{"id":32325,"date":"2026-10-14T14:03:33","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T18:03:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/?p=32325"},"modified":"2026-10-14T14:03:34","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T18:03:34","slug":"review-damned-if-i-do-by-alexandria-bellefleur","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2026\/10\/14\/review-damned-if-i-do-by-alexandria-bellefleur\/","title":{"rendered":"Review \u2764\ufe0f Damned If I Do by Alexandria Bellefleur"},"content":{"rendered":"<!--themify_builder_content-->\n<div id=\"themify_builder_content-32325\" data-postid=\"32325\" class=\"themify_builder_content themify_builder_content-32325 themify_builder tf_clear\">\n    \t\t\t<!-- module_row -->\n\t<div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_row themify_builder_row tb_ay8u664 tb_first tf_w tf_clearfix\">\n\t    \t\t\t<div class=\"row_inner col_align_top gutter-narrow tb_col_count_2 tf_box tf_rel\">\n\t\t            <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_column tb-column col3-1 tb_3lnf664 first\">\n                                                        <div class=\"tb-column-inner tf_box tf_w\">\n                        <!-- module image -->\n<div  class=\"module module-image tb_0ric664 rounded drop-shadow customBorderRad_top image-center auto_fullwidth tf_mw\" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div class=\"image-wrap tf_rel tf_mw\">\n\t\t    <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"987\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/damned-if-i-do-alexandria-bellefleur.jpg?resize=640%2C987&#038;ssl=1\" class=\"wp-post-image wp-image-32327\" title=\"damned-if-i-do-alexandria-bellefleur\" alt=\"damned-if-i-do-alexandria-bellefleur\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/damned-if-i-do-alexandria-bellefleur.jpg?w=973&amp;ssl=1 973w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/damned-if-i-do-alexandria-bellefleur.jpg?resize=195%2C300&amp;ssl=1 195w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/damned-if-i-do-alexandria-bellefleur.jpg?resize=664%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 664w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/damned-if-i-do-alexandria-bellefleur.jpg?resize=768%2C1184&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/damned-if-i-do-alexandria-bellefleur.jpg?resize=400%2C616&amp;ssl=1 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/>\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<!-- \/image-wrap -->\n    \n    \t<\/div>\n<!-- \/module image --><!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_2uz4665 customBorderRad_bottom repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">Effie MacLeod is no stranger to making desperate decisions, but making a deal with Lucifer himself\u2014sacrificing her soul to save a loved one\u2014has got to be her most monumental. Several hundred years into her tenure as a demon, Effie&#8217;s found herself engaged to Belphegor, a handsome, seductive, and successful Prince of Hell. It\u2019s not a love match, but it\u2019ll do. There\u2019s just one teensy-tiny little problem: She\u2019s still bound to her sixteenth-century Scottish husband. While Effie has completely cast her human life aside, Finn has been reincarnated through several lifetimes.<\/span><br><br><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">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\u2019t remember anything, but he refuses her request for a divorce.<\/span><br><br><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">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\u2019t help but notice murmurings of her deeply buried feelings resurfacing. But while all\u2019s fair in love and war, that\u2019s not the case in Hell\u2014and Lucifer may have his own reasons for wanting to keep Finn and Effie apart for the rest of eternity.<\/span><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text -->                    <\/div>\n                            <\/div>\n                        <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_column tb-column col3-2 tb_eqvv665 last\">\n                                                        <div class=\"tb-column-inner tf_box tf_w\">\n                        <!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_b3ky665  repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-25881 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/smitten-recommends-banner-1.png?resize=296%2C72\" alt=\"\" width=\"296\" height=\"72\"><\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><strong>Release Date:<\/strong>\u00a0Sep 22, 2026<br><strong>Heat Level:<\/strong>\u00a0Hot<br><strong>Publisher:<\/strong>\u00a0Penguin Group<br><strong>Imprint:<\/strong>\u00a0Berkley\u00a0<br><strong>Price:<\/strong> $10.99<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><i><b>My first Bellefleur paranormal romance.<\/b><\/i><\/p>\n<p>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\u2019s veered into PNR territory and so far so good. It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<p>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\u2019s 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\u2019s only one thing to do&#8230; get him to renounce his vows.<\/p>\n<p>Finn, her reincarnated human husband, is a small-town bar owner who absolutely refuses to do as Effie asks. Especially when he can\u2019t remember who she is or that he was married to her. They strike a bargain, he\u2019ll do as she asks, but only if she shares their past with him and he\u2019s given an opportunity to remember.<\/p>\n<p>I won\u2019t lie, I didn\u2019t read book one in this series, so I came in blind to the world. I can confirm, though, that you don\u2019t need to read the first book to enjoy this story or the demonic\/human universe Bellefleur has created. Effie and Finn\u2019s little second-chance romance is like some paranormal, way sexier version of The Notebook. I know bad comparison, but she\u2019s helping him remember and that was the first thing I thought of. It\u2019s an amnesia romance in a way, but also better.<\/p>\n<p>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\u2019s reasoning for not renouncing the vows at first didn\u2019t make sense either. Though I applaud Bellefleur for keeping me on my toes, I was unable to guess the endgame.<\/p>\n<p>This book is ideal for those who love paranormal romance with reincarnation, love that transcends time, and enjoy demons with a flair for drama.<\/p>\n<p><i>~ Landra<\/i><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text --><!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_7efj665 customBorderRad repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span class=\"s1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/link.amazon\/B05y3u91O\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amazon<\/a><\/span><span class=\"s2\">\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/apple.co\/4ilyUBO\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">iBooks<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/damned-if-i-do-alexandria-bellefleur\/1149199043?ean=9780593952535\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">B&amp;N<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kobo.com\/us\/en\/ebook\/damned-if-i-do-14\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">Kobo<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details\/Alexandria_Bellefleur_Damned_If_I_Do?id=a7e0EQAAQBAJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">Google Play<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text -->                    <\/div>\n                            <\/div>\n            \t    <\/div>\n\t    <!-- \/row_inner -->\n\t<\/div>\n\t<!-- \/module_row -->\n\t<\/div>\n<!--\/themify_builder_content-->\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Effie MacLeod is no stranger to making desperate decisions, but making a deal with Lucifer himself\u2014sacrificing her soul to save a loved one\u2014has got to be her most monumental. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":32327,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[83,112,128,48],"tags":[152,386,404,405,571],"class_list":["post-32325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-berkley","category-landra","category-penguin-group","category-reviews","tag-4-stars","tag-paranormal-romance","tag-recommend","tag-recommended-reads","tag-romantasy"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.7 - 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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\u2019s not a love match, but it\u2019ll do. There\u2019s just one teensy-tiny little problem: She\u2019s still bound to her sixteenth-century Scottish husband. While Effie has completely cast her human life aside, Finn has been reincarnated through several lifetimes.<br><br>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\u2019t remember anything, but he refuses her request for a divorce.<br><br>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\u2019t help but notice murmurings of her deeply buried feelings resurfacing. But while all\u2019s fair in love and war, that\u2019s not the case in Hell\u2014and Lucifer may have his own reasons for wanting to keep Finn and Effie apart for the rest of eternity.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/smitten-recommends-banner-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"296\" height=\"72\"><\/p> <hr> <p><strong>Release Date:<\/strong>\u00a0Sep 22, 2026<br><strong>Heat Level:<\/strong>\u00a0Hot<br><strong>Publisher:<\/strong>\u00a0Penguin Group<br><strong>Imprint:<\/strong>\u00a0Berkley\u00a0<br><strong>Price:<\/strong> $10.99<\/p> <hr> <p><i><b>My first Bellefleur paranormal romance.<\/b><\/i><\/p> <p>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\u2019s veered into PNR territory and so far so good. It\u2019s 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.<\/p> <p>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\u2019s 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\u2019s only one thing to do... get him to renounce his vows.<\/p> <p>Finn, her reincarnated human husband, is a small-town bar owner who absolutely refuses to do as Effie asks. Especially when he can\u2019t remember who she is or that he was married to her. They strike a bargain, he\u2019ll do as she asks, but only if she shares their past with him and he\u2019s given an opportunity to remember.<\/p> <p>I won\u2019t lie, I didn\u2019t read book one in this series, so I came in blind to the world. I can confirm, though, that you don\u2019t need to read the first book to enjoy this story or the demonic\/human universe Bellefleur has created. Effie and Finn\u2019s little second-chance romance is like some paranormal, way sexier version of The Notebook. I know bad comparison, but she\u2019s helping him remember and that was the first thing I thought of. It\u2019s an amnesia romance in a way, but also better.<\/p> <p>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\u2019s reasoning for not renouncing the vows at first didn\u2019t make sense either. Though I applaud Bellefleur for keeping me on my toes, I was unable to guess the endgame.<\/p> <p>This book is ideal for those who love paranormal romance with reincarnation, love that transcends time, and enjoy demons with a flair for drama.<\/p> <p><i>~ Landra<\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/link.amazon\/B05y3u91O\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amazon<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/apple.co\/4ilyUBO\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">iBooks<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/damned-if-i-do-alexandria-bellefleur\/1149199043?ean=9780593952535\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">B&amp;N<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kobo.com\/us\/en\/ebook\/damned-if-i-do-14\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kobo<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details\/Alexandria_Bellefleur_Damned_If_I_Do?id=a7e0EQAAQBAJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google Play<\/a><\/strong><\/p>","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/damned-if-i-do-alexandria-bellefleur.jpg?fit=973%2C1500&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32325","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32325"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32325\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32335,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32325\/revisions\/32335"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32327"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32325"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32325"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32325"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}