⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 3 stars
The accidental gatekeeper follows Everly, who went back to her hometown after her drug-selling husband lands in jail. When humans go missing and the town shuts down its magical borders, Everly must learn to control her new powers.
This book was light-hearted, humorous and sassy. The book started out really interesting, although I would’ve liked everything to be a bit more explained.
The story was very fast-paced. It felt like the characters and me as a reading had no time to breath with everything that kept on happening. It seemed a bit much and repetitive. I think it would’ve been better to pace everything that happened a bit more, so the story is a bit easier to follow. Because the fast pace, I also had to go back sometimes to remind myself who some characters were.
Everly is a fun character. She’s a mom and forty-five years old. Despite her being middle-aged, she felt really young and I felt like I could relate to hear as someone in my mid-twenties. I liked her inner thoughts. What I disliked was how she doesn’t seem to have a proper past and how her interactions with the people in town were only about their high school time.
I also feel like a lot of questions that were set by the premise weren’t answered in the end. Because of this, it feels a bit like a filler book. Many questions that were answered, were unsatisfactory to me. Including the motivation of the antagonist and how they did it.
Overall, it was a nice and fun book with a lot of humor mixed with fantasy. With how the book ended, I’m not sure I’ll continue the series.

The cover, title and description of this book are highly attractive. Everly Popa is middle-aged, nearly divorced and on the run. She's seeking refuge for her and her daughter Sadie from her home town Crossing Shadows, which is a border town between regular and magical world. After an accident that involves a Hellhound bite Everly finds herself a Gatekeeper. This book has an abundance of angels, demons werewolves, witches and all other paranormal and magical entity you can ever imagine or try to spell out. There is a lot of action and angels or seraphs whisking people from one place to another. The pace is so fast it gets confusing sometimes. The explanations for events come later rather than before and the humor in the story is not the kind that I usually enjoy.
The characters were a mixed bunch. I did not really get to know any of them well. This is the first book in a trilogy so the characters have a chance to develop and grow. I enjoyed the writing style and Everly's musings. I'm a little tempted to read the Accidental Archivist, whichis coming out this fall.

Angels, demons, witches, were-people, hellhounds, humans, and more all live within Crossing Shadows, a town that separates heaven and hell with a Gate. Add in former-resident Everly Popa, a sassy, sarcastic, witty, middle-aged woman that hasn't been home in years who accidentally becomes Gatekeeper for said Gate, and you've got yourself a great adventure. I’m giving this one ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Everly is trading her adult home for her childhood home in order to escape the personal chaos that has erupted. She has filed for divorce and seeking sanctuary in her magical home and gets immediately conscripted to a job she is I’ll fit for. Assigned as the town’s Gatekeeper she plans to learn as she goes as things go from bad to worse.

I enjoyed this read! It was different than most plots and had a lot of great world building. It was action packed and delivered on keeping you on the edge of your seat. I would recommend this if you like paranormal/magical reads. I would rate this a three of out five. This ARC was provided by Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Everly Popa - divorcée, mom, and accidental gatekeeper. What could possibly go wrong? Everything!

If you’re looking for a book with action, a tiny hint of romance, tons of fantasy elements, and no small amount of humor, The Accidental Gatekeeper is a must-read!

Everly has made more than her fair share of mistakes, but when her hometown is under attack she’ll do whatever it takes to put a stop to those killing her friends and family. I found her to be strong, snarky, and absolutely wonderful!

The secondary characters help make this book shine. From hunters to werewolves to demons and angels this book has it all … Old high school flame? Check! All powerful angels? Check! A crisis only Everly can stop (with the help of her friends)? Check!

Only one question lingers in my mind … but since I hate spoilers, I’ll keep my thoughts about Sebastian to myself — for now.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for permitting me to read The Accidental Gatekeeper. It was quite a ride!

This was a very unique paranormal read, I didn't really like the heroine, but the story and world building was great and the story was interesting.

When Everly Popa fled back to the tiny Texas town she grew up in, she was more worried about her daughter Sadie than what would happen back home. Everly knew it wouldn’t be easy going back home, wasn’t even sure if the town wouldn’t accept her. I’m not talking about how the people would act, I’m talking about whether or not the town itself would let her back in. You see, the place she grew up isn’t like any you or I grew up in. They had demons, angels, hellhounds, vamps, werewolves, plus other beings I’d never heard of, and if the town didn’t want you, you didn’t see it.
After finally gaining entry, using a crossroads demon no less, you’d think things would smooth out, but that was just the tip of the crazy iceberg of the next week that Everly and the rest of the people left in town have to deal with.
Gatekeeper dying ✔️
Missing residents ✔️
Slew of deaths ✔️
Demons attacking ✔️
Surprise new Gatekeeper ✔️
Having to stop not only the attack from unknown species’ but from an Archangel before the town is wiped off earth ✔️
The writing is great, the characters are wonderful (I love how snarky Everly is), and the plot keeps you engaged and wanting more. I can’t wait for the second book to see what Everly and the gang gets into next. If you’re a fan of snarky kick-a** heroines, paranormal books, and witty writing, then grab this book today. Definitely a 5 star read.

**I received an ARC of this book from the Publisher and NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

This story had me laughing. I loved Everly, and how they portrayed her. She’s not the typical heroine in the story, she’s not a young, fit beautiful innocent girl. She’s middle aged with achy bones and a snarky mouth. As a fellow Texan I loved all the inside jokes and a mom I could totally understand her mama bear attitude, and could easily see her as being someone I know. 😂 The story was very unique and very face paced, which made for an easy read. I was a little sad for Everly at the end, but can’t wait to see what trouble she gets into next.

Everly Popa is a middle-aged mom of one who has informed the FBI on her husband and, for safety for herself and daughter, has returned to her hometown, Crossing Shadows. This town isn't the usual sort of home town, but a border between other worlds and the earthly one. And Everly is from one of three families who are marked and who alternately act as gatekeepers between the worlds in order to keep the balance. Currently, it's another family that is slated to take over the job but when Everly arrives it seems all hell has broken loose (almost literally) and the next candidate for the job has disappeared just as the current gatekeeper dies. Everly is then appointed temporary gatekeeper and thrown in the deep end with no training.

Along the way, there are people dying, rules being broken, and connections between old friends and acquaintances being reformed. Not to mention a ghost that helps out and a bunch of angels that are rendered nearly helpless by the town being isolated from the universe.

This is another one of the new trends of books featuring a middle-aged woman and the paranormal. It's typically where life is upended and chaos ensures. There are quite a few humorous moments to help the story along and, of course, the heroine gets the job done, even though it isn't in the most logical way possible. I guess there'd be no story in that case.

It's a fun book if you don't get too caught up in the many details of the story and try to make too much sense of it. Overall I give this a solid three stars.

I'd like to thank Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for providing an advanced reader copy for free. I have voluntarily provided this review.

There’s a recent trend in urban fantasy to make the protagonist a middle-aged woman. She’s usually in her early forties and facing a sudden change, be it a divorce or something else, when she’s believed her life perfectly set. The Accidental Gatekeeper by Carla Rehse, which starts the Accidental Midlife trilogy, is part of that trend.

Everly Popa, 45, returns to her childhood home after ratting her (soon-to-be-ex) husband to FBI for his criminal activities, which has caused his partners to threaten her life. She’s had to leave her adult daughter behind, after she sided with her father.

It's not an easy homecoming for her. She hails from a town that sits on a nexus of heaven and hell, populated by humans bred to guard the place and all sorts of supernatural and otherworldly creatures. She’s fled the town in a huff in her teens after being denied a post as a Hunter for her gender, and hasn’t been back since. The semi-sentient town isn’t willing to let her in, which is only the start of her troubles.

Everly has barely been let in when she’s attacked by a hellhound, which indicates that she’s been chosen as the Gatekeeper of the town, because the person who was supposed to inherit the post has gone missing. And she’s not the only one. Things go from bad to worse to apocalyptic in no time, and it’s up to Everly, who isn’t exactly in her teenage shape anymore, to save the day.

This book started well, with an interesting premise and good pacing. But once the action began, that’s all there was. I’m not a fan of a narrative where mayhem follows mayhem, with no pause for reflection. And I absolutely dislike the trope where the protagonist is kept deliberately in the dark. Everly is swept along by the events around her and at no point does she influence them. Add in a few deus ex machina saves (literally), and she’s a pretty useless protagonist. That she ends up saving the day in the end was thanks to the power invested in her, and not to any particular action of hers.

The book never answers any of the questions set by the premise. The criminal husband and the threat to Everly’s life are forgotten, and the issues with her daughter aren’t solved. And many questions are given unsatisfactory answers, including the antagonist’s motivation or how they were able to do what they did. The treatment of the elders of town especially left me flabbergast.

But what made me dislike this book was Everly herself. At forty-five, she’s already going through the menopause (apparently that’s the only valid experience for a woman that age to have, never mind that it’s a tad early) and is inconvenienced by it (apparently medical treatment for it isn’t available where she lives), and suffers from aches caused by age (because forty-five is old and not the new black).

Yet she doesn’t seem to have a proper past. References to her daughter’s childhood could be made by a woman fifteen years younger, and her husband doesn’t exist even that much. Her interaction with the people in the town are only about their high school years. She has insecurities from her youth she hasn’t managed to work through during her adulthood and is only facing now. And she has no common sense at all.

Despite the flaws, this was a passable UF starter, if much too long for the content. There’s some attempt to kindle an old romance, but the guy left me cold. In the end the most important relationship turned to be with one of the angels guarding the town. The ending sets the next book, but I don’t think I’ll continue with the series.

Fun, humorous read - early middle age angst over doing the right thing, running home to mom and falling into a job no one wants you to have.

Add in a celestial coup, your missing daughter and your first love still making you have hot flashes.

Good summer read.

An amazing book a full round of laughter all around just what the doctor ordered.
Be it the main character or the utterly bureaucratic Angels .
If you love Jessica Christ or other books like it you will love this one

I can't lie, I was NOT a fan of this at first. Too many idioms just on the first two pages irritated me immediately. I liked the story, loved the concept, but that really kind of ruined it for me. Literally at least two or three every few pages. It was fun, but could have been tighter and used a more firm editing hand.

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley
#netgalley

Super sexy and fun. A great easy read. I enjoyed the main character alot.

Meh, not great but not horrible. It was slow and didn’t get me really invested. I liked the world, but not the relationships or characters. There are so many in this new genre and this one just didn’t stand out.

Filled with all sorts of paranormal types. Fun, humorous and quirky characters especially Everly. The start of a promising paranormal series! Get ready to laugh and smile! Thanks #netgalley and #BooksGoSocial for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Accidental Gatekeeper is a cute paranormal romance about a woman running home after her life falls apart.

I liked the idea of this book, but it ended up being a bit slow. I struggled to get invested in any of the characters, but it was a quick and easy read.

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Life has decided to dump on Everly. Her body is betraying her as she enters her forties. She’s turned in her money laundering husband to the Feds and the cartel goons are not happy with her neither is her only daughter. So she is heading home to mama and the place she ran from when she hit 18. That’s when things get really interesting. This is an action packed romp filled with humor and magic and all kinds of heck breaking loose. This is the first in a trilogy by a new to me author and I look forward to seeing where she takes us.

Fun quirky start of what’s going to be a great series! Paranormal with fun characters. Author has a wicked sense of humor.

I really wanted to read this one but just wasn't able. The formatting for the kindle copy was really bad and the NetGalley shelf version was so small on my tablet it gave me a headache. What I was able to read I enjoyed and will look for a cleaning copy to finish on kindle.