Rating: 3.75🌈
Dearly & Deviant Daniel is the first in a new series, Dearly and The Departed, by L.A. Kaye. Centered firmly in the popular trope of main characters who’re able to see and converse with the dead/newly departed, Kaye’s MC is Mortician Keir Dearly, of Dearly & Son Mortuary, a business that’s been handed down through generations of Dearly men.
He’s been able to see and talk to the dead since his teens, a fact he’s kept to himself. Naturally. Unfortunately, since he’s always in the mortuary, there’s dead people ready to talk to him and ask for favors constantly.
Which happens when a particularly nasty person dies and asks Keir to help his brother stay out of the prison . Seems that the dead man has framed his brother for things he regrets but definitely not murder.
That’s the basic premise of the story.
Around that Kaye needs to build her storyline,as well as fill in the paranormal background , all the weird characters, and continue with the growing relationships that started within the narrative.
Is the author successful? Only partially. The world building has the feeling of jumbled assembly. As a reader, I’m just getting into the interesting aspects of the historical paranormal history and foundations being setup but instead of continuing to explore the universe being laid out, the opposite happens. The narrative breaks here and there , so only bits and pieces are visible, or it opens gaps where elements disappear all together.
A mysterious helper arrives, background of which is constantly changing. A grandfather appears in an unexpected place and just as quickly disappears. His supportive role diminished when it is explained that it’s really a portent of darkness coming. So why not embellish it ? Why allow this to dribble narratively away? It’s elements like this that add up to storyline with issues.
There’s the odd physical descriptions. Forty-ish, Keir describes himself as tall, thin, of the whitish skin, with brown hair and ice blue eyes. An appearance typical of someone, he thinks, you associate with the mortuary and dead. He very much resembles all the Dearly men. Sounds a bit on the vampire/ghoul side. Not even a hint that’s he’s remotely attractive. But the other main character insists Keir is insanely hot. That’s so odd because the author hasn’t put in the groundwork for this. He’s kind, compassionate, and intelligent. Insanely hot? Nope, haven’t done the paperwork on that.
Mechanic Dashiell Clegg and his dead dreadful brother are weak points here. Not sure why Kaye called Daniel deviant outside of the need for a cute name. Dead Daniel is reprehensible. A man who thought nothing of betraying everyone around him, framing his brother, putting others into danger, a sexual predator, oddly he now decides to save his living brother he supposedly hates and has setup makes zero sense. Especially when he’s still a manipulative dead mess throughout the book. Great smarmy character though. Dashiell is younger hotheaded mechanic who borders on the TSTL character. When in doubt, run off into dangerous situations without telling anyone then be surprised at the obvious consequences. SMH.
When Keir has a chance to date two people, a great detective and Dashiell, I started rooting for the detective.
What saves Dearly & Deviant Daniel is the side storylines, those of the dearly departed of lesser characters . Some are funny, some grim, and one had me outright sobbing, it was so well written that the pain, regret , and bitter loss was overwhelming. That was believable and raw.
I wish the main characters and theme had showcased more of that aspect and emotion.
I’m onto the next to see what happens after the cliffhanger this ends on. A strange one that again made absolutely zero sense.
Read this for the fun of the trope, and the beauty of those small scenes I indicated above. They are worthy of the entire story.
Dearly and Departed series:
✓ Dearly & Deviant Daniel #1
â—¦ Dearly & Vain Valentino #2
â—¦ Dearly & Notorious Nancy #3
â—¦ Dearly & Homeless Horace #4-Jan 16,2024
â—¦ Dearly & Threatening Thane #5-June 28, 2024
Buy Link:
Dearly & Deviant Daniel: M/M Urban Fantasy Romance (Dearly and The Departed Book 1)
Blurb:
When the family business is death, what does it take to feel alive?
Maybe a gorgeous motorcycle mechanic with a dark past has a few ideas?
Mortician Keir Dearly has a secret he plans to take to his grave. If he tells anyone he speaks with the dead who come through his funeral home, who will believe him? Keeping the secret prevents Keir from pursuing a love life because how would a lover react to such news?
Mechanic Dashiell Clegg owns Clegg Cycles, the family business his father left to him and his estranged brother Daniel. Dash has only seen Daniel twice since Dash was released from prison, and that’s perfectly fine with both of them. The brothers stay out of each other’s lives until one day, Dash gets a call that changes everything.
When Dash’s brother, deviant Daniel Clegg, shows up on Keir’s table with a final request: Keep my brother from being blamed for my murder, the temptation to jump into the mix is too much for Keir to resist. Can Keir save Dashiell Clegg without telling anyone about his conversations with the dead?
After being warned about communing with the Departed, will Dearly have to pay a price for assisting them in finding their final peace?
L.A. Kaye’s debut novel, Dearly & Deviant Daniel, is the first tale in the Dearly & the Departed M/M paranormal romance series.It’s a little mysterious, a little creepy, and a lotta sexy, so be sure to check it out! It’s approximately 90,000 words in length and ends happily for now.
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 