Chace Verity

Match with the Demon

Lauren Sullivan

It’s a cozy trashy romance! All of the author’s cozy demon romances have been an absolute delight, and this one is no different. While past books have dealt with single parents of teens and elementary schoolers, this one has an empty nester.

“It was probably too late to freak out over having a greasy Valentine’s Day meal in a sports bar with an actual demon. But it was not too late to be thoroughly confused. How had he matched with a demon on his first foray into queer dating?”

Harrison’s a single dad whose son has just gone off to college. Luckily not too far away, but still, now that he’s officially launched Harrison’s decided to get back into the dating game. Or, to be honest, to dip his toes into the world of queer dating for the first time. He can’t quite believe his luck when he matches with a very hot guy, but he’s even more surprised when it turns out the man is actually a tentacled demon. Lazlo’s looking for a trashy queer man, which sounds, uh bad, but it’s actually quite sweet. After spending several eons as a pleasure demon (the aforementioned tentacles), Lazlo’s decided to become a trash demon instead. Whatever that means. And for whatever reason, Harrison can see through Lazlo’s magical disguise, so Lazlo doesn’t expect Harrison to agree to another date, but Harrison is intrigued by him.

And that’s pretty much the entire story. Besides the usual bleak moment, they communicate well, but my favorite part is that they just quietly accept the other person. Lazlo’s idea of a date is going dumpster diving? OK, not Harrison’s usual thing, but Lazlo’s obvious enjoyment is enough for him. Harrison’s a very sweet guy, but for so long his life has revolved around his son Justin that he’s not sure what to do with himself. His family distanced himself when he came out, his ex-wife abandoned them, and his friends drifted away when he got sole custody of Justin. Hanging out with Lazlo gives him a new perspective (and some much needed romance).

Because besides the whole cozy vibe, it also has a very sweet message. Harrison is inspired by Lazlo’s determination to leave behind what doesn’t work for him anymore, not to mention his care and fascination with what everyone else has decided is worthy of being thrown away. It’s a good reminder that you get to continue choosing who you are, that whatever designations fit you once don’t have to fit you forever.

“Here I was, going into the world of online dating, thinking I’d find some good trash. Think I just found something good instead.”

Overall, utterly sweet and romantic, with a high dose of tentacle-spice, and lots of Canadian flair, including poutine and the most Canadian name ever for a dating app. And it’s got an absolutely killer last line! Highly recommended!

I received an advance review copy of this book from BookSprout. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Content notes: (view spoiler)[toxic family (homophobia, mentioned but not on page), parental abandonment, smoking (hide spoiler)]

Match with the Demon

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