5/5 ⭐️

Perfect historical gothic romance fantasy!! 🖤

The Baron’s Demons is an intense and captivating read that kept me on the edge of my seat. Julia’s struggle to escape her abusive father and the desperate choice she makes to marry a man she barely knows immediately draws you in. The man’s sudden offer of help, mixed with Julia’s fear and hope, sets the stage for a story filled with unexpected twists. What follows is a thrilling journey into a world of witches, demons, and dark secrets. The way the story intertwined love, friendship, and family with the darker elements of demonology was masterful. Every chapter left me guessing and craving more, and I couldn’t put the book down. It’s a beautifully crafted story that kept me hooked until the very end. A must-read for anyone who loves a mix of romance, mystery, and supernatural intrigue!

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this ARC

Oh this was so good. I loved Gabriel and Julia's relationship growth and their story. I couldn't put the book down and I needed to keep reading to figure out what was going to happen next.
The plot was new and intriguing. The character development felt natural.
And was that a cliffhanger?! I can't wait to read more.

realistically this one was a 3.5 star for me, but i rounded it down because there were some parts that just felt unfinished or rushed.
This one had a really interesting premise and description that i simply NEEDED to know more about! I wasn't really expecting too much going into this other than the two main characters reluctantly falling in love (after time and after allowing themselves to) and that they would have to overcome a lot to get the ending that they both deserved. It also didn't hurt that there was the mention of demons and witches, which i knew would keep things interesting if everything else failed.

There were a lot of things to enjoy when reading this one. I thought the emotional journey the main female character goes on was really interesting, and i feel like it was executed really well too! I especially loved that there were so many characters trying to actively help them on this journey/trying to make their life easier and more enjoyable in any way that they could.
There was also a real sense of emotional connection between the two main characters, and all of the intimate moments that they shared later on genuinely felt like i was peering in on a deeply loving connection.

While all of that was really good, there were some parts that left me frustrated. Certain details of the book felt unfinished or dropped like they weren't important, and they were usually the things that i thought were the most interesting. They might not have added anything to the overall plot but they were pretty cool.
There's just a lot of questions that weren't answered or even acknowledged slightly. Maybe the author was just dropping lots of details and events to keep things interesting without really thinking about how it would all be connected or resolved?

The actual ending was enjoyable, and im glad things ended how they did, just still frustrated by the little details.

3 outta 5 Stars
Good Reads Review 20/10/2024

I do enjoy a story where a downtrodden character is saved. However, I have some thoughts.

Things I Enjoyed:
I liked Sal. Also the vicar, needed more of them.

The witch, what was going on there? I wanna know more!

I liked the journey of our sad, sheltered, and abused main character learning to trust and being surrounded by (mostly) people interested in supporting and uplifting her.

I also liked that our sad, guarded, stoney love interest went through a similar journey of learning to trust. And that opening up and loving someone, despite knowing that losing them someday is a certainty, that that is still better than living a life avoiding such attachments.

I liked glimpses at the village, and how the local legends evolved over time since the events involving Gabriel and Arthur happened. I wanted to see more of that.

Steamy bits are well written, believable, and lovingly intimate.

Things I didn’t really enjoy:
Arthur, who we barely see in his “normal” state, is far more interesting than Gabriel, the main love interest. I found Gabriel boring. What has he been doing for 800 years? I mean I guess maybe that’s the point? He’s been on the fringes to avoid being hassled?

The Baron’s solution to demons attempting to breach his castle is… invite his friend and his whole family for a visit??

I felt let down by the reveal of what happened to the mother. It didn’t feel as impactful as I wanted it to be, only as another obstacle for Julia and Gabriel to overcome. After everything, I feel like, at the very least, he should have taken her to where she was buried, or discussed the topic of giving her a proper burial.

A lot of the things Julia had to deal with felt brushed aside for her to be concerned about her husband. The trauma of her mother missing, thinking she abandoned her, and finding out she died violently. The YEARS of abuse suffered at the hands of her father. Multiple demon attacks. Shot. Stabbed. POSSESSED. I realise there were usually more pressing matters at hand, but she seemed to just suppress all these mounting traumas.

Many things I felt were unresolved and left me frustrated:
Only receiving the tiniest breadcrumb about the witch they had apparently been chasing for 800 years only being thrown at the very end, in the epilogue nonetheless, and it only being three words.

Julia’s nightmares? There’s a demon inside her? Is that still there? Was that nightmare with her mother actually a demon trying to get her to invite it in?

How did Arthur actually die? Is that powerful demon actually gone?

Wrapping up my thoughts:
So, it was a romance that made an attempt at also being a supernatural thriller I guess? There was a lot of potential in this story and I think many things fell flat. Ultimately the story was about a girl who needed saving and a man who needed to let himself be in love, and that story was told, with some demons thrown in.
Overall I still enjoyed it, and I suppose things have been left unresolved for potentially continuing the story, one I don’t think I’ll be checking in with if that’s the case.

I have to say I didn't really know where this book would go while reading. But I enjoyed the ride and really appreciate the writing and story telling. It double POV, light on the romance, with an overarching mystery. Would recommend for readers that like a slower story arc as this book is not fast paced. I will be looking forward to the next book in the series

What I liked
- our MCs and their struggles were depicted quite strongly and convincingly
- I absolutely loved that we did not have any obvious storytelling, what I mean is awkward conversations just to inform us of people's relationships "I'm your best friend/brother/mother etc" instead we had organic conversations and had to keep guessing until the background information was revealed and I really appreciated that
- the romance was little but nice and I liked their dynamic
- overall interesting story concept, original as far as I can tell in many aspects, looking forward to learning more about the magic

What I didn't like
- the story arc was not as tightly strung as I would have liked. I didn't really know where this book wanted to go at times and wish we had more foreboding of certain events which is ultimately why I give it 4 stars.

This story was not quite what I was expecting. Based on the description I was expecting it to be a lot creepier. But there were many times where it felt like I was reading a historical romance and it was easy to forget that there was also a fantasy element.
The writing flowed really nicely and I really appreciated this author’s portrayal of trauma. At one point it even brought me to tears.
I thoroughly enjoyed the first half, there was a lot of mystery. Unfortunately I found the reveals to be a bit underwhelming. Somehow both the romance and the fantasy elements felt like subplots with no real main plot. I did find the story started to drag towards the end, however the epilogue did spark some intrigue for the sequel.
While it was enjoyable for the most part, this book felt a bit dragged out for the sake of it being a series. I feel as though I would need to read the whole series in order to get more out of this first book because on it’s own I found it to be lacking.

This book is perfect for everyone who loves bridgerton but mixed with fantasy! :)
I really enjoyed the romance although I expected a little more spice tbh :D
However, the story about demons was not my cup of tea … it felt so forced to have some kind of plot next to the romance and it didn’t really make sense to me.
That is why my rating is 3.75 stars

Thank you Net Galley and Stitching Grey Publishing for this ARC!

This was such a good time! Perfectly spooky, gothic and Bridgerton vibes for this time of year.

*Also please check trigger warnings*

I read this in basically a sitting - I could not put it down. The writing was so polished and the overall plot captivated me from the first chapter. The world building isn't too complex thankfully and I liked how the different timelines unfolded and merged to neatly support the characters and their journeys. It was action-paced and fast paced which made it all the more easier to read and get lost in this world.

I especially loved and appreciated how Erin Elle wrote about the FMC's background and trauma - it was so raw and visceral my heart literally ached. The themes of friendship and found family was also quite sweet.

About the halfway mark, I had a few reservations and concerns about potential plot holes but I was happily proven wrong. Elle had masterfully woven in these answers throughout the chapters and the story became much more richer and immensely more nuanced, particularly in regards to the complexity of the characters themselves.

The only thing keeping this from a full 5 star reading experience was that I felt the transition from acquaintances to lovers was a bit abrupt and their initial 'lovey' stage was sort of skimmed over. But their love and devotion to one another is undoubtedly clear as the story goes on. Also, I wished there was more about the whole demon/witch lore but I guess this would be covered in the next book. Additionally would have liked to see more antagonistic drama from the ton (or a certain sister lol).

Regardless, it was such an enjoyable read and I'm sure that I'll be thinking about this book for months to come.

Would read again - so excited to see what else Erin Elle publishes (especially the sequel!).

Overall rating: 4.75/5

Every time I read a book that even feels a little like it might have Crimson Peak vibes, I pick it up immediately. The Baron's Demons was no exception, and I am THRILLED by the book. I wish I could MIB mind wipe myself and get to read it all over again. A perfect book? People are saying it, folks!!

This story has it all! Captivating plot, great story, heartbreak, monsters, mystery, danger, romance, heat! I could barely put it down! It was definitely dark, but had redeeming qualities that balanced it out. I found the ending sad, but in keeping with the darkness of the book. While there's no cliffhanger, there's a bit of a twist at the very end that I hope leads to a second book!
Trigger warning for child abuse.
🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

4/5! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

♱ There is no way I could say no to a book that is described as a historical, Gothic fantasy/romance. This was absolutely perfect for spooky season. It was almost giving a dark, eerie Pride & Prejudice....with a little bit of Haunted Mansion thrown in for me.

♱ This takes place in the 1800s, where we have Julia, a girl who is abused by her father and would do anything to escape him. Including, agreeing to marry a Baron that she runs into on the streets by chance. After their first encounter, he shows up later on at their home, requesting to take Julia's hand in marriage. Desperate to escape the miserable life with her father, she says yes. However, she knows little of the man she has agreed to marry, including the many secrets he hides.

♱ The first half of this book was more Historical Fiction than anything. As we progress through the book, it starts to pick up into the Paranormal Fantasy/Romance aspect of it. There were a few parts that were a little slow to me, but they picked back up fairly quickly.

What I Loved:
♱ Grumpy x Sunshine – he's grumpy!
♱ Gothic setting – old London, dark streets, castles, spooky woods, crumbling churches.
♱ Touch her and d!e / Age gap - he's lived for hundreds of years.
♱ Paranormal beings/activity – demons, seeing the dead, ghosts, exorcisms.

♱ The spice was spicing. While it wasn't the center of the story, we do get a few scenes. One thing I love in a book, is when the spice actually goes along with the characters romantic development, and we don't just have spicy scenes being thrown in for no reason. Plot > spice, all day every day. This definitely hit the mark for me.

♱ Overall, I can say I really enjoyed this. Both main and side characters were amazing, the plot was fun to follow, and the Gothic atmosphere was everything. Such a good mix of horror, romance, fantasy and historical vibes. Will definitely be looking out for more from this author!

♱♱ Thanks to NetGalley and Stitching Grey for a chance to read and review this e-arc! ♱♱

This book started well enough, a bit slow but that’s ok… sort of grumpy/ sunshine, marriage of convenience, I can work with this. Around the 40% mark, I’m starting to get annoyed with both of our MC. Gabriel is throwing all the mixed signals and is a complete a$$hole to everyone. Julia couldn’t stand up to a hard breeze and there has yet to be any spice, come on now, I need something to work with. Finally around the 50% mark we have some spice, Gabriel seems to finally open up some and you get some of his back story but its still falling flat… then it just gets strange. These demons start showing up? But they don’t even really do anything. Honestly from there it continues to decline for me as more off the wall stuff continues to happen.

One trope I can’t stand is miscommunication, so maybe that put a bad taste in my mouth? I don’t know, but I do know I wouldn’t continue this series.

This was a spooky and whimsical historical (Victorian era to be exact) fantasy. And it was really fun!

Julia gets married to a baron to avoid having to stay with her turd of a father, but her new husband isn't what she thought he's be. The baron leaves Julia alone, like COMPLETELY alone. And she realizes some interesting things about the baron, his castle (I love a good castle) and his staff...

Although I've seen most other reviews giving away some information (that is probably predictable), I don't want to give away what is so "strange" about Julia's new husband, I think finding that out alongside Julia was part of the fun, even if you saw it coming. So this review may seem really vague and short because I hate spoilers and would hate to do that to someone. But it is a fantasy novel...so, you can very likely guess what's going on there.

There is some mystery within this book as well (and that's always so fun). And it leaves off on a bit of a cliffhanger, so I am very excited to continue reading this series.

And this is definitely a slow-burn (I am always a big fan of a good slow-burn).

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

This book is like Bridgerton and Tuck Everlasting if they were spookier and people were getting possessed and stalked by demons. It's a historical romance but with many elements of a thriller, which is an unusual combination and I really liked it!

The story follows Julia Woodrow, who lives with her abusive father in 19th century London. She has a chance encounter with the mysterious baron Gabriel, and is shocked when he later turns up at her house to ask for her hand in marriage. She accepts in order to escape her father. Though it's clear that Gabriel is very cold and distant and largely ignores her once they're married at the beginning, tension simmers between them. Julia also notices that things seem... off / strange with Gabriel.

Once they travel to Gabriel's country estate in Derringham, Julia learns a massive truth about Gabriel and horrifying things immediately begin to happen around the castle. I knew something was up with Gabriel, but I gotta say I couldn't figure out what it was. I initially figured he had to be a vampire... but the reality is a LOT more interesting. It's pretty unlike anything I think I've read which always gets some bonus points from me.

Gabriel and Julia's relationship is adorable and evolves as they try to work together to figure out the evil forces that are plaguing the two of them. There was spice but nothing too crazy. The story also gets so eerie at Derringham! Once nighttime hits they have to essentially go on lockdown in the castle and I was so invested and creeped out (I scare easily).

One qualm I had is that Julia is a weaker character - she had little ability to protect herself and one of the only things she had to her was that she liked drawing. But honestly, I didn't mind all that much because every once in a while I do love a good damsel in distress trope and she had a girlboss moment at the end.

I also wished there was more focus on the witch. I won't go into too much detail to avoid spoilers, but I think there should've been more information on her, and if / what Gabriel and Arthur were doing to find her in all that time after their run in. Most importantly, was she involved with any of the attacks on Gabriel and Julia? I would expect that if there's a sequel (which there better be after that ending) that this will be addressed.

The book weaves together multiple timelines from Gabriel's perspective, which was fascinating and added so much context to his character and his relationship to Arthur. Arthur is Gabriel's longtime best friend, but they had a serious falling out and over the course of the book the reason why is revealed, and it's a key part of the story. The friendship between of them was so touching and really broke my heart. At one point I was convinced they'd been lovers but alas, no. The author does a fantastic job of connecting the threads of Gabriel and Arthur's past with Julia and her current relationship to Gabriel.

The Baron's Demons is a great spooky read with so many layers to it. Thank you so much to Stitching Grey and NetGalley for providing me a copy of this ARC! 📚

*Marriage of convenience
*age gap
*miscommunication
*possessive MMC
*paranormal beings

Though much of this fell oddly flat for me, I found it well written and will read more of Ms Elle’s future titles.



Thank you to Stitching Grey Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC

Do you ever long for something that feels as comfy as Pride and Prejudice, yet scratches your itch for a dark fantasy romance at the same time? 🖤

Because same! And I've found it!

This book is the most delicious, steamy, Victorian era slow burn romance with a grumpy/sunshine trope and an occult/supernatural curveball. The character's are all very well written and so easy to fall in love with! The plot, pacing and twists and turns are perfect to keep you hooked in suspense throughout! The spicy scenes are gorgeously written and somehow still completely appropriate for the period. The only complaint that I have is that there's a sneaky little hook right at the end and I'm bothered that I'll have to wait for the next instalment 👀 😂.
I genuinely enjoyed this read and have already added the paperback to my Amazon wishlist! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and Erin Elle for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own and based entirely on my reading experience.⚘️

“The Baron’s Demons,” by Erin Elle

What I loved:
-The arranged marriage to a baron. I love the uncertainty of arranged marriages.
-The creatures; witches, demons and skeleton creatures.
-Lots and lots of miscommunications. Lots of tension because they thought the other person felt a certain way, but they were wrong.
-Loved the spooky castle vibe. It had so much gothic vibe but with a super sweet romance.
-The ending made me so emotional and adored it so much.

I really liked this book and it’s a perfect book for spooky season. 4 out of 5 stars.

-Arranged Marriage
-Witches, Demons, Skeleton
-Miscommunication

Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this book. This book is set in the 1800's. Julia the female main character is saved from her horrible life with her Father by a Baron she met by chance. The Baron has lots of secrets that will slowly be revealed to Julia. This book has a few twists and turns. Overall I enjoyed this book.

The fantasy aspect was unique and held my interest. The story is pretty unique overall. It’s like ‘historical romantasy: The Halloween Special.’ It won’t work for everyone, but it worked for me.
The ending was decidedly not for me though, but that’s more of a personal preference than a criticism. (What can I say- I’m a standalone series girl who wants everything wrapped up in a nice bow.) 3.5 stars.

Our our heroine stars out this book deeply traumatized by long-term physical abuse from her father. She’s jumpy and overly placating.
Our Hero’s lack of understanding of her trauma and how she reacts because of it causes misunderstandings. As the Couple grows together a marriage of convenience turns into a true romance and both gain healing and happiness from it.
The gothic fantasy plot seemed like it had a really interesting premise, and it started well, but it kind of fizzled out at the end. I was disappointed. Overall this book was okay, it just fell a little flat for me.