Author: Lana Kole
Spice: 🌶 🌶 🌶 🌶 🌶
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Length: 371 pages
Format: Digital, Via Kindle
Genre: Monster Romance, Rom Com
Started: 03/03/2024
Finished: 03/08/2024
For transparency’s sake, I received How Not to Date an Angel (HNDA) as an Advanced Reader’s Copy (ARC) and my review is honest and unpaid/unsponsored.
Tropes: slow burn, opposites attract, first time, fated love, only one bed
Content Warnings: first times, magically shifting nether regions, hand jobs, horn jobs, oral, penetrative sex, tentacle sex, questionable use of a halo.
Explicit Spicy Scenes: slow burn up until Chapter 17, then straight up glorious smut through Chapter 21
PLEASE NOTE: POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD
HNDA follows an Angel living on earth to study humans. One day a demon (Julian; male) literally shows up on their doorstep. We later find out that it’s because he’s been assigned to temp the angel and if he succeeds, he’ll gain a promotion to remain on Earth to temp humans permanently.
Rami is our angel; they’re nonbinary, genderfluid, silver when in their angelic form, an adorable sweater-lover when in their human form (relatable), and they have the ability to magically change their…nether regions. In a kind of funny turn of events, Rami is a therapist, they drive a Kia Soul, they dot the “i” in their name with a halo, and their favorite exhibit at the aquarium is the otters who have literary names. Chef’s Kiss! They reportedly smell like clean cotton and vanilla and clouds, according to Julian, and I’m formally petitioning for this to be in candle form. I need it, thank you! Rami is also a romance (smut) reader who understands the struggles of romantic encounters not always living up to those in their books. Thank you for your representation, good angel. If only more characters were as relatable!
Julian is our demon; he’s a stereotypical make that doesn’t want to understand his feelings, but can also be pretty gold when in his demonic form. This man is baffled by charcuterie boards, terrified of automatic doors, loves jellyfish, and also loves otters because Rami loves them. He’s so frustratingly loveable and I don’t think his character would feel correct if he were written differently. I kept questioning how someone, as a guest in someone else’s home, could have so much audacity. then I remember Julian is a literal demon and essentially composed of audacity and selfish inclinations.
Things I absolutely loved about HNDA:
- The subtle implications that businesses purchasing homes strictly to turn them into Airbnbs is GOLD – people need regular housing everywhere and we deserve to have regular housing at reasonable cost.
- The way Rami just up and dumped a whole cup of water on Julian’s head without warning or tipping so it wouldn’t run all down his face, just for funsies.
- I love their trip to the aquarium, especially when they see the otters and the jellyfish!!
- The way the realization they were in love with each other felt like it took so long, but was actually a week.
Please note that if you’re squishy and emotional on the
inside no matter how hard you make your exterior (like me) that chapters 25 and 26 both had me in tears and the epilogue is so extremely heartwarming. 💜
Quick back to basics; I love that HNDA has both chapter
titles and numbers. So many books only have one or the other, typically leaning towards only numbers these days, but I love having both. It just adds a little je ne sais quoi, ya know? Lana has also perfected the use of measured, powerful descriptors. I mean, how can you not feel all the feelings when reading “the sound pouring from the very depths of his soul”?!
I absolutely loved every moment of this book and I hope you take the time to read it. If you do, let me know what you think!
XOXO
P.S. The book JUST released March 8th, 2024!
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