Interior Design for Demons

Infernal Contests #1

by Rebecca F. Kenney

For readers of C.N. Crawford, Laura Thalassa, and Jennifer L. Armentrout.
Interior design student Grace and twelve other humans are forcibly recruited to participate in a contest, redecorating various rooms in Hell--which haven't been redone since ancient or medieval times. The winner gets a lucrative contract, a few extra decades of youth, and one soul reclaimed from The Pit. With sexy demons Razenath and Apollyon distracting Grace from her goals, can she avoid being eliminated after each round?

Trigger Warnings: doubtful consent related to kissing, touch; some physical harm/abuse; reference to family murder/suicide; gore, horror, demons, monsters; torture; child neglect; cannibalism

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal, Demons, Dragons, Dark, Dark Romance

Kindle Edition

Published October 1, 2023

About the author

Rebecca F. Kenney writes spicy fantasy romance about sassy, strong women and hot guys with tragic backstories... pirates, warlords, demons, Fae, and royals. Her main series are the "Wicked Darlings" series (spicy Fae retellings of the Nutcracker, Wonderland, and Oz), the "Dark Rulers" series (standalones in a shared world), and the "For the Love of the Villain" series of genderbent fairytales. Other books include a post-apocalyptic vampire romance trilogy ("The Vampires Will Save You"), a demon romance "Interior Design for Demons," a dark mermaid fantasy duet, and other spicy retellings.

Rebecca is represented by Eva Scalzo of Speilburg Literary. She lives in upstate South Carolina with her handsome blue-eyed husband and two smart, energetic kids.

For updates and information about upcoming novels, follow on Instagram @rebeccafkenneybooks, on Twitter @RebeccaFKenney1, and on TikTok @rebeccafkenney

Reviews

[Oleksandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Радію, що книжка не закінчилась на кліфгенгері, бо мені вистачило 🤪

Ніби прочитала шось типу Холостяка або Мастер-Шефа - розважальне і ні на що грандіозне не претендує

[L.V. Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a steamy, sexy and hot as hell book.
I really loved the whole premise of this, and throughly enjoyed the designing rooms side of it... I did wonder how it would work... In hell... But damn it did!
I loved Apollo and Rath, but did struggle to connect with Grace, I think I wanted to see more vulnerablilty from her beneath the mask she puts on in the hell scape.
The steamy scenes were perfectly spicy and although I wanted a little more depth from this book, I will definitely be picking up the sequel! 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[wenis · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can excuse gore, dub con, canabalism, and body horror but I draw the line at trying to excuse human trafficking???

[Midnight.Writer.24 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring

I came upon this book from booktok and honestly it wasn’t as good as it was hyped up to be. It’s not well written and I definitely had to skim read and even skip chapters just to finish this book. I like that Grace and Apollyon got together though but that’s about it. Definitely check the trigger warnings before reading

[booklover · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️

This was a fun and quirky, easy read with plenty of spice!

[Elisabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing could have been better. It kind of read like a fan fic cuz the main premise is kind of crazy, but I still enjoyed the book.

[Dianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a weird and wonderful story. Plenty of spice and interest to keep me reading. I loved the concept and her writing is suited so well for these wild little diversions into sexy crazy town, lol. I'm a fan of the author, and have enjoyed everything I have read by her, so this was not a surprise to me. No matter how out there the premise and title sounds, somehow she just reels me in. I really couldnt see how they might achieve some kind of love story or ending that didnt disappoint, but she somehow pulls it to a conclusion that that almost feels like a "happily ever after"- demon style. The love interests are very unique and original. If I had to explain this book out loud to someone I'd sound insane, but I'll probably try anyway- ha! I'm absolutely going to read the next book in this series. I absolutely must know how Grace does in her next challenges and see how this story goes.

[Kristy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so fun. I really think it would make an amazing TV series! It's like What we do in the Shadows meets True Blood and reality TV. 🤌

[cabbage · Rating 5 out of 5]

crazy concept and i luved it <3

@@@@ ruby if u see this Read It !!!!!!

[mel. ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this was a lot different to the '60 Minute Makeover' design show I used to watch on ITV when I was little, and Property Brothers. . .

I am, slowly but surely, making my way through Rebecca F. Kenney's works. I have a pretty high reading list at the moment but I wanted to read at least one this month, and Interior Designs for Demons was my pick.

It was an enjoyable read — the one thing I think I've come to love about Kenney's books is that regardless of how dark some of the themes may be and how intense the plots can get, there's always an element of humour there and the narrator(s) will always have a great sense of humour. Grace was no exception; I loved reading from her perspective and she made me laugh out loud multiple times. Grace is so relatable to the reader of this genre with the intertextual references to books you'll at least be aware of if you frequently read these kinds of books, although my favourite reference was Doctor Faustus because that's one of my favourite plays and I think it just made me adore Rebecca more, I loved it.

The description and worldbuilding in this book is something else. It is something else. I personally haven't done much research into y'know the hierarchy of hell and angels and that kind of realm, but I'm taking a guess that Kenney has merged things together and made it her own like in her other works, and it was amazing. I was so interested in all of the lore that Interior Designs for Demons presented and I can't wait to see how it expands in book two! The gore is just. . . it's on another level, I usually visualise everything, but I'm a bit of a wimp and parts of it just left me saying: nope! I want to sleep tonight! I don't want to imagine that! But it wasn't a bad thing, Rebecca had a great depth and a constant reiteration on how awful these demons are, because, well. . . they are demons.

It was also fantastic how, regardless of these demons having clear superiority over the humans, they still had their weakness: they weren't immortal beings, they didn't last forever, they lacked creativity. It was a refreshing change to 'oh I'm a demon you can't kill me blah blah blah' which is in a lot of supernatural reads.

I would talk about Apollyon, but. . . I think I'd be here all day to be honest.

But this was great! I can't wait to see what happens next.

[Christina Mabey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Genuinely so bad, but sometimes fun.

[LizKat · Rating 1 out of 5]

Love the author, couldn't make it through this book. It was out there and I couldn't immerse myself in it because I kept overthinking little things.. Like her barfing and then kissing the two demons- ewww.. barf breath! And how easily she forgets she's in literal Hell and is thinking about sex- all within minutes of arriving. Really?
Finally I couldn't take my frustration with the story any longer and had to return it to KU.

[Kreela · Rating 5 out of 5]

With a title like that, I had to download it. I wasn’t disappointed.

“Oh my god—I’m the horny girl in the horror movies, the slutty one that the demon kills first.”
Grace (yes, it’s a play on names) was an aspiring interior decorator suddenly kidnapped to participate in a demonic competition that I would not want to win. And I was impressed by all the details; the author researched or is an interior designer. I think I had as much fun imagining a halloween, gruesome version of the bathroom as the competition did.

Compounding Grace’s discovery that her visit to hell is permanent, she is the least qualified of all the entrants. The stakes are high: winners get a life and the possibility of saving a loved one; losers get the most gruesome tortures they don’t deserve. I really like how nice Grace is, and at times she makes speeches in an attempt to save her fellow competitors.

The Romance is sweet, despite all the angst. Matter of fact, it’s my favorite type of romance: you don’t know which of two men she might choose at first. Rath, the demon who forced her into this competition, or Appolyon, the lust demon and emcee.

Appolyon is not supposed to choose any single individual since his job involves seducing a variety of people, demons, angels. However, he starts to devolve quickly into his dragon form, and his quirky demoness friend suggests he try monogamy. He elects Grace.

Imagine her surprise when she realizes he is using her!

“Still, he wanted it for the wrong reasons—to save himself from decaying into monstrous insanity.That’s why he came to my room in dragon form that night...That’s why he looked so excited and grateful, why he said, “It worked,” in that wondering tone”

I have got news for you, girl. Real love does involve using the other. Real love means a part of your character finds healing from the significant other in your life!

[spoiler] Luckily, around all their sex, she finally realizes she should use the L word. [/spoiler].

I don’t know if I even care to read book 2, but this was excellent as a standalone. The story has a well-defined arc and resolution. I have read one other Rebecca Henney book and am impressed enough to research her other stories.

⁃ Smut. So much smut.
⁃ Medium/Fast burn, open door.
⁃ Dragon demon and human M/F
- Single POV
⁃ Love Triangle
⁃ Demon halloween party

[Alleenah_ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the other books I read by this author were fairytale retellings, so I had a general idea about how the story will go, but with this one, I was on my toes the whole time. I kept wondering who will be the next one literally chopped from the interior design contest, I had no idea if Grace will end up with Rath, with Apollyon, with both or if she will be chopped, too. Or if all of them might be chopped. Everything was possible at some point. I loved the idea of a contest with a reality show feel to it. I didn't like the very real "cuts" after every episode, but since this contest takes place in Hell, it's expected from demons to have no mercy, and enjoy the horror and gore of it all. At some point I really hated Rath and I hoped that Grace will not choose him, but he did manage to redeem himself somewhat.
I loved the romance. Apollyon was my favorite. 💖 I loved the spice. 😉 And I loved the story.
The reason why this is not 5⭐ it's because I compared it with other 5⭐ books by this author and Ioved those more. But I will definitely read the next book in the series. 🤩

[Addison · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 - I LOVE THIS AUTHOR!!
Interior Design for Demons is a darkly humorous yet edgy take on both reality TV competitions and the demonic underworld. Grace, an interior design student, finds herself in a twisted contest where she has to redecorate rooms in Hell—rooms that haven't been touched since ancient times. The stakes? A lucrative contract, eternal youth, and a soul reclaimed from the Pit. Along the way, Grace’s path is complicated by two sexy demons, Razenath and Apollyon, who add distraction and temptation to her already difficult challenge.
This book mixes steamy romance, dark humor, and horror elements with a high-stakes competition that keeps the tension ramped up. Grace is a likable protagonist, with a relatable goal of survival and success, but she’s constantly pulled in multiple directions by the demons and the brutal nature of Hell itself. The contest and the hellish setting give the story an interesting premise, but sometimes the focus on the romantic entanglements overshadowed the stakes of the competition itself. The characters, while fun and intriguing, didn’t always feel fully fleshed out beyond their roles in the contest.

[Audra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light Spoilers???

I didn’t really know what to expect from a book about a demonic interior design competition amongst kidnapped humans in hell, but honestly, I found that I couldn’t put it down! The love interest isn’t who you would first think it is, so that was an interesting spin. Apollyon pissed me off plenty of times during the book, times when I just wanted to yell at him to get his head out of his ass even though I knew that he was going certain things to not get himself or Grace in trouble. And gods, Rath was a toxic asshole 90% of the book, but I happy with the bit of “redemption arc” that he got. Or how he really stepped up near the end to be a friend to Grace when she needed it/helped her and Apollyon when it seemed that they were both damned. Over all so much better and steamy than I imagined, and I can’t wait till book two!

[Carly Stevenson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely Different

The book is as the title says. Humans pinched from earth and dragged to hell against their will to join a design competition where the winner leaves with their lives and each round a loser dies a horrible death. It’s odd, barbaric, very brutal and graphic, and I’m not sure the main character is who we want to root for anyway?

I didn’t care for Grace or Apollyon or even Rath. Made it a struggle to get through and I admit to skimming and skipping over several paragraphs because I just didn’t care.

I’ve read so much more amazing stuff by this author so please don’t be put off by this one bit of work. It’s not the best laid out but she gets the full 2 stars for creativity! I can honestly say I’ll never read anything like it.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

It may be odd to call a story “fun” that’s set in Hell, but this really is a fun tale—steamy with good stakes and tension and really cool settings. As is always the case with Kenney’s books, there’s some really nice depth to the (refreshingly imperfect) characters. I read this story on Patreon and enjoyed getting my twice-weekly dose of competition, danger and romance.

I tend to prefer Kenney’s stories that have Fae characters or more traditional fantasy settings, but that’s purely personal preference. This is a good story regardless, and if you love tales of angels and demons, this is absolutely the right fit for you.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! I regret not reading it sooner. It was fun and steamy. Grace is a junior in college studying interior design when she is kidnapped by a demon to compete in an interior design contest in hell. The demons in hell are tired of their medieval and old fashioned rooms and recruit thirteen interior designers to update their living quarters. Only three competitor will survive with the rest being killed in a horrific way. I liked the descriptions of hell and how the interior designers designed each room during each challenge. The book has a love triangle and lots of action. Apollyon is my new book boyfriend! If you like demon books, check this one out. I’m going to go read Interior Designs for Demons season 2 right away.

[Thecrackedspine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wonderful story from Rebecca F. Kenney! I loved all the little nods to her other books that released after this series. I highly enjoyed just how wicked the demons in this book are. I've read several demon romance novels and this was the first that really took me to hell. I reccomend this to others who enjoy reading dark romance with an interesting plot line. It definitely reminded me of the competitive TV shows I so love, with a demonic twist. I'm excited to see Grace and her dragon demon in infernal trials for humans!!!

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Grace and Apollyon soooo much! They are sooo cute! I loved that Rath really grew into himself. The concept of a reality TV show in hell is also really cool, and I think the author really pulled it off. I found the concept of hell a little disconcerting, but it was supposed to be that way. I think that the author might be moving the plot into an area where heaven and hell are corrupted, because that would be cool and close the story off perfectly with a happy ending for everyone. Yes, I am one of those people. I think everyone deserves a happy ending.

[Anina G · Rating 3 out of 5]

I give this 3 stars because initially it was going to be 4 or a 5 because I really enjoyed the plot, the concept of the interior design competition, the characters, the romance, but about 4 or 5 chapters from the end I felt it hit a plateu and I almost stopped reading, mind you I devoured this book in the span of 2- 3 days so I wanted to read the next book, but then after the plateu I no longer feel the urge to read the next book unfortunately, however overall this was a nice and enjoyable read, with plenty of spice and loveable characters

[Lily Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

I chose to read this book coz I'm studying interior design. It wasn't a bad book. the plot was fun and exciting, the whole concept was unique and refreshing and I hadn't read a book with this kind of plot. Honestly, I really liked this book but I hate the ending that Grace and Apollyon got. I wanted more for them. Thus, my overall rating is 3.5 stars.

[Kayla Saupe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never had so many emotions when reading a book and trust me I read SJM books. Rath and Apollyon had me screaming and crying! Grace broke my heart but I’ve been more proud of her by the end. Honestly what an amazing concept for a book. I got it because it sounded a little silly but the story just made sense and I absolutely devoured the book.

[Claudia (DarlingDarlingreaders) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book owns me

Wow I cannot even begin to express the incredible intelligence and depth of this book. It had me hooked from the start. So much so I'm up till 2 in the morning. I'm exhausted and struggling but it was worth it. So so amazing. Dark, spicy, slowburn, incredible romance. I'm desperate for book 2 but sleep must happen. So amazing!

[Colin Reid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this one through Miss Kenney’s patreon. Enjoyed it piecemeal, which I feel is probably the best way to do so. Fair warning, there is some DARK shit in here. Stuff I wasn’t fully prepared for, to be honest. Still, definitely well written with good and interesting characters

[Sarah D · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the original and quirky premise of this book, and the up and down romance. About 50 percent through I guessed where the story was leading, so it’s a bit predictable. But whatever… still good. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys quirky or humorous paranormal romance.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Demonic reality TV

This one is fun and dark. Grace has a great attitude and goes for what she wants. It's a sort of why choose book. Rath and Apollyon are very interesting, yet so different MMCs.

[KyRa Bauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved 😍

Wasn't too sure with the beginning, but then it totally sucked me in. I loved the way it had incorporated a twist of a triangle love, but keeps you guessing. And the ending was perfect. Can't wait for the next book to come out

[Kasey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun idea but also kind of dumb. RFK has really evolved in her writing and mastered her craft since this book and I would have loved to see what she could have done with the story as the writer she is now. That being said, it was still entertaining.