The month of October is for spooks and paranormal romances; and by god is Sarah Hawley’s debut novel, A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating A Demon, a great addition to the spooky season. Fake dating, demons, witches, and a forest to save–Oz and Mariel will capture your heart in a deal you won’t be able to say no to.
Check out my previous read 
Counting On A Countess by Eva Leigh
Genres: Paranormal RomancePublisher: Berkley
Publication Date: March 7, 2023
Source: Library
Format: Audiobook/ebook
Mariel Spark knows not to trust a demon, especially one that wants her soul, but what’s a witch to do when he won’t leave her side—and she kind of doesn’t want him to?
Mariel Spark is prophesied to be the most powerful witch seen in centuries of the famed Spark family, but to the displeasure of her mother, she prefers baking to brewing potions and gardening to casting hexes. When a spell to summon flour goes very wrong, Mariel finds herself staring down a demon—one she inadvertently summoned for a soul bargain.
Ozroth the Ruthless is a legend among demons. Powerful and merciless, he drives hard bargains to collect mortal souls. But his reputation has suffered ever since a bargain went awry—if he can strike a bargain with Mariel, he will earn back his deadly reputation. 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).
But the witch is funny. And curvy. And disgustingly yet endearingly cheerful. Becoming awkward roommates quickly escalates when Mariel, terrified to confess the inadvertent summoning to her mother, blurts out that she’s dating Ozroth. As Ozroth and Mariel struggle with their opposing goals and maintaining a fake relationship, real attraction blooms between them. But Ozroth has a limited amount of time to strike the deal, and if Mariel gives up her soul, she’ll lose all her emotions—including love—which will only spell disaster for them both.
“Are you the biggest?”
He smirked “Depends what you´re asking about.”
I went into this book simply because the cover of the book caught my eye while scrolling through Libby way back in August. Immediately I added it, and it just sat there until I had two days left on the borrow and I became Lightning McQueen. Midway through the book I was kicking myself for waiting so long to read this.
Hawley brings an excellent balance of comedy and sweet romance that really highlights the best qualities of a romcom. Mariel is a witch who has been told her whole life she is to the most powerful in her family line, but magic never comes easy for her and she becomes the laughing stock of her family and town. But when a spell goes sideways and she accidentally summons a demon bargainer, Ozaroth The Ruthless, instead of more flour for her baking–she finds herself in a tale spin of an adventure where she has to save not only her soul but also the town’s forest.
Oz and Mariel are literally the cutest couple I’ve read since Game Changer by Rachel Reid. I don’t know how many times I was caught smiling ear to ear while listening to the audiobook of this (which is absolutely amazing by the way). I loved watching both Oz and Mariel learn how to combat their insecurities and really embrace the beauty of emotions throughout the book. Hawley makes self confidence a huge part of the plot and I was cheering our hero and heroine on as they began to set boundaries and really lean into self care moments. Mmm we love growth.
I will say that there is on page verbal abuse from a parent as well as parental manipulation that can be triggering for some, so please go into this with that in mind and always practice self care while reading.
Overall though, this was an absolutely smashing debut and I’m excited to read the next book in the series! Definitely get the audiobook for this and readalong if you decide to pick this up!
HDHDFHFDH IM SO GLAD YOU LOVED THIS SO MUCH
Ohhh this one sounds like a hilariously cute witchy romance! The last book I read that featured witches was A Modern Girl’s Guide To Magic by Linsey Hall, and it was a great fluffy read too. Definitely gonna check this one out as well.