Cadaver Lab: A Romantic Comedy... With Corpses

Graveyard Secrets #1

by Cat Johnson

He's a former Army medic. She owns a book and wine shop. It's all the makings of one steamy small-town romance… except he runs a cadaver lab and she sees dead people.

Strange things are happening at the Once Upon a Vine Book & Wine Shop in Mudville, New York.

Is it the sky clad Wiccans meeting on the roof? The book club drinking "magic mushroom" tea in the meeting room? The black cat who moved uninvited into the shop? The sudden run on Tarot card sales?

Maybe it can be traced to the downed power line that rendered the bookshop owner technically dead making her the new conduit to the local ghost community. Or to the cadaver lab next door and the hot but mysteriously secretive doctor who runs it.

All Natalie knows is she can’t ignore him or them anymore now that one of the hot doctor’s cadavers insists his death was the result of foul play and she's the only one who can bring him justice.

Cadaver Lab features a grumpy hero, amateur sleuth heroine, small town shenanigans, spicy lovin', mystery, murder & mayhem... and some ghosts.

Genres: Ghosts, Paranormal, Contemporary Romance, Romantic Comedy, Fantasy, Humor, Rom Com

215 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 31, 2023

About the author

📚Find Series Reading Order and Book Lists at Cat's site CatJohnson.net

🎥 For Film/TV Inquiries Email Cat@Catjohnson.net

It all started in first grade when Cat Johnson won the essay contest at Hawthorne Elementary School and got to ride in the Chief of Police's car in the Memorial Day Parade...and the rest, as they say, is history. As an adult, Cat generally tries to stay out of police cars and is thrilled to be writing for a living. She has been published under a different name in the Young Adult genre, but released her first romance in 2006.

Today, she is a NY Times & USA Today best-selling, award-winning author of contemporary romance. A promo ho, she's sponsored real live bull riding cowboys and promoted romance using bologna.

--from the author's website

Reviews

[Cat]

What's inside CADAVER LAB?
☠Grumpy Former Military Hero
☠Amateur Sleuth Heroine
☠Small Town Shenanigans
☠Mystery, Murder & Mayhem
☠Romantic Comedy Laughs
☠Swoony Romance
☠And some Ghosts…
It's quintessential Cat Johnson but with a twist!
I hope you love it as much as I do.

Get CADAVER LAB in eBook & Paperback
Amazon https://amzn.to/433fTKf
Apple https://apple.co/437sWuj
BN https://bit.ly/3ODeDJK
Google https://bit.ly/45zNdKO
Kobo https://bit.ly/3MUoFVz
Books2Read https://books2read.com/u/breXpY

[Pam Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book! I was captivated from the first page. I highly recommend this book! It’s a romantic comedy with a little intrigue and some small town quirkiness that keeps you reading late in the night. Natalie is the owner of a wine and book store. Liam runs a cadaver lab which is intriguing to Mudville. When an accident occurs things get a little weirder when Natalie starts seeing dead people. Then the fun begins between them. There is adventure, a murder to solve, treasure to uncover and a romance that is wonderful to watch unfold. There is laughter, some twists and small town living at its best. Love the resident’s of Mudville! The book is well written and very detailed with the scenes in the story. It will not disappoint you. 5+ stars.

[Dana zamora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Boo to who

Natalie new to Mudville owning the quintessential small town bookstore, snooty cat included, Liam the hottie who is hiding something in his warehouse, seeing bodies going in and not coming out, puddles of water and downed power lines don't mix well with life, and Natalie is proof, Gabe the ghost that she can now see and hear has her hooking up with the hottie who works with dead bodies, sending them on a wild ghost oops goose chase to find a killer, hidden treasures, prohibition booze, wiccans spells, sage, lavender, such a fun loving, hilarious, could be true story, thank you Cat Johnson for the laughter and catching up with old friends, thank you, Dana Zamora

[Diana T-C · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF due to explicit and long sex descriptions. I like stories set in bookshops. Humor especially lately. Light romance is okay. There needs to be some type of rating or warning for "romantic comedy" books that let the buyer know if this is a book that has romance that just Mentions sex or if this is a book that has romance that Describes sex - basically episodes of porn spaced apart with a regular story.

This had a decent story, and then came the porn.

It was a DNF.

It's such a gamble to buy Kindle books lately - the promise of humor/comedy gets my attention, and I guess I don't read the blurbs closely enough. I went back and read the blurb closely and found one "steamy" and two "hot" references in the blurb. Is that supposed to be the clue the book buyer gets?

There are books that have humor and light romance. I was never keen on romance books, but light romance is okay - if the humor comes first. The lighter the better.

Maybe ratings will be used in the future so buyers don't have to suss out what we're getting.

[Laura Prater · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book!

Humor, romance and mystery. The action keeps going, no slowing down with the story. Can't wait for the next one. Wish we had a book store like that where I live.

[Louisa Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so happy to see this one getting good reviews! Cat Johnson is one of my favorite authors. This one is a little off center from her usual books and it is great! I loved reading Natalie and Liam's story. This is so well written, you almost believe the ghosts are real! You'll fall in love with Gabe and find yourself rooting for him! And to put it in Mudville was brilliant! I always love reading books that bring in characters from earlier stories. It's like catching up with old friends! And the bonus short is hysterical! You don't want to miss this one!

[Judy Neilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cat did it again. This book was so fun to read. I laughed through most of it. Loved the shrooms scene with the silly town people. It had enough mystery and intrigue with a good dose of romance.

[Valeria Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light, fun, and funny. A little ghost story, a little romance, a lot of humor. A nice mix that kept me turning the pages. Johnson has a deft hand and can make the improbable (impossible?) seem likely. A nice gift.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hope that Natalie and Liam will be having more ghostly adventures.
Romantic, silly, filled with interesting spirits and a lot of laughs.

[Angi · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG this book might just be my fave Mudville book

Natalie moved from the big city to small town Mudville and opened a book and wine store (GREAT idea that needs to become real btw) in the month she's been there it's been a bit slower than she hoped. But then she gets suggestions and ideas for using part of the bookstore for book clubs and other meetings.

Along the way she meets her new neighbor. A doctor, former army medic and all around grump. She also gets struck by lightening while trying to rescue a puppy and dies for a few minutes. When she comes to and returns from the hospital there's a LOT that has changed.

Her teenage/college assistant has taken on consignments of tarot cards, opened up the roof top for Wiccans to go skyclad, signed up more book clubs, gotten social media pages for the store and adopted and brings to work said puppy.

But that's not all that has changed for Natalie. She can now see ghosts. And one is bugging her to solve his murder. She agrees, but in the meantime she gets caught in Dr. Grumpy's space. What she finds out is that Dr. Liam is running a cadavar lab to research traumatic brain injuries, her murdered ghost is one of his patients, and Dr. Liam can rock her world. He also insists on going with her on her quest to solve the murder.

From there the shenanigans just get better and better. There's much fun, love and laughter to be had in Mudville to begin with but this work just takes it all to the next level.

Seriously, If you love small town romance with quirky characters and lots of comedy, as well as hot smexy times ... this is the book for you. If you haven't read any of the previous Mudville books that's ok, this one is a complete stand alone. I do recommend them tho for greater depth and because they're just as awesomely hilarious and schmexy as this one.

TLDR: Buy it, you'll love it, it's hilarious and amazing. That is all.

[Schellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilariously Intriguing!

Seriously one of the funniest, most entertaining books I have read in a long time! Cat sets you directly in the middle of Mudville & makes you feel like it's your town! Liam, Natilie, Ghost Gabe & the entire town of Mudville just draw you in! This story had it all, it was funny, entertaining, slightly suspensful, wimsical & intriguing! Not to mention, super steamy & sexy! Liam & Natalie make a wonderful couple & their banter is top notch! Imagine the concept of a cadaver lab having anything to do with romance or comedy. It's a hard one to figure out, but Cat did exactly that! She also brought back so many wonderful secondary characters like Alice Mudd & her micro schrooms! If you love a grumpy/sunshine, sexy rom-com, then this is the book for you! Enjoy!

[Dawn Cruikshank · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cadaver Lab

Oh what a very interesting story! This story is about Liam and Natalie! Natalie decided to pursue her dream of a bookstore with selling wine. Her beginning was slow until Harper visited her store and managed to get Natalie going on her business. Liam enters the picture when he opens a "Cadaver Lab" next door to her store. Then the incident happens and now she is able to see and talk to ghosts. Solving a murder was not her style but with the help of Liam, they are able to solve Gabe's murder. While in that process, they start having feelings for each other. At the end, they become a couple. They also become rich after selling Charles' moonshine. FANTASTIC job Cat! I would recommend this book! Can't wait to get started on the next book.

[Mireille · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was intrigued when I read the synopsis of this book and decided I wanted to read it. I’m so glad I did it was wonderful. Natalie is the most inept shop owner I’ve ever seen. Liam is the grumpy strange guy next door who keeps to himself. This leads to everyone in Mudville to speculate about him, leading to weird and wild imaginings. The book is good but it kicks into the next level after Natalie is resuscitated and starts to see the ghosts. Let the fun begin. I loved the book, it was laugh out loud funny at times and just a really good read. I can’t wait to read more about Natalie and Liam.

[Patty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a quirky and fun read. The characters are interesting and unique. This book contains a paranormal twist and romance. It is entertaining and just a tad bit spicy. It takes place in a cute little town called Mudville and the main character is a new transplant in the town along with the hot grumpy doctor next door. There is a mystery element added in to give you air of danger. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I would compare it to the Tiger Eye Mystery Series by Alyssa Day in terms of lighthearted mysteries with a romance and paranormal vibe.

[NotTheTea · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐

Did she just refer his work as barbaric?

Oh no I didn't know it's a series😑

I think they should have given more time to marinate the romance but oh well I'm a slow burner what do I know


The reason for the murder is so dumb. And wouldn't cops connect the body ending up at liam's and him suddenly being involved?

There are some wish-wash segments but as a whole I kinda enjoyed the book. Read the bonus excerpt too but did not like it and I'll pretend it didn't happen. Hope it gets better but doesn't change the character dynamics.

[Christelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Humour romance et mystères.
Une histoire simple avec Nathalie, propriétaire d'une librairie qui vend aussi du vin. Une petite ville avec des voisins sympathiques et envahissants, des vieilles dames excentriques, qui adorent les ragots,un médecin solitaire mais sexy et des fantômes.
L'histoire simpliste mais rigolote est desservie par une mise en page brouillonne. Dommage mais je vais lire quand même la suite !

[Teresa Christianson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great way to visit Mudville again

Love this book. Spent a lot of reading it laughing and wondering what more could Julie and Harper come up with to add to the shop while Natalie was gone with Liam looking for treasures for a ghost and trying to solve his murder. Can imagine what Natalie is going through to be able to see and talk to ghosts after being electrocuted during a storm.

[PJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was adorable. I laughed through a lot of it. Book shop owner meets hot broody doctor. Throw in a group of super supportive friends, ghosts with unfinished business, and just a smidge of spice and you will have a good couple of hours of entertainment. I am definitely going to continue this series

[Ellen Flory · Rating 4 out of 5]

great series

These were a really good read. Not too light or to heavy. A little closed door mixed with some low level spice. Comedy, mystery, feels. Very enjoyable. The only reason it’s four stars is because I think she’s going to leave it as a trilogy when I think she could stretch this into many more enjoyable reads.

[Beckie Johnson Lowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put it down

I absolutely loved this quirky, fun live story between Liam & Natalie, and you will, too. I loved Gabe, Jules, Harper, Red, Alice, and company. Can't wait to read more about Muddville.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

We return to Mudville with the new owner of the trainstation, who has turned it into a book store slash wine shop. Doesn't get much better than that! Fun story, spicy moments with the doctor next door, and the paranormal element doesn't disappoint.

[Rmplift, Rachel Phillips · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was really excited for this, but it's not what I thought it would be. It's a typical Murder Mystery book. Each book in the series is a new death.

Overall, I was bored and didn't see it as a RomCom

[VIVI · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute love shocker

This story was very cute lighthearted and a Great read. Natalie and Liam have an interesting start to the relationship, she a shop owner him a Cadaver Lab Owner/Dr. It had romance laughter and a few ghost, Cat Johnson did a fabulous job

[Irene Lawless · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book! So funny.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5. Fun, light rom com read with a ghost story too

[Wolffe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good concept, nice characters, low steam. I don't think the beginning being a jump ahead causing the 1st third to be a flashback helped the execution.

[Bec · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the book I’ve been looking for: romance; a mystery to be solved; an interesting group of friends; and quirky ghosts!

[Lynn_G · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was very cute, a departure from the cowboy romances I’ve read previously written by Cat Johnson. There’s a fun supernatural element and of course, a steamy romance. I really enjoyed it and I’m looking forward to the next book.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable cozy! This was hilarious. Natalie had me rolling on the floor and the hot doc slayed me. A fantastic first.

[Chris Braun · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved these 3 books — hope there will be more!