REVIEW The Gargoyle's Captive (A Deal with a Demon #3) by Katee Robert

The Gargoyle's Captive (A Deal with a Demon #3) 

by Katee Robert
Rating: 3 Stars
Release Date: March 28, 2023
Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited)
Publisher: Trinkets and Tales LLC (Self Published by Author) 

The Gargoyle’s Captive by Katee Robert, the latest installment in the ‘A Deal with a Demon’ series, is an enjoyable and steamy read (though it feels a little rushed). All of the events in the various books take place somewhat simultaneously so they can be read as standalones - this book focuses on the leader of the gargoyle territory Bram, and the human he chooses from Azazel’s auction, the former monster hunter Grace. 

“‘I’m sorry’. I smile even though my eyes are burning. ‘We keep saying that to each other, over and over, for our pains that words won’t fix.’ ‘Sometimes there’s nothing else to say.’”

Both Grace and Bram are dealing with a lot of trauma and loss. Readers get to see the events of the book from both of their perspectives, and how they connnect over the course of the book and bond over the past experiences. As one might expect from a Katee Robert book, the romance is trope heavy - some of the tropes you can expect are a monster romance, forced proximity, and a slight enemies to lovers take. There are of course, a lot of steamy scenes, and I was quite impressed by the author’s ingenuity with working Bram’s gargoyle attributes into those moments (the wings, the horns, the rock hard skin…)

Given the length of the book (slightly less than 200 pages on an e-reader), there isn’t a lot going on outside of Bram and Grace’s relationship. No new characters of particular import pop up, and there’s minimal worldbuilding. The build-up of the conflict and the reveal about Grace’s mother fell flat for me. I do appreciate the cameo from Ramanu (still my favorite character in the entire Deal with a Demon literary universe), but I was left wanting more from the book overall. 

If you want a quick monster romance book that you can finish in an afternoon, this would be a great choice for you. However if you’re looking for a longer romance tale, complete with extensive worldbuilding and in depth character development you might be better served with looking at another title on Ms. Robert’s backlist instead. I’m still invested in the series, but its not quite my favorite of all her books so I’ll be eagerly awaiting the final installments of the series, especially Azazel’s book The Demon’s Queen. Readers will be pleased to know that these books (at the time of writing this review) are available to read for free on Kindle Unlimited. 

TRIGGER WARNINGS (Courtesy of the Author’s Website): Elements of Suicidal Ideation (referenced briefly), Murder, Blood, Giant Spiders, Dubious Consent (Agreement Given Under Duress), Violent Familial Death (Historical, Off-Page), Abuse (By Parents, Off-Page, Historical), Violence, Blood Magic)

About the Book

Grace is a monster hunter who went into her demon deal with eyes wide open. Years ago, her mother made the same choice and was never seen again, and the answers Grace seeks can only be found in the demon realm.

She doesn’t care that she’s auctioned off to a gargoyle. She doesn’t plan to stay with him longer than strictly necessary.

Unfortunately, she didn’t read the small print of her contract.

Every time she tries to escape, she’s transported back into Bram’s tender care. He never hurts her, never punishes her, just meets her fury with an easy charm she doesn’t know how to fight.

She doesn’t mean to give in, to stop fighting. But the moment she does, she starts to forget what brought her to this place and what her goals are. After a life starved of pleasure, she’s all willing to let Bram seduce her again and again…

At least until the past comes calling.

About the Author

Katee Robert is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance and romantic suspense. Entertainment Weekly calls her writing “unspeakably hot.” Her books have sold over a million copies. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, children, a cat who thinks he’s a dog, and two Great Danes who think they’re lap dogs.

 

Katee is represented by Laura Bradford at Bradford Literary Agency.

Katee Robert Author Website

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REVIEW The Kraken's Sacrifice (A Deal with a Demon #2) by Katee Robert

The Kraken's Sacrifice (A Deal with a Demon #2) 

by Katee Robert
Rating: 3 Stars
Release Date: October 11, 2022
Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited)
Publisher: Trinkets and Tales LLC (Self Published by Author) 

Being a big fan of Katee Robert’s Wicked Villains and Dark Olympus series, as well as the more recent releases of The Dragon’s Bride and The Demon’s Bargain, I had very high hopes going into The Kraken’s Sacrifice. Unfortunately, the short length and the unique dynamic between Thane and Catalina made it hard for the book to live up to expectations. 

Unlike Lenora or Briar, Catalina’s deal with Azazel is made to escape her life in the mortal world than a specific person (like Lenora’s vindictive ex or Briar’s abusive husband). She’s been beaten down so many times in the past by her family and past lovers that she expects life to be like that, and as such the contract (with a major do not harm clause included) doesn’t trigger the multiple times Thane messes up at the beginning of the relationship since she expects stuff life to be like that. To make matters even more complicated, Thane is still dealing with the pain of losing the love of his life, Brant. They have a very awkward relationship to start, but it does progress once they learn to be vulnerable and start opening up to each other. Despite the progression, it was much harder for me to connect to their relationship when Thane spent a good chunk of the book essentially hiding from Catalina. Once he stops hiding from her, and they actually start spending time together, things felt rushed. I wanted more heart-to-hearts, more kinky tentacle scenes, and more exploration of Thane’s kingdom, but alas everything had to fit into the roughly 170 pages of the book we were given and there was not enough time for everything. 

Katee Robert makes a point of writing inclusive romances, and I love it! The inclusivity featured in The Kraken’s Sacrifice was definitely a major highlight. Both Catalina and Thane have had past lovers across the gender spectrum. There’s also Thane’s sibling Embry, who uses the pronouns zir/ze. Given that this is my first exposure to those pronouns (I’m a bit more used to they/them), it was surprisingly easy to adjust. I also want to applaud Ms. Robert for how she handled the abortion scene in the book. It’s easy to highlight the happy moments in a relationship when you write a book, but it’s much harder to tastefully depict such a deep moment in any couple's life. It’s not graphic, but it does happen on the page and I was pleased to see that Thane was a very supportive partner to Catalina during the whole process. 

For those of you who may be familiar with the other books in this universe, Ramanu once again makes an appearance, and they are basically my favorite character in the entire series. They are in charge of the check-ins for each of the mortal brides that were auctioned off and despite their behavior towards each of the territory leaders, it's obvious they care about the humans to some degree. Given that The Demon’s Bargain also takes place in this universe, it was nice to see where that fits into the timeline and get another glimpse into Lenora and Ramanu’s relationship (I really want to see them annoy the crap out of Azazel in a future book). 

Overall, The Kraken’s Sacrifice was a largely enjoyable book, especially when you consider the larger ‘A Deal with a Demon’ series. If you want a quick monster romance read you can finish in an afternoon, this would be a great book for you. It’s an especially great choice for those who are looking for an LGBTQ+ inclusive read. However, if you’re looking for a longer monster romance, complete with extensive worldbuilding, large amounts of character development and the types of sex scenes Ms. Robert has present in her other books, you might be better served looking at another title on her backlist instead. 

TRIGGER WARNINGS (Courtesy of the Author’s Website): Abuse/neglect (mental/emotional, parent to child, historical), spousal death (historical, non-graphic, off-page), explicit sex, vomit (non-graphic), pregnancy termination (non-graphic), incidental injuries for magical purposes, grief, body shaming (historical, referenced briefly), reference to age play and to DDlg, slight dollification, use of unconventional gag

About the Book

Catalina only made her deal with the demon because she had nowhere else to go. The world has kicked her every chance it got, so she’s all too happy to leave the realm she knows behind. What’s the worst that could happen?

She doesn’t anticipate being auctioned away to a kraken.

Thane is cold and distant…but he’s not unkind. Isolated as they are, Catalina finds herself seeking his company again and again. And when she finally agrees to uphold her portion of the bargain?

That’s when things get really interesting.

But she only gave the demon seven years, and when the time is up, she’ll have no choice but to leave behind the kraken who’s stolen her heart and return to the world that doesn’t want her.

Check out my review of Ramanu's story in The Demon's Bargain

Check out my review of the first book in the series, The Dragon's Bride

About the Author

Katee Robert is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance and romantic suspense. Entertainment Weekly calls her writing “unspeakably hot.” Her books have sold over a million copies. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, children, a cat who thinks he’s a dog, and two Great Danes who think they’re lap dogs.

 

Katee is represented by Laura Bradford at Bradford Literary Agency.

Katee Robert Author Website

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REVIEW The Dragon's Bride (A Deal with a Demon Book 1) by Katee Robert

The Dragon's Bride (A Deal with a Demon Book 1) 

by Katee Robert 
Rating: 4 Stars
Release Date: March 29, 2022
Format: eBook (Personal Library)
Publisher: Trinkets and Tales LLC (Self-Published by Author)

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I’m a big fan of Katee Robert’s Dark Olympus and Wicked Villains series, so I was curious once she announced her latest series, A Deal with A Demon. I’ve never read a monster romance book before, so I had no clue what to expect going into The Dragon’s Bride. I ended up reading it in one sitting, and now I’m hungry for more (October is so far away and so long to wait for the release of the next book). 

Briar is in a bad situation, with a husband that's abusive and seemingly has no way out. With nothing more to lose (except her life), she makes a desperate deal with a demon. A way out of her relationship and freedom from her abusive husband, all in exchange for seven years of service. Seems straightforward enough - however, instead of the hard labor Briar is experiencing she is auctioned off to become the bride of a dragon. Will she end up falling for him (like all the other parties involved hope), or will it be a long seven years till she returns to the human realm? Well, you’ll have to read to find out (no spoilers here) - it’ll be well worth your time though (and it's a short read at around 180 pages, so not too much of a commitment).

Briar and Sol’s relationship is heartwarmingly sweet, and it was a pleasure to read about. Briar is dealing with some past emotional trauma from her abusive relationship, and Sol does take that into account with their interactions. It took me a bit to warm up to things (I was still very unsure about the “monster/human” relationship at the start of the book), but once I did I was invested and had to see things through to the end. Like many of Ms. Robert’s other books, this story is very character-driven as opposed to plot-driven. One of my favorite components of the book was being able to see Briar’s journey and growth from the first page to the last. 

Sol (and many of Ms. Robert’s other lead characters, like Jafar in Desperate Measures or Hades in Neon Gods) are absolute consent kings, and I love that. Even when they are “playing”, it is always made clear that things can stop at any time should one involved party want to. On a slightly related note, I was quite pleasantly surprised that all of the contracts Azazel brokered had specific clauses that required everything to be consensual, and for his “contracted humans” to not be harmed. I’ve read other books where deals with demons are made, and I’ve never seen that included before. I hope it makes an appearance in future books. 

Overall, The Dragon’s Bride was a sweet and steamy romance read. If you’re a fan of Ms. Robert’s other books, then you should definitely check this one out. It’s a great start to a new series, and after this, I’ll likely be reading similar books in the near future (maybe the Ice Planet Barbarians series I’ve been hearing so much about?) I’m looking forward to reading The Kraken’s Sacrifice once it comes out later this year, and I’m crossing my fingers that one of the unannounced books will cover Azazel and Eve’s relationship (I have so many questions after the teasers the author dropped in this book).

Trigger warnings (courtesy of author’s page): domestic abuse (historical, off-page, but the heroine is dealing with the aftermath of getting out of that relationship), murder (off-page), human/non-human sex, size difference, explicit sex, breeding, pregnancy (epilogue)

About the Author

Katee Robert is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance and romantic suspense. Entertainment Weekly calls her writing “unspeakably hot.” Her books have sold over a million copies. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, children, a cat who thinks he’s a dog, and two Great Danes who think they’re lap dogs.

 

Katee is represented by Laura Bradford at Bradford Literary Agency.

Katee Robert Author Website

Connect with the Author on Instagram

Connect with the Author on Twitter