Perfection! A wonderful start to what is sure to be a fantastic new series by Gail Carriger.

Beverage: Terry’s Taster (Tassimo skinny decaf espresso with sugar free orange and chocolate syrup).

Music: Martha Wainwright – I Know You’re Married

It’s hard to write a review of this book because I read it directly after I read Devil’s Bargain, the first book in this duology (you can find my review of that book here). The two books are very much two halves of one complete story so they’re difficult to separate in my head. But I shall endeavor to do my best.

It was interesting to see this world presented from Lucia’s point-of-view. I really like the collaborative nature of her partnership with Jazz – they are so alike in so many ways that it would seem they would be constantly butting heads (which they did do in the beginning of their partnership in Devil’s Bargain), but they’ve come to understand each other in a short time frame and are fiercely protective of each other.

The strange sexually tense relationship between McCarthy felt a little unbalanced to me – I admit, I wondered why Caine was creating such an odd dynamic. This only made the big reveal – that McCarthy was ordered to impregnate Lucia and when he refused, she was kidnapped and forcibly impregnated with his semen via a medical procedure – all that more heartbreaking.

I really enjoyed this book and was sad to see that, other than a short story, it is the end to this universe. But at the same time, the stories didn’t feel unfinished or quickly and messily resolved. I just want to see more of this world or more of this compelling storytelling from Caine.

I think I will revisit Two Weeks Notice soon and see if reading it in one sitting keeps my interest.

[Review copy generously provided by Harlequin UK - MIRA]

Beverage: Tough Cookie (Tassimo skinny double latte with sugar free chocolate chip cookie dough and chocolate syrup).

Music: Dia Frampton - Red

The Short Of It: A delightful combination of academia, magical lore and romance. Think Deborah Harkness' A Discovery Of Witches mixed with Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse novels. Highly recommended.



Off the bat, I thought this book would be a kinda cheesy paranormal romance. I thought it would be a short, easy read that hopefully wasn't too heavy on the heaving bosoms and throbbing manhoods.

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I was completely wrong. Yes, there's a lot of romance elements - after all, the book is about a woman whose claim to fame is a book called The Sex Lives of Demon Lovers. However, it is so much more.

The intersection of magic and academia is so wonderfully explored here - it reminded me quite a bit of A Discovery Of Witches, which is one of my all-time favourite books. It's not as heavy a read, but just as enjoyable. I would say cross A Discovery Of Witches with the Sookie Stackhouse series and you would get the world of The Demon Lover.

Still, there's lots of wonderful worldbuilding and mythology to sink your teeth into as well as mystery, humour, small town nosiness, obnoxious relatives, heartbreak and of course, sexy sexy demon lovin'.

I am so glad I was wrong about this book. It was a joy to read and completely engrossing. I've already started reading the sequel, The Water Witch, which hits bookshelves on February 12th. If you're on the fence or put off by the title, please give this book a chance. I think you'll be glad you did.

[Review copy generously provided by Random House Publishing Group]