Passing Through Purgatory

Passing Through Cafe, Book 1

De: Nik Knight

Narrado por: Michael Lesley

When Oliver applied for a job in the Hell dimension on a whim, he didn't expect it to turn his whole world—or his heart—entirely upside down.

Recently graduated at twenty-six, and two months behind on rent, Oliver Barnes is desperate. So desperate, in fact, that he applies for a job in the Greed district of Hell's Pentagram. But when he misses his train and, subsequently, his job interview, he stumbles, instead, upon a strange little coffee shop in the middle of Purgatory's barren desert—and into an unexpected opportunity.

It isn't the job he came to Hell for, but maybe it's exactly the job he needs.

As he navigates the demon dimension and tries to survive the ridiculous shenanigans of his unholy co-workers, Oliver soon falls head-over-ass for a tentacled lawyer with electric fingers and a deadly-sharp grin. Together, they discover that, sometimes, love and happiness can be just a train ride away.

Join Oliver and the rest of the eccentric staff of The Passing Through Cafe in Nik Knight's new rom-com urban fantasy series, full of found family, embarrassing encounters, spicy situations, and love that crosses dimensions

©2025 Nik Knight (P)2025 Podium Audio

Loved it!

One of the funniest books I've read ina long time great yet relatable story with off the wall and somewhat over the top character. Very enjoyable if you want a good laugh.

Hilarious, Sweet & Spicy

This is my first book by Nik Knight & I loved it! Oliver & Lioel are too cute together! I laughed so much and hard during this book! All of the characters are wonderful! I’m looking forward to the rest of the series because of them. I had to hold back my laughter for “But is he thicc?” because I was up late. I did not want to put this book down! As always Michael Lesley did a wonderful job narrating! This book will definitely be a comfort read for me now.

Humans and folks from Hell falling in love

I first started this on Kindle but my ability & time to sit and read was getting cut. I did a brief search and discovered my favorite narrator did this one so that was an instant buy. The friendships are real, the romance was sweet and the spice was HOT! Really the hardest thing to believe is that there was a healthy work environment.

brillant beginning

Michael Lesley does a brilliant job in bringing each of these characters to life. you have no confusion in whose poverty you are in so stay entranced the entire time.

Nik Knight does a brilliant job in introducing us to this new world where the 7 deadly sins are each their own district in Hell with different classes. The world building is top-notch. The characters are all each uniquely different and just work as an overall cohesive unit. They include all walks of life, sexual persuasion, and at the the café in Purgatory, all come and become a dysfunctional family that will do anything for the other even when normally they wouldn't get along.
The romance of Liel and Oliver is sweet and builds up to that phase vs. jumping right in. yes, the heat is immediately there, but they take the time to know the others' quirks before committing to the other. Nik does a great job in balancing humor, heat, and otherworldly politics that draw you in from the beginning. The next book already here will be jumping right into that to see our next couple and how they work in this groups unique dynamics.

When a human barista meets a demon lawyer

MM Romance - Human/Demon Couple - Found Family - Location Hell

I have had this one for ages, I think I bought it during Audible's big June sale. Anyhow, while I enjoyed it a lot, there were also some issues.

The world-building was fantastic. I liked the idea of humans commuting from the human realm to work in hell. The side characters were amazing (and totally bonkers) and Oliver (26) and Leo (31) were really sweet, once they managed to get together. To Oliver everything about purgatory was new and as reader we got to learn about the way of living, the hierarchies and prejudice between demons alongside him.

One of my issues was that despite not much was happening it also felt as if there was a lot going on. That was very much down to the constant noise from the side characters. There was so much snark and banter, it more than once felt forced and unnecessary. I am a sucker for found family and I did like them all, they were just too much at times. The weekend at Oliver's parents though was precious and absolutely hilarious. 😂

I'm not ruling out continuing the series but at the moment I will not.
.....................................
CAWPILE-inspired rating system (original CAWPILE system by Book Roast on YouTube).

Characters 7/10
Relationships 7/10
Plot & Structure 7/10
Atmosphere & Setting (Worldbuilding) 8/10
Writing Style & Language 7/10
Intrigue & Interest 7/10
Logic & Conclusion 8/10
Enjoyment & Experience 7/10

Average Score 7.25/10
The StoryGraph Rating ☆ 3.75/5

Narration 4/5
Cover 4/5
Amount of Steam 4/5
.....................................

Delightful

This book is well written, humorous and delightful. I like monster romance and this book delivered exactly that. The world building and monsters/demons, in this case, are imaginative, interesting and three dimensional. The romance is slow building, but hot. The supporting characters are a hoot.
Michael Lesley didn't disappoint in delivery either. I really like how he injects different characteristics for each character. He isn't just reading the text, he brings each character to life by giving them different personalities by changing mannerisms how they speak, their tone of voice and so on.

I think I found another book to add to my favorites.

OMG WHAT DID MY EARS LISTEN TO

Do not even hesitate to purchase this gem. It is funny, inappropriate, and all things pleasantly weird.

Hilarious and sexy

This book was a wonderfully cozy and fun romcom with excellent repartee building up to satisfying (electric) spice. Great cast of loveable queer found family. Loved it.

Funny and sweet!

I loved everything about this story. The narration kept me laughing and entertained the entire time!

So so good !!

Clever and funny . Sweet . Loved the world building and how natural the story flowed without being overtly demonstrative