I really enjoyed this book and I feel like it deserves a 3.5/5 stars, rounded up.

This book reminded me a lot of ACOTAR, but since they are both inspired by Howl's Moving Castle, that makes a lot of sense.

I liked that the events happen around Halloween and I liked how she slowly started to learn the truth about the world. I personally think that the characters and the love story could have been better. The FMC felt more like a teen than a collage student and that's an issue that brings the score of this book down. Another problem I had with this book was the love story and how it progressed, because it felt more like lust than love (many elements were missing, which would have transformed it into a veritable love) which in not a problem in itself, but it's one when there are decisions made based on it as it was love. (I would say one exception was at the end, because he did something really sweet for her)

Other than that, the story is okay, there are a few plot twists I enjoyed. A part I really loved is that this book had girl's girls and no mean (for no reason) female characters.

Personally, while this book could be improved and more refined, I feel like it was totally worth my time and that it's a great fall/ Halloween read

I requested this ARC on the strength of the blurb. This book takes a familiar romantasy plot, shakes up its elements, and sets it all within an intriguing Halloween theme. But rather than "Howl's" I would liken this story more to "Alice in Wonderland", with its portal fantasy element, taking the FMC from a recognizable urban setting to a dangerous demon realm. From there it progresses as a typical romantasy. In terms of execution, it needed more-- a deeper and richer execution, with details drawn in broader strokes. I would like to see this author really lean into everything they promised, heavily, to focus on the stakes, the motivations, the feelings, and the plot, and go all in. The elements are all there, they just need to be exploited to their fullest potential.

I really wanted to love this book the concept sounded amazing.
This book brings in a mix of supernatural and fantasy and with it based around Halloween makes it a perfect spooky season read!
Unfortunately it wasn’t my favourite book but I did finish it and enjoy it!

There was SO much potential for this book to be great. I absolutely loved the idea and plot of this book, however it missed the mark for me. I found myself during so many parts thinking about how I wish it was written differently and expanded on the world building and giving the characters more depth and likability factors. I felt like some areas were rushed when it shouldn’t be, and others dragged when it just needed to move on. I will say overall, I had fun reading this book and would still read another book by this author in the future.

Every Halloween Soleil is kept locked away in her room by her father to “protect her” from the people and events of the well celebrated holiday. Except this year is different, she’s had enough and sneaks out to finally experience the festivities she’s dreamt of all her life. While absorbing the festival, she stumbles across with a drop dead gorgeous half demon Jax who she learns is only allowed in her world during Halloween. Their connection is immediate and while they adventure together they make a pact to meet back at the same spot next year. Fast forward 1 year, Soleil finds herself waiting for Jax, except he never shows. She takes a giant leap of faith and not knowing what the future has in store for her, she decides to travel to his world to find him. There’s just one catch - she can never return home once she’s crossed over. Will her sacrifice be worth it?

I don’t know who’s started comparing this to Howl’s Moving Castle meets Hocus Pocus because I don’t see it at all. I see where some inspiration for Howl’s came into play, such as the “there you are, I’ve been looking for you” line (and if anyone says this is Rhysand, Howl said it first and Howl said it best), and then the fire demons being mischievous bit. I didn’t seen any comparison to hocus pocus at all. This book was all its own in my opinion. Apparently it was a novella first and it was so well liked the author turned it into a full novel. Check your trigger warnings for anxiety, OCD depictions, and a very controlling parent.

Comparisons aside, I really enjoyed this! It had everything for a perfect for a spooky/halloween read. Magic, a cat familiar, vampires, witches, elemental powers, a shadow daddy, demons and a demon realm. Soleil, our fmc lives with her controlling father and deals with OCD. Never having enjoyed a Halloween night in her life (seriously never, her father locks her up every year) she finally breaks out one night for her first experience with the festivities. Once out, she meets Jax, a half-demon (who speaks and controls snakes) from another realm, who only has Halloween night to roam the human realm until his world sucks him back into his own. After a spicy, adventure fueled night with Jax, they agree to meet the following year on Halloween night again. But when Jax doesn’t show, and a messenger of his gives Soleil a letter apologizing that he won’t show, she enlists help of a local “witch” to get her into the demon realm. Thus ensues an adventure of self discovery filled with romance, a little spice, danger, demon lords fighting for the throne and a demon king fighting to hold his throne. In the midst of looking for Jax once Soleil enters the demon realm, she unknowingly makes a magical deal with Jax’s enemy. A bargain can’t be broken until the price is paid or by death. So when this demon comes back to claim his side of the deal, not only may Jax be in danger, but Soleil and the demon realm as they know it are now at stake.

A PERFECT READ FOR THE HALLOWEEN SEASON!

This book was hands down one of my favorites that I have read all year, keeping me turning from page to page! The writing and pacing, something that I’m hyper sensitive too, was extremely well done 👏👏. It is a darker side of romance and so please check the warnings.

I have never DNF'd a book as quickly as I did for this one. I just couldn't do it. The FMC is an adult apparently, but I would've guessed she's 15 with how she acts. I had absolutely zero interest in the demon she meets either. I was really excited for this one but it was not good. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

4⭐️ Review: One Hollow Love by M. K. Ahearn

I really enjoyed One Hollow Love! The connection between Soleil and Jax was captivating, and their chemistry kept me hooked throughout the story. The book brings in a mix of supernatural and fantasy elements, which made the world-building so intriguing. I loved the idea of exploring a whole other dimension—it added depth and excitement to the plot.

With it being based around Halloween, it's the perfect autumnal read! It’s also a quick, cosy read, making it a great choice for the spooky season. It's definitely worth the read if you're into paranormal fantasy!

2.5 stars ~ Thank you so much to NetGalley, Azala Press, and the author M.K. Ahearn for gifting me an E-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

(just to prepare everyone, this is one of the most honest reviews I’ve ever written)

I went into this read really excited as it had sounded super unique and interesting. However, I ended up being disappointed. From what I can tell this had started off as a novella that people enjoyed so the author decided to add more to the story. I definitely can see that as I thought the first part of the book was really good and intriguing. I enjoyed the Halloween romance aspect. I had liked the characters and overall it just seemed like a cute and short fantasy novella and I think it should’ve stayed that way.

I’ve heard this is marketed as a Howl’s Moving Castle meets Hocus Pocus. I hate to admit it but I’ve never watched either of those so I can’t speak much on it. However, I can tell you that as soon as I started reading I immediately noticed how heavily inspired this was by ACOTAR (coming from a huge fan of that series). From the moment he said “There you are. I’ve been looking for you.” I immediately thought of Rhys and Feyre in book one. I also heard this was directly quoted from Howl’s Moving Castle as well but idk if that’s true. I thought maybe that would be the only occurrence. But the plot was similar, following a human girl into a new world she knew nothing about. It proceeded to get even more alike when Jax ended up being a viscous King who had a soft spot for his found family and lover as well as the “fated magic bond” and the bargain that left a tattoo behind.

Going off of that, the MMC, Jax, was marketed as having Rhysand vibes. I can tell u that other than the plot they didn’t seem similar at all to me. Rhys is a complex character built over the course of 5 books and counting. Jax on the other hand just didn’t seem to have the level of complexity I was looking for and with his storyline he had so much potential.

This leads me into my next point that Soleil (I can hardly remember her name) also lacked complexity. While I think that the OCD representation was very very well done, that’s rlly all I noticed about this character. By the end of the book I felt like she hadn’t really escaped or completed anything. Not to mention her trauma later in the book from her encounter with the antagonist, Vailer (however u spell his name) was just completely forgotten at some point as if I had snapped my fingers to make it vanish. While we learned the world with Soleil, it was still odd to me that she had apparently been told multiple stories about this realm and warned and yet she didn’t know what a Coven was or a Familiar as if her mother didn’t use to work for the local Witch??

Going back to Jax, his relationship with Soleil once again lacked romance and cute moments. To me it seemed that the relationship was purely built on a good sex from a one-night stand. The way that they barely knew each other and yet she jumped into a demon realm to go to him was insane. She hardly knows the guy. We really didn’t even get any insight to his character so she still hardly knows him. But of course it’s true love apparently.

On top of all this, the worldbuilding wasn’t all that great. Some things were either briefly mentioned or mentioned in the assumption the readers knew what was being spoken about when we obviously didn’t. I usually don’t mind first person pov but the more I read this the more annoyed I got. Soooo much of it was telling and not showing. The amount of times the FMC would say phrases like “I felt” “I was thinking” like she me what ur thinking, don’t just straight up tell me every time.

The ending was also extremely rushed. This is why I don’t read Fantasy standalones. They just don’t work, especially with such a large concept like this and the book was only about 300 pages long. In order for this idea to work it definitely needed to be longer or at least a duology. The concept of the two different worlds and the magic was just too much to squeeze in which is why parts felt rushed or sudden. There were also some major plot holes or places that needed to be re-edited. At some point there was a line where Soleil said she backed away but a paragraph later she was still on a horse? For a published author, I feel like this was avoidable.

Overall, this book was a fun and exciting concept and the first part was really good. But it should’ve stayed as a novella. The rest of the book was just too rushed with no real plot, lesson, or overall reason for writing it other than to appease upset readers. It wasn’t the worst book I’ve read and it kept my interest (until around page 150 and then it lost me). Hoping my next read from this author will be better.

Once again, thank you to the author and publisher for gifting me a copy in exchange for a HONEST review.

I don’t really recommend this book but if you’re still interested then here are some trigger warnings:

⚠️TRIGGER WARNINGS⚠️
- OCD
- Anxiety/Panic Attacks
- Controlling (borderline abusive) parent
- Parent death mentioned
- Physical and Mental Torture
- Heavy sexual content

I loved this book! It was a very easy read, and I was hooked from page one! I could almost feel the smell of the air during the Halloween festival that's described in the book, made feel like I was there trick or treating!

It's a fast-paces book, I read it in only a couple of sittings and the story was very easy to follow. Very lovable characters as well.. Despite the few instances where there are some more spicy scenes, the book is very YA - and there are some stories that are still unclear, but maybe that's a sign there will be a second part of this book coming?

This will not be the kind of book that we will be reading to our grandchildren when we're older, but it's a nice, easy read to wrap yourself with and a lovely way to spend a chilly autumn afternoon.

Soleil and Jax's enchanting tale of forbidden love and magic is a perfect fit for readers who crave a whimsical, autumnal romance with a dash of fantasy, witches, and demons, and a healthy dose of cozy, mystical atmosphere.

I did enjoyed this book a lot to be honest, Soleil falling for a demon she meets on Halloween and makes a promise of meeting him again next year, an abusive dad, found family, found magic... I couldn't put it down.. I absolutely loved it

Thank you, Netgalley and M.K Ahearn, for allowing me to read this ARC.

I was pleasantly surprised with this romantasy. It was perfect for the spooky season as it the story is set up on Halloween, and we meet our FMC, who has led an extremely sheltered life! She decides that this year, she will leave her cage and enjoy the festivities! Enter Jax.....our devilishly handsome MMC, who at first doesn't seem interested, but that quickly changes.... 😳

I don't want to spoil the rest of the story, but the author built a beautiful world outside of our human realm. There is magic, witches demons, secret identities, Demon bargains and a love that was divine.

I managed to read this book in less then 24 hours, as I was hooked pretty much from the get go. Although it has less pages then a normal fantasy series, the story flowed and paced nicely without the feeling of being rushed.

Thank you again Netgalley and M.K Ahearn, definitely will be recommending to others!

One Hollow Love is a novel that I believe should be on top of the Halloween TBR pile of all those who love spooky season. I was living for the mental heath and OCD representation and felt like topics that can be somewhat tricky to handle tactfully, were done so with respect and accuracy. I truly felt the writing was engaging and the setting was atmospheric and dynamic, full of vivid and descriptive imagary.
I feel like I'll be talking abou this book for a while and am excited to recommend it to friends and followers.

2.5 Stars
I had a hard time getting through this which I honestly didn’t expect after really enjoying the sneak peek. I loved the premise and the promise of Hocus Pocus meets Howl’s Moving Castle with Lucifer vibes but sadly, this wasn’t what I expected.

There was so much potential and I may have liked it more had it been a duology but as it is, it felt very rushed which made it hard to believe in the romantic connection between Soleil and Jax.
It was very insta-love/insta-lust which is perfectly fine, just not my favorite trope.

The beginning definitely gives off some good Halloween vibes and I loved the idea of the yearly festival Soleil’s town held.
Soleil’s father believes that Halloween is the one night where creatures of all kinds roam her town so he locks her in her room every year. She believes the stories of demons and vampires roaming the town were simply made up to scare children but after meeting Jax, she accepts that demons, vampires and witches are real.
After one night together, Jax promises to meet her the next year but when he doesn’t show Soleil is determined to find a way into the demon realm to find him. I would have loved to see more world-building, especially in the demon realm.

Overall, this had a very promising start but in the end it just wasn’t for me.

One Hollow Love follows the story of Soleil, a girl locked up every halloween by her overprotective father, as she sneaks out one halloween, meets a demon, Jax, only for him to have to leave at midnight. They spend a year apart with a promise to meet again the following year, but when that day comes, Jax is unable to show up. Heartbroken and longing to meet again, she finds a way to the demon realm to find the boy who has been on her mind all year, but ends up finding so much more than she was looking for.

This book was advertised to be a mix between Howl’s Moving Castle and Hocus Pocus, and it did not live up to the hype of these two big names. However, forgetting that comparison (which I actually did forget about while reading), I did find myself enjoying the book. Love at first sight is not a trope I tend to lean towards, and while reading, I did keep finding myself questioning how Soleil could just abandon everything for a guy she spent one night with. However, thinking about the trauma her controlling father put her through, I could understand her need for freedom and to escape the abuse. I also felt for her when she had so much to struggle through after finally getting better.

I really liked Soleil's character development throughout the story and how she is able to find herself once she escapes the confines of her house. I also loved how understanding Jax was to her OCD and was just there for her when she needed him.

One thing I will say is, I just didn’t understand the incorporation of a vampire into the beginning of the story for it never to be mentioned again. There were enough paranormal elements with the demons and witches. I didn’t think it was necessary to include vampires, too. Especially because I just started wondering about whose blood they drank while in the demon realm.

I recommend this book for those who like instant love, demons and witches, and OCD representation. Thank you, MK Ahearm and NetGalley, for providing me with this ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

One Hollow Love is the story of Soleil, a young woman with bad OCD who has lived a very sheltered and isolated life at the hands of her paranoid father. Every year, he locks her indoors on Halloween because he believes in paranormal dangers lurking everywhere outside their home. This year, curiosity gets the better of her, and she manages to sneak out to experience her first Halloween.

In the spooky town of Weeping Vale, Soleil is facing one handsome half-demon in the name of Jax, who appears only on Halloween night, when the border that tethers worlds together weakens. At first, what had been a harmless rebellion turned into an evening filled with pranks that were not very safe, after all, sprinkled with magic and romance between Soleil and Jax. Strong paranormal elements perfume the story with the threat of dark creatures and the ever-impending possibility of Jax's return to his own world at midnight.

Through the course of night, Soleil and Jax truly come close, learning to work through their traumas. He wants to be free from his demon side, while she desperately needs to be free from the tight control of her father. Full of lighthearted, silly moments and emotionally intense scenes, one finds themselves guessing by midnight if Jax can stay in Soleil's world or if he will be forced back to his.

Soleil
She's brilliant, but her character is scarred by battles with her mental health and anxiety attacks that frequently occur because her father overprotects her. Throughout the novel, she comes into her own independence, finding strength and also a vulnerable side in her relationship with Jax. The internal conflict within herself is how to balance the newfound sense of autonomy against the trauma her father has created in her through the years. She is relatable because she is imperfect and brave enough to step beyond her father's shadow; the journey she went through, from sheltered young woman to someone who defies the supernatural, is such an interesting read.

Jax
Jax is that mysterious half-demon, a complete opposite to Soleil's vulnerable human self. His character is layered with charm and mystery, and deeply beneath the layer of all that cockiness lies a deep sense of sadness. Most of the turmoil that Jax experiences really stems from the fact that he is half-demon and has never fit into either world. The more attached Jax grows to Soleil, the more open he becomes, showing a vulnerable side. But his interactions are poisoned by the knowledge that he doesn't have much time with her. His arc focuses on the need to be free, to love-if only for a night.

This will automatically set into motion a frenzied pace of their relationship dynamics due to the pressure of knowing the premise is for one night only. The balance of his nature to protect her and her refusal to be fully dependent on him develops an interesting interplay between them. Much as their relationship is passion-filled, there is also a concentrated deeper excavation of the psychological levels of trust, autonomy, and fate.

Supporting Characters
Other supporting characters are Soleil's obsessive ex-flame, Ben, and her overprotective father, adding layers of tension to the story. Besides the possessiveness of Ben and paranoia of her father standing in the way, it is symbolic, too, of control from which Soleil tries to free herself. In relation to Soleil's story, they are well-developed side characters, really pushing her toward this eventual confrontation with fears.

One Hollow Love shows a reflection on issues of freedom versus control, mental health, autonomy, and fate. The perceived contrast of Soleil's caged life, with Jax being free once a year, puts together in a powerful social commentary about the issue of agency. Self-acceptance-whether it was the nature of Jax being a demon or Soleil with OCD-is one more powerful thematic element here. This romance in the story is a metaphor for trust in its truest form: letting loose of the reins and allowing one's self to simply live, even when real danger and uncertainty exist.

The parental influence, it depicts the psychological scars left by Soleil's father on account of his controlling behavior and shaping her ability to form relationships. It is also concerned with imbalances of power, particularly between Ben and Soleil, and how these are challenged and overcome.

MK Ahearn's writing is engaging; it merges atmospheric descriptions with quick-paced dialogue. The humorous, suspenseful, and romantic tones merge and balance perfectly without once losing the interest of the readers. First-person narration by Soleil makes the readers first-hand witnesses to the battles that go on in her mind and hence empathize with her plight.

Fast pacing and consuming only one Halloween night further adds to the tension and urgency within the plot. Second, Ahearn resorts to effective figurative language that evokes vivid imagery, especially in places where scenes point toward the supernatural elements of Weeping Vale and the nature of Jax himself.

One Hollow Love is an intense paranormal romance novel that does much justice to themes of mental health, autonomy, and the right balance between light and darkness. The intensity of emotions developed for these characters and the thrills with the supernatural were unbeatable. Ahearn managed to take in personal yet otherworldly elements into a story where, though hinged on romance, there was enough psychological depth and weight.

This novel would appeal most to readers who enjoy paranormal romance novels by Sarah J. Maas or Jennifer L. Armentrout. It offers a new twist on old paranormal themes, dancing the tightrope between sweet romance and darker fantasy.

Trigger Warnings: explicit sex, snakes, blood, death of parent off-page, abusive and manipulative parent, death, OCD and panic attacks, threatened sexual assault, and torture​

Overall Rating: ★★★★☆
Writing Style: ★★★★☆
Characters: ★★★★★
World-Building: ★★★☆☆

Quotes i loved

“It’s okay to ask for help. It’s okay to need help. It’s okay to want help.”
“If I could stop time, I’d never have to go back. If it never turns midnight, I can finally stay here forever.”

3.5⭐️

In this book we follow Soleil, who has never been able to experience a Halloween because her overbearing father, quite literally locks her in her room every year. That is until she decides to sneak out one Halloween night and meets Jax, a half-demon and she learns about a world she thought was only in a story. This book was promoted to me as a mix between "Hocus Pocus" (which I LOVE) and Howl's Moving Castle (something I have never seen). However, I was still intrigued!

The story was enjoyable, albeit a tiny bit predictable, and I think it could have benefited from doing a smaller time jump so that we had more content to understand and connect with the FMC but overall it was an easy, quick, spicy read perfect for the spooky season! I would recommend this to readers who enjoyed the Kindom of the Wicked Series by Kerri Maniscalco because it has a very similiar vibe!

Thank you to Netgalley and Azala Press for gifting me this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I wanted to like this book more than I did, but I just couldn't get into it at all. Where is the world building? Why were the characters bad and unlikeable? Where was the emotional connection in the romance? The best thing that this book had going for it was the plot, but even that was a bit disappointing with the execution. I was hoping to get into the spooky season spirit with this book, but I wasn't feeling it with this one.

Thank you to M.K. Ahearn, Azala Press, and NetGalley for the eARC of this book.

I would like to thank MK Ahearn, the publishers and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book early!

Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️-⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Little flame is such an adorable nickname! I swear I smiled just a little everytime Jax called Soleil that! If you’re looking for a book filled with instant romance, spice, vampires, witches and demons and of course we can’t forget a whole other world, Eodratera, located through the veil that’s weakest on Halloween night.

One Hollow Love is told through the POV of our main female character Soleil, who just wants one night of freedom to enjoy the Halloween she’s never experienced due to her fathers paranoia and penchant for locking her in her bedroom with no means of escape… at least so he thought. When Soleil shimmies out the window and off the roof she’s finally ready to live, even if it’s just for one night and so she rushes off to the towns yearly Halloween festival! And after wondering around a bit lost and overwhelmed Soleil just happens to slam into a beautiful specimen known as Jax. Jax is a half demon who is only allowed out of Eodratera on the night of Halloween when all things that go bump in the night are free to cross the veil and cause just a bit of mayhem! What Jax wasn’t prepared for was the “little flame” that slammed into and set his night and maybe his whole life on fire. And after a beautiful, vulnerable, and loving Halloween night spent together Jax asks Soleil to wait for him and he’ll be back for her… but when Jax doesn’t show and sends a messenger in his place Soleil decides she’ll go to him… whether that’s the best or worst decision she’s ever made is up to you!

Unfortunately while I did really enjoy the plot and story line of One Hollow Love, I struggled to connect with the characters. There were moments where Soleil was brilliantly smart, and independent, problem solving on a dime, but then on the flip side there were moments where her naivety took over and she made rash decisions that didn’t make any sense at all. An example being she said she spent a year researching the paranormal, even knowing of a witch to help her out but then getting to her new world she doesn’t seem to know anything about the realm or even familiars. But then being very strategic when fighting the cave dweller. It just threw me off a little bit with her. As for Jax I liked his witty banter, and his protectiveness over Soleil, not to mention his serpent and shadow magic added quite a bit of intrigue to the story. All that being said though there was still something that fell a bit flat for me with his character, it was as if we never really got a true in depth look beneath the surface with him. As for their romance which is always my favorite of any part of the books I read just felt more like it was about the spice than the actual connection. Even though Soleil mentioned time and time again she was drawn to Jax and wanted to do anything to be with him when questioned what length she’d go to to be with him she’d hesitate, sometimes if felt like she was more interested in the freedom and spice Jax offered her than an actual love connection and because of that the romance read more like a erotica book to me than a deep, loving romance.

Overall while I liked the world building, and the magic system of this book I just couldn’t connect with the characters. That isn’t a poor reflection on the author as I think she did write an excellent story, it just wasn’t the book for me, but if you’re looking for a spicy insta love romance, filled with an intriguing magic system, politics galore, demon, witches, and vamps, and a few twists and turns than this may just be the book for you!

HAPPY READING 📖