How long will it take to fan the flames and enrage a phoenix? Start counting.LGBTQ+ Urban Fantasy Romance. Stripped of his psychic powers, Calico Winghorse barely made it to 19th century Earth via his interdimensional portal. As a mixed-blood phoenix concealing himself in human form, he opens a bakery in the San Francisco Bay Area and quietly licks his wounds. But the unique method of his escape … unique method of his escape has drawn the unwanted attention of Infinity Corporation.
Representing this angelic-run company is Agustín Chávez de la Cruz, the Demon Lord of California. Even though Agustín is the corporation’s heir, he finds himself demoted from his daily duties for a new assignment: take absolute control of the portal.
As Agustín formulates a more gracious avenue of acquiring Calico’s gateway, the demanding head of IC interferes, further complicating matters. From this unexpected interlude, Calico and Agustín realize they both wish to establish more than a mere business arrangement. So negotiations stumble along, all the while Calico ensures that the good people of the city are getting their fill of baked goods.
Yet due to Calico’s injuries, the portal remains vulnerable to the darker forces that want it at any cost. Agustín will have to push both his angelic heritage, and his own psychic powers to the very limits to mend someone who not only bears celestial blood, but who is also the god of space and time.
The Demon Lord of California is the adorable and sometimes eye-rolling meet-cute first book in the Infinity 8 LGBTQ+ urban fantasy series. If you love shifters as well as angels and demons, a combination of whimsy and head-tilting courtship, aggravating antagonists, mpreg, and impeding otherworld danger, then you’ll thoroughly enjoy this slow burn adventure romance.
more
** 3.5 stars **
This is my first time reading this author’s work, and I had hard time rating it. There were parts that I loved and parts I was not sure what to think about. World-building wise this book is excellent. It’s very detailed, and at times I found myself slightly dazed since there were so many little tidbits to keep track of. But at the same time I sometimes felt as if I was thrown into the situations that I somehow should have already known, I felt like I was missing small pieces here and there. And through it all I still wanted to know how it ends.
Calico Winghorse is a smorgasbord of species that at times baffled me. He is a contradiction – very fragile and soft spoken, very traditional and unready to accept changes yet strong and powerful at the same time. There were moments when he appeared so sweet it was endearing but then he would say something that would make me slightly roll my eyes. It was 50/50 when it came to liking him. His two brothers who were identical to Calico were also a big part of the plot. They were equal parts amusing and overprotective. I think I liked them a bit more than Calico.
Augustin the Demon Lord of California is an heir to the Infinity Corporation which protects humans from being stolen by Xiwir Empire (this was one moment where there was lack of info). He is half demon and half angel. I liked him most of the time. He is loyal to his team of misfits Infinity 8, he is there for Calico, and he acknowledges when he makes mistakes and tries to make amends. What I found strange was that Augustin never stood up for himself when it came to Mr Harper, the President of Infinity Corporation and his father. I understand that in 1900s many views and priorities were different but Augustin was powerful in his own right, he should have told his Dad to take a hike when he was just annoyingly rude and unnecessary cruel. Otherwise I liked him.
There were plenty hitched breaths, longing gazes and veiled looks but beyond that the MCs connection was more psychic in nature than physical. It didn’t go beyond holding hands here. Romance is mild here, very mild. MCs establish trust and link their minds together, and during the process they fall in love. That was a bit of a stretch for the imagination. They became very sweet and overly cute but in the scheme of things I was okay with that.
Action wise most of the book didn’t have much going on. It was mostly preparations for Calico and Augustin to help Calico heal from the curse and get him to be able to use his portal. That part was prolonged and a bit too staid for me, but the ensuing battle between Calico, Augustin and Calico’s grandfather was awesome. It was graphic, edgy and gripping. This book was well written and well edited. I loved the side characters, and the epilogue was kind of unexpected that answered a question that bugged me all through the book. I liked the book in general. Some parts were not what I expected but I still found myself curious about this new world and its inhabitants. I recommend it. Copy received via Booksprout for my honest and unbiased opinion