How to Reap a Soul (And Fail Miserably) is the first book in the urban fantasy series, Soul Management Bureau by April Kelley.
Itās a fated mate romance between reaper and their soul mates, so itās instant love/instant sex romance with a plot thatās not always easy to follow because Kelley is trying hard to lay down all her histories and plotting for multiple characters, not just the main couple, and her world building into one story.
And itās not always effective because someone gets lost in the narrative. Some connection between her characters, some chemistry is left behind in the rush to get it all accomplished.
Itās interesting but Iām not sure Iām really engaged with this world or characters.
Try it out and see for yourself if Grym and Elliot Coyne work together for you.
Cover artist: Miblart
Soul Management Bureau
How to Reap a Soul and Fail Miserably #1
How to Reap a Soul (And Lose an Assistant) #2 – Dec 29,2026
Love was never on my to-do list, but now that I have it, Iāll let the world burn before I let anything happen to him.
Grym
Iāve reaped souls for three hundred years without a single mistake. Until Elliot Coyne. Iām supposed to ferry him into the afterlife, not bring him back to life and turn him immortal.
Now HR is threatening me, the world is acting like it might explode, and my reaper brothers are stress-snacking like itās Armageddon.
Even worse? My soul insists Elliot is my beloved. Reapers arenāt supposed to have those. Are they? Regardless, itās wildly inconvenient.
Elliot So I die, wake up immortal and able to walk between realms, not that I know what those actually are.
The guy responsible is an annoyingly hot reaper who apparently broke the universe just to keep me breathing.
Weāre suddenly stuck together, hunted by his supernatural bosses, and if we fall for each other it might tear reality apart.
Love isnāt supposed to end the world. Yet here we are.
While I enjoyed this book, itās not without some issues. Hereās the good things about The Witchās Wolf and those elements I thought were less well executed.
Spoilers ahead.
The characters are engaging. A two person perspective until the very end , when a third is unexpectedly introduced, itās easy to see each character in their mindset(s) and how they are handling the various, often chaotic, situations.
Sage, the oldest sister is only vaguely gendered until further into the story. Iām not sure why some readers have problems with this. What is more important is the lack of world building and personal history of both characters. Iām not sure if this is intentional on Carsonās part and will be addressed further in the future books, but its lack is a hole thatās felt here. Especially where their father is concerned.
Further aspects I found explored or otherwise not well executed surround the characterizations, especially the main characters.
Sageās character as well as that of her young sister, Coral, lived for their entire lives in a sterile, rigidly governed and controlled environment that constructed a false history of the world built on narrative necessary to control its inhabitants.
But when dangerous events prompted them to flee outside the city, and to a place where they find a new truth and life among those who are like themselves, do they feel deeply traumatized, as one might, by the fact that their previous lives were total lies? That everything they knew was false? Not really.
I kept waiting for a believable, grounded response from Sage, a emotional breakdown or show of shock that sheād been living in a life of lies. And not getting any believable responses.
The author did write her other emotional responses in scenes and events that felt credible. But there should be a detailed depth of understanding to get that energy and emotion throughout her personality and character from start to finish. At least not without the necessary narrative explanation here for her storyline.
Then thereās Maddock, the brother to the crazy Alpha. Maddox is the fated mate to Sage. His inner wolf is treated like a separate entity, an element Iāve seen before, and it works pretty well here. A interesting but under-explored storyline is the plot of the pack has always been lead by a 3- sibling male line. But due to a āself-inflictedā tragedy, this pack no longer has one, and is failing.
This storyline should have been more a part of the book but instead it was shoved down and only mentioned rarely.
Instead the drama was between Maddox and his ābrokenā drunk Alpha brother. Itās a nonsense plot because as any reader can see , that Alpha is the villain and should be dealt with by the very beginning. So the conflict that goes on nonsensically for 481 pages with this āmade up conflict ā well its not realistic within the storyline. Itās become an element that removes the reader instead.
It does end on a cliffhanger. And introduces the voice of the younger sister, as sheās got the next story.
My thoughts ? Itās enjoyable. Itās got faults but the characters are fun enough that Iāll probably be going through to the next story.
But itās on my TBR list. And thatās a pile.
Like the cover.
Published by Blue Tuesday Books Cover Design by Fay Lane
Fate doesnāt exist. But try telling that to the growling wolf shifter who thinks Iām his mateā¦
This is not my week. Or month. Or year.
My now-ex-boyfriend cheating on me with my best friend? Iād get over it eventually. Pretentious chefs who looked down on me because I never went to culinary school while I was raising my little sister? Screw āem. Finding out my sister has Lycan wolf DNA and I have hours to get her out of the city before sheās locked away in a government research facility? I definitely didnāt see that one coming.
To save my sisterās life, we take off in the middle of the night following cryptic instructions from our late father to what was supposed to be the toxic wastelands.
Imagine my surprise when we stumble into a fairy tale civilization of wolf shifters where magic is real and a frustrating, but ruggedly handsome pack enforcer has serious plans for me.
The big, bad, and hungry wolf thinks Iām his fated mate and heās not taking no for an answer.
Thatās just the icing on the metaphorical cake. But this isnāt some magical bedtime story.
Real danger exists in the Cerberus pack. Thereās a poison in the ranks. Shifters are leaving. My sister isnāt safe.
And a blood-thirsty Alpha murders anyone that challenges him. Which I may–or may not–have accidentally doneā¦ Did I mention today is not my day?
Each book in the Fated Destinies series is a full length novel told in dual POV where the main hero and heroine get their HEA. This steamy series offers spice without sacrificing the plot. Warning: These books do end on a slight cliffhanger once the individual plots are resolved. Scroll up now and start reading to find out how these fated destinies are interwoven into the overall series.
Mismatched Mates is a series I stopped because one book , First Blood, in it just disconnected me from the arc in that it was more of a side storyline. Unlike the other couples and relationships, that one of a sex worker and enforcer just wasnāt fully developed and I lost the momentum to continue onto the rest of the series.
Itās taken a while but Iāve meandered, via the story , Twice Bitten, back to the Armitage pack, related packs nearby and mismatched matings. So now Iām picking up where I left off earlier with The Alpha Experiment .
Itās a wonderful best friends to lovers or mates in this case storyline, with a sideline of drama, a morsel of clueless scientist, hot sex, and HEA. No mpreg.
A human born into a werewolf family by virtue of a human mother and were father, Dr. Newton McEwen has felt weaker, somewhat less than the rest of his family, although theyāve never given him reason to think that they love him any differently from his sibling because he was born without the werewolf genes. So his research has been to further develop human healing and other properties using shifter DNA. Research thatās brought shady tech company executives to his door.
Poor Newton. You feel for him immediately. He feels inadequate next to his shifter family, even his human mother. His research isnāt conclusive and heās frankly living in a dump. Next comes the threatening emails.
I do like that heās smart enough to realize he requires help and asks for it. And then agrees, mostly, with Colinās advice about how to proceed with the situation.
So many times Iāve read stories where the MC blindly goes ahead putting everything and everyone in danger, earning them a TSTL title from me. Thankfully itās avoided here. Thereās a tiny section where you think itās happening but all isnāt lost.
Newton makes mistakes. But itās his trust , faith , and feelings for Alpha werewolf Colin Kimball that holds true. Colin, a known figure here, is a lifelong best friend of Newtonās. Itās easy to pickup on the vibes that Graysonās written into the dynamics here for the couple. We know what they donāt early on, and have the enjoyment of watching the clueless mating dance.
Grayson builds a great bit of tension into the narrative. Sexual tension between the two main characters, the tension and suspense involved in the blackmail plot, and schemes to overturn it.
The author does all this while working to build a romance within a long-standing friendship and sorting out new conflicting emotions.
If it all came together a bit quickly, well, it was so satisfying that I was willing to look beyond that because the resolution was not a simple one and contained multiple elements to meet the conflicts that led into this situation.
I was left feeling happy, satisfied, and looking forward to the next installment.
Iām recommending this book. I like the series but recommend that you read the reviews as not all need to be read as a part of the arc flow. I have now read a couple out of order, Twice Bitten being the most recent. So the book order seems to be a suggestion rather than a requirement.
Studying shifter genetics takes brains, patienceā¦and sometimes simulating mating rituals with your alpha-werewolf bestie. You know, for scienceā¦
Brilliant geneticist Newton McEwen, the only human in a family of werewolves, has devoted his life to researching the scientific key to shifter magic. Now heās being blackmailed and his lifeās work is threatened if he canāt produce results.
Alpha werewolf Colin Kimball is a newly-minted pack leader with a mountain of responsibilities, but when his lifelong best friend tells him he needs help, Colin drops everything to run to his aid. But Newtās not just looking for a brawny bodyguard to watch his backāhe needs help with an experiment, one he canāt carry out alone.
Out of academically approved methods, and desperate to accelerate his research, Newtās trying a last-ditch approach, with himself as the test subject. And the very alpha Colin as the catalyst.
Determined to succeed, Newtās willing to get up close and personal with Colin as many times as it takes. Only feelings werenāt a variable logic-minded Newt took into account. Now not only is Newtās career on the line, his most important relationship is at stake. Can they outwit Newtās blackmailer and move on from their experimentationā¦or will they lose the friendship that means everything to them?
The Alpha Experiment features not-so-scientific mating rituals, magical handcuffs, some very inappropriate outdoor activities, knotting, and a guaranteed happily ever after. Even though itās number five in the Mismatched Mates series, it can be read as a standalone. The series does not contain mpreg.
Hell Breaks Loose (Hellhound Champions, #4) turns out to be my very favorite. Itās also the last of this series, setting up what I expect to be the next stage in this multi series universe, the Familiar Fated Mates series. Or whatever the author will title it.
Hell Breaks Loose takes place after Solomon has become the Alpha of the Hellhounds with Cody as the alpha mate. The Chosen One arc has been resolved with Meshaq and Drew set to a new path as Gods.
Achimās life is a frazzled one for a Hellhound. Instead of things setting down after the Chosen One and his brother battled it out, with the Chosen One winning, the magic has gotten more unstable. More beings have come through into the human realm, keeping Hellhounds busy 24/7 . Achim and the rest of his pack are exhausted. And their situation is getting worse.
Ozias, the Prince of Hell, isnāt having a good day. Horrible in fact. His magic isnāt working and heās being chased by his motherās hellhounds. When a human appears before him . In Hell!
Achim goes through a portal but the colors all wrong. Not the usual red. And ends up where he lasts expects to.
This is a marvelous romance and engaging story. The characters are so amazing and have such great personalities. Watching them navigate the intricacies of their developing relationship while handling the widening magical chaos in the human realm , which is also Oziasā first time there? Itās so deeply wonderful that you canāt turn away from it.
Itās funny, sad, horrifying, sexy , and all kinds of romantic.
This story brings us back into Nickās family and all the kids he and his mate rescued. We see Solomon and Cody. We also see another extraordinary couple with huge news to impact the entire universe.
Itās quite the story.
I read the middle novels as part of the Chosen Ones collection. It works but Iām glad I read this here. Iām ready for whatever Blake has next for us and this amazing collection of characters.
Iām recommending you read them all to understand how they all fit together and the events and relationships as they form.
Safe to say Achimās life wasnāt going as planned.
First, his mission for the fire goddess ended up with himāa hellhound whoād never actually been to hellābeing sent precisely there. Worse, he found himself stuck in the strange hellscape with Ozias, a guy whoās a) hotter than the fire of both suns in the hell-realm, b) really, really likable, despite his arrogance, and c) oh yeah, the actual prince of hell.
Their connection comes in handy, though, when a demon escapes into the human realm and Ozias is sent to track it down. With magic fluctuating wildly around them, the hellhound pack is run ragged trying to keep the supernatural world a secret from the humansā¦ especially since Achim is just a wee bit distracted keeping his mind and hands off the gorgeous-but-cocky prince.
But when the strange forces wreaking havoc on the human realm attempt to drive Achim and Ozias apartā¦ well, thatās when things get really messed up. Because if they think they’re gonna keep a hellhound from the guy who might just be his mateā¦
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 