A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon: Read an excerpt

A Witch's Guide to Fake-Dating a Demon. Image courtesy Berkley.
A Witch's Guide to Fake-Dating a Demon. Image courtesy Berkley. /
facebooktwitterreddit

Sometimes, trends in romance books are too much fun and that’s exactly how I feel about witchy romance books. Most recently, we got A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon by Sarah Hawley.

Released on March 7th, this fun paranormal romance is everything I never knew I needed. I especially loved how it was a romance between a witch and a non-witch love interest. I feel like sometimes two witches can be a bit overdone.

However this time, we got a romance between Mariel who is a witch, and Ozroth the Ruthless who is a demon. As you can guess by the title of the book, this is their fake-dating romance but the book is so much more than that. It’s about the love between them but also the journeys they both go on throughout the course of the story.

While I already shared all of my thoughts in a review, I must say that I’m happy to be able to share an excerpt from the book, too. Hopefully, this will be the push you need to pick up A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon by Sarah Hawley.

Read an excerpt from A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon by Sarah Hawley.

I won’t talk much more as I’m sure my fellow romance readers and lovers want to get into the good stuff so here you go.

"“We’re here!” Mariel announced. She reached out to the bush, infusing her touch with a brush of magic as she whispered, “Aviosen a malei.” The bush parted, letting them through.Beyond was a small oasis. A hot spring bubbled in the center of a clearing, its mineral-orange edges outlining cloudy turquoise water. Steam rose into the crisp air. The flowers in this clearing bloomed year-round, fed by the magic and the springs, and a kaleidoscope of color surrounded the pool.Oz stood with his mouth agape.“Well?” Mariel asked.“This is . . . nice,” he finally said.“It’s more than nice.” Mariel nudged him with her shoulder. “Come on, tell me it isn’t one of the most beautiful things you’ve ever seen.”He reached out to trail his fingers over a dark purple blossom. Wanting to reward him for his gentleness, Mariel sent a thread of magic its way, encouraging it to stroke his hand. His Adam’s apple bobbed as the petals brushed his skin. “I’m not used to being enthusiastic about things,” he said. “But yes. It’s beautiful.”Over two centuries, and he didn’t know how to be excited about something? Mariel’s heart ached for him. What would it be like to spend your entire life cold, to deny beauty and constrain feelings? She would have withered within a year on the demon plane.Maybe not all of the demon plane was like that though. Maybe it was just the way he’d been trained.“Come on,” Mariel said, bending over to remove her hiking books, then strip off her wool socks. The grass was soft under her toes, the magic and warmth keeping it lush even in the depths of winter. “Dip your feet in.”When she stood back up, she swore she caught him staring at her ass."

To me, this is the perfect embodiment of this story and the budding romance between Mariel and Ozroth. Honestly, even if you were looking at A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon as a cover read, this is the ultimate scene to pull if you’re looking to pitch it to someone else to read.

However, if that except wasn’t enough to get you excited, I wanted to feature some of the tropes featured within the story. Obviously, fake dating is the main trope but there’s also forced proximity, small-town, and even some found family vibes with Mariel’s friend group. All in all, this book is a delight.

If you’re looking for a spring read, then you really can’t go wrong with A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon by Sarah Hawley. It’s fun, sweet, and steamy along with having a beautiful cover, and is easily one I’m going to recommend when someone is looking for a witchy romance.

dark. Next. Book Review: A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon

A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon by Sarah Hawley is out now where books are sold. 

Did the excerpt from A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon make you excited to pick it up? Let us know in the comments!