When choosing the perfect guy one does not usually summon them from the underworld. At least that's not how it happens for most people. Unfortunately for Callie, who was planning a quiet weekend with her bestie, meeting the hottest guy imaginable while dodging a murderous cult is how her love story begins. In Gwenda Bond's paranormal romance, Not Your Average Hot Guy, heroine Callie finds herself in the midst of a potential end-of-days scenario while trying to save the world and yeah, fall in love with the son of evil incarnate. Piece of cake. What follows is a fun, often hysterical romp around and even through the world in this highly entertaining and readable rom-com.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for sending me this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Hearing that this book was supposed to be a contemporary romance that also involved the prince of Hell caught my attention immediately. I genuinely had no idea how those things could mesh together in a way that was captivating and fun but Gwenda Bond found a way. This book managed to hold the light, fun, and flirty vibe that romantic comedies give off while following a plot that involves darker paranormal fantasy topics like cults, elements of Hell, and soul-stealing. None of these elements feel like they should go together and I was worried that this book would feel choppy but somehow it all fit together seamlessly.

Callie was my favorite character throughout the book because of ultimately how good she is. Throughout every situation she faced with she managed to be such a good person and put the fate of her family, friends, and the world before herself. My favorite part was the way that even when she was absolutely terrified, she made sure to put on a brave face and never back down from the fight ahead. I aspire to live my life like Callie and I can't wait to watch her change and grow even more in the sequel.

Luke was another amazing character in Not Your Average Hot Guy. He balanced perfectly between being the crown prince of Hell and also being the love interest for the rom-com side. He was flirty and sweet and protected Callie at all costs but then would turn around and be intimidating and badass.

I really loved seeing the different elements of Hell and meeting different characters based on names we might have already heard. Meeting Lilith and Styx were probably my favorite and I hope to see more of them in the future. Getting to see some of the hierarchy of Hell was captivating and seeing that right beside a contemporary world like our own was really fun, great world-building.

Not Your Average Hot Guy managed to surprise me in the best way and I enjoyed it even more than I expected to. The pacing was fast since so much had to take place over the course of 48 hours but there were also moments that felt like they took their time so, in my opinion, the pacing was perfect. I genuinely cannot think of one bad thing to say about this book other than the fact that I have to wait so long for the sequel.

Original, fun, and sexy! Perfect for fans who like the show Lucifer. I particularly enjoyed the way Callie was able to use her wits from the time on she met Luke's dad. Empowered females are my jam. Luke everything I look for in a male hero.

The premise for this book sounded really cool, but I just could not get into the writing style or the characters. I had to put it down after the first two chapters. I think others may like the author's style. It just isn't for me.

This was a fun, and delightful read. The story was fun, and quirky. A chick version of Indiana Jones. The characters were likeable. I always felt that he was too good to be a son of the devil!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

2.5/5 stars

Luke and Callisto had somewhat (I use this term lightly) of a romantic journey in this rom com supernatural book. I think the plot had great potential but missed the mark.

Callisto is supposed to be college age/adult but it felt more like she was in high school. Her and Mag’s relationship was fun and I enjoyed their exchanges. Callisto and Luke were very insta-love. Which made it hard to see their personalities.

Luke was the son of the devil but seemed too good for that to fit? He didn’t enjoy taking souls. He wasn’t a trickster. Overall didn’t really even fit in the demon bucket. So it was hard to realize he was a prince. Would have enjoyed him being more morally grey.

There wasn’t much romance in this book. Which I think if the author took out the romance the plot would have been better. The romance was distracting and didn’t fit. They were constantly running around and when they would kiss it didn’t fit.

Overall this book was a different read. It had a lot going on which overwhelmed the plot I think. It tried to pull together too many things which made it kind of cliche.

This was a fun read! I thought that the MC as a designer of escape rooms (even if it was a family business) was really interesting and led to the unexpected. Luke, despite being the son of Lucifer, was funny and surprisingly a very relatable character. I also thought the inclusion of a nonbinary character was done well - and they were a great friend to Callie.

I received this ARC through Netgalley.

Thank you St. Martin's Press, NetGalley and Author for this advance ebook copy in return for an honest review!

Not Your Average Hot Guy by Gwenda Bond was such a wonderful book!
Seriously can't wait for The Date From Hell to come out in April 2022! Going to be amazing!

Back to book one.....

Oh this book is everything I wanted – it packs a punch and covers momentous themes that are relatable, and delivered in the most uplifting and heart warming!
Her characters are real people with real struggles and deserve the happiness that she beautifully encapsulates.
The writing was great, I was pulled in to the book from the first page.
The story is fantastic! One of the best romance stories I've read in awhile!

Thanks again NetGalley, Publisher and Author for the chance to read and review this amazing book!
I'll post to my Social media platforms closer to pub date!



St. Martin's Press

This is a rom-com that’s very heavy on the ‘comedy’ and light on…well, everything else. The synopsis gave me big Darynda Jones vibes, and while this book was well-written, it ended up being too silly and cheesy for me to actually be invested in the plot or any of the characters.

I hate to say it but this book was quite disappointing. I saw the cover and title and I automatically hit that request button excited to read a funny romance about a hot sexy devil sweeping a woman off of her feet, unfortunately that was not quite what was delivered.

Luke the Prince of Darkness seemed more like a teenager, this book read like a YA romance and the humor was lacking.

I can appreciate the story but the execution of it didn't work.

I hope the writer takes the time to reevaluate the structure of adult romance verses YA and work on character descriptions and humor in her future books.

Not Your Average Hot Guy by Gwenda Bond is the first book in the new paranormal romantic comedy series by the same title. The story in this one is told by changing the point of view between the two lead characters, Callie and Luke. It also will a series that continues in the next book with the same two characters so they would be best to start with this book and continue in order.

Callie is a recent college graduate who found that her degree wasn’t really worth a whole lot and has found herself working in her family’s escape room business instead of in her own career. Callie’s mother is leaving town for a few days and has left Callie in charge while she’s gone and Callie assures her she will be fine but of course her brother could be called if needed. Almost as soon as Callie’s mother is gone a strange group comes in to play Callie’s own creation, the hardest room they have to try to solve.

As Callie watches through the monitors though the group easily escapes and does so with an old grimoire Callie had found at an estate sale and used as a prop in the room. As Callie tries to stop them she finds the group are no ordinary players but a satanic cult trying to summon a demon. The next thing Callie knows she and Mag, her longtime friend and co-worker, are taken hostage. Before Callie knows it she and Mag are witnessing a demon appearing and she finds he’s actually rather cute. When the cult threaten the safety of the world by going after an ancient weapon Callie finds she has to trust in the demon, Luke, in order to save the world.

Not Your Average Hot Guy by Gwenda Bond isn’t a bad read at all but the first thing I would warn readers of with this one is it felt as if the characters were very young. The story is sort of a cheesy one, I suppose for the comedy side, but I didn’t mind that as much as having to continue to remind myself Callie was past college age making this new adult territory but I’ve read stories with a more mature feel in the young adult category. Even if this ended up only three stars from me though I would probably pick up the next to see where the story goes.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

This was such a fun read!

I loved the escape room elements! (And the fact that a prop grimoire was an actual spellbook was a neat twist). There were also a lot of fun references (some from history and literature, as well as pop culture). The plot was campy and zany in the best way possible!

The main characters were fun, too! Callie is a snarky twenty-something with a history degree but no major plans. Luke is the crown prince of Hell who isn't sure that he wants to be what his father wants him to be. When a cult causes Callie and Luke to cross paths, it's nonstop adventure and zaniness as the two try to prevent the cult from causing the end of the world.

I will say that Not Your Average Hot Guy ended up feeling more YA than Adult with the dialogue and situations. I enjoyed it, but it might be off-putting to certain readers. There were also a lot of pop culture references throughout, some of which were a little over the top.

All in all, Not Your Average Hot Guy is exactly the book it looks like: a zany, campy tale of saving the world and falling in love. If you're looking for a light, fun adventure, this is your book. And I am definitely planning on picking up book 2 (The Date From Hell) when it comes out.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Griffin for the eARC of Not Your Average Hot Guy! I really appreciate it.

TW/CW: hell, cults, Harry Potter references (mentions of avoiding Rowling's Twitter)

This book was like a warm beverage for the soul. I was sucked in and could not put it down! The concept was so unique, I loved this book.

This book has been on my most anticipated reads list for awhile and wow did it not disappoint! I have to say I was expecting a tad bit more in the romance department, but the plot and characters (I loved every single person) is so phenomenal the romance between Callie and Luke is more like the cherry on top of a perfect dessert for me. I was completely immersed from the very beginning by the artfully written descriptions and high-stakes situations that the characters faced. I fell absolutely head over heels for this book. If you love fast-paced stories with a delightful romance, don't walk but run to get this book when it releases!

Thank you to netgalley and publisher for opportunity to read and provide my honest opinion.

I'll start by saying I'm drawn to these kind of cartoonish covers, especially for rom com type books. The overall storyline and plot were cute and in my opinion original but I didn't feel there was much in the comedy part besides a few instances. The characters were likeable and story original though so it wasn't bad at all.

This book is kind of ridiculous. It’s well-written and all, but the plot… I think it would be best marketed to the YA and post-grad crowd, the age of the characters in the book. That all said, I still did kind of enjoy it, and I’ll probably check out the sequel.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

Ever wanted to take your demon-MC reading to the next level by reading about the prince of Hell (Lucifer’s son) falling in love?

Gwenda Bond’s Not Your Average Hot Guy offers this as part of its unconventional premise.

Callie is a recent college grad & family owner / runner of an escape room who’s surprised one night by a group of masked people who use the grimmoire she’s purchased as a prop to summon a demon.

The demon—who’s actually Luke—hasn’t managed to garner any souls for Hell yet. He’s been given a deadline & this cult will do nicely. But then he fails to take the souls during the summoning & before he knows it he’s helping Callie protect a powerful religious artifact & also lying to her about who she is & who he is etc etc.

This romance has lots of quirky allusions—like to Dante; a bold plot; & an overall sense of fun. But overall the relationship between leads feels rushed—it starts with instalust & never fully convinces me.

This read might appeal to PNR readers who want a theatrical plotline & are good with minimal steam.

3 ⭐️.

From the cover and description, I thought I was going into a light-hearted, funny rom=com. However, I was wrong in the best of ways. The description may have been a little off, but I enjoyed the detailed layers of Heaven, Hell, and everything in between. There was some slight romance between Luke and Callie-not as much as I hoped for, but enough that it kept me engaged and wanting more. This book is perfect for people who live angel vs. demons books with a touch of romance. I really enjoyed the writing style of this book-you can tell that there was a lot of thought that went behind the descriptions of the worlds.

Not Your Average Hot Guy follows the main character, Callie. Callie loves all things puzzles and clues and spends her time with her mom creating escape room games. Callie also has always had an interest with the occult for years and plans to create a room called the Chamber of Black Magic.

While out shopping for props for their next escape room Callie comes upon a grimoire (a book of magic).Callie and her mom purchase the book without a second thought.

Then her mom leaves her for the weekend to tend to the escape rooms.

Callie can only hope that she can enjoy a quiet weekend with her close friend but then a Satanic cult shows up claiming that grimorie that Callie and her mom bought is the real deal. They adduct Callie and her friend, Mag to use them as gifts for the demon.

Then our other character, Luke, the son of Lucifer, is in trouble with his father. He hasn't collected any souls and his father is furious. When the cult summons a major demon, Luke takes his place in order to secure the souls he needs. But eventually Lue finds himself working alongside Callie to save the world from an apocalypse.


Overall I found the story very interesting, the characters and dialogue in the book were relatable and fun, and I loved Callie and Luke's budding relationship. I just wish there was a bit more to the story. I wasn't a big fan of Luke and felt like the storyline could have been a lot more than what it was.


Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins Press for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to read this book. The premise sounded hilarious. Having an escape room with an old grimoire that can actually summon demons and having a cult come through and summon the devil’s son is intriguing. Unfortunately for me the book fell flat. It started off great and I really enjoyed the characters. Callie and Luke and Mag are all a great team. I enjoyed the journey through hell but again I just wanted more. Luke is the devil’s son but he’s a giant cinnamon roll and is almost so soft and fluffy it’s hard to really believe it. I know it’s fiction but i wish they author had really given us a morally grey character. The romance was the biggest let down. It felt so bland for an adult book. I kept checking to see how old the characters were they felt 14 & 15 giggling trying not to get caught by the mom kissing …. Overall the writing wasn’t bad I just didn’t connect with this book as an adult rom-com. I enjoyed the comedy but it definitely isn’t steamy.