Review & Giveaway: Death Dealer by Ashley Robertson

Death Dealer by Ashley Robertson
Series: Death Angel #1
Published by: Self Published on July 1, 2013
Genre: Paranormal, Romance
Pages: 140
Source: Author
Buy on Amazon • Book Details
Rating: ★★★★

Death: a word Mia Baron was all too familiar with since the murder of her parents when she was a young girl. Her drive for vengeance was the reason she became a Death Dealer—a soul guide through the spirit realm—signing her life away in her own blood. Pain forged a concrete wall around her heart and no one or nothing would ever penetrate it…until she got what she desired most—revenge.

Deacon Gage craves justice for his own horrific tragedy that forced him into the same life Mia chose, with the same promise of vengeance dangling just out of reach. His expert training makes him an Elite—one of the few Death Dealers to ever achieve such a status—and no one can shift his focus from the blood he seeks.

But when the two are partnered for yet another job and a heart-shattering case rips open Mia’s heart, Deacon realizes he’s the only one who can save her…at a price that might be too much to pay: opening his heart to her. The clock is ticking and her life hangs on the balance of whether he can truly let go or will hold onto his desire for blood.

I have to say right off the bat that I don’t normally read novellas. I usually find them unsatisfying because the length doesn’t allow for a lot of character/plot/relationship development. But I adore Ashley Robertson, and when she gave me the chance to read Death Dealer I jumped on it! I absolutely love her and it helps that the book sounded amazing… which I can now confirm that it was!

This is a tough review to write because what I think is the most interesting part of Death Dealer happens at around the 50-60% mark, which I would officially consider a spoiler. ARGH! I hate it when I can’t talk about my favourite parts! 😀 Because it’s seriously so freaking interesting! I guess I’ll have to give you a brief intro, and then I’ll put the super cool part in spoiler tags.

Basically, Mia is still dealing with her parents’ brutal murder. The big thing that keeps her going is the promise that she will be able to escort the murderer to hell when he finally dies. It will be like her way of taking revenge and saying, “Screw you, douchebag! I’m sending your ass to hell!” But, when the time comes to collect the bastard’s soul and send him on his way to hell, View Spoiler » [she realizes that he’s actually supposed to go to heaven! What the bloody fucks??? He repented and turned into a “changed man”, which means he gets to go to heaven instead of hell. But just imagine how difficult this is for Mia to deal with! The bastard was never caught for brutally murdering her parents (and other people), so he never paid for his sins in life. Now, he’s dead, but since he has repented, he gets to go to heaven and doesn’t have to pay for his sins in death! And on the one hand, he is a “changed man”, but don’t you feel like he should get some kind of punishment for his actions? Surely he shouldn’t be able to get off completely free just because he’s “sorry”. Just thinking about this was so mindfucking, because I still can’t decide what I think the “right” thing is. « Hide Spoiler]

Above all else, this story will make you think, and that’s one of the best things EVER in a book. At one point can you forgive someone for what they’ve done? Who deserves to go to heaven? To hell? I love that Ashley Robertson has given me a crazy topic to think about. It’s almost weird because this thing seriously makes me antsy. It’s like I can’t sit still. I need to go sit in a corner and compulsively shred bits of paper while I mull this over. (Is that weird?—Absolutely.)

And on top of all that, we have a hot and heavy romance. There is a bit of explicit content in this book, and oh my goodness it is divine! Deacon is a drop dead sexy beast, but he’s also a killer Death Dealer so he knows how to kick some ass! But I adored him. Even though he’s totally awesome at his job, he still seemed like a really nice guy. He’s not an arrogant douchebag who just happens to be hot, like is so common in books these days (that drives me nuts!).

Overall I enjoyed Death Dealer a lot, although I still did have some trouble dealing with the whole novella thing. Because the book was so short, I found myself wanting to learn even more about the angel system. There are Death Dealers, Elite Death Dealers, and Death Angels. Although I got the gist of it, it sounded like there’s a pretty interesting hierarchy and political system and I was eager to learn more about it! And similarly, the relationship was great, but I would have preferred to see it develop more slowly, over the course of a full-length book. Even though it wasn’t insta-love, because Mia and Deacon have known each other for years, it still felt like it was a little bit, just because the book was so short. But ultimately, I think my gripes all come down to me just not handeling novellas very well because I always want more more more.

Death Dealer is a book that will have you questioning the afterlife, soaking up a fascinating hierarchy of angels, and drooling over a sexy ass-kicking Death Dealer. It is a novella that you’re sure to be thinking about long after you’re done! It may be a quick read, but I still can’t stop thinking about View Spoiler » [whether or not I can forgive Clayton. I’m still sitting here pondering whether or not he should be able to go to heaven. Especially after saving Mia’s life… arrrgh! « Hide Spoiler] You rocked this hard, Ashley Robertson!

The Verdict

About Ashley Robertson

Ashley Robertson resides in sunny Orlando, Florida, and loves writing about anything paranormal. She also composes poems and songs, though she learned long ago she doesn’t have a singing voice. When she isn’t writing you’ll find her spending time with family and friends, sharing personal training and nutrition advice via ExtremeMakeovers.com, traveling and exploring new places, and drinking fine wines and gourmet coffees from her Nespresso machine.

Visit her website to learn about her upcoming releases, guest blog posts, and featured giveaways

Website Twitter Facebook Goodreads

Giveaway

Thanks to the amazing author, we have one ebook copy of Death Dealer to give away! You guys won’t want to miss this!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Verdict