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Thus with a Kiss
Thus with a Kiss is an exciting new paranormal romance that will leave you reeling as soon as the last page is closed.
Paige, a twenty year old girl who finds more comfort between the pages of a book, than she does in the real world around her, finds life to be hard and tiring sometimes. Weighed down by the monotony of her daily life and expectations, when Lawrence appears in her life out of the blue, she can't help but think the attraction they instantly share is a sign from the Universe that life might just be looking up.
Lawrence is a Reaper, a being sent by the Universe to take the souls of those recently passed on. But when Paige appears on Lawrence's list, he can't help but feel the injustice of taking a life so young and so unlived. As he struggles to navigate between his duty and growing desire towards his charge, he must decide if he can do the one thing he is ordained reap Paige's soul.
As Paige and Lawrence grow closer, and the strings of the Universe wrap around them, will their feelings be enough to save Paige or will the Universe win in this game of life and death?
Readers have said that Thus with a Kiss ‘is a haunting meditation on the human experience', 'an aching romance with an end that lingered long after it had been read', 'a book that made me cherish my everyday life, even the boring bits'.
The perfect read for fan’s of John Green’s Looking for Alaska, Adalyn Grace’s Belladonna and Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library.
Paige, a twenty year old girl who finds more comfort between the pages of a book, than she does in the real world around her, finds life to be hard and tiring sometimes. Weighed down by the monotony of her daily life and expectations, when Lawrence appears in her life out of the blue, she can't help but think the attraction they instantly share is a sign from the Universe that life might just be looking up.
Lawrence is a Reaper, a being sent by the Universe to take the souls of those recently passed on. But when Paige appears on Lawrence's list, he can't help but feel the injustice of taking a life so young and so unlived. As he struggles to navigate between his duty and growing desire towards his charge, he must decide if he can do the one thing he is ordained reap Paige's soul.
As Paige and Lawrence grow closer, and the strings of the Universe wrap around them, will their feelings be enough to save Paige or will the Universe win in this game of life and death?
Readers have said that Thus with a Kiss ‘is a haunting meditation on the human experience', 'an aching romance with an end that lingered long after it had been read', 'a book that made me cherish my everyday life, even the boring bits'.
The perfect read for fan’s of John Green’s Looking for Alaska, Adalyn Grace’s Belladonna and Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library.
249 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 31, 2024
4 people are currently reading
125 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 13, 2025
Really cool concept for a book, and Paige was really relatable. This book definitely got me into some deep thoughts about life & death too.
November 7, 2024
This book is beautifully written. Endearing and emotional, made me think deeply about my own life. I found the FMC so relatable and loved the fourth wing and iron flame references. So many parts of the story resonated with me. I obviously love the main character’s passion for books, I felt I was at the book store with her and she is a girl I would definitely be friends with in real life.
I am totally in love with the MMC. I love a “he falls first” trope. He’s everything anyone would want a love like this to be. He’s mysterious and sweet, and seeing life through his eyes was transcendent.
I’ll be honest haha, I worried the entire time reading this book that this girl would inevitably die. My palms were sweaty almost the entire book thinking she would somehow trip on some rock, drown, fall off a cliff, choke on her tacos. Thankfully the beautifully descriptive passages helped calm my mounting anxiety.
The book really makes you wonder and want to live life to the fullest. I can’t give away the ending, but I will say it left me utterly breathless. Read this. It is a story you won’t forget and I will probably think about forever.
@thedaggeredpage
I am totally in love with the MMC. I love a “he falls first” trope. He’s everything anyone would want a love like this to be. He’s mysterious and sweet, and seeing life through his eyes was transcendent.
I’ll be honest haha, I worried the entire time reading this book that this girl would inevitably die. My palms were sweaty almost the entire book thinking she would somehow trip on some rock, drown, fall off a cliff, choke on her tacos. Thankfully the beautifully descriptive passages helped calm my mounting anxiety.
The book really makes you wonder and want to live life to the fullest. I can’t give away the ending, but I will say it left me utterly breathless. Read this. It is a story you won’t forget and I will probably think about forever.
@thedaggeredpage
November 1, 2024
I feel so honoured to have read this before it was released! I personally think it’s so touching and beautifully written. Makes you reevaluate what’s important to you! A haunting meditation on the human experience. ❤️
November 4, 2024
I pre-ordered this book and was on the edge of my seat waiting to dive in! Once I downloaded it to my kindle, I devoured it—Lawrence has officially joined my book boyfriends list. The writing is beautiful and immersive, and I honestly wouldn’t have guessed this was a debut novel. It was an incredible read from start to finish, and I genuinely enjoyed Amie’s writing style. Can’t wait to see what future works she'll bring us next!
January 26, 2025
This book was bittersweet. Very sweet easy read… it could have had a little spice 😜
August 2, 2025
fantastic and beautifully written
April 2, 2025
what can i say except WOW. This book was genuinely unlike any concept ive read before. The detail into the thoughts and feelings of each character were beautiful. i truly resonated with the fmc as i honestly felt so similar to her, and i think this book had a beautiful message on just how precious and short life is. the ending was a little sad, but not something i expected, however i really do think it added to the storyline
the only reason it took me a little while to get through was because i read it on kindle, but much prefer to read a physical book instead. other than that, absolutely loved it!!!
credits to the author for this being her first book as well!!
the only reason it took me a little while to get through was because i read it on kindle, but much prefer to read a physical book instead. other than that, absolutely loved it!!!
credits to the author for this being her first book as well!!
November 24, 2024
A well written very descriptive and gripping novel.
Couldn’t put the book down once I started to read.
Needed to know what the outcome would be!!!
Beautifully written.
Would definitely recommend.
Couldn’t put the book down once I started to read.
Needed to know what the outcome would be!!!
Beautifully written.
Would definitely recommend.
November 3, 2024
REVIEW HAS SPOILERS!
That ending has absolutely destroyed me, and all I can say is if Amie Kealy has no haters, then I am DEAD.
No, but seriously, although I have been staring into space for the last 20 minutes because of that ending, I loved this book.
It's a really engaging and thoughtful read. The story is about Lawrence and Paige, two characters with a lot of emotional depth. The way their relationship slowly unfolds is both sweet and intense.
Kealy's writing has this dreamy, introspective vibe that makes you think deeply about life and love while keeping you hooked on the romance. As a bookish introvert myself, I found myself relating to Paige quite a lot, and I suspect the author probably based some of Paige's personality traits on her own.
One thing I liked about the story was how the plot shares similarities with a TV series I used to love called Dead Like Me. Both feature a lead character who is part of the "in-between" world, wrestling with questions of life, death, and purpose. In Dead Like Me, we follow a reaper who navigates her afterlife responsibilities while dealing with her own emotions and growth. Similarly, in Thus with a Kiss, Lawrence, Paige's Reaper, has to guide her through the last stages of her life, forming a unique, complex bond with her. This, and the references to Charmed (another amazing TV show), added an element of nostalgia for me, which you don't often find in modern books.
Anyway, back to the story...
The story takes you through these quiet moments between the characters, like having coffee or just driving. Still, it's in those small, everyday scenes where the magic happens. The tension between Lawrence's mysterious personality and Paige's more reserved nature keeps things interesting. It's less about dramatic twists and more about the slow-burn connection that feels super real.
If you're into stories focusing more on characters' thoughts and feelings, this one's for you. It's the kind of read that makes you pause and think about the little things in life, which is important for all of us.
So you're probably thinking, Chris, you obviously enjoyed this story; why four stars?
There are a couple of reasons for this.
Firstly, although we must recognise that indie authors don't have the same resources and backing that a publishing house can give them, I think Thus with a Kiss could have done with an additional round of reviews. There are a significant amount of spelling and grammatical mistakes throughout the book.
Secondly, JUSTICE for Gerad Landlow. Kealys' story points out several times that any changes to the death list causes problems in the universe. We see this when one of Lawrence's charges dies early, which causes a shift in the rest of the names on his list. HOWEVER, at the start of the story Lawrence asks Elodie to reap Gerad, even though the story implies he isn't actually on anyones list. So, in effect, if I have understood, they send him to the other side way way before his time just so Lawrence can take his place in class (I love the dedication to getting the girl, but even I draw the line at murder, haha).
I wondered if this would lead to big problems later in the story, but it wasn't mentioned again. Anchor also mentioned a big issue in the cosmos causing issues with the reaping lists, but we didn't actually find out what the problem was—unless it was Lawrence appearing on Elodies' list.
ANYWAY, I'm rambling now. Overall, this book was brilliant, and I'm looking forward to my signed/sprayed edge edition ;)
Massive kudos to Amie for her first book; I would happily read anything she creates in the future; her writing style is beautiful.
That ending has absolutely destroyed me, and all I can say is if Amie Kealy has no haters, then I am DEAD.
No, but seriously, although I have been staring into space for the last 20 minutes because of that ending, I loved this book.
It's a really engaging and thoughtful read. The story is about Lawrence and Paige, two characters with a lot of emotional depth. The way their relationship slowly unfolds is both sweet and intense.
Kealy's writing has this dreamy, introspective vibe that makes you think deeply about life and love while keeping you hooked on the romance. As a bookish introvert myself, I found myself relating to Paige quite a lot, and I suspect the author probably based some of Paige's personality traits on her own.
One thing I liked about the story was how the plot shares similarities with a TV series I used to love called Dead Like Me. Both feature a lead character who is part of the "in-between" world, wrestling with questions of life, death, and purpose. In Dead Like Me, we follow a reaper who navigates her afterlife responsibilities while dealing with her own emotions and growth. Similarly, in Thus with a Kiss, Lawrence, Paige's Reaper, has to guide her through the last stages of her life, forming a unique, complex bond with her. This, and the references to Charmed (another amazing TV show), added an element of nostalgia for me, which you don't often find in modern books.
Anyway, back to the story...
The story takes you through these quiet moments between the characters, like having coffee or just driving. Still, it's in those small, everyday scenes where the magic happens. The tension between Lawrence's mysterious personality and Paige's more reserved nature keeps things interesting. It's less about dramatic twists and more about the slow-burn connection that feels super real.
If you're into stories focusing more on characters' thoughts and feelings, this one's for you. It's the kind of read that makes you pause and think about the little things in life, which is important for all of us.
So you're probably thinking, Chris, you obviously enjoyed this story; why four stars?
There are a couple of reasons for this.
Firstly, although we must recognise that indie authors don't have the same resources and backing that a publishing house can give them, I think Thus with a Kiss could have done with an additional round of reviews. There are a significant amount of spelling and grammatical mistakes throughout the book.
Secondly, JUSTICE for Gerad Landlow. Kealys' story points out several times that any changes to the death list causes problems in the universe. We see this when one of Lawrence's charges dies early, which causes a shift in the rest of the names on his list. HOWEVER, at the start of the story Lawrence asks Elodie to reap Gerad, even though the story implies he isn't actually on anyones list. So, in effect, if I have understood, they send him to the other side way way before his time just so Lawrence can take his place in class (I love the dedication to getting the girl, but even I draw the line at murder, haha).
I wondered if this would lead to big problems later in the story, but it wasn't mentioned again. Anchor also mentioned a big issue in the cosmos causing issues with the reaping lists, but we didn't actually find out what the problem was—unless it was Lawrence appearing on Elodies' list.
ANYWAY, I'm rambling now. Overall, this book was brilliant, and I'm looking forward to my signed/sprayed edge edition ;)
Massive kudos to Amie for her first book; I would happily read anything she creates in the future; her writing style is beautiful.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews