Review & Giveaway: Death Dealer by Ashley Robertson

Death DealerDeath 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 AmazonBook 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 »

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.)

Death Dealer by Ashley Robertson - Damn you to hell

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 » You rocked this hard, Ashley Robertson!

The Verdict

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About Ashley Robertson

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

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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!

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The Verdict

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I'm a 30-something California girl living in England (I fell in love with a Brit!). My three great passions are: books, coding, and fitness. more »

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18 comments

    1. I’m excited for you to read one of them too 🙂 Hopefully you’ll love Crimson Groves. It’s nothing at all like Death Dealer, but still a great story 🙂 If you’d rather try Death Dealer first, I’m still happy to send it over. Happy 4th.

      Ashley recently posted: Death Dealer—Amazon’s Top 100!
    2. Ohh I hope you read Crimson Groves soon! That’s one of her books that I haven’t read yet. I’d love to see what you think!

  1. I can’t wait to read this! Glad to hear you liked it. I haven’t had a negative thing to say about anything Ashley has written yet. I’m sure this one will be no different. Great review! Thanks for the giveaway. 😀

    Mandee recently posted: New and improved!
    1. This is book 1 of the Death Angel series. There is a teaser chapter of book 2 (Blood Promise) at the end of the book. I’m working as fast as I can to release book 2…still a few months out because I want it to be perfect. It’s even more complex than book 1….can’t wait to see what Ash says about it when she reads it. Happy 4th.

      Ashley recently posted: Death Dealer—Amazon’s Top 100!
    2. Thanks girl! Ashley promised me that there’s a lot more world building/angel political stuff in book 2! It’s still a novella but it will be a bit longer.

      So maybe you should check it out! 😀

  2. I’ve certainly read my fair share of novellas over the years, and by and large my experiences have been largely negative. Like you, I always find that the strict parameters inherent in a novella-length story necessitate a lack of depth and substance when it comes to the plot and character development. That said, after recently enjoying Shannon Stacey’s novella Slow Summer Kisses, I’ve started to open myself up to them again.

    I must say, I’m really intrigued after reading your review. I love the gritty, unflinching premise of this story and it certainly doesn’t lack in creativity! I’m impressed that Robertson seems to be able to pack such a punch in a limited amount of time (and number of words!) Often times the best stories are the ones that leave you pondering them days later, and I like the fact that Robertson seems to paint her world in shades of grey, something which I always appreciate. I’ll definitely be keeping my eye out for this one. Wonderful review, Ashley! 🙂

    Jen @ Pop! Goes The Reader recently posted: Review: Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
    1. Thanks Jen. I love Ash’s reviews of my books. 🙂 My 3 others’ are all full-length novels and my book Unguarded was just recently a finalist in the 2013 National Indie Excellence Awards for fantasy. I hope you’ll get the chance to read Death Dealer (and maybe some of my other books) as I’d love to know your thoughts. DD’s sequel, Blood Promise is a few months out, and it’s a bit longer than DD, a little more complex, and will hopefully quench Ash’s thirst for more, more, more. lol. Happy 4th. ~A

      Ashley recently posted: Death Dealer—Amazon’s Top 100!

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