Dearly Departed by May & Savage – A Second Look Review

Posted February 8, 2021 by Booksandblurbs in Fantasy, Reverse Harem, Reviews / 0 Comments

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Dearly Departed

(Afterworld Academy – Book One)

by Katie May & Loxley Savage
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Medium Burn, Fantasy RH, Academy
Available on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited

Down & Dirty

A great start to an exciting and action packed Academy RH! These Queens of the RH genre know how to twist a word, and this book shows it. Free on Kindle Unlimited!

What is it about?

(Blurb from GoodReads)

All great stories start with a death.

In this case, it’s my own.

Instead of the pearly white gates and yellow brick road leading me to Heaven, my soul is chosen to join Afterworld Academy – an exclusive boarding school to train selected souls on how to manage the Afterlife.

Ghosts, Demons, Reapers, and Angels.

Classes on how to fly. Studies on the proper way to select souls. Weaponry. Premonition. Oh, and field trips to Hell.

Sounds peachy, right?

When souls turn up dead, I must work with my four sexy-as-sin mentors to uncover the truth of my new reality.

Things are about to take a deadly turn.

Welcome to Afterworld Academy where the price of admission…is your life.

From the Publisher

Dearly Departed is book one of a four book series by bestselling authors, Loxley Savage and Katie May. This is a reverse harem romance meaning that the main character won’t have to choose between her love interests. This is medium-burn and does contain strong language and sexual themes. Oh, and death. Lots and lots of death. Book one will end in a cliffhanger.

Note from the Authors

The main character does pass away from cancer (which is how she ends up in the Afterworld Academy). Please keep this in mind while reading, especially if that may be triggering to you. We would love for you to read our book, but we want you to take care of yourself.

Thoughts on Dearly Departed

I’ve been hedging away from the academy reads lately, mainly because there are so many out there right now! This one, however, slipped through my culling – and thankfully so. Katie May and Loxley Savage make one hell of a pair, creating a world and universe just beyond the edges of reality and death, infusing it with love, lust, action and mystery.

I was both giggling and smiling through much of this, especially when the relationships between her mentors is revealed. There are mysteries aplenty to be discovered.

I suppose life after death is far from peaceful, at least for these chosen few.

Favorite Lines

It’s funny how when you’re dying, people finally start noticing you. (8%)

“Oh.” My lips curl down. “Well, I had at least three more monologues planned and a grand finale musical number. I didn’t expect you to apologize so easily.” (17%)

“Get some balls,” I murmur to myself before pausing. “Get some pussy,” I correct, because let’s face it, pussies are so much more badass than balls. The epitome of strength right there. (77%)

Pros:

World building!
Good use of multiple POV.
The guys connection and disdain is perfect, though we are still not 100% sure just why yet.
Great FMC. She truly lives, even when dead.

Cons:

Foreshadowing is dropped more like bombs throughout, not the subtle hints I would expect.

Perspective

First Person, Multiple POV

Ending Type

Cliffhanger

Rating

NC-17

Romantic Dynamic

MMMMF

Character Age Range

20+ …. but they are dead, so…. yeah.

Verdict

Fast paced and unique, Dearly Departed is an Academy Read unlike any other. Death, reapers, angels, demons and ghosts… it’s all here. I would definitely recommend this to any and all fans of Reverse Harem reads, Academy Adventures and those who like their romance with a touch of darkness… but just a touch.

Dearly Departed

Published September 12th, 2019
288 Pages

If you enjoyed this second look review of Dearly Departed, please consider checking out a few of my other articles.

Your Turn

What are you reading today? Have you read this yet? How about other books by Katie May or Loxley Savage? Both are such talented authors with ever expanding catalogues – do you have a favorite? Leave a comment, I would love to talk!