Loving and Loathing Vegas

by Lex Chase

Jackson has loved Vegas since God created Man—literally. As demonic incubi hailing from the Seventh Circle of Hell, Jackson and Vegas have never been anything more than roommates. Now living among humans, they run Eaven, a TripAdvisor-recommended detour-worthy diner famous for its devilishly decadent pies. Business is dead on the holidays, and Jackson will gleefully stab himself with a spatula if he has to clean spotless pots and pans one more time.

For fun—or torture—Vegas makes him a bet that should Jackson win, they take a much-needed vacation. Should he lose, he’s doomed to clean out grease traps for all eternity. When the challenge is to fall in love with other people by Christmas, it proves Vegas isn’t the least bit interested. But when they find an abandoned baby in the trash, she could be the Christmas miracle to warm Jackson’s cynical heart.

A story from the Dreamspinner Press 2015 Advent Calendar package "Sleigh Ride".

Genres: M M Romance, Paranormal, Christmas, Holiday, Romance, Short Stories, Gay

62 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 2015

About the author

Lex Chase once heard Stephen King say in a commercial, “We’re all going to die, I’m just trying to make it a little more interesting.” Now, she’s on a mission to make the world a hell of a lot more interesting.

Weaving tales of cinematic, sweeping adventure—and depending on how she feels that day—Lex sprinkles in high-speed chases, shower scenes, and more explosions than a Hollywood blockbuster. Her pride is in telling stories of men who kiss as much as they kick ass. If you’re going to march into the depths of hell, it better be beside the one you love.

Lex is a pop culture diva, her DVR is constantly backlogged, she has intense emotions about Hannibal’s Hannigram, and unapologetically loved the ending of Lost. She wouldn’t last five minutes without technology in the event of the apocalypse and has nightmares about refusing to leave her cats behind.

She is grateful for and humbled by all the readers. She knows very well she wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them and welcomes feedback.

You can find her on those Facebook and Twitter things at:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LXChase
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Lex_Chase

Find her blog at http://lexchase.com

Reviews

[Heather K (dentist in my spare time)]

A cute story about two sex demons falling in love...while working at a diner...

This was not your typical holiday story (in fact, it barely felt holiday enough for the Advent Calendar collection), but I think that Lex Chase did a nice job with it.

Basically, the plot is about two incubi who both have had other boyfriends off and on for centuries but haven't made the moves on each other. It takes an abandoned baby, lots of sexual tension, and some healthy competition to make these demons see what's right in front of their faces.

While the story was well-written and easy to read, I had some niggles that detracted a bit from my experience. The novella uses miscommunications as a main element of the plot, which is one of my least favorite plot devices. If these guys just talked frankly to each other, it would have all been SOOO easy! I also didn't get the whole side story with Cillian and his ex. What was the deal there?

Lastly, the guys find a newborn baby (so they say, but they then describe her as cooing and babbling, so obviously the baby is closer to 1), and they start off feeding her pears mashed up?? Milk, boys, milk! Or formula! For a baby described as a newborn, to give her solids... I was like wha??? I know that seems minor but the inconsistencies with the baby just bugged me.

Overall, this was a cute paranormal story with a hot sex scene at the end of it. Despite my small issues, I was pretty pleased with this one.

**Copy provided in exchange for an honest review**

[Serena Yates]

Okay, I’ll admit it: this story had me intrigued from the moment I read the blurb. Two demons, incubi no less, from the seventh circle of hell, have settled on Earth, run a diner together in a town “even Google Maps can’t find”, and are roommates. Oh, and the diner is well known for its “devilishly decadent pies”. Jackson is the one who tells the story, and he has been secretly in love with Vegas for – a very, very long time. I had my suspicions about Vegas as well…

They have a bet going to fall in love by Christmas. If Jackson wins, Vegas will agree to close the diner for holidays and taking a vacation – not something he is a fan of. If Vegas wins, Jackson will have to clean out grease traps for eternity. And if that wasn’t enough excitement, they find a baby girl in the trash who only stops crying in Jacksons arms, and their slightly new-age-y sort-of friend, whom Jackson suspects to be in love with Vegas and vice versa, comes to work at the diner part-time. Between desperately finding a date he can fall in love with, figuring out how to take care of a baby girl and being upset that Vegas won’t see him for anyone other than a roommate, Jackson sure has his hands full.

Written with a great sense of humor, some demonic subterfuge, and more than one unexpected twist, this is an absolutely wonderful story. It may not contain any “traditional Christmas spirit” in the stricter sense of the definition, but it sure has its moments!

If you like tongue-in-cheek stories, if you’re a fan of demons finding a new purpose outside their hellish origins, and if you’re looking for a read that is funny, extremely hot, and full of quirky characters who do the unexpected, then you will probably like this novella as much as I did. I’m still laughing.


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.

[Ann]

There were parts of this story I really enjoyed reading and then there were parts I was distracted by. I was into it and then I was out of it. I think I finally figured out that it was just too many things going on for me in a short story. Not many of the plot points felt completely fleshed out so I was all over the place with this one.

I loved Jackson, but didn't really get a handle on Vegas. The whole baby thing was really cute and I loved how it played out. The dragged out misunderstanding about the hippy dude, his "boyfriend" and the relationship he had with Vegas was unnecessary to me and muddied up the connection between Jackson and Vegas. I would have loved to have had that page time go to interaction between the two MC's instead so I could have loved the ending harder. The characters were strong enough to stand on their own for me so more of them together would have been most welcome.

[Christy]

Oh, what could possibly be better than a holiday story filled with demonic incubi, lust, boredom, a challenge, and a baby? You can see why I jumped at the chance to read Lex Chase's contribution to Dreamspinner Press's 2015 Advent Calendar. I needed some bad boys with a hint of vulnerability.

Vegas has gone soft. At least, that's Jackson's opinion, since they've been living among the humans. What kind of incubi makes a vow of celibacy? Why do they have to keep their diner, Eaven, open every holiday when they never have customers in their tiny little one-light town, just so they can suffer like Sisyphus. Vegas makes a bet that they each have to find a date and fall in love by Christmas. If Jackson wins, they close the diner every holiday, even the quirky ones like Arbor Day. If Vegas wins, they'll still close the diner, but Jackson has to clean the grease traps. Yuck.

The bet is agreed on when Vegas finds a baby girl in a fuzzy pink blanket in the trash by the dumpster. Oh, that scene was hilarious, as are all of them as they try to figure out how to care for a baby. The really strange thing? The baby doesn't like Vegas, but loves Jackson. Everyone loves Vegas. The stray cats, baby bunnies, everyone. And Jackson can't stand anything that wiggles, spits, smells, or makes noise. Huh.

Now this was my idea of a holiday novella! I love the twists and turns the author took. And the ending was perfect! Thank you, Lex!

NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews

[Mike]

Demonic friends-to-lovers story wrapped in otherworldly, baby-riffic style

This intriguing story is difficult for me to rate. The premise of two incubbi (sex demons) having a contest to fall in love over the holidays is enticing as all, well, Hell. The plot reads much more like a standard friends-to-lovers romance (a sex demon desperate to use Grindr?), with just enough otherworldly elements to draw a bit here and there on their demonic heritage.

Five stars for the premise and occasional allusions to the divine/infernal, 3.5 stars for the decent story and writing, all rounded to four stars for the cherubic baby.

[Alisa]

3.5 stars

I liked this "outside the box" Christmas story of two incubus demons who are best friends and who have a bet as to who can find love before Christmas. Their plans go awry when they find a baby in the trashcan behind their restaurant. This short story was funny, sweet and sexy. A nice mix/

[Shandra]

Funny: overall, the largest thing I took away from Loving and Loathing Vegas by Lex Chase was the whole piece was funny. I did laugh more than once reading it. The plot is designed to be simple, amusing, and heartfelt in spite of the fact the two male protagonists are both technically damned to Hell. The baby made me giggle obscenely because I know exactly what it's like to try to work while tending an infant; the spaced-out New Age guy with mysterious Road Trip guy made for excellent side characters. As a short piece, I did enjoy it though I think I'd have needed a lot more to really invest in the world-building done.

[Love Bytes Reviews]

3 Heart Review by Sid Love

Disclaimer – I have tried not to include any spoilers in my review. However, some minor spoilers may be included and without mentioning them, the review would have been incomplete, according to me. Consider yourself warned.

I have a completely bad habit when it comes to picking books to read. I do NOT read blurbs at all and even if I do, I read it partially and if something about it catches my eye, it goes on my to-read list. With this book, it was the word Vegas that sealed the deal for me and for reasons I need not explain, I thought it was about a holiday in Vegas. I mean come on – how can you focus on anything else other than Vegas?

But mostly because of this habit, I have stumbled upon some really good books in the past – some that I wouldn’t have read otherwise – and this one right here was definitely an entertaining read!

Now that I have read the blurb, I think it does a decent job of summing up the story. We are introduced to the main characters Jackson and Vegas working in their restaurant and have no real work other than cleaning and re-cleaning the place. It’s Thanksgiving after all, and in a small town like Tezcatlipoca (YAY! I remembered!), people prefer being with their families rather than eating out. Jackson is really annoyed with his friend-slash-roommate-slash-all time crush for insisting that they still keep the place open. So when Vegas suggests playing a bet where – if Jackson won – he would not only agree to close down the place on every US holidays but also take a vacation on those holidays to places Jackson wants to go. All he has to do is fall in love with others. Pretty simple, right? Yeah?

Nope… not when you’ve had this big crush on your roommate for years and when I mean years… I mean years like centuries! You get the hint, this is not just a romantic story of two ordinary guys. And to add to the equation, there’s an abandoned baby they find in their trash.

This was totally my kind of story because of the supernatural element attached to it and the stories with incubus and succubus have always fascinated me. So finding out that the main characters are both incubi, the demons who are equivalent to a bottle of Viagra (see why I love them?!) and they are on Earth laying low amongst humans. Secondly, there was a baby in this one and we get to see how the little creature changes their lives completely. And Lex has written the baby and its tantrums so adorably that I went ‘aww!’ every single time I read a scene with the baby in it.

I loved Jackson’s personal growth as a character that the author showcased throughout the story. LLV is told from his POV and I enjoyed this journey with him. The author beautifully described Vegas from Jackson’s eyes and I was literally drooling over him. The built up to the climax was seriously hot – at least I thought so and I was expecting the sex sirens to go off all over the place.

However, it was disappointing to see my expectations let down. It was like a firework that crackled at the beginning but never reached the end of the sky. Let me clear it up – the sex was really good between the guys, but the problem with it was that it was too ordinary. Extra-ordinary for two human characters, yea, but too simple for two incubi. Maybe I was expecting too much, but that’s because I have read some great sex scenes between supernatural characters and comparatively, this fell short.

The characters as incubi remained mostly mysterious. The concept of incubus is really very interesting to me and I wanted to know more about stuff like how they’d found the vessels they had possessed or why Vegas would stop having sex, considering it would be so hard for him. I liked to think it was because he loved Jackson a lot, but then I wanted to know why suddenly he’d do so after dating several boyfriends (as per Jackson).

Even if I ignored all of that and the points in between the story I was left confused, I can’t ignore how the bet between them was quite vaguely discussed and I found it a bit silly how it ended. Okay, I was totally expecting something else but what we get doesn’t make sense considering what Vegas had initially talked about. Since the whole story depended on this bet, I personally feel the author should have given the readers a bit more details.

Still, for a short story, this ended up entertaining me for the most part and the author has some really good skills when it comes to describing a scene, a character and the surroundings. And for sure, you’ll definitely fall in love with the baby if not with the MCs!

This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.

[Katherine]

How do two incubi start up a relationship? With a lot of confusion.

This was a cute story, where you could see from the start that the two could well and easily match together if they talk- but they aren't willing to actually do 'The Talk'. Throw in a baby and learning to live and love for another person and this is amusing and sweet in its short little run.

[ItsAboutTheBook]

Review can be read at It's About The Book

This was the longest of the Holiday stories from the DSP advent calendar that I read this year. It was also very different from the others. It’s about two incubus who own a diner together and one has a thing for the other. I thought this one was well written and fun to read. As usual this author wrote some quirky characters. I’d say it was pretty light on the Christmas theme but good none the less.

Jackson followed Vegas to diner in the middle of nowhere named Eaven because he secretly wants more than just friendship from his best friend. The only thing that seems to get people to take the exit to the diner is that Vegas makes excellent pies. Pies that are detour-worthy. Despite being dead almost every holiday Vegas keeps the store open. Jackson’s whining and boredom lead to Vegas making a bet with him. The winner has to find love by Christmas. Jackson doesn’t know how but he’s determined to win. Then fate throws him another curve ball when they find a baby in the dumpster behind the diner. AND the baby hates Vegas but loves Jackson.

I liked this story. The characters were a lot of fun. I feel like I got to know them pretty well. Mostly Jackson since the story is told from his POV. He secretly pines for Vegas while being determined to win the bet. There’s also a weird hippy trippy shop owner who keeps hanging around that Jackson thinks has eyes for Vegas. Jackson’s opinion of him is pretty funny which gives us some of the funniest lines of the book. I laughed out loud at the “Moonbeam Rainbow-whatsit” line and it certainly seemed to fit. This story was also one of the naughtier Christmas stories I read in this advent Calendar. Again not something I’ve come to expect from this author. Guess that’s what I get for assuming! I think the only thing that niggled me was that a sheriff would go out of town for a month. BUT it’s a story about incubus so I just rolled with it. I also love the cover!

[Nik]

Reviewed on The Blogger Girls.

Jackson’s been in love with his best friend for so long he’s followed him to a tiny backwater town and agreed to open a diner so Vegas could be a chef. Unfortunately, Vegas doesn’t see him as anything more than a friend so while the diner is dead for the holidays, Vegas proposes a bet that they have to fall in love in a month. But when they find a baby in the dumpster, their lives may just be changed forever.

I absolutely ADORED this book! I found Vegas’ bet about finding love in a month very amusing and really liked that Jackson was so jealous of Vegas being with someone else. What I really loved, though, is the little baby. It was so funny how she cried anytime Vegas tried to hold her or when the situation would get in the way of Jackson and Vegas getting together. My only issue is that I was really confused in the beginning. I felt like I was dropped right in the middle of a story so I didn’t understand some of the things they talked about when it related to their nature.

All in all, though, I loved this story. It was cute, fun and a quick read. I loved Jackson and Vegas as characters and really hope the author considers writing more about them in the future because I feel like there’s so much more potential left in them!

[Monika]

In lieu of writing reviews – I’m taking an extended break – I decided to leave this list showing the reasons for the stars I’ve given to the stories I’ve read.

5 Stars – Given to stories that had me falling in love with the characters, had me so engaged in the plot I couldn’t put the book down and stories that either made me cry buckets and/or laugh until I cried.
4 Stars– Given to stories that I REALLY enjoyed reading but had me wishing for just a bit more.
3 Stars – Given to stories that I thought were worth the read but they didn’t knock my socks off.
2 Stars – Given to stories that didn’t work for me. I couldn’t connect to the MCs or feel any sort of connection between them. I couldn’t follow the plot or there wasn’t a plot. Every so often one of these stories just needs work to fix what went wrong but mostly 2 star reads are stories that leave me wondering why I kept reading until the end.
1 Star - I RARELY give out 1 Star so when I do it means the story was a complete train wreck.

I know what I may love another reader may wonder what the hell I was thinking and vise versa but I’m okay with that!

[Kara]

So let me start this review off by saying this was such a hot Holiday short story about two demons who finally admit to their feelings for each other! I really did not want this one to end, it was just so damn good!!!

Jackson is a incubi along with his friend Vegas.. They have both known each other forever! They also own a diner together which is in a very small town.
Well they both make a bet with each other that the other would not be able to find a someone to fall in love with before Christmas. Little to Jackson know what was really going on with Vegas or Jackson realizing just how hard the thought of Vegas with someone beside him in is life.

Now when these two finally admit their feelings it was honestly just so damn hot!! Then there was the baby added to the mix which was so cute!

All together I thought this was such a cute Holiday story and I loved it!
I would definitely recommend this story!

I received this book free in exchange for an honest review from Inked Rainbow Reads.

[Joyfully Jay]

A Joyfully Jay review.

4.25 stars

This story is too cute and completely unique. I would not have thought incubi in the sense of the holiday season (unless it’s Valentine’s Day, then bring on the lust demons), but here they really work. Chase brings out a new world of the absurd, including making a level of hell urban and hilarious. The characters and personalities in this story are fantastic—including Jeshebet. Jackson’s journey from selfish demon with a long-time crush to selfless demon who wants to be a father is what this story is about. Although I’m a little sad we didn’t get to learn where Jeshebet truly came from, but that’s my only sad. Otherwise, this story is funny, sweet, and adorable. Definitely a winter winner.

Read Crissy’s review in its entirety here.

[Alison]

As you would expect from a Christmas story, “Loving and Loathing Vegas” is sweet. However, due to a twist or two, and the tiny details thrown in by the author, it is also fun. Vegas and Jackson are incubi run one of the two diners in their tiny town. Even though the town shuts down completely for the holidays at the end of the year, Vegas insists on the diner being open. This year, as always, no customers walk through the door, and the only thing that livens the day up at all is the bet Vegas suggests. A bet that Jackson all but forgets when he and Vegas discover a baby among the trash in the alley.

“Loving and Loathing Vegas” was an entertaining read that fits perfectly into the Holidays with a Paranormal Twist section. I’d love a second story from the town (no, I won’t tell you who it would be about).

It has been quite some time since I last read any of Lex Chase’s work, so I don’t really remember my impressions at the time, but this one was a good way to spend the time.

[Lynnette Hartwig]

I have never been much of the fantasy/demon type of story but this was surprising good. I think after reading the types of stories that I’ve read in Dreamspinner’s Advent Calendar series I’m definitely going to be looking into different type of books that I’ve been reading. I mean a story about two demon’s falling in love. Yet it was excellent for a short story. This was definitely different type of Christmas story but it worked. There were some problems with it but I was able to overlook those and just enjoy reading the story.

I received a free copy of this book to read for Inked Rainbow Reads in exchange for an honest review.

[⚣Michaelle⚣]

4.3 Stars

Why the hell is this rated so low? I laughed my ass off for more than two-thirds of it, and the explosive sex was more than enough payoff for that slow-burn/cock-tease UST. Plus, who doesn't love the idea of sex demons making pie & slinging burgers in the middle of nowhere with alien friends while raising an angel baby? The WTFery of all that was just off the charts...but not so ridiculous given the whole of it.

Plus, sex in the walk-in. Ah, memories. Good times. Good times.

[Ariel]

This was super cute! Vegas and Jackson make a bet to fall in love with someone by Christmas but when they find a baby abandoned outside their diner things get a little complicated. It's hard to find a date when you're carting around an infant...

Jackson and Vegas are incubus demons which of course means hot sex lol Add in some humor and a cute plot and you have me sold!

4 Stars

[Lissa]

This was a cute little story about two incubi who find a baby abandoned in a dumpster behind their restaurant, Eaven (the "H" is burned out ;) ). Jackson has been in love and lust with his best friend, Vegas, for a long time, but Vegas only sees him as a friend and roommate. Or so he thinks. But it's Christmas, and maybe a miracle can even happen for two demons. ;)

[Suze]

I liked this funny, steamy tale of two incubi dealing with living as humans, raising a foundling baby and dealing with the holidays.
I thought the addition of the baby was genius (as well as smelly) and I liked the twist with her at the end.

[Secretly Reading]

Quirky, fun, but still erotic little read.

[Theodora IK]

About 4.5 stars from me. Mostly, it made me hungry for pies. The end of sex scene is kind of funny. When two incubi are involved, seems like nothing is too outrageous

[Kira]

loved it!!!

[Sylvia]

An entertaining Demon Holiday story ♡