This is an excellent series straight through to the last book. The payoff at the end was unexpected and very satisfying.

The writing is excellent as is the world building. I liked both main characters very much. While there is a lot of romance, I would describe this series as urban fantasy as it has more hard edges than most PNR.

This is an apocalyptic world in which climate change has reduced the US into scattered cities with few amenities such as water and real food. The Ferries are the main family and they ferry souls from the void (where they go after death) to heaven or hell. The Ferries do not make the decisions about who goes where, though. They are tied to fate as are the Kere who mark people for death. After the soul is sent the heaven or hell a payment pops out of the void and the Ferry and the Kere share the fee. This has made the Kere and the Ferry family very rich. The Ferry family number into the tens of thousands and they are led by the Charon. Surprisingly, the Charon has to report to the board of directors of the Ferry corporation. Above everyone are the mysterious Keepers.

Eli is a paramedic who transferred to Boston from Philadelphia, which is now a desert. People eat protein bars and get running water two hours a day. His sister has been offered a prestigious job at Harvard. Eli's partner is Cacy, the sister of the current Charon and the daughter of the previous one. His boss is Dec who is Cacy's brother. Someone has been making unsanctioned markings and the characters are racing to find out who is doing it.

An engaging, character-driven paranormal romance set in a future world post-environmental collapse. I really liked the twist on afterlife mythology. Cecy and Eli are strong lead characters and the chemistry between them is well-written. I did wish there was a little more focus on the plot rather than on the romance.

Pretty enjoyable

Interesting world created by the author, a mix of sci-fi and fantasy. Part mystery part love story with a satisfying ending.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

This is the third time I read a book of Sarah's and was astonished by the world-building! On "Marked" we fall into a world after the climate change, where a family rules as the Ferry's, meaning Charon, the deliverer of souls.

Cacia is the daughter of the family and along with her siblings and father help the souls pass on Heaven or Hell. When she meets Eli, a man who can make her feel more over her duty, the same day her father dies, she realises that she may lose more than she expected.

I liked the use of Greek mythology on the novel and I felt it added more mystery to some characters, especially Moros. The intense scenes had me fanning myself and even the fighting scenes had me gripped on my seat!

I really enjoyed the chemistry between Eli and Cacy and I am sure that the next book will feature more of the Ferry family! :)
The novel was consuming and amazingly written!

Dead should be so good!

There's nothing like a erotic romance about the grim reaper and a sexy female Ferryman. A little mystery, a little sex, and a very interesting afterlife!

solid. interesting world building, but it felt like an accessory to the plot. not really adding anything significant.

World: This urban fantasy takes place in Boston and weaves mythology into a dystopian world. Fines’ twist on the Fates and supernatural creatures was fascinating from the Scopes to the Fates themselves. Power struggles, romance and timeline threads held me spellbound. While we do not get all the pieces of this world, it was fleshed out enough to have me craving more.

Characters: From the very first chapters I was swept up and each character drew me further in. Cacy Ferry is tenacious, inquisitive and has such spunk. She is a bit of rebel choosing to be a paramedic instead of joining the families’ corporate business. It helps balance out her true calling. Eli is not your typical hero and I loved him. He is loyal, loves hard and hides secrets from his past. The tale is told in the dual perspectives of Eli and Cacy. To me this was brilliant and only enhanced the storyline and their interactions. The secondary characters and hierarchy were stellar. I love when an author fleshes them out and has me equally curious. We have villains and characters whose role we are unsure of making this a real page-turner.

Plot: I am going to be vague here, because Fine created twists I never saw coming. A human whose timeline will have a rippling effect on everyone involved and beyond is in danger. Sides are drawn, lines are crossed and figuring out where everyone falls is suspenseful. From the beginning, Fine has us invested from both an emotional standpoint and a "fate of the world" aspect.

Romance: Holy hotness and bring out the feels. The chemistry between Eli and Cacy is electric. You can call it insta-love if you want but Fine had no trouble making me believe. Every time these two were together, I felt the sexually tense and intense connection. Swoon-worthy with all the feels, Fine gave us scenes that melted my ears and she did it without making me blush. The angst and tension were brilliantly drawn out without making me pull out my hair. Instead, it had me holding my breath and demanding she find them their happy.

Narrator: Emily Foster is the narrator and we began a little rocky. She does a terrific job with the character but I found her narration to be too fast. I generally set my audible app between 1.25x and 1.75x. With Foster, I had to set it at 1x. Having said that within the first few chapters I was swept up in the story and found her voices and tones to be spot on. I definitely plan to continue on audio and hope she continues to narrate them.

Caffeinated Conclusion: Marked for the win! I am delighted and excited to continue the series, especially after the epilogue that left me drooling in anticipation. Sarah Fine lived up to the hype. Marked will delight fans of urban fantasy, dystopian worlds, science fiction and mythology based tales. The next book/audio in the series, Claimed releases in March of 2015. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer

An interesting twist to the Greek myths about Charon escortin souls to the Underworld, combined with hot sex scenes. The main villain was just suddenly villainous, with no real explanation of what led to it or where the motivation came from, which was unfortunate because mostly it was an enjoyable read. It's obviously setting up a series, as the epilogue makes clear if there rest of it didn't.

Good for paranormal romance fans.

A great read!!

urban dystopia meets mythical fantasy! a whirlwind of escapism and twisting plot. I really enjoyed the world building. I would give this 4 or even 5 stars of it weren't for all the graphic sees scenes...