music. Jazz, specifically.

Unfortunately, he’s a demon, and he’s supposed to be evil. A career as a musician isn’t exactly an option.

And he’s cursed, to top it all off.

Sick of playing by the rules, Ash and his brothers escape Hell in search of freedom on Earth, only to discover it’s harder than they thought to keep their enemies off their tail. The four rogues quickly become the Underworld’s Most Wanted, and if they’re caught… 

The consequences will be dire.

Everything changes for Ash when he meets a beautiful violinist who can see through his curse. It must be too good to be true, but he can’t resist the temptation.

No matter the risk, he has to have her.

Evangeline Gregory is just your average human. She works at a jazz bar, plays gigs on weekends…

And, apparently, hallucinates demons.

At least, that’s what she tells herself happens when, moments after she meets the man of her dreams, she sees him shift into a seven-foot-tall, red-skinned monster.

Not believing her own eyes, Eva decides to investigate and soon finds herself caught in the middle of a supernatural clusterf**k of epic proportions. But Ash isn’t the only one keeping secrets, and the search for answers reveals a shocking truth that will change the course of her life forever.

Or maybe just doom it.

Review:

When I read the synopsis for this book I was intrigued by the demons and jazz hook. What was happening? My Funny Demon Valentine is a paranormal romance with some heft to it, but is also an entertainable read. Set in today’s world, we quickly meet Ash and his brothers, demons who’ve escaped Hell and want to live with humans on earth. Ash is cursed. He once was the demon prince of lust and now an angel has made him unforgettable to all who would desire him. And, on his first night out Montreal as a free-demon he finds a gorgeous woman who is obsessed with him. Eva is fun, fearless, and comes from bohemian artists. She wants to be loved but is tired of playing games, is focused on her career as a musician, and just wants the same sweet and loyal love her parents have. 

Ash seems too good to be true when she meets him. And then, during a bad ending to the night, she watches him turn into a demon? Lucky for her, demons don’t exist. Unfortunately for Eva, Ash and his brothers are demons who are just dying to survive. Over their millennia in hell, somehow the men? Demons? Have evolved and found a conscience. They no longer wish to cause chaos and pain and want to find happiness and peace. Oh yah, and their human forms are all totally hot. 

The demon brothers are a hoot. They are dysfunctional, not sure how to pass as humans, and have some serious trauma and anger issues as would be fitting of kings and princes of Hell who’ve done some stuff they aren’t ready to admit easily. Somehow this scrappy band of brothers won me over. They are sweet, funny, and focused on trying to survive. Eva, of course, gets lost in Ash and falls deeply in love. The big problem? I mean other than Ash being a literal demon from hell? Well, hell doesn’t like when demons go missing and hunters are out for them, and they have Eva’s scent. The problem is, she also has some family secrets that are deep in the demon world and are going to cause problems for Eva and the demon brothers. 

Throughout the book is a bass line of music, art and the meaning of life. Why do we create? Is to create a human instinct? Do you need a soul to make art? Eva and Ash and their families throw this around as they try to keep the demon brothers hidden and safe from Hell’s hunters. 

I requested this book on a whim and really loved this introduction to the series which currently has five books, with this being the first. The book is partially set in Montreal, Quebec and British Columbia. If you’re a fan of Lucifer the TV show or Charlaine Harris’s vampires then you will love these demons. 

Thank you to Kensington Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.