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Here Lives a Corpse: A Dark Bully Academy Romance (Here Lies Book 1) Kindle Edition
Here Lives a Corpse is book one of a five-book series. You do have to read all to understand. Each one ends on a cliffhanger.
Life doesn’t promise anything but existence. Losing Cass proved that.
Everyone thinks I’m crazy.
Corpse.
Freak.
Vampire.
They called me the one who never overcame the loss of her brother, the outcast, the least likely to succeed. But what about their lies?
He jumped.
He wanted to die.
He killed himself.
When will they stop? Unraveling the secrets they founded this town with seems impossible.
Detangling the bloodlines that weave the very essence of Arcadia Crest might actually kill me.
Forgetting the little details I’ve erased from my memories as a result of love could be the catalyst of my entire story.
Death brought me hatred.
Hatred drove me to them.
They touched me only in secret.
All stories end in blood, but an oath was never part of that equation.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
Y'all...My heart is not okay! This was my first book by C.L. Matthews, and she absolutely slays the YA bully academy genre with this insanely high dose of RH goth sexiness, and next-level angst, suspense, and damaged alpha a-hole hotties like you've never seen before. - USA Today Bestselling Author, C.M. Albert
Secrets, lies, betrayal, and gut-wrenching angst await you in this book and I can't wait for more! - Author Veronica Eden
C.L. Matthews takes reverse harem to an entirely different level with her unique start to what is guaranteed to be an epic series in Here Lives a Corpse. - Britt, Red Hatter's Book Blog
Reverse harem with a dark twisted edge. That will leave you on a high. - Author Tara Lee
The plot hooked me from the very first page. In true CL Matthews fashion, the tension and angst is being built to a boiling point and when it finally explodes, I AM HERE FOR IT! - Author Kate Bailey
Here Lives a Corpse is like the caviar of all the reverse harems. In a RH world full of Chihuahuas, this book is a pit bull. 5 stars is so minuscule for what I want to give. - Amanda, Beauty and the Bookies
From the Author
- Here Lies a Saint - Dec 8th
- Here Loves a Sociopath - March 2nd
- Here Prays a Sinner
- Here Saves a Killer
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE WITH ANGST
Hollow Ridge Series (Can be read as standalones)
- Inhale, Exhale
- Breathe
ROMANTIC COMEDIES
- The Dating Games: Author Edition
- Total Tosser (Coming February 2021)
LGBTQAI Romances
- Loveless (Standalone MM Taboo Romance)
- Stagger (Driven World/MM Standalone Romance: Coming January 21st, 2020)
Forbidden Erotic Romance
Cape Hill Series
- Firsts
- Lasts
- Always
- Forevers (Coming Soon)
Product details
- ASIN : B08F9C71CK
- Publisher : (October 13, 2020)
- Publication date : October 13, 2020
- Language : English
- File size : 4.9 MB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 421 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #276,238 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #1,749 in Gothic Fiction
- #10,869 in New Adult & College Romance (Books)
- #105,064 in Romance (Kindle Store)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

C.L. Matthews is a USA TODAY Bestselling Author who lives in lala-landia with their husband and invisible friends. They're queer and Mexican-American, and love to write as many diverse characters as they can. They want to riot the lack of authentic Mexican food in their state but will settle for cooking their own dishes in the meantime. They enjoys tacos, Red Bull, and warm water, because they're crazy. They're an oddball and realize it’s been mentioned before, just go with it. Their joys in life consist of writing unconventional romances, making book covers, causing havoc to her reader’s hearts, and genre-hopping when they need a change of scenery. They're a special kind of weird and enjoy every moment of it.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book's story intriguing with many twists and turns, and appreciate its dark and intense nature. The writing is excellent, and customers describe it as an enthralling read with steamy content. They praise the character development, with one customer noting how it makes readers feel everything the characters experience.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers enjoy the book's story, which is full of suspense and many twists and turns.
"...There is also a huge bully plot line in this story, and that's kind of one of my weaknesses, so I'm here for it...." Read more
"A steamy, reverse harem romance with intense suspense that will leave you questioning everything and everyone's motives...." Read more
"...Dark, twisted and brimming with all the feels from loss to lust to the first stirrings of love and passion this book kept me hanging on every..." Read more
"The good...i think the plot hook storyline had promise, and I do love a reverse harem story, the problem for me is that these are 16/17 yr old high..." Read more
Customers appreciate the dark content of the book.
"...Dark, twisted and brimming with all the feels from loss to lust to the first stirrings of love and passion this book kept me hanging on every..." Read more
"...If you love a dark & dirty, mind-blowing, page-turner that is unputdownable and leaves you screaming while trying to turn pages that just aren't..." Read more
"...As expected, I was thrown into dark, angsty story with her excellent writing and world building skills...." Read more
"...It's RH, it's dark and twisted and it's a bully romance. These are all of my favorite things. I absolutely loved this...." Read more
Customers enjoy the emotional intensity of the book, with one describing it as heart pounding and another noting it gives them chills.
"Heart pounding, mind racing, on the edge of my seat and that's only the Prologue....holy hell, this is definitely going to be one enthralling..." Read more
"...This book has everything you could ever want in a book. Smut, crazy twists that you never expected, betrayal, friendship, love, and much, MUCH..." Read more
"...As expected, I was thrown into dark, angsty story with her excellent writing and world building skills...." Read more
"...graphic and intense sex scenes that would be hella graphic and intense for adults, much less 16 yr old children who aren't even of the age of consent..." Read more
Customers find the book readable and intense, with one customer noting it's brimming with emotions.
"...Dark, twisted and brimming with all the feels from loss to lust to the first stirrings of love and passion this book kept me hanging on every..." Read more
"...Here Lives a Corpse is intense, dark, and so erotic I advise having an outlet for the pent up needs. If only these guys wanted to share..." Read more
"...But ill cross my fingers that my ship sails. This book is a whole damn mess...." Read more
"...Overall, this was a fun read. But this is not one of those books that I would want to re-read." Read more
Customers praise the writing quality of the book, with one customer noting the author's ability to address mental health themes.
"...As expected, I was thrown into dark, angsty story with her excellent writing and world building skills...." Read more
"...Haha. No I’m not kidding! I love when an author can write about mental health and make it real, make the reader think...." Read more
"...confusing.. This is my first C.L Matthews book and I have to say I like the writing and the spice is good but I'm just so confused on what the hell..." Read more
"...But the relationships that they have with each other were a bit too confusing...." Read more
Customers find the book engaging, with one describing it as a reverse harem read and another noting its interesting cover and blurb.
"...Here Lives A Corpse was a beautifully captivating and addictive tale full of intriguing broken characters that pulled me so far into their twisted..." Read more
"...If you love a dark & dirty, mind-blowing, page-turner that is unputdownable and leaves you screaming while trying to turn pages that just aren't..." Read more
"...answer, no obvious bad guy, just complex characters that grab the reader’s attention and won’t let go...." Read more
"...This book has everything you could ever want in a book...." Read more
Customers enjoy the steamy content of the book, describing it as holy hotness.
"A steamy, reverse harem romance with intense suspense that will leave you questioning everything and everyone's motives...." Read more
"...This book had it all....SUSPENSE, ANGST, DRAMA and so much SCORCHING HEAT that I had a hard time putting it down!!..." Read more
"...The “Student Gov” guys make me want to smack them but the Twins are hottttt!..." Read more
"...It has all the suspense, steam, and intense emotion that I crave endlessly...." Read more
Customers appreciate the character development in the book, with one mentioning how the author makes readers feel everything the characters experience.
"...of the story, there is no easy answer, no obvious bad guy, just complex characters that grab the reader’s attention and won’t let go...." Read more
"...The characters by themselves were good. But the relationships that they have with each other were a bit too confusing...." Read more
"...Looking forward to reading what happens next. Great cast of characters, great plot, full of suspense and unanswered questions, and holy hotness...." Read more
"...I love the openness and darkness. The main character was well written which is good, because obviously, but also bad because I had to work that much..." Read more
Reviews with images

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Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2020This was one heck of an introduction to the Here Lies series by C.L. Matthews. Being the first book in the series, it had a lot of work to do in setting up the complex storyline that lives within the book world that this author created.
I'm relatively new to the "reverse harem" trope. Now I see what all the fuss is about! Holy hotness this book delivered some brutally sexy scenes. Never did I think that I would be okay with my heroine being shared with multiple partners, but this book quickly changed my mind. I couldn't see it happening any other way. There is also a huge bully plot line in this story, and that's kind of one of my weaknesses, so I'm here for it. Lastly, this book has a secret society type of feel to it, where the rich are rich for a reason, and the children of the rich are used as pieces in a large overwhelming chess game.
This book was a little slow to start, but when I think back to what this book delivered in its storyline, I actually appreciate that this author took the time to create and magnify the personality and backstory of our heroine. Colton, aka Corpse, is a quirky character. She's returning to a new school year as a shell of the person that she used to be. She has suffered the loss of a close sibling, and the crew (and love interests) that she was once friends with has inexplicably turned their backs on her. She's sad, lonely, and doing her best to recreate who she is.
In regards to love interests, let me just say that I was JEALOUS of Colton. What a lucky girl. She has multiple guys interested in her, and the intimate scenes that we're given in the book are equally sexy and almost premeditated...you just know that things are happening for a reason. Even now, days after reading this story, I find my mind drifting to back to some of the intimate scenes. So much lust and yearning.
This is part of an ongoing series, so the story is not complete with this one book. It ends on a cliffhanger, and I absolutely can't wait to read what comes next with these characters.
- Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2020A 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.
- Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2020Previously I've always enjoyed a good reverse harem read and then along came Here Lives A Corpse to blow away any and all expectations I had for this genre. Dark, twisted and brimming with all the feels from loss to lust to the first stirrings of love and passion this book kept me hanging on every word.
Let me start off by saying I absolutely loved that Colt wasn't anything like what I've come to expect from a heroine. She was dark, unique and so guarded that I couldn't help but want to know more. As far as the guys go they were everything I love about my moody, broken and mysterious heroes and at this point there's no way I could choose just one favorite.
The twists, turns and suspense kept me right alongside Colt as I attempted to figure out who the true villians were. By the end I found myself furiously tapping the screen of my Kindle needing more answers. Here Lives A Corpse was a beautifully captivating and addictive tale full of intriguing broken characters that pulled me so far into their twisted world of secrets and lies that I was left reeling.
- Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2021The good...i think the plot hook storyline had promise, and I do love a reverse harem story, the problem for me is that these are 16/17 yr old high school students and the author writes some pretty graphic and intense sex scenes that would be hella graphic and intense for adults, much less 16 yr old children who aren't even of the age of consent. I had a hard time reading the book because of that. I personally don't want to read graphic sex scenes of teenagers. Had this book been set in college with the characters 21+ I would have most likely at least enjoyed the book and the sex scenes more. The male characters all act like adult alpha males anyways.
Also, Colton was annoying as hell and hypocritical beyond mere annoyance. Now I get that that might possibly be written that way because she is 16, but good god, the amount of times she proclaims to be a strong woman who is going to find out what happened to her brother and then one of the boys from the harem shows up and she can't say no to her raging teenage hormones, and don't get me started on the twins who were basically slavering over her and professing love after a weekend and she has no problem sleeping with them to get back at her harem, but then gets peeved when her BF sleeps with one of them. Though to be fair, the author does have Colton admitting her own hypocrisy. All in all, it was ok, but I had to do a lot of trying to forget these were 16/17 yr olds in order to read many parts of this book
Top reviews from other countries
- Aussie BronReviewed in Australia on October 27, 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars What a great find!!!
I finished this book three days ago, and I'm still thinking about it. The book has plenty of twists and turns, a very interesting plot, a battered and bruised heroine who you can't help but cheer on (from the curveballs she's received in her short life) and is fast paced and continually keeps you entertained. This is the first book from this author I've read, I'm about to head off to find some more. Thanks for a great read. I'm eagerly awaiting book two.
- Lil-monsterReviewed in the United Kingdom on April 30, 2021
5.0 out of 5 stars Cannot wait to read more!!!!!
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!!!!!!
- Lisalou31Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 19, 2020
4.0 out of 5 stars A new series
A new interesting series with loads of mystery that had me on the edge of my seat.
Full of angst and lust.
Looking forward to book 2.
- Emma raffertyReviewed in Australia on January 8, 2021
5.0 out of 5 stars what the help is going on
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.
- LexiReviewed in the United Kingdom on December 17, 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars Got me hooked
This is the first CLM I’ve read after I stumbled across her on TikTok of all places and I’m so pleased that I did! This is dark, angst, intriguing and so hot.