Effie MacLeod is no stranger to making desperate decisions, but making a deal with Lucifer himself—sacrificing her soul to save a loved one—has got to be her most monumental. Several hundred years into her tenure as a demon, Effie’s found herself engaged to Belphegor, a handsome, seductive, and successful Prince of Hell. It’s not a love match, but it’ll do. There’s just one teensy-tiny little problem: She’s still bound to her sixteenth-century Scottish husband. While Effie has completely cast her human life aside, Finn has been reincarnated through several lifetimes.
Effie must convince Finn to renounce their age-old vows in order get the Office of Infernal Internal Affairs off her back. The kicker? When she finds him in this lifetime, Finn doesn’t remember anything, but he refuses her request for a divorce.
Annoyed to be stuck with him in small-town Georgia until she can persuade Finn to abandon their marriage, Effie must convince him that yes, she does want to get on with her devilish shenanigans despite the physical pull she feels toward him. As they get closer in hopes of recovering his lost memories, Effie can’t help but notice murmurings of her deeply buried feelings resurfacing. But while all’s fair in love and war, that’s not the case in Hell—and Lucifer may have his own reasons for wanting to keep Finn and Effie apart for the rest of eternity.
Release Date: Sep 22, 2026
Heat Level: Hot
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley
Price: $10.99
My first Bellefleur paranormal romance.
My experience with Bellefleur is mainly via her sapphic, WLW, books. Though she is one of the lucky few authors who get to write mixed queer stories at the traditionally published level. Since her launch in contemporary romance, she’s veered into PNR territory and so far so good. It’s demons and humans, contracts, souls on the line, and how these demons who are supposed to be up-to-no-good end up being more human than they thought.
We have Effie MacLeod, a centuries-old demon who made a deal with the devil long ago. She was once at the top of the list, but her recent choices have put her on Lucifer’s bad list. When an opportunity to marry a prince of hell arises, she easily says yes. This triggers an alarm because Effie is still married, bound by a blood-made oath to be with the husband she loved when she was human. There’s only one thing to do… get him to renounce his vows.
Finn, her reincarnated human husband, is a small-town bar owner who absolutely refuses to do as Effie asks. Especially when he can’t remember who she is or that he was married to her. They strike a bargain, he’ll do as she asks, but only if she shares their past with him and he’s given an opportunity to remember.
I won’t lie, I didn’t read book one in this series, so I came in blind to the world. I can confirm, though, that you don’t need to read the first book to enjoy this story or the demonic/human universe Bellefleur has created. Effie and Finn’s little second-chance romance is like some paranormal, way sexier version of The Notebook. I know bad comparison, but she’s helping him remember and that was the first thing I thought of. It’s an amnesia romance in a way, but also better.
There is plenty of humor, heartfelt moments, and pure chemistry that sparks off the page between Effie and Finn. The secondary characters, small-town setting, and the second chance romance are top-notch. So what kept this from a five? The ending was a bit disjointed for me. The princes of hell and the demonic angel come off as very passive, even when facing the horrible king of hell himself. Finn’s reasoning for not renouncing the vows at first didn’t make sense either. Though I applaud Bellefleur for keeping me on my toes, I was unable to guess the endgame.
This book is ideal for those who love paranormal romance with reincarnation, love that transcends time, and enjoy demons with a flair for drama.
~ Landra
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