I requested Grave Secrets by Alice James from NetGalley, with no obligations, as an uncorrected Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) but even without the final polishing, there is no doubt this one is a gem. It’s been an exceptionally long time since I’ve had to stop reading to wipe the tears from my eyes because I was laughing so hard. That’s what happened before I was even a quarter of the way into the book. The protagonist, Lavington (Toni) Windsor, a real estate agent by day and necromancer by night, is delightful as the first-person narrator of this story, a twist on Stephanie Plum with Vampires and Zombies. With lines like, “What I lack in strategy, I make up for in overkill!” Toni barrels through a fast-paced adventure that is not without its share of blood and guts but is also full of warmth and friendship, romance, and great humor. The setting of rugged rural Britain, with cozy village life, is seamlessly woven into the plot and further reinforced by the British colloquialisms peppered throughout the dialogue.
Grave Secrets is the first of a series and the author hints in the Acknowledgements that at least nine more are in the pipe. This debut is due out September 1, 2020 (US) and September 3 (UK) and I would suggest that anyone who enjoys Janet Evanovich and Patricia Brigg’s will love this one.
Posted: June 29, 2020
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3417254213
https://www.facebook.com/bcdeeks
https://bcdeeks.com/writers-read-too/

This was a nice read. I like paranormal books, with witches, Wolfes, Zombies an Ghouls.
Miss James has woven a good and solid plot, with a really sympathetic heroine und some exciting twists and turns in the storyline.

I really enjoyed reading this book.

Thanks a lot for giving me the opportunity to read it.

I enjoyed this book. It's a unique story, a little gory with all the beheading and such. I really liked the main character although I'm not sure about her relationship with Oscar. I hope this will be a series and can't wait to read the next book. #GraveSecrets #NetGalley

I so hope that this is the start of a series!!

This reminded me of the True Blood Series by Charlene Harris and the famous Sookie Stackhouse it was fab!

Full of fun kept me entertained and engaged throughout can't wait to see what Toni gets up to next!

It seems only fair to start this review with the fact that I burned out on urban fantasy (which is the sub-genre this book fits most neatly into, despite being set in rural Staffordshire) a while back and so Grave Secrets was probably up against it with me. Having said that, the book also had a few issues for me and so I guess I just wasn't the right audience after all.

The basic premise of the book is that vampires are known about and, in Europe at least, regarded with some degree of favour - this stems from a feel-good story involving vampires healing children with leukemia in Germany, which had led to pro-vampire legislation. As a result, our protagonist is quite aware of their existence as well as, unusually for some urban fantasy series, her own powers as a necromancer - in fact, we first meet her in the local cemetery where she's managed to work her way through raising all of its inhabitants one after another. This is the first place I butted heads with the story because while she seems to be creating zombies, they just conveniently appear rather than having to actually get out of their graves, yet are physical enough to do damage to people/vampires as needed.

Anyway, our protagonist (an estate agent who doesn't seem to do very much work at all) gets involved with trying to find the ideal place for a vampire to hang his metaphorical hat, with said vampire being quite hot and someone she's instantly in love with. There we come across issue number 2 for me, which is always how vampires get erections given that they don't have a working circulatory system, but that doesn't seem to stop said vampire from getting it up quite prodigiously. There's also a bit of dubious consent going on, as he doesn't like it when people say 'no' to him and I find that decidedly unsexy.

Anyway, other than the love interest, there's reasonable development going on with a wide range of supporting characters, all of whom would make much more interesting romantic partners for our protagonist. Even the guy she raises from the dead at the beginning. The plot itself involves quite a bit of driving around the countryside, as well as fussing about clothes and hair, not to mention a lot of those clothes subsequently getting torn off or removed, one way or another. It's also not really a great book for anyone squeamish, though if you're reading urban fantasy regularly then you're probably going to be okay with what's going on here.

All in all, not really my cup of tea and could have been so much more interesting if it had gone in a number of other directions. In the end, it turns into reasonably-entertaining urban fantasy by the numbers and that, for me at least, was a little disappointing.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a free copy of this book, which I received in exchange for an honest review.

What a fun read! For those that like a supernatural twist to their mystery book, and are fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, zombies and True Blood, here's the perfect book for you. Toni is a necromancer by night and plays at being an estate agent in the daytime. It seems there are vampires and they are popping up all over the English countryside and something needs to be done about it.

The author did a great job with the plot and her characters. They are well developed and interesting. I wasn't a big fan of Oscar, but all the other characters pulled me right in and I look forward to the next book in the series. Kudos to Alice James on book one of her new series.

I would like to thank Alice James, Rebellion/Solaris and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Toni Windsor is a real estate agent during the day and a necromancer during the night. Her favorite hobby: going to the local cemetery at night to raise the dead one by one. This gift of hers comes in handy especially because her brother is a cop and he sometimes needs help finding the murderer. But the actual plot kicks off when a vampire, Oscar, asks Toni to find him a house. They start a passionate romance and Toni's life is turned upside down with all the trouble that brings.
So, I unexpectedly freaking loved this book. It reminded me a lot of true blood but in a British setting which turned out to be a lot of fun. I loved the main character Toni. She was feisty, fiercely loyal, protective of her loved ones, smart,brave and sarcastic, you got to love a sarcastic character. Actually there was a lot of humor and sarcasm in this book and I found myself smiling and laughing a lot. The pacing was good,was not bored at any point. Pretty much the only thing I didn't love was the romance. And it wasn't even in a bad way,I just hardcore ship Toni with Benedict. Oscar wasn't bad or anything like that but I didn't really feel the chemistry between him and Toni. With Benedict though the sparks were flying. So I hope that my ship will sail in future books.
Highly recommend this one if you like paranormal romance, it was so much fun,and I can't wait for the next book in the series.
Huge thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was an amusing and entertaining read! I expected the zombies, but this story had so much more! The characters draw you in and the scenes are vividly set. If you are a fan of Christopher Moore than I think this book should definitely be on your to read list!

I liked the cover and the blurb and had to start right away. Toni is a very likeable MC with a big mouth and the urge to raise the dead. Unfortunately she really is a bit naive about "her" Vampire like Sookie Stackhouse, but luckily it doesn't bother me here as much because the story is written in a more funny way. When I read it correct the author hinted at the end, that there will be at least 9 Books in this Series. Let's hope her Lovestory won't become to complicated.

Brilliantly funny and entertaining paranormal mystery, featuring a lady necromancer who uses her talent to help hr policeman brother to solve crimes. Witty, engaging and fast paced, this is going to be a great series.

This book is absolutely ridiculous. I mean that as a good and a bad thing. The plot, the characters, the situations they find themselves in are hilarious and unique. I’ve never read anything like it. However, that for me was the only aspect of this book that kept me going. The events were so all over the place that by the end nothing seemed exciting. The final scene, which of course should be this incredible event, was pretty lackluster. I didn’t relate to any of the characters and although they entertained me, I didn’t connect enough for me to really care about what was happening.

Ultimately I think certain readers will enjoy this book, it just depends on the style of writing you enjoy. Because I didn’t connect, I didn’t love it. I think though that the conversations between characters was creative and charming, so if you like your books to read like a rollercoaster, you may really enjoy this! Unfortunately, this is a pass for me.

This was a great beginning to a new series, Toni is a necromancer, who helps her policeman brother with some of his cases by raising the dead to ask them questions. She also has recently met a vampire and fallen in love with him. Oh and because of her involvement with the vampires she has been targeted by an anti-vampire group. Luckily her zombie friend saves her. I am hoping that she ends up with either Peter or Benedict. For some reason I just didn't warm up to Oscar as Toni's love interest. Although that could change in future books.

This book is said to be like sookie stackhouse, not having read that series I could say if thats true or not. But it did give me slight vibes from the Anita Blake series. At least from the point that both main characters are necromancers that are compelled to raise the dead, and well they both love vampires. It did have a lot of fun, and sass thrown in which I loved.. Also they mystery was well done, and I loved that Toni takes charge and does what she thinks is right.
I would definitely like to continue the series..
I did receive this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was just plain fun :) all matters of the undead...dead...living...a good bit of humor and you've got yourself a wild ride ;) This is a great start for anew series, and I am looking forward to many more!

Estate agent by day, by night Toni feels a Compulsion (note the capital) to raise the dead as zombies. Then she gets a vampire client to find a house for, and things start to get complicated quickly.

There is lots to like about this book - lots of humour and plenty of action, much of it gory. The vampires plot and scheme in various sinister and convoluted ways and both they and the zombies behead and maim with abandon. Toni isn't perfect but she's likeable and she really carries the book along.

The romance let the book down though. Not only did she and Oscar fall in love after spending barely any time together, he tried to mesmerise her 'for her own good' (UGH) and the first time they fell into bed? I didn't like the vibe there at all. In fact, I think Oscar was my least favourite character in the book. The rest of her friends were fine though and her new zombie friend Bredon Havers was excellent - and even Benedict has potential.

This book wraps up all its loose ends, but it is clearly the start of a series and I certainly liked it enough to look out for the next one.

Toni Windsor is a bit of a hot mess. Living in her family home in the countryside, trying to make it as a real estate agent. And, oh, by the way, raising zombies at night to help out her cop brother with his murder investigations.

Vampires have come out of dark. The US is violently anti-vamp so Europe is seeing an influx of vamps as they flee to Europe with its more accepting laws. But now there are turf wars as the fleeing vamps encroach on territories established for centuries.

In between kidnappings and raising her new zombie friend, Toni falls in love with a gorgeous vampire. Even better, Oscar likes her back. What’s not so great is that he keeps trying to drink her blood. Ugh.

Utterly charming with quippy banter, Toni was a delight to read about. I’m excited to see what happens next in the series.

Thanks to NetGalley and Solaris for the DRC.

This book has so much potential but it is crushed under the weight of all the cliches the author has loaded on. It starts very promising, very much a Sookie Stackhouse meets Bridget Jones situation which I loved. But by the end, it’s just another cheesy vampire romance with every man lusting after the protagonist. I’m very disappointed.


I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not paid for this review.

I really enjoyed this book, great characters especially the main one and lots of things going on.The pace of the book was good and so was the writing it gets 5 stars from me and I want to read more.

An exciting new series, full of Zombies and Vampires.
Lavington (Toni) Winsor is an estate agent by day, and by night she raises the occupants of the local cemetery, following her family tradition of being a necromancer.
Her brother is a policeman; she has helped him on Murder cases by talking to the dead victims.
Her best friend is a 250-year-old zombie, and she is dating a vampire, what could possibly go wrong?
The plot is pacy and has a lot going on, the sex and violence are quite explicit and certainly beef up the storyline.

I want to thank NetGalley, Rebellion and author Alice James for a pre-publication to review.

Absolutely loved this book, a very British heir to True Blood. It's a stonking read full of dark humour, sex mad vampires, romantic zombies and one hell of a feisty human heroine. Alice James has a masterfully touch which is a real delight to read. Feel like she has created a new niche in Village Gothic. Can't wait to see where she takes this series. When is the next book due please?

What a fun book! There was so so much to love. This book isn't like other paranormal mysteries I've read. First, Toni was a very badass main character. Full of sass and confidence, she told everyone exactly how she felt, but in a fun and not over the top way. I liked that she was fully capable of and even enjoyed using her powers - that was refreshing to read. I don't want to give too much away, but the book is full of fresh characters that I am excited to read more about.

The mystery/suspense aspect was done well, and kept me on my toes! I never really feared for her, so that was new too. The only thing I didn't buy was the romance, I am hoping it goes the way it seems to be setting up for, but it was a lot at first.

I can't wait to read what's next for Toni and vampires. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this early!