| Title | : | Dying for a Living Boxset: Books 1-3 (Jesse Sullivan, #1-3) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 553 |
| Publication | : | First published April 12, 2015 |
This boxset includes the first three novels in the Jesse Sullivan series: award-winning novel, Dying for a Living, Amazon bestseller, Dying by the Hour, and their companion novel, Dying for Her.
Called "smart, imaginative, and insanely addictive" by New York Times bestseller Darynda Jones, this urban fantasy will thrill even the most diehard urban fantasy fans.
On the morning before her 67th death, it is business as usual for agent Jesse Sullivan: meet with the mortician, counsel soon-to-be-dead clients, and have coffee while reading the latest regeneration theory. Jesse dies for a living, literally. Because of a neurological disorder, she is one of the population's rare 2% who can serve as a death surrogate, dying so others don't have to.
Although each death replacement is different, the result is the same: a life is saved, and Jesse resurrects days later with sore muscles, new scars, and another hole in her memory. But when Jesse is murdered and becomes the sole suspect in a federal investigation, more than her freedom and sanity are at stake. She must catch the killer herself--or die trying.
And that was only the beginning…
Dying for a Living Boxset: Books 1-3 (Jesse Sullivan, #1-3) Reviews
-
Dying for a Living Boxset: Books 1-3 of Dying for a Living Series
By: Kory M. Shrum
Narrated by: Hollie Jackson
Wow, this is such an incredible premise for a story! Death replacement agents! Someone who dies in the persons place. First, A person pays a special psychic and they do a study of the person they are paid to check on. Then the psychic determines how that person will die and when. They then hire a rare Death Replacement Agent and they follow them all day until the time they need to step in. All the technical issues are described in the book. This world is not quite like ours but still has the prejudices and it comes in play against anyone with this gift.
In book 1, Jesse is the main character, and she is one of these agents. She is almost killed for good when someone sets her up. The rest of the book not only gives the reader a clue about society and the Church's view about bringing back the dead but the threats against the people with the gift. The book also lets us know what it's like from the agents point of view. The characters are introduced, they are all very well developed and interesting. Book 1 looks for who is behind Jesse's murder attempt. 5 star book!
Book 2, many agents go missing and some of the people the agents have saved also are missing. Jesse and friends try to find out what is going on since they are on the list to disappear. More information about the characters and Jesse's background is exposed to the reader too. So many great characters in here and the interactions are emotional and engaging. The powers Jesse and her other friend that's an agent is growing. 5 star book!
Book 3, this book is more about Brinkley who is Jesse's boss. He is the one who got her into the field of being a replacement agent. It bounces back and forth from present to his past memories and back. The reason is that he knows he is going to die. It's a touching book and painful due to what he saw and experienced. 4 star book!
The books are incredibly, a unique take on dead coming back to life, prejudices, a fun and heartwarming fantasy, lots of suspense and scary situations, friendships, and what to do with your life.
The narration was good! I never once thought about the narration. When the narrator makes a mistake, it's obvious so no narrator wants you to remember its not real people. To me, I really got into it and they seemed like real people! 5 stars for the narrator! -
As I said when I reviewed the first novel in the Jesse Sullivan series, I was “hooked from the first few words of the blurb”, immersing myself in the light-hearted style the author used. The opening novel portrays a quirky heroine, a young woman that dies for a living, a ‘necronite’. who can be sarcastic in the face of death.
I liked Jesse and warmed to her, her kooky habits, like wearing shoes that didn’t match, and to her best friend, lover, and sidekick, Ally Gallagher. Their relationship is complicated not only by Lane, Jesse’s comic-store running boyfriend, but also by the attempts to kill her for good. Yes, ‘necronites’ can die in certain circumstances, so I was never able to relax and think that Jesse would always survive.
The tone of the first novel might have been light-hearted, with great humour, but it had darker moments especially towards the end as we discover who is opposed to the ‘necronites’. Reviewing a boxset tempts the spoilers to appear, so |I’ll have to avoid those.
Book 2 builds on all the elements, with Jesse and her friends in mounting danger. Without spoilers, I can say that everything I enjoyed about Book 1 is there as we learn more about the dangers they face.
I found the writing swept me along with its mix of humour and mounting threat. Jesse’s relationships complicate events, and this area of personal conflict – told from her first person perspective and from Ally’s 1st POV – worked well. The sexual dilemmas felt realistic, even if the lesbian emotions and thoughts were outside my experience. However, unsurprisingly when you read her bio, Kory M. Shrum captures this with taste and style.
The third novel departs from the first two Books, in being told from the perspective of Jesse’s boss Brinkley. In many ways this darker Book is backstory to the events in the opening two volumes, and yet it closes at the same point as Book 2. As I read the revelations, I was even more engrossed in the characters. Gradually, I began to realise that there was a whole side to events that neither Jesse nor Ally were aware of. After reading Book 2, I was ready to take a break from the series, but now that I have learned so much more, I want more.
One niggling problem is the antagonist, whose abilities reminded me as the Books progressed of a successful TV show that aired from 2006 to 2010. That will stop me re-reading the three Books, although not from tackling the next one. Maybe the protagonist will change in ways that I can’t envisage. -
Book 1: Dying for a Living
Jesse Sullivan is a necronite; she dies so that her clients don't have to. She has a girlfriend/assistant named Ally and a boyfriend named Lane. The story is set mostly in Nashville. Things start to change when one of Jesse's clients tries to decapitate her, permanently ending her life. She soon discovers that other death-replacement agents like herself have been murdered recently; she needs to find out who is responsible. The rest of the story is a mystery-thriller as Jesse and her friends investigate the plot and villains behind the murders. I felt that the prose and plot could have been better crafted and, although the ending came to a satisfactory conclusion, it could have been arrived at more organically. Finally, I wish that the paranormal/magic aspects had been explained and exposed more fully. I kept asking myself "why?" too often when encountering these elements.
Book 2: Dying by the Hour
Jesse and her friends are alert for moves against them by their enemies although they've seen no signs in the last year. Jesse also believes her father (Eric/Caldwell) may still be in u alive and is looking for clues about his mysterious disappearance. There is an additional POV in this book, Jesse's friend and assistant Ally who is featured in a parallel storyline.
I wish that the characterization in this novel, particularly of the secondary and tertiary characters, was more fully fleshed out. The descriptive prose and character interactions are much improved from the first book and the paranormal or magical elements are better explained. We are also presented with more of the moral and ethical dilemmas of regeneration including that related to the religious aspects of the story. The plot is a marked improvement from the previous book and the storylines are more interesting.
Book 3: Dying for Her
This novel is written from the POV of James Brinkley, an investigator for the agency that oversees necronites. In the previous two books he is a close confident of Jesse. This book is partially a prequel where Brinkley is searching for a missing necronite named Eric Sullivan, recently released from an internment camp. Brinkley is a military veteran and suffers from PTSD.
The single POV (Brinkley) works pretty well here. The time jumps between the current and the past were confusing to me. There were also too many - fewer would have been better. Why does a book this length need 76 chapters? I think the story could have been organized differently, and perhaps better. The ending seems quite abrupt and I'm not sure how I feel about that right now. -
I'm writing this review for the first 3 Books after finishing Book 7. I'm very glad I got the Series Bundle, because the story gets even more interesting and twisted as it progresses to the Apocalyptic ending in Book 7 (as in "an unveiling or unfolding of things not previously known and which could not be known apart from the unveiling".
Jesse died in a barn fire she set to kill her abusive stepfather and herself. When she awoke two days later, Brinkley was there to recruit her for a job in the Federal Bureau of Regenerative Death (FBRD). That is where all the lucky people with NRD work as death-replacement agents (the unlucky ones are persecuted). Now Jesse's job is "dying for a living" to revive dead people (before their soul leaves their body) and to die in their place. After a time, she comes back to life, suffering rigor mortis and other side-effects of her death. Why would anyone object to such a valuable skill, especially in conjunction with the Analysts of necro-Magnetic Phenomenon (AMPs) who can predict someone's death to a 24-hour period? That is, besides the military, the government, the Church, the FBRD and people fearful of zombies?
Dying for a Living Book 2, Dying by the Hour, sees the return of the characters from Book 1: Jesse, Ally, Brinkley, Lane, Gloria, Rachel and Gabriel. This book sees the characters suffer painfully from repeated attacks by Caldwell and his minions. Why is Caldwell trying to kill them? New information is revealed, but much still remains unknown. Who can be trusted? What are the various agendas of the many players?
Dying for a Living Book 3, Dying for Her, starts about a year before the big showdown in Book 2 and two months after the episode in the Church cellar in Book 1, but flashbacks to 2003 when Brinkley first starts investigating some strange cases. This book fills in a lot of the history and background of Brinkley, Jackson and Eric Sullivan/Timothy Caldwell. This is Brinkley's first-person viewpoint after he talks with Gloria Jackson and gets his death day prediction. Then a lonely Thanksgiving as he thinks about his impending death. Flashback to working in 2003 when he first heard about Eric Sullivan and his daughter Jesse. As he investigates, we get more and more background on him and his guilt, and about Eric, Danica and Jesse Sullivan. Brinkley counts down the weeks to his death later in 2013 between flashbacks to 2003. He is mercilessly taunted by Caldwell, who will be the agent of his death in the near future. The book ends at the moment of Brinkley's death as he "dies for her". -
5/12/2017 4* (read before getting the boxset)
Dying for a Living...
Took a short break during the reading of "Limbo City Lights"*, I didn't know if anything in Kory M Shrum's short story in the volume would've had spoilers.
Such a different story. As an avid Zombies genre enthusiast I'm pleasantly please. I can honestly say I loved how this book took the genre and flipped it on its ear. Very original.
I will certainly be diving in with both feet on the rest of the series. Thanks to author *Angela Roquet for the "introduction" to KMS's writing. Back to AR's compilation.
7/2/2017 4*
Dying by the Hour
*WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT: Chapter 33, depictions of molestation/rape*
If you're not a fan of cliff hangers I'd advise against getting into this, it is one in a series. Why wouldn't a writer want to entice you to return by leaving you with questions unanswered?
More than a few errors in regards to typos and formatting.
We pick up Jesse's story about a year after the first book ended. We meet some new characters and say goodbye to others.
7/6/2017 4*
Dying for Her
*WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT: Chapter 27, depictions of rape and violence*
Good companion novella to the series. As told by Brinkley, it goes backwards and forwards in time. Giving some background on himself and others. -
I almost didn't get this box set, but decided to take a moment to read the first few lines. So glad I did, I was hooked instantly! Jesse dies for a living, literally.
Loved Jesse right away, with her quirky habit of saying what she wants, the wearing mismatched shoes because one never seemed to make it to the morgue with her body. The love triangle between her, Lane and Ally. It reminded me of Lost Girl (a TV series here), where you can love two people at once. Her handler is rough and gruff, but very protective of his charge. Great characters.
Don't pass this up! Kory M. Shrum has a great career ahead of her, and I plan to read them all. -
This box set of three Jesse Sullivan stories was a captivating and compelling read, one that this reader had trouble putting down long enough to do mundane things like eat or sleep. Overlook the few grammar, punctuation and spelling errors and simply fall into Shrum's world and enjoy this delicious take on zombies, er... pardon me, I meant Necronites. My bad. *grins* I highly recommend this series simply based on this box set; Shrum shows she is a storyteller extraordinaire with a distinct and inviting voice that yanks a reader right into her world.
The box set is still free on Amazon as of this date, do yourself a favor and grab it while you can. -
Dying For A Living Boxset - a review by Rosemary Kenny
This excellent boxset gives the reader three times the excitement for a less than three times the price of the individual books!
Amazing author Kory M Shrum gives fans of supernatural fantasy romances a wham-bam-thank-you-mam rollercoaster of a ride through the first three chapters in Jesse the Necronite's story that will thrill you, make you gasp in fear - and ecstasy - and take you on the ride of a lifetime into the Death Replacement fantasy world that Jesse and her friends inhabit, in a threesome of terrific tales that will keep you going til the end of the last page - get your boxset now!! -
I'm going to start writing reviews here. Not for others, but for my own memory. Please skip.
I enjoyed these books.
One of the few Kindle Lost Books I remember. (Kindle Lost Books is my shelf for Books in my Kindle history I didn't finish or don't remember. Some are from the time I had Kindle Unlimited and would take out free books and not read them before they were returned.)
Anyways I love this tale. A girl who becomes a grim reaper. Or is this the girl that experiences death for others. I remember being on a dark kick for awhile. Maybe I should skim over these and figure out which they were. -
I loved the first two. In fact, years ago I read the first book and fell in love with the book. When I found this box set, I was thrilled. Normally it's difficult for me to re-read a book that I have already read, I tend to skim over or space out. I was thinking I may end up doing that with this one, but I didn't. I loved it all over again. The second book was just as good as the first, if not better.
Now, the third book. It took such a sharp turn, it just couldn't keep my interest.. -
DNF at 67%, i.e. after the end of book 2.
Just another book full of predictable characters, an unlikeable protagonist, and a storyline hinged almost entirely on people causing problems for themselves. The actual concept--taking someone's death into oneself--was interesting, but it wasn't enough to hold up by itself. -
Very much impressed! Great characters, thoughtful story development. Detailed world-building and steadfast prose style throughout. I will admit it was an impulse purchase on my part, but it gave me hours of entertainment.
-
After reading books 1 and 2 for free, I believed so much in the series that I bought the boxed set, despite it being cheaper to simply buy book 3. If that doesn’t tell you how great the series is, I don’t know what will.
-
Liked the first book. Went onto the second and it was ok. The third was very confusing and doubled up a lot on what I had already read in the first two. I am not interested in continuing on as I have so many other books I can't wait to get into.
-
Once you start it's hard to stop.
Great read. Each book builds to an ending that your brain will scream more. On to the next book, you're engaged with the characters and then you are at the end. You want more, so you start the next book. I can't wait to get the next set. -
Not too bad.
A bit strange to start off with and I really really wish authors would get their books proofread because some of the mistakes are just silly, other than that not bad once you get into it although the last chapter, for me, was a bit strange -
Worth the read
I definitely recommend checking this series out. I love the concept and creativity behind the story. Only reason I could not give it 5 stars was I am not a fan of changing perspectives. Can't wait to find out what happens next!! -
One book for each character
I appreciate how Kory changed the voice of each book to a different character while continuing to move the storyline forward. I think Book 3 was my favorite but it was easy to read them all as one book. -
J we,
J.S,and the special offers were going to the flood of new and exciting ways,but am am on day shifts in a am z am on day shifts in the flood of
