Beloved

by Gabriella Vides

Death has spent a millennium alone, carrying souls into an afterlife of their choosing. He wished for an existence of happiness. After a while, it became an existence that numbed him. He no longer wished for happiness.

However, one particular soul, who is supposed to die, makes him go against everything he’s existed for. Instead of guiding her soul to the afterlife, he saves her. The universe doesn’t like his behavior one bit, and despite all the good work he has done for it, it punishes him, threatening deterioration.

And he wonders if it was all worth it.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance

179 pages, ebook

Published October 31, 2022

About the author

Gabriella Vides is an avid writer and reader of a wide range of genres. She not only considers herself a mood reader but also a mood writer—what catches her attention in a particular moment is what she enjoys.

When she isn’t busy reading or writing, she is spending time with her family and dogs in California while also attending university full time for her master’s degree in public administration.

She has always loved to read and write, and she used fanfiction to build her skills before she started the real thing. For more information and updates, please sign up for her newsletter.

Reviews

[Rhythm · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book as an Arc and I couldn’t be happier. This book was everything I could want and more.

The fact that Evette is plus sized and has a hanging stomach and thick thighs was just so healing to me knowing that our mc was like me. And don’t get me STARTED on how wonderful the way Death just worshiped her body. If you are plus sized and are okay with smut scenes and romance…..whooo boy. The way he LOVED her body made me feel so much better about my own. This book was a really easy read and I had no issues getting through it.

The romance and the way they were drawn to each other was very cute and I did love the way they poked at each other throughout the book.

There was NO point through the book that I thought it dragged it was excellently paced and written. And I loved the pantheons and Gods. I also love that her faith was treated so well and didn’t expect to read that she had altars to goddesses. A really cool addition in my opinion.

The plot was pretty simple but that doesn’t mean it was bad or not entertaining. I really enjoyed this book and tbh it’s prob one of my top 5 reads for the year because I didn’t have to think much.

I did have so many tears towards the end and I was in fact sobbing at multiple points in the last 60 pages but that’s definitely by design lol

The characters are really cute. There is a connection between Evette and Death that they can’t explain (wink wink) and I know some people find that really cheesy but I think it was adorable that he was so drawn to her and she was drawn back.

The smut was pretty good and I didn’t get any cringe from any of them like I have for other smutty books. And I can’t say they weren’t exciting if you know what I mean. It was so refreshing to see Evette be fat and sexy and just get to have someone who loved her body and couldn’t get enough of it. I was so happy every time he looked at her and couldn’t help but think how gorgeous her fat was and that’s something you don’t see often and it was fantastic!

There is also a page in the front of the book with Trigger and content warnings and I LOVE when authors include those. This book does have concepts and discussions of PTSD, car accidents, blood, fatphobia and mentions some diet culture and has some discussions of fatphobia related trauma, which all of these are expected but we’re great to know beforehand and I think more authors should be including trigger warnings. But thought I’d mention them //and this is almost verbatim what the warnings said in the book!

I’m am incredibly happy to have gotten an ARC for this book and absolutely plan to buy a physical copy if possible at some point because I think this will always be a little comfort read for me because I love Evette and love to see myself in the books I read. I know the author said this was a book for herself but I think this book is for anyone who’s fat/plus size and wants to read something so wonderful. It also lets you see a fat femme being worshiped for her body as she should be. 10/10 I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone, but especially to my fellow fat people, especially femmes who want a sexy and wholesome read where we are the sexy main character.

[Emmy Jeanz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was so beautifully written and emotional. I loved it.

I'm gonna be honest, I need a book 2. I loved the idea of Death falling in love. Their dynamic was so fun to read. And their personal struggles and growth together as a couple made me love both of them.

And don't get it twisted, even though it was an emotional story, there was plenty of 🌶. Like alot of 🌶 and it was so good! I would definitely recommend it for the 🌶 alone. 😅

Death falling in love with a plus size woman made me so happy to read. Honestly, some of my favorite descriptions of a fat body that I've ever read.

Some examples:
"Her body is round, and though it’s hidden by her apron, her belly hangs . Her thighs are thick. She’s plump. It’s the best way I can describe her,"
And:
"Fuck, her body. Her stomach hangs, round and full, and fuck, there’s so much flesh to grab onto while I fuck her. I can see a few rolls on her sides and her back, and my eyes roll in the back of my head as I pump myself harder."

There are so many more quotes I could add because they were just so good, but those were two of my favorite references to Evette's fatness that I loved.

Gabriella Vides, your writing is incredible. Please don't ever stop and please continue to write fat characters because you definetely have a talent for it.

I loved this book so much that when it releases I might have to buy a copy because I can see this being a favorite of mine to reread. 🖤

Thank you to the author, Gabriella Vides, for sending me an ebook arc copy of your book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own. 🖤

[Kristi P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as an ARC.

I first heard about Beloved on TikTok and wanted to get my hands on the ARC sooooo bad!

Overall, this was a fun read. Evette was a delightful character and her relationship with Death was super cute. There were things that felt rushed, and moments that felt forced, but I still really enjoyed reading this book and the ending had me in tears.

[I'm Fine, Just Tired · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beloved

HERO /HEROINE Death/Clay is the being who walks us into the afterlife. He collects beings at the time of their death and crosses them over
Evette is a plus size, proud half latina woman. She works as a barista.

REPRESENTATION This book is dedicated to plus size women. Latina rep

OVERALL THOUGHTS
Author provided an entire page of trigger and content warnings!! Such a serve. Thank you, author!

I love the way Death describes her body.

Her body is round, and though it’s hidden by her apron, her belly hangs. Her thighs are thick. She’s plump. It’s the best way I can describe her, and fuck, the way I can’t stop thinking about the different ways I can grab hold of her is getting out of hand.

Fuck, her body. Her stomach hangs, round and full, and fuck, there’s so much flesh to grab onto while I fuck her. I can see a few rolls on her sides and her back, and my eyes roll in the back of my head as I pump myself harder. I’ve been dreaming of seeing her naked body, and gods, I am so fucking close to seeing it all.

Their banter is sweet and fun. You can see their chemistry. The author does a great job at actually showing Death and Evette bonding, flirting, falling in love. We see MANY dates and sweet moments between them. Often authors rush relationships and they feel lusty more than anything. But Death and Evette were beautifully written and the reader was brought along to see their love story.

“Well, I think you looked beautiful, even with a milkshake all down the front of you.”
I laugh.
“You don’t even know what I looked like that night.”
“I don’t have to.”

ALL THE FEELS! There were many moments in this book that I, as a fat woman, found myself agreeing and nodding along. This book was great representation for fat people and their experiences.

“I just want a week–a day even–to not feel like I’m not worth it. I’ve come so far to feel good about myself, about what I look like, about who I am. It’s days like this when I feel like all of my hard work is for nothing. I hate it.”

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE The ending was very rushed. The reader spends most of the book falling in love with Death and Evette and towards the end, we see the deterioration of Death and Evette. We get a twist of past souls destined to be together and are meeting once again centuries later and it’s all very vague. I would have loved to know more about their past life. I wanted to see Death and Evette find out that their love was destined. I wanted so much more. I wanted a beautiful and deeply erotic coming together reunion when Evette comes to Death on the rooftop. The ending didn’t feel part of this book.

FAVORITE QUOTES:

“I feel…alive when I’m with her. I feel real and not a fear that people have nightmares about. I feel like I’m swallowing the sun whole, and its light is bursting through every pore in my body. I feel like I can take on the universe by myself and win. She makes me feel like anything is possible…so I took my chance with her.”

AGE: Death is over 900 years old and i think Evette is early to mid 20s

SEXUAL HISTORY: Surprisingly, Death is not a virgin.

I’ve had sexual feelings for mortals before. When I grew the balls to, I’ve even acted on those feelings, but I’ve never felt consumed by them before.

Neither is Evette

CONDOMS: Yes, they were pretty responsible until Evette finds out that Clay is Death and she’s like, eff it, do me raw death babyyy

TUMMY BUTTERFLIES: 3 /5 in the spice department. They were spicy but not filthy. I loved the desperation of Death. He was so thirsty for her and the being LOVES oral. We stan.

PUSH/PULL: No

SEPARATION: Months and fmc death

CHEATING: Nope

OW (Other Woman)/OM (Other Man) drama: Nope

SEX SCENE WITH OW/OM: No

POSSIBLE PET PEEVES/TRIGGERS GIVEN BY AUTHOR

As this book is about a personified being of Death, there is a lot of talk about death. The different types of death briefly mentioned are sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), car accidents, child death, elderly death, pet death, getting robbed/mugged, getting shot, and small mention of suicide. These are mostly one-sentence long as they are mentioned by Death to talk about his experience through his 1000-year-long existence. The description of child death is slightly detailed in Chapter 18, again spoken by death.

Other triggering concepts include grief, car accidents (descriptive, non-death related in chapter 1), blood, PTSD, flashbacks to a 911 call, and fatphobia with mentions of diet culture and other discussions of fatphobia related trauma. Please take care of yourself if you decide to continue reading this.

Other warnings include several time skips and explicit sexual content. This sexual content includes detailed vaginal and oral sex, ass play, mutual masturbation, phone sex, unprotected sex, and solo masturbation. If any of this makes you uncomfortable, please do not hesitate to put down the book.

I would much rather you all be comfortable and relaxed than forcing yourself to read something that can trigger you or make you feel uncomfortable. I care about your well being too much to let that happen.

HEA/HFN: HEA Months later, the gods ask Evette to become Life. and she is able to come back and spend her eternity with Death

[Lonah Verbatim · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s known that I firmly believe a book isn’t a good one if you don’t want to finish it in one sitting. I’ll be completely honest and say I’ve been reading this book since it was supposed to be a novella (aka months of planning ago). So, for my third go around I was (but almost not at all) surprised to see that in its beauty and sadness it was better than anything I could have imagined and yes, I finished it in one sitting. Beloved taught me a lot about my body and how I’d like to describe it and more about myself and other fat bodied people deserved to be in love (if they choose) and be loved most importantly by themselves and by others. I applaud Vides for not only sharing insecurities and realities of living in a fat body (reader aware or not of their own beauty living in one) but also how beautifully described Evette’s fatness was. Clay and Evette’s story is tragic in the happy ever after kind of way, Gabriella didn’t falter from her promise it really is “until the end and all of eternity” And the spice? 5/5 for Vides’ first erotica. It was beautiful and hot, sexy and at times left me wanting more but only because it really was that good and the emotional and sexual chemistries of Evette and Death match each other better than well. They leave each other (and the reader) wanting more. Will definitely be picking up a physical copy on 10/31.

[Persephone · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not particularly into stories that have very little plot to match the amount of smut within, but I think Beloved was a nice midway. This is a strong reccomend to any who love a modern romance, heavy on the smut, or to those who enjoy reading about a world where all gods exist. All characterizations of the gods were well done, which is a high feat to behold, as I study them constantly. Plus, the representation was amazing: Evette a fat, latino, Hellenic woman and Death having tattoos. It was a good read and my only wish was that there was more romance to be had, casual scenes, and that the pacing went a bit slower. But if you like fast paced contemporaries: this is the book for you.
And if it were to add anything: I was originally a ARC reader for this (despite how long it took me to read). If it weren't for how hectic my life has gotten, this would've been a book I sat down and read until it was done, and thought about for the rest of the week.

[Isabella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I knew going in this book was going to be emotional, but I did not expect to cry as much as I did. I feel in love with the concept and I am so thankful I was chosen for an ARC.

I highlighted so many pages in this book, it's ridiculous. But I couldn't help myself because I loved Evette and Clay so much and they loved each other so much.

The concept was executed perfectly. There was a perfect ratio of sobbing to smiling to sobbing while smiling. The romance was beautiful and I am obsessed with the ending. The spice was well done: enough to keep me satisfied but not too much that it took away from the story. It's a really hard balance to find, but I think Vides nailed it.

Thank you again to the author. I cannot recommend this book enough!

[Nialani · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book ripped my heart out and stomped on it. I was a lucky winner of a copy of the arc and I can tell you now that you will not regret reading this book. I want to cry and scream and die and live all at one. Evette and death are literally everything and I’m so obsessed with this story. The romance was so adorable, cheesy, and just heart warming. The relation between life and death and the tragedy of it all was so beautiful. I loved how Evette was plus size (the representation in this book 🤌😘) and I love the struggle of her love and dislike of herself. My heart goes out to the author. I loved everything, such an amazing read. I loooooooved the ending, and it wrapped up so beautifully.

[c_g.77 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’d say this was so close to a 4 for me that we are just gonna go with it. I’ve read some of her work before and although the plot had been great, she hadn’t nailed the delivery. I really think this one did. She did so well with this one. I loved Death’s internal struggle. I loved how innocent Evette was. I think Gabriella had mentioned how much she could relate to Evette and it truly shows in her writing. This was executed so well. The spice is still a little wonky. But it’s adorable. I would definitely recommend.

[spidermse · Rating 4 out of 5]

(I was given this book as an arc.)

This character of Death is a lot different than ones I have read in the past, but I loved his character and having a golden retriever type for Death. The spice was 😘 and Death is definitely book boyfriend worthy! The way the author describes how the afterlife works was interesting and had me imagining if there was one what my afterlife would look like.

[Sienna · Rating 5 out of 5]

The smut was amazing! The love is warm. It's a cute fantasy story that'll make you smile.

[Morgan Rutherford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely beautiful book. I’m crying a bit as I write this review. I was incredibly lucky to be given an arc and I loved this book so very much. How Death works on this world is so fascinating! Evette is an amazing female main character. I was really drawn to this book because Evette is a fat Latina woman who’s so good and lovely and she falls for Death. This book had many wonderful quotes and I seriously loved it so very much. Go read it you’ll love it too!