Mere Flesh is an Edwardian Romantasy novel, written by Catherine Labadie. A demon summoning romance story that is not only fun and steamy, but also includes a cautionary tale about power craving and desire, a cast of secondary characters that often steals the spotlight from Wynnifred, and a lush prose that makes this an excellent read.

Wynnifred Treloar has everything she needs to succeed as occultist under oath to the king and the country, and to fulfill society's expectations marrying an influential but tame man; however, she craves for the power and influence that is withheld from her due to who she is. Sacrificing parts of her body, and against the rules, she summons a demonic entity; overconfident, she soon will discover that this was more complicated than she thought, and bidding for the power she craves will also come with extra steps, including a dangerous attraction to the demon.

A story that moves pretty much with the vibes, but which especially shines with how developed the characters are, leading to great interactions. Wynnifred itself is not a heroine, but neither a villain; she craves to break the shackles of society, and gambles to gain control over a power whose nature is not sure, but also we can see how she's also has vulnerable moments. At some points, you end rooting for the demon, as Wynnifred can look as selfish, but honestly, the dynamic between this pair is extremely entertaining; and the more we get to know Wynnifred's friends, the more they want to steal the spotlight, especially Eglantine, who quietly became my favourite character. Relationships between our characters only grow to be more complex, leading to a free-for-all dynamic.

The prose is sharp and lush, flowing without effort through the pages; you can expect a certain amount of spice as it is tied to the genre, with Labadie doing a great job with the steam (iykyk). The setting is intentionally vague, but with enough detailing to infer a classic society where women are in an inferior strata; the magic is interesting, but without overwhelming you in details (and honestly, the demonic omens are probably a highlight in watering the rich people's party). With the pacing it has, you eventually devour this book.

Mere Flesh is an excellent Romantasy novel, fun but also steamy, perfect if you are looking for a read for St. Valentine; flawed rich people having problems because they cannot grasp the complexity of what they are trying to do.