such a fun book! I especially love all the characters, they are special and likeable! The writing is also top-notch!

A highly entertaining and fun to read book. It's the excellent start of a new series that I will surely read.
I think it's well written and tightly knitted, the quirky characters are likable and fleshed, the world building is interesting.
The plot is fast paced, full of twists and turns, and it kept me hooked.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and it's highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Just fantastic.

I love Sookie and Agatha so this was just a dream to me.

I was hooked and was kept guessing.

Can't wait to read more.

Toni Windsor is a necromancer living in a peaceful town in England. The only issue she has is that she is a necromancer with a compulsion to raise the dead. A fact she does not want her neighbors to discover. Her police officer brother often asks her help identifying the dead as well as the criminals behind their deaths.

Recently England has passed laws protecting its Vampire citizens. Which has an impact on Toni's life when she is asked to locate a home for a local vampire, Oscar. Her attraction to him complicates her life. Her interaction with the undead puts her in the sights of a group who oppose the new laws and wish all the vampires dead. She eventually calls forth one of her stronger zombies, Bredon. She also gets help along the way by Oscar's human servant Peter.

The story is full of encounters with vampires both friend and foe. I found the story a tad weak. I loved the Brendon, Toni and Peter characters. I would have liked more back story on the local vampire leader. I am going to try out the next in the series to see if the story line develops more fully. For a first novel it was good.

Comic Fantasy....
Comic fantasy with a hugely enjoyable and colourful cast of characters, witty, barbed dialogue and a protagonist that you can’t help but like. Murder mystery, zombies, vampires and fun. An entertaining read.

This was such a fun read. Vampires , the paranormal vs. the police and the bad guys. Its a fun romp that will have you laughing out loud. This is much like Stephanie Plum adventures with fun quirky charcters and just great reading fun.

Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley.

this book is so cute and fun and precious and i loved it. i hope you pick it up as soon as possible. it's an escape from reality and that's what we all very much need right now. love the creepy in this one so much!!

So hilarious,kept me hooked in from start to end.
Many thanks to Rebellion for providing me with an e-ARC of this book.
4.2/5 golden stars!

This murder mystery is a memorable one for sure. The supernatural world of this book grips you from start to finish. Necromancy, Vampirism and Zombies - you know you are in for a wild ride, combined with a witty narrative and lovable heroine this book is thrilling read, you won't want to miss out!

Grave secrets sept 2020
Pub Date 1 sept
May contain spoilers
Mistress Lavington she loves the dead every night she goes two the cemetery two summoned the dead. She picks on one grave and this time it was Brendon she gives them sandwiches and crisps and learns about their story and how they die she like Brendon he calls her miss Lavington like she a lady even know she not her real name is Toni. Her brother a copper and she helps him in murder mystery help the dead on how they die two try and catch the killer. In the day she an estate agency and by night she wake up the dead. She falls in love with a local vampire Oscar and do anything for him. But when she with him danger lies vampires starts attacking her at her house she thinks it because she summons the dead or something else Oscar helps her fight with them and she controls most of them she get kidnapped by them as well but she sort them out and vanishes them back two the grave. She loves Oscar they make love but they both get attacked the same time they manage two get out of the space from the attackers and run she loves the thrill of Oscar but he a vampire and controls her mind that she doesn’t like and he wants two drink her blood but Toni says no for now. Toni discovers more now about Oscar how old he is his powers he has his house he lives in other vampire in town. And peter who controlled by Oscar helps out Toni he cleans her house make her tea she makes his tea has well they look after each other. She loves Oscar it’s a beaut romance indeed it’s like a forbidden romance she loves him he love her but they can’t have each other.

My Thought
I love the book the characters of Toni I like she raises the dead and summons them two earth and help her brother solve cases and his and estate agent in the day.And fight zombie at night.

Oscar is a vampire of the town and his in love with Toni is character is great but he get attack allot by zombie.

Peter is with Oscar he human and helps Toni and keep her safe.
We learn Toni has a brother but we doubt know much about him only that Toni helps him with crime cases and helps the dead catch their killer. I love learning about the stories and how they died and Brendon I fought it was great and how they went on dinner dates and she made sandwiches for him and cooked chicken and the chemistry between Toni and Brendon i fought they were going two be together I hoped their would have instead of Oscar.
I gave this book three stars.

I haven’t seen anyone mention Anita Blake as a comparison in the reviews for this book yet, and I’m really quite surprised, because it seems so obvious. Anita, like Toni, is a ‘natural’ necromancer who has a romance with a vampire (among others). Yes, there’s definitely things that make me think of True Blood as well - largely that the ‘boss vampire’ Benedict has much more chemistry with Toni than her supposed love interest Oscar. What makes this intriguingly unique is the very British settings in country Staffordshire and Toni herself, an unabashed, straightforward, straight-talking girl.

There are some problematic elements with the Anita Blake books, not least with the heroine’s inability to see any other woman as anything but a rival, homophobia and racial insensitivity. This author hasn’t fallen into any of those traps; Toni has female friends, a gay brother whose boyfriend is Black, and more. And while this book doesn’t quite get there with polyamorous relationships - Toni’s description of herself as serially monogamous made me laugh - there’s enough there to make me think that Toni might get there in the future, and there’s no judgement from her towards those already living that lifestyle.

I think this probably needs some trigger warnings: while the sex isn’t quite nonconsensual, it does get unexpectedly violent and graphic for a ‘mystery’... I think this definitely tends more towards the urban fantasy genre. And there are at least two episodes of graphic and terminal violence to children which hit pretty hard. Nevertheless, this is an absolutely great read, and I would love to read more in the series (but dump Oscar… he’s a bore. I’m Team Benedict all the way). Five stars for a very English answer to True Blood.

I DNF this title so I can not give it an actual rating so ignore the one star.

Perhaps I'll try again like a batter in baseball as it'd be the 3rd time.

This book-what I read of it- has almost everything I typically love:snark, booze, paranormal creatures,romance...yet I just couldn't get into it.

I think it was because I felt I was DUMPED into the story at the opening.

This book has AMAZING reviews, so I'm definitely in the minority but like I said- maybe I'll give it one more try...

So, what did I like about Grave Secrets?
Alice James is a début author and I was impressed with her writing style. Her prose was articulate but light and embodied our protagonist. It felt quintessentially English through and through with our British spellings, slang, and colloquialisms. I thought that the story itself was intelligent and felt well planned out and researched with her descriptions easily transporting me into each scene. There’s also a wonderful wealth of characters each written with different multi-layered personalities.

While we’re on the subject of characters…
All the characters in Grave Secrets were fantastic. They felt completely believable, and all played their part in the story; even the undead ones. 😉

I need female protagonists to exhibit certain personality traits to be able to connect to them and enjoy their story. Intelligence, common sense, a modicum of resilience, self-reliance, and gumption. Our protagonist, Lavington Windsor (Toni to her friends) definitely has plenty of gumption, a wonderful sense of humour and doesn’t seem to have any prejudices. She also has a strong sense of right from wrong and is willing to put her life on the line to ensure justice is carried out. However, she frustrated me at times with her lack of common sense and love induced rose-tinted glasses while reading this book. On reflection, I now understand that I can’t expect a 27 year old to have the same common sense as a 49 year old. Life experience helps to build and strengthen common sense.

I’m looking forward to seeing Toni evolve through this series as her life experience grows.
My poor heart! Grave Secrets had me gripped and kept me turning the pages. My adrenaline pumped, and I think I actually held my breath a few times throughout this story. The peril and action felt non-stop, however, I admired Toni’s reactions to each and every situation she was thrown into. Just be warned, although this is a cosy, it’s a story with vampires and zombies. Blood. Gore. Violence. However, I like the element of reality that Alice wrote into it, having our protagonist baulking at the violence of vampire nature and the fleshy appetites of the zombies.

Was there anything I disliked about it?
I really enjoyed this book, which is why I rated it 4-stars.

There wasn’t anything that I disliked, however, there were little things that niggled, most of which revolved around our protagonist. Lol! But I think those niggles were age related rather than any gaping holes or flaws.

As the first book in a new series, there was the obligatory world building and character introductions. However, I never felt that this slowed down the pace of the story. Rest assured, dear readers, there are no information dumps and no perilous life-or-death cliffhanger ending in this book. However, there are some threads left to be explored and concluded in subsequent books as expected from a first in series book.

So, basically what I’m saying is…
Grave Secrets has the right balance of mystery, horror, and humour that you’d expect from a cosy paranormal mystery story about a protagonist who can raise the dead.

The story’s got all the aspects that I need to keep me engaged. Great action to get my adrenaline pumping. A couple of mysteries to get my little grey cells whirling. Nail-biting tension to keep me on the edge of my seat. Well-written humour to put a smile on my face and balance any darker plotlines. Grave Secrets also had the added bonus of romance and sexual heat. Delightful!

Content Warning:
Although this book is a cosy mystery, it’s not fluffy. There are scenes of a brutal and violent nature with vivid descriptions of blood and gore. This story also doesn’t shy away from situations of a sexual nature, both consenting and otherwise.

I’d recommend Grave Secrets to fans of mystery stories with a paranormal spin. Especially those who also enjoy relationship/romance tales and like reading stories with vampires and zombies.

I really enjoyed this book and I’m looking forward to seeing where Alice James takes us next.

Often whoever markets books seems to be lying when they make their comparisons. In this case, however, it’s spot on. This definitely feels like Sookie Stackhouse meets Agatha Raisin.

The world that James has created is very similar to the Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood universe. Vampires have recently come out of the closet, and, unwelcome in the US and Canada, they’re flocking to Europe. Our protagonist, Lavington “Toni” Windsor, is a necromancer, and she spends her evenings raising the dead as zombies at the local cemetery. She quickly learns, however, that vampires have nearly eradicated necromancers from the planet, because vampires are dead, and they don’t want anyone to have power over them.

The way that necromancy works in this world is quite fascinating. James has done a great job with worldbuilding while not actually information dumping at any point. I never felt overwhelmed with details, and the pacing never suffered for the explanation of how things work. Toni is a unique necromancer, yet her powers have limits, which are clearly defined as she learns them. I love this–she’s a bad-ass human being with a unique power, yet she’s still extremely vulnerable to her enemies, given that she doesn’t have martial arts training or superstrength. She has to use her wits and her special ability to defeat her enemies, and she does this quite a few times over the course of Grave Secrets.

There’s a lot of romance in the story, as Toni falls for vampire Oscar early in the plot. But of course, being with a vampire isn’t as easy as you’d think. Oscar is sweet and kind (though he’s maybe a tad too bloodthirsty). But it isn’t Oscar that intrigues me. Benedict Akil, the leader of the vampires, is a benevolent leader who enjoys irritating Toni. She’s not afraid of him and she’s really quite rude to him. I love a protagonist with no sense of self-preservation! I’m hoping to see more of their chemistry in the sequel.

This book is light in tone, with quite a few laugh-out-loud moments. That said, this book has phenomenal pacing, with lots (and I mean lots) of action. It felt like there was a scene worthy of a novel’s climax every thirty pages. That said, the story ends quite abruptly, and I was expecting a major development in the plot or cliffhanger. I’m glad there wasn’t one, but still, it was quite surprising!

I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good genre-blender and wants to read a fast-paced, thrilling, and sometimes spooky romance/fantasy/mystery.

Walk into my house and glance at my bookshelves and you will find an eclectic mix of books. My favourite genres are represented heavily in science fiction and fantasy, but I also have loads of crime, history, biographies and general fiction. This cannot be said of my sister’s shelves that bulge with books that surround one topic: vampires. How can she read vampire book after vampire book; don’t they all feel the same? Nope, vampires are a genre unto themselves and if the books are as fun as Grave Secrets by Alice James, I may just end up reading only about bloodsuckers and the necromancers who can harm them.

Toni Windsor is you average Estate Agent during the day but secretly raises the dead at night. Ever since she was a little girl, she had a fascination and inherent skill to bring the dead back to life. It as much a hobby as anything, but she has been known to aid her police officer brother in a case or two. Solving a murder can be simple if you can ask the victim themselves. Toni is not the only person with supernatural abilities in rural Staffordshire as recent legislation has made vampirism legal and many of these bloodsuckers are moving into stately homes in the region. Being undead themselves, vampires have an inherent dislike of people who can control them. Can Toni keep her secret, even when she starts dating a vampire?

Grave is a light-hearted story which happens to have more heads being ripped from bodies than you may be used to. The story centres on Toni, a likable character who seems to live her life with little direction other than to make sure she gets her nightly necromancer fix. Events transpire to get her involved in much different world than her own; that of vampires and their entourage.

Most people are aware of the ‘rules’ that surround vampires i.e. sunshine, stakes, garlic etc. James plays with these, whilst still staying true to the lore. The world building is intriguing, this is a very recognisable modern Britain but, after a vampire was found to be secretly healing people, they have been coaxed out of the shadows and into day to day society. Some people are less than happy and will even go as far as to target those businesses who work with vampires e.g. Toni’s Estate Agents. I enjoyed how similar things are to us, but with added undead.

Another fun element is the way that Toni interacts with other characters. She can be described as feisty at best, or perhaps rash. This means that she will insult those she thinks deserves it and that could be a homicidal thug or a vampire master. This leads to a lot of the humour in the book, but you do worry that Toni will go a little too far at some point
.
Vampire books have a reputation of also containing some sexual elements, but it is not always the case. If you do like some fruity moments, then Grave does have them. There is almost a preoccupation with sex at times in the book as Toni often thinks about it. This is not done in a leary manner but instead is in keeping with the modern characters in the book and how they choose to live their lives (or undeaths). Without Toni’s mind wandering, you would lose so much of what makes her character fun. This is an everyday person who is involved in extraordinary events. The difference between her and us is that Toni is used to the supernatural, so she does not let things like beheadings knock her flow.

Despite the vampires, zombies, thugs and murders, Grave Secrets is a light and very enjoyable read. The key to the book’s success is the character of Toni and Gray’s intelligent world building. Somehow the idea of a lovelorn necromancer who is also an Estate Agent works. This is because Gray has developed a scenario where it all fits. I sat down and read this book in only a couple of sittings. It is that type of page turning book that never fails to entertain.

Grave Secrets
Author: Alice James
Publisher: Rebellion Publishing
Page count: 300pp
Release date: 3rd September 2020

For those urban fantasy fans of the 90s/00s raised on the likes of Nancy A Collins, Kim Harrison and Jim Butcher, you’ll feel an affinity for Alice James’ debut novel from Rebellion Publishing.
For me, Laurel K Hamilton was the must-read, and I fell in love with Anita Blake’s sassy zombie raiser and her gorgeous entourage including vampire master Jean Claude, but it was the world, not the erotica, that kept me reading.
If you loved the Anita Blake books but then the sex started getting in the way of story, you’ll love ‘Grave Secrets’.

Written in first person snark, Lavington Windsor is estate agent by day, necromancer by night. Like Blake, Lavington started raising zombies from age eight. It’s a Compulsion and if she doesn’t follow through it’s dangerous.
The night in Aug as the book starts, she’s attempting to raise Bredon Havers, armed with blood, salt, a nice packed lunch for the corpse and a bottle of Chanel; every necromancer worth their salt * sorry, not sorry * wears Chanel.
When Bredon arises, nearly three centuries dead, he’s quite well preserved, eloquent and rather dishy.
Her chat is interrupted by a call from her brother Wills, a cop in a sleepy Staffordshire village, who wants her to raise a murder victim for him to interview.
In this world, since the Heidelberg Accord, vampires have come out of the proverbial monster closet and co-exist within human communities. Though some USA States have a kill-on-site order. As a result, quite a few American vampires are immigrating to the UK.
Lavington or Toni, is a very likeable character. She’s not tall and lithe, she’s a short, wild redhead and talks sarcasm as a second language. Her insults are especially inventive, such as calling the head vampire "a fangy tosser". There are real laugh out loud moments in this novel, particularly the interview with dead body Fenella. The jokes are such that I let out a few indelicate snorts along the way.
However, it isn’t just about fun adventures. There are some thinly veiled anti-racism and anti-prejudice analogies in the novel, for instance, the U.K. Anti-vampire Party, AKA UKAP. And so far, given the two vampire characters we have met appear likeable, even friendly, the analogies work very well. Of course, it wouldn’t be a modern urban fantasy - albeit in a rural setting - without one of two hot vampires, in the shape of debonair Oscar, her soon to be boyfriend, and sexy arrogant head vampire Benedict Akil.
At this point I have to tell you I’m from Birmingham UK, and I still found the bumbling jerks from the Moseley Mafia to be very amusing. Speaking of amusing, Peter is a great character - a sweet, domestic Renfield,who also happens to be a talented doctor - and I'd like to see more of him in the next book.
With its cosy paranormal crime setting but it's big city characters and attitude, the series is up there with Kim Harrison, Charlaine Harris, Chloe Neill and Ben Aaronovitch.
Though we're just getting used to this diverse world and the strength of Toni's resolve plus some hotter than hell vampires, this is truly an addictive book with plenty of scope for more adventures. There's also lots of viscera for fans of blood and gore.
This is very much in the vein, ahem, of Buffy meets Midsummer Murders.
A brilliant, funny debut novel.
I can't wait for more of Toni's adventures.

The strapline for this one is: Agatha Raisin meets Sookie Stackhouse, with croquet and zombies. And it’s spot on. Toni is a quirkier, younger version of Agatha, while the paranormal backdrop, though firmly set in rural England, is peopled with characters that wouldn’t look out of place in the Sookie Stackhouse mysteries. There is also a similar amount of heat in Grave Secrets as in Charlaine Harris’s books, which means that while it is considerably less explicit than the HBO True Blood series – it still contains several raunchy scenes. This isn’t usually an ingredient I look for in my reads, but it’s done well. Toni’s strong attraction to Oscar is convincingly portrayed – along with her ongoing concerns about his suitability, until she sees him again when once again, she’s swept off her feet.

But what really beguiled me is the strong first-person voice. A breezy, generally can-do attitude, combined with a sharp-edged Brit humour that had me sniggering throughout and a couple of times made me laugh aloud. The vampires are suitably arrogant and entitled, so no surprises there – though I also like the fact that they come in shades of nastiness and some make a real effort to be more caring of the humans in their coterie. I also really like Toni’s relationship with Peter, the other human who is in Oscar’s coterie. James has the ability to write her characters with warmth along with the snarky humour, so it didn’t descend into an adventure where poor put-upon Toni is ranged against all the powerful nasties without any help. To counter-balance the vile behaviour of the antagonists, there are also a number of people happy to assist Toni.

Another plus point – the fact that Toni is a necromancer, who has been raising the dead since a small child. They are normally portrayed as chilling creatures, whose repellent habits make them as unwholesome as the zombies they create – so Toni’s portrayal as a bubbly, impetuous young woman full of strong views on what is Right and Wrong comes as an enjoyable change. As you may have gathered – I was charmed by this one, so I’m very much looking forward to reading the next book in the series. While I obtained an arc of Grave Secrets from the publishers via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
8/10

This is the first book I have read by this author, and I will read another by her. First off, this book was actually pretty well written. It flowed smoothly, and the plot was intriguing. I really liked most of the characters, and there is lots of good humor. Now for the things that were just a little less good (not bad, just not good). There wasn’t much of a mystery. I was under the impression this was a cozy paranormal mystery. There is a bit of one, but it’s more of an instalove paranormal romance (and a couple of other genres thrown in) which isn’t my favorite. Next, I am not really sure how I feel about Oscar. At the beginning, he seemed to more push himself on Toni. I absolutely love a vast majority of the other characters. This was a debut, and it does have lots of promise. I am giving it a four, and I will read the next one to see how it improves. Recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

First off, thank you to NetGalley for the free ARC of this book.

Ok.... so.... I struggled with this book. Hard. And I still don't quite know how I feel about it. It seemed so promising in the beginning, but then everything went off of the rails. I was expecting a humorous, paranormal mystery and instead got a bit of a train wreck.

I think in the end most of my issues with this book boil down to Oscar. I cant stand him. The insta-love was sickening and he is so one dimensional that I wished I could stake him multiple times. I HATED the fact that when Toni got upset about things he would proposition her as though sex would solve everything. What the hell?

I enjoyed the idea of a necromancer with a zombie bestie. I adored Bredon. Peter confused me as I originally was picturing a stout little man with glasses, yet he somehow ends up being a super buff, super hot doctor..... who I liked, if I'm honest. I even liked Benedict (at least more than Oscar). Camilla seems ... ridiculous though charming. This whole book had so much potential and ended up being a disappointment.

Absolutely loved this, I agree with another reviewer it’s like Darynda Jones met Charlaine Harris , it’s just fabulous, funny, mysterious and a great ride, I loved Toni so much and I loved that this was set in the UK , most of my favourite reads seem to be set in the US or Canada (not that there’s anything wrong with that) but so nice to read closer to home. This was a brilliant start to a series, addictive reading, funny and full of great characters, I cannot wait to read future books both from the series and this author


Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion