Aftermath

by Lacey Ray

Tazio is so over being a Reaper. The hours are lousy, the paperwork sucks, and the souls are whiny! He's done his time and is more than ready to move on from his 100 year contract. Simon Caldwell's living with a ticking time bomb. This damn heart of his is ready to explode at any moment and he's going to fight death with everything he has, because he has something worth living for. When Tazio and Simon meet they both can admit the attraction is undeniable, but the timing is horrible. Can these two opposites make a deal and help each other out? Maybe explore the spark of electricity along the way?

170 pages, Paperback

Published November 2, 2025

About the author

Lacey Ray is a native of Indiana, where she grew up enjoying all four seasons in one day. Her love of books lead to her career as a librarian. Her dream of becoming an author came true with her first published work, Aftermath. Her second published work is The Short Collection. Happy Reading!

Reviews

[Bobby's Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

HILARIOUS and CUTE, this M/M PARANORMAL ROMANCE between a demon from hell and a nerdy man is the book you need to read!! I loved Tazio and Simon’s love story and the other characters in the book! It’s spicy and has a few steamy scenes, but the story itself was cute and funny! Would definitely recommend if you need a quick read and to laugh!

[DLB2572 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aftermath

I really enjoyed reading this one. I wasn't sure what to expect but it pulled me in and was very entertaining to read.

I received an ARC and this is my unbiased opinion

[Kan Arminger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is pure sugar in all the right ways. It's sweet and fun with low conflict. The world and characters are interesting, but I feel it is very intentionally low stress. It's about a 23 year old man who has been taking care of his younger brother and sister for several years since their parents' death. He has a health condition and on the night he is to die, he not only falls for the striking reaper who comes to collect his soul, but also makes a deal to be able to care for his siblings until they reach adulthood. The supernatural elements are done really well. It has a lot of travel back and forth between Earth and Hell, and we get to meet some great characters along the way. I enjoyed this fun story about love and family.

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Ashleigh Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, it took me a little bit to wrap my mind around this one. I found it funny, and engaging. It moved very fast, but it was emotional. And I did tear up in a couple of places. Tazio wants out of his contract as a soul collector which was only assigned to him as punishment (while others want the gig). The soul he goes to collect, Simon, wants to NOT die. So he invokes Rahmat which is the equivalent of the pirate’s parlay. Suddenly, Tazio has three months to teach Simon the soul collecting gig and, if successful, Simon gets to live, Tazio gets out of his contract. Of course, they both are heavily attracted to each other which only complicates matters...Oh and did we mention that Simon is raising his siblings?

[Oz · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

This is written with a lot of heart, and the author seems lovely! It could just have done with another few rounds of editing. The grammar is a bit hard to read past, there's a couple of confusing plot holes / continuity issues, and the pacing could do with some revision (slow burn slow burn slow burn slow burn MARRIED). But the characters are interesting, the plot's touching, and for a gay erotic-romance the world building is surprisingly intense.

[Cinda Vickery · Rating 4 out of 5]

What happens when we die? Or rather avoid dying? Is there love after death? For these two boys yes, though technically neither one are dead. Cute love story featuring Heaven, Hell, grim reapers, ghosts, death, family, and so much more. There is cute banter, instant attraction, meeting the family, and some spicy scenes. This book would’ve been 5 stars but there were a few editing issues

[BETH BROOKS-MOIR · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most excellent!!

I definitely recommend this book and author! Lacey Ray has created beautiful and complex characters. The world building is great, and this is a beautiful story. I hope we see these characters again in another book!! Thank you!

[Suuuuslix · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't expect this to be so good. It was easy to read, adorable and sometimes hilarious story. Also a little spicy.
Loved the characters and how cosy the story was. No drama, just a very cute story.

[Brat · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story itself was actually pretty good. The writing and pace of the book felt all over the place and.........rushed? But it wasn't bad. Although the ebook for Kindle had a few spelling/grammar errors that also took me out of the flow of reading, it was cute.

[Raeann Wolfley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn’t my normal read. I think I enjoyed it more, because it was something different to me. Love the plot and great world building. Can’t wait to read more by this Author.

[Rosaline Banner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was given to me as a gift and I am so glad they thought I would enjoy it! It’s so cute! Roman is a mood, Simon is a babe, and I love the dynamics and twist of Heaven and Hell!

[Caroline Browne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given a copy of this book by the author for a honest review. I liked this book a lot great characters can the 2 opposites make a deal and help each other out have to wait until end to find out.

[C.T. Whistle · Rating 4 out of 5]

☠️ This was a pretty interesting read with some great banter back and forth. Could have read a full length novel. ☠️

[FD · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very modern, good book . With strong development and story platform. Characters grow steadily and are easy to follow.

Thank you voracious readers for the advance copy

[Blue · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't know initially what I was going to make of this book. This reminds me of Hell's Belles a little bit.
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The 1st person perspective is an interesting choice for this book. Not necessarily bad, but strange.
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I found the characters and the character progression really well done. They were likeable and realistic. I felt myself really engaging with the story as a result.
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It took me a little while after receiving the book to actually start reading. But once I got into it properly, it only took me a couple of days of focused reading to finish it.
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I'd be interested to read a sequel or follow up novel to see how things were going.
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Thank you to Voracious Readers Only and author Lacey Ray for sending me an ARC copy of this book.