Emily Rath, author of the famed Jacksonville Rays hockey romance series, is back, this time turning her attention to the paranormal. Devour Me is an MMF romance featuring a human woman, a witch, and a wraith uniting against evil forces in a scorching hot, complex romance.
Birdie Rhodes is on Burr Island for the summer, doing a research fellowship for her history PhD, and working at her friend’s family’s shop, Salt & Sage. The island is beautiful, and while both the job and fellowship were last-minute, she’s determined to make it work.
There is something different about Burr Island, and something is haunting her boss, Jasper, and his shop.
Jasper Prescott is a witch whose family has lived on the island for hundreds of years. His coven protects the island, and it’s a job he takes very seriously. Birdie’s arrival is an unwelcome disturbance, further complicated by their immediate attraction.
Dáinn, a wraith, is sent by his mistress to devour Jasper’s soul. Much to Dáinn’s shock, and Jasper’s, Birdie stops him. No one can stop a wraith once they’ve been given a name.
Jasper promises to help free him from the bonds to his cruel mistress, and the three unlikely bedfellows join together to defeat the malevolent forces that threatened Burr Island for the sake of their survival.
There will be no more gods for you. No heaven and no human laws. No social rules. There is only power. And magic. And claiming what’s yours.”
The characters in Devour Me are astoundingly unique. They’re dynamic, quirky, and such fun to read.
Dáinn, the personification of death, is described as joyful and whimsical, with a certain innocence. It’s a beautiful interpretation of death as a concept. He’s also hilarious. I love him.
The writing itself similarly embraces whimsy, leaning into the happy, the sensual, and the absurd. There are so many lighthearted moments interspersed in a meaningful story about personhood and what it means to be different, striking a delightful balance.
“Please, the humans think we’re all just a bunch of quirky, lovable weirdos. No one who catches Frankie Poole dancing naked in the woods on Samhain is gonna go crying ‘witch.’ Not when she also dances naked to celebrate Arbor Day . . . and the Ides of March.”
While the romance here can definitely be described as insta-love, it is a slow-ish burn, with lots of tantalizing build-up. When it finally arrives, the spice is the phenomenal, kinky, explosive sex built on connection that I’ve come to expect from Emily Rath.
“This need between you is a wild thing. It has horns, and teeth, and creeping tendrils. It will take hold if you let it. Let my witch burrow into your heart, and you will never root him out.” Squeezing tight to my jaw, he turns me to look at him. “But you want that, don’t you? It’s the tender little secret you hold deep.”
Devour Me is a gorgeous, atmospheric, and mystical book that played in my head like a movie. It had me turning pages, not only to find out what happens next, but because each page was truly wonderful to read.
Be warned, this book is the first in a trilogy, with no release date currently available for the next book, and it ends on quite the cliffhanger. Whenever the next book arrives, I’ll be reading it first thing on release day.
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