Protecting the Dead

More in Heaven and Earth

by Katherine Gilbert

After a childhood filled with demons and her devil-worshiping parents, Lydia longs for a quiet, normal life, a safe haven somewhere blissfully dull. Being the manager at the Roanoke Apartments seems to fit that bill. But Lydia soon learns that you can't leave the past behind so easily. She finds herself faced with unclogging drains for werewolves, conducting nightly vampire counseling sessions, and caring for two talkative cats. Then there's the distraction of Geoffrey, the hottest, and most angelic, boss anyone ever dreamed of. As if that isn't enough, the demon who nearly killed her shows up to finish the job. So much for a peaceful, simple life...

Genres: Vampires, Angels, Paranormal

237 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 17, 2018

About the author

Katherine Gilbert was born at house number 1313 and then transplanted to a crumbling antebellum ruin so gothic that The Munsters would have run from it. She has since gained several ridiculously-impractical degrees in English, Religious Studies, and Women's Studies. She now teaches at a South Carolina community college, where all her students think, correctly, that she is very, very strange, indeed. You can also sign up for her newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/dCcccL To interact with her and get previews, join her reader group on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/11691...

Reviews

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who knew angels, demons, shifters and more really existed? All Lydia was looking for was a normal life, away from her devil-worshipping parents. What could be more normal than being the manager at the Roanoke Apartments complex? She soon finds that there is more than meets the “normal” eye, including her angelically handsome boss and his devilishly attractive counterpart?

Has Lydia gone from the horrors of her home life to a different kind of horror at her new job? Was it a coincidence she found a job working with paranormal creatures of all ilk or has Fate brought her to the Roanoke Apartments for something more? Was it love or something dark and sinister?

PROTECTING THE DEAD by Katherine Gilbert certainly blazes its own trail in the paranormal world! A little comedy, a little romantic intrigue and a cast of characters that are definitely unique and often quirky! Good versus evil takes on a different feel as Lydia discovers that sometimes, you can’t run away from who you are and what you were meant to do.

A fun read with a plot that is far from dark and ominous, this one held my attention from start to finish. You know the phrase, I didn’t see THAT one coming? Yep, you will be thinking that a few times throughout this unique tale!

I received a complimentary Copy from Katherine Gilbert!

Publisher: esKape Press (June 17, 2018)
Publication Date: June 17, 2018
Genre: Paranormal Fantasy
Print Length: 237 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News, follow: http://tometender.blogspot.com

[Liam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Protecting the Dead - Katherine Gilbert

I read this novel as part of the TBRindr programme.

237 pages| esKape Publishing| fantasy/paranormal/romance

3.5/5 (rounded to 3 on Goodreads)

The digest: a fun and uplifting fantasy/romance novel that I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to people looking for a less serious foray into a supernatural setting.

Protecting the Dead is probably the first novel that I can remember reading which comes under the romance genre, let alone fantasy/paranormal/romance mix, so I didn’t go into the book expecting world-shattering plot twists or a relationship I could get behind. Fortunately, that didn’t really matter. The novel is a fun spin on traditional fantasy tropes and stereotypical character profiles, with a romance element which made me blush once or twice but is nowhere near as rowdy as I feared it might become.

The plot follows Lydia, the new tenant manager of a supernatural community, over a short period of time as she struggles to come to terms with exactly where she is and how normal it all seems to her. Why does she feel as if she knows other members of staff? Why is she not as freaked out by it all as one might expect her to be? And how is her boss, Geoffrey, so downright attractive? This obviously is not a serious novel seeking to reinvent the fantasy wheel, nor does it offer a ground-breaking romantic plot. But that’s okay. For me, Protecting the Dead proved to be an entertaining palette cleanser between heavier stories, and I found its almost whimsical nature (at times) to be just what  I needed between epics.

Protecting the Dead opens at quite a pedestrian pace, Gilbert laying out quite a lot of information without a lot of action. But don't let that put you off, especially if you are a fan of character-driven novels. Throughout the course of the story, you will see the environment change from almost idyllic and peaceful (with the odd noise coming from the bedroom closet), to... something quite different. The latter parts of the story are definitely more action-packed and fast-paced than what comes before, the aforementioned character development mostly paying off for a dramatic conclusion.

The worldbuilding in Protecting the Dead is quite entertaining – angels and demons rather peacefully exist on the Earthly plane, with our protagonist being the new tenant manager for the ‘good’ side of a supernatural care home. I found this to be quite a unique take on typical tropes, and appreciated the role that companionship plays throughout the story (I'm a bit sick of 'monsters' either being parts of extremist murderous groups or living in complete isolation).  There are a couple of niggles which Gilbert could have made clearer – such as how exactly the general public react to such a community (if they know about it) or how the supernatural beings are kept secret from the populace, but the novel doesn’t seek to provide all the answers and perhaps it doesn’t have to. The story probably appeals to fans of shows such as Supernatural or Grimm – a bit of a ‘monster of the week’ narrative lacking unnecessary gravitas.

 

The characters, again, aren’t as deep as they could be and this might put off some readers, but the emotions of our protagonist are almost always clearly explained and I found myself slowly growing to care about her. She isn’t the easier to emphasise with (after all, she grew up with weird cultic parents always completing weird rituals and whatnot), and I would have preferred to spend more time with a smaller accompanying cast. Werewolves? Cat-women? Vampires? Ghosts? Yep, yep, yep, and yep. A solid amount of supernatural species (beyond those I have listed) but there just didn’t seem to be enough time discussing them all. As I have said in previous reviews, I really enjoy getting stuck into the different aspects of worldbuilding (e.g. magic) and characters, and for me, Gilbert would have perhaps have created a more interesting cast had more focus been put on the duality that the residents feel. There are also a couple more humorous species thrown in but I’ll let you find out about those for yourselves! My main annoyances come with how there is such a build up of Lydia’s past when this is never really explained, as well as how swiftly the concluding revelations are glossed over. I'm grateful for the lack of a proper love triangle and the strength that Lydia has in the face of bullies and creepers, but when I finished the novel I was a bit... put off the by ending. Won't say if it's happily-ever-after or not (you'll have to read it yourself to find out), but I prefer my endings to be a bit win-some lose-some and I just don't think there was enough of that here. No points docked for this though as it's just a personal preference!

3.5/5 means that I found this novel to be a good piece of entertainment for what it is, but probably won't be something I come back to in the future. Don’t expect too much in way of subverting any of its genres, and don’t expect world-class storytelling, and I’m sure you will have a good time reading it! That isn't to disparage the author at all - for an indie book this is a perfectly fine text, and Gilbert has demonstrated the ability to tell a certain sort of story for which there is a large market! There are a few negatives, but these can be rather ignored should you view the book as light-hearted fun above all else.

I have chosen to round down to 3 on Goodreads as whilst the novel is good for light-hearted entertainment, I can't honestly say it is closer to my 4/5 than my 3/5.

Thanks for reading - do have a look at this novel is if sounds interesting to you! Let me know what your thoughts are if you have already read it :)

[Krys · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm going to preface this by saying paranormal really isn't my thing. Every now and then I stick a toe in the water as it were, especially when the premise is as interesting as this one was. So yes, I was disappointed that this book didn't come across the way the premise made it seem, but again, that could be just me.

This book was interesting, I will give the author that. And there were a lot of "species" introduced, and story-lines that often boarded less on the paranormal and more a reflection of true human nature, but even that wasn't enough to keep my attention glued to the pages. I will say that I LOVED the cats in this story. Eveningstar and her doughnuts will not soon be forgotten!

Lydia starts off wanting to "rationalize" everything in the attempt to have a "normal" life, even though she knows all too well what dangers lurk out there. For the things she has had to overcome in her life, I expected her to have more of a backbone than we were presented with. In fact, she seems to spend the majority of her time either being awkward with others, "discovering her voice", or fawning over her boss. It became a little too repetitive. She has the power inside of herself, if only she would posses the self-confidence to show it.

I also wish there was a bit more action all around. There was the potential, especially for the ending, to be absolutely game-changing, but even that fell flat in my opinion.

All things considered, I do think this story may still appear to fans of the paranormal genre, and I would read more from this author.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

[Armida]

In the interests of full disclosure, I should state that the author is my sister--and there are some slight spoiler warnings here. But I was delighted with the book not just because it was written by Kat, but because it's the kind of book I'm always looking for, often in vain. The situation is totally original--how many books about a haunted apartment complex divided into good and evil sides, with a wide range of loony and lovable characters, have you read? And if you ever found one before, was it based on a real apartment complex in Decatur, Georgia, a part of the greater Atlanta community? The main character, Lydia (at least that's one of her names), is an everywoman whose life took a turn into the deeply weird in her childhood, and Geoffrey is an ideal we all could wish for. The many supernatural characters range from touching and loving to wonderful satires of common paranormal cliche's. Most of all, it's tremendous fun with a great message at the end. What can you lose for 99 cents? I'm told that the print edition will be out soon, and I'm so looking forward to owning it, with its striking cover. And then there are those other books Kat is finishing now, each one entirely different and unique. If you like the paranormal and supernatural, urban myths, humor, lovable (and some terrifying) characters, and a moving romance, give it a try. I don't think you'll be sorry you did.

[Faith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately I'm going to have to give up on this one. While the premise sounded appealing, I found the execution lacking.

Our protagonist Linda/Lydia (side note: if you're going to change your name, why pick something so similar?) spends the first three chapters at least in a fog, trailing behind her new super hot boss, so distracted she can't manage to pay full attention to any conversation. While I understand she supposedly went through some traumatic events in her past, and I can see an argument for claiming she's in denial, the truth is that having our POV character so deeply disengaged from what is occurring doesn't help the reader connect with her or with the story.

In addition, the writing lacks polish. It's competent - I didn't see any grammatical errors - but feels a bit meandering and repetitious (e.g. when character's responses are described immediately before the actual response in dialogue). More thorough editing would help, I think, to pare down and tighten the prose.

I didn't dislike what I read, but wasn't feeling much pull to continue.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

[Chere Gruver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can Lydia overcome her upbringing?

After finally escaping from her parents and her nightmare upbringing, Lydia, now known as Linda, is applying for a job at an apartment complex. Little does she realize it, but this is a very special apartment complex, as she soon discovers after she begins her job there. Her boss is very angelic shall we say, and just as gorgeous as one would expect an angel to be. However, the other side of the complex is run by Damian, the exact opposite of Geoffrey in every way. One might even say demonic. I adored this story. I loved Glory’s cats and how Lydia got to keep two of them. I enjoyed watching Lydia come to realize just who the occupants of the apartment complex were and how she ended up relating to them and finally accepting her past. I also know this is a story I won’t soon forget but will stay with me for a long, long time.

I received an advanced reader’s copy and am voluntarily leaving this review.

[Catherine Milos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Katherine Gilbert’s Protecting the Dead features main character Lydia, a young woman who escaped a horrific childhood and just wants a normal life. She reinvents herself as Linda and finds herself a job at a care home that turns out to be anything but normal. Her boss is a total hunk (and magical). Her residents all are very strange and come in all shapes and sizes. Even her apartment is odd with a loud noisy closet that apologizes to her when she tells it to stop making noise in desperation for sleep. When she meets her first long-term resident, Glory, Lydia-now-Linda swears she hears Glory’s cats speak.

When reality crashes in on her and she realizes that she is surrounded by magical creatures and an evil demon and his overlord are out to get her, Linda must accept that she just isn’t normal. She accepts she will never escape her supernatural world and accepts her real identity as Lydia again. As she struggles with her romantic feelings for her boss who is more than he seems, she must also find the strength to face off against the darkest evils from her past to save the care home residents and the world.

I really enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone who enjoys the paranormal romance genres. The main character is interesting, the progression of events is suspenseful, and the writing is solid. There is a wide range of supernatural characters and species to fall in love with for the speculative fiction aficionado.

[Lyn Mckenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book that I have read by this author and I was blown away by this second book even more than the first book I read. It was absolutely Amazing!

I loved how creative the storyline is and I adore how this author writes, how its so imaginative but so easy to read. You feel Like you are sucked into the world that she has created and i adore this about her books! Not to mention the huge surprises!! Especially in the last few chapters of this book ... wow!

The characters are amazing to read and I loved Lydia... you go through a process with her, you live it with her as she finds out who she is and what that means. I loved her strength and her fire not to mention her natural need to help those in pain.

I highly recommend this book to everyone, I can't rate this author highly enough! It is so well deserving of a 5* rating and I read this book through kindle unlimited

[Molly Boyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, as the characters and storyline dragged me in. The protagonist’s willful amnesia at the beginning leaves her as bewildered as I was, when the other characters, including the cats, clearly KNOW SOMETHING I DIDN’T, and it is the unraveling of this unknown that kept me reading at first. But then the appealing characters and their dangerous situation becomes the draw, until I couldn’t put the book down until seeing how the classic battle of good versus evil concluded. Hollywood take note, as this book would make an excellent movie and/ or television show.

[Patricia Kiyono · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a long time to read this book. I’m not used to reading about demons, angels, werewolves, succubi, and cat people, and they’re all present, along with several other characters I’ve never heard of. The other reason is because a lot of the book deals with the heroine’s introspection throughout her ordeal, which is accepting who and what she is. It’s written entirely in first person, so we have no idea about the hero’s struggles or his thoughts. There is a confrontation at the end, which explains a lot. If you like to read urban fantasy, you'll enjoy this book.

[Janice E. Ryberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.8 stars for this charming story:Protecting the Dead.

I guess I didn't know what to expect when I first started reading this story. Now that it is over, I am just really sorry it is over. Very charming story and the characters were amazing. This isn't a long story, but you won't want to put it down until it is over. Lots of joy and even a few tears makes this touching and sweet. Don't miss it!

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall a pleasant read. The book devotes a majority of its pages building the main characters and a host of quirky supporting characters. Even so, I wanted more exploration of a few of the most interesting characters (Talking Cats! Brooding Vampires) and would have appreciated seeing the characters face more challenging situations. As a stand alone novel under 250 pages, the story lacks the richness and detail of some fantasy worlds.

[Cory Cravens · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Fun Read

I must say it was a little disconcerting reading this book. Its told from the main characters viewpoint. There just isn't very much dialogue between the characters. Still the story was interesting even if the beginning made me feel a little confused. It got better as I kept reading. A pretty good read to pass some time. I hope you like it.

[Scarolet Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Protecting the Dead by Katherine Gilbert is a wonderful story to read. This is book number one in this wonderful start to a brand new series that I have absolutely loved reading. I highly recomend this story to everyone who loves reading about the paranormal.


I received a free review copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Heather W · Rating 3 out of 5]

Protecting the Dead is the first book in the "More in Heaven and Earth" series. The book blurb was promising and the story itself was good but fell short of its promise. While it was a fun read, I hope that the next book in the series focusses more on the quirky tenants and less on Geoffrey.

I read and reviewed this book with no obligation. 3.5 stars

[Mary T · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun read.
Linda/Lydia has moved to Atlanta and is looking for a job. She is hired to be the tenant manager for a retirement community where some stay a short while and others for a long time. The folks here are supernaturals who haven't accepted their status. It is a very strange place divided in two parts. One side is good while the other is definitely not.

[CJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was not my usual type of story and I had some difficulty following it. It was written well enough that I cared about the characters.

I requested a free review copy of this book through StoryOrigin and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Urban Fairy Godmother aka... Jolene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun and Witty

Did you ever wonder where the monsters that did The Monster Mash came from? I think they came from Katherine Gilbert's Roanoke Apartments. I first picked up this book because I heard there were sassy talking cats in it, I didn't know what to expect beyond that. I wasn't disappointed, I fell in love with all her quirky characters. Vampires, angels, demons, werewolves/ panthers, ghosts, and many more fun and surprising creatures inhabit the complex that Geoffrey and Lydia work at. For me, one of the best parts about her story and the mysteries that lie within it was that I normally guess all the surprises in a book a third of the way to halfway through, but not in Protecting the Dead. It took me right up to the reveals for me to truly understand was actually happening. This wasn't because of poor writing, just well hidden mysteries in which Ms. Gilbert doesn't reveal all her cards until absolutely necessary. Thank for the fun monster filled ride Katherine Gilbert. I can't wait read more of your stories, I dub you the official Queen of Halloween in my universe.

[Lavender Jade · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved every minute of this book! It is a stunning fantasy novel with awesome worldbuilding and lots of humour. The part where Lydia tries to convince herself that everything is normal is so funny! My favourite quote: “enough emotional baggage to pack for an around-the-world journey”.

[Tim Gray · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book did hold me to the end - but it did confuse and confound me at times along the way!

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unique

Very unique story line. Enjoyed the characters. Particularly fond of the cats. It wasn’t what I expected, but that can be a good thing.

[Bobbi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The characters in this story are very compelling and interesting. A solid story that I enjoyed.