Rating: 3.5🌈

“Welcome to The Passing Through Cafe, where the coffee is hot, the pastries mouth-watering, and the staff are more than a little unholy. They will make you feel welcome—more or less—as they provide exceptional service—most of the time. Conveniently located outside Purgatory Station, stop in as you wait for your next train and enjoy a latte with a shot of something special, a savory bite of kriltcake, and the sauciest tea this side of the Pentagram.

Open Monday-Saturday

6:00-21:00

*Watch out for ninja stars*

Passing Through Purgatory #1 , a story that was not only a stellar introduction to the complicated series universe but to the highly diverse characters from both worlds this series is based upon is a favorite of mine. Including the otherworldly diner they work in, The Passing Through Purgatory Cafe. 

I love that book and couple. Oliver and Liel, both so different and yet so deeply compelling as a couple , along with everyone else were a fantastic story. 

It’s where we met human Oliver’s best friend, Jude, and co worker, Toni, an extroverted demon Elas. Knight beautifully portrayed the Hell dimension, its many species and territories, including the political and societal issues that are seen in the human world. Not astonishing since some of the territories have names such as Gluttony, Lust,  or Greed. 

That narrative gave the reader overlays of pathos to go with humor, thoughtfulness and compassion to go with the sexiness of the developing relationship.  And the excellent characterizations!

However, in Gratification in Gluttony, something has been lost, starting with the characters. The anticipated romance between Jude and Toni isn’t as strong as the one between Oliver and Liel. And that has to do with not only the characters as they’re portrayed but the relationship between them. There’s so much sex, not unusual but it’s given so much attention that everything else like cohesion of characters and details of grounding in backgrounds is lacking. 

Primarily, my issue is the character of Toni the Elas. He has so much potential but feels like it’s not really well defined.  He’s a being that has left his family business, cutting ties with them, mostly to become his own being. But the few scenes written with interactions between himself and them (with the exception of a BIL), don’t seem to support that framework.  What is off putting is Toni’s explosive anger issues, and his continued poor treatment of Rusty the Pyclon, a pink walking Care Bear with a snarky attitude that hides a very damaged past. Toni is told repeatedly by different friends, including bff Gem, that Rusty is very young whose sometimes annoying facade is due to a terrible past. Does he have compassion or stop being borderline abusive? No, not even when Rusty himself offers to the group a bit of his awful adolescence. 

His temper and lack of compassion to others ,as written,  didn’t extend to expectations for himself. I wasn’t sure why Knight thought that showing him consistently in this way was a good idea. But it kept me from connecting with him.  

As did Jude’s treatment of him during their growing relationship. Jude is an incredibly well crafted character but not one I liked a lot. I understood their background and actions but together this wasn’t a relationship that I enjoyed wholly.  Maybe towards the end. But that’s when it could be perceived as a start of a relationship.

Unlike the other characters, these two are the primary focus. No isn’t much narrative wandering about here to enhance our observations about this dimension or our understanding of these characters. There’s scenes from the first novel we see from different angles, and the next couple is being set up for their story.

This really didn’t expand on any new world building or add much to the series overall in terms of exploration of the territories, economics, or even the environment that surrounds them.  More of this please just as in the original story. 

Interesting but not a couple I can connect with.  Looking forward to book 3.

Great cover.

Cover Design © 2024 Priska Mills Editing by Heather Caryn

Passing Through Cafe:

Passing Through Purgatory #1

Gratification in Gluttony #2

Buy link:

        Gratification in Gluttony: Passing Through Cafe #2

    

Blurb

When Jude entered The Passing Through Cafe, Toni thought he’d be nothing more than a fun night, a challenge to win, a fixation to satisfy; Toni didn’t expect Jude to be exactly what he never knew he was looking for.

As the rightful heir to the Maryno family dynasty, Toni grew up with clear expectations of who he was supposed to be, and more importantly, who he wasn’t. Growing up a constant disappointment isn’t a childhood experience he recommends, but he’s come a long way from the little boy who could never quite measure up to his family’s toxic standards. At twenty-nine, he’s finally proud of the man he’s built himself into, and while the routine of his life is simple and, sure, sometimes lonely, he’s content.

Or so he thought.

Enter Jude, a human from across the veil who ignites something in Toni that he’s never allowed himself to explore, and Toni can’t wait to burn. While the spark of attraction is instantaneous, he knows it’s going to take more than a romp in the hay to win Jude over, and Toni quickly sets to work, proving to Jude that home can be found in the most unexpected places, that chosen family is always something worth fighting for, and that their love is far from small.

Join Toni and the rest of the eccentric staff of The Passing Through Cafe in Nik Knight’s rom-com urban fantasy series, full of found family, hilarious hijincks, spectacular self-discovery, and love that defies definition.

• Publication date: December 13, 2024
• Language: English
• Print length: 393 pages