In this cozy romantasy, the villain finally gets the girl.I have three problems:

One: The hot guy I met in the bushes (don’t ask) has magic so cold and dangerous it should come with a warning label.

Two: My family’s dragging me to a ball hosted by the Nightmare King—you know, the cruel monster who rules the dark half of town where the sun literally never rises.

Three: Turns out Hot Bush Guy and Nightmare King are the same person. And when our magic touches? We make flowers. Which would be romantic if I wasn’t supposed to be terrified of him.

Eryx Nightshade has spent ten years alone in his castle, haunted by a voice in his head that demands blood and revenge. Until I walked into his spell and the voice went from “destroy everyone” to “she’s pretty, don’t mess this up.”

Now he’s thrown a ball to find me. I’m trapped in pink tulle and sparkly sneakers. And every time we touch, our magic does things that shouldn’t be possible.

He thinks I’m his salvation.

I think he might be mine.

But I’m supposed to marry someone to save my family’s dying magic, and he’s got a revenge plot ten years in the making.

Falling for the Nightmare King wasn’t part of anyone’s plan.

Especially the nightmare’s.

My Review

Eryx is powerful and insightful, and he’s on the hunt for the women who took something from him. He’s filled with vengeance, and his inner voice is creepy, funny, and altogether dark. He refers to this inner dark voice as the Nightmare, and the truth is, the nightmare he has planned for the person who wronged him is terrifying. His vengeance leads him down a path toward darkness and destruction, which he thoroughly enjoys.

Chelsea has issues with her magic going sideways. She tries, but everything seems to go awry. She’s not looking forward to the ball at Castleview, where she’s expected to find a suitor. Meanwhile, the nightmare barrier seems to be leaking bad dreams into this happy little small town filled with magical and paranormal characters.

Chelsea has the power to feel magic, and when she and Eryx first interact, their magic goes crazy and unexpected things happen. I couldn’t help smiling at their interactions. The voice in Eryx’s head is comical in a disturbing way, and I loved the contrast between his dark magic and her golden magic. How will they figure out why he’s gone soft around her, especially when she causes flowers to bloom and they feel an undeniable connection?

The marriage of convenience to save her family and satisfy his urges was a wonderful setup. This story has perfect Halloween vibes, mixing darkness and light, grumpy and sunshine, witches, magic, and supernatural elements. The fake relationship, forced proximity, and eventually sizzling romance made for a fantastic combination.

The audiobook accents were a mixed experience for me. The southern drawls throughout the narration were surprising since the story supposedly takes place in Connecticut. Chelsea’s breathy southern accent was distracting at times, but the deep timbre of Eryx and the Nightmare was lovely to listen to. The accents were a little inconsistent with the setting, but I really enjoyed the audio overall.

This story encompasses so many emotions, from uncertainty to blissful moments to heartbreaking scenes. I loved how completely it pulled me into the story. The romance was sizzling hot and swoony, but it also had moments that genuinely tugged at my heart.

I’ve enjoyed most of the books in this series. I especially love how the small town, family, and community are woven into the story. This one felt very different, with the Nightmare being an unusual and distinctly dark entity, but that uniqueness made it stand out.

I wasn’t able to use this book to check off a state for my reading challenge, but I thoroughly enjoyed the story itself. With witches, magic, supernatural elements, a villain you can’t help but despise, and a romance that was both steamy and heartwarming, this was the perfect October read. I really enjoyed experiencing it in audiobook form!

If you would like to read How to Negotiate with a Nightmare by Amy Boyles, you can find this book on Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn on qualifying purchases.

If you like this book you may also enjoy books with these tags and categories: Fake Relationship, Marriage of Convenience, and Witch.