In December, on Yule (that’s December 21 for you non-pagany folks) I gave a gift to myself. I posted on Social Media the following image.
From the responses on Twitter and Instagram, I have a list of books I’m buying, reading and reviewing. Here’s February’s entry:
Title: Deathly Desires
Series: N/A
Author: Chris Bedell
Publisher: Deep Hearts YA
Release Date: November 14, 2019
Heat Level: 1/5 – an off-page reference to sex, lots of kissing
Pairing: M/M
Length: 269 pages
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Synopsis:
When his friend Veronica accidentally kills Mason, Cody’s unrequited crush, 17-year-old Cody successfully helps to cover it up. That is until the start of their Junior Year, when everyone involved receives a menacing note from someone who knows what they did.
The blackmail about Mason’s death quickly escalates to stalking, arson, and attempted murder. Cody and his friends must discover who found them out before they get killed themselves. And fast.
Noah has an altogether different secret. He’s a grim reaper, escorting people to the afterlife when they die. When his path collides with Cody, a spark soon forms between them. But whether they can make their relationship work is a different question. If Cody and Noah want a real chance at love, they’re going to have to be honest with each other about everything they’ve been hiding from the world.
If you like your PRETTY LITTLE LIARS with a hefty dose of Tara Sim’s TIMEKEEPER, Deathly Desires is the book for you.
My Review:
This is the first book I’ve read from Chris Bedell. I’ll admit Young Adult is not normally my jam, but the concepts in this novel intrigued me. After all, how can you possibly pass up a story where the main character ends up with a Grim Reaper boyfriend!
There were lots of twists and turns in this read, sometimes at a dizzying pace, but certainly, enough to make this a quick and fun romp.
Not everything in this book gelled well with me, and that might be because of the audience it’s targeted for. There’s a lot of sweet romance and high school shenanigans – which, if that’s your thing, you’ll most likely enjoy this story. For me, it was a little too tender. I yearn for the gritty darkness. I want my horror steeped in blood and terror, and I want my paranormal creepy and filled with gruesome characters.
That’s not Deathly Desires. The main character, Cody, has gone through some difficult times. The recent death of his mother plays into the stress and life-struggle of a teenager in high school, not to mention that last summer he may have had a hand in the disappearance of one of his friends/not really a friend/could have been a boyfriend, but in the end, wasn’t a very nice person anyway/so, sorry if he might be dead?
See, lots going on.
Sometimes the conversations between the characters were too polite, and the situations within the story too easily resolved. But again, that might be more from my expectations of the story set too high whereas the Young Adult reading audience may find this just right.
It all depends on how you like your oatmeal – right Goldilocks? For me, not hot enough, not gory enough, not paranormally enough, but for the right reader, it might be just perfect.
All in all, not bad, and kinda fun.
Rating:
Purchase Links:
Meet the Author:
My previous publishing credits include Thought Catalog, Crab Fat Literary Magazine, Quail Bell Magazine, Pidgeonholes Magazine, Abbreviate Journal, Short-Story.me, Foliate Oak Literary Magazine, Chicago Literati, The Vignette Review, Teleport Magazine, Entropy Magazine, Inklette Magazine, Sprout Magazine, and The Drunken Odyssey. I’m also a contributing blog writer to Moledro Magazine and YAtopia. I graduated with a BA in Creative Writing from Fairleigh Dickinson University in May of 2016.
Catch up with Chris:
J.P. Jackson 
This is such a good idea. Thanks for sharing!