When The Dead Have It Easy by B.L. Brunnemer – A Book Review

Posted April 28, 2019 by Booksandblurbs in NA, PNR, Reverse Harem, Reviews / 1 Comment

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When The Dead Have It Easy

(The Veil Diaries – Book 7)

by B.L. Brunnemer
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

NA Slow Burn Paranormal RH

Available on Kindle

Down and Dirty

If you haven’t jumped on The Veil Diaries wagon yet…. do it. Just do it.

What is it about?

(Blurb from GoodReads)

***Disclaimer:*** The Veil Diaries is turning into New Adult from this book on. Which means I recommend the 18+ age group. Adult situations, graphic descriptions, and foul language will be in the books.

My name is Alexis, Lexie to most everyone. And I’m a Necromancer. It’s not as much fun as it sounds but that’s not the problem this time. I haven’t seen anyone but Miles in the last month since New Orleans. Talking on the phone? Yeah. Well, except for Zeke. A few text messages was all I’ve gotten. Until now.
We’re going on the guys’ yearly climbing and camping trip. With all of our secrets out, the tension between everyone is high. Everyone is pissed at each other and I’m just trying to keep my head above water.
But it’s time for a decision. Who am I going to be with? Will I end up with anyone? Will our family stay together?

Thoughts

There is something about this series that just sucks you in and keeps you invested. Sure, there is a slight immaturity to some of it…. but the characters are young. That immaturity reminds me of when I was 17/18 and the world was so big and issues were so hard…. not supernaturally hard, but emotionally devastating and so bloody important. This speaks to that undercurrent, coaxes it out and whispers of things most of us have forgotten, or were never blessed enough to have. Add in the paranormal element and this series gains even more traction, growing teeth and spine with a plot that will carry it for the long term.

As one of the first RH collections to hit my interest, I have followed this series since I first had it recommended to me last year. I have watched these characters grow and thrive, struggle and overcome – and each book just draws me in a little closer. It’s the kind of narrative that keeps you up mulling theories and contemplating outcomes, all while throwing foreshadowing that may (or may NOT) be important later.

It’s a conundrum, and it’s beautiful.

I spent the last few days rereading the first 6 books in order to be prepared for book 7, finding the threads I had lost while rediscovering the flaws I had forgotten. And there ARE issues. This is far from a perfect series. Some books have minor editing issues, while some decisions or reactions make me shudder…. but that could be my age and experience. Again, note the ages of these characters – between 17 and 18. Brunnemer is the kind of author that actually presents this age like it is – with astounding maturity surrounded by devastating naivety. Maybe that is the subtle beauty of this series? You are reminded of what you were, while still encouraged to love and enjoy where THEY are.

I could wax eloquent for many more paragraphs here, but I won’t. If you want to delve deeper into the hows, whys, and what nots of this complex and weaving tale, venture over to the FB Group page. JUST DON’T POST SPOILERS ON THE MAIN PAGE! There is a spoiler event for that. You can also find different POV’s that round out the narrative, along with information about future publications.

Perspective

First Person, Multiple POV

Ending Type

HFN but still a cliffhanger… yeah, you’ll have to read it to understand.

Rating

Supposedly this is now a NA series, but I am still calling this a PG-13 installment. Then again, I could be REALLY off on what that rating constitutes. Here we have mild second base, some kissing and plenty of crude language.

Pros:

Great use of multiple POV, we NEED those insights!
Each Character is completely different and comes alive on the page.
Tid-bits of the meta plot are interwoven through an emotionally driven narrative, condensing book 7 into the span of a week….. over a camping trip.
New Character developments and growth.
Foreshadowing is sublime. Book 8 (in July??) is going to be amazing.
Warnings that this book is NA should be acknowledged with the appropriate nod, but please note there is no sex in this book. It is an ultra slow burn series, after all.

Cons:

Just some reactions…. plain silly. It’s the characters though.

Verdict

4.5 out of 5 Stars

This is a GREAT series, and wonderful 7th installment. No matter your age or usual genre, this will be worth your time. Please note, only book 1 is currently available on KU.

Published April 27th, 2019

380 Pages

Please note, this is a slow-burn Reverse Harem that MAY feature sexual themes or scenes (in future books) more appropriate to older audiences.