The Vampire in the Potting Shed

Groom & Doom #1

by Hailey Edwards

There are two things Ana Sartori knows for certain. She can’t shapeshift into a wolf like her father or his pack. And, despite her being a latent, little more than human, he loves her despite her faults. She’s never going to be an alpha like him, but she can still hold her own in a fight. Not that her life is violent. He makes sure of that. Aside from occasionally wrestling pets into a headlock when it’s time to trim their nails at Gwinnett Street Groomers, Ana leads a simple life.

At least that was the case until someone broke into her pet resort and spa, leaving a mystery dog behind in one of the bougie boarding suites. Not to mention there’s a vampire hiding in the potting shed. A very tall, very handsome vampire. He even smells nice, minus the blood drenching his clothes.

Ana could handle those things, probably, but now there’s a new alpha determined to claim the town—and Ana—as his territory. Either she stands and fights for her home, or she runs to her father with her (metaphorical) tail tucked between her legs. Life is a lot of things, but for Ana, simple isn’t one of them anymore.

Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Shapeshifters, Paranormal, Vampires, Dragons, Romance

125 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 16, 2025

About the author

Hailey Edwards writes about questionable applications of otherwise perfectly good magic, the transformative power of love, the family you choose for yourself, and blowing stuff up. Not necessarily all at once. That could get messy.

Hailey isn't on Goodreads.

Please email her via her website:
https://haileyedwards.net/contact-form/

Reviews

[Marsha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m a big fan of Hailey Edwards and did not think twice about trying out this new series: Groom and Doom. I have to say that I was very surprised by the brevity, lack of characterizations and world building.

I mildly enjoyed the storyline but felt as though I was reading a novella by a novice writer. I really am left scratching my head as to why Ms. Edwards took this approach with this read.

At this point, I am not sure if I am going to read the next book because I don’t know if this series is meant to be a series of short reads or if Ms. Edwards plans to improve the writing with something a little more substantial. All I know is that this read was not her usual writing quality. Sorry Ms. Edwards, you can and should do better!

[TJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This reads like the first few chapters of a book. It has all kinds of promise but just ends after what would be chapter three. Would love to see where it goes, though!

[Dragana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hailey Edwards is one of those urban fantasy authors I stumbled upon a few years ago—and then immediately fell down the rabbit hole. I tore through her newer series and even started working my way through her backlog like a woman on a mission. 😄

But… her last series "The Body Shop" didn’t quite hit the same, and I was really hoping this new one would bring the magic back. ✨ Unfortunately, it ended up feeling kind of meh. Not bad, just… average.

I’m honestly not sure if I’ve just burned myself out on her writing, if my taste has changed, or if her style has shifted a bit. Maybe it’s all three? 🤷‍♀️ I didn’t really connect with the characters, the humor didn’t land for me, and the romance—normally something I love in her books—just didn’t spark that swoony feeling I was hoping for. 💔

That said, I’m not giving up on her! I’ll give the next book or two a shot. I’m still holding out hope we’ll find that old magic again. 🪄

[Emily Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The downsides are that this book is short. Really short. Barely a novella. It'll take 2 hours to read, maybe? So, know what you're getting when you buy. The other downside is that the ending is a cliffhanger. You will have to wait for book two to be released to get any resolution whatsoever.

The upsides are that the book has fun characters and a fun plot. The other upside is it's a Hailey Edwards book. She's the best and is easily the reason for at least one of the stars on this review that I wouldn't otherwise have given.

[Devon Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

The VERY first sentence of this story is about a mile long with no punctuation at all. I had to read it three times to even understand what was being said, I thought I was having a stroke.

So, that coupled with the fact that this story is so short I’m just going to quit while I’m ahead and DNF

[SheLove2Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh man, did I love this! Hailey Edwards really has a way with creating female friendships, and this book was no exception. I'm excited to see where this series goes. 5 stars

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

✨3.5 stars✨

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Closer to 3 1/2 stars, this was a short, entertaining read that left me wanting more. The characters are engaging and natural, something that Ms. Edwards dies really well. I look forward to the next book.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute beginning to a shifter/supernatural series. I like the friendship between Ana and Sloane. And I'm curious enough to read the next book.

[Dani (Daniiireads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rude to just end like that 😒

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read!!! Loved all the characters and can't wait for the next installment! A page turner for sure! I AM HAPPILY HOOKED!!!

[OnTheSamePaige · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is such a sad mess. It reads like it started life as a mafia story, and then the supernatural was shoe-horned in. This is the clumsiest and most incomplete worldbuilding I think I've ever read honestly. It's a shame, because there was potential that kept me reading long past the time I should have DNF'd. I kept holding out for scenes and explanations that didn't come.

EDIT: This author has written over 100 books? I honestly thought this was a first attempt. Also, I didn't recognize the author's name when I randomly downloaded this off of Kindle Unlimited. I DNF'd a book that she wrote last year! That book was WAAAAAY better than this one, it just had a horrible character. Doesn't feel like it was written by the same person at all.

[Mara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Short and stupid.

This novella is short and utterly pointless. The plot is barely hinted at and then abruptly ends.
I’m not a KU user so I have to add its price is highway robbery.
(From what I understand it’s a serial, so you get chunks of the novel each time at 4$ each. At the moment it’s a two-story serial, all ending with a cliffhanger. So it’s already 8$ and you don’t get a full novel.)

[Angela Plumeria]

Dnf 10%. This seems like it may be TOO cutesy for me. Just not grabbing me and still haven’t even met the vampire. Seems like a cliche with her being a wolf with a deficiency (can’t shift into wolf form) and being outcast by the wolves. Too many characters introduced with nothing to distinguish or remember them and little to no description. Just doesn’t seem like it will be my jam.

[Krista · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this so much. This was a short glimpse into a wonderful, intriguing new world that I want more of RIGHT NOW. Fantastic

[L.B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shockingly short and a little simplistic and one-dimensional for a Hailey Edwards. It felt like this was just the first few chapters of a book and I found the writing a little confusing at times, plot pieces forgotten, and the characters’ actions without motivation or emotion (the FMC in particular). Interesting bones to a story though.

[The Man from DelMonte · Rating 1 out of 5]

Formulaic. I hate the idea of fated mates. And if I never skim through another shifter story, it’ll be too soon.

[Melia Bauer · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought this would be a easy read with fantasy-investigation vibes but just turned in a lot of questions and confusion. I guess to clear up the questions I could continue reading the series, but this book turned me off from continuing. My first problem is the length of the book which is linked to all other problems. It only has 13 chapters and the first 80% of the pages feel like the introduction of the story.
We are introduced to the MC who is the daughter of the Pack Alpha but never transformed in a wolf and is an outcast bc of her lack of transformation. Ok. Legit the whole book is about how overprotective her dad is (he constantly calls her peanut. WHOS PARENT CALLS THEM BY THEIR NICKNAME ALL.THE.FUCKING.TIME??? Yeah that’s just unrealistic and annoying) and the whole dad-daughter dynamic was just lacking realism for me. There were not enough scenes to really get a „round“ character for the dad, everyone in this book just seemed very one-dimensional/one-charackter-trait. I think I would have needed more worldbuilding and background of the pack and it’s politics or history to get a better feeling for the characters.
More filler scenes for characters to show more sides to them! And how all the different fantasy creatures/fractures live together. Like how could she not know that dragons exist? Do creatures not live alongside each other or keep everything about them a secret???? Something like that could have been discussed.
I’m not really excited of the MC, eventhough I feel like at the end she finally used her brain to make up her mind for herself. She was just a bit boring and was lacking in depth.
What really annoyed me was the lack of reason for things to happen.
When Raiu (or whatever this man’s name is) revealed that he and MC are supposed to get married I was like „but why??!?“ the forced marriage thing is a classic Trope and I get that he believes their fated mates. But she herself says most ppl don’t believe in it, so where are the political reasons for him to think this is going to happen????? Give me a fucking reason and not just plot it bc people love this trope.
The lack of worldbuilding because of the shortness of the book really annoyed me. How could shielding of a whole city not cause chaos in the city? People rioting against this? Why is this normal for everyone? How does society?

What can I say. the lack of worldbuilding annoyed me so much that I wrote this review after angrily bitching about this book to my roommate. Do not recommend. I feel like there are more things that made me angry but I’ll leave it with this.

[ACE · Rating 1 out of 5]

Perfunctory garbage. I used to enjoy this author but the work she’s putting out now is just insulting. Like her Body Shop series (which I gave up on) this book is the barest outline of a story. It’s just a sketch of dialog and a few actions, that don’t add up to believable characters or convincing world-building.

As an example - Ana, the main character, has used an inheritance to buy “a Victorian.” Never a Victorian house, just a Victorian. Nouns are important, people. The Victorian is never described, interior or exterior, so it lacks a sense of place. For some reason, Ana has opened a pet grooming and boarding business in the Victorian. Why did she choose this business? We don’t know. Why not choose a business space more appropriate to kenneling animals? We do not know.

The book opens with a description of a parrot who stays at the business, so you might be forgiven for thinking the parrot will be mentioned again. It is not. You might also be forgiven for thinking that Ana will groom any animals or conduct any pet-related business. She does not.

Nor does she show any concern whatsoever for *other people’s pets* she has responsibility for when the Victorian comes under attack a few times in the book!

I’ve probably given more thought to this review than the author did to her entire book. I hate to be rude but I strongly suspect this book, as well as the Body Shop series, was written by AI. AI can give you dialog and actions but it doesn’t know anything about developing realness in a work.

[Victoria G · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was absolutely not what I expected it to be! I was thinking "improbable shifter romance" the whole time (as in the preferred genre of books Hailey's character Rue from the Black hat bureau series loved to read the most 🤭)

It's cute! I like Ana and Sloane and their budding friendship. I really like the "vampire" too. But I really thought it was going to go in another direction!

It's all good though as the last time I had this going on it was in The Foundling series and I ended up lovin' these books! I actually enjoy it when authors take me for a ride on new and unexpected roads!

My only complaint is that it felt way too short. For a first book of a series I expected a bit more world building than just setting the scene and cutting off on a cliffhanger almost in the middle of the action.

Would that be a mini series? If anyone has any info on that let me know 👀

I'm chalking this up to an editor decision and I still can't wait for the next one though!

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Vampire in the Potting Shed is the first instalment in the Groom & Doom series by Hailey Edwards.

I was intrigued by the title, and was hoping this would be a fun and cute read, but I ended up feeling... confused. I liked the start of this story, but I feel like there was a lack of build-up, or world-building in general. I'm not opposed to a story that jumps right into the mix but it didn't really work for this book.

The characters feel very stale, and the writing style just doesn't work, in my opinion. This book is 125 pages long, and it just felt like a waste of time when there was really no plot or character development.

I think there was some potential here, but unfortunately I can't give it anymore grace than two stars.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh.My.Goodness. I have yet to meet a new HE series I don't love and BOY am I enjoying the setup on this one. There are LAYERS here and secrets that are festering under the surface and I AM READY FOR THEM.

So. Ana is what amounts to a human in a wolf pack. Her inability to shift leaves her in a tough situation and she is trying her level best to carve out a life for herself apart from the pack. Her father makes it difficult, but he's given her some space. Or so Ana thinks. Because the moment things start getting sticky, he swoops in to bring her back into the fold.

But Ana's resourceful and has had a lifetime of working around her father's restrictions. She ferret's out what information she can and when she somehow ends up with a wounded man in her potting shed, she hides him to give herself time to plan. That, as it turns out, was exactly the right thing to do.

A whole lot of secrets, pack politics that are more than a little complicated, a new group moving into town, puppers, cautious friendship, and a lady who is far, FAR more than she thinks she is. MAN, I am ready to see what happens next!

-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal

[Zip · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up.
The title of this one is what had caught my attention. I was intrigued to know why there was a vampire in a potting shed.
There is a good handful of characters, they are all developed fairly well, but there is always room for more.
This was a new to me author, so I can compare their works. I can say though, that I did enjoy this one, but at times the pacing felt a little off.
While this book may be a novella, it does however end on a cliffhanger, but the story itself has left me curious enough to read the next book to find out how things go.

[Krasimira Stoykova · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny how there isn't a single vampire in this novella. On the other hand, there are plenty of wolf shifters. I think this is supposed to be a romantasy with fated mates, however there isn't much romance in here. The ending wasn't bad, I liked it but the story felt unfinished, it definitely left me wanting more plot and more romance. The title and the pretty cover made me assume this would be a charming, cozy romance with a vampire but it's something else entirely. Regardless, I enjoyed it for what it was, just wish it was longer.

[Dr susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable urban fantasy

The novella does end on a bit of a cliffhanger, which I can't talk about without spoiling some major surprises. Ana has issues; ok, she has reasons for her issues. The story was more serious than I expected, since I was hoping for a lighthearted read. There is humor, budding romance, danger, and surprises.

[Wulf Roby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Puppies, giraffes, boss babes

I flew (hehe) through Edwards' newest--just like old times. The story might be different, but if you're a Hailey Edwards og like me, you'll find a lot of the elements we love, besties.

Can't wait to see how the drama and the love story *plural, if I know HE* shakes out.

[Annabel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fun. Easy quick read that made me smile. Really short though, the story was only just starting to take shape and the book finished! I’ll read the next. Wish it was out now to continue straight on.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd normally give this author four stars. She's one of my favourite authors, but for some reason I didn't connect with this as much as I normally do her books. It had a bit of a young adult feel to it.
I did like it, just not as much as I'd expect.

[Julie-Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one!! Only wished it was longer honestly. Looking forward to continuing the series once they’re released as I fell in love with the FMC and the story twists. Great writing and overall great vibes. Perfect to help me out of a reading slump!

[Alicia Scarborough · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short but Good

Did not see the twist coming and the whole dynamics of werewolf packs have been turned on its head. Loved this one.