A romance novelist investigating a murder is paired with a maddening Prince of Hell to solve a deadly game among the demon courts.
- Score
- 78.2
- Spice
- 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️Spicy
- POV
- first
- Ending
- HEA / HFN
Tropes
Content warnings
Curated signals, not an exhaustive guarantee.
If you liked this, read
What readers think
Readers who love it cite the push-pull chemistry between Envy and Camilla as genuinely sizzling, the Regency-adjacent setting as a fresh atmospheric hook, and the secondary characters — especially the Sloth prince — as scene-stealers. The multi-realm worldbuilding is praised for expanding the Kingdom of the Wicked universe in exciting directions. On the other side, a significant portion of reviewers find the 600-page length bloated: the mystery loses momentum mid-book, the romance's tension is repeatedly broken by early explicit scenes rather than earning heat through yearning, and Envy himself is criticised as flat or dull as a love interest despite the author's intent. Prose quality divides readers sharply, with some finding it lush and decadent and others calling it clunky or corny. Overall Goodreads reception sits in the 3.5–3.9 range, reflecting strong enjoyment from fans of spicy paranormal romance tempered by craft reservations.
Read it if
- · Readers who want a very spicy demon-prince romance with a Regency-gothic flavour and don't need the plot to outpace the heat
- · Fans of the Kingdom of the Wicked trilogy eager to revisit the world through a new POV and expanded demon-court lore
- · Anyone who loved early 2000s paranormal romance (e.g. J.R. Ward, Sherrilyn Kenyon) and wants that indulgent, maximalist energy in a fantasy setting
Skip it if
- · You want genuine slow-burn — the leads act on their attraction early and often, so there is little sustained yearning
- · You need a tight, well-paced plot — the 600-page mystery drags and the ending twist lands awkwardly for many readers
- · You are sensitive to coercion or blackmail as romance setup devices
If you liked this
- · For fans of Kingdom of the Wicked (Maniscalco) — same demon-court world, now adult and far spicier
- · For fans of A Touch of Darkness (Scarlett St. Clair) — morally grey immortal hero, forced bargain, and explicit heat in a mythological underworld setting
- · For fans of Neon Gods (Katee Robert) — Regency-coded dark romance with a dangerous love interest and unapologetically high steam
- · For fans of From Blood and Ash (Armentrout) — possessive supernatural hero, forbidden bargain, and explicit open-door romance driving a multi-book fantasy world
Which dark romantasy heroine are you? Five choices in a forest that wants you dead.
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