The Baron’s Demons

Jane Eyre but with more spice and more dark magic? Yes please! That’s what the marketing copy for Erin Elle‘s The Baron’s Demons promised, and that’s what instantly had me sold. 

Julia Woodrow is desperate to escape her abusive father’s home, but has little opportunity to do so. She’s lucky when a stranger, Gabriel, Baron of Arevale, asks for her hand in marriage. Though she knows nothing about him, surely she’ll have a better life with him. However, Gabriel comes with many secrets and a long, dark past. As he and Julia gradually become closer, she’ll have to find out the truth about him and battle his demons with him.

Tropes & Narrative Devices:

• Marriage of convenience
• Slow burn romance
• Age gap (seriously!)
• Dual timeline
• Third-person POV (Gabriel and Julia)

What I Liked:

• Escaping a bad life. Content warnings for domestic abuse, which Julia unfortunately has been subjected to by her father for years. He’s a horrid man, and I don’t blame her for taking any opportunity to get out of his house. Due to this, Julia is timid and afraid of angering anyone, including her new husband, Gabriel. I appreciate how Julia’s perspective continues to be present throughout the book, even after she and Gabriel have gained more trust. It’s a journey to overcome such abuse, and this was portrayed with care.
• Mystery surrounding Gabriel. I won’t spoil it for you, but Gabriel has quite the past! He and Arthur have been in it together for quite some time, and it was interesting to see their origins and how they’ve kept each other sane throughout.
• Demons and witches. A hunt for a long-lost witch, a pack of demons haunting the house, strange magic affecting two of the main characters… I love the inclusion of magic and supernatural beings here. It makes the Gothic element that much stronger and scarier, and adds to the tension within Gabriel and Julia’s marriage.
• Slow burn romance. It takes quite some time for Julia and Gabriel to open up to each other, but once they do, the connection is enchanting. They’re such different characters, and I like seeing how they balance each other out and find solace in one another.
• The cats! I love Mirna and Kinson and that Gabriel has such a soft spot for them. Cat daddy!
• The authentic writing. This book is set in 1873 and draws from the Gothic greats of that century. I really enjoyed that the author wrote the novel in a way which makes it feel like it was actually published in the 1870s. The style, word choice, and more feel authentic, making the setting more immersive.

What Didn’t Work for Me:

• Miles Johnson. I don’t know, unless I misunderstood, his background seems tainted. A plantation-owning family from North Carolina who didn’t fare so well after the American Civil War? No thanks. Thankfully he’s a fairly minor character.

Final Thoughts

The Baron’s Demons went in some unexpected directions and kept me engaged from start to finish. I love the slow burn romance between Gabriel and Julia, but equally I enjoyed the darker aspects with demons and magic. Arthur was one of my favorite characters, troubled as he was, and I’m intrigued by the cliffhanger this book ends on. I look forward to reading the next installment in the Shadows of Deringham series!

Special thanks to Stitching Grey Publishing, Erin Elle, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Get the Book

You can buy The Baron’s Demons here – it’s available as a paperback and ebook.

The Baron’s Demons by Erin Elle
Series	Shadows of Deringham (#1)
Audience	Adult
Genre	Gothic Romance
Setting	England
Number of Pages	425
Format I Read	Ebook (NetGalley ARC)
Original Publication Date	October 25, 2024
Publisher	Stitching Grey Publishing

Official Summary

This marriage may be her salvation. Or her doom.

Julia Woodrow possesses nothing but a name tainted by her mother’s scandal, so she hasn’t a clue why Gabriel, Baron Arevale, offers to wed her after one chance meeting. However, to escape her abusive father, Julia is prepared to risk anything. Even marriage to this enigmatic stranger. They’ll become acquainted after the wedding, surely?

Except their union brings more questions than answers. Passion burns beneath Gabriel’s cool exterior, igniting Julia’s own desires, yet he seems determined to keep her at arm’s length. Why did he marry her, when he has no use for a wife? Why won’t he speak about his past? And how can he suffer a deadly wound, then wake the next day as though nothing happened?

Deringham, his ancient estate, is straight from a fairytale. A remote castle, nestled in the woods, where the locals tell tales of dark deeds and monsters from times long past.

But the monsters aren’t just tales.

Unnatural creatures haunt the castle after dark, showing a dreadful interest in Julia. A sinister force is stalking her, and the husband she’s falling for knows more than he’ll say.

Grim secrets lie in Deringham, waiting to be unearthed. They could bring Julia undying love—or bury her.

The Baron’s Demons is a gothic romantic fantasy for readers who wish Jane Eyre had a bit more spice and a lot more dark magic.