Dealing with a Desperate Demon

My year of demon romances continues with Charlotte Stein‘s new novel, Dealing with a Desperate Demon. Though this is actually the second in the Sanctuary for Supernatural Creatures series, this works as a standalone, too. (Thankfully, as I wasn’t aware of the first book until after I’d finished this one—oops!)

Nancy is a quiet bookstore owner; Jack is the weird, angry guy that everyone in town avoids. But when Jack wanders into Nancy’s bookstore one day, and runs off without the book he’d been looking at, she decides to deliver it to him. Thus begins their unlikely friendship and Nancy agreeing to help Jack learn how to become boyfriend material for an unnamed woman. Pretend dates, lessons learned from romance novels, maybe some kissing practice… But when Nancy learns the truth about Jack and the danger they’re both in, she’ll have to reignite the magic she once had to save herself and Jack.

What I Liked:

• Jack is so funny! The town loser is more than just a clumsy, prickly big guy. He’s absolutely (and unintentionally) hilarious. He doesn’t really know how to behave like a normal person…. and he has his demonic reasons for that! Jack spends so much of this novel being confused and awkward and just trying to get things right. Aww! He’s so caring and sweet, if a bit misguided sometimes.
• Books and movies as a way to learn how to be human. Speaking of Jack’s weirdness, he seems to have gotten everything he knows from movies and novels. If characters do it, surely it’s what he should do too, right? This is how Jack ends up getting Nancy’s help.
• Dating lessons! Okay, this was so well done. Jack wants to be the perfect boyfriend for his dream girl, so Nancy offers to help him learn how. She’ll go on practice dates with him, teach him to kiss, maybe a bit more… She wishes she could be the girl he wants, but she’s happy to help him out in the meantime.
• Beauty and the Beast vibes. This isn’t a retelling; Nancy isn’t trapped with Jack or anything. But they each have similarities to those famous characters, the furniture is a little bit sentient, and there’s this whole curse situation. I loved all the nods to Beauty and the Beast here and enjoyed the demon-and-witch angle.
• Writing magic. Nancy has some suppressed abilities, and I love her version of magic! Write what you want to see. Make your own ideal boyfriend. This was so perfect.

Audiobook:

Yael Rizowy does a wonderful job of narrating Dealing with a Desperate Demon. The whole book is told from Nancy’s point of view, and her sweet charm shines through in this audiobook. I also love how Jack’s voice was narrated; his gruffness and confusion are so evident! This was a joy to listen to.

Final Thoughts

Dealing with a Desperate Demon is such a fun and silly novel! It’s sweet and spicy, hilarious, and full of heart. This is a paranormal romance for anyone who enjoys a fair bit of magic, a well-meaning demon, and an essence of Beauty and the Beast.

This is my first time reading Charlotte Stein, and I’m excited to read more. First I’ll need to go back and read the previous Sanctuary for Supernatural Creatures book, How to Help a Hungry Werewolf. Those characters appeared here and I want to see how they got together!

Special thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Get the Book

You can buy Dealing with a Desperate Demon here – it’s available as a paperback, ebook, and audiobook.

Dealing with a Desperate Demon by Charlotte Stein
Series	The Sanctuary for Supernatural Creatures (#2)
Audiobook Narrator	Yael Rizowy
Audience	Adult
Genre	Paranormal Romance
Number of Pages	304
Format I Read	Audiobook & Ebook (NetGalley ARCs)
Original Publication Date	October 7, 2025
Publisher	St. Martin’s Griffin

Official Summary

Charlotte Stein perfectly blends spicy and cozy in a new paranormal rom-com about a bewitching bookseller who helps a demon win the girl of his dreams…only to realize she might be the one he’s fated for all along.

Nancy has just about given up on finding her special person when Jack Jackson—big, scary and the town loser—walks into her bookstore. He’s apparently even more desperate for help in the romance department than she is. And after a bit of gentle persuasion, he finally accepts her guidance in securing his dream girl. Practice dates, lessons in tenderness—you name it, she can teach it.

There’s just one problem: his dream girl might have more than an issue with his dating skills. Because Jack isn’t just a little clueless; he’s actually the demonic son of Satan, from the deepest depths of hell. He’s spent his entire long underlife dragging evildoers to their fates, while really trying not to live up to his dad’s expectations.

Now, it isn’t just about getting a date with his dream girl. He needs to become a better man to win over the woman he’s been cosmically bound to, in a Beauty and the Beast style pact. If he fails, everyone he cares for will face a terrible fate. Luckily for him, Nancy may well be the witch she’s always tried to pretend she wasn’t. She can save him, he knows it—and she’s starting to know it too. Even if every day spent with him is an agonising reminder that she isn’t the girl he’s fated for.

But as the deadline approaches she’s starting to wonder… Could it be that she’s finally found her Prince? Or is she about to lose her heart to hell?