Life doesn’t always work out the way you want. You buy into the whole “American Dream”- get married, buy a house, get a dog- but you’re never guaranteed things will end up all sunshine, roses, and magical unicorn dicks. Take me, for example. I’m thirty, own a cute little bungalow, married to the guy I love, and I get to be my own boss with my best friend. Everything is coming up Lorelai. Until it … Lorelai. Until it isn’t. My fifth anniversary sets things in motion I never could’ve anticipated.
Now I see dead people. No, not like that movie. I mean I see them die. Apparently that’s my super power now. Yay.
The only good thing that’s come of losing my old life? The four supes I work with to help solve bizarre murders. They’re helping me navigate this new world and I foresee a lot of sexual tension in my future. Oh, and a lot of really bad nightmares, but I guess that’s just part of the package.
*This is a reverse harem romance meant for readers 18 and older. It is a medium burn with high heat.
more
Lorelai thought her life was perfect. Perfect job, perfect marriage, until she walked in on her husband with another girl….on their anniversary. Just when things started looking up until tragedy struck. Who knew death would not be the end, but a brand new beginning and adventure?
This is Sterling Thomas’ debut series. I seriously would have never known. I totally loved this book. This was such a hilarious and fun read from the very beginning. Lorelai was such a quirky, fun, “full of life” () type of character. I swear, this story also gave me huge “Dead Like Me” vibes and I’m totally for it. And that cliffhanger, definitely leaves you wanting more. Anyone with a great sense of humor, loves PNR, strong sexual tension, and suspense, I highly recommend this series.
Bloody BRILLIANT!!!
I absolutely LOVED everything about this gem of a read!!! Filled with a few hilariously sarcastic and awesome females….A few magical beings, murder, suspense, and a new take on the banshee myth and you have a perfect recipe. When your entire concept of the world is instantly changed, how would you handle things? Take this journey as our fearless main character learns the ropes of her new reality, makes new friends, and desperately tries to solve a macabre series of magical murders. An extremely rich and layered world filled with multifaceted characters….I dare you not to get drawn in within moments!
Sterling is my girl! I love her writing style and characters. I’ve read her shared world books (A Shifting Society) with J Kearston and LOVE THEM, so I knew it was time for me to dive into her other series.
This one didn’t disappoint! It’s a fun and easy read that introduces an exciting take on banshee (which, let’s be real, def don’t get enough love and stories about them!) We get to meet Lorelai while she’s still living her human life and celebrating her divorce from her crappy ex-husband. She meets her fated mates while she was human, then dies and comes back but, now with new fancy death heralding powers.
I love a good mystery and crime drama, and this def ticks those boxes! The world-building for the supes is great, and the actual mystery of the murders keeps you hooked.
The FMC!
I love Lorelai’s take on life (and her second life!). She’s got a great sense of humour, and I love her internal dialogue! Life has thrown many curveballs at her, but she’s rolled with it and is making the best of things and helping people along the way.
I also love her ride or die friendship with Effie – love a chosen family, and I think Sterling does a great job at this relationship.
The Guys!
Grayson, Cash, Jett and Hunter – I love my gargoyle, Grayson (honestly, another supe that doesn’t get enough airtime). The guys are each varied and different and bring something special to the relationship. They are hot as heck and I want more! I really like the magic structure in this world and can’t wait to see it expand!
The Smut!
I’m super happy with the smut here! I love a good fated mate let’s get down to business storyline, so while Sterling builds the feels up she also gives us STEAM! I can’t wait to read the next one!
Captivating, Entertaining and endearing
Such a good and imaginative concept and storey, really entertaining!
Lorelai’s such a great female MC and her guys are also interesting
Great wold building, character developement and storey telling plus a cliff hanger to get you straight into book 2!
Really worth reading if you like stuff thats a little different and also worth reading for anyone that loves Paranormal books
Wow. I really enjoyed this! I absolutely love the chaos the plot is really good. Murder mystery and romance. And the take in this supernatural? I love it and I can’t wait to jump in to the next book.
I loved this book! Lorelai was fun, quirky and felt like any normal girl. Until she’s run over by a street car and learns she’s something else.
The guys all feel a pull to Lorelai, even though they avoid humans, and I loved they way they met her again once she had died. The way the relationship builds between them all wasn’t too fast, and you can see them getting to know each other.
The relationship between Lorelai and Effie was exactly how best friends should be, without all the over the top reactions you sometimes get in books, I really do hate the “Hey girlfriend” kind of relationships you often get and this had none of that, just a life long friendship. They both really struggle with her death, after being so close for so long.
The investigations are interesting, as Lorelai learns what she is and how it can help solve crime.
That cliffhanger at the end though….definitely reading book 2 as soon as I can!
I loved this first book in the series. I loved how the author slowly eases us into things. I cant wait to see how Loralei develops and progresses. On to the next book, can’t wait.
Exciting, potentially dangerous, and almost always messy
Lorelai, a graphic design firm owner, comes home to the surprise of her life and doesn’t take it all that well. As the story progresses a makeover to her sassy self is needed, a celebration draws attention, and the aftermath of that night has long lasting consequences she will need to figure out in a hurry. Sterling Thomas made Lorelai a sassy hot mess to start out and led her transition to just sassy with the help of four sexy men she could have if she will only take a chance. The adventures they go on are exciting, potentially dangerous, and almost always messy. I can’t wait for the next one.
Death and Other Calamities is the first book in The Real-Death Adventures of Lorelai Byrne by Sterling Thomas. Lorelai seems to have it all made when it comes to her life. She’s running her own personal business with her best friend, she’s happily married (or so she thinks), and it’s her anniversary! Life is good. Right? Wrong! Talk about one heck of a surprise when she goes home to find her husband cheating on her with someone she knew from college. Well…bring on the divorce! While life seems to be getting back on track for her…it seems that fate has other plans. Death by streetcar…wouldn’t recommend, but fate isn’t done with her yet. Welcome to the supernatural world where she learns that she’s a banshee and she gets to work with some super sexy men who are detectives. While things are starting to look up…it’s not all going to be sunshine and roses.
Death and Other Calamities is an enjoyable book from the beginning. I was a bit thrown when Lorelai is human and has no real knowledge of the supernatural realm before her death. I have to admit though that I enjoyed going through her living life with her best friend Effie as she ditches the loser and begins the process of moving on with her life. I was a bit disappointed that she didn’t have more of a close call with the streetcar, but it all plays into her “ascending” into what she’s meant to be. I like the variety of characters that the author gives me with this book. I have to say that Eli is probably my favorite and I would have loved to have more of him throughout the book. I like that Lorelai’s men are unique shifters themselves, and I like that I get some backstories for a couple of them in this book as well. It helps me to get to know them a bit more. There is some humor sprinkled throughout the book and it definitely adds some fun to the story by keeping things light in the right moments.
Everything isn’t perfect with this novel though. I felt that there were some scenes in this book that just got too wordy and dragged out. I get that the author is focusing on Lorelai’s life at points, but it gets a bit too much at times and drags the storyline down. I get that this is “insta-love/mate connection” novel so things move pretty quickly between the characters, but I think that things should have been slowed down a little. Lorelai keeps saying that “she was raised human” but she’s off to the races in embracing the “insta-love/lust” aspect of the relationships. But then she’s hesitant to simply use the term “mate” and her excuse is that she was raised human? Also, the nicknames…just no. “Cashy cakes” is a huge no. Not cute, not funny regardless of whether or not the characters are written to think it’s “fine.” If you’re going to use the name…use it sparingly. I wanted more growth and development of the storyline, especially with Lorelai being a banshee. Right now it’s mostly focused on her escapades with the guys and training. I’m a bit disappointed that she doesn’t keep up with Effie a bit more (just checking in on her from a distance or asking the guys about her from time to time). It makes her seem like less of a good friend.
I’m rating this book 4.5 out of 5 stars. This story has a lot of good elements, but I feel that it needs to refocus in places. Balance the story so that readers get Lorelai and her men and also her banshee side along with the training and honing of her abilities as she’s coming into them. This is the first book so it focuses mostly on the romance, but I’m hopeful that as this series gains traction it will focus more on the dangers ahead to balance out the steamy.
I had read some of the reviews of this book on Goodreads before i read this book but i kept an open mind when i read it. Now im glad i did and in my opinion i disagree with some of their views. To start with if this is is Ms Thomas’ first book then well done because i really liked it. I took some of their points on board and yes the parts of the book regarding Lorelai’s Ex Husband were a little bit short and quick i think that wasnt really the point of this book for me. It was more about Lorelai’s story and after the night that changed her life. All of that was background story. I liked Lorelai’s character. Her internal monologue’s did make me laugh and yes her mind did get occupied a lot with Grayson, Cash, Jett and Hunter (Not surprising though!). It was her quirky sense of humour i liked the most and the fact that she was over 25. Ive personally not read many book where the FMC was so that was good as far as i was concerned. Its dark in places but the majority of it was funny and i liked the characters in it. It was a pretty good start to this series and im looking forward to reading more
This is a great first book. I mean straight away I was dragged into this story, into this incredible world, into an highly entertaining and addictive tale of Lorelai and how she became supernatural and met her harem of a nephilim, gargoyle, and daemon twins. it’s descriptive and enjoyable, there’s murder and a serial killer and it’s also steamy and hot and very emotional. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it had me on the edge of my seat and i am very eager to read book two!
Such a fun read! It is well written with magic, mystery and distinct, likable characters. This made you feel right along with the characters. This had me from the very first page and has me ready to jump right into the next book.
This was a fun read!
Lorelei is ready for a fresh start in life, but it comes in a way she didn’t expect!
Lorelei is a fantastic character – you can empathise with what she’s going through, the highs and the lows, and she is an incredibly strong person even with her vulnerabilities.
Her harem are all tough and overprotective, but well written distinct characters, even the twins, and they are well linked to both her before and after.
Although the book finishes on a cliffhanger, it’s an “Oooh, what’s going to happen next?” rather than “Noooo, I need the next book NOW, how can the author do this to me!”
One of the best books I’ve read in a while!
Such a great read!! I really enjoyed this book getting introduced to Lorelei and the unique take on how she gets her power. The best part was her harem they were the sweetest most loving guys ever in a RH. With the add it mystery, actions, and intrigue made for a helluva read. Looking forward to seeing what else is in store for this series. As always my reviews are totally voluntarily and no monetary compensation was received and the opinions I have expressed are my own.
Wow, such a good story..The beginning is grr…. And then it gets amazing as Lorelei meets her men and her story begins. It honestly had me on the edge of my seat wanting to cry, laugh and scream.
I absolutely loved Lorelai! This was a read full of so much sass, hilarious one liners and a completely relatable female main character. Everything she goes through; you’re rooting for her, freaking out alongside her and laughing at her antics. Throw in some seriously swoonworthy men and an amazing cast of secondary characters and you’ve got yourself a absolutely wonderful read!
When this book was released I added it to the wishlist and when there was a promotion at some point I got it. But, as happens with a lot of the books I get, the book stayed unread for quite some time. Until a couple of weeks ago. I got the chance to get an arc of book 3, but that meant I had to catch up with the first two books first. Since I loved all the other books by Thomas I read so far, I decided to give this series a go.
And from the very start I didn’t regret that. This book is incredibly entertaining. Even though it’s not spectacular, it just managed to keep my attention from start to finish. That’s partly because of the writing style. It feels so natural, it flows so nicely and it most of all really fits the characters. On top of that it’s quite addictive. I just had to read one more chapter and another one and another one. If I could I would have continued with the second book right away!
The book is also addictive because of all the different characters and the amazing world! Especially Lorelei is amazing! Although we have different personalities, I did recognize myself in her. Mostly in the mixture of being emotional and strong at the same time. She was going through some really horrible times and she was witnessing some really horrific things and although she cried over it, she also tried to learn how to fight and to deal with her new life.
And it’s only natural that the getting used to her new life and new world takes time. After all, she only discovers that she is supernatural when she dies, is forced to leave everything behind and has now become literally an omen of death. However, that also means she can do some good. Together with Lorelei we witness some really interesting murders and although we haven’t really got answers yet, I’m really excited to dive deeper into the case in the next book!
Sterling Thomas is definitely on my short list of go-to authors, and this series is no exception! I love the unusual incorporation of supernatural entities OTHER than vampires or shifters. Sure, they’re always fun to read, but in a realm inundated with variety galore, it’s awesome to finally have another option. Kudos for that; not many authors are willing to put the time into researching when it’s so easy to just fall into the mainstream.
I will say that there are times the “cuteness” and irritating pop-speak gets to be a bit much, but it doesn’t detract too much from the storyline. There’s sassy and fun, and then there’s OMG Valley Girl levels of dialogue… please don’t stray too far over the curb! Absolutely loved the initial interaction with Daphne/Karen!!
Unique and interesting New paranormal RH
This was a really fun and interesting new series. I like that the main character is a banished which is unusual and lends itself to unique plotlines. The world building is complex and engaging and the characters are believable and interesting. It’s steamy and witty and sad and exciting. The author does an excellent job of giving you all the feels. It ends on a sharp cliffhanger but book 2 is already out. Looking forward to seeing what she co.we up with next.
Holy Smokes! This is one fabulous story. It is full of mystery, suspense, drama, and sexy hot scenes. It is a power house of fantastic reading. It characters are stunning and have the most amazing personalities. It is times of laugh out loud funny and times when you can feel the sorrow. You want laugh, cry, and feel good with all of the. Lorelai with Grayson, Jett, Cash, and Hunter together make a outstanding team. This does end in a cliffhanger but oh my goodness is it worth the read. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.