Danan, Rosie. Do Your Worst. Berkley, 2023. 336pp. ISBN 9780593437148 $17.00

****1/2

This is the paranormal, historical, set-in-Scotland, hate-sex-having romance novel you didn’t know you needed. Curse-breaker Riley butts heads with academic archaeologist Clark Scotland over, well, EVERYTHING. Their first meeting at a pub is all chemistry and sweetness, but when Riley overhears Clark dissing her profession the next morning when she shows up on location to start her job, she discovers the hottie from last night is the one insulting her, and the dude the the historical association sent to do some due diligence excavation.

While I do occasionally branch out and read witchy/occult romance, curse-breaking is a new profession for me to see featured in romance (give a listen to the Somewhere In Between episode of Book Riot’s When in Romance podcast for a great discussion of occupations they’d like to see in romance novels –oy vey, so many bakeries and bookshops!). Do Your Worst features amazing, researched, and believable details about curse-breaking, and I loved the concept of the curse having a life of it’s own. Riley totally employs the scientific method in her work. In addition to the romance, family relationships are complicated and resolutions attempted, demonstrating true, realistic character growth.

Things to love about Rosie Danan’s superb writing: feisty, unapologetic heroines; broadly-defined sex; pop culture references; boundary-setting; love for Philadelphia, PA; snarky humor and great banter; addressing vulnerabilities; all the gory details; a 10-page description of the MMC jerking off while thinking about the FMC…

I don’t want to give too much away, so will leave you with this: if you love Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Season 2 Episode 19 “I Only Have Eyes for You” was in fact directly referenced) or Outlander (book or show) for their particular winning blend of occult, history, methodical and detailed science, and herbalism/magic, this is a great novel for you to pick up. It hard a bit of slow start for me, and I ended up devouring it over two days.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #DoYourWorst from #NetGalley.