Demons Do It Better (Hidden Species #1) by Louisa Masters

Wow. This was just an amazingly fun and endearing story. I just loved it. And I knew I’d love it from the very first page, and I’m not just saying that to try to make a point. In the first chapter, I highlighted 5 different sections. For me, that’s practically unheard of. So yes. This was definitely a 5-star read to me.

Synopsis: Sam is just a regular (sort of) guy, working as an office admin. But being bored out of his mind with his current job, he’s applied to a new admin position at a place that in the ad guarantees adventure. As it turns out, it’s at the Community of Species Government, and Sam’s new reality expands to include vampires, demons, and shapeshifters. As the only human at the CSG, Sam is viewed as something of a novelty, and he doesn’t necessarily mind. However, it turns out that a recent hook-up, a super hot and stacked guy named Gideon, is actually a demon who works just a few floors above Sam. Awkward. And Gideon isn’t pleased. But then Sam’s recruited to Gideon’s team just as expecting couples start disappearing. And somehow, it appears that might be connected to Sam somehow.

Right, so we’ve already established that I adored this story. It’s funny as heck and Sam is frankly an irresistible character. The story is told in first-person, exclusively from Sam’s viewpoint. And the way he was introduced was pretty fabulous;

“In my younger days, I was the twinkiest twink that ever did twink, until it became too much effort. I’d much rather order takeout and watch TV in my sweats than squeeze my balls into skinny jeans and get stepped on by some dick in a club who’s too busy feeling me up to realize he’s crushing my foot.

I do miss getting felt up, though.”

I’m generally not a fan of insta-love, simply because it’s difficult to make it believable, but insta-love for a book is obviously a thing. I fell in love with Sam and this book pretty much right off the bat.

That being said, it’s not an entirely even read. The story starts off quite fast-paced and you’re immediately dropped into the job interview that will change Sam’s life. There’s lots of stuff happening all the time and the dynamics between Sam the human and all the other species is just hilarious. And there’s the brooding Gideon of course.

But then I experienced a bit of a lull in the story when the pregnant couples started disappearing and Sam’s team began investigating. It’s a bit of a contradiction that, that the pace slowed when the apparent action started up. It did pick up again after a while, though, and I raced through the rest.

I would have liked to see even bigger focus on Sam’s and Gideon’s interactions (and eventual relationship). Most importantly I would have liked to see more of the re-kindling of their attraction before things… started happening to Sam. As it were, I wasn’t entirely convinced that Sam’s change of circumstance didn’t at least contribute to Gideon acting on his re-awakened interest. But, that’s a minor detail really.

Otherwise, my one objection to the story is the too convoluted plot the bad guys have put into motion. It didn’t need to be quite so complicated. I’m not even sure I fully understood the ins and outs of their machiavellian plan. However, it didn’t affect my reading experience, I still enjoyed this read as the great ride that it was.

Also, I would have liked this book to be longer. I want more of Sam and Gideon, and I want more of this world. There will be a sequel in January next year, but that will be about a new couple. I’ll probably devour that read too, but I am hoping that Sam and Gideon will get a second book in the future. Either way, I’ve found a new favourite author and I couldn’t be happier.