The Afterlife Club

by Justin Afterdark

Axel’s love life is so dire that being strangled to death is the most action he’s seen in months.

After a disgraceful death, he lands a job escorting souls to the Hereafter, but his training is outsourced to a sullen grim reaper who wants nothing to do with him—and a group of demons who are too interested. With only weeks to prove himself or he’ll be banished to Limbo forever, Axel doesn’t have time to worry about romance.

For though his heart no longer beats, he finds it pulled in three different the moon-drenched shores of Purgatory, where his mentor would rather make trouble than love… the dangerous yet steamy halls of Perdition, where the demons dwell… and to the very streets of Earth, where the alluring man who killed him still walks free.

Genres: Paranormal, Ghosts, Ebooks, M M Romance, Romance, Mystery, Queer

380 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 4, 2024

Reviews

[Klara]

I ended up DNF'ing this one at 23%. I just couldn't force myself to read it any longer—the main character was so frustrating that it felt like I was reading about a 15-year-old horny boy instead of a grown adult.

Life is too short for books that get on your nerves so early on, so I'm cutting my losses and moving on to something better!

[Heather]

This book is the perfect example of ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’. I wrongly assumed it would be for young audiences and it’s not. I adored reading this book. The slow build-up of the world in which different hereafters come together to form a place for souls to gather before moving to the ‘beyond’. It was such a unique concept for me, I haven’t read anything like it really. I mean I’ve touched on demons and angels etc. but this was more about the inner workings of those places rather than the romance between the three main characters.

It was humorous, naughty, and full of fun.

The characters are great, even the side characters. Axel is lovely, funny, and full of empathy. He sets out to change the way things are run. His (at first) unwilling trainers, Kai and Zeke are equally good. Kai is a brooding, shy, grim reaper who believes in Axel's mission and wants to see him succeed. Zeke is a lusty, loyal demon who goes against everything he’s known to help Axel succeed too.

I felt so sorry for Jaxon. I’m glad we got to see how his story ended.

My only tiny weeny criticism was the ending, but only because it ended so abruptly. I can only hope it ended like that because he has book 2 in the works! 🙏 You can’t be leaving us hanging like that. No fair! 😂

Ah, it was so good, and I’m really looking forward to more from this author.

[Robert Fontenot]

I didn’t love it but that might just be me. I found the world building (and perhaps the world) a little tedious and I had a hard time gelling with the writing. Someone with a higher tolerance for urban fantasy/twee/religion will possibly love this.

The cover is awful and very misleading as to tone/grade level.

[Ashe Hale]

Um, quite an abrupt ending but a fun read nonetheless
my only question now is: if the Eternal Contest is recurring and the loser gets sent to limbo for 9 cycles, who lost the last round? Wouldn't there be a Hereafter currently in limbo awaiting release? Hopefully we get to meet them next book!

[Nicole]

The Afterlife Club took me completely by surprise, in the best way possible. I picked it up on a whim during an Amazon sale because the cover intrigued me (it’s gorgeous and playful), but I wasn’t sure what kind of tone to expect. What I got was a sharp, emotionally layered, and delightfully weird fantasy romance that hooked me from the start.

The premise is already gold: Axel, freshly deceased under… less-than-flattering circumstances, lands a job escorting souls to the Hereafter. His training involves a reluctant grim reaper mentor, a less reluctant demon, and a ticking clock. And if that weren’t enough, his heart (though technically non-functioning) keeps pulled in a new direction.

What really makes this book stand out is the balance it strikes. It’s funny, yes, but not fluff. There’s real emotional weight to the characters and relationships. The romantic tension is sizzling in more than one direction, the pacing is addictive, and the worldbuilding is creative without getting bogged down in exposition.

About a quarter of the way in, I found myself actively not wanting to finish too fast, just so I could live in this world a little longer. That almost never happens for me anymore.

If you enjoy queer romance with a supernatural twist, morally gray-adjacent love interests, and an offbeat sense of humor wrapped in real heart, do not sleep on this one. I’ve already ordered a physical copy for my shelf! And I’m seriously hoping there’s more to come from Justin Afterdark.

[Kirstine Hansen]

This was a freebie from the Romance Bookworms' annual Stuff Your Kindle event, and I absolutely loved it.

The story has pretty much everything - including a timey wimey Doctor Who reference, a murder plot, great banter, political intrigue, romance, a high stakes contest, personal growth, and a very different version of the afterlife. For starters, there are four different realms, each with their own soul collectors.

Sadly, it also has a rather abrupt HFN ending, so I hope there'll be more of this story in the future. I'm not ready to let go of the valkyrie, the demon, and the reaper, dammit, not to mention Axel's new einherjar!

Edited, because I forgot: Surprisingly, the only thing I didn't love was the sex - mostly because of the lack of lube. Would it have killed the author to throw some kind of magic or a "oh, we don't need that in the afterlife" comment in there?

[Chris]

The Afterlife Club is a humorous portrayal of Axel’s journey in carrying out his role as a newly-appointed afterlife guide…in whichever clothing he deems necessary to do so. This role was bestowed upon him in the most unfortunate manner possible. He needs to find out all the whys and wherefores…as you would.

I adored reading this book. World-building is not usually my go-to but, even though I struggled in places to concentrate (it’s most definitely a me thing), I threw myself into the story and came out the other side in full-on approval.

The humour was on point as was the naughtiness of those involved. Zeke was definitely my favourite of the characters as I could imagine a certain someone encompassing his character. And who doesn’t love a bit of tail shagnanigans?

Needless to say, I’m looking forward to seeing more from this author!

This book was given as a free ARC and this is my honest review.

[Linda Crandall]

Fun, quirky read
A delightful take woven with whispers of various concepts of - as the title suggests - the Afterlife and how it's represented. The names of the separate realms/sections may seem familiar, but this story presents an entirely different version, absolutely not canon and adding in bureaucracy, newby razing, good with a fleck of nasty, evil with a hint of cute, and so much confusion for a newly dead soul. The adventures and encounters that wash over the main protagonist and try to carry him off with an almost unbeatable riptide are met with bewilderment, frustration and ...genius solutions.
Definitely a fun read, with a bit of steam thrown in to heat up the situations.

[Cindy]

This book was such an original and unique idea, I loved it. Axel was murdered and rose as a guide for souls to Valhalla - one of the four Hereafter choices. He falls in with Zeke, a demon and Kai, a grim reaper as his trainers, friends, eventually more. His style of ushering souls is so unorthodox and rewarding, he makes enemies but wins souls. His sense of honor, compassion and empathy shines through every time. I have never read anything by Justin before but I couldn't get enough of this book. I was enthralled even if it had a happy for now ending but obviously needs to continue in another book. I will be eagerly waiting for the next one!

[Terri Lee]

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book, but I was pleasantly surprised.

It's a very different take on what the afterlife looks like, and I loved discovering it through Axel's eyes. Axel was so sweet with how he cared about the souls he was transporting and how keen he was to make positive changes.

I loved the different dynamics between Axel & Zeke and Axel & Kai, although, I would have loved a lot more spice between them and maybe even the 3 of them together.

The story isn't complete so I'm hoping the next book is released pronto!

Really enjoyable book of you're looking for more plot than spice.

[Lea Gesser]

This book was really a surprise to read. our main character, Axel Addison, is murdered and ends up in the afterlife. Once here, he of course does not know what to expect and he unexpectedly saves the life of a Valkyrie and here he also meets Yuri. A not so friendly demon. Everything doesn't go as he would like and he has to be trained to work as a shield-maiden. Accompanying deceased persons. And his teachers are Kai and Zeke. The story is entertaining and the interaction between the characters is more than friendly. I can only say that this book was really enjoyable to read. And I'm really looking forward to other stories from this author.

[Cara]

It's really not a bad book written with AI but it lacks real depth of the characters.
Hideous, hideous cover.
Axel really isn't anything special. I thought he would be the first all-four hereafter guide. Nope.
The fact that he treats Zeke the way he does when thinking about Kai all day is really off-putting, then Zeke just says hes fine for Axel to sleep around while he'll stay true to him? A lust demon? Really?
By 40% you can guess that demons are possessing people to collect souls...but somehow are losing. It's shocking that, that's the twist.

[Sie Shennum]

This book was absolutely amazing. My boyfriend thanks you for taking my attention for numerous hours so he could play video games because I could literally not put this down. The plot line, plus the romance, plus the characters brought together a beautiful story that was unlike anything I've seen before. I loved the unique lore of the story and how the author combined aspects of different religions into one afterlife, The Herafter. I cannot wait until the next one in the series comes out to see what these characters do next.

[Zoi Gauna]

So amazingly written. Good spice, a whoduniturder mystery (well more like why did he do it), some political intrigue. It's got it all and all in the afterlife! When Kai told his origin story, that brought tears to my eyes. Because of the deadline they were all facing, there was so much edge of your seat tension. Also, I do not like Lucy! She's a conniving little ...mhhmmm. but that's to be expected because of who she is. An amazing book and I would honestly live to see it as a show/movie

[Deb Kel]

A new author for me and I have to say I was so impressed and loved this book. I found following Axel’s journey as an afterlife guide both humorous and captivating. Plenty of shenanigans ensue with all the amazing characters. So hoping we get more from them.
I received a free arc copy and this is my honest review

[Lotta]

Interesting

I liked the story, interesting concept. Romance came second. I didn’t get why the contest was even needed and why the losing “team” would be sent to Limbo, it wasn’t explained and it didn’t seem like there would be any problems if they just didn’t have the contest, hope it will be explored in the next book, if there will be another.

[Ken Cook]

Heaven or Hell

A very clever and humorous take on existence after death, Afterdark's work reflects back on Vonnegut work of 40+ years ago. Rather than an afterlife derived from the soul's belief, a contest between several alternative endings sets the mileau. Intrigue, celestial rules, passion and a watering hole, the novel keeps interest flowing.

[Abby]

I went into this book, not quite knowing what to expect. I enjoyed watching Axel as he helped everyone around him. I'd love to see more romance between Axel/Zeke and Axel/Kai. Can't wait to read more about these boys!

[Dale]

I liked this introduction the author gave us of them. It was witty and I liked how it was a different storyline than have i read before. I cant wait to see this author grow and give us more of this series♡.

[Silvita Wake]

An absolute blast to read. The main character being as dumb as. I am was super fun as I realized things at the same time as him. Truly so fun. The story didn't quite go as I expected, but in the best way. I had predicted a different ending, but I like the actual one better.

[KAM HADLEY]

This book is fun and fresh. The characters are fantastic. I’d love to read more about them. Hopefully the author continues their story in future books.

[Jai Oni]

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Enjoyment: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[Bonnie The Derpatron]

Absolutely loved the concept and characters in this book. So very good. I ate it up and couldn't put it down!

[BookNerd101]

something new

I enjoyed this book quite a lot because it was something new. I thought it was very creative at the moment. I’ll be keeping an eye out for more books from this author.

[Megan McGrath]

Axel, Zeke, & Kai
The story started off slow, and I found myself starting and stopping my reading often. Once the plot picked up though, I couldn't put it down, and finished the remaining story in less than a day.
Axel, Kai & Zeke are an interesting trio of after-lifers. Axel's entrance into the afterlife is fraught with drama and tension, but his quick connections with Kai and Zeke solidify his belonging. Though Kai spends much of their time together contentious, he proves to be a fantastic fast friend. Zeke's relationship with Axel is fast and furious, but he also proves his love and loyalty to his friends.

I loved the complexity of The Afterlife Club. It really kept my mind fully engaged and absorbing as many of the details as I could. I look forward to reading it again to see if I can pick up any other tidbits that I'd missed in this go-around.

I received an advance copy of this book and am volunteering my honest review.

[S.]

I really wanted to like this book after meeting the author at a book fair and that is how I picked up this book. But it literally took me 15 days to read, and I kept on getting bored. The writing seemed very back and forth as well. Sorry.