Only Human

by Meredith Katz

Getting sick sucks, and magic sucks worse. So when Saul finds out that his sudden bout of sickness is actually a curse, he's understandably freaked out by being referred to a necromantic specialist. But the ordeal is made moderately better by the cute receptionist, Theo, who is exactly Saul's type—aside from the fact that he's dead.

Sure, he's gray-skinned and put together from the remains of various corpses, but Theo is gentle, kind, and shares Saul's tastes in TV and video games. He knows all the right places for coffee, and enjoys long walks in the park. Maybe getting involved with the undead isn't so bad after all—and maybe you don't have to have a heartbeat to win someone's heart.

Genres: M M Romance, Romance, Urban Fantasy, Queer, LGBT, Paranormal, Fantasy

55 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 17, 2018

About the author

Author of LGBT+ romance and speculative fiction! Likes humans, monsters, and the hazy places between the two.
* Personal Website
* Amazon Author Page
* Book Updates Twitter

Reviews

[Shelba · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm glad I didn't re-read the blurb before starting this, as it probably would have made me want to set it aside again for a while. I was like, "Is there going to be full on zombie sex?" and even as I was reading it and enjoying it, I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about a sex scene with a zombie, but the whole story was really cute. I do wish it had been a bit longer, but when your MC is cursed, I suppose you don't want to drag things out.

[Solly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice read!

I think by now I've read most of Meredith Katz's shorter works, except for the Pandemonium series, and enjoyed them all. They're quick reads, often fun and/or sweet, with really great characters and fun (if not super complex) worldbuilding.

Only Human was no exception. Don't expect a whole lot of plot around Saul's curse or Theo's death, it's more a romance than anything else, with the fantasy/curse aspect staying mostly in the background. I was completely okay with that, though. It was sweet and I loved that Theo didn't hesitate much to call Saul out on his b*llshit haha.

This also made me think I might have a thing for zombie characters/LIs and I am not even slightly ashamed by it. I love people made of other dead people. In stories. They're generally very cool. To be honest, I love most monsters a whole lot, but maybe zombies a little more than most.

It could have been a little longer! I kinda longed for an epilogue or a few more pages, but I have this kind of reaction in a lot of romance stuff that ends with "they got together!!!" and I'm just here "and?? what next??" and I don't know if it's personal preference or me being my aroace self, but yeah. It could have used a few more pages in my opinion.

Anyway, this was great, it kept me company during a rainy afternoon under my blankets and it did its purpose by being sweet (and steamy, too, let's not lie to ourselves).

TW: sickness due to a curse, kind of not completely intentional manipulation (I have no idea how to put this but there's a bit of a weird start to their relationship, called out), explicit sex (yes, with a zombie), sort of light mention/implication of suicide, unsupportive family.

[Miss Dandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm glad that I do enjoy some smut fiction from time to time, otherwise this little gem would've been a bit disturbing. If you're not into lengthy explicit m/m sex scenes this one's definitely not your book.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boy meets zombie story... Incredibly poignant, telling, and so very heartfelt and satisfying. A real treat all the way through.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm, well, alright, why not.

I really do like the worldbuilding where necromancers are so everyday that they have doctor's offices.

[River Wilde · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, light and hot. A slice of life kind of story, if life had magic, necromancers and zombies. A gay love story with bisexual representation.

[Sarah☀️ Somerville · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was great - lots of fun.

[H.R. Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book. I loved the summary, I loved the opening, but I found that the book as a whole just went straight where I expected as fast as possible, like driving on a straightaway through Nebraska. I kept expecting the plot to twist or even turn in an interesting direction, but... it didn't.

And that's a shame, because I thought the world was interesting, and that the characters had significant potential for some good Drama, but instead, it felt like the story wasn't given enough time to develop.

The villain who cursed Saul? Never appears to cause any further drama. Jill? No plot significance except to tell Saul about the villain, who again, Saul never meets. Theo's death? Sketched out in one conversation, and never brought up again, despite him implying it was sort of suicide maybe? Theo's fear of being used for Saul's own purposes? Neatly wrapped up in their one sex scene, and it didn't really have time to build anticipation in the reader. There's one good gut clench when it's introduced into the plot, and then it is quickly resolved.


This book desperately needed to be longer. As it is, it's a bit like cotton candy. Sweet, insubstantial, and gone too soon.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strangely sweet

And strange in the best sense of the word! I really enjoy how the throws you into a world that is slowly revealed by the story not by explanation. That’s a true gift !

Saul and Theo meet under stressful circumstances at best. But over time they get to know each other and develop a sweet relationship.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I only gave 6 books a five-star rating this year and one of them was this Frankenstein's monster coffee shop/doctor's office AU novella. No I will not be providing an explanation.