Another wild ride

Story: 3.75⭐️
Audio: 4.5⭐️

I absolutely adore Maslow's world-building and her takes on various mythological creatures, and "Demon for the Win" is no different. Mostly taking place before the events of Nico's book "Must Love Demons", the story follows Nico's bff and fellow incubus Kem who finds his soul's perfect match in Tuli, a socially shy but confident in the kitchen chef. Tuli gets dragged along to the sex club Kem works at but never in a million years plans to hook up with someone, especially someone as hot and charming as Kem. Tuli's ex did a number on his self esteem and cemented his belief in his inability to pick partners. Although he has the night of his life with Kem, he chalks it all up to it being Kem's job and their explosive chemistry to lust magic.

When the pair run into each other two months later, Kem knows that what he feels for Tuli is special and is determined to woo the wary but sweet Tuli. Tuli can't imagine what Kem could see in him or if Kem can even be faithful given he's a lust demon, but finds himself wanting to trust Kem despite his doubts. The couple have great chemistry and great personalities. Both are nice, giving creatures with Kem having an easy-going, laid back charm and Tuli being shy but delightful when he feels comfortable. As usual, the story is filled with so many interesting secondary and tertiary characters, and of course I LOVED seeing Nico again.

That being said, Maslow's trademark is mischief, magic and murder and for a story this short I think it was chocked a bit too full of her 3Ms. Between magic spoons, an irascible and deeming executive chef, predators of various varieties, Incubi politics and murder (just to name a few plot strands), the novella doesn't have much time for Tuli and Kem's relationship. They literally go on one date before their relationship is fast-tracked at the end of the main story with time jumps. As the narrative is in dual 1st person POV, there is enough of each person's thoughts to track their feelings and development, I just wish more time could have been spent on their romance given how sweet their courtship is...when not being interrupted by all the shenanigans.

The story also does that thing that movies increasingly do that drives me crazy: establish rules that the narrative goes out if its way to lay down...then break them bc the "rule of cool" for an action scene trumps everything else. There's a scene that is great for what it shows about Tuli and his capabilities, but should have been basically impossible given what the reader is told (and is reinforced in dialogue in the scene) and where it happens; I found it distracting and just something else that gets more time than the MCs as a couple.

All in all though, it is a fun story with great characters, and Darcy Stark does a great job bringing them to life. While his delivery for the narrative is a bit too deliberate and slow enough compared to the dialogue to be noticeable and distracting, his character voices are distinct and diverse. His cadence, emotional beats and tone work well and none of the many characters ever feels similar or interchangeable. Stark makes the most of what the MCs show in their POVs to make the small amount of time they get together feel impactful and full of emotion. Another fun, chaotic installment to Maslow's irreverent and gleeful catalogue.

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I love this world and its characters

The magical city of Verona is full of some fascinating people! I have loved all of them so much. Now we get the story of Nico’s best friend Kem and his perfect match Tuli. Absolutely loved it!!! And Darcy Stark does such a great job with these characters. I am going to go relisten to Must Love Demons now!

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Loved it!

This is my favourite in the series. Kem and Tully are so very different, yet so cute together. Misunderstandings are expected when you pair an incubus and a dryad. They do work it out and figure out they are meant to be together.

Narrator has done an excellent job, I'm on my second listen.

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Incubus for the Win!

Tuli and Kem on audible are even sweeter! Darcy Stark did a phenomenal job of narrating. Tuli has been hurt in the romance department, so he is wary of love and does not trust easily anymore. He is certainly not going to give up the chance at some sexy time with Kem though! Kem is an incubus, so he is all about carefree, fun-loving encounters. Turns out though Kem becomes quite caring and protective of Tuli. I adored these two together and all the other familiar guys we get to see here made it even more fun.

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Definitely a win for the audio version

I read this book when it came out and loved it so all I can say about the story is that it’s terrific. This audiobook really adds to the story with Darcy Stark’s narration. He does great voices that don’t overwhelm the story itself. His regular reading voice is smooth and nice to listen to. Definitely one I will listen to again.

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Cute novella about reluctant fated mates

A cute novella about reluctant fated mates, set in the Much Ado About Demons world of Verona.

The story follows Kem, “the most footloose and fancy free of the incubi”, and a relationship-shy dryad, Tuli, who meet for a one night stand, but end up finding their perfect match in each other. Which is actually the least of their problems as before even trying to fall in love, first they have to navigate the tangled web of incubi politics and deal with nasty coworkers, sleazy clients, murderous centaurs, missing magic spoons and really pesky hexes while not getting murdered in the process. And I think that's what will make it or break it for a lot of readers. Personally, I'm more into magic and mayhem than romance so I loved how well-developed the background of this novella is, how many characters, plotlines and details about this fascinating world got packed into such a short book. However, the downside of such a setup is, it doesn't leave a lot of page time for the main characters as a couple, so if you're in it for a swoony love story and all the feelz, you might be left a bit unsatisfied.

Either way, it's a fun story with stellar world-building and Darcy Stark's narration adds even more life and depth to its fantastic characters. Special mention goes to his performance of Shrood, who effortlessly steals the show every time he's part of a scene, with Stark's distinct voice perfectly capturing his slightly stoned laid-back bro vibe.

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Fun, Entertaining Story

I enjoyed this story a lot. Author created a fun magical universe with interesting characters, who fall in love, fight the bad guys, at the same time have stressful jobs and demanding not so nice bosses. Narrator did a great job, I loved his voices for all the characters, his talented performance made this entertaining story a perfect listening experience.

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Seriously fun listen!!

Demon for the Win was a seriously fun listen!! Tuli is a Dryad that doesn’t want a relationship, trouble or drama. He gets a three when he meets Kem, an incubus. Kem just wants to love Tuli and keep him safe. But there is so much drama going on! Tuli was so freakin sweet! I loved the way that Kem took the time to get to know Tuli, and was willing to give up his job for Tuli. Darcy Stark did a fantastic narrative, each voice was clear and distinct. The characters were fun, highly recommend. Overall, a fantastic listen!

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4.5 Stars

Loved the narration and the story! This is a very interesting world with rich characters! There was humour, action, and danger as well as sexy times and true love. Tuli and Kem were great together! I also liked seeing a little preview of Nico before the happenings of Must Love Demons.

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sweet and adorable

Kem and Tuli kick off a great start to this series. with totally adorable demons and the mythical creatures that love them. Kem and Tuli may not have a easy start but they are so cute you have to root for them.
Darcy Stark's beautiful cadence is perfect for this fantasy realm while still making room for The Shrood.

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