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Passing Through Cafe #1
Passing Through Purgatory
When Oliver applied for a job in the Hell dimension on a whim, he didn’t expect it to turn his whole world—or his heart—entirely upside down.
Recently graduated at twenty-six, and two months behind on rent, Oliver Barnes is desperate. So desperate, in fact, that he applies for a job in the Greed district of Hell’s Pentagram. But when he misses his train and, subsequently, his job interview, he stumbles, instead, upon a strange little coffee shop in the middle of Purgatory’s barren desert—and into an unexpected opportunity.
It isn’t the job he came to Hell for, but maybe it’s exactly the job he needs.
As he navigates the demon dimension and tries to survive the ridiculous shenanigans of his unholy co-workers, Oliver soon falls head-over-ass for a tentacled lawyer with electric fingers and a deadly-sharp grin. Together, they discover that, sometimes, love and happiness can be just a train ride away.
Join Oliver and the rest of the eccentric staff of The Passing Through Cafe in Nik Knight’s new rom-com urban fantasy series, full of found family, embarrassing encounters, spicy situations, and love that crosses dimensions
Recently graduated at twenty-six, and two months behind on rent, Oliver Barnes is desperate. So desperate, in fact, that he applies for a job in the Greed district of Hell’s Pentagram. But when he misses his train and, subsequently, his job interview, he stumbles, instead, upon a strange little coffee shop in the middle of Purgatory’s barren desert—and into an unexpected opportunity.
It isn’t the job he came to Hell for, but maybe it’s exactly the job he needs.
As he navigates the demon dimension and tries to survive the ridiculous shenanigans of his unholy co-workers, Oliver soon falls head-over-ass for a tentacled lawyer with electric fingers and a deadly-sharp grin. Together, they discover that, sometimes, love and happiness can be just a train ride away.
Join Oliver and the rest of the eccentric staff of The Passing Through Cafe in Nik Knight’s new rom-com urban fantasy series, full of found family, embarrassing encounters, spicy situations, and love that crosses dimensions
431 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 13, 2024
245 people are currently reading
931 people want to read
About the author
Nik Knight
32 books528 followersNik Knight (they/them) is a born and bred Hoosier living in a top-secret location in Europe. They are a single parent to two wonderful gremlins, and they write love in all its forms.
When they aren’t busy adulting, Nik can be found in their writing nook, typing away as their fingers turn to nubs.
When they aren’t busy adulting, Nik can be found in their writing nook, typing away as their fingers turn to nubs.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 204 reviews
October 8, 2024
I need something depressing really quickly to come down from the giggling high this book has given me. Jesus, I can't stop laughing and my face already hurts from it.
It's not necessarily the kind of story I prefer and I was a little skeptical at first and had some trouble getting into it. But that's just me. All the ridiculously exuberant characters in here were a touch OTT too intense for me.
But, Oliver grew on me pretty quickly and then I couldn't help but giggle to myself constantly. All these demons are so wonderful. Not only are they amusing, there are countless hidden depths here and I look forward to more from this universe. Rusty, Gem, Toni, Jude, Zef even possibly Tad, oh I sense so much potential. I fear there is some addictive tendency here.
But this first part is about Ollie, the human, and Liel, the demon. My goodness, they are perfectly cute together. I love how the development of this relationship is set up. At first I thought it was annoying how long it takes to get to intimacy, but no, it's really perfect. They have enough sex ... incredible amount of sex when they finally get to it, but everything before that was deliciously worth it.
And the little romantic things ... and the visit to the parents ... and the declaration of their love. Oh yes, I have lots of little hearts in my eyes.
“Boring underwear, suits and ties, and only one pair of shorts,” Oliver tsked. “And I thought you’d be interesting.”
“You insult me, Mr. Barnes!” Oliver’s cheeks ached from smiling, but he couldn’t stop. “I have fun underwear, very immature and childish.”
“Oh? So it’s always a party in your pants?” Liel wriggled his brow cartilage.
“Yes, but it’s VIP only.”
Liel’s shoulders shook with his laughter. “No open door policy?”
“Nope, invite only.” Oliver hid his burning face in his pillow as Liel guffawed at the ceiling. 💗😂💗
He was here, and Liel was so close. And it was real. Oh god, it was real.
“What did you know?” Oliver asked. And Liel said, “I knew that loving you would be the easiest thing I’d ever do.” 😍🫠🫠🫠
It's not necessarily the kind of story I prefer and I was a little skeptical at first and had some trouble getting into it. But that's just me. All the ridiculously exuberant characters in here were a touch OTT too intense for me.
But, Oliver grew on me pretty quickly and then I couldn't help but giggle to myself constantly. All these demons are so wonderful. Not only are they amusing, there are countless hidden depths here and I look forward to more from this universe. Rusty, Gem, Toni, Jude, Zef even possibly Tad, oh I sense so much potential. I fear there is some addictive tendency here.
But this first part is about Ollie, the human, and Liel, the demon. My goodness, they are perfectly cute together. I love how the development of this relationship is set up. At first I thought it was annoying how long it takes to get to intimacy, but no, it's really perfect. They have enough sex ... incredible amount of sex when they finally get to it, but everything before that was deliciously worth it.
And the little romantic things ... and the visit to the parents ... and the declaration of their love. Oh yes, I have lots of little hearts in my eyes.
“Boring underwear, suits and ties, and only one pair of shorts,” Oliver tsked. “And I thought you’d be interesting.”
“You insult me, Mr. Barnes!” Oliver’s cheeks ached from smiling, but he couldn’t stop. “I have fun underwear, very immature and childish.”
“Oh? So it’s always a party in your pants?” Liel wriggled his brow cartilage.
“Yes, but it’s VIP only.”
Liel’s shoulders shook with his laughter. “No open door policy?”
“Nope, invite only.” Oliver hid his burning face in his pillow as Liel guffawed at the ceiling. 💗😂💗
He was here, and Liel was so close. And it was real. Oh god, it was real.
“What did you know?” Oliver asked. And Liel said, “I knew that loving you would be the easiest thing I’d ever do.” 😍🫠🫠🫠
August 16, 2024
⭐️ 5 stars ⭐️
I had so much fun with this crazy group of demonic misfits at the Passing Through Cafe ☕︎.
Each character was so unique, and I loved the concept of a Hell dimension connected to the human world.
This was hilarious, quirky and fun and I kinda fell in love with every single one of these wacky dudes. [especially RUSTY, he’s so precious. A super grumpy pink care bear raccoon demon?? I need an entire book just about him, please]
Gem was also so fucking funny, he had me crying from laughter. I loved how the demons messed up human sayings, how they accepted Oliver in their group even if he was human. How they teased and fought with each other, but still protected and cared about each other like family.
This read was just full of fun scenarios, from a demon drag show to a crazy hangover, club dancing and horse riding. And let’s not forget the romance.
Liel and Oliver were HOT together — the dirty talk, the tension, the spice. Being used to Lily Mayne’s monsters, I wasn’t surprised by Liel’s different anatomy. Plus, you know…tentacle dick… enough said.
What did surprise me was Oliver’s dirty talk, ‘cause I did not expect super awkward babbler to have such a dirty mouth. But I loved it.
Their relationship wasn’t just sparks in the bedroom, they were also very sweet and lovely.
I really loved everything about this world, and I hope we see more of it in the future.
I received a copy of this book from Gay Romance Reviews, and this is my honest review.
CW and tropes (spoilers):
- Demon x human
- Found family
- Vers MCs
- Rimming
- Multiple orgasms
- Phone sex
- Non-human genitalia (tentacle dick)
- Snowballing
“Welcome to Purgatory, baby.”
I had so much fun with this crazy group of demonic misfits at the Passing Through Cafe ☕︎.
Each character was so unique, and I loved the concept of a Hell dimension connected to the human world.
This was hilarious, quirky and fun and I kinda fell in love with every single one of these wacky dudes. [especially RUSTY, he’s so precious. A super grumpy pink care bear raccoon demon?? I need an entire book just about him, please]
“Do you want a yummy orange thing? It’s hard and kind of shaped like a dick, which seeing as you have a baby, I bet you’re into.” When the cow huffed at him, he shook his head quickly. “Oh, no shade, sis. I am also super into dick. Love it. Dicks all day. This is a judgment-free zone, babes.”
Gem was also so fucking funny, he had me crying from laughter. I loved how the demons messed up human sayings, how they accepted Oliver in their group even if he was human. How they teased and fought with each other, but still protected and cared about each other like family.
This read was just full of fun scenarios, from a demon drag show to a crazy hangover, club dancing and horse riding. And let’s not forget the romance.
“I want you,” he whispered in Liel’s ear, fingers tightening on his hips as the demon rolled his ass. “I’m all yours,” Liel vowed, head falling back on Oliver’s shoulder.
Liel and Oliver were HOT together — the dirty talk, the tension, the spice. Being used to Lily Mayne’s monsters, I wasn’t surprised by Liel’s different anatomy. Plus, you know…tentacle dick… enough said.
What did surprise me was Oliver’s dirty talk, ‘cause I did not expect super awkward babbler to have such a dirty mouth. But I loved it.
Liel snarled, a vicious, chilling sound, and Oliver said, “Come on my fucking cock.”
Their relationship wasn’t just sparks in the bedroom, they were also very sweet and lovely.
I really loved everything about this world, and I hope we see more of it in the future.
“I knew that loving you would be the easiest thing I’d ever do.”
I received a copy of this book from Gay Romance Reviews, and this is my honest review.
CW and tropes (spoilers):
- Demon x human
- Found family
- Vers MCs
- Rimming
- Multiple orgasms
- Phone sex
- Non-human genitalia (tentacle dick)
- Snowballing
December 6, 2024
Gross middle school humor and hypersexual one-liners don't really do it for me.
The romance was an aside to the veritable smorgasbord of secondary characters, mostly demons who work at the cafe with Oliver the human.
Every action required a loud verbal and emotional reaction from the large supporting cast.
This was cute and funny initially (Gem was particularly hilarious), but halfway through I was exhausted.
The author had a good thing going but didn't know how to stop. It's like when a kid gets a big laugh out of adults for an unintentional joke, so they keep repeating it over and over until it stops being amusing and becomes annoying.
The MCs don't meet up on page until 30%. Nothing happens with the relationship until 60%. The ending is lukewarm at best.
Oliver and Liel are in their late 20s/early 30s but act like overgrown frat boys. Everything is about fucking, drinking, puking, partying, fighting.
I should have DNF.
The romance was an aside to the veritable smorgasbord of secondary characters, mostly demons who work at the cafe with Oliver the human.
Every action required a loud verbal and emotional reaction from the large supporting cast.
This was cute and funny initially (Gem was particularly hilarious), but halfway through I was exhausted.
The author had a good thing going but didn't know how to stop. It's like when a kid gets a big laugh out of adults for an unintentional joke, so they keep repeating it over and over until it stops being amusing and becomes annoying.
The MCs don't meet up on page until 30%. Nothing happens with the relationship until 60%. The ending is lukewarm at best.
Oliver and Liel are in their late 20s/early 30s but act like overgrown frat boys. Everything is about fucking, drinking, puking, partying, fighting.
I should have DNF.
January 4, 2025
This was such a good book! So fun and funny! Definitely laughed out loud and had such a fun time reading this. It is a more vibes than plot kind of book. Loved the demon world and all the characters (love gem) I am so excited to continue this series!
November 25, 2024
Brilliant worldbuilding, amazing cast of diverse characters, hilarious comedic plot, awesome social commentary, perfectly sweet and cute romance. I loved this and I can't wait to read more and spend more time with these characters.
December 10, 2024
That was very cutesy and typical rom-com. You're either into it or you're not.
For me, it's a hit or miss with these types of books. But I can tell you that I was completely surprised by this little gem. I enjoyed it very much.
The story itself was (mostly) uneventful. Actually, the plot was more of a tag-along to the romance between Liel and Oliver, but that really didn't bother me. I think that was the reason I enjoyed this book so much.
I would like to point out that Liel went through a bit of a character change in the middle of the book. In the beginning he was the older, more established type, but as the relationship progressed he kind of lost those traits. I don't really think that's a bad thing, but I missed his old personality. I wish he hadn't changed so much.
But anyway. I definitely enjoyed this book a lot. A nice and slow romance is never a bad thing if you ask me.
For me, it's a hit or miss with these types of books. But I can tell you that I was completely surprised by this little gem. I enjoyed it very much.
The story itself was (mostly) uneventful. Actually, the plot was more of a tag-along to the romance between Liel and Oliver, but that really didn't bother me. I think that was the reason I enjoyed this book so much.
Because they’d slipped into each other’s lives so easily, like they were always meant to be there, and they’d simply fallen out of orbit until now. It was effortless, like breathing, like laughing, like living.
I would like to point out that Liel went through a bit of a character change in the middle of the book. In the beginning he was the older, more established type, but as the relationship progressed he kind of lost those traits. I don't really think that's a bad thing, but I missed his old personality. I wish he hadn't changed so much.
But anyway. I definitely enjoyed this book a lot. A nice and slow romance is never a bad thing if you ask me.
November 25, 2024
5 stars
This was such a fun, sweet, spicy, and heartfelt read. I love this so much. This story isn't just a romance but also focuses heavily on the forming friendships among the employees at the Passing Through Café. I love me a good found family story, and this was absolutely perfect. All of the characters are so interesting and well written. This story has some serious subject matter (like some heavy hitting truths through social commentary), but it's balanced out so well with well placed humor (hello, Gem, I'm looking at you). This rag-tag group of misfits has so much heart and care so deeply for each other, even if somewhat dysfunctional at times. This is an amazing read and so well done. I'm so looking forward to Jude and Toni's story that's up next in the series.
This was such a fun, sweet, spicy, and heartfelt read. I love this so much. This story isn't just a romance but also focuses heavily on the forming friendships among the employees at the Passing Through Café. I love me a good found family story, and this was absolutely perfect. All of the characters are so interesting and well written. This story has some serious subject matter (like some heavy hitting truths through social commentary), but it's balanced out so well with well placed humor (hello, Gem, I'm looking at you). This rag-tag group of misfits has so much heart and care so deeply for each other, even if somewhat dysfunctional at times. This is an amazing read and so well done. I'm so looking forward to Jude and Toni's story that's up next in the series.
November 16, 2024
Ahh this book was so cute! Instantly fell in love with it and all the fun characters that make up the found-family vibes of this story. It was so funny in parts that it had me laughing out loud. And the amount of love and acceptance and respect the characters display filled my heart to almost bursting. I can’t wait to see where Nik takes us next in this amazing world they’ve created!
October 4, 2024
Absolutely obsessed with these characters and this universe. I laughed so much reading this book, it made my heart happy
September 14, 2024
It was amusing as heck that’s for sure, but the constant crashing of the coworkers in Oliver’s life got kind of annoying, and I honestly just forgot who was who towards the end. I wish we'd focused more on the relationship between the two MC as we didn’t even meet the love interest until 30% which felt weird and way too drawn out. There was a few chapters dedicated to side characters which just frustrated me honestly as, again, I wanted to see the two MAIN characters interact. Blegh. I don’t mind when books have several side characters, but when they start taking over the book, I get annoyed.
A weird note though, is that there seems to be a LOT of things borrowed from Lily Mayne. I understand these two have written a series together and such but it felt REALLY weird to see them complaining about despair syrups, Sharon's from accounting, cheating ex-boyfriends and finding out they cheated while leaving, and such when Lily Mayne did the same thing earlier with Impromptu Match. It also felt super uncomfortable to read about Oliver and Liel talk about having sex and having sex as some of their lines seemed to be taken DIRECTLY from Moth and Seraph, written by Lily.
Now, idk. Could be coincidence. Could be heavily inspired. But the whole thing made me wildly uncomfortable as Lily isn’t mentioned at all in the thanks or acknowledgements.
A weird note though, is that there seems to be a LOT of things borrowed from Lily Mayne. I understand these two have written a series together and such but it felt REALLY weird to see them complaining about despair syrups, Sharon's from accounting, cheating ex-boyfriends and finding out they cheated while leaving, and such when Lily Mayne did the same thing earlier with Impromptu Match. It also felt super uncomfortable to read about Oliver and Liel talk about having sex and having sex as some of their lines seemed to be taken DIRECTLY from Moth and Seraph, written by Lily.
Now, idk. Could be coincidence. Could be heavily inspired. But the whole thing made me wildly uncomfortable as Lily isn’t mentioned at all in the thanks or acknowledgements.
September 15, 2024
I think this book had a lot of potential but there was just way too much going on constantly in the background and with so many other people that it was hard to really focus or care much about the story and characters. There were plenty of fun and enjoyable aspects but unfortunately it was too overshadowed by the overwhelming amount of things happening at once.
December 29, 2024
Brilliant PNR
This was my first read from Nik Knight, and I loved it.
The world-building is excellent, with the many different Hellish species, the connections with the human world, and the politics and history of the Pentagram (Hell world). I'm excited to see how the series develops.
The main characters were lovable and interesting. Ollie, with his background in rural Montana, trying to make a life away from the conservative farmland he grew up with. Lies, the demon lawyer, hiding his origins at work in a classist society.
I loved the way they kept coming together before they connected.
And the found family vibes of the Passing Through crew were perfect.
In this, you'll find:
✨️MM Paranormal Romance
✨️Pansexual human
✨️Gay demon lawyer
✨️Found family
✨️Missed connections
✨️Struggling to get a job & working at a cafe
✨️Classism, bigotry, some mentions of homophobia
✨️Non-consensual drugging
✨️Mention of SA
✨️Past as a sex worker
✨️Conservative rural family (but no rejection)
✨️A HEA without marriage or kids in the story
This was my first read from Nik Knight, and I loved it.
The world-building is excellent, with the many different Hellish species, the connections with the human world, and the politics and history of the Pentagram (Hell world). I'm excited to see how the series develops.
The main characters were lovable and interesting. Ollie, with his background in rural Montana, trying to make a life away from the conservative farmland he grew up with. Lies, the demon lawyer, hiding his origins at work in a classist society.
I loved the way they kept coming together before they connected.
And the found family vibes of the Passing Through crew were perfect.
In this, you'll find:
✨️MM Paranormal Romance
✨️Pansexual human
✨️Gay demon lawyer
✨️Found family
✨️Missed connections
✨️Struggling to get a job & working at a cafe
✨️Classism, bigotry, some mentions of homophobia
✨️Non-consensual drugging
✨️Mention of SA
✨️Past as a sex worker
✨️Conservative rural family (but no rejection)
✨️A HEA without marriage or kids in the story
December 29, 2024
This was an adorable cozy read! (With a little bit of tentacles mixed in)
The found family was my favorite part! They were again all adorable.
The part where they all went to the farm/ranch. Hilarious. 😂
The found family was my favorite part! They were again all adorable.
The part where they all went to the farm/ranch. Hilarious. 😂
Shelved as 'lost-interest'
February 22, 2025Not feeling it at the moment, but maybe later though
September 21, 2024
I'm going to be honest, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect when I picked up this book. It sounded fun and Lily Mayne sang its praises, so that was enough for me to want to check it out. And I'm so glad I did! This is my first book by Nik Knight, but I can already tell it won't be my last.
I didn't know much about this book going into it, having only read the blurb, and I was pleasantly surprised, to say the least. The world Nik has created here is so fun, vibrant, exciting, and unique all at the same time. I loved the diversity of species in the Hell dimension and the way it was set up with the seven sins being distinct districts. There was just enough world-building for me to be immersed in it without it either overwhelming me or lacking anything. So yay for that!
And while the writing is great, the humor is on point, the pacing is just right,... It's truly the characters that made the book for me. First off, the side characters are amazing. I loved the staff at the Passing Through Café and can't wait for more books in this series so I can see some of them get their HEAs too. Gem, Toni, Rusty and Zef in particular. I already have a hunch that our shark-like Toni will be getting his HEA with Oliver's best friend Jude. Which... YES. Please and thank you.
Of course, Oliver and Liel stole the show, as they should. I loved Oliver right from the start. He's so damn loveable and sweet and adorably awkward. The secondhand embarrassment was real at times, seriously. And Liel was perfect for him because he's honestly just as sweet, adorably awkward and loveable as Oliver. They make for such a cute couple and I'm here for it. Their romance was everything and - without spoiling anything - the spicy bits? Holy hell, so very good. Their chemistry was electric, truly. Heh. Pun totally intended. (Don't worry, you'll get it when you've read it.)
Needless to say, I can't wait for the next book to come out! If you love MM paranormal romances with lots of humor, quirky characters (and their crazy shenanigans), but lots of heart at the center of it all, then you should definitely read this!
I didn't know much about this book going into it, having only read the blurb, and I was pleasantly surprised, to say the least. The world Nik has created here is so fun, vibrant, exciting, and unique all at the same time. I loved the diversity of species in the Hell dimension and the way it was set up with the seven sins being distinct districts. There was just enough world-building for me to be immersed in it without it either overwhelming me or lacking anything. So yay for that!
And while the writing is great, the humor is on point, the pacing is just right,... It's truly the characters that made the book for me. First off, the side characters are amazing. I loved the staff at the Passing Through Café and can't wait for more books in this series so I can see some of them get their HEAs too. Gem, Toni, Rusty and Zef in particular. I already have a hunch that our shark-like Toni will be getting his HEA with Oliver's best friend Jude. Which... YES. Please and thank you.
Of course, Oliver and Liel stole the show, as they should. I loved Oliver right from the start. He's so damn loveable and sweet and adorably awkward. The secondhand embarrassment was real at times, seriously. And Liel was perfect for him because he's honestly just as sweet, adorably awkward and loveable as Oliver. They make for such a cute couple and I'm here for it. Their romance was everything and - without spoiling anything - the spicy bits? Holy hell, so very good. Their chemistry was electric, truly. Heh. Pun totally intended. (Don't worry, you'll get it when you've read it.)
Needless to say, I can't wait for the next book to come out! If you love MM paranormal romances with lots of humor, quirky characters (and their crazy shenanigans), but lots of heart at the center of it all, then you should definitely read this!
September 29, 2024
4.5 stars. Great fun, demon and human pairing, laugh out loud moments with a strong found-family element full of quirky, nosey, sassy personalities. Excellent world building, great earth/hell imagining, demons with all different kinds of anatomy and physical features, fun mash-up of very-different demons and customs with current earth/Chicago pop culture references and language.
The found family story building is extensive and we don’t even meet the love interest until 25%, so there is a bit of a slow burn feel. Overall, great writing, great dialogue, excellent conversations full of humor, wit and silliness. Great pacing, book flows and stays incredibly interesting from page one, hard to put down! Listed as book one, with a title for book 2 found in the about-the-author section at the end, so more from this group of misfits is on the way and I would read for sure. So tickled with this author that I’ll be looking at their catalogue for more to read.
HEA, m/m, vers, demon, human, barista, lawyer, Chicago, Hell, tentacles, crud humor, spicy, book one, series.
The found family story building is extensive and we don’t even meet the love interest until 25%, so there is a bit of a slow burn feel. Overall, great writing, great dialogue, excellent conversations full of humor, wit and silliness. Great pacing, book flows and stays incredibly interesting from page one, hard to put down! Listed as book one, with a title for book 2 found in the about-the-author section at the end, so more from this group of misfits is on the way and I would read for sure. So tickled with this author that I’ll be looking at their catalogue for more to read.
HEA, m/m, vers, demon, human, barista, lawyer, Chicago, Hell, tentacles, crud humor, spicy, book one, series.
September 16, 2024
This book solidified the fact that I need to read paranormal books more often! I really enjoyed it. It was fun and funny and interesting.
We had a lot of world building at the beginning of the book which is to be expected when it's the first book in a new series. We also met a lot of side characters and I can't wait to read their stories!
Our main characters are Oliver who is a human and gets a job at the Passing Through café in Purgatory and Liel who is a demon(a Gymnot to be more exact) who is a lawyer. Oliver misses his train connection in Purgatory that would have taken him to a job interview as an accountant and ends up going into the café, where Gem hits on him and then offers to get him a job at the café. He has nothing to lose so he accepts, and quickly get hired by Glyma and Quin who are the 2 owners. There are a lot of hilarious scenes that happen with a lot of the side characters being present. After a couple of weeks Oliver goes out with his new colleagues to a show in Gluttony and drunkenly stumbles into Liel, whom he has already met once, but was drunk then too. A lot of hilarity ensues yet again and after a while Oliver and Liel start dating. There was no huge relationship drama and I really appreciated that. They were both honest and open to the relationship progressing. Sparks flew between Oliver and Liel figuratively and literally too! They were cute together and their relationship felt very natural. Oliver was never afraid of how different Liel was and I really enjoyed how much of a giver he really is.
The banter between everyone is really good, and I laughed so much while reading the book. It was really fun getting to immerse yourself in a new world. I felt like the story was well rounded. We got a pretty good picture of how the 2 worlds intertwine and how Hell works and we also got to know a lot of different demon species, which was very interesting to me. We got some examples of demon cuisine which was also very interesting. I loved how the employees of the cafe were such a tight knit group and they stood up for each other. Oliver took them to his parents dude ranch and it was really fun to see the demons so out of their elements, but finding things they enjoyed doing while they were there.
Definitely recommend this book to anyone that wants to read a fluffy paranormal novel with a lot of great chacaters, a lot of laughs and some great steam too! It's a slower burn, but definitely worth the wait.
We had a lot of world building at the beginning of the book which is to be expected when it's the first book in a new series. We also met a lot of side characters and I can't wait to read their stories!
Our main characters are Oliver who is a human and gets a job at the Passing Through café in Purgatory and Liel who is a demon(a Gymnot to be more exact) who is a lawyer. Oliver misses his train connection in Purgatory that would have taken him to a job interview as an accountant and ends up going into the café, where Gem hits on him and then offers to get him a job at the café. He has nothing to lose so he accepts, and quickly get hired by Glyma and Quin who are the 2 owners. There are a lot of hilarious scenes that happen with a lot of the side characters being present. After a couple of weeks Oliver goes out with his new colleagues to a show in Gluttony and drunkenly stumbles into Liel, whom he has already met once, but was drunk then too. A lot of hilarity ensues yet again and after a while Oliver and Liel start dating. There was no huge relationship drama and I really appreciated that. They were both honest and open to the relationship progressing. Sparks flew between Oliver and Liel figuratively and literally too! They were cute together and their relationship felt very natural. Oliver was never afraid of how different Liel was and I really enjoyed how much of a giver he really is.
The banter between everyone is really good, and I laughed so much while reading the book. It was really fun getting to immerse yourself in a new world. I felt like the story was well rounded. We got a pretty good picture of how the 2 worlds intertwine and how Hell works and we also got to know a lot of different demon species, which was very interesting to me. We got some examples of demon cuisine which was also very interesting. I loved how the employees of the cafe were such a tight knit group and they stood up for each other. Oliver took them to his parents dude ranch and it was really fun to see the demons so out of their elements, but finding things they enjoyed doing while they were there.
Definitely recommend this book to anyone that wants to read a fluffy paranormal novel with a lot of great chacaters, a lot of laughs and some great steam too! It's a slower burn, but definitely worth the wait.
January 31, 2025
4.5 stars. This is a delightful PNR, queer rom com best enjoyed via audiobook. Micheal Lesley is a dream 🥰 The audio is full of drunken friends, ridiculous flirtation and steamy scenes with tentacles and electricity.
If you're looking for angst or trepidation you won't find it here. This is purely for laughs and second hand embarrassment. Nothing about this book will broaden your horizons or deepen your soul, it's just fun and overly dramatic wing man action meets 6 handed demons who are readily accepted into society wearing shirts that proudly proclaim them as 'cum dumpsters' 😅
Listen for all the above. I can't wait for the next book featuring our beloved trans man and his two dick love interest. I can't imagine anything boring with that pairing 🤭
If you're looking for angst or trepidation you won't find it here. This is purely for laughs and second hand embarrassment. Nothing about this book will broaden your horizons or deepen your soul, it's just fun and overly dramatic wing man action meets 6 handed demons who are readily accepted into society wearing shirts that proudly proclaim them as 'cum dumpsters' 😅
Listen for all the above. I can't wait for the next book featuring our beloved trans man and his two dick love interest. I can't imagine anything boring with that pairing 🤭
September 22, 2024
can i please find a job like this?😭
also i fucking love rusty, where do we find demons like him??
they not meeting immediately and seeing oliver interact with other demons first was amazing and i really enjoyed it.
my favourite was by far rusty (and maybe toni) and i'm pretty sure something's up with him and geeeeem.
also i loved oliver's birthday weekend! it was sweet and absolutely hilarious.
also i fucking love rusty, where do we find demons like him??
they not meeting immediately and seeing oliver interact with other demons first was amazing and i really enjoyed it.
my favourite was by far rusty (and maybe toni) and i'm pretty sure something's up with him and geeeeem.
also i loved oliver's birthday weekend! it was sweet and absolutely hilarious.
October 15, 2024
Adorable paranormal rom-com
This whole cast of characters was both laugh out loud and sweet as anything. I want to read more of this universe!
This whole cast of characters was both laugh out loud and sweet as anything. I want to read more of this universe!
February 3, 2025
This was really fun in a weird way, but it's demons so you can guess that from the start.
Loved the characters and the found family. I'll keep the second one for a moment when I need something light to read.
Loved the characters and the found family. I'll keep the second one for a moment when I need something light to read.
December 5, 2024
This isn’t my typical book, but popped up as a recommendation after reading “A Spell for Heart Sickness” by Alistair Reeves. It was funny and cute! I laughed out loud toward the beginning with the banter the first time Liel comes into the coffee shop (around 30%). It was perfection; however, after that it got a little slow and lost some charm and wit. Maybe 3.5 ⭐️?
August 21, 2024
Initially, I struggled to connect with this book. Everything sounded so alien, sometimes in what felt like an unnecessarily alien way as if to emphasise how different everything was, and I thought I wouldn’t get over that aspect of things. It didn’t help that we didn’t meet Liel until what felt like over a third of the way through the story.
However, once I began to distinguish between the different characters/demons Oliver was working with and Liel was introduced, I fell in love with this book. The banter from Gem – utterly deranged, completely inappropriate, but laugh your socks off funny; Rus with his description of something between a pink raccoon and a Care Bear; Willow with her empathy – each of them had their distinctive characteristics and role to play in this found family.
Oliver and Liel were so sexy together – both lacking confidence on occasion, yet open and honest with each other, and the lack of judging from both of them on their differences in physiology was lovely. The sex between them was hot, but ultimately it was all of them together on the trip back to Montana that brought a smile to my face that didn’t leave until I finished the book. I will definitely be looking out for more books about Purgatory and can heartily recommend this one. I received an ARC from GRR.
However, once I began to distinguish between the different characters/demons Oliver was working with and Liel was introduced, I fell in love with this book. The banter from Gem – utterly deranged, completely inappropriate, but laugh your socks off funny; Rus with his description of something between a pink raccoon and a Care Bear; Willow with her empathy – each of them had their distinctive characteristics and role to play in this found family.
Oliver and Liel were so sexy together – both lacking confidence on occasion, yet open and honest with each other, and the lack of judging from both of them on their differences in physiology was lovely. The sex between them was hot, but ultimately it was all of them together on the trip back to Montana that brought a smile to my face that didn’t leave until I finished the book. I will definitely be looking out for more books about Purgatory and can heartily recommend this one. I received an ARC from GRR.
December 27, 2024
Maybe this book is great for some people. Some people is not me.
To summarize, it felt like I was reading Hazbin Hotel fanfiction where people just made self insert character characters, and a bunch of their own OCs. It really had the feeling of a silly fanfiction that didn’t have any direction, but the author was just writing because they were having fun. There’s not a whole lot of direction in this book. Really, we just have some human man who ends up working at a café in purgatory, And then he makes a bunch of random demon friends. Then we don’t actually meet the love interest until we’re like a third of the way into the book, and then the story just goes to an instant attraction between those two. Their love story is incredibly boring, and completely relies. On the fact that one of the characters is a spooky monster.
There are so many long drawn out scenes and details between the random friend monsters, and even the two main characters, that are just so unnecessarily long. Further, the way, the characters talk and “banter” is so surface level and repetitive, that it just doesn’t have any impact. I felt like I was just looking at a bunch of random things happening to this group of people. There was no development. The one character who kind of had a slight interesting backstory, was never explored, and was also a pink raccoon for some reason.
Maybe it’s just me. Maybe some people love reading about random strange monsters that don’t make any sense, and don’t really do anything of substance. If this seems like the kind of thing you would like, then this book is for you.
To summarize, it felt like I was reading Hazbin Hotel fanfiction where people just made self insert character characters, and a bunch of their own OCs. It really had the feeling of a silly fanfiction that didn’t have any direction, but the author was just writing because they were having fun. There’s not a whole lot of direction in this book. Really, we just have some human man who ends up working at a café in purgatory, And then he makes a bunch of random demon friends. Then we don’t actually meet the love interest until we’re like a third of the way into the book, and then the story just goes to an instant attraction between those two. Their love story is incredibly boring, and completely relies. On the fact that one of the characters is a spooky monster.
There are so many long drawn out scenes and details between the random friend monsters, and even the two main characters, that are just so unnecessarily long. Further, the way, the characters talk and “banter” is so surface level and repetitive, that it just doesn’t have any impact. I felt like I was just looking at a bunch of random things happening to this group of people. There was no development. The one character who kind of had a slight interesting backstory, was never explored, and was also a pink raccoon for some reason.
Maybe it’s just me. Maybe some people love reading about random strange monsters that don’t make any sense, and don’t really do anything of substance. If this seems like the kind of thing you would like, then this book is for you.
December 12, 2024
DIDN’T WORK FOR ME
This book is way too long for what it is. This was a solid 1 star for me until about 85% and then it earned another star. I liked the end of the book but it was not enough to save the book for me.
This was a study of too much and not enough at the same time!
The MCs didn’t meet till 30% of the book and when they did meet the romance took a back seat to everything else. And the dreary phone calls were repetitive and boring.
The constant need for every single character, which features large cast, to offer their comments on every minute thing grew tiring and tedious. It was charming at first but then it kept happening and would interrupt important moments with the MCs which was already limited to begin with.
From the reviews I expected laugh out loud fun but what I got was childish middle school humor that made me chuckle a few times but mostly just made me sigh.
This book is way too long for what it is. This was a solid 1 star for me until about 85% and then it earned another star. I liked the end of the book but it was not enough to save the book for me.
This was a study of too much and not enough at the same time!
The MCs didn’t meet till 30% of the book and when they did meet the romance took a back seat to everything else. And the dreary phone calls were repetitive and boring.
The constant need for every single character, which features large cast, to offer their comments on every minute thing grew tiring and tedious. It was charming at first but then it kept happening and would interrupt important moments with the MCs which was already limited to begin with.
From the reviews I expected laugh out loud fun but what I got was childish middle school humor that made me chuckle a few times but mostly just made me sigh.
September 8, 2024
4.25/5 stars! I really enjoyed this book. The cover, and recommendation from fellow monster author Lily Mayne, are what drew me to this book and I found it to be enjoyable and light-hearted. I understand where some readers may have felt there were a great deal of similarities between Lily's writing and Nik's in this case, but I found it to be more in styling, than content itself. Lily has been vocal about how her Monstrous series (based in a serious post-apocalyptic world) was heavy for her mental health and her new series Goliaths of Wrestling was intentionally low-angst and humorous. I felt that similarly, Nik made a distinct choice to create a world where instalove and acceptance is possible.
That said, I really enjoyed both. It made sense that in the first book in a series, setting the stage and really getting to know the full cast of characters, is important. I loved Oliver's realization that he'd already met "The hottest human he'd ever seen." Nik also wrote a world where sexuality and gender fluidity are normative and this was beautifully handled by them.
There were a few things that detracted from this being an exceptional read for me. Firstly, having grown up in a conservative area of the country (Wisconsin in my case), I don't buy that a Christian, conservative family, who historically struggled to accept Oliver as he is, would be ok with all of the cussing, vulgarity, sexuality, and other blatant comments the crew said when they visited his family. The author was choosing to focus on if they would accept Oliver and his boyfriend, but 0% chance a family like that would be ok with all the things Toni, Gem, etc had to say. I get it; it's fiction; but that was hard for me to wrap my head around. Secondly, there were a lot of 'pet names' outside of the relationship. I enjoy them in a romantic context but the sugar, honey, babes, sweetheart, etc was excessive and again kind of pushed me out of the story.
But I'm looking forward to what's next for Rusty & Sem and Jude and Toni. Great start to a new series.
That said, I really enjoyed both. It made sense that in the first book in a series, setting the stage and really getting to know the full cast of characters, is important. I loved Oliver's realization that he'd already met "The hottest human he'd ever seen." Nik also wrote a world where sexuality and gender fluidity are normative and this was beautifully handled by them.
There were a few things that detracted from this being an exceptional read for me. Firstly, having grown up in a conservative area of the country (Wisconsin in my case), I don't buy that a Christian, conservative family, who historically struggled to accept Oliver as he is, would be ok with all of the cussing, vulgarity, sexuality, and other blatant comments the crew said when they visited his family. The author was choosing to focus on if they would accept Oliver and his boyfriend, but 0% chance a family like that would be ok with all the things Toni, Gem, etc had to say. I get it; it's fiction; but that was hard for me to wrap my head around. Secondly, there were a lot of 'pet names' outside of the relationship. I enjoy them in a romantic context but the sugar, honey, babes, sweetheart, etc was excessive and again kind of pushed me out of the story.
But I'm looking forward to what's next for Rusty & Sem and Jude and Toni. Great start to a new series.
September 16, 2024
This was a super fun book for any fans of monster romance! There were loads of laugh out loud moments and I really enjoyed the huge found family that Oliver finds himself in! Liel, Oliver’s love interest is sweet and loveable and I enjoyed their relationship building throughout the book.
Oliver is miserable when his last chance of securing a good job in Hell is dashed when he misses the train to the interview and is stuck in purgatory. Hopeless, he visits the cafe next door to the station and manages to land himself a job with the crazy crew of the Passing Through Cafe. From that point on we get to know the diverse and slightly unhinged group of demons who work at the cafe as well as Oliver’s love interest, Liel, a demon who is think is part electric eel? Basically all the demons have some animal characteristics - there’s a spider demon, a praying mantis demon and a raccoon demon to give a few examples!
Although I really loved this, it was very long - I do think elements of it could have been cut down and some of the speech was a little stilted/forced. But overall a great book and a really creative and different take on monster romance!
Read Passing Through Purgatory for:
✨ Human x demon
✨ Non-human anatomy
✨ Found family
✨ Laugh out loud funny
✨ Electrical shenanigans
✨ Everyone wants to hug a cow
Oliver is miserable when his last chance of securing a good job in Hell is dashed when he misses the train to the interview and is stuck in purgatory. Hopeless, he visits the cafe next door to the station and manages to land himself a job with the crazy crew of the Passing Through Cafe. From that point on we get to know the diverse and slightly unhinged group of demons who work at the cafe as well as Oliver’s love interest, Liel, a demon who is think is part electric eel? Basically all the demons have some animal characteristics - there’s a spider demon, a praying mantis demon and a raccoon demon to give a few examples!
Although I really loved this, it was very long - I do think elements of it could have been cut down and some of the speech was a little stilted/forced. But overall a great book and a really creative and different take on monster romance!
Read Passing Through Purgatory for:
✨ Human x demon
✨ Non-human anatomy
✨ Found family
✨ Laugh out loud funny
✨ Electrical shenanigans
✨ Everyone wants to hug a cow
December 1, 2024
3 stars
DNF at 43%
This reads like a crack fic. For a romance novel, the second lead doesn’t even show up until 100 pages in to a 400 page book. I made it to page 176, during which a whole lot of nothing happened. It’s more of a slice of life with over-the-top, ridiculous, overly-sexualized, and immature humor. Which I can be in the mood for sometimes, but not when it’s more prominent than the actual romance. At almost 50% into the book, I’ve heard a lot more about Oliver’s relationship with Gem and the other host of side characters than his relationship with Liel (with which he’s had a grand total of one accidental collision, one flirting encounter at his workplace, two video calls that probably lasted a grand total of 15 minutes each, and a canceled date, peppered in between overly detailed descriptions of the “funny” encounters Oliver has with his coworkers). I skimmed through the rest of the book, and it’s more of an instalove porn than a romance novel.
I mean, there’s nothing technically wrong with this book, and maybe I’ll return to finish it in the future, but I was hoping for something with a bit more substance.
DNF at 43%
This reads like a crack fic. For a romance novel, the second lead doesn’t even show up until 100 pages in to a 400 page book. I made it to page 176, during which a whole lot of nothing happened. It’s more of a slice of life with over-the-top, ridiculous, overly-sexualized, and immature humor. Which I can be in the mood for sometimes, but not when it’s more prominent than the actual romance. At almost 50% into the book, I’ve heard a lot more about Oliver’s relationship with Gem and the other host of side characters than his relationship with Liel (with which he’s had a grand total of one accidental collision, one flirting encounter at his workplace, two video calls that probably lasted a grand total of 15 minutes each, and a canceled date, peppered in between overly detailed descriptions of the “funny” encounters Oliver has with his coworkers). I skimmed through the rest of the book, and it’s more of an instalove porn than a romance novel.
I mean, there’s nothing technically wrong with this book, and maybe I’ll return to finish it in the future, but I was hoping for something with a bit more substance.
November 15, 2024
It’s been a while since I’ve fallen completely in love with an author’s ensamble and world. My mother kept yelling “it freaks me out when you seemly laugh at nothing randomly when you’re reading” because I seriously could not stop cackling at the delicious interactions with the characters. The romance was so sweet, I understand why many people recommended it to me!
February 11, 2025
this was actually so fucking sweet?
pros:
-rly creative worldbuilding and characterization
-incredibly sweet romance with some of the best chemistry between characters I've read in a while
-one of my favorite found-family dynamics ever, so so lovely
-set at a coffee shop in hell, whats not to love
-gay gay gay gay gay gay gay
-Tad
cons:
-the chapter titles actually kind of spoil the chapters themselves?? like not in a HUGE way but in a big enough way that it dampens the tension
-there are some moments in this that edge from typical romcom secondhand embarrassment into genuine cringe. but if I just closed my eyes and pretended that shit wasn't happening it was great
-i rly do not like public corny declarations and there were....several
pros:
-rly creative worldbuilding and characterization
-incredibly sweet romance with some of the best chemistry between characters I've read in a while
-one of my favorite found-family dynamics ever, so so lovely
-set at a coffee shop in hell, whats not to love
-gay gay gay gay gay gay gay
-Tad
cons:
-the chapter titles actually kind of spoil the chapters themselves?? like not in a HUGE way but in a big enough way that it dampens the tension
-there are some moments in this that edge from typical romcom secondhand embarrassment into genuine cringe. but if I just closed my eyes and pretended that shit wasn't happening it was great
-i rly do not like public corny declarations and there were....several
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