Reaping Havoc by A.J. Rose (Book #1)

Title: Reaping Havoc (Book #1)
Author: A.J. Rose
Publisher: The Grim Writer Press
Release Date: November 10, 2015
Genre(s): Paranormal, Fantasy, Contemporary
Page Count: 282 pages
Reviewed by: Natalie
Heat Level: 3 flames out of 5
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Blurb:

No one asked Mitch Seeker if he wanted to be a grim reaper. He didn’t sign up for the rumors, the lack of friends, or the erratic schedule. He doesn’t want to go through life watching people die. Especially not a man he loves. Mitch’s solution is simple—don’t fall in love. He’ll never have to explain why he doesn’t age or why he’s around death so often. Most of all, he will never be a widower.

But when his head is turned by world-class skier Nate Koehn, Mitch believes he may have the answer. If the soul attached to Nate is any indication, Mitch has found himself another reaper, in which case, his undeniable feelings don’t have to be suppressed. However, the spectral tag-a-long is only the beginning of Nate’s burdens. After a catastrophic loss, Nate is no stranger to grief and the hole it leaves behind.

The question they both must answer is loud and clear: is the pain of losing love worse than the pain of never having loved at all?

I happened to grab this book when it was on sale to promote the release of Book 2 in the Reaping Havoc series. Upon reading the first few pages, I noticed this book was edited by Theo Fenraven! I recently become a fan of Mr. Fenraven’s after reading one of his short stories. I was geeked to dive in.

We meet Mitch Seeker, who comes from a bit of an odd family. In a small mountain town, the Seekers are known as the “weirdo” family. People realize that anytime the Seekers are seen with someone, the person soon ends up dead. There’s no way to connect any foul play to the family, but that doesn’t stop the gossip. The Seekers are kind of like ushers. They assist the recently deceased by guiding them to a door that either leads them to heaven or hell.

Nate Koehn, a former Olympic athlete, has recently moved to the same town as the Seeker family. Of course, being outgoing, young, and gay, he doesn’t know much about how to integrate himself as a local, but he stumbles upon Mitch in the supermarket parking lot after Mitch grabs hold of a soul who was struck by lightning. Great set up for an unusual love story, right?

This was my first time reading A.J. Rose’s work although I have a few of her books on my Kindle. I thought the premise was intriguing, and the writing was good, but there was something missing for me that I can’t exactly put my finger on. Overall, I did enjoy the story but days after reading it, I’m still trying to figure out what the heck was missing for me. I think it has something to do with Nate’s sister Tate and that entire aspect of the story. Argh! It’s probably the fact that their names rhyme. LOL. I DON’T KNOW! I wish I could better articulate my thoughts on this one, but I’m at a loss, and it’s irritating! The concept was unusual, the characters were lovely, but something was still off. I rated this a 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars. I admit, I am curious to see how things turn out between Nate and Mitch in book two but not sure I’ll dive in. Well, not until I can figure out why the heck this book didn’t knock my socks off. Would I recommend this to other readers? Sure, I think it’s a pleasant read that’s worth your time if you’re looking for an out of the ordinary paranormal tale. I’m just a lame chick who can’t gather her thoughts accurately. Nothing having to do with Ms. Rose’s writing, just my nitpicky ways.

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