Here Lives a Corpse: A Dark Bully Academy Romance (Here Lies Book 1)

OMG. Wait, I think I need to say it again- OMG!! What did I just read?!! I don’t know if I need a cold shower, a good cry, to break things, or maybe even therapy, but I do know this- I LOVED THIS BOOK. CL Matthews has written something truly revolutionary- a captivating, fresh, and unrestrained take on the reverse harem bully trope. This is like nothing I’ve read before- it is complicated, unexpected, and bold, and I’m pretty much addicted to this story.What happens when you are so broken, so hurt and hallowed that you are more dead than alive? When your world is so toxic, confusing, and agonizing that you are a self-proclaimed despaired zombie? Well, you destroy yourself. And that is how we meet our heroine Colt- a once plucky and happy popular teen now an emo, goth, green-haired loner. Not only is her appearance different, but her entire world is changed- her relationship with her family, her health and body, her goals, and especially her friends. Colt has been slowly dying every day since she lost her brother, Cass- in a mysterious situation at their elite school, Arcadia Crest Academy, that was ruled a suicide. But Colt knows better, Arcadia is a mysterious and swarmy haven for the powerful, rich, and unscrupulous, and she knows enough to know that something horrible happened to her brother. The prime suspects? The boys of student gov- the alluring, sexy, and menacing four men who were once her brother’s friends….and also were once her pseudo harem of potential beaus- the men who have also abandoned her. At first, she hid away, slowly destroying herself mentally and physically, but now she’s forced back to school, which means facing the boys she feels betrayed her, and who potentially harmed Cass, as well as returning to the land of the living.That, my friends, is where this story begins- and from there, it is a WILD RIDE. To be honest, I’m not even sure I could summarize this plot for you if I wanted to- CL weaves a complicated and twisting web of secrets, deceit, corruption, and depravity. This is a tour de force of misdirection and plot twists. We are always on our toes- and just when we think we have it figured out, we learn something that reshapes the whole game. Our characters, too, keep us on our toes- our story is mostly told through Colt’s POV, and our snippets of the past are more like emotive vignettes- we FEEL how Colt, but they aren’t enough for us to grab the big picture. As such, we don’t trust ANYONE. And it is brilliant- every single character we second guess, we’re trying to figure out, we’re confused by- it makes for some really fascinating character arcs, helps us feel Colt’s isolation, and richly adds to the tone of melancholic suspense. Colt is basically playing a game of chess when the board, the players, hell, even the rules, are always changing- and IT IS ADDICTIVE. I could not stop turning the pages.COLT broke my heart, and also stole it. She’s in so much pain- she’s lost and alone. Her new hair and make-up are not her only shield- she dons the mantle every day of a strong, angry, ball busting rebel- the kind of girl who is in so much pain that she’s reckless with it. But, underneath that, I could feel her fear, her grief, and her desperation to be loved. And how devastating it is to lose the one person that you know does love you, and then for the rest of your world to crumble. She’s lost her identity, her hope, her light. I hurt for her, and I love her. CL really lets this story be her journey- about her evolution as a character, her reconciliation of the “before” Colt and the “after.” What I love here is that Colt does in fact die in a way- she is a walking corpse- because the version of her that existed will never be again. But, this story is about her being reborn, reanimated- finding connection again, finding passion, finding purpose. She may still be in an incredible amount of emotional turmoil, and she’s certainly still lost, but Colt breathes the air for the first time as her new self in this book, and I feel so proud of her for her journey.And this harem? Well, I’m not sure how I feel about them just yet. They are definitely magnetic, deviously charismatic- their darkness sucked me in. We don’t fully know them, as Colt is trying to reconcile the men she knew with who she sees now, but they are sexy, dangerous, and super alpha. And the chemistry?! MY GOD. There is a sizzling emotional tension between them all that is so thick I felt I might choke- an energy that permeates their character interactions that left me quite literally breathless a few times. The relationships feel dangerous, intimate, emotionally volatile, but VITAL. And this is some of the HOTTEST steamy stuffy I’ve read- it is carnal, kinky, and often totally unexpected.This is like no other reverse harem you’ve ever read- truly an inspired and bold approach. Which isn’t surprising since CL is such an innovator when it comes to genres and tropes- this is outside of the box, this is different. In part because we don’t even know who the harem actually is at any given moment. In fact, it changes quite a bit throughout the story. Not only that, narratively CL is also bringing a new spin. We have the juxtaposition of the current reality with the bevy of interesting and intense men to the reality of the past harem- a story that we are only learning about in pieces that I greedily gobbled during Colt’s flashback moments. So, not only are we trying to figure out the individual characters in the past and present but we’re also trying to figure out their relationships with each other in the past and present. And in terms of the bully aspect- again CL is taking a fresh spin- because we can’t ever really figure out where the power lies, who is bullying whom- it’s a cluster of powerplays and mindgames! Oh yes, it makes your head spin with the delicious mysterious and complicated web. The prose, and our plot, is turbulent, raw, and jarring- the kind of story you can’t stop thinking about, can’t stop reading, even though you’re scared about what new danger or emotional hurt awaits on the next page.When it comes to CL books, I love her willingness to go somewhere others won’t- the taboo, dark pain, the more baser human instincts, the relationships or dynamics that might feel less mainstream. She explores what is most certainly uncomfortable, unusual, or challenging for her characters with unrestrained brashness and honesty- and in doing so, it pushes us as readers. And this book goes there- this is a manifesto of what makes CL Matthews a unique voice in a sea of romances. She takes the familiar and injects it with new energy- a darker, more twisted, more devious, and more daring one.Our story ends with an epic, shocking, and heartbreaking cliffhanger- one that will change the game yet again. I NEED BOOK 2!!!!!!!

Diving into Here Lies a Corpse I knew 2 things. 1. Cassie wrote it ima love it. 2. Its RH. I was sold.I wasn't sure what else to expect and if I'm being honest I'm not even completely sure of what i read.The prologue starts with a murder. Soon we find out that the victim was Colton's older brother Cassidy. Losing her brother has really changed not only her family but who she is. She went from a preppy type girl dating 4 guys to a gothic pirahna.There's really a lot I don't understand about what happened in the past. There were a few chapters in this book that centered around the past. As well as a ton of flashbacks.But what I do understand is Colt wants to get to the bottom of what happened to her brother that night. Thankfully shes made a new friend in Mel, listen I don't know if I trust this girl. I feel like maybe I should be at the same time I just don't. Only they don't start really doing any investigation until the second half of the book. I had hoped the mystery surrounding his death would be solved in this book but I have a feeling it's going to take all 4 books to understand whats going on.I felt terrible for Colt, her depression is definitely front in center of this book. At first honestly, i was not a fan of her. I think it took me finishing the book and thinking about it to even like her. Its taking me writing this review to understand her.Now her Harem. I kinda lost track of who was in it. there's more than a handful of guys she messes around with (not slut shaming but giving fact, do your thing girl!!) It really has me curious as to where these relationships will go. Right now I have my hopes set on a pair but I don't think that's really going to happen. But ill cross my fingers that my ship sails.This book is a whole damn mess. No not the writing or execution but like the story itself is messy, chaotic and dark.My most favorite thing about it is that Colt owns her sexuality and doesn't apologize to ANYONE for who she is.

A steamy, reverse harem romance with intense suspense that will leave you questioning everything and everyone's motives.Colton lost her brother and she was left devastated. They say it was a suicide, but she knows better. Now she's on a mission to find out the truth, no matter the cost.So many players involved. The four boys she was with before her brother's death; Lennox, Tennison, Bridger, and Ross, won't leave her alone. They make it a point to keep popping up in her life. She knows they have secrets and they know something about her brother. She'll do what she needs to get answers.The boys hide behind the title of Student Government. They are rich and powerful, so they control everything that happens at Arcadia Crest Academy. They know all, but they aren't what they seem.Colton will uncover some of their secrets. No one can be trusted. She was just trying to learn to live without her brother, but now she's trying to survive and uncover the truth.This was only the beginning to this complicated story. It will draw you in with these complex men and their relationships with Colton. I never knew what was coming. It's STEAMY! Things will get HOTTT! I never knew what was coming next. I am not quite sure of the roles each of them are playing. So many questions still to answer. The ending will leave you shook and you'll be dying for the next book.

Oh dear lord!!!!!! I can't describe what this book did to me I devoured this in one day and I cannot wait to jump right in to book two!!I'm a sucker for dark bully romance books and wow this series I know I'm gonna love!!!! Strap yourself in cause this is gonna be one hell of a ride!!!Here we have the green haired emo goth chick, Colton, who is very tortured soul and she has every reason to be, she lost her brother, Cassidy, reports say he killed himself but she doesn't believe that, she believes he was murdered and she's out to find the truth so much so she's willing to die herself for it!!! So 5 months after his death and after she's been making herself ill by not eating and making herself sick, she's so painfully thin she has to be weened back on to solid foods little by little. Colton then returns to school with this new goth look she gets called all the typical names, vampire, corpse, greenie. These names she gets put upon her are from four guys, four guys that stole a part of her heart and won't let her go!!!! They pulled it out and stomped all over it!!!! These four boys now bully and mock her!!! But these four boys aren't just any four boys they hold a tonne of secrets and she is determined to get to the bottom of each and every one!!!!! But each of one these boys still hold a bit of that torn and battered heart of hers, each one want her and she wants all of them too!!!This book will have your head and whole body spinning in different directions it's so fast moving and I can tell you it's not for the faint of heart, it's dark, moody, bloody and the sex is hot hot hot!!! You will not be disappointed at all with this book it does leave on a cliffhanger and I can't wait to jump right into book two!!!!! There are many characters but it never faults the story you know exactly who each person is and what they bring to the story, I cannot wait to read more!!!!!!

So this had all the ingredients for a kick ass book.The secret society presence, the mystery surrounding who murdered Cass, RH...... the RH aspect actually took my rating down.Now I love a RH if done correct. This to me wasn't. You're still supposed to be commited if in a RH, I didn't get the whole part where Colt goes off and has sex with 2 boys (twins) whilst she's saying that the other guys are all hers? Then getting pissed off when she finds out one of her guys fckd someone else.. it was all about lust to me, I didn't feel the connection between them at all unfortunately.I still think this book was a good read, just not a great read, hence the 3 star.

first I want to say I loved this book it is dark, full of secrets and lies and I am desperate for the answers. It is a gripping story full of damaged characters I loved it and cannot wait to read the rest of this series.