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. … 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.
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 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.
more
I really liked the book, but I despised the ending. This is interesting and has good characters. The reverse harem thing barely gets started before its ended.
I am no fan of cliffhanger endings.
Dearly departed Katie May Loxley Savage
Funny
Snarky badass FMC
Cancer
Fated Mates
Dick count 4
Trigger for cancer death
This book cracked me up!! It’s so exciting and the diversity of the guys was amazing!! Hadley was an amazing FMC!! That cliffhanger killed me.
#SASBOOKREVIEWS
A laugh out of out loud read. Lots of sexual jokes and innuendo. You fall for all four of the guys. Each one has a different aspect to like. I can’t wait to see what happens next. Her roommate needs more booktime.
I picked up the book because I couldn’t find anything else that captures my attention, and this definitely did the trick! You want to be Hadley because not only is she a bad maamajama but she has four sexy guys that add even more entice to the story. So buckle up and read it, you won’t be disappointed!
Couldn’t put this book down. In fact, I read it twice in a row just because I was so bummed I don’t have the sequel in my hands yet.
Katie May and Loxley Savage are two of my favorite authors, and this book will now go down in my reverse harem/Academy Hall of Fame.
I would put it among my top 20 favorite books now. Seriously.
Anyway, enough gushing, here’s why I liked it:
The main character is just downright awesome. Her personality is very relatable for me, even though she is…well, a bit tempestuous.
She went through a hell of an experience in life, died of cancer, and then literally went through hell and back again in the afterlife. She’s awesome. There’s no way around it. She’s tough and brave and hard-core.
The other characters are all super entertaining in their own rights. Her best friends, Layla and Aggie, are as different as night and day. Beautiful sex-symbol Layla, and then 70-something-year-old Aggie with saggy breasts and a ridiculously high sex drive? What? Who thinks of these things!?
Then there are the guys. Each of them are unique and sexy in their own rights. My favorite is probably Preston because he’s a klutz and a total dork, but downright sexy as sin. What can I say? I like nerds.
The afterlife element puts a very interesting twist on everything. There are monsters, old people, and children, all together in one academy. The mentor concept is also fascinating. Each incoming student, known as a dearly departed, works with a mentor reaper, angel, demon, and ghost so they can find out which jobs suits them the best.
All of this wrapped up in a pretty package tied up in a fancy bow of epic writing. The book is well-edited and extraordinarily well written. The characters are well-developed and the pacing is right on point. The descriptions are fantastic and never repetitive. There is no lack of showing versus telling, and I found myself completely engaged in every word of the story. Lapping it all up like a thirsty dog. I can’t wait for the next one!
Hadley has just died, and finds out that she was chosen by fate to attend the Afterlife Academy, where she will learn to become either an angel, a demon, a reaper, or a ghost. She has a mentor from each “race” – and boy are they hot! The world that Savage and May have created is interesting, fun, and a little dark. Hadley’s POV is great, she is smart, fierce, and I like how she calls the guys out on their actions. The ending is a game changer, and I can’t wait to see how Hadley overcomes what happens.
Loxley and Katie are two of my favorites and to say I was excited for this book is an understatement. They did not disappoint! If you love the academy setting but are looking for something fresh and unique, you need this book. Hadley is a breathe of fresh air. Even though in life she was dealt a bad hand with her cancer diagnosis, as a Dearly Departed she has a fire that just draws you in. Her two new friends will have you laughing your face off and the guys are to die for.
dearly my a**!!
this academy is creepy scary Monsters exist and everyone gets to training as soon as you enter the academy! problem is something is killing students and teachers! no one is safe! told from different POVs and endless sarcastic humor! Biggest crazy cliffhanger in history to die for!! Cant wait for the next book!!! i read this with my kindle unlimited
Amazing isn’t a good enough word for this book! It’s so original, who knew the afterlife could be so intriguing. This is definitely one of the best academy books. It‘s funny, kinda sad, exciting, and hot. Expect the unexpected. That ending though! The next one should be epic
Katie May and Loxley Savage have come together to create a phenomenal book! If you are considering grabbing this book…DO IT!! Do Not Hesitate! It is totally worth it! Between choking back howls of laughter to needing a cold shower to relieve some of the steam this book is fantastic!
These two authors come together to give us a story about a young woman by the name of Hadley. She died of cancer and instead of crossing over into the ever after, being judged, and being placed wherever she is recruited to be a member of the Afterlife – Dearly Departed Academy where there are – ghosts, demons, angels, and reapers. Each chapter is dedicated to either Hadley, Auston, Preston, Braxton or Karston. If you’re wondering if they are brothers…the answer is yes. They aren’t the only characters we get introduced to though. There is one character who comes in with that whole “super b” attitude, but she’s totally sweet. Drop-dead gorgeous and sweet! Can I get her as a friend? LOL! And the one that I have to say I love the most…the 80+-year-old lady. Let me just tell you…you are going to be on the floor behind her more often than not. She is a straight trip. On a level…I honestly hope I’m as crazy/fun as she is when I’m that age. LOL!
There honestly isn’t much that I don’t like about this book. There are some crossed wires in a few places with the characters which cause attitudes to crop up, but the only thing I don’t like is when Hadley speaks harshly to Braxton and then when he shuts down and leaves she wants to be hurt. I was like…girl! This on you! He was concerned about you! You got short, he got hurt and walked off. I’d walk away quickly, too!
The air of mystery with this novel is well done as well so of course, you can imagine that my brain went into overdrive to figure out what’s going on and who it is. This book is truly gripping from beginning to end and I only put it down ONCE and that was when my tablet’s battery died. Yes, I was frustrated as all get out. LOL
If you love reverse harem novels mixed with the academy trope that is so popular right now let me just say this…this book tops the lists for me right now. There are untold stories about the guys right now and I am eager to learn more about them and their backstory. The ending of this book…wow. Just…just wow!! Get ready for an insane cliffhanger! I honestly hope the authors are working on the next book because I’m going to need it and soon! Yes, there are some seriously steamy scenes and I loved every minute of them. So if steamy is not for you…walk away now. But if you love them then you’ll love this book and be begging for more.
I am rating this book 5 out of 5 stars. Hands down one of the best books I’ve read in 2019. I can’t wait for the next and highly recommend this book to all who enjoy reverse harem and academy novels. You won’t be disappointed!
WOW! What an ending! This book will really have you completely engrossed. You will not want to put it down. It is so good. The world that Loxley and May have created is new and different. The idea that after death you could be chosen to attend an academy and work as an angel, demon , ghost or reaper is a really interesting concept. I love this story and can’t wait for more. Hadley is an awesome character. She is strong and independent.
I didn’t know what to expect with this story but wow was i surprised! This story is a page turner. I couldn’t put it down! I felt drawn into the story. That, is some major writing chemistry between the author’s and the writing flows effortlessly. This book does end on a cliffhanger but it’s totally worth the wait! They did an amazing job and i can’t wait for book 2 to get here!!