My Thoughts


Having read the first book way back in September of 2021, reading this sequel in February allowed me time to have enough distance from Callie and Lukes story to feel a bit lost until probably a 1/3 of the book.

Once I again got into the rhythm of their unique circumstances things moved more rapidly for me.

This time there is more at stake than just Callie and Luke making their relationship work, the fate of human kind pretty much rests on their shoulders.

An even more startling development comes to light when Lucifer reveals to the pair just exactly how said task will play out for them on a personal note, especially in Lukes case.

The biggest development for the pair concerns Callie however and it is a reveal that makes all the difference for this seemingly ill matched couples future.

What starts out as a simple wish for a normal date turns into anything but.

Not a quick read as a little more going on than could absorb fast this time around.

[EArc from Netgalley]
On every book read as soon as it is done and written up for review it is posted on Goodreads and Netgalley, once released then posted on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles as well.

I absolutely loved Not Your Average Hot Guy, so I just knew I was going to love The Date From Hell! The relationship between Callie and Luke is adorable and, honestly, like a real-life relationship--except for that whole son of Satan thing! I love all of the characters in these books and I love how well they all gel, even though some are humans and others are from Hell. These books are so cute and laugh-out-loud funny! And I absolutely LOVED the feminist aspect at the end, making Callie the ruler of Hell!! I can't wait to read more from Gwenda Bond!

I didn't realize this was a sequel when I requested it, but it was still really good without having read the first one! I usually don't like apocalyptic books but this one was pretty good.

This book wasn’t what I had anticipated. It felt more like a YA book rather than an adult romance, but it still was funny. Although I didn’t read the first book, I still found this to be an enjoyable read!

I am so mad that this was a duology. I love Callie and Luke. I think they're great together and their world and adventures are fun and interesting and spicy. And now it's over. Loved it, love them, please follow up at come point!!!

A delightful, funny romance.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

So technically this started out as a review book for me. But I didn’t schedule well enough to get it read before the pub date. And then I tried to go back and read it in between other review books, but trying to keep up an e-book that I wasn’t reading all the time was hard. So I gave in and ordered the paperback. I did love this one as much as the first one, Not Your Average Hot Guy. Gwenda Bond is a favorite author of mine, and this one did not disappoint at all! Sad that there won’t be another in the series, because I could totally go for some shenanigans now that Callie ends up where she does in the end.

I'm glad I was given the chance to read The Date from Hell since I read book one and enjoyed the story. This time Callie wants to give people in hell a second chance who maybe shouldn't have died yet nor gone to hell. When Luke and Callie ask Lucifer for they could prove people could be redeemed, he says yes and gives them a specific person to tackle, Sean. As like the first book, Luke and Callie travel around the world, get into trouble and test their love for each other. This was a fun second book to the Callie and Luke story. Gwenda Bond does a great job fleshing out the characters and making them likeable. I look forward to seeing what else Gwenda produces in the future.

This book was such an entertaining read! Callie and Luke are planning a hot date night, but instead they end up on another adventure, this time for the holy grail. I really loved it. I laughed out loud repeatedly, and I liked seeing Callie come to trust herself more as their relationship developed.

I do think this book would not be half as much fun if I had not read the previous book, as we see most of the same characters and their relationships all grow here.

This is a sort of snarky, fun paranormal romance adventure that is like candy. If you are looking for something serious or deeply romantic, this is likely the wrong book. But if you want to laugh and follow along with a quest, I think it is a fun summer read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher.

I had to give up on this one. It's probably just me, but it was a Did Not Finish. I really don't have much more to say than that.

Another fun adventure for Callie and Luke.

Callie is looking for some change in hell - to give some people a second chance. In order to prove that this is a worthwhile venture Lucifer gives them a wayward soul that they have to save. This sends them off on a (mostly) fun adventure of trying to save Sean, and find the holy grail.

If you're familiar with the legends/myths of the holy grail it will probably fall into place quicker than it did for me, but not knowing anything did not detract from my enjoyment of The Date from Hell. Everything is explained well as Callie, Luke, Sean and Saraya the Rude take on this quest. There are a few twists and turns (Lucifer would never make it easy) but they came through the other side.

No spoilers, but I LOVED the ending. Can't wait for the next book!

The Date From Hell is the second book in the Match Made In Hell duology. This book continues the on going battle between heaven and hell. Characters Luke (demon) and Callie (human) are planning their first official date as a couple. Unfortunately, nothing goes exactly as planned and together they find themselves on a new mission.

Luke and Amalie feel much stronger as a couple in this book. There is obvious growth in both character which made them easy to root for. There is hilarity and hijinks throughout as the two try to come out on top of their new mission. There are also some more serious moments which calls for more deep thinking. Regardless of what is happening, these characters support each other and those around them.

The majority of the side characters from the first books return and each plays a role in the new mission. There is also the introduction of new characters who are there either to move the mission along or stop it dead in its tracks. There is a nice blend of paranormal moments throughout this second book.

To fully understand and enjoy The Date From Hell the reader needs to read Not Your Average Hot Guy first. Doing this give you an appreciation for the growth of Callie and Luke; and what this mission means for them and their future. Although this story is originally only listed as a duology, I do think there is potential for more. Especially based how everything ended. There is just so much potential there!

Rating: 3.5 Stars

3 ⭐️

Unfortunately I just don’t think this author is for me. I was not the biggest fan of book 1, but I wanted to give book 2 a chance and it just didn’t vibe with me. There’s something with the mix of rom com and paranormal? That doesn’t work in my opinion

One HELL of a follow up! This sequel was epic, swoony, and funny! Gwenda Bond is now an auto-buy for me.

Ehhh. This book was fine. I enjoyed it but felt it dragged. The first book I ADORED and so I had high hopes for the sequel. I did enjoy the ending but I just felt like it seemed kind of meh overall, personally.

When I finished Not Your Average Hot Guy, I immediately wanted to read the next book in the series. That is how much I loved Callie and Luke’s relationship. I kept checking Gwenda Bond’s Goodreads and when I saw that The Date From Hell had its own Goodreads page, I prayed to the book gods that I got an ARC of this book. My prayer was answered when SMP contacted me about reading/reviewing The Date From Hell. I was so excited about reading this book. And, I am happy to report that this book more than lived up to my expectations.

The Date From Hell takes place a couple of months after the events of Not Your Average Hot Guy. Callie, Luke, and her family are almost at the end of rebuilding the escape room business destroyed by the events in book 1. Callie has also wanted to change one of Hell’s rules regarding people who commit morally gray crimes and end up in Hell. Satan surprisingly agrees when she brings that up but gives her a 3-day quest to redeem a soul of his choice. If she succeeds, he will allow the changes. But if she doesn’t, she will have to forfeit something. But, dealing with Satan is always tricky, and he wasn’t exactly honest about who the soul was and if it even wanted to be redeemed. As secrets come to light, soon Luke and Callie are fighting for more than a single soul. What is that secret that they discovered? And is it worth risking everything (including their lives) to go through with the quest?

The Date from Hell is book 2 in the Not Your Average Hot Guy series. While you could read this as a standalone book, I highly suggest reading book one first. That way, you could understand the backstories referenced in this one. If you don’t want to read the book, then I suggest reading the reviews for a quick overlook.

I loved Callie in this book. She continued to be this badass who wasn’t afraid to go toe to toe with Satan. She had no filter, which was generally hilarious but sometimes got her into trouble. The only thing I did fault her for was that she was almost too stubborn, and she seemed to like poking Soraya the Rude all the time. I loved seeing how passionate she was about redeeming those souls she felt got the short end of the stick by being stuck in Hell.

I loved that the author chose to go the route she did with Luke. While I loved Luke, I felt that he was afraid to get seriously involved with Callie from book one. The part of the book where Luke was human was huge because his feelings were more real to me. He did come across as overprotective at times, but I wasn’t surprised. His character had some tremendous growth to it throughout the book.

I couldn’t understand why the author had so much focus on Sean until the middle of the book. Then a giant lightbulb went on over my head. I got a little grumpy with Satan at that point too. That was one of the many times after the middle of the book that I got cranky with him.

The storyline with the quest to redeem Sean’s soul that morphed into a quest to find the Holy Grail was interesting. I enjoyed seeing The Guardian’s city (even if I did think that people were bloodthirsty). I also loved how the author introduced Guinevere and Arthur and how they were involved in that quest. It was an exciting way to do that part of the quest, and I loved it.

The storyline with Callie wanting to change some of the laws in Hell had a fascinating twist. I was astonished when it went the way it did and felt I should have seen it coming. But it was perfect and very fitting for Callie!!

Callie and Luke’s romance was one of the sweetest that I have read. I loved that the author took it slow with them, that there was no Instalove. Instead, their relationship was allowed to progress naturally. That alone made this book enjoyable to read for me.

There is sex in The Date from Hell, but it isn’t graphic. And, surprisingly (well, to me at least), it is Callie and Luke’s first time after dating for months.

The end of The Date from Hell was interesting. I liked the twist that the author put in there with Callie. It did make sense, but at the time, I was internally screaming, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?????“

I am looking forward to reading book three and seeing where all the different relationships are and if that twist is working.

I would recommend The Date from Hell to anyone over 16. There is mild language, violence, and sexual situations/scenes.

I absolutely loved the first book this one wasn't for me. The main character instead of being proud, smart, and fiesty like the first book is instead dense, condescending, and just holier than thou. She spends most of the book talking about doing something but goes through everything else before finally finishing the task.
Also the ending was supposed to be empowering but it just felt mean to the guy.

I wish I had known that this was a continuation of a series because, as I have not read the first, I was incredibly confused on what was happening. I enjoyed the romance and the paranormal aspects, but I missed a lot of the context.

I really enjoyed Not Your Average Hot Guy (first book in the series) once I got used to the paranormal stuff and the main love interest being the prince of Hell 😂 I wanted a sequel because NYAHG didn’t feel finished with how it was written but I didn’t know what story I wanted.

And I was thrown off by this book starting with Callie wanting to fix Hell and give others second chances. It reminded me of “The Good Place” a little but it didn’t hit the romantic or comedy of it. I was pretty bored from the plot of them following Sean, until about 60% in. What happened the first 60% really wasn’t important- had a steamy scene and a half that is skippable.

The last 40% was fun with the hunt for the Grail and reminded me of Indians Jones 3 (my favorite!).

I think the beginning half of the story needed more restructuring to keep my attention more and sounds like others too. The whole beginning with Callie’s stress and fight with her mom seemed childish. Luke’s character growth seemed cliche but the ending I wasn’t expecting.

Thank you from the publisher and Net Galley for an e-arc. These are my thoughts and opinions.

I was really hooked by the dual POV of this romance and the paranormal aspects made this all the more enjoyable to read. I did feel like I missed out since this is a continuation of a series and I didn't read the first book but I can appreciate the build up the book provided in the overall plot of the series. This was so fun to read!