Grave Beginnings

by Daisy Graves

She bought a manor for a new beginning, not a murder investigation... or a magical destiny.After a draining divorce and career burnout left her feeling invisible, Lenora Blackwell craved a fresh start. Gloomwood Manor, a crumbling gothic estate in eerie Eldergloom, promised a quiet B&B project and a life finally on her own terms. But before the first renovation nail is hammered, her slimy real estate agent is found dead in her garden—and Lenora is the prime suspect.

Trapped by a strange magical binding and haunted by inconveniently reawakening psychic senses, Lenora must navigate a town brimming with secrets, a judgmental cat who might be an ancient guardian, and a handsome, skeptical detective watching her every move. To clear her name and reclaim her future, Lenora must not only solve a murder but also decide if she's ready to embrace the unexpected magic offering her the purpose and belonging she's been desperately seeking.

Perfect for readers who know it's never too late for a second act—especially one with a side of magic, found family, and a truly killer cup of tea.

433 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 20, 2025

About the author

Daisy Graves writes paranormal cozy mysteries filled with psychic sleuths, magical cats, spooky B&Bs, and fog-drenched small towns. Her stories blend midlife heroines, community secrets, and atmospheric gothic charm—perfect for fans of Beth Dolgner, Annabel Chase, Lily Harper Hart, Kirsten Weiss, and Tricia O'Malley.

Based in Ireland, Daisy creates cozy mysteries with a supernatural twist, where amateur detectives discover magical abilities and solve murder most mystical. Her debut novel, Grave Beginnings, introduces psychic investigator Lenora Blackwell and her familiar, Shadow the guardian cat, in the witchy coastal town of Eldergloom.

Readers who enjoy witchy sleuths, found family, slow-burn paranormal romance, and animal companions will feel right at home.

🔮Start your journey with Claws, Collars and Curses—a free prequel novella from the cat’s POV - https://www.daisygravesauthor.com/#ne...

✨ Get exclusive lore and behind-the-scenes extras at https://daisygraves.substack.com/

Reviews

[Ellie Witch · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded down.

Lenora is recently divorced and bought a manor on a whim. Already a crazy premise but my interest was piqued. The story is slow paced, but this is setting up the series, so there is a lot of information to give the reader. I will say there is plenty of unnecessary information that means nothing, or doesn't contribute to the story.

My issue list is shorter than my usual complaints, but these are the reasons that I didn't round up:

Issue 1: The sheer amount of repetition! Shadow snorts twice within pages of each other. The manors plumbing, electrical system, etc., all "defy physics" and it is used a LOT, everyone says some variation of it. She talks about legacy systems and their quirks twice (once in dialogue, but the other to the reader, as though we weren't privy to the conversation). The "silence is unnaturally heavy" was repeated within paragraphs of each other. You get the point, but I can give you soooo many more instances.

Issue 2: People completely forget things that they told you a page ago. "The defensive edge returns to his voice. 'You saw one argument and now you think I did it? Poisoned him with nightshade and dragged his body to your garden?'"- page 145. Followed by "'Mr. Platt, did you know there's nightshade growing near the boundary of my property?' I ask this deliberately—I want to see if he already knows the crime scene details."- page 147. This is how several conversations are had. Just completely glossing over the previous part of the conversation. Later Silas acknowledges that "the whisperer" is now active, but then a page later he is alarmed when she tells another character about the whisperer activities, it was like he had just learned the information that he was already given. Then there was the "break-in" where she calls Gabe, and he asks "what was taken" and she says nothing was taken, and his next question is "what was taken?" She just answered that?? The only glossed over point that I am on the fence about accepting is seeing Turlough after the wolf shifter incident. He arrives back to the scene and checks on Lenora in the ambulance with the others, but then at the thanksgiving dinner she says that's the first time she's seen him since the incident, but that is just factually wrong? The only thing that I could think was maybe she meant in a more relaxed setting??

Issue 3: Why did she come to the concrete conclusion that Boris was the target?? Evelyn poisoned a plant on Lenora's property. Lenora and Boris talk about the boundary line, during which conversation Lenora says she will go and look, but Boris steps in and does it instead. Evelyn is still there, so she would have had to have some kind of psychic power to know that Boris was just about to die (hence why she was still around), but also that Boris was going to go into the thicket instead of Lenora. If I were Lenora, I would have come to the conclusion that I was the target.

Issue 5: The men can't be where they are supposed to be! Both Gabe and Turlough were meant to be at the manor during the inspection. Turlough was just supposed to hang around in case she needed something (yes he is around later, but he was meant to be present and not in the shadows). Gabe was meant to be there during the inspection as a body guard. Neither of them show up! Lenora had Mrs. Ash but she was promised back-up that never arrived!

Issue 4: Her getting with Gabe and not Turlough! My heart is broken. Gabe is fine, but I liked Turlough for her more.

Despite my several issues, I actually overall enjoyed the story, and was invested. I would recommend this book for fans of the cozy mystery genre. I look forward to the next book in the series coming out.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you Book Sirens

[Nordiana Baruzzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as an ARC and I found it satisfying if a bit unsettling at times. I wasn't expecting the dark undertones, but i liked it anyway. I hope Lenora's psychic powers develop to include animal conversation. I would love to hear some more of Shadow's, sorry Tiberius, snarky comments.

Probably not a proper cozy mystery, but a good mystery nonetheless.

Highly recommend it.

[Cynthia Khan]

Book 1 The Eldergloom Mystery story of Lenora Blackwell, With Shadow the judgmental ancient guardian cat as her furry confidante, skeptical detective Gabriel Donovan, and Turlough Fitzpatrick the local barman. This one was truly wonderful and mysterious with that murder and more secrets that come up with this murder.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Geraldine Lopez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this paranormal murder mystery.
The characters were wonderful; especially, Lenora the protagonist, Mrs. Ash, the house keeper who comes with the property and dishy detective Gabe Donovan.
Lenora discovers that not only is she involved in a murder but everything she thought she knew about the world she lives in is being challenged.
This was a very gripping read.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Lise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ready for a new adventure, Leonora Blackwell uses the proceeds from her divorce to purchase a historic home with the view of turning it into a B&B. Little did she know that the house had plans for her. When her real estate agent is found dead on the property, Leonora must use her finely honed logic skills to bring a murderer to justice.

The author is making me rethink my unfavourable stance on paranormal mysteries; the plot of Grave Beginnings is sensational. Similarly, the characters who populate the story each possess a unique and forceful voice. And, normally, I have opinions on romance that would match that of an eight-year-old boy, "Ew, kissing," but here it was integrated into the mystery very skillfully.

However, (and this accounts for the loss of 1 star), the story had a continuity problem that broke my focus and caused me to reread several chapters. Some scenes were out of order, leaving me feeling as though the manuscript had been misaligned. And, occasionally, phrases would be repeated; a situation that created wordiness and reduced the "mouthfeel" of the work.

Paradoxically, I was drawn into the story immediately. I loved the steadfastness of Leonora's character, and the supernatural elements were original and decidedly engrossing. As the introduction to a new series (and, I believe, a first-time author's work), the story is compelling. It took me a while to read through the mystery. I took my time, not wanting to reach the end of the book too quickly.

Thank you to Daisy Graves and BookSirens. I received a digital ARC for free and am leaving my opinion, honest and true.

[J · Rating 1 out of 5]

After reading some of the other spinoffs for this upcoming book, I was excited to see how Grave Beginnings was going to match up.

Out of the three books this would would be the second book after the prequel, which is listed as 0, and just before the town's "guidebook". Unlike either of the other two books, though, this book doesn't follow either of the same formats.

The other two books include more of the Eldergloom familiars while giving them more life and personalities than Grave Beginnings. Within this book these intriguing animal characters are relegated to cameos and basically mentioned as only doing species-related things thus making them very basis.

The portrayal of human and not-so-human characters is about the same and yes I know this is a meant to be a world-builder read. Turlough is probably the most confusing character since it feels like him and Sheila were a couple but then Lenora was feeling for him even after just getting out of a world-shattering divorce. But instead of searching any of that dynamic, we get a new love interest who is the instigator of dating, your stereotypical white knight and yet a citizen of this town for a while but not accepted until now?!

The author wanted to make a mid-age heroine but as a result the while town felt like it was middle age and older with no younger faces to balance it out.

Meanwhile the story is repetitive in description (often gray-streaked hair), conversations and thoughts with one or two spots basically repeating the whole paragraphs word for word although with a little mix up.

The other problem with this book, especially towards the end, is lack of consistency. One episode has Shadow perched on the windowsill as sentient plants try to break in and shattering the window in the process. No injuries and Lenora isn't even really concerned about fixing the window, which is magically fixed later that night.

At the same time the sentient plants then are described as trying to strangle her and with some frost action, which didn't appear during the attack although they did scorch the window.

Readers will also find strange timelines such as mention of not seeing an individual after an event when she clearly was mentioned as doing so. Paired along with this discrepancy, readers will also find where characters are cognizant of something and them magically later (and not usually too far away) they had no idea that they were mentioned as knowing.

And finally there was a point of an event that happened in the morning but the character kept mentioning it as yesterday. I thought the author was implying such as midnight but am overnight surveillance mentioned one time as 11, which would make it still the same day.

My final complaint with this book is that it should have ended a lot sooner than it did. Instead the author introduced the character and a bit of the tension for the second book after this one while at the same time introducing a new "institutional" villain without any mention of what they do. As a result the upcoming book definitely sounds to be rather formulaic with this one, which cannot be good.

In the end it was an okay read but one that couldn't keep my interest due to all its issues and change of pace.

***I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***

[Ruth McDaniel · Rating 2 out of 5]

It took me a while to finish this book. I'd put it down and then not pick it back up for a couple days.
Don't get me wrong. The story itself was really good. But the execution was awful.
It seemed like the author really was not paying attention to what she was writing. It seemed very hastily thrown together. The amount of repetitions of certain words and phrases was so much that if they'd NOT been continually repeated, the book could've been a hundred pages shorter. Sometimes, there was the same phrase repeated in the very next paragraph almost word for word. Like she forgot that she's JUST written it. And then some entire paragraphs were repeated almost exactly thru out the entire book.
And then there was the silver or silver streaked hair. Like every single woman in the book had the same exact hair.
Then there was Lenora herself (the main protagonist). I couldn't relate to her at all. She was not given any description whatsoever. She was divorced with no mention as to why. She moved... From where?? Then she moved to Eldergloom. But where was that? What state? New England is rather vague.
And what is the Whisperer? Was that a good entity or a bad because it appeared to be both. What was the evil under the house / under Eldergloom? That was never explained.
And what about Boris? If he was working with the evil corporation in the story, why did he sell the house to Lenora instead of just directly selling it to them??
And Lenora's original timeline to have this huge manor guest-ready in a month was just ridiculous from the get go. And on a limited budget. Seriously?
And then the author's habit of having Lenora always analyzing everyone's look... Did the look on his face mean this or that? Why did she keep trying to figure out what nearly everyone's look meant or could mean?
I ended up skimming quickly through the last quarter of the book but most of it was unnecessary filler fluff.
I sincerely hope this author's next book will take all this into account because I'll stop reading this series altogether and definitely won't recommend them to anyone.
PS. The ONLY reason I gave this two stars was because, as I said, the story itself was good.
I received an ARC of this book and am leaving my voluntary and honest review.

[Rachel Boyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty good book especially for a first in a series. Lenora is relatively fresh off a divorce and bought an historic house in the hopes of turning it into a B&B. She soon discovers the house seems to have a personality of its own and holds many secrets. The town has some interesting characters who quickly take Lenora under their wings, especially when outsiders seem to be threatening the safety of the town.
The author has such a beautifully descriptive way of writing that I was able to "see" everything so vividly. There were a lot of little details that I thought added to the overall feel of the book. The characters are wide ranging and unique. The world building in this book was really great. I enjoyed the little misty town and characters. I thought how the entire story was laid out was really cool; a lot of thought and detail went into the story. There are so many more storylines this series can explore and expand upon. The ending was complete but left some unknowns for future stories as any good series will do. The author is really talented at storytelling and with crafting a beautiful way of telling that story. I was really impressed with the artistry.
There were a few moments when the same wording was used in a couple sentence and I had to go back to see if I reread the same sentence. It felt redundant rather than intentional.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. I'm looking forward to what happens next in this series. There are so many possibilities. I received an advanced copy of this book for free and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Austin C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grave beginnings is a cozy little read, that made me yearn for the autumn season, to enjoy hot drinks in dreary weather, comfortably seated in a stuffy army chair nestled in a book filled study.

Our protagonist Ms Lenora Blackwell, has just moved to the eerie town of Eldergloom while escaping a life of career burnout and a draining divorce. Her next project: to take the crumbling, gothic Gloomwood Manor, and turn it into a bustling B&B by thanks giving. But from the moment she arrives, mysteries begin to tumble out of the charming, yet anomalous town, with every citizen aware of their newest arrival and already sharing what they have learnt about her. From a seemingly ageless and opinionated cat (more so than usual) to a house that appears to have its own feelings, to surprising twists, Lenora has her work cut out for her to have her manor ready to receive guests.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The gradual rise of the mysteries and supernatural elements kept me wondering how far they would go, and for such a cozy, low stakes start, the escalation into more serious issues felt like a natural move. The characters are just so sweet, and while all are willing to put themselves out for Lenora, some stand out more than others, such as the calm and capable Detective Donavan, or the erratic but sly Winifred, or Mrs Ash, who wields hosting and politeness with the skill of an expert fencer.

Absolutely put this on your TRB pile (somewhere near the top) as we start heading into autumn.

[Blake · Rating 3 out of 5]

(FYI I tend to only review one book per series, unless I want to change my scoring by 0.50 or more of a star. -- I tend not to read reviews until after I read a book, so I go in with an open mind.)

2.5*

Pros:
[] I mostly liked the MC.
[] Shadow, the cat
[] The other characters
[] The setting
[] The plot

Cons:
[] People forget information that they've just learnt! ---- If it had happened once, I'd think 'editing goof' but it happened a few times, which is just sloppy on the writer and proof-readers parts! -- This lost it a star.
[] Two possible love interests.

First time read the author's work?: Yes

Will you be reading more?: Yes -- I'll pick up book 2 sometime to see if the 'forgetting information' was a one book aberration.

Would you recommend?: Probably


------------
How I rate Stars: 5* = I loved (must read all I can find by the author)
4* = I really enjoyed (got to read all the series and try other books by the author).
3* = I enjoyed (I will continue to read the series)
or
3* = Good book just not my thing (I realised I don't like the genre or picked up a kids book to review in error.)

All of the above scores means I would recommend them!
-
2* = it was okay (I might give the next book in the series a try, to see if that was better IMHO.)
1* = Disliked

Note: adding these basic 'reviews' after finding out that some people see the stars differently than I do - hoping this clarifies how I feel about the book. :-)

[Leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grave Beginnings is a delightfully gothic and magical cozy mystery that blends midlife reinvention with murder, mysticism, and a touch of romance. Daisy Graves crafts a richly atmospheric tale set in the fog-drenched town of Eldergloom, where secrets linger and second chances come with a supernatural twist.

Lenora Blackwell is a heroine you can’t help but root for—smart, weary, and yearning for a fresh start after a draining divorce and career burnout. Her purchase of the crumbling Gloomwood Manor is meant to be a new beginning, but it quickly turns into a murder investigation when her shady real estate agent turns up dead in her garden. Add in a magical binding, reawakening psychic powers, and a judgmental cat who may be more than he seems, and Lenora’s quiet life becomes anything but.

Graves’ writing is witty and immersive, with a cast of eccentric townsfolk, a slow-burn romantic triangle, and a mystery that keeps you guessing. The blend of paranormal elements with cozy suspense is pitch-perfect, offering just enough magic to enchant without overwhelming the emotional core of the story.

Grave Beginnings is perfect for fans of Beth Dolgner and Kirsten Weiss—those who love their mysteries with a side of magic, found family, and a truly killer cup of tea. It’s charming, clever, and quietly empowering—a wonderful start to the Eldergloom Mysteries series.

I received an advance review copy for free from BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[sarahelen.reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

After devouring this eerily charming paranormal cozy, I can safely say I’ve never wanted to move into a slightly decaying gothic manor more (dead real estate agents and magical destinies aside).

Lenora Blackwell is a brilliantly crafted protagonist, older, wiser, and flat-out done with everyone’s nonsense — which immediately sets this apart from the usual twenty-something witchling fare. I adored the supernatural yet comforting energy that weaves through the story: think murder mystery meets found-family magic, served with a soothing (and possibly enchanted?) cup of tea.

The cast of eccentric side characters brings Eldergloom to life. I dare you not to fall a little bit in love with a grumpy maybe-guardian cat

While the pacing and structure did occasionally feel muddled, with a few instances of repetitive text pulling me out of the moment, the story itself more than made up for it. I found myself happily returning each night, eager to unravel Lenora’s fate.

Overall, Grave Beginnings is a refreshingly whimsical read that delivers intrigue, magic, and a warm-hug-in-book-form kind of charm. Perfect for those wanting a softer supernatural mystery rather than a gritty thriller and proof that it’s never too late for a second act.

Big thank you to Book Sirens and Daisy Graves for the opportunity to read this ARC.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starting over

Lenora has taken everything she has, after a devastating divorce, and invested it in an old house in a magical coastal town, planning to start a new life as the owner of a B&B. There are many challenges, and Lenora’s arbitrary opening date of Thanksgiving puts her under a lot of pressure, as there isn’t much time to get her house up to code and ready for guests. She is welcomed by the townspeople and by the house itself, though, so things fall into place with supernatural ease. This is despite the weird murder of the sleazy realtor who sold her the property, and murderous threats from a mysterious corporation wanting to exploit the supernatural energy running through the town. Lenora is helped by a handsome, non-magical detective, Gabe, who becomes a romantic interest, and her life is saved by a werewolf when the representative of the evil corporation tries to kill her. Lots of cozy elements to enjoy in this book, from the townspeople, the setting, the magical happenings, the mysterious cat who comes with the house, but the book needed some tighter editing to make the narrative flow better: there’s way too much repetition of Lenora’s feelings and observations, and the reader is told some things much more often than necessary. First book of a series.

[Sarah J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grave Beginnings is the first book in a new series and is a wonderfully fun, magical start to it! Lenora Blackwell buys a (possibly) sentient, haunted house, sight unseen, as a new start after her divorce and losing her job.
I like paranormal mysteries, but I don't do really creepy or scary, so I was a little hesitant to read this, but I'm glad I did! It didn't creep me out or keep me awake (other than I had to stay up late bc I couldn't put it down lol) it is an all-around fun, well-witten book (with no typos...as per some other reviews, there was repetition on some lines/paragraphs but those have been fixed). Shadow was my favorite character....an adorable, judgy Guardian of the house. Some cat familiars end up just being jerk humans in fur, but this one is all cat, and he is wonderful!
I definitely recommend diving into Grave Beginnings!

(And as a side note...it has a prequal, Claws, Collars And Curses, free with the newsletter signup, that is from Shadow's perspective, which I also highly recommend!)

[Book · Rating 4 out of 5]

After discovering Eldergloom, Gloomwood Manor, and Tiberius in Claws, Collars and Curses (The Eldergloom Mysteries Book 0), readers might expect to experience the new owner ‘s introduction to the Key Guardian, Tiberius, when she moves into her new home.

Alas, a cat named Shadow, wearing the guardian pendant, now resides at Gloomwood Manor. The new owner, Lenora Blackwell, begins preparations to renovate the house into a bed and breakfast.

Before renovations can begin, the real estate agent who sold Lenora the house is found dead in her garden, and Lenora becomes a suspect. Another feature of Gloomwood Manor is the magic it shares with the new owner. So now, Lenor is dealing with investigating the murder and figuring out the Manor’s magic properties.

Daisy Graves offers a strong beginning to her new series, no pun intended. Readers will look forward to the next book, Bloom & Gloom.

[Jodi Sweet · Rating 4 out of 5]

First thing I want to say is that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Lenora is a wonderful character. A strong woman who doesn’t get offended when a man offers his help. So many cozies have the woman main character do this. But offering help is not demeaning when a person is in danger! So I really liked this about Lenora.
The story is also really interesting and I like the quirkiness of the other characters. It makes things fun and I liked learning about the supernatural aspects of the town.
However, the book lost a star because it had many consistency issues and repetition problems. I kept thinking I had read something wrong and actually went back just to reread things again. I wasn’t wrong, though. I don’t want to give specifics because of spoilers, but there were quite a few.
I am looking forward to the next book of the series. I hope that the editors are a bit more observant when it comes time for their reviews before the book is sent out.

[Cat Treadwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was definitely an enjoyable read. Some cozy mysteries seem a bit 'by the numbers' these days, so it was a pleasure to dive into a tale that really did focus on the 'whodunnit' side of the plot. The romance was there, but didn't take over (to my relief!).

I adored the idea of a spooky house with personality and guard-cat, and everyone in the town was a Character. I'm looking forward to where this series goes, for sure.

My only quibble was that while I enjoyed our heroine's consistent perspective as a programmer, she did seem a little socially awkward. Conversations with townsfolk sometimes seemed like a PC RPG - get the info she needed and leave. I'd have liked a little more interaction with them as people rather than NPCs.

Otherwise a fun book that I've already begun recommending to friends!

I was kindly sent an early copy of this book but the above opinions are entirely my own.

[Lora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lenora Blackwell’s fresh start takes a grim turn when she discovers her real estate agent dead in the garden of her newly purchased Gloomwood Manor in Grave Beginnings, the first installment in Daisy Graves’ A Midlife Cozy Gothic Mystery series. Fresh from a divorce and career burnout, Lenora hoped the manor would be the foundation for her new B&B. Instead, she’s racing to catch a killer before she ends up behind bars herself.

This story leans more toward urban fantasy than traditional cozy paranormal mystery. Lenora is relatable, and I appreciated how she grew as a character throughout the book. My only quibble is her overly optimistic renovation timeline having gone through a small home renovation myself, I know such projects almost never finish as quickly as planned. Still, this was a fun, engaging read, and I’m looking forward to the next installment.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grave Beginnings is the first book in the Eldergloom Mysteries series.

In it it we're introduced to Lenora Blackwell, newly divorced, 40-something and new owner of Gloomwood Manor, located in the small seaside town of Eldergloom.

The Manor comes with its own feline-in-residence, and seems to have a personality of its own as well, a sentience, if you will.

Shortly after her arrival, just as Lenora is beginning to get settled in, the less-than-scrupulous real estate agent that sold our heroine her new, and unusual, property dies in the back garden, under mysterious circumstances. Can Lenora solve the mystery before her hopes and plans for turning Gloomwood into a B & B are crushed and destroyed? You'll have to read the book to find out.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Jenia Tortora · Rating 5 out of 5]

A supernatural town that hides itself in fog and cryptic comments. When Lenora decides to start over and open a B&B she gets a lot more than she expected. The B&B is going into a Victorian manor that’s somewhat alive with a cat that’s been around forever. Danger swirling everywhere a town full of interesting people and a murder makes this tale something special. It’s a mystery of epic proportions in a town where people can be more than they appear. Lenora and her cat Shadow are tackling the mystery and the Detective is surprisingly good at rolling with the unexpected as this story unfolds. Can’t wait for more from this series and these characters!! So many secrets left to unravel and I am so here for it.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Mrs K.Bryant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grave Beginnings is a story about Lenora used to be a Computer Programmer and has just moved to Eldergloom and is now refurbishing a property to create a Bed and Breakfast and a cat Shadow who comes with the property. Lenora has started to get Psychic Visions when touching items.
There is a query about property boundary and a mystery starts. Lenora with Mrs Ash and Detective Gabriel Donovan look into the puzzle. They are assisted by the Enigma Society with the investigation. Lenora also has help and support from the local community and some have different special magical skills.
Excellent story and series which I highly recommend you read.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Cat B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 STARS
Grave Beginnings is an all right read, but I felt that the first half was far too long. It took until 50% in to really get to the meat of the story and there were some very repetitive phrases that could have been stated differently *metallic taste* for one. There were some extremely interesting characters that I found underutilized. There was definitely a story here, but I wanted so much more. I never really felt an urgency to finding out what happens next and I should have. Perhaps it was just that the first book introduces characters both physical and spititual and they are more developed in subsequest entries into the series.
I received a copy of this book via the author and I am voluntarily leaving my opinion of the tale.

[Fraxinus · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has amazing bones, an inherited house, a snarky feline sidekick, a competent woman with psychic tendencies… I was happy to travel the fog-lined streets with Lenora as she used her skills honed from years of de-bugging computer codes to figure out what happened to the real estate agent and keep herself out of the pokey.

The book also hinted at some very interesting larger mysteries around the house and a mysterious company that seems to be poking about her property and the town that she is starting to put down roots. All told, this was an interesting read and I can't wait to see what happens next.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Samanta Simão · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keeping a good sense of humor in a small town full of unique situations is quite an achievement: neighbors who know more about your routine than you do, the never-ending need to know someone who knows someone just to get things done… not to mention deadlines that depend on the weather, local traditions, or “specific conditions” no one ever really explains.

Add to that some local secrets — including the fact that, in this town, even the resident of your own house needs to trust you first. Otherwise, you might not have much time left… in town.

Starting over like this? Definitely not for everyone — but somehow, Lenora pulls it off with style!

[Elissa Greyson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. Grave Beginnings is more than just a paranormal mystery, it’s about starting over when everything feels broken. Lenora is such a relatable character, trying to rebuild her life after heartbreak, and I connected deeply with her journey. The town of Eldergloom is eerie and charming in equal measure, and the magic feels both strange and meaningful. The murder mystery is well done, but it’s Lenora’s emotional growth that really stayed with me. Also, the cat? Unforgettable. A comforting, smart, and slightly spooky read I’ll be recommending.

[Anne Newman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this a compelling book, so interesting; the story of Lenora and her purchase of a “sight-unseen” house, Gloomwood Manor in the small town of Eldergloom. The house comes with a cat called Shadow & very slowly, as Lenora is finding contractors to bring the old house up to B&B standards, she realises that there is such a thing as magic. The house is sentient, Shadow comes to accept her as well. But, there are people who are working against the whole town, trying to get some sort of energy. Someone gets murdered in an interesting way & Lenora could get blamed for it!

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Inheritance turns into a supernatural fight to the finish. These beings aren't kidding around. This was a highly suspenseful gripping read. Killing for property was very inventive, changing property lines, intimidation and more. Some of the town's population is supernatural, and they help the newest resident and future B&B owner to fend off the evil lurking. They wanted the properties at any cost. See if Lenora is a victim or a survivor! I voluntarily read a free copy of this book provided by book sirens and am giving an honest review.

[J Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a complimentary copy. Lenora Blackwell is starting over after having divorced her ex. Lenora purchased Gloomwood Manor with dreams of opening a B&B. Lenora ends up with Shadow, her new cat/guardian, and the manor has magical qualities. Lenora's dream is happening, well, it was before the sleezy real estate agent ended up dead in her garden, now she is a suspect in a murder investigation. Will Lenora solve the murder, or will she go to prison? Great start to a new series.

[Jessica Forbes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love paranormal cozy mysteries, and I do really enjoy ones that have women of my own age at the center of them, I admit. This one hits all the great points that I've come to want: learning about new paranormal abilities, a big mystery in a town, even some romance. The mystery and setting are both comfortingly familiar but still contains more than enough newness (the specific overall mystery isn't one I've come across in books before at ALL) to keep me intrigued. I'm highly looking forward to book 2!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[C Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was not my usual genre but thought it looked like an easy, quick read. It took me a while to get interested but once I did I had to finish. It reads like a YA book and I would recommend it to my teen granddaughters. This is a series and I didn’t think I would want to continue but now I’m looking forward to the next book. I need to know what happens!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.