Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
AN INSTANT USA TODAY BESTSELLER
"I'm obsessed." --Ali Hazelwood
"One of the most compelling dark romances I've read in ages." - Tia Williams
What my eyes are showing me can't be possible. Can't be real. Because if they are, then I have to accept that Julian Conrad has been alive for a very long time.
Too long to be human.
A stay-up-all-night, smart, spicy romance following a doctor who finds herself falling for an alluring, much-younger man with a deadly secret
Sean's not in the market for love. The only female, let alone Black, interventional cardiologist at her hospital, she's watched too many of her male colleagues divorce their first wives to marry younger models--and then there's the abusive relationship she's spent the better part of her early 30s healing from. Her passions are reserved for her best friend, her goddaughter, and her job.
Then she meets Julian. Brooding, beautiful and eleven years her junior. In short: A bad idea.
Julian pursues her in a way that sets off alarm bells in her mind, but she finds herself unable to resist their undeniable chemistry--even starts fantasizing about him in dreams that feel altogether too real. They also have a lot in common despite their age gap. So, to hell with it: If men can date younger, why can't she? But the more Sean gets to know him, the more impossible Julian seems: He has a depth and sorrow to him that's beyond his years, and sometimes there's a look in his eyes that's less than human, and leaves her feeling more like prey. Plus, Sean herself has been exhibiting odd symptoms--memory lapses, a lack of restraint that's unlike her, persistent exhaustion--that all trace back to Julian, making Sean feel more than a little afraid. Who--or what--is she falling, irrevocably, in love with?
Extraordinarily transfixing, suspenseful, and addictive, Die for Me is nothing short of a seduction.
Tropes:
- paranormal romance
- age-gap
- mortal/immortal
- forbidden love
"A stay-up-all-night, smart, spicy romance following a doctor who finds herself falling for an alluring, much-younger man with a deadly secret. Sean's not in the market for love. The only female, let alone Black, interventional cardiologist at her hospital, she's watched too many of her male colleagues divorce their first wives to marry younger models-and then there's the abusive relationship she's spent the better part of her early 30s healing from. Her passions are reserved for her best friend, her goddaughter, and her job. Then she meets Julian. Brooding, beautiful and eleven years her junior. In short: A bad idea. Julian pursues her in a way that sets off alarm bells in her mind, but she finds herself unable to resist their undeniable chemistry-even starts fantasizing about him in dreams that feel altogether too real. They also have a lot in common despite their age gap. So, to hell with it: If men can date younger, why can't she? But the more Sean gets to know him, the more impossible Julian seems: He has a depth and sorrow to him that's beyond his years, and sometimes there's a look in his eyes that's less than human, and leaves her feeling more like prey. Plus, Sean herself has been exhibiting odd symptoms-memory lapses, a lack of restraint that's unlike her, persistent exhaustion-that all trace back to Julian, making Sean feeling more than a little afraid. Who-or what-is she falling, irrevocably, in love with? Extraordinarily transfixing, suspenseful, and addictive, Die for Me is nothing short of a seduction"-- Provided by publisher.
Reviews provided by Syndetics
Library Journal Review
Dr. Sean Sullivan has worked hard to earn her spot as a successful interventional cardiologist at a bustling hospital in Chicago. She is the only woman and the only Black doctor in a department filled with talented professionals at the top of their game. She doesn't have time for distractions such as falling in love, instead spending her little free time with her rescue dog, her best friend, and her goddaughter. A chance encounter brings the charming and much younger Julian Conrad crashing into Sean's busy life, disrupting her schedule and her dreams with his confidence and endearing swagger. Julian, whose complex past and stories of the many lives he seems to have lived within his 27 years, charms Sean. However, she's been hurt before, and her suspicion about Julian's seemingly perfect life is the first hint that there is a mystery surrounding him. The man is certainly more than he appears, but will his secrets hurt Sean or ultimately set her free? VERDICT Obuobi's (Between Friends and Lovers) unique and alluring romance, with dashes of suspense, mystery, and passion, is perfect for readers looking for an innovative twist on paranormal romance.--Jenna Harmison
Publishers Weekly Review
Obuobi (Between Friends & Lovers) keeps readers on their toes with this sensual romance. Cardiologist Sean Sullivan thinks her medical colleague Brandon Penderson, the ex-husband of her bestie, Winona, is having a typical mid-life crisis when he announces his engagement to the much younger Leila. At their wedding, Sean meets a man who will be pivotal in her own story: Julian, Leila's man of honor, who is drawn to Sean after hearing her play the piano. Their chemistry is immediate, but Julian's demeanor is volatile and mysterious. When Brandon starts to make unthinkable errors with patients, Sean worries there's something sinister going on connected to both Leila and Julian. The story takes a somewhat abrupt turn to the supernatural as Sean learns the deadly truth about these newcomers in her life, including why Julian's behavior has been so erratic. The execution of the reveal is somewhat rocky, but the dark shift succeeds in raising the stakes and injecting a palpable sense of danger into the love story. Obuobi balances the paranormal elements with characters who feel real and prove easy to root for. Vampire romance fans will be transfixed. (July)Correction: A previous version of this review misspelled the author's last name.
Booklist Review
Cardiologist Sean Sullivan is at her best friend's ex-husband's second wedding (she's just there to support her goddaughter) when she meets Julian, 11 years her junior and a very bad idea. Despite the fact that he's only 27, he's cultured and mature beyond his years, but Sean is still reeling from the end of an abusive relationship, so she has trouble seeing Julian as anything but too good to be true. Her instincts may be right, because Julian is hiding a secret. Obuobi (Between Friends & Lovers, 2024) turns to the (spoiler alert) paranormal in her latest. The result is a sexy, sultry romance with a horror-tinged, action-filled climax. Along the way, Obuobi presents richly portrayed characters and relationships that feel lived in, especially between Sean and her precocious preteen goddaughter, Sophie. As in her previous books, there are plenty of details about life as a medical practitioner (Obuobi is a cardiologist), the hurdles Black women have to jump over to be heard, and a strongly rendered Chicago setting. Intense, page-turning, and at times funny (the dialogue sparkles, especially between Sean and her best friend, Winona), Die for Me will enthrall readers.
Kirkus Book Review
A cardiologist falls for an enigmatic stranger in Obuobi's seductive paranormal romance. When it comes to matters of the heart, Sean Sullivan prefers operating tables over heartbreak. Her job as an interventional cardiologist in Chicago keeps her busy enough, and at 38, she doesn't feel any burning desire to find "the one." Almost all her male colleagues are on their second or third wives, anyway--including her best friend Winny's ex, Brandon--which leaves Sean with little faith in the existence of true love. But at Brandon's wedding to his new, much younger wife, Leila, the bride's man of honor piques Sean's interest. Julian Conrad is younger, ethnically ambiguous, and devastatingly handsome, and he appears to have taken an interest in Sean as well. After they share a heated moment at the wedding, Sean can't get Julian out of her head--and then he starts showing up in her dreams. Even after going over all the reasons she should avoid dating a man 11 years her junior, she feels an undeniable urge to give in to him. When they're together, Sean can't get enough of Julian, to the point that she starts exhibiting flulike symptoms when they're apart. The withdrawal she feels is slightly terrifying, and the ever-present air of mystery and sadness surrounding Julian soon makes Sean question whether she reallyknows the man she's fallen in love with. Obuobi's latest is a sleek and gripping tale of temptation and seduction that begs to be finished in one sitting. Obuobi puts her own twist on a classic monster romance, with an older, more formidable heroine who is neither clumsy nor simpering but entirely relatable. She dedicates her book to "Black girls who squinted at the pages of the paranormal romances of the early aughts, wishing to see themselves there," breathing new life into a well-trodden genre. A thrilling, sexy, and modern take on forbidden fruit. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
TextPublisher: New York, NY : Penguin books, [2026]Copyright date: ©2026Description: 400 pages ; 21 cmContent type: