Damiana

by Lilly Manning

THE RETREAT PROMISED THE OTHER HALF OF HER SOUL.

It was a promise with a waitlist: black-sand beaches, redwood fog, luxury glamping, ceremonial cacao, and a bonfire where every guest casts a sigil for the kind of love she's been waiting her whole life to find.

DRAW THE SYMBOL. FEED IT TO THE FLAMES. HE'LL COME.

Marlowe only attends because her boss pays for her to go. It's all nonsense, she tells herself. An evening of designer spirituality for women desperate enough to believe the lie.

Then every woman's wish starts coming true. Including hers.

Damian is everything she asked for—patient, devoted, ruinously handsome—and the only person trying to convince her not to sign up for the next retreat.

Because the fire wasn't symbolic. The women didn't manifest anything. Every wish was answered by design.

Now the retreat's charismatic founder and the secretive sisterhood behind her wellness empire expect Marlowe to honor a bargain she never knew she made.

And walking away has never been part of the program.

THE FIRE DOESN'T FORGET WHAT WAS PROMISED.

420 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication October 22, 2026

Reviews

[Jennie Blackthorne]

I applied to be an ARC reader for this book and I’m so glad I did, because this is my favorite book of the year. I loved the mix of horror and romance, and the author managed to balance the two perfectly. I’m personally a fan of insta-love when it’s done right, and in this case, it made sense. Damian and Marlowe’s relationship is intense and develops quickly, and the slow-burn payoff about two-thirds in is absolutely 🔥🔥

I was impressed with how well the book is written. The writing hooked me in immediately and I stayed up way past my bedtime turning my Kindle pages to get through this one.

The horror scenes were creepy AF, especially the scene in the abandoned house.

I really adored several of the characters, especially Vivienne, because she’s so easy to hate, and I really love Kai and his surfer vibe.


Slow burn 🔥
Dark romance, where the hero isn’t the danger 💀
Fake dating ❤️

[Evie Connelly]

I'm not usually this quick to finish a book, but this one really hooked me! It was almost like reading a Stephen King novel, just as creepy but much less grotesque.

The author did a brilliant job drawing me into the story with the mysterious, witchy ambiance. I liked the side characters, and there was plenty of cheeky humour throughout, too. I could absolutely picture myself and my friends getting ourselves accidentally married to a demon at a new age retreat in my younger days!

The central romance was also intriguing, but I won't give any spoilers.

I highly recommend it to anyone who fancies spooky vibes!

[Alina]

I absolutely adored this book. If you like Practical Magic, Midsommar, or anything remotely witchy, you'll love this. The entire book is soaked in dread and unease and I'm so glad I read this in the beginning of Fall, when the vibe was perfect. The book is excellently written and the chemistry between Damian and Marlowe had me catching my breath. I read this book over a weekend and couldn't put it down.

[Lilith's_Library_]

Okay… Damiana really wasn't the innocent little read I thought I was getting into. 😂🖤 Once I started, I was completely pulled into the drama, tension, and darkness of it all.

There was something about this story that kept me curious. I wanted to know more about the characters, their secrets, and where everything was ultimately heading. The darker atmosphere made the whole reading experience feel a little dangerous, and honestly… I was completely here for it. 🥀

The characters were definitely messy, complicated, and not always easy to understand—which made them so much more interesting. I enjoyed watching their relationships unfold and seeing all the little cracks beneath the surface.

And the chemistry? 👀🔥 Let's just say there were definitely moments where I had to put the book down for a second and process what I was reading.

🥀 TROPES & VIBES 🥀

🖤 Dark Romance
🔥 High Romantic Tension
🥀 Morally Grey Characters
🌑 Dark & Moody Atmosphere
👀 Secrets & Hidden Motives
💔 Emotional Angst
⛓️ Complicated Relationships
🔥 Forbidden Chemistry
🖤 Obsession & Possessive Energy
🥀 Dangerous Attraction

What really worked for me was the combination of romance and darkness. It wasn't just about the relationship—it was about the tension, the secrets, the emotional messiness, and the feeling that one wrong move could change everything.

By the end, I was definitely invested, and that's always a good sign for me as an ARC reader. 🖤📖

Thank you to Lilly Manning for the opportunity to read Damiana as an ARC! 🥀

If dark romance, complicated characters, dangerous attraction, and plenty of emotional chaos are your thing… you might want to put this one on your TBR. 🖤🔥

[Jenn]

The real horror of this book is just how close to reality it could be. A yt woman led woo woo spiritual retreat to manifest your twin flame but really your paying big money to be sacrificed to a demon and your essence be used in beauty products just feels … a bit on the nose when you really start digging into popular retreats and know what the ultra wealthy do.

The insta-love was only hard to wrap around because I never could fully trust Damian, even less so when it came to Kai. Like we know they are reallllly good at being deceptive so their “true love/insta-love” didn’t feel authentic. Whereas I could entirely see the girls falling quickly due to the intense manipulation. So while I personally would have preferred Marlow and Callie take a beat and seperate from Damian and Kai for a bit, I can understand why they (or rather the author) chose not to go that direction.

Thank you netgally and Lilly Manning for the ARC

[Steph Spone]

This was a really well written book. I loved the character growth and how the story just kept evolving. It is a bit of a slow burn, but you know it's coming. I enjoyed this book.

[Shania Howells]

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 🌶️

Damiana by Lilly Manning is a wonderful horror novel with a romance plot mixed in that will absolutely keep you guessing.

The story surrounds a group of four women who attend a wellness retreat to find their one true love in the form of a twin flame, the men that they were always destined to meet. After the retreat things start to go a bit ary after they remember some strange occuraces during their retreat night. Following the FMC Marlow as she leads this group of women in unraveling the neferious plow surround their first night together including navigating romantic parrings where everything is not as it seems.

The horror aspects of this book are absolutely gripping and kept me glued to the page. They way that Manning develops the identity of the cult that runs these retreats and accompanying wellness empire is so detailed that the cult becomes a character of its own. There is a constant sense of mystery when it comes to the antagonists where you never truly know who you can trust. Marlow becomes an absolute power house as she leads her friends down a path that anyone would be skeptical of.

My only critique is that the romance scenes between the FMC Marlow and MMC Damian felt somewhat hollow with any intimate scenes feeling rushed. The romance in this book feels more like a subplot or a plot device than something you would be rooting for. Overall this is a wonderful read but if you are looking for spicy romance know that it takes a sideline to the main plot.

The horror plot of this book is where it really shines this is a wonderful book to read as we go into spooky season!

[Amy]

Overflowing with quiet dread, Damiana uses its unsettling atmosphere to dredge up moments of terror amidst a secondary romance plot line.

The first part really pulls the reader in with its flirtation of the Dark unknown - you know there is something wrong (just like our main protagonist Marlowe feels) but can't quite put your finger on why, and this quiet unsettled nature carries you along for the majority of the book. I quite enjoyed this aspect of the book.

The romance subplot feels a bit rushed in how quickly they seem to fall for each other. With the primary happenings from the main plot, I just didn't really feel it and felt they were small jagged breaks within the rest of the story.

I do look forward to the next book in this series!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author Lilly Manning, and the publisher ARC provided by Xpresso Book Tours for giving me an eARC to read and review!

[Breezzy]

I saw this book advertised on Instagram looking for ARC readers, between the book cover and the description I decided I wanted to apply. I was accepted and followed the author on social media. The author is a doll. I recommend following.
Now on to the book, Damania is not at all what I expected. It takes a complicated lore and heavy witchcraft into the every day mundane world. It grabs four women who aren't sure of their futures and ties them together with no options but each other. Yes, it's a story of love and suspense but it's also about sisterhood in my opinion. If you're looking for smut, this isn't it. This has an immediate love but a slow burn romance that is depicted elegantly.
I would say that the author reminded me of reading Nora Roberts. None of the book was overly complicated or hard to follow. It was a pleasant read if you like soft horror.

[Lisa Groves]

I loved this book. Sinister and tense. A group of friends get invited to a very fancy retreat and end up with these amazing guys that are everything they're each looking for and wishing for in a man. I highly recommend if you like medium spice and high tension/mystery.

[Read Sip Snack]

Title: Damiana
Author: Lilly Manning
Genre: Horror
Rating: 4 stars

Review:
This book was a great way to start my month of Spooky Season reads. It is both what I thought it would be, but also not. And in the best way. Damian and Marlowe are a good couple, even when you spend a large chunk of the book second guessing Damian just as Marlowe is. The four women involved are good foils for each other, though I must admit I wanted to get to know the other three more. Marlowe is an interesting character, and I like the way that she deals with all the curveballs she’s been thrown. She does take everything seriously much faster than I expected, but then again, there’s a lot happening to her as well.

The secondary characters are also well done, especially Marlowe’s boss, Vivienne, who I regularly wanted to throw through a window. And the villains, The Mothers, are very cold, calculating monsters in their own right. What they are doing through the retreats is actually really disturbing when you think about it. They also remind me a little of AHS for some reason.

It was a great book, and if you are looking for a horror novel, I would definitely give this one a try!

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in advance!

[Zimbellina]

ARC REVIEW. Marlowe goes to an expensive retreat to find her twin flame but it turns into a nightmare.

I really enjoyed this book. I don’t usually read romances but this had plenty of horror in it so I loved it. The characters were great and I liked Marlowe and Damian. The ending was satisfying and a happy ending.

[Katie]

Damiana had me in a chokehold. If you liked Midsommar 🌸 you’ll love this book. The plot, atmosphere, and writing style were my favorites. The horror was a standout for me.

Particularly, 1)the first Sacred Flame ceremony at the beach and Marlowe feels something behind them, 2)when Marlowe is in the cave alone trying to be a big girl and 3)when Clemency and her pups says hello 😱 Very unsettling and creepy. I was fully disturbed in the best way. The sigils, cacao, and ancestral curse? Brilliant. Oh and the makeup products. Wow, so so messed up but fit the tone perfectly! I also really enjoyed the scenes with Branwen.

As far as the romance I wasn’t that invested. I just had a hard time trusting anything about Damian. Given his very recent background I just couldn’t see him in the way Marlowe did. The insta-love thing between the two main characters was kind of to be expected in this situation, however I didn’t necessarily buy it. I didn’t like that the woman was saving the man more or less.

I also wondered a lot about Marlowe and her story. I felt her character wasn’t fully developed but maybe that’s happening in the second book? Either way I’m very pleased with this book and so glad I read it!
Thank you so much to Lilly Manning for the early copy!!

[Joana]

3.2 stars

Recommended if you like: Midsommar, The Craft, Bunny, The Substance, The Witches of Thistle Grove, Practical Magic, cults, dark romance, new age spirituality, morally dubious love interest

Marlowe attends a wellness retreat that her socialite boss has semi-coerced her into going. A groundbreaking new age retreat that promised to help her - and three other women - find her twin flame. Marlowe has never really been the type to believe that sort of thing, but the ceremonies do leave her feeling quite strange, and curiously all four women find absolutely perfect men in no time. How strange.

I'm going to start this review with the things I liked the most, and then what didn't work quite as well for me.

I loved the premise and it kept me gripped to the book all the way through. A lot of moments I felt like I was right there alongside Marlowe, Callie, Priya and Jess for the journey - there was anxiety, fear, revulsion, determination and betrayal right along with them. I loved the idea of the retreat being simply a way to siphon life out of women to later sell as beauty treatments, a very incisive critique to the beauty industry and how it explores already vulnerable women (not so long ago, news came out of women from the West traveling to Asia to buy hair from impoverished Asian women).

I also liked the cast of characters. I loved the dynamics between the main girls, and I also loved Vivienne, she was an absolute bitch, but a very compelling character nonetheless. As for the male characters, I really liked Kai and his surfer vibe, but sometimes I struggled a little with Damian. I guess it makes sense since he has been through a lot, but I sometimes felt like he was a little too emo.

As for what I didn't enjoy as much, I'd say that my main gripe with this book was often the dialogue, especially between Marlowe and Damian. Everything felt either too surface-level or overly flowery, and that also didn't help with really making me feel the romance between them. 8 out of 10 times I found that actions spoke much louder than words when it came to the portrayal of their relationship.

But aside from that, I thought that this was a solid book, with a very creative premise (sometimes I just wished that the author would push it a little further) and a very interesting world building that seemed to be very well researched into actual magical practices (stuff like the nails and the salt, for example).

Thank you Lilly Manning and Book Sirens for the chance to read this ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Heather]

I didn’t quite know what to expect when I picked up Damiana by Lilly Manning. It begins with Marlowe attending a retreat that promises women it will help them find their twin flame. What they really encountered was a covenant that built a cult around a demonic entity that feeds on their clients. Marlowe and her 3 female companions whom she met at the retreat - Jess, Priya, and Callie – must fight against this evil if they wish to stay alive.

This novel just really wasn’t for me. I’m not a big fan of reading books that involve cults to start, so this one having a cult as the main focus didn’t really help draw me in. I also just did not buy the insta-love that Marlowe felt for Damian. Their desire for each other and interactions/dialogue always felt a bit on the forced side, leading me to believe this really was more due to the workings of the covenant. By the time I hit the halfway point, I just wanted the novel to be over; I couldn’t imagine why I still had the second half of the book to go instead of a few more chapters. The writing itself was very smooth, and Lilly Manning does an excellent job at describing the surroundings and characters. Plus, the atmosphere had a good creepy vibe that I would imagine being present with a cult.

This just wasn’t the right book for me, and I will not continue with the series. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Queen of Nothing At All]

2.75 STARS

Damiana had real promise. The coven dynamics pulled me in right away, and the opening chapters had a genuine grip to them that made we want to keep reading. The ritual lore was easily the highlight of the book for me, atmospheric and distinct, though I found myself wishing there was simply more of it. Just as the world started to deepen, it would pull back.

That pattern held for the book as a whole. The characters felt more sketched than built, and I never quite got the depth of interiority I wanted from them. A lot of the worldbuilding and plot mechanics were explained in ways that felt rushed or underdeveloped, leaving me re-reading passages to piece together what was actually happening. With a longer runtime and more room to breathe, especially for character development and exposition, this could have been something special.

As it stands, it's a book with a strong premise and some genuinely compelling ingredients that needed more space to come together.

(Received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)

[Tahlia]

DNFed at 40%
The premise sounded really interesting and I was enjoying the book to begin with. But as I kept reading it went really downhill.
The writing style was very heavy handed with the author frequently reminding the reader that bad stuff is going to happen.
I also hated the instalove between the main characters. And the “big secret” was revealed super early on in a massive info dump which ruined the mystery aspect of wondering what’s really going on with this retreat.
This could have been a really good book if the romance developed more slowly and there was more build up to the big reveal. With everything happening so early on, I lost motivation to keep reading.

Thank you to Netgalley and Xpresso Book Tours for giving me an eARC to review.

[Victoria]

Weird little spooky read, good for October. Loved the friend group and the chemistry between the Damian & Mar. Wasn't a fan of the length of the book. The story started dragging at about the 40% mark and I really struggled to finish. It picked back up in the end and wrapped up well. Not huge fan of the instant connection between those two because he was allllll the red flags and she picked up on all of them which way so confusing. I thought he had some evil plans up his sleeve. So icky... but the chemistry was done well enough that I dropped the ick. Overall, creepy and way different than anything I've read before.

Thank you Net Galley and publisher for the chance to read this ARC copy!

[Charlotte]

Thankyou to NetGalley for this opportunity!
I was obsessed with the premise of this book- twin flames, covens and a little spice? Yes please!
However, as much as I enjoyed it- I wish it was ALOT darker 🥀
I personally feel as though a lot was left unexplained in the book, and the author only skimmed over a few factors that could have been amazing if dug a little deeper!