Screwed by CD Reiss

A Sentient Object Romance novella

I requested an early copy to review. This does not affect my rating. This post contains affiliate links.

I saw Screwed: A Sentient Object Romance in my feed and requested it immediately because it sounded like ridiculous fun. I’m not a regular CD Reiss reader since morally grey characters aren’t usually my thing, but I’ve known her for over 12 years, so I was excited to read something different and more playful from her.

Screwed wasn’t what I expected. I thought it would be completely over-the-top and absurd, but it surprised me. There was an actual plot—one I didn’t expect to get into as much as I did.

If you’ve read paranormal or fantasy romance before, this isn’t that far off. Sophia and her friend Tonya run a construction company that Sophia inherited from her father, along with all his old tools. Those tools mean a lot to her—not just because they were his, but because they’ve always felt right in her hands.

What she doesn’t know is that one of those tools, her screwdriver, used to be a man. Cursed by a demon, he’s been trapped in that form for years. When a bug-like demon tells him the only way to become human again is to get consent to be used as a sex toy, he does what he has to—mainly because he needs to warn Sophia that one of her clients is dangerous.

I had so much fun reading Screwed. It wasn’t as ridiculous as I expected, but it still made me smile. I think that’s because you can really feel how much fun CD Reiss had writing it. The story also had more depth than I anticipated, with a surprisingly twisty plot that even involved the mob. My favorite part was the tool’s inner dialogue.

“Don’t make me chase. I like it too much.”
All I can think about is how hard she’s going to have to thrust me to cut past his eyelid to fully pierce the eye.
“Thanks. I’m so sorry. But really. I have to go.”

There’s a staring contest. She puts her thumb right at the top of my handle. Good girl. That’ll keep the handle from slipping when my flathead hits the back wall of his eye socket.

The next book is Leveled. I can kind of wrap my head around a screwdriver handle being used as a toy, but a level? I can’t wait to see what CD does with that.

If you’re in the mood for something short, spicy, and totally unique—a romance with a talking tool (literally) that somehow works—Screwed by CD Reiss is the silly little escape you didn’t know you needed.