Willow wakes up in Hell (literally) after a freak accident, and suddenly she’s stuck making a deal with King, Sath the annoyingly gorgeous, sarcastic ruler of the underworld. To get her life back, she has to resist the seven deadly sins… which is tricky when temptation looks that good.

This book is pure fun: snappy banter, clever trials, and plenty of slow-burn tension that turns into real heat. Underneath the humour and spice, there’s also heart, Willow’s journey has more depth than I expected.

It does stumble here and there with pacing, and it feels a little YA at first even though it’s definitely New Adult. But overall? A devilishly entertaining ride that had me grinning the whole way through.

Okay, so this one was… fine. Like, not a flop, but not a slay either. Solid ⭐⭐⭐/5.

I love a good fantasy romcom, so when I saw this pitched as “full of heat, heart and humour” I was READY. 💃🔥👀 But honestly? The vibes didn’t quite match the marketing.
___________

👩 Willow – our chaotic FMC
Willow is fatally flawed, angry, traumatised, and stuck in Asphodel thanks to one tiny (fatal) mishap. She’s funny at times – her sarcasm does carry the book in places:
👉 “He can try and quash my rebellion all he likes, but I refuse to let myself feel threatened by a man in tight trousers.”
😂 Iconic.

But those mummy issues? Girl was drowning in them. 🌊 And instead of being unpacked properly, they just got tied up neatly with a bow at the end. I wanted more depth. More grit.
___________

😈 Sathanas – the Devil… but make him soft?
So… Sath. He’s supposed to be sin itself but honestly, he felt a bit too soft for a literal ruler of Hell. Compassionate, overworked, a bit exasperated… it was an interesting choice but made him feel less devilish than I wanted. The romance? Meh. The chemistry was there, but I wasn’t swooning.
👉“Stay behind me at all times,” he orders. “Or, better yet, don’t come in at all.”
Unfortunately for Sath, my disposition has always leaned towards disobedience.
The banter was good, just… sparse.

Also, when a book promises to be “full of heat” I expect at least a simmer before 90% in. This was basically closed-door until the very end, which is fine for slow-burn lovers, but the way it was marketed? Mismatched.
___________

👯 Side characters & world-building
Harper was SUCH a highlight 💜 — funny, warm, and the kind of friend you actually want in the afterlife (unlike Sasha back on earth 🙄). The demons were solid little baddies too - special mention to Aric and the Sorter.

World-building? Pretty fab actually. The Void, Dionysus nightclub (dead people partying forever = mood 🪩👻) all felt vivid. The seven trials gave Willow’s character room to grow and added some fun tension.
👉 “…being dead doesn’t mean you have to stop living.”
Being here must have addled her mind. That is the definition of being dead.
Peak sarcasm.
___________

📚 Overall thoughts
This was a fun, quick read, but it felt surface-level at times. The romance needed more spark, the humour wasn’t quite as sharp as promised, and Willow’s emotional arc could’ve gone deeper. BUT the concept? Brilliant. The trials and the Asphodel setting really worked for me.
👉 “I was wrong before – I’m not the saint to his sinner, I’m simply the damned."
That line? Chef’s kiss.

So yeah — enjoyable, but not a new fave. If you want something light, easy to read, with some fun world-building and a dab of romance, it’ll scratch that itch. Just don’t go in expecting wall-to-wall spice or banter.

Thank you so much to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

this was so much fun
if you are looking for a fast book, fun and easy this is the one

was i expected to like it this much? no
did i just request it for the cover? yep

It’s a very fun story, in the vain of Phantasma to some extent, with trials and a twist to the real purpose of the trials but I felt like it left me a bit underwhelmed overall.

The storyline follows Willow, a 21 year old uni dropout who unfortunately has died and ended up in Asphodel. There she meets the King in Sath who sets her a series of seven deadly sins based tasks. We get a few twists and turns but I feel like it ends up mostly where I expected it to go.

I think I was expecting a little bit more out of the characters, I felt that they fell a bit flat for me in places and I didn’t really fully believe their relationship. But it did find the story fun, very readable and enjoyable overall. I sped through it in less than 2 days which I haven’t done for a book in a little while.

Thank you NetGalley and Hot Key Books for the ARC copy for my review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hot Key Books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Willow White is 21, a university dropout, and - most distressingly - dead. She’s found herself in Asphodel, and she absolutely does not want to stay. She needs to get back to her life; she has to make her mum proud and she can’t do that stuck in hell, can she? Enter Sath, the King of Asphodel. He’s willing to strike a deal with her: if she passes 7 tests, she can go home. But should you make a deal with the devil?

This book was a lot of fun. Told in a first person narrative from Willow’s POV, we follow her in Asphodel as she tries to pass Sath’s tests so she can go back home. The prose was so easy to consume, and oftentimes pretty funny. Willow frustrated me at times - she seemed pretty oblivious to certain aspects of her own life - but then I remembered: she’s 21. The things I used to tolerate and accept and not question at that age were just as bad, if not worse. So I forgave her. Willow is a flawed, but loveable FMC and I definitely found myself rooting for her very quickly. Sath was, honestly, exactly what you’d expect: a tall, dark, and handsome brooding King of Hell with - shocker - a soft side. But I ate that up, because it was done well. Our side characters ranged from Harper, my little queen who lives life on the sunny side, despite being, you know, in hell, to the Sorter, a demon who sorts (get it) the dead and sends them on their way to the appropriate level of the afterlife.

The plot was fast enough paced that I was very quickly invested, but I felt we had enough time in between the action to get to know the main characters and experience a natural evolution in their relationships. I enjoyed the worldbuilding around the afterlife, and the use of the seven deadly sins as the basis for Willow’s tests. Despite this being a romance, there was a solid attempt at a B-plot that felt pretty realised, and I enjoyed exploring Asphodel in all its glory. The final part of the book was a little… shocking. I definitely didn’t see it coming, and though it happened pretty fast, it came together in a satisfying conclusion to me. One thing that niggled me throughout was, however, that I felt at times Willow was a little, dare I say it, OP? Not that she was uber powerful (she’s literally just a dead girl) but that she was made to be all flawed and such, but sometimes I felt things came a little too easy for her. Sorry for the vagueness, but I don’t want to be spoilery.

Anyway, let’s talk about the romance. Because it was pretty hot. Get it? Because they’re in Hel- Anyway. There was great chemistry between the two characters and the tension was built exquisitely well. I do love a slow burn, and I’d say this was towards the slower end of medium. Great banter, plenty of sparks, and a realistic build up that had be itching to get to the good stuff.

Overall, I’d say this is a fun ride into the afterlife with a lot of heart. If you’re a romance fan, I would definitely recommend setting some time aside to eat this up in a few sittings.

3.75 🌟 (rounded to 4!)

From the blurb and cover I had expected something a bit different that it ended up being - this had built expectations for me that the book didn’t meet. Instead, the book had themes of redemption and second chances, and becoming a better version of yourself, which I did like; I thought this part was interesting and well done. The Asphodel situation, the challenges and the background story which slowly gets revealed to us was fine, but I wasn’t really into it until the very end - because of it, the book felt too long. The ending was nice and surprising, but the last 20% of the book were what I enjoyed most and it came too late.

A fun sexy story. Willow finds herself in the afterlife after an accident. The place is neither heaven or hell, but a bit of both. Demons are around, humans get punished, but there is a nightclub. All is explained later on...

Sath is probably my favourite character because he is level-headed and probably the most sensible character. I know Willow's personality is the whole plot, but it was hard to root for her at points. She was like the demons she hated. Personally, I didn't feel the chemistry between the two characters because he was calm and she was always hot headed.

The would building and explanations were fantastic. Everything was really clear about this world and how things worked.

A Match Made in Hell was one of my most anticipated reads of 2025 and it did not disappoint.

A Match Made in Hell follows a new arrival into hell, Willow. Determined to return home, she makes a deal with the devil, Sath: she must undergo the seven deadly sins for a chance to make things right in the life that she left behind. But as she grows closer to Sath and learns the secrets of her new home, Willow's perspective begins to shift and she’s starting to think the devil’s not so bad. Maybe she’s even falling in love with him.

Told in a colloquial and familiar tone, A Match Made in Hell is laugh-out-loud funny. Willow’s voice is so irreverent and fun that it’s so easy to step right into her character and imagine you’re exploring Asphodel (a neutral middle ground between heaven and hell) right alongside her. The humour is really nicely balanced with Willow’s emotional journey of self-worth and becoming.

Amongst all the characters, Sath has to be one of my favourites. He’s just such a softie behind the brooding and there were so many lovely moments between him and Willow. The spice and steaminess in the novel was really well built up throughout the novel, a slow-burn of sorts filled with yearning and sizzling heat.

This was such a fun read! Can’t wait to read more of Charlotte’s stories!

🔥❤️ A Match Made in Hell is a fiery, fun and sinfully swoony fantasy romcom you won’t want to put down!

After a very unfortunate (and fatal) accident, 21-year-old Willow finds herself in Asphodel… A hell-like dimension ruled by the dangerously tempting King Sath.

To earn a second chance at life, she must complete seven tasks and resist the seven deadly sins.

The problem?

Sath is sin itself… and temptation has never looked this good.

This New Adult gem has it all:


😈 A flawed but relatable heroine

😈 A seductive, morally grey love interest

😈 Sin-themed challenges

😈 Open door steam (without being too graphic)

😈 A satisfying character arc with humour and heart

Willow’s journey is chaotic, sexy and full of self-discovery and if you love fantasy with heat and humour, this one’s a must-read!

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

3.5–4 stars🌟

‘A Match Made in Hell’ was a fun and easy read with an interesting take on the afterlife. Willow, a 21-year-old, finds herself dead and stuck in the in-between—Asphodel. To win the chance of getting free and back to Earth, she agrees to face a series of challenges, each one related to a different deadly sin.

One of my favourite things about this book was the complexity to the characters. Willow, the female protagonist, battles with various emotions throughout the book, which I think many readers can relate to. It’s inferred repeatedly that she isn’t good enough, a failure, or selfish. While I found her incredibly relatable, her thoughts did feel a bit repetitive at times. Willow’s character arc takes her from someone flawed and impulsive to someone who knows they’re flawed but can exhibit control and be better than they were.

Sath, another interesting character, wasn’t your typical devil. He was much softer than I expected, not as cruel. We don’t learn much about Sath; there’s a brief mention that wasn’t his real name but whatever it was isn’t revealed, which I found a bit disappointing. It felt unnecessary to make it a point if nothing more was going to come from it. As for their relationship, I found them to be a cute couple, but their romance wasn’t really all that focused on. It was a slow-burn, and I thought we were building up to something great, but the romance aspect fell a little flat on that part. Despite that, it was still a sweet romance.

The friendships between the characters was also a lovely addition. There was a nice balance between character interaction and plot development. I loved how Harper became the friend Willow never had while she was alive it was very wholesome to see that it took her death to realise what true friendship looks like.

As for the trials, I found them to be a bit underwhelming. The concept behind them initially intrigued me—each one being dedicated to the seven deadly sins—the trials themselves fell short. I expected them to be more brutal and challenging, and not so easily overcome. There were a few twists in the book which I saw coming and others I was surprised by. Willows ex and her former bestfriend as a couple? I saw that come img a mile away. However, the twist with the heart I did not see. It was so unexpected that in a way it also felt as if it had just been thrown in there last minute.

Another thing I felt as if fell short for me was the resolution of the demons and sending them back to Tartarus/closing the gates to hell; it was over within a chapter or so and didn’t feel like it was fleshed out as much as it could have been.

Overall, I enjoyed the book, but I felt that certain parts of the story could have been developed more.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Going purely based off of the cover (which is gorgeous) and a title like ‘A Match Made In Hell’ I really thought that I was going to love this book, and that it would be an easy 5 star read for me, unfortunately it just fell a little short and I didn’t really get as into it as I thought I would.

Overall, a pretty good story. The characters are pretty funny and likeable enough, the world was interesting and the plot was super easy to follow, I just thought that everything fell a little flat. There wasn’t any real dimension to the world, nothing was overly gripping, and there wasn’t a single moment that stood out to me.

I feel like there are a lot of books like this one out there now, where a character ends up in hell or journeys there and thinks that there is some kind of mistake so they try and fight there way back to ‘life’, and end up journeying alongside a demon/prince of hell/devil. Almost always they have the same kind of formula and are super predictable (but in a good way) but this one just again felt super lacklustre to what I’m sure it could have been.

I think I was just expecting the dialogue between the two characters to be less cringy and heavier on the banter and sexual tension, especially because he is a devil character, meant to be the bad guy etc. And I think I was also expecting the description of hell to be a lot more interesting than it actually was too. I just think that overall this might have been rushed a bit, because again, it was enjoyable enough until it fell a little short and wasn’t that memorable.

While I like the description of the plot a lot when I requested this, to me it fell slightly short to the point where I will remember I have read the book but not likely to recommend. I will say that it was enjoyable towards the second half of the book and I couldn’t wait to see what happens with willow and the powers she now possesses and how she finally accepted who she is and how her and Sath rule together

I enjoyed this but I was left wanting more, I was hoping more of a slow burn pay off and everything resolved too quickly for me. A solid read for spooky season!

I was so excited to pick up this book, but have found myself disappointed. The plot was not particularly interesting, and both main characters were annoying and unlikeable. Some of the world building was good so it wasn't a total letdown, but not one I'll be passing round book club.

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

3.25 stars
A Match Made in Hell is a light, fast-paced fantasy romcom with an inventive take on the afterlife. The concept—facing trials tied to the seven deadly sins for a second chance at life—is intriguing, but the execution didn’t always match the potential.

The story’s strength lies in its cozy, found-family vibes and the chemistry between the leads. Willow, our flawed and impulsive main character, may not be for everyone—her personality is loud, and her internal monologue can border on grating—but she grows by the end. Sathanas, the King of Asphodel, brings more emotional depth, and their connection, while a bit rushed, has its sweet moments.

Where the book falters is in the worldbuilding and the trials themselves. Asphodel is pitched as a kind of purgatory but ends up feeling more like a laid-back party town. The sin-based challenges should’ve been the emotional and narrative core, but they felt underdeveloped and too easy. The stakes never felt truly high, which dulled the tension.

That said, this is a fun, easy read for fans of romantic fantasy who don’t mind a bit of fluff and humor in their afterlife adventures. With stronger development in key areas, this could have really soared.

Willow quickly finds herself sent to Hell, where her real challenges begin with seven trials based on the deadly sins. At first, I wasn’t sure about Willow or the story’s depth, but by the halfway point, I was fully invested in both her growth and the plot.

A Match Made In Hell fits perfectly into the New Adult category. At 21, Willow’s journey takes her from impulsive and flawed to more self-aware and in control. Her decisions feel authentic for this age group, and the story balances tension with steamy—but not over-the-top—romantic scenes.

I struggled to get thought this and ended up DNFing at 60% when I realised I was skipping a lot of passages.

I really liked the world building in this book, which is based on Greek mythology. The magic works via willpower, and there is a lot going on. It was intriguing. But not much is actually show about this world beyond Sath’s rooms, the club and the gates to Tartarus.

The book follows Willow, who dies at 21 and finds herself in Asphodel. But she doesn’t want to be there. She wants to go back to her life so she makes a deal with the devil (Sath) and ends up doing 7 trials based on the seven deadly sins. Throughout the trials, we learn Willow is holding onto a lot of trauma, and her for someone who has a lot of trauma, she’s very happy-go-lucky. There was a disconnect for me between the character we see and everything she keeps telling us about her past. I also didn’t believe the chemistry between Sath and Willow. Honestly, I stopped reading because I just didn’t care.

This was a solidly entertaining rom-com, but not one that will stick with me for very long, I don't think, as it's strangely bland for such a good concept. Nothing about this really says "romance with the devil", as with a few tweaks Sathanas could have been any other mildly supernatural creature putting Willow through trials!

The main character, Willow, is oddly one-dimensional for someone with so much trauma, and love interest Sathanas is extraordinarily bland for the ruler of the underworld. I did enjoy the trial concepts, but the overall execution is rather lacklustre - it wasn't so much that I struggled to connect to the characters as that they were in themselves almost completely unconnected to the world around them. Side characters were interchangeable and impactless, so it felt strangely self-centred and almost as if the main characters were operating in isolation from any worldbuilding. Despite heavy reference to the emotional abuse Willow underwent while alive, and the unfairness of her untimely death, there's no real depth to the exploration of grief or recovery, and I'd even go so far as to say there's no real character arc at all, so I felt quite shortchanged as this could have been really impactful. Even in a rom-com, I feel like the characters should develop separately and together, not just start kissing regularly! It reminded me a lot of Mary Janice Davidson's style of plot-light romcom, except with less sex.

Thank you to Hot Key Books for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.

At twenty-one, Willow was supposed to be turning into a responsible adult, not proving her mother right when she called her a failure. Now, thanks to one tiny (if fatal) mishap, she's landed in a dimension named Asphodel that looks suspiciously like hell. Determined to redeem herself, Willow makes a deal with Asphodel's ruler, King complete seven tasks, resist the seven sins, and he'll let her return to her human existence. But when Sath is sin itself, temptation may be hard to resist . . .

Willow is sassy and seems to only consider herself. She’s gone through quite a rough patch but I still feel like she held her own. However, I have to admit that she just felt a little too unrealistic? I can’t think of anyone who would essentially end up in Hell and start questioning the Devil. Especially when you’ve literally just seen people be punished for it. Her lack of “survival skills” was rather concerning! I do think she got a little better over the course of the book but I was just expecting more.
Considering who he is, it felt like there was a relative lack of Sath here. You would think his character would pack a punch but he just didn’t make this huge impact on me. Don’t get me wrong, I love a broody male character with the weight of the world on his shoulders but Sath didn’t really appeal to my emotions or tug on my heartstrings.

When I stumbled across this story, I have to admit that I was rather interested. I mean, who doesn’t like the idea of a possibly hunky and attractive devil possibly doing bad things? I do feel like this plot was very good, just that it was a little too drawn out. The tasks being every month felt unnecessary and it almost seemed as if the bits in between were more like fillers than important plot. Not to mention constant repeats of scenes where Willow’s mum’s voice is a trigger for something. The overbearing parent is a good addition but it felt overused to me. It’s a shame because there is so much potential for this idea and it just felt that the execution was lacking. The characters were okay but we don’t truly get to know anyone. We have supporting characters we barely truly know, let alone their backgrounds and what forms them and their personalities. I do think that we could have delved deeper into a few of them and that would have helped the overall story make a bigger impact. The romance here… I don’t know. It initially felt rather insta-love on Willow’s end, and then seemed to almost be a little forced? I liked the budding friendship between the main duo a lot but it’s almost as if they were trying too hard - if that makes sense? I don’t want romance there for the sake of it. I want true chemistry that can knock my socks off and start fires! Not to mention the blurb has the words “sincul” and “heat” to describe this book. The only more spicy moments were literally in the last 10%… The ending was okay but I just felt glad that thr story was over. I really wanted to thoroughly enjoy this but I feel like my final impression is … good.

Overall, A Match Made in Hell is a book I had high hopes for but it just missed the mark.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you again to Hot Key Books for an advanced copy of this book. Review will be live on my blog on 12th September and is available now on Goodreads.

Was this a groundbreaking, incredible read? No. However, it was a lot of fun and I enjoyed every page.

While the basic premise is pretty silly, it is teamed with pretty good world building and interesting main characters who develop in a fairly short book.

Willow does a lot of self discovery, and while it was fairly predictable, it was done well and in a realistic way. While Sath was pretty mopey, he was really there just to support Willow's journey and look pretty, so that's fine.

I enjoyed the slowburn romance and all the tension it brought with it. While I do think Willow was too quick to forgive, the pacing matched that of the rest of the book and slowing it down at that point would have been a disservice to the wider plot.

This book was a good time, kept me entertained and was just what I needed after a few heavier reads. If you want a romxom with a bit of spice, you could do far worse.