Our Souls to Keep

Our Souls to Keep #1

by Gary A. Caruso

After seventeen-year-old Wake Reynolds agrees to trade his life to prevent the damaged soul of his suicidal mother from the fiery tortures of Hell, Satan strips him of his humanity and forces him to become a demonic collector of souls. With no memory of his human existence, Wake preys on defenseless teenagers until they willingly end their own lives.

After many years of loyal service, something inside Wake is changing. Images of a forgotten life, lost human emotions begin to emerge. As Wake struggles to keep these new sensations hidden, Satan orders him to corrupt the soul of a pregnant girl, Annemarie. Beautiful, gentle Annemarie. From the moment Wake sees her, she brings lightness to his blackened heart. If he chooses to defy Satan and spare the lives of Annemarie and her unborn child, his mother’s soul will writhe in Hell’s deepest pit for eternity. Annemarie or his mother? It’s a choice no one should have to make.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Paranormal, Demons, Angels, Ebooks, Urban Fantasy

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 4, 2013

About the author

Gary Caruso lives in northern Virginia with his wife Jill, but their favorite place is in Ohio with their three beautiful grandchildren. Although Gary is exhilarated when he sits down to write, teaching middle school science is his first love. He’s passionate about empowering students to make thoughtful decisions and positive choices in life. Gary enjoys reading, especially fiction that blurs the line between what’s real and what’s fantasy. He never imagined becoming a writer until an ordinary car ride on a spring day jolted an unlikely thought into his head. Gary’s early experience writing is a reminder that no matter how intimidating the challenge, action and determination are the foundations for fulfilling any dream. Gary has an insatiable love for writing, a blessing he’s excited to share with his readers.

Reviews

[Dustin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you, again, Gary, for the opportunity to read and review your work.:)


Overall, I immensely enjoyed the first installment in the Our Souls to Keep trilogy. There were a few elements that felt unrealistic, slightly cliched, or contrived but otherwise, I found Wake's journey to be very compelling and profound, with a lot of heart!



My most significant critique is the virtually instantaneous chemistry between our demon-human hybrid of a protagonist, and expectant mother, Annemarie. I have no problem with love connections (we should all be happy, we aren't hard-wired to be alone,) but it happens way too fast, which renders it forced. Needless to say, there are cliches, but they seemed limited and for the most part, genuine. If it had been executed differently, more realistic, I wouldn't have an issue with it. I adore Wake and Annemarie, earnestly, which is why this is difficult to critique and ultimately leaves me torn..


There were a couple other things that felt somewhat off, but the former really resonates.



At the heart of this story is a significantly altered Wake Reynolds as he combats his newly re-discovered emotions and past transgressions. There's much more to it than that, but I won't go into them now, for fear of spoilers. But I will say that what I've said is merely scraping the surface of Wake's unique journey. In fact, I think there's a lot going on beneath the surface, things I may not have even grasped.

It isn't exactly clear just how much time has lapsed since the prequel, but it's obviously several years later. Years spent as one of the devil's most prized Soul Collectors. The years in between the two books could have been more in-depth, particularly the stripping of his humanity. I'm still curious as to the specifics.. Also, Wake was 17 in the former book, but we're told that he's the same age. With his suicide and inevitable death, did his age freeze in time? It would have been nice if the author had clarified some of these details.



Like The Promised Land, this novel is original, well-written (overall,) creative, action-packed and unpredictable. And considering how it ends, I am more anxious than ever to read the forthcoming sequel!

[Marvin Amazon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the pleasure of receiving an advanced copy of Our Souls to Keep. I knew it was a YA novel, which probably didn’t prepare me for the beginning. In what could only be described as a jolt to the system, the book began with a bang that grabbed my attention. From there, I relished the thought of seeing what else Caruso would come up with.
Throughout the book, I kept noticing that it didn’t follow convention. No, it went in so many directions I hadn’t seen before in YA novels. If you’re looking for a happy tale where boy eventually wins girl of his dreams, falls in love, and lives happily ever after, this isn’t for you. If you want something brutally powerful, and at times, heart wrenching, then read this book.
The premise is fascinating and quite original. Demons and Angels are not new in the literary world by any means, but this is a great take on them. With unpredictability oozing out of every single word, I truly didn’t know how this novel would end. But what an ending it was; powerful and thought-provoking. Some details were left open, but that gives me hope that a sequel will follow. I’ll most certainly be one of the first in line when it does.

An intriguing Young Adult novel with a very original plot. A solid debut from Caruso.

[Trina · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I received a copy of this book from the Author in exchange for an honest review*

I give this book 5 stars!!!

This is the story of Wake, a 17 year old boy who returns home one day to find his mother has committed suicide and meets a demon named Nevin who has come to collect her soul. Wake agrees to give his soul to Satan in exchange to save hers (but Satan still has control of her soul) and he becomes a Soul Collector, he is now half human/half demon, his job is to encourage young people to commit suicide and take their souls to Hell.
Satan gives Wake a special assignment - Annemarie, if she commits suicide her soul and the soul of her unborn baby belongs to Hell. God and Satan are on the brink of war, Armageddon is coming and the baby will play a major role. Satan threatens to torture his mother’s soul unless he completes his assignment.
As Wake begins to experience human emotions again his attitude changes and when he meets Annemarie he has to make a choice, the question is Will he complete the task to save his mother from Satan’s torture or help save Annemarie and get to the safety of St Augustine’s church where she can give birth to her baby which will prevent a war and possibly save humanity?

I was intrigued by the synopsis as I love Angel and Demon stories but I have to say this wasn’t the typical angel/demon story I expected, it was so much better and nothing like I have read before!

This book has everything a reader expects in a novel, from start to finish I felt like I was on an emotional roller coaster ride that I didn’t want to get off. It was addictive and will have your adrenaline pumping - the action and suspense starts from the 1st chapter and continues throughout the book, it has fantastic twists in the plot that will keep the reader guessing. The fight scenes are amazing and include a Demon fighting Demons, Angels fighting Demons and Demon Hunters fighting Demons, which made this novel an exciting page turner.
The love story is beautiful and there are some real touching moments on the life lessons of love, hope, inner strength and making the right choices. I got so lost in this story that I was feeling the same emotions as the characters, I sobbed a lot near the ending so have tissues at the ready!

In the Authors notes Gary said he likes to blur the line of reality and fiction and I believe he has achieved it with this incredible story.
His writing speaks for itself, this story was fast paced, descriptive and all his characters fall into the category of love them or love to hate them. Wake is now one of my favourite male characters in a book, I love the fact the story is told from his point of view as we get to see both the demon (terrifying and shocking) and the human side of him (loving, protective and selfless) and still fall in love with him as his story unfolds. Annemarie’s kick ass attitude and her use of a shotgun had me giggling. I also enjoyed the details Gary provides for the supporting characters such as Gabriel and Vinny, all of them made me cry happy or sad tears and I loved to hate Satan and even Nevin who is one frightening demon.
I couldn’t find a fault with this book and look forward to reading more of Gary’s novels. Thank you so much for letting me read this.

I absolutely loved this book and added it to my favourites as I will definitely read again in the future. I can’t wait for Our Souls to Keep #2 to be published because there has to be one!!!

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to thank the author for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest revue. I probably would never have heard of it if he handn't, and I am very happy that I did. This book is very original in it's content. I have read many paranormal romances and so many are so identical, you are lucky that the names are different. But in this case, I was very happily surprised. I had never read anything like this prior and am very excited for more.

This book tells the story of 17 year old, Wake, who has sold his soul to the devil in an attempt to save him mother's soul after her suicide. He becomes a soul collector for Satan, and is so good at what he does that Satan has an important mission for him. One that will affect the entire world and has Heaven and Hell on the brink of war.

If I am to be honest, I do have two critiques regarding the book. The first is the use of many cliches that had be groaning many times. In many cases, I wanted to scream "Are you kidding? People don't talk like that!" And the romance happened way too fast as to almost be unbelievable. That's fairly common in alot of paranormal romances, I admit, but this wasn't love at first sight....this was "I would die for you, kind of love." But in all fairness, when you are dealing with Heaven and Hell, maybe anything is possible. Despite these issues, I still feel this is a 5 star book. These issues frustrated me, but didn't effect my enjoyment of the book at all!

One other thing that isn't a critique, but more of a wish. I wish we had seen Wake a bit more before his humanity was beginning to return to him. We do get a taste of what his function was and how efficient he was at collecting souls, but more of that would have been interesting, in my opinion.

All in all, though, I hope there will be more books with Wake. Since he calls this #1, I think that's a fair bet. I will definitely looking for the next one!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the author, Gary Caruso, for gifting me with a copy of Our Souls to Keep in exchange for an honest review!

Quite honestly, I loved this book. It was wonderful in every sense of the word!

I first want to talk about the prequel and background it provides. If you are thinking of starting this series, I highly recommend reading the prequel - The Promised Land - before you start this book. It provides so much more background and I understood Wade, the main character, so much more. You really have an idea of his background and how his mind works. He really gets screwed over in this book but also has some amazingly happy moments.

I also really loved the concept of human emotion and free will and how that was all integrated. The idea that demons are walking around among us an they're the ones who influence us is interesting. What's even cooler to think about is that we are in charge of our own destinies, no matter what anyone else says. That's free will for you.

Now for Annemarie. She was actually the only part of the book I didn't connect with. She was just this modern day Mary sort of character and that was all. Perhaps if there had been a chapter from her perspective after she found out everything or before she did? She just felt slightly alien to me and her problems at home seemed really distant. Even better would be a chapter from her perspective during her normal life living with her dysfunctional family.

As for the ending, OH MY GOODNESS. It was all okay and then it all went to hell. Literally. I can't say much more than that but let me tell you - it was epic. I loved the way it ended even if it did break my heart into tiny pieces. But bonus! There's another book coming (presumably)!

The Final Verdict:
Overall, a very addicting and exciting book to read that left me breathless. I felt like I was actually there and all of the characters had such contrasting personalities!


Quotes:
"No demon should smell like lavender"

[Kami Dodson-Perry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Please keep in mind this is not a book that I would normally choose to read. Gary Caruso contacted me via Goodreads and asked if I would review this for him. I am glad that he did. While I was not drawn into this story like I am usually, I found myself really loving the main character Wake.

In this storyline it seems that demons are all fallen angels. But Wake is special because he was human once. So he is a hybrid human/demon. Wake has had his humanity striped to make him a better soul collector. Wake collects souls of suicides and feeds on the energy/life force of the dead.

Satan gives Wake a very important assignment that will change him. He must collect the soul of a pregnant 17 year old, Annmarie. Annmarie has no plans to take her own life and it is up to Wake to persuade her to do so. If she commits suicide her and her babies soul will belong to HELL. If she dies another way her and babies soul belong to HEAVEN. The task is clear, but when Satan gives Wake part of his humanity back clear becomes complicated.

Wake falls for Annmarie and has been asked to protector her by an Angel. Wake must decide what is best for Annmarie, the baby and his chard soul.

When Wake decides to save Annmarie together they must fight an army of demons just to seek sanctuary. Lots of humans and demons will die before this ends.

Do you want to know which side wins Annmarie's soul?

[Kristy Gillespie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seventeen-year-old Wake’s life is in turmoil. His father is abusive, his mother is an addict, and his younger brother looks to him for guidance. Wake finds his strength through faith in the Catholic Church. However, after his mother commits suicide, Wake is visited by a demon who offers him an impossible choice; he can save his mother’s soul from the tortures of Hell if he offers his soul to Satan. Acting as a loving but foolish son, he accepts the demon’s offer. For years he works as an emotionless soul collector until his human emotions seep back slowly. When he meets Annemarie,a pregnant girl Satan has a hit on, he realizes he’s in love. Wake’s job is to convince Annemarie to commit suicide, because Satan is convinced her unborn child’s soul is a powerful commodity. If Wake doesn’t convince Annemarie to take her own life, then his mother’s soul will fall to the depths of Hell. As unlikeable as Wake’s character may seem, I found myself rooting for him. “Our Souls to Keep” is one captivating read!

[Tabby · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, let me start by saying that I loved this book. The pacing, characters, plot and writing were great. There were a few flaws but not enough to damage the story.

The pacing was perfect because the story never lost steam. It was impossible to be bored with so much action and twists. The plot has been done repeatedly but the author was able to make this story fresh. The book is very dark though, with just the sheer amount of death and suicides. Let me give the author some credit because he's not afraid to kill off characters. Not just the bad guys either, which makes it more realistic when the innocent characters aren't completely safe. I like that kind of fearlessness in a book because it keeps you on edge. At the same time, it does make it more difficult to connect with the characters if you are expecting them to die. The writing in this book was also very strong with very few errors.

The characters are the best part of the story for me. I loved Wake (such an awesome name for the character too). I loved his attitude and determination. He was willing to sacrifice everything just to save Annemarie and her baby. His unlikely friendship with the angel, Gabriel, was a bright spot in such a dark book. Their banter and Gabriel's attempt at humor made me laugh. Annemarie was like this delicate flower until Wake was threatened. Then this badass pregnant demon hunter emerged, which for some reason kept making me picture a pregnant Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I even enjoyed Wake's demonic mentor, Nevin. He was interesting, albeit completely evil but still a great character.

The only reason that I gave 4 instead of 5 stars is the romance. Don't get me wrong, I like Annemarie and Wake together. The romance itself is good but just way too fast in its intensity. I think that if the 'I love you's' been held back until closer to the end of the story, it would have been more believable. I understand why the romance was so fast tracked but I just wish it would have been slowed down just a little bit. It needed more of a build to it. But the characters themselves are a perfect fit. Annemarie's soul is just so pure and hopeful, even considering what happened to her, that it awakens the humanity in Wake. I think what attracts Annemarie to Wake is the loyalty to family and the selflessness that Wake demonstrates when he risks it all to save her and the baby.

The ending was bittersweet. The way things were ended left room for a sequel or to just stand alone. I like that because I have closure no matter what. I tend to like my endings to be a little more of a HEA, but for this book, the ending seemed fitting. Overall, I loved the book and look forward to more from this author.

[Cathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.*

I don't usually read books about angels and demons. Nothing against the concept it's just not my thing. So going into this book I didn't have high expectations. I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There were only a couple of small things that I thought could have been better and that's why it gets 4 out of 5 stars.

The first scene that shows what Wake's job is would have been better without all the detail. I know they say it's better for authors to show than tell but I think this scene would have been better if it opened with Wake having already done the deed because I didn't find the interaction between Derek and his "girlfiend" believable. It felt rushed to me. Derek's decision seemed to happen quickly even though he had been thinking about it the night before.

There were some items that could have taken a little more time to develop. The relationship between Jacob and Wake is one example. One more scene with them might have helped.

Also, I really wanted more of Judy and Oduda. Maybe we'll get more of Oduda in another book. A story centered around her and Nevin would be entertaining. And a whole spin-off series could be developed that was centered around the demon hunters.

Speaking of Nevin I loved him. I actually liked him better as a bad guy than Satan.

The writing was really well done. The story moved quickly and never dragged while at the same time doing a really good job at world building. I loved the action. I know a book is compelling when I'm trying to get things done quickly in order to get back to reading. That's always a good sign for a book.

Lastly, the best thing the author did was not copping out on the ending. I got worried for a little bit but he didn't disappoint. I'm not going to give anything away but I was happy with the ending.

I'm looking forward to reading what happens next in the series. There are so many different directions the author can take.

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

**I received a free copy of this book from the author for an honest review.**

“When I execute my job with precision, someone always dies.”
How far would a person go to save a soul? Would you make a deal with the devil?? Meet Wake Reynolds, a teenage soul collector, and newest toy/experiment of Satan.
Wake found himself a new job after he found his mother after she killed herself. Navin, a demon offered a trade. Wake’s soul for his mom’s. However when you deal with the devil – you never come out ahead.

After years of being the number one soul collector of teen suicides (the sorrow and pain of the first few chapters that are Wake’s job which can be disturbing gives the reader insight to what’s to come) – however Wake begins to remember his humanity after being a human-demon hybrid; which weighs on his conscience after his most recent collection. After a special meeting with the Devil himself, Wake has a new special assignment that has both sides (Heaven and Hell) in play for the soul of one girl & her unborn child.

With the help of demon hunters & a very unlikely ally, Wake must fight everything Satan will throw at them. When Wake meets Annemarie, he feels something for the first time, Love. Despite what Annemarie learns about the world and the things that happen, she takes it well especially for being pregnant. Now Wake and Annemarie just need to survive.

“Hope is powerful and infinite. If we hold it together, mold and shape it, we can create something magical.”

Demon possession, suicide, car chases, Haven & Hell at war - Our Souls to Keep didn’t follow the traditional YA plot – but it worked. A great first book. Loved the humor and sarcasm. Hope there is more to come. Glad I was given the chance to read Our Souls to Keep, it was a good read!

[Stina · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author gifted a copy of this book to me in exchange for a fair review, and a fair review he shall get.

Spoilers: I liked it. Lots.

Caruso spins you the tale of Wake, a boy who committed suicide in exchange for his mother's soul escaping eternal torture. Instead of getting to rot in eternal torture-y damnation, Wake becomes the first human/demon hybrid soul collector and is in general okay with his plot in (after)life considering he has saved his mom's soul and he has had his human emotions removed.

On a special mission, Satan gives Wake back his emotions, because you know, those don't complicate things ever. Wake is charged with getting the lovely, the young, the very pregnant, Annemarie to commit suicide, thus transferring her sin to her baby, damning them both. Wake struggles to find out why, besides the obvious "Because he's a skeevy jerk", Satan wants Annemarie's baby so bad. The kicker, if Wake doesn't collect Annemarie & babe's souls, his mother is in position for the eternal torture he took his own life to save her from originally.

Clearly there are a few logical guesses that can be made as to certain events that will take place later in the book, but in no way does this ruin the ride Caruso takes you on. Abandoned houses, people pitching themselves out of 4th floor windows, and a few shabby discarded carpets later, Wake has to decide whose soul is more important for him to save.

I want to keep this spoiler free, so I'll wrap it up, but I say bravo to Caruso on his first book. I eagerly look forward to more!

[pinK · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel was unlike any I’ve read before. I’m a sucker for any books with angels and demons, and I’ve spent a lot of time collecting and reading books with similar character styles that I found in this book. Still, I was really caught off guard by the humanity hiding within Wake, a half demon. I can definitely say that this is a very unique story worthy of five stars! It was so endearing to read about Wake sacrificing everything to protect the ones he loves, both Annemarie and his mother. The choices that he was forced to make are heartbreaking, but it’s easy to see the reasoning behind his final choice.

This book is so completely full of action that it is nearly impossible to put down. Between hordes of demons and vengeful angels, there is not a moment to take a calming breath to clear your head. There’s a sad harshness to the story, as so many people that help Wake along the way met unfortunate ends. What I found interesting about this book is that although there was so much death and destruction, the author counterbalanced that death by instilling so much hope into these characters that I (personally) couldn’t help but root for Annemarie and Wake.

The ending really threw me off! I was definitely not expecting the events that transpired. I will say that I will be watching for the next book! I know there’s still plenty of story left here, and I can’t wait to see more from this author.

This book is worth downloading, and I’d recommend it to anyone that enjoys paranormal romance.

[Minerva · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank the author and LOP for gifting me this book for a honest review.

We are introduced to Wake he's a 17 year old Soul Collector working for Satan. His job is to convince teens to commit suicide and then they can keep their souls. At first Wake is okay with his job, he's one of the best in the business, then he starts to have feelings and memories of his life and he starts to question his situation. Then Satan gives him a new job, he needs to get a pregnant girl Annemarie to commit suicide. Wake realizes that he can't go through with it and starts to have feelings for Annemarie and starts to protect her.

I was never bored while reading this, there was action and it was fast paced. I loved Wake, he's so funny, he was joking till the very end. He tries to help Annemarie to the very end. All the characters were great. Even the really bad characters like Nevin and Satan, they was very funny. Annemarie, was a good character, sometimes she was a little too trusting, especially with Wake, she takes off with him and she doesn't know him.I was happy when Wake realizes that he can't keep scarificing himself for his mom, she to me seemed very selfish, she chose to commit suicide. But I really enjoyed this book, great read. Hope there is a next one.

[Kath Ocampo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author of the book, Mr. Gary Caruso asked me if I could read his book. I checked Our Souls To Keep and after reading the "gist" of the story, I told him I'd be willing to read it.

So the story is about Wake, a soul collector for Satan, and his rediscovery of humanity. He had been a loyal servant to Satan but one day, all the memories he had about his "human life" came rushing back. With this, he was awakened and he decided that he'd no longer be Satan's pet. But even though his "human" feelings were pulling him away, Satan still gave him a new assignment. What's the assignment? To get the souls of a lady named Annemarie and of her unborn child. He should get their souls by encouraging the mother to commit suicide.

To be short, it wasn't an easy ride for both Wake and Annemarie. Also the ending will put you to tears. Though I think there's no other perfect way to end it.

What I loved about this story is that it pointed out that peace is not impossible as long as we listen and try to understand the other. Also I really loved Annemarie as a character.

So I recommend you to read this book. I think you'll enjoy it since it's action-packed and full of emotions. :)

[Olivia (Bookcomet) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. Here it is:

Wow. I have literally just finished this book. Let me just say: that ending. I did not expect that at all. I love endings like that and it was a pretty good twist.

The characters:
The main character Wake was great. He was likeable, understandable and different. Then there was Annemarie who was also great. She was so kind and I'm glad she and Wake get together. Nevin. The perfect villain (well, one of them anyway).

This story definitely had a unique quality to it, never before have I read a book about soul collecting. Especially not about collecting souls for the bad side anyway. The world and setting was believable, as was the interaction between characters.

I sat down with this book and read for ages at a time. I remember starting at like 40% and then looking down at the progress bar in my kindle and realising I was at 80%! There is action all the way through and it is highly captivating.

I would recommend this book to everyone. Particularly those who love reading fantasy novels. It definitely deserves that hard to earn place on my favourites shelf. Very highly recommend.

[Icy_Space_Cobwebs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review: OUR SOULS TO KEEP by Gary A. Caruso

Consignment to Hell is a torturous eternity, but for young Wake, who thought he sacrificed his soul to save his mother's, Hell is an eternity of waking moments, scouring Phoenix for adolescents prone to suicide: souls he can collect for his lord Satan. Suddenly, during one such encounter, some of Wake's lost human memories begin to reappear, just as he is summoned to.a new, essential task by Satan: collecting the souls of an angelic teenager and her unborn child.

OUR SOULS TO KEEP is realistic and gritty, detailed about Hell and its Narcissistic, megalomaniac overlords; but it is also founded in.the shining light of hope and will compel readers to eagerly anticipate the next installment. (I recommend the prequel short story, THE PROMISED LAND).

[Sabeeka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes books stay with you for a day and you move on, sometimes a book touches you so much its all you can think about. I officially can not stop thinking about Our Souls to Keep by Gary Caruso. When I was reading this book I forgot that it was just a written story. The words made me feel like it was just Wake and me going on crazy adventures (most of which include Satan) and that the end results were actually going to affect me. Don't get me wrong it isn't a nice happy going book its a book about torture, sacrifice, and most of the time death. The characters will hold on to your heart and never let go, even the ones you should hate. The humor is sarcastic and real. So if you are still not convinced to read this fantastic book I leave you with this quote. "I love to listen to the snap of a human neck. It reminds me of a crackling of a warm campfire."

[Brenda Seaberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely have to give this book 5 stars! It is an amazing story, pitting heaven, hell, and the human realm against each other. It's a story of love and selflessness, hatred and deception, with fitting human emotions shining through all of those times. I found myself so enthralled with this book that I set other things aside to sit and read it, as I just couldn't put it aside. Yes, I even ignored my obsession with Candy Crush, which is so prevalent these days. If you want a good read that will draw you directly into the story, I would highly recommend this book!

[Alison Cianciolo · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a fellow college alum of Gary's I look forward to reading his work.

[K4tie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions contained within are my own.

When I first started reading this book I didn’t like the cover. I kept missing part of the image that is there because my eyes were drawn to the swirl tattoo on the hand at the bottom of the cover. I stared at the cover right after finishing the book and saw what I was missing. There are two hands reaching for each other, one from above and one from below. For some reason I couldn’t see the hand from above.

I kept thinking while reading the book how weird it was that all the cover showed was a hand reaching up. It’s young adult and contains a love story so my brain kept thinking why only one hand on the cover? I also kept thinking I really want to see what the main characters look like. But in the end once I finally saw that there were two hands desperately reaching for each other it made complete sense.

Missing an important part of the cover isn’t so different from my own life. I can look anywhere and see what is being touched by and corrupted by the hand from below but it takes a longer look to see what is touched by the hand from above. I don’t mean that in the way of trying to think positive. I mean it in the way of it’s easy to look only at the surface of anything and see the flaws, but it takes patience and time to look deeper and see the beauty.

This story was furiously paced and filled with one emergency after another. It was strongly religious without being preachy or trying to push one side more than the other. I think when something is too in your face and seems like propaganda the real message can be lost, which isn’t the case with this story. I would not have wanted to read it if it was. I am still struggling with figuring out what I believe and I don’t want to curl up and relax with a book that crams one side of the coin down my throat.

It isn’t perfect, but I’ve learned that even the most seasoned writers have errors. That is distressing for me, but at the same time it adds the an unintended human element as if to say “I’m brilliant, but I make mistakes too.”

I enjoyed the story from beginning to end. Some of it was wildly unbelievable and some so wild I wished it was true. That is the fun in writing (and reading) a work of fiction, anything can happen regardless of if it follows the laws of nature as we understand them to be.

For as long as we know it there has been a battle raging between heaven and hell. We can’t see it, but on most days it sure seems like you can feel it. At one point there might have been peace, before Satan was cast out of Heaven that is. This story combines that rift along with the element of humans living between and being the picking grounds for both Heaven and Hell.

It is believable in the sense that what if something happened and we could somehow magically see past the veil that is between what we can see on our normal plane of existence AND what is beyond it. For example, there is much talk of Angels and Demons and souls. Some people even claim to have been able to see them when in a near death situation. But what if you were just walking along and suddenly could see it all?

I don’t think we could mentally process it, but this book doesn’t let you take the time to think about that. It pulls you in behind the veil and shoves you on the path of the story with no time to think about how it isn’t possible. It just is.

As an added fun fact, if anyone has seen the tv show Reaper, I envisioned the Satan in this story to be like Satan in that show. That might not do anything for you, but it tickled me.

I don’t want to spoil any specifics about what happens or just repeat what you can read from the blurb about the book. What I can say is if you are looking for an interesting take on how close we could possibly be to the other side of the veil without knowing it, this is a really great story to explore that with. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys horror or suspense, light romance, humor, teenage angst, and some crazy twists. I hope there is a sequel because I would most definitely read it.

http://northdnvrnonzombie.wordpress.c...

[S. Policar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is definitely different than other supernatural, heaven vs hell stories I've read. This book doesn't happen from the pov of view of a good guy, it happens from the pov from a demon hybrid named Wake. Wake is a soul collector. To live he must feed on the on the souls of those who die. He collects the souls for Satan. What makes his job so difficult, is the souls he collects must come from people that have committed suicide.
I spotted a handful of small errors in the work. Nothing major, just a few overlooked things. I was impressed that the author did his research on the different kinds of demons, including the different names for males and females. The painted a very vivid image of what hell looks like that will have the reader see it clearly, the reader may even be able to smell the sulfur that permeates the air if they let themselves that far into it.
Being what Wake is, I enjoyed seeing how he tried to manage his demon self and his human self.
I did spot a couple of small wording errors... For instance, the plural os Cactus is Cacti. But the errors aren't major and there was literally only a couple.
This story is fast paced and will have the reader on the edge of their seat. There are parts that will make the reader smile, as well as parts that will make the reader tear up.
I look forward to seeing what else this author comes up with.
I give this book 5 of 5 paws

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[Tiffani · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I was given this book for free from the author in exchange I write an honest review.*

This book was a stab in the heart so many times. I do want to say, before I start my review, that you really should be in a healthy mental state before reading this book. I'm not making a joke or anything like that; there are some very mature and triggering scenes in this book. Please make sure you're able to read things that have triggers before picking up this book.

At first, I was very confused. The book doesn't start with an explanation, just a scene and then you're given the explanation. I won't give away too much, but the first couple of chapters were the hardest to read not because they were boring (they were quite the opposite!) but because of the morbid things the main character did. At first, after reading these chapters, I debated on finishing the book based upon my sensitivity of the subject. I was angry with the author, and thought he was using suicide as a joke or as a form of entertainment. However, I looked at it further. Wake is a demon, from Hell, who collects souls. If you want to get religious, suicide isn't the way to get into heaven.

Another thing that kept me skeptical in the beginning was the factor of Heaven and Hell. I'm not religious, but I do believe in God and Satan and all those deities. However, controversially, I don't believe in religion. Thankfully, the book never went into deep religion discussions and just stayed with the Heaven and Hell factors.

I continued to read. Nevin, the biggest asshole you'll ever meet in a book, constantly infuriated me. For Kingdom Hearts fans, think of Axel at his most villainous state and then multiply that by 100. That's Nevin. I don't want to go into detail, but at the end his actions is what makes him my most hated villain in a book of all time. Of all time.

Jacob, however, I simply loved. And I'm glad (spoiler, but that big of a deal) Annabelle named her son Jacob.

I don't want to go into much detail because I'm afraid for spoilers, but Wake I didn't like in the beginning. Even though he showed redeeming qualities, I had no faith in him. I'm glad he changed his ways. And in the end, I found myself rooting for him the entire time.

Annabelle I loved even before I "met" her. Simply put, she's beautifully written and a character that every reader will love.

At the end, all I will say is that I did cry. Out of sadness? Out of happiness? You'll have to decide for yourself and read this book.

There are few grammatical, spelling, and continuity errors, however the writing style and the storyline really make you ignore those and make you want to keep reading. Nearly every chapter has action involved, which is what I love in my stories. The only reason I gave the book four stars rather than five was because at times, though there was a lot of action, I found myself wanting to put it down.

For Mr. Caruso's first time out, this book is fantastic and I really hope more and more young adults and adults choose to give it a try because it's quite good.

Now, Mr. Caruso; this is the longest review I've written for a book on this website. In exchange for that, I ask that you write a sequel just as good as this one, if not better!

[Susana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few words to describe "Our souls to keep":
Angels and Demons like you've never seen them before

I was truly amazed by the plot of "Our Souls to keep", because its so simple yet so unique. Caruso managed to successfully entwine his own personal ideas with what's already thought of about Demons and angels allowing him to come up with his own unique set of rules about demons and angels. The writing had a very nice flow to it allowing the story line to progress evenly.

"When I execute my job with precision, someone always dies"

The main character, Wake (if not likable from the start)definitely became likable toward the end mainly due to the fact that even though part of him is demon, Wake accepts and embraces his human emotions and takes fully responsibility for the errors of his past (which ended up causing much pain to his mother) allowing him to change and become a better version of himself in the future.



Wake and Annemarie's relationship was not my favorite, but definitely not the worst. I would of liked a little more development in their relationship. Their relationship just felt like they meet one day and later that same day, they were already saying "I love you" to each other. To add more time to their relationship is quite a challenge, because a lot of paramount events occurred from the time that Wake left the school to the time that he went to Annemarie's bff's party, but nonetheless a little more time for their relationship is very necessary. I also think that Wake should have been more upfront with Annemarie about who he was and what he was actually going to do before he changed his mind. If he couldn't have done this, at least he should have been the one to tell Annemarie the whole truth.

"Someone has to die for me to live"

"Our Souls to keep" has left me with a lot of questions unanswered such as
-(more specifically) what was the role Annemarie's unborn child played in the whole conflict between Satan and God?
-And if there could exist a weapon that Wake or other characters in the book could use to kill the demon without harming the human body which they possess?

Nonetheless, "Our Souls to Keep" was a more-than-good read. I look forward to more books from Caruso and even have my fingers crossed on a sequel to "Our Souls to Keep" (preferably discussing the Armageddon issue? lol)I would also like to thank Gary Caruso for giving my group the opportunity of reading this fabulous book and also for allowing me to read it (and for all the patience he had with me :)).

[Aleyn Lucier · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an enticing, suspenseful, and captivating novel about Wake, a demon who sacrificed his humanity in order to save his mother from the tortures of hell. Wake, a soul collector for Satan, receives a new order to collect the soul of Annemarie, who is a pregnant high school teenager. With this new assignment, he makes a bargain with Satan for his mother and for his freedom. What he did not expect is to become attracted to Annemarie and struggle between protecting her and saving his mother.
I enjoyed many aspect of this book. This is the first paranormal book I’ve read where the POV was mainly from the male character and I also liked that the book took on a darker edge compared to the other books that I’ve read. This was something different and refreshing. The author really goes through a great description on how evil Wake became. I believe that this helped a lot with the understanding how the main character struggled with his choices. I liked the story line, the characters, the writing style, the vivid descriptions, and the world created by the author. I also really appreciated that some parts of the story really scared me because of how the author described the scenes.
Although I enjoyed the story, there are some parts of the book that I found a little lacking or maybe the story is too short that a lot of the events were compressed. For example, I wished that there was more interaction between Wake and Annemarie. I found it odd that they only had a quick conversation then there’s this instant attraction which doesn’t really lend explanation to the intensity of the attraction. Similarly, I thought that the meeting between Wake and his brother was very abrupt. In some of the scenes, Wake explains that he finds his brother a good demon hunter and that he trusts him to keep Annemarie safe when he only met his brother once and he hasn’t seen him since he was a kid. I also think that a small fight scene between the two brothers would have been enjoyable. Finally, I wish that Wake had more kick-ass action scenes. There were some parts where he would think that he can take on those antagonizing him but he ends up getting in trouble and saved by someone else.
Overall, I found this book an enjoyable read. The story has a good mixture of suspense, humor, drama, and action. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys paranormal stories especially those with demons and angels.

[Proserpine · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the first lines, I was captivated by this story! I was quite attracted and intrigued by the blurb and I let myself being tempted by it and I wasn't disappointed at all! This novel surprised me on many levels!

I honestly didn't believe I would have develop that kind of attachment for the main character: Wake, but his story, his past, his actual life and his purpose really touched me and I immediately formed a bond with him and his mission.

In addition of having a rather dubious, vulnerable and sad past, Wake has the privilege of being the first of his kind: a hybrid human demon. After his death, Wake became a soul collector in spite of himself. However, he's the best in his field and he will soon be promoted: his soul and the one of his mother will be saved from eternal torture in Hell if he accomplished this next mission: captured the soul of the young Annemarie who is also pregnant: two souls for the price of one!

Unfortunately or fortunately, after all these years, Wake will have to face his past and also his humanity that resurfaces as Annemarie’s fate lay in his hands. Will he tries to save Annemarie and her child or his mother's soul?

This book is bit harsh; many people die or are already dead. It's not the typical and sexy paranormal romance story, but it was quite refreshing!

Wake is an awesome and very intense character. All these trials he must overcome, the Angels and Demons fighting for Annemarie's soul, everything seems to be against him but at some point he just won't/don't/can't give up. He has to make a choice and whichever his decide; the choice is the hardest of his life. I liked to read about his struggles.

I also discovered an awesome storyteller, a fantastic writer and I just hope that this book might have, someday, a sequel! Please Mr. Caruso, tell me that I will read about Wake again! The ending isn't the ordinary ''Happy Ending'' which adds a lot to the story but also add some plus on my personal POV. I enjoyed this book from the first page, until the very end.

Page Turner: Yes!

Series: No! One day maybe???

Stand Alone: Yes!

Hotness: Wake, but I don't think he's THAT kind of character.

Proserpine Recommendation: I totally recommend you this story if you love Paranormal Romance, but more for Paranormal lovers. The romance adds some great tension in the book, but the paranormal and suspense aspect are the one that came out more. Buy-Borrow, put on your TBR-pile and Next-to Buy List!

[J. Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

***Review originally posted: http://theyalitchick.blogspot.com/201...

This is one of those novels where, going into it, I had high expectations. Guilty as charged for judging the book by it's (awesome) cover. Not to mention, I am a huge fan of everything supernatural, especially the tensions and battles between angels and demons.

This is also one of those novels where my expectations are completely met, exceeded, even. Our Souls to Keep is breathtaking from the first page. Caruso's writing is brilliant, the plot is exciting, and it is a story that I literally could not put down. It is a non-stop masterpiece for fans of the paranormal.

As I mention a lot, I feel there are two main goals when you are writing or reading. One, to be able to affect the reader's emotions to the point where you change a piece of them, and two, to give them an escape from reality. Our Souls to Keep blows these goals out of the water. It is like Caruso writes with a direct line to your heart, and knows exactly how to twist it.

Why is it that all of the stories that aren't completely focused on romance end up as having the best romance? Because this novel is a perfect example of that, as well.

The characters are extremely well-developed. How refreshing is it to have a protagonist who isn't perfect? Who has a dark side to him, even if it is not of his own fault? And a pregnant love interest? When the pregnant teenager is one of your favorite kick-butt characters, it is clear that something went very right. Personally, I am a believer in villains with a degree of class (don't the wicked always have great quotes?) and even the demons - and Satan himself - are excellent characters.

I feel that I mention this a lot as well, but one of my favorite themes to explore is to question and challenge the distinction between good and evil, and Wake's character fits that bill perfectly.

Instalove critics, beware. Because I haven't known this novel for more than two days, yet I am in love.

Our Souls to Keep is powerful, emotional...a truly remarkable read. I would highly recommend this novel to any fans of Young Adult, Paranormal, Supernatural, Romance, and reading in general.

[Litsplaining · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book from the author for an honest review.

My initial reaction to this book is that it is very violent (to me) and graphic. This book follows Wake who is a hybrid demon, half-human and half-demon. Wake became a minion of Satan after he traded his soul for his mother's soul when she tried to commit suicide. Damned to do Satan's bidding for all eternity, Wake is sent on a special mission to retrieve the soul of a pregnant high school girl along with her unborn baby's soul. Unfortunately, God has his eye on the mother and child's soul as well. From here, the story speeds up until Wake is being confronted by all types of obstacles in the rush to win the two souls for Satan and outsmart God's angels.

It took me a long time to read this book. This has absolutely nothing to do with the author's writing style or story, but more to do with me being a sensitive individual. Initially, I thought this book would be a YA type of read where the demon vs. angel angel would be kept light and flowery, but when I was reading I found that Caruso gave a no holds barred narrative along with many graphic descriptions about Wake's job as a demon and the his carrying out of the tasks that Satan gave him. These images while good for telling the story were a tad unbearable for me since I have such a vivid imagination. However, I could totally see some of my favorite BookTuber's absolutely loving this book since they are highly into gorey type reads.

The characters in this book also gave off a realistic feeling. Never did I feel that Wake or any of his contemporaries were behaving out of character or contrary to who Caruso had pegged them as. Instead, Caruso's characters were full blown bad***es who set out to reach their goals of gaining the unborn baby and pregnant mother's souls for their Masters (i.e., God and Satan) by any means necessary.

While this isn't my favorite read of 2013 it is a book I'd recommend to anyone who can stand gore and large amounts of violence in their books. Caruso's work will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat...even if it is just to have you prepped for turning on the light to check for monsters.

[Georgie | The Pink Prose Parlour · Rating 4 out of 5]

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WHAT I THOUGHT:
I'm not usually one to like books that are narrated from a male point of you, I tend to go for ones with a female narrative just because i can envision myself within the novel. The book was great and it was very easy to set myself a pace.

COVER ART:
I like the idea around the cover art i just wish it didn't look so out dated. He has everything he needs for the cover to relate to the story but the visuals need to be more current.

PLOT:
We open up the story to meet Wake, a Human/Demon who sold his soul to the devil to save his mother's soul from perishing in the depths of hell. He has now become a collector of souls, a demon who persuades humans (by taking Possession of something/someone they trust) to take their own life so the gates of Heaven are closed to them.

During the first few chapters we meet Wake, Wake has started to feel remorse for his actions of forcing someone to take their own life which is something he is not used to. When he sold his soul all of his human emotions other than hate and greed were taken away. Satan is the one to manipulate Wake's feeling and because of this he gives him a new big assignment, Wake receives a file on a pregnant High School student- it is his mission to make sure the girl, Annemarie takes her own life so the life of her unborn child will also perish in hell.

As i said i'm not really used to reading books that aren't from a woman's perspective, but I found this novel absolutely refreshing. I could probably see how the story would pan out from Annemarie's side and that could be a short novel in itself but because it's solely from Wake's point of view and I believe we're given more details in the story than we would if it was reversed. In fact i think Jamie Maguire's third book in her providence series; Eden, is quite similar if the roles were reversed.

I could easily see this book being made into a movie, it was rather visual and I love it when authors can make me conjure up a strong picture in my head which is what Gary has done so well. I didn't find myself to be rushed through and I couldn't find any loose ends within the story.

[Fiona Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wake Reynolds is a soul collector for Satan. As he was only 17 when he traded his soul he is in charge of persuading teenagers to commit suicide. This way, their souls are taken by Satan rather than God.

At first I wasn't drawn to Wake as he just seemed bad. He works for Satan and just doesn't seem like a good guy. However on one job he starts to remember things from his previous life, memories which should have been totally stripped from him when he sold his soul.

He soon discovers there is a reason he has his memories back, and also who is giving them back.

Wake is chosen for a special mission. He is sent to gain the soul of a young pregnant woman, Annemarie. Although he doesn't like the mission he is persuaded when Satan shows him someone he cares about and promises to let their soul be tortured forever should he choose to abandon the mission in any way.

From then on I was totally drawn into the story, and Wake's mission.

Annemarie's soul is a very special one, and the collector who finally gains her soul will be highly thought of, not only by Satan, but by other demons. This results in a lot of demons looking for Wake and Annemarie, including his mentor, Nevin.

Wake finds himself running with Annemarie, trying to reach the safety of a church, aided at times by a source you won't expect. The friendship he ends up having with this source is one of respect, which is strange when you find out who it is!

By the end the relationship between Wake and Annemarie will surprise a lot of readers. Just when you think things are settling down the author throws in a twist which almost made me cry. However the ending also leaves us with a promise of a sequel which I cannot wait for.

The author has a written a story with a lot going on within its pages. At times you need to concentrate to understand what is going on, and there are a lot of twists thrown in throughout the book. All in all a read which totally drew me in and has me wanting to know much more about what happens next.

[Booksandlifewithandrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank the author for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a pleasant surprise from the synopsis you can tell the book has a dark subject matter death, suicides, demons, angels, the whole kit and caboodle. Right from the very start the book demands your attention and once you meet the characters the story flows without slowing down and has twists and turns, action, love, and of course death.

I loved the whole Heaven and Hell story angels and demons, a war coming and it all centers around this girl Annemarie and her unborn child. Wake is a soul collector he preys on the weak minded and convinces them to kill themselves so there souls go to Hell. Then one day Satan offers Wake an assignment to corrupt Annemarie so her suicide tarnishes her babies soul and hell gets the prize not God.

We meet Annemarie and you learn a bit about her story there is nothing special about it or the way she grew up she doesn't know her baby is the most sought after prize but who will get it God or Satan? Through out the story Gary doesnt shy away from the awful truth people die innocent people and not so innocent, he doesn't hold back and it makes you feel sorry for Wake for having to do it and also the people of the souls he collects and that's what makes an awesome book and writer.

I also loved the development of Wake and Annemarie and how they came closer even with everything going on around them there trials to get to a church that will keep Annemarie and her baby safe and what Wake will do to keep them safe and can't help but dream of a better life for them all.

The ending wasn't what I expected it leaves it open for an option for book 2 which Gary is writing but I was also happy with how he left it you felt closure if you want a HEA though you wont get it, but I loved it and can not wait for book 2.