Die For Me: A stay-up-all-night, spicy paranormal romance

by Shirlene Obuobi

"I'm obsessed. Die for Me is utterly unique and still at its core about the most universal of about a woman vanquishing fear through love." -Ali Hazelwood

Sean's not in the market for love. The only female, let alone Black, interventional cardiologist at her hospital, she's watched too many of her male colleagues divorce their first wives to marry younger models-and then there's the abusive relationship she's spent the better part of her early 30s healing from. Her passions are reserved for her best friend, her goddaughter, and her job.

Then she meets Julian. Brooding, beautiful and eleven years her junior. In A bad idea.

Julian pursues her in a way that sets off alarm bells in her mind, but she finds herself unable to resist their undeniable chemistry-even starts fantasizing about him in dreams that feel altogether too real. They also have a lot in common despite their age gap. So, to hell with If men can date younger, why can't she? But the more Sean gets to know him, the more impossible Julian He has a depth and sorrow to him that's beyond his years, and sometimes there's a look in his eyes that's less than human, and leaves her feeling more like prey. Plus, Sean herself has been exhibiting odd symptoms-memory lapses, a lack of restraint that's unlike her, persistent exhaustion-that all trace back to Julian, making Sean feeling more than a little afraid. Who-or what-is she falling, irrevocably, in love with?

Extraordinarily transfixing, suspenseful, and addictive, Die for Me is nothing short of a seduction.

"Smart, sexy and addictive-a paranormal romance that hits every single craving. I loved it." - Abby Jimenez

"Edgy, sensual, powerful, Die For Me proves Obuobi to be an up-and-coming powerhouse. With deft genre-bending, Obuobi gives the romance and paranormal readers what they're salivating for-and then some." -Christina Lauren

Genres: Romance, Fantasy, Paranormal, Vampires, Romantasy, Paranormal Romance, Fiction

417 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 14, 2026

About the author

Shirlene Obuobi is a Ghanaian-American physician, cartoonist, and author who grew up in Chicago, Illinois, Hot Springs, Arkansas and The Woodlands, Texas. When she’s not in the hospital (and let’s be honest, even when she’s in it), she can be found drawing comics, writing on her phone, and obsessing over her three cats. She currently lives in Chicago, where she is completing her cardiology fellowship.

Reviews

[Shawnaci Schroeder]

4/5
This is the perfect paranormal story for readers that don’t typically pick up this genre!!! As a romance girlie I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about this one but I absolutely loved it. So much yearning!! I’ve read every book this author has written and have loved them all!

[bookluvr (s-ia)]

ringing up the book gods as we speak to ask where it all went wrong…like why is this happening to me? what have i done? this is a generous 3 because the spirit of mother teresa seems to be coursing through my bloodstream this weekend, the way i’ve rated these last couple of reads…

it genuinely pains me that i ended up here because i was LOVING it in the first half. by 40/50%, i was so sure this would be 4+ stars. but then, the book started making the most unnecessary moves in the second half that left me with such a bad taste in my mouth in parts and bored to tears in others. my goodwill for the first half is legitimately carrying this rating on its back for no compensation because i COULD have gone 2.5 on this (rounded down to 2). compared to my last horny read though, that just would have been too insulting so i find myself here because of relativity 🤣.

before i proceed, i will say this: i really liked the writing, stylistically. this was solid and remained so throughout the book. i can tell that the author is a very intelligent woman in some of the ideas and nuggets she inserts into the prose. it was the story that went awry. however, this read was not lackluster due to lack of finesse in the style. this also bolsters my magnanimity in the rating.

the story follows sean (the fmc) and julian (the mmc). these two meet when sean (38) is forced to attend her best friend’s ex husband / baby daddy’s wedding to some new young thing (as a chaperone for her pre-teen goddaughter / the “baby” in question). she encounters an enigmatic, charming and seemingly well-accomplished younger man julian (27), who happens to be a good friend of the new bride and gives the man of honour speech. these two have chemistry right off the bat and the story unfolds from there.

i was eating up the first half so BAD!

it was kind of weird…but also kind of wonderful? it read like a grey’s anatomy-inspired contemporary romance with whispers of something otherworldly in the mix but nothing too overt. it also focused more on building up the dynamic and the characters, which i enjoyed.

i really liked sean. at first. she’s a bad ass cardiologist and her characterization made her come across as sharp, driven, interesting and mature (for the most part). i also like how confident and quick-witted she was, as well as wholly unapologetic about her lifestyle as a rich auntie™ with no ambitions to be married or have children. i mess with that. a lot.

i was FROTHING for julian. he too, was so confident and suave but not annoying (yet). and so damn sexy 😩. he had mad aura. rich 😛. attentive ✔️. could go toe-to-toe with an older woman 💯. and he knew how to throw down. what more could i have wanted?

the first half felt like a heady fever dream and i loved that! the dynamic between sean and julian was so sensual, charged and intoxicating, and the writing was sumptuous. the dialogue and banter was organic, witty, just the right amount of flirty and it was all really doing it for me. the vibes were immaculate.

i loved the themes the story was exploring here too, particularly around relationships, societal double standards on hetero age gap pairings depending on whether it’s the man or the woman who’s older, the medicine (for sean’s work) and various others topics woven in.

WE WERE DOING SO WELL.

then the second half happened.🧍🏾‍♀️

the romance and the mcs started deteriorating for me.

first off…julian. dpmo 😩. this man was cycling between becoming a bit creepy (he was throwing some concerning vibes in the first half here and there but i was closing my eyes because of everything else he was bringing 🫣) and then becoming so wishy-washy that it gave me the biggest ick. watching a man become evasive and constantly pushing his fmc away in a contemporary(ish) romance is not my portion in life. if we don’t have committed and devotional men in books, is the sky even blue anymore? he became a prototype for the streets 🥲. he also started coming across a bit callous, which i didn’t find all that attractive either. second, sean started frustrating me a bit as well (to a lesser degree though). watching her lose her sense over him and chase this man was starting to give me secondhand embarrassment. her maturity levels came down some. because of a finance bro. i wanted to reach into the book and tell my good sis to let that all go. but alas…

the romance lost steam for me because the communication became horrendous. i need not elaborate. it tried to plug in again in the last stretches, but i couldn’t find it in me to care anymore.

the paranormal aspect of the story starts ramping up in the second half, but it felt somewhat misplaced (even going in knowing the book was marketed as a paranormal romance). the issue here is that things should have been introduced sooner, more than just whispers. the sudden injection of it all and its notable absence in the first 50% made the two halves of the book feel too distinct from one another, almost like i was reading two different things. the book felt incohesive. the pacing became very sluggish in this half as well. it could been tighter, and because we were dawdling, i was being taken out at times and found myself getting distracted.

also, who lied to me and told me this was a vampire romance?! 🤨 (it could very well be my own subconscious that fabricated this tall tale, in which case my ire is directed towards my own mind lmao). but i was so sure that that was what was going to be on the plate? and it wasn’t. it was something else and i don’t think i really locked in on this path we meandered down. wasn’t really my cuppa.

the last act and ending was underwhelming. i’m still left with some lingering questions and i found the deep love connection when all was said and done rather unconvincing, because of the baffling romantic development on the back end of the book.

look, this did give a bit of nostalgia for 2000s/2010s paranormal romances (the age-old plot of a human fmc not realizing she’s getting caught up with an mmc who’s well…not quite…and she starts digging for answers). there were some funny moments too, and i liked some of the prominent side characters (particularly winnie and her daughter sophie). however, all of the good things weren’t enough to elevate the book above all its other flaws. this had so much potential that never quite realized. i need the whole second half to go back into production!!!

[Liana Gold]

⭐️ 3.75 ⭐️ The paranormal romance I didn't know I needed! Seductive, addictive, transfixing.. I mean I was obsessed from the get-go. This is part romance, part psychological thriller and part gothic horror. A blend of everything that I love and make it medical too?

In short: We have a 38 year old interventional cardiologist, Sean Sullivan, who meets Julian Conrad, a much younger, very beautiful, mysterious man at a wedding. He is tall, hot, has a British accent and is extremely well-read and successful..and that 11 year age gap? Talk about dangerous attraction! She knows she shouldn't involve herself with him but she can't keep away because she is SO very drawn to him..it's like magnetism. She is completely unable to resist him. (Girl, I probably wouldn't be able to resist him too). As much as she tries to stay away, she can't. She starts dreaming about him & her dreams feel real and when she is away from him, she experiences physical symptoms: body aches, exhaustion, memory problems. What is going on??

Well Julian isn't just a normal guy.. there is something completely INHUMAN about him. He begins to feel almost vampiric and paranormal.. Sean begins to feel a strong compulsion, she knows something is not right... but that pull...there is no severance to it..and things quickly get out of her control.

Something that is dangerously hot gradually turns paranormal and proceeds into supernatural horror. But Sean is driven, a go-getter, she won't stop until she figures it out. The situation heads into increasingly frightening category where events are no longer coincidences..

There is nothing like a fierce, strong heroine. Sean is after all an interventional cardiologist.. she is the picture perfect FMC. Never whinny, always sharp, assertive and independent. Exactly how I like my protagonists. I liked her ALOT. She asked good questions, the stakes were high for her through out the novel--her career was demanding (those medical scenes were awesome!), she was attentive to the needs of her colleagues, her best friend and her goddaughter. That overall confidence she carried spoke to me. She was overall just very competent! I found Julian to somewhat destabilize her for a little while. But even with him, she found a way to come back to her stronghold. I also appreciated that the FMC was not a young girl in her 20's.

But I wanted more of Julian. I wanted to see more change in his character. Yes he felt very sexy and fascinating, but I was looking for emotional changes in him too. I know he was struggling with his emotions and didn't know whether Sean actually had/was able to develop feelings for him but I needed to see more than the 'vampire' aspect of him. I thought his obsession with Sean wasn't always romantic and that stayed unchanged even by the very end of the book. I thought they had a great set-up but their relationship/power dynamic felt imbalanced. And that could be very much due tot he fact that he is not human. I thought his biggest quirk was not being able to surrender himself completely to Sean even though she completely surrenderer herself to him.

The second issue I had with this book was the pacing. There is a lot of build up the first 60% and things don't slowly grow dreadful..they turn weird pretty fast, especially in the last quarter of the book. I thought the author took a while to get to the turning point, leaving little space for things to really feel dreadful somewhere in the middle-end portion. The first 50% gripped me and I couldn't put it down, the middle portion (50-70%) of the book felt a bit anticlimactic with the reveal and all and last 30% was very fast paced and rushed. I still enjoyed it very much but I wanted to see more of a slower paced horror.

This book reminded me a lot of Lost Girl TV series on CW network where she is a succulent and feeds on sexual energy of humans. Well thats a good show and very similar to the book..and if you enjoy paranormal/supernatural romances, give this a try!




Many thanks to NetGalley, Viking Penguin and the author, Shirlene Obuobi for an early ARC!

Publication: July 14, 2026

[Ali Lockhart]

I don’t know how to review this without spoilers so here is a series of emojis:
👩🏾‍⚕️👰🏼🙄🕺🏽🥵🫦🧛❓ (there is no emoji for getting your back cracked by a younger man on the reg but if there was I would put it here).

Is it romance? Horror? Speculative fiction? Thriller? Is it a combo of genres blended together and poured out into a horny mold that I read in two days because I genuinely had no idea wtf was going on and had to find out? Yes.

[mina reads™️]

Settling on 3.5 stars. Goodreads invest in half stars already.

I'm struggling to put into words how I felt about this novel. To begin I will say that I love Obuobi's writing, she creates a strong atmosphere and the tension in the first act was so propulsive and engaging. Sean is a great protagonist, an interventional cardiologist in her late thirties with a solid sense of self, an adorable geriatric dog, and a very sweet chosen family. Julian our MMC, is a bit more of a mystery, we spend a good amount of the page time negotiating his ambiguous nature as Sean struggles to figure him out. He's as charming as he is unsettling.

I think I'm feeling conflicted on this because of two main things: the pacing and the romance. As a whole I think it's a mostly engaging read with a great lead protagonist. Even so, the pacing really brought this book down for me. The first 50% was incredibly gripping from the meet cute, the wining and dining, followed by the escalating tension of the mystery at the core of the novel. But for some reason I feel like the story just sort of deflates a bit in the middle, it's like the mystery lasted too long or maybe the turning point was too anticlimactic? And once I reached that mid point I really struggled to pick the book up. I pushed through of course and I feel like the story starts to really find it's footing once more around the 70-80% mark but by then it's a bit too late and it made the final act feel rushed for me.

Onto the romance, I liked it but I didn't love it and I think because so much of the novel is just Sean inner monologue, which is full of her conflicted feelings about the relationship, so I ended the story still feeling conflicted about the relationship. There was definitely a spark missing for me. I think if more of the story was focused on the main external conflict rather than Sean's internal back and forth over their relationship, the romance would have landed a little more with me.

HOWEVER....I still found it to be an intriguing read and I think there's definitely an audience for it. I don't regret reading it, but I wish I loved it more than I did.

Thank you Viking Penguin for the advanced reader copy via Netgalley. All thoughts are my own honest opinion.

[K.J. Charles]

Terrific. An extraordinary take on the vampire romance, in which a 38-yo doctor meets an apparently younger man and strange happenings result (along with bonking). Lush writing, with moral depth and nuance, and the book really digs into the premise, asking you to think about what really matters in a life. A terrific romance, strong recommend even if you never read vampire novels. I generally detest them but this is fabulous stuff.

[Jessica Joyce]

I’ve read this book twice and now it’s part of my DNA. I love this book so much I recommended it to President Obama (he needs a romance on his summer reading list, you know it, I know it, we all know it). Dr. Shirlene Obuobi’s brain is a beautiful, brilliant thing.

[DianaRose]

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc!!

4.5 stars — wheeww this was not the paranormal age gap i was expecting, and it was a whirlwind of a read in the best way! super sexy but also loveeee when paranormal books have consequences!

the audiobook was also super hot, so i highly recommend~

[Nenia Campbell]

I think DIE FOR ME is going to end up being one of my top romances of 2026. Shirlene Obuobi won me over with her sparkling debut, ON ROTATION, and when I found out her most recent project was a dark paranormal romance, I immediately set out begging for an ARC. Color me surprised and grateful that I actually managed to finagle a copy!

This book... it felt like it was made for me. Sean Sullivan is a cardiologist, which I am not, but everything else about her was so relatable. Her need to be competent to feel valued, her difficulty trusting people, the way she puts up shields and comes across as cold to keep from getting hurt, her emotional trauma... I cried several times while reading this book because I felt so seen. Sean is such a flawed and realistic character, with so many layers and nuance, and I loved her so much. She was so strong and so damaged and so real.

And Julian! I loved the way this book navigated the reverse age-gap trope. I also thought he walked a fantastic line between charming and dangerous. There was something so old skool about him that made him feel like a throwback to one of those old Harlequin heroes who might sweep you off your feet, but made you wonder when you'd feel the drop. While reading this, I kept thinking about all those paranormal romances I devoured as a young woman, like L.J. Smith and Twilight, and how this feels like a sexier, grown-up version of those books, but with a heroine who makes smarter, more informed decisions.

I want to say so much more but I don't want to spoil it for anyone else before the book comes out. I will say, I thought this would be a dark romcom but it actually feels like a retro paranormal romance or a Harlequin, and it's surprisingly poignant and heart-wrenching and full of difficult choices. There's also a cancer subplot at one point in the book (not for one of the main characters btw), and it was the same cancer my father died of, so that was a little hard to read, but it was handled so well here that I ended up feeling more validated than triggered. Ultimately, this book is a precious reminder that life is short and ought to be filled with as much love and joy as possible while there's still life to live.

Thanks to the author/publisher for sending me a copy!

5 stars

[Bookishness]

The writing was great, and the story itself was interesting. However, I felt it lacked meaningful character development and enough background information to really connect with the characters.

I was also expecting a much darker, gothic atmosphere, but the book leaned more toward contemporary romance with paranormal elements. There were several scenes of Sean at work at the Hosptial that felt unnecessarily long and didn’t seem to move the plot forward.

I had also expected Julian to be much darker and moodier. Instead, he gave off more of a golden retriever vibe, which made him less appealing. I wanted obsessed, touch her and die, jealous, stalker tendencies, but he felt more like a creeper!! But I went in blind thinking this would be darker. My fault!! It’s still a great story!!

That said, I absolutely loved the dance scene at the club, I also enjoyed the text messages that were exchanged.

[zoë ˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗]

i personally loved this book. i might not agree with everything that sean did, but i can definitely understand why she did it.
it really makes you think: what are you willing to do for the love of your life? are you willing to give up your own?

————

bookclub read for the week of 8/3! ⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡
this one was actually MY pick, so i hope it lives up to the hype!

[brittany:)]

“Life at your side would feel meaningful enough to end.”
“I’m so glad that he found you……Someone worth dying for.”

I so enjoyed this!!! 😭❤️ As someone who works in the OR, it’s so cool seeing what you do every day represented in a book, and then you add a paranormal, reverse age-gap romance on top of that?! Perfect for this season!
A lot of this was unexpected for me, in the best way, because I thought I had a pretty good idea of where the story was going, but it pleasantly surprised me. I fell in love with the first half of this, but it started to dip for me toward the end. Still, overall, it was a good read! It was romantic, had a good plot, and the stakes were HIGH! I was fully invested, and I’m satisfied with how everything wrapped up.
Definitely a new paranormal staple for me! 🖤

[veerali]

thank you netgalley & viking penguin for the eARC—all thoughts are my own!
✦ publication date: july 14, 2026

i started this book with a lot of excitement. i love paranormal romance, and i was very much drawn to the reverse‑age gap (fmc is 11 years older hehehe), the strong, independent and interventional cardiologist. all of those things sounded perfect for my taste.

the story follows shane, a successful interventional cardiologist who, after an abusive relationship, swears never to marry or have children. while attending a wedding with her goddaughter, she meets julian, the man‑of‑honor for her best friend’s ex‑husband’s new wife. julian is eleven years younger than shane, handsome and charming. he is everything shane says she wants to avoid, yet she can’t keep him out of her thoughts. their chemistry is HELLA HOT, and the tension between them feels like a spark that could light a fire.

the first half of the book delivered exactly what i was hoping for: steamy scenes, banter, and a strong fmc who knows what she wants. the romance felt so intense, and the age gap dynamic was handled in a way that kept me wanting for more.

around the midpoint, the paranormal elements appear. this is where the story loses some of its momentum for me. the supernatural side felt rushed and a bit bland, and it never quite matched the strong emotional pull of the romance. as the plot moves forward, i felt that shane was losing her touch, and the secrets and betrayals start to feel more confusing.

the ending was the biggest let down. important plot points are left unexplained, and the resolution feels hurried. i wanted a clearer wrap up for both the romance and the paranormal part.

⤿ paranormal romance
⤿ reverse age gap
⤿ found family
⤿ mystery/suspense
⤿ spicy
⤿ lots of tension

౨ৎ ⋮ more by shirlene obuobi
— between friends and lovers

[Lochi's Library]

Get ready to sink your teeth into this book.

Finding an early copy of Die For Me was a fluke for me and I’m still in shock that it happened.

I first discovered this book because Shirlene shared the cover art on social media. It stopped me instantly. I didn’t read the synopsis, I didn’t check the publisher’s page I just knew I wanted to read it. It’s rare for me to not do research about a book, and after finishing it ahead of it's release, I’m incredibly glad I trusted my instincts.

From the very first chapter, Die For Me pulls you in and refuses to let go.

Julian is magnetic, think of a combination of Lestat and Louis (from the tv adaptation of Interview with the Vampire), but also has the live-wire energy of Smoke and Stack (from the beloved Sinners). It’s an intoxicating narrative that makes every scene feel dangerous and seductive but rooted in duality. His voice is such a key part of the narrative and it doesn’t take long as a reader to be locked in on his scenes. Meanwhile, Sean offers the perfect balance, she’s grounded, fiercely dedicated to her career, and deeply committed to the life and to the one’s she loves.

What was an absolute surprise for me was the novel’s commentary on aging and time. In a culture obsessed with youth, Die For Me explores the beauty and inevitability of growing older with remarkable nuance (seriously romance authors deliver such great ideation in over-arching concepts). There’s this desire to cling to youth, that has been romanticized in the romance genre but Julian and Sean makes it more complex and unsettling here. There’s tension and contemplation (that I very much appreciate!)

Shirlene articulates a truth that I quietly contemplate: every wrinkle, ache, and lesson earned with time is part of living.

Yes, the supportive blurb from Ali Hazelwood will undoubtedly bring many readers to this book (if that’s the case for you, hello!). But I hope readers stay for what truly sets Die For Me apart: the sultry, almost dreamlike prose and bold originality. Shirlene has written something strikingly unique. Weaving together themes of womanhood, desire, and carnal mythology with impressive confidence. I simply NEED MORE.

The result is a story that feels both seductive and deeply thoughtful. I’m thrilled to see that Die For Me is gaining visibility. Trust me, you simply need to get a copy.

Thanks to Edelweiss for the early copy!

[Dee]

I am over the moon right now! This was so good and just what I needed. A paranormal fantasy romance thriller, who knew??? Bravo 👏🏽 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 for the top notch storytelling that had me hooked and tripping all over myself! At first I was like what in the Twilight is this? Then I realized this is no Twilight, this is something all together different and I loved it!!! Shirlene Obuobi has created a lovable monster, and I can’t wait to check out more of her work.

Are you in a little bit of a reading stoop and need something thrilling with the right amount of spicy 🌶️ and on the not so human side of things?? Then put your car in park and stop right here! This was the best ride I have been on in a while and so desperately needed. I truly lost myself in this story and forgot about all my troubles and for that I say…..So Well Done and Thank You Very Much!

[Eden]

Have you ever wanted to go back to the 2010s when every paranormal romance had an immortal-type male love interest who gaslit the female main character into thinking his odd behavior wasn't sociopathic? No? Well me neither but that's what I got in Die for Me.

I truly truly TRULY think this book is being mis-marketed. The author may have *wanted* to write a paranormal romance, but that isn't what this is. I spent the first half of this book in TERROR for the FMC's safety. She was having nightmares, getting sick, blacking out, etc. all because of the MMC. She doesn't make the connection for a while, but the reader definitely does, so I was terrified for her! The "romance" wasn't enough for me to believe she wasn't being targeted for nefarious purposes. Die for Me was a paranormal thriller to me. I did not believe the romance for one single second because I was reading in FEAR that the FMC would be MURDERED. Romance where?!!? A hot immortal does not a romance book make.

The pacing was slow and boring, the "twists" were easy to guess, and the MMC is actually a terrible person. There were good ideas here, but the tone in the book was wildly off for it to be a romance to me.

Thank you to the publisher for access to an e-arc for review.

[laurel [the suspected bibliophile]]

INCOHERENT SCREAMING

IT'S SO GOOD!!

The chemistry! The slow creeping horror! Sean! The obsession! AHHHHHHHHHH!

Anywho. This book.

There's so much amazingness. The way Obuobi wrote the physical attraction between Sean and Julian was just so fucking hot. I cannot get over it. The relationships between Sean and her chosen family, and how she moved through space as one of the very few Black women in interventional cardiology. How Sean approached problems and new relationships, particularly with the much-younger-looking Julian, and how she solved those problems (even when the solution seemed ridiculous).

I also loved the Ghoshals, and I want more of them. I want an entire book just of them.

I received an ARC from NetGalley

[Clarissa Labue-Pham]

Die for Me is a fabulous work of contemporary gothic horror romance.

In Die for Me our protagonist, Sean, a doctor, meets the enigmatic Julian at the second wedding of one of her colleagues. What starts off as a passionate romance becomes a nightmare when Sean realizes that there's more to the younger man than there appears.

I adored this novel. The passion, banter, and chemistry are off the charts. This novel is both intoxicating and suspenseful. I could not get enough of Sean and Julians romance.

I loved our heroine, Sean. She's a childfree, single woman who's older than your average fmc. She's a breath of fresh air. I loved her personality. She's resilient and highly moral. Julian is the younger man whose both charming and highly confident. I found him as alluring as she did.

If you want a solid romance with some mystery and suspense you will devour this novel.

[megan ◡̈]

unfortunately i think im reading this at the wrong time 😭 it started off so strong but im 56% in and have hit a wall. going to revisit

[bree | breesbookmark ♡]

Thank you to Penguin for sending me an ARC to review!

This book was absolutely AMAZING. And I'm not surprised at all—everything Shirelene Obuobi has ever written is the perfect blend of smart, sensual, and deeply sincere. Her stories tend to focus around Black women working in the medical field, and this one was no different, following a Black female interventional cardiologist in an overwhelming white, male-dominated field. Sean (the FMC) is self-assured, knows what she wants, and is happily single and living her best life at 38. Enter Julian: 27ish-looking, handsome as hell, charming and intelligent. He's everything Sean knows she should stay away from, but everything she can't help but feel drawn for.

What follows is the classic paranormal romance—with a twist. He's alluring, she can't help but fall into his orbit. He's hiding secrets, and she becomes suspicious. It's a slow, suspenseful unraveling that's just so delicious that I couldn't put it down! The story tackles sensitive themes: aging and the fear of death, divorce, former abuse by a romantic partner, and even cancer (not involving a main character). Everything was crafted so beautifully, but like I said: I'm not surprised. All I can say is that I can't wait for whatever Obuobi puts out next ❤️

[Stacie]

Mysterious, dark, sensual, tense. A throwback to paranormal romance of the early 2010s. I absolutely loved this.

[chasc.taylor_reads]

OMG!! This was an excellent paranormal romance! The yearning and pining had me absolutely obsessed. 😩😍

The author struck the perfect balance between romance, paranormal elements, and character development. The pacing was spot on, the characters and their motivations felt fully fleshed out. I hated putting this down and found myself so eager to return to the world.

This was my second book by Shirlene Obuobi, but it’s safe to say I’ll be picking up anything she writes from now on!

So glad this was an Aardvark July pick! 👏🏾👏🏾

[BookmarkedByAlia]

Sooooo I don’t know where to start with this one. I can’t say that I actually liked this book, but I also can’t say that I didn’t.
Sean, an interventional cardiologist and happily single after a terrible relationship, meets Julian at a co-workers wedding and instantly there’s an attraction between the two. He’s 11 years younger than she is and she’s unsure of why she feels as strong as she does for him.
After a few encounters with Julian, Sean realizes that she’s beginning to have symptoms that have no real diagnosis attached. What is that man doing to her? And how is he doing what he’s doing?😳
This was my first paranormal read (I think) and I can’t say that I’m dying to read more after this one. The plot of this sounded soooo interesting that I HAD to see what it was all about. Maybe it was just the execution that didn’t work for me-I’m still not sure. Many parts of this seemed to drag and there was so much inner monologue that I became bored quickly and found myself putting this down more than I wanted to pick it up.
By the end, and after I knew exactly what was happening, I was able to enjoy this a bit more.
No regrets on reading it, but it’s not one that I’d overly recommend to others. I’d still be willing to read more from this author in the future.

[Cassie C]

I loved this book because not only are we getting solid black representation in a paranormal romance, we get it with an educated, professional black woman in her late thirties. That alone was so refreshing, as was what felt to me like a more unique take on the paranormal, as well as conflict and drama that it involves. While I don’t want to spoil too much of the ending, I also really appreciated how everything with Sean and Julian did come together in the end. When so many romance books involve young, inexperienced, naive or head-over-heels couples that just dive headfirst in without a thought, it was truly a breath of fresh air to have these two acting mature, responsible and reasonable.

[Courtney N]

3.5 ⭐️
(Rounded up to a 4 for Goodreads)

A compulsively readable, mesmerizing paranormal story that doesn’t fit inside of any typical box.

This story following main character Sean and the people she holds close feels like a strong women’s fiction read but then comes Julian and we’re thrown into an eerie, tense, sensual and toxic romance where something is right but also not quite right.

I loved the concept of this book. The characters in their late 30’s, the hospital setting, the focus on life choices, the sexy and tense romance, the spice, the undertones of the supernatural that built in a crescendo, the uniqueness of the paranormal elements.

For me personally, the pacing was a bit all over the place and too many times it felt a few steps beyond purposefully slow. There were times it would build only for it to be followed with more monotony. I wish we got more paranormal elements or tense moments instead of shifts at the hospital and day to day life. This was also very wordy in terms of inner dialogue. I did love being in Sean’s mind and traveling through her choices, but it did start to drag.

Overall, if you’re a fan of both women’s fiction and paranormal romance, this maybe for you because it’s a great blend of both! Unique enough to be memorable and with enough depth to feel worth the read.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Stacey Markle]

My rating 3.5
What starts out as a standard dating/sexual awakening story about a women of a certain age taking a younger partner, turns into a strange dream like decent into the paranormal with a life sucking incubus, death threats and maybe even life changing love.
Sean is a great character! a strong black doctor, she's smart and savvy yet leads a life of order and always does the "right thing" When she meets the intriguing Julian, initially she is stand offish but he begins to infiltrate her cocoon of protection and eventually she lets him in.
That's when the book goes a bit off the rails for me. Not that I didn't enjoy the writing and the chemistry between our main characters but some of the paranormal stuff just fell flat for me. I would have been very happy just having a book about these two falling in love and navigating the age gap and life experience differences.
That's not what we get but it's still a good story.

[lali ✰]

loved the writing style and the fmc, but julian was kinda creepy

-
dnf'd at 12%

[thebookish.dragon]

Format: 📱
Spice: 🌶️
Series: Standalone


I was sitting in the introduction panel for The City Fling a few weeks ago and Ali Hazelwood (I mf stan her) recommended Die For Me as her last 5⭐️ read, so naturally I wrote that down and added it to my TBR. What a coincidence I happened upon it on one of my frequent unhinged NetGalley request-a-thons 😌

Shirlene Obuobi is a new-to-me author, and when I picked up this book I had no idea what a badass she was and how strong and powerful her FMCs are! Reading about Sean, Die For Me’s 38 year old Cardiologist FMC, a black woman excelling in a male dominated STEM field, was a true pleasure and fantastic representation of black excellence.

I went into this book thinking it was a vampire paranormal romance, but was pleasantly surprised to discover it was an INCUBUS one instead! Shirlene has a really crisp and clean writing style and it sucked me in from chapter 1 (which is so nice because a lot of my more recent reads take me a bit to get 🪝)

I’ll definitely be checking out her two other books and add her to my “Authors to Watch” for future releases! I even grabbed Die For Me for my Aardvark Book Club pick this month to celebrate!


Notable tropes & themes —

🩺 BIPOC in STEM rep
🎹 FMC in her late 30s
🩺 MMC is obsessed
🎹 Black Cardiologist x Rich Younger Man with secrets
🩺 Past relationship trauma
🎹 Musical seduction first meeting
🩺 Child-free Auntie who loves her goddaughter
🎹 Dark Paranormal Romance
🩺 Age Gap
🎹 Author is a Cardiologist IRL 😍


I received this eARC from Viking Penguin | Penguin Books as an opportunity to read and give my honest review.

[b.andherbooks]

for an obstensibly contemporary romance setting, obuobi capture an excellent tinge of gothic horror as she built up the reveal to whomst Sean was so utterly captivated by. I had ~assumptions~ about what I thought would be the case and was both right and oh so wrong which i adore.

while slow-burn in the PNR build-up, the heat and spice were absolutely delicious right from the start.

If you enjoyed the structure // angst of Robinne Lee's The Idea of You I think you'll also very much enjoy this too.

[Chels ❀]

Die for Me is a wholly hypnotic read that enthralled me from the get-go. This is my first reading experience with a novel by Shirlene Obuobi, and it certainly will not be my last. The evocative writing seduced me alongside the FMC, Sean, while the eerie undertone that shrouded the allure had me questioning everyone and everything. I often felt as unsure and disoriented as Sean, which was thrilling. I don’t want to go into too much detail here because I think a reader would best enjoy this story by jumping in as blind as possible. Keeping that shroud firmly in place is key.

Things I Loved:
🚥 Julian - The captivating Jekyll/Hyde-esque MMC who initially had some glaring red flags, but this is fiction after all soooo hello there, sir.
🏥 Sean - The take-no-sh!t FMC who served some delightful clapbacks about double standards.
🌌 The Mystery/Suspense Element - Addictive to the “one more chapter turns into finishing the entire book” point. Suspicious illnesses, questionable dreams, what’s not to love?
🎹 The Tension - Taut-as-a-bowstring thanks to Sean and Julian’s inexplicable, yet undeniable, chemistry. I need to learn piano, stat.
👥 The Supporting Characters - Their behaviors sparked immense intrigue and made me feel constantly on edge.
💕 The Found Family - Complete with a true ride-or-die friendship that only heightened the stakes.

Things I Struggled With:
⚠️ Pieces of the Second Half - The story slightly lost me here with a few choices, hence the one-star reduction.

Despite the minor hiccups I experienced later in the story, Die for Me is truly a roller coaster ride I didn’t want to disembark from, especially after that epilogue. Can we also, please, give it up one time for that beautiful cover because wow?!

** Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC of this text in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. **