Seven Graves

The Mortuary Misfits #1

by H.B. Elliott

THE MORTICIAN

I’ve always known I was different.

My name is Seven Grey, and I hang out with dead people. Yes, Seven like the number, and yes…literal dead people. I’m the only mortician in a small town tucked away in backwoods Maine, and I’ve known this was my dream job since the day they asked us on our first day of Kindergarten. I know who I am, and I don’t apologize for it. Death is just different for me. Which is why my second job works even better than my first.

They call me ‘The Cleaning Lady’.

People die. It’s just a part of life. How certain ones die is none of my business and I don’t ask questions when I work for bad people for ludicrous price tags, making their dirty deeds disappear like they never happened. They call, I clean, I leave.

…So how did I end up being the center of attention for the heir to the Irish mob with the threat of accessory to murder charges hanging over my head? Well, that’s a story worthy of small town gossip.

Malek Byrne is the most deranged, annoying, ridiculous…beautiful…persistent…pain in my ass. I rue the day that he inserted himself into my life. But he’s just about impossible to resist, not just because he forces a smile that hasn’t been part of my dark wardrobe in years…but because he refuses to leave me the hell alone.

He drops bodies…I clean them. It should be that simple.
It’s not.
He’s got a list as long as my name and I’ve saddled up for a ride I can’t get off of…
…Even if I wanted to…


Morally Grey FMC and MMC
Forced Proximity
Deranged Golden Retriever x Black Cat
He Falls First
Frenemies to Lovers
Touch her and die
Stalker Romance
Ridiculously Dark Humor

Genres: Dark Romance, Romance, Mafia Romance, Contemporary, Dark, Enemies To Lovers, Audiobook

260 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 1, 2025

About the author

H.B. Elliott is an over-caffeinated book nerd from North Carolina, where she lives with her husband, her two amazing children, a dog that thinks she's a chew toy, and a cat that's ten times more temperamental.

She started writing in her early teens, and was inspired by dark moody legends like Edgar Allan Poe. Art and photography were a staple in her creative development and remains that way into her adulthood. Her main genre and focus is Romance, though she's acquired a good many hats within that spectrum.

Fantasy is a gateway.
Historical fiction is a drug.
Dark romance is non-negotiable.
Love is more binding than the spine of any book.

Elliott is a firm believer in the Savior, and credits all her success to His name.
After all...He's the one who told her she can do all things.

He also still reprimands her on a regular basis of all the smut she continues to read.

Reviews

[Anna Ha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Я, бляха, дуже зла.. 😁 на Юльку(закреслено) на Севен 🙈😈....
Я більше всього у книжках терпіти не можу:
1. розрив у 3му акті
2. розрив у 3му акті через нелогічні, незрозумілі і непояснені для мене причини від тупих, бісячих ЖГГ.. 😎🤪
Всю книжка Севен практично (практично) не викликала в мене негативних дратівливих емоцій, а потім "тиць-пиздиць" і "до побачення".. і ясно ж, що лишаться вони разом, нахєра так робити? 😡🫣
Коротше, через це я дуже довго думала, яку ж оцінку, у підсумку, поставити.. і вирішила, що все ж таки ближче до 5, бо книжка справді класна, цікава, з сюжетом та смачними ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥 сценами. Їх не дуже багато, але вони круті 😏😍
В Малеку все як я люблю 💝🫶🏻 3 пірсинги зверху донизу 😁 Татуювання всюди (трошки не вистачило опису), несподівано він рижий - для мене він все рівно був брюнетом з ледь помітним руденьким переливом у волоссі🤭😁
Класний гумор як у ЧГГ, так і в усій книжці)) Я прямо класно так хихотіла і сміялася іноді 😁😂
Дуже сподобалися відносини у сім'ї Севен 🫶🏻
А взагалі, книжка мені дуже схожа на Трунар та Найманець (ЧЧ-роман). Вона так само чудова як і ця 🫶🏻
У підсумку десь 4.75 ⭐ у мене оцінка. Все було прекрасно до останніх 10% книжки 🫣Автори, будь ласка, не робіть так навмисно.. Тут все це було зайвим..

[Kennah xx · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: •5⭐️•
Spice: 3🌶️
Recommend?: YESSS ABSOLUTLEY

-OVERALL THOUGHTS-
this was incredible, holy crap. The humor, the darkness, the plot. ALL AMAZINGGGG!! My mom got the arc for this book, and told me I would like it, and I owe everything to her and this author. I had no complaints about this book, and think anyone who likes dark romance should read this!🙌🏼

-SEVEN GREY-
The woman that you are Seven… her being a metalhead lit my little heart on the best fire ever, cuz me too bestie. She is a total baddie who don’t care about nothin! FINNALY an amazing FMC with an actual personality in a romance book, my goodness I’ve been searching for you for a longggg time. 💋

-MALEK BYRNE-
Oh my…🤭 this man is SOMETHING ELSEEEE. He had me rolling on the floor laughing with his inner monologue, and jokes. ”Blushing face” (iykyk). He’s in my top 10 book men, with his mouth, tattoos, and personality. Wait, did I mention his mouth?? He is a man that will talk you through it! Had me swooning, kicking my feet, and turning red with some of the things he said to Seven. 😮‍💨 (and will kill for his woman)

-CLOSING WORDS-
Thank you H.B Elliott for writing this dark and twisted love story! This was an amazing time, and a book I will not forget. Please, I’m begging you, to write another book🖤🙏🏼
Can’t wait to buy the physical copy!

Makennah xx

[Kateryna Vasylivna · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐4.5/5.

Нууу, якщо ірландці так вирішують свої справи і конфлікти з іншими, то я розумію, чому про них завжди пишуть, як про найменше мафіозне групування 😁. Вони ж просто самі себе вирізають за любий пчих не в ту сторону 🙉.
У будь якій непонятній ситуації найкращим рішенням є розчлiньонка: проблеми в коханні - вийми хребет іншому тіпу; проблеми з боржником - розпелехай його, щоб кишки на ноги вивалились; "політичні" і фінансові проблеми в клані - переріж всіх нафіг, своїх/чужих, немає людей, немає проблем 🙌🏼.

Мені дуже сподобався чорний гумор ☠️ гг, сарказм Севен, ірландські забобони Малека 🍀 та їхня взаємодія протягом усієї книжки ♥️. Стосовно того, що Севен схожа на колишню, то більше на це увагу звертали інші, ніж сам Малек, було від самого початку зрозуміло, що він зацікавився нею, а не тим, що вона двійник його покійної колишньої.

Автор дуже гарно та атмосферно розкрила професію ⚰️ Севен.

І після фінального махіча, було б цікаво більше дізнатись про інших клієнтів з підроботки Севен 😈.

[Marissa.Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

My absolute top read of the year! There is not a thing I could say to do this book the justice it deserves! This dark romantic comedy deserves every single star!!

If you loved the funny MMC vibes like Josh from Lights Out, but add an Irish accent and make him even funnier, and the funny mortician vibes in Living Dead Girl (minus the necrophilia ya know) this book is for you!

This book gave me everything I didn’t know I needed! Malek is thee book boyfriend of book boyfriends! Seven was absolutely hilarious, and an FMC I’d want to be BFFs with. The dark mafia vibes, filled with witty banter, the most relatable humor, and side characters that just complete the story!

Seven is a mortician, and a little bit of an outcast that is unlucky in the love department. She also has a little dark web side gig, that gets her wrapped up with the Irish mob.

Malek is the heir to the Irish mob, although he may not want the gig, he’s happy to fulfill his executioner duties in hopes of the revenge he desperately wants. When he meets Seven after a “cleaning” job, a blast from his past knocks him off his feet. Although she isn’t the girl he’s missing, she’s so much more.

Yes, Malek may be part of the Irish mob but he’s also the funniest character you’ll ever meet, and hilariously gullible! I cannot put into words how much I loved him! His Irish curses are just the icing on the cake!

Just do yourself a favor and read this! You will laugh, you’ll swoon, you’ll be pissed off, you’ll feel every emotion and pray that someone like Malek comes into your life! This is pure perfection!!

Thank you so much to every single book bestie that recommended this book to me, and to HB Elliott for allowing me to read this pre-release in exchange for my honest review.

[AnnaKk · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5⭐️
Навіть не очікувала, що буде так круто, трішки смішний, деколи щемливий, але загалом лайтовий та цікавий дарк, дуже сподобались герої❤️

[Mik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Тропи:

🌹Dark Romance
🌹Ірландська Mafia romance
🌹Morally Grey
🌹Від ворогів до коханців
🌹Доторкнись до неї і 💀
🌹Вимушена близькість
🌹Він закохується першим
🌹Чорна кішка/Золотистий ретривер-псих

ТРИГЕРИ:

⚰️смерть як центральна тема
⚰️робота з тілами (морг, похоронна справа)
⚰️детальні описи анатомії та обробки тіл
⚰️графічне насильство
⚰️вбивства, кров, жорстокість
⚰️тортури
⚰️переслідування
⚰️утилізація тіл
⚰️згадки про самогубство
⚰️самоушкодження
⚰️депресія
⚰️психічні розлади
⚰️вживання психоактивних речовин
⚰️БДСМ елементи
⚰️ігри з контролем/домінуванням
⚰️ігри з диханням/ігри з ножем
⚰️бондаж
⚰️використання секс-іграшок
⚰️анальні практики
⚰️елементи деградації
⚰️плювання
⚰️сексуальні сцени у нетипових/табу-контекстах


Відгук:

От бувають книги такі неймовірні, що про них навіть нема що сказати, і ця книга є однією з таких. Герої — бляха, які ж вони неймовірні! Думаю, я їх надовго запам'ятаю😋. Вони скажені з ідеальним рівнем божевілля. Окрім вайбових героїв, був присутній цікавий кримінальний сюжет, і мені сподобалося, що він гармонійно пов'язаний із любовною лінією і не перебиває її. Всі події мають причинно-наслідковий зв'язок, герої НЕ тупі. І в справжньому дусі дарк-романів тут дуже смачна мокруха: скажена, брудна, феєрична, я б сказала.

Севен — я на неї молитися готова. Це одна з небагатьох книг, де мені більше запала в серце головна героїня, а не герой. Вона мортильниця, що само по собі робить її вже крутою; ця жінка гостра на язик (обожнюю таких ЖГГ). Аааа, я від її опору готова пісяти кіп’ятком, тому цілком розумію вічний стояк Малека на неї. Я не знаю, як ще її розвалити, тому читайте й ви, хваліть теж 😁.

Малек — йобен-бобен, він така бусяяя! Троп «золотистий ретривер-псих» прямо на 1000% його описує. Ахаха, я б його назвала слухняним хлопчиком у найзбоченішому сенсі. Впродовж книги я від душі сміялася з нього, він додавав особливого шарму історії.


Ну що ж, я сміло даю цій історії почесний титул «Книга місяця». Вона принесла мені неймовірну насолоду і хороші емоції 🌹

Оцінка: ♾️/5


Ну що, хто спокусився на книгу? 😈

[Jesika Nankiville · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 / 5 ⭐️
5 / 5 🌶️
Method: ARC read (my first one ever!!)

🔪🩸☠️⚰️🪏🪦🍀🇮🇪
I LOVED this book!

Seven Grey is our FMC working as a mortician in her family run Funeral home. But on the side, she’s a “Cleaning Lady” for bad people who need bodies to be removed and the room ‘cleaned’ 🧹🧽🧼

Enter stage right - Malek FU€KING Byrne! (Your next book boyfriend!! 😉) He is our Irish mafia “executioner”, tattooed, pierced, ginger who can’t hold a tune to save his life MMC.

After a pretty tense cleaning situation where they meet, Mal can’t stop thinking about his “little Viper” and asks her (well.. really he threatens her with blackmail) to help him with a few upcoming jobs.

I’m not delving into the story anymore cos I don’t wanna spoilt it, but this would have to be one of my favourite ever dark Rom-Com reads.

It’s dark, it’s sexy, it’s funny AF!! And this will definitely be a re-read for me again and again 🥰

Enjoy!!!!!

“How the fuck did I get this fortunate? Luck of the Irish, I suppose…” - Malek Byrne.

[Randi Himes · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I clean up their dirty deeds, but I wasn't ready for him."

I went into Seven Graves for the mortician FMC and stayed for the absolute chaos that is Malek Byrne. Seven Grey hangs out with the dead and cleans up after the living...Then enters Malek, the "Deranged Golden Retriever" heir to a mob family; how can you literally need anything more? The banter is sharp, the humor is deliciously dark, and the "Touch her and die" energy is off the charts.

[Cayla Pitts · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3.75 rounded up)

I was NOT expecting to cackle out loud the way I did reading this. For a book about a mortician who moonlights as a crime scene cleaner for the Irish mob, this had rom-com levels of banter and I ate it up.

Seven Grey is a mortician by day and “The Cleaning Lady” by night — the woman you call when you need a body (or five) to disappear without questions asked. She’s weird, unapologetically herself, a total town outcast… and honestly? I loved that for her.

Enter Malik Byrne — executioner for the Irish mob and walking red flag in very attractive packaging. One look at Seven and he’s obsessed. Not just because she’s intriguing, but because she looks exactly like his childhood best friend turned love of his life… who died seven years ago.

And because he’s a superstitious man, when a cleaner named Seven shows up on the seven-year anniversary of her death after a revenge killing? Oh, he’s spiraling.

Does he woo her like a normal person?
Absolutely not.

He blackmails her instead.

Now Seven is stuck helping him “clean” the bodies on his revenge list to keep herself out of prison — and the forced proximity that follows is pure chaos.

The dynamic between them had me laughing out loud. She gives him constant sass. He dishes it right back. He’s unhinged but low-key golden retriever coded when it comes to her, and watching him soften around the edges for the one woman who’s never been chosen for anything? That melted me a little.

And Seven? She makes him WORK for it. She does not fold easily. She doesn’t swoon just because he’s intense and obsessed. When their chemistry finally ignites, though? It’s a full three-alarm fire.

Yes, there’s a third-act breakup.
Yes, we get the HEA.
And yes… we add another spicy graveyard scene to the roster.

If you like:
• Morally gray FMC & MMC
• Deranged golden retriever x black cat
• He falls first (hard)
• Forced proximity
• Stalker vibes
• Touch her and die energy
• Dark humor that will catch you off guard

This one’s worth the ride.

Not a perfect five-star for me, but wildly entertaining, unhinged in the best way, and proof that even murder clean-up can be romantic if you’re delusional enough. And honestly? I respect it.

[Aubry · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute 5⭐️ read. Dark, hysterical, and highly inappropriate for polite “society”. An Irish mob executioner somehow has a Golden Retriever energy and finds his soulmate in a sassy, sarcastic, small town mortician who moonlights as a crime scene cleaner. Essentially, this was a Disney movie if Disney movies involved dismemberment.

[Cocolici · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely. Fucking. Brilliant.

This was my first time reading H.B. Elliott and I'm officially obsessed. The dark humor? Perfection. The banter? Top tier. Every conversation had me grinning like an idiot.

And I'm just gonna say it...

I enjoyed this more than Butcher & Blackbird. Yep, I said what I said. Don't throw tomatoes at me. 🍅💀

Malek and Seven were an absolute riot. He's the Executioner for the Irish Mob. She's a mortician by day and the infamous Cleaning Lady by night. He drops the bodies. She makes them disappear. Match made in dark-romance heaven. 🖤

Both of them are feisty as hell, morally grey, and completely unhinged in the best way possible. The chemistry was electric, the humor landed every single time, and the whole aesthetic of this book just worked.

I laughed, I cringed, I swooned, and I immediately needed more.

[The Bou · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of my best 2025 read.
Normally I would have stopped as soon as the ex-dead lover is mentioned… especially how obsessed he was with his dead lover 😤

But, this was a new author for me and her writing style was so good I kept on reading.
Honestly, be prepared to have this trope rubbed in your face.
Maybe I should have stopped so my heart wouldn’t have be broken for Seven 😢
This was not a traditional mafia
I loved both MMC, Malek cracked me with his inner thoughts and I absolutely related to Seven and being a misfit.
The spice was from outer space 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

[Carrie Hagen]

Infinity stars!!! This has easily become my favorite dark romance read! I highlighted so many moments from laughing hard and swooning that my kindle looked like a coloring book! How will I pick my favorite quotes when 1/2 the book is highlighted! 232 highlights to be exact. I cannot praise this book enough, but lemme try.

For me it was difficult reading romcom and dark romance together. I typically like my books dark, but HB Elliot has somehow managed to blend them together with perfection! This was way better than any of the main stream dark romcoms I’ve read- blows them out of the water. I laughed so hard at this book but it still had the dark flare I love so much!

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Everybody dark romance reader wants to hear about the spice right? It was perfection. Not too much, not too little. Well balanced with character development and plot. And phew- it was written sexy AF. The amount of times I have been lost in spice scenes. Who is touching who where and how- not an issue in this book. HB Elliot wrote it so clear, I could see every single move and I was flushed and melting in my seat!

The characters:
Malek Byrnes is my new #1 book boyfriend! No question about it. The stalker you wanna be stalked by..A tattooed, pierced, smoking hot, frickin HILARIOUS, lovable fool who SAYS and DOES ALL the RIGHT THINGS. This man can do no wrong in my eyes. How do you tell your husband things are over because a fictional man has ruined all others for you?. 😆 jkjk

Seven our FMC is funny, witty and emotionally relatable- she didn’t get on my nerves once- which is huge for an FMC in my book. Okay well there was the one time, closer to the end where I got upset cause she hurt my boy and was being dumb about it BUT it was quickly corrected and sorta understandable. I loved her!

Bridget, Malek’s sister becomes quite lovable and funny as well as you get to know her. Her bond with her brother is adorable.
Seven’s whole family is funny with just an adorable family dynamic.
Family is huge in this book and seeing all of their bonds with each other was great. Weird for a dark romance normally but my gosh it worked.
Simon, a minor side character- haha what to say other than he’s a little bit more the man than you know and will have you chuckling too.

I was blessed to beta read this gem and finding corrective feedback for the author was a chore because it was already the most amazing DR I’ve read. She has crushed this!!

[Rina Ryel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seven Graves is pure chaos in book form

This book is a mess in the best way. It’s dark, cruel, morbid and bloody, but also hilarious, kinky, and weirdly adorable.

Let’s start with Seven, our dark little mortician queen. Tattoos, makeup, embalming fluid for perfume, and a side hustle of cleaning murder scenes. Black cat energy for days. She’s sassy, sarcastic, and a little too comfortable cracking corpse jokes at inappropriate times. She’s a loner and a fierce aunt with whom no one dares to mess with.

And then we have Malek, who absolutely wiggled his fine ass into my world. He is lethal, cocky as hell, dangerously charming with an ego bigger than the Irish coastline, but also has a stomach full of sugar and a heart of gold buried under layers of trauma and sharp steel. He was raised on bloodshed since he was sixteen, armed with dimples and a knife fetish. Basically, a golden retriever dipped in gasoline and set on fire. Completely irresistible.

He also has a seven year old vendetta against a rival family. And he is ready to settle the score. It's also just happened that our little mortician was tasked to clean after him. And when she caught his eyes? The way she was resembling someone he loved and lost? It was game on. It's such a sweet meet-cute, right? Totally normal. The chemistry between these two is like mixing bleach and ammonia—explosive, toxic, and you probably shouldn’t breathe too deeply, but goddamn if it isn’t addictive.

Chaos. Pure, bloody chaos.

It’s also bloody entertaining. One chapter I was cackling at Seven’s sass or Malek’s sweet tooth, the next I was blushing and laughing over his not-so-subtle wooing… And then BAM—someone’s throat gets slit. It’s hilarious, kinky, violent, and somehow still manages to be swoony. Don’t ask me how. It just works.

And don’t even get me started on the side characters. Her brother. His sister. The sibling banter alone deserves its own damn novella. Toss in a Penguin-from-Batman wannabe waddling through and it’s straight-up chaos carnival energy.

I waited months for this release, and it delivered every drop of blood, banter, and batshit energy I wanted. When the audiobook drops? I’m clearing my schedule. Headphones in, world out.

[Chelsie Lucas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did I read the same thing that everyone else did?

The mailman character is so incredibly childish
The father figure that is the mob boss literally does nothing but wine all the time
They make it seem like the Sister is a treasured member of the household, but then her dad sells her off
The brother is also in love with her. I’m genuinely confused as to what the relationship Finn has with them.
The plot is supposed to be a black cat golden retriever couple and it’s really not
The female main character is supposed to be dark in Gothic and I was understanding her concept, but not really why she has a thing at all for the person that blackmailed her immediately
The main main character from the get-go is all about his ex-girlfriend, but then drops her the second. He sees the other girl that happens to look like her.
The main character also talks about her belief in God, but then later says she doesn’t think anyone has souls

It’s just kind of a mess and I wasn’t attached to anyone it kind of felt like they wanted to make a butcher of blackbird style of book and just really didn’t hit the mark

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, i just found my new favorite author.
This book was outstanding. Never have i laughed and giggled out loud for so long while reading a book. This was hilarious, filled with dark humor and banter that had me cackling.

The female lead and her man were amazing from start to finish, the building of their enemies to lovers romance was dark and beautiful. Malek, has a place in my heart now forever with his Irish accent and his soft chewy heart.

This book just kept getting better and better, the ending had me full on sobbing and i loved every
minute of it.

Overall it was amazing and hands down has become a new favorite of mine. Highly recommend to dark romance readers.

Trigger warning:
Mob/gang related activities
Mention of suicide
Arranged marriage
Death/violence/gore
Mention of cannibalism
Ect.

* If you are an honest to god mortician, and are sensitive to extreme gothic stereotypes of what all that might entail....maybe dont read this... Unless ur cool with reading about the female lead getting the best ride of her life....next to a corpse.

I won't judge if you don't

[T.L. Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

6⭐️

This book will forever be engraved in my brain. A mortuary and an executioner cross paths in a beautiful tale of learning to love after loss while finding themselves in a soul as broken as they are.

I laughed often, cried when I least expected, & came away with a story that will stick with me for an eternity. The emotional pull of the storyline and ability to relate deeply to the FMC only added to how amazing this book was.

It is evident that the author poured herself into this story, and it was a refreshing change from the mainstream dark romance books we’ve all come to know and love. I felt this one in the deepest parts of my soul, and that’s all I can ever hope for when I open a book.

If you’re on the fence, HOP OFF NOW! This one is a MUST READ. I do highly recommended the audiobook. Aaron Shedlock and his amazing Irish accent were to die for, and Angelina Rocca slayed as always. 🖤

[Jaimie · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite booktokers was raving about this one so I had to check it out and I was not disappointed at all! I listened to the audio, and it was dual narration by Angelina Rocca and Aaron Shedlock and I felt like they were perfect for each of the characters! They definitely brought the story to life.

We have Seven Gray, a mortician that is a "cleaner" on the side to make some extra money. She finds herself wrapped up with the Irish mob, insert Malek Byrne. Malek is the Irish mob heir and their executioner. He is ruthless, obsessed and slightly unhinged.

He will kill on command, yet he is totally instantly obsessed with Seven and has such a soft spot for her. Seven is full of sass and pretty unfazed by most things people would have an issue with.

I really just enjoyed the vibes of this whole story. The pacing was on point, the plot was great, and so was the spice. This is my first book by this author, and I will definitely be reading more!

[Elizabeth Gregg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! This book was SUCH a fun read. I loved the characters. The story flowed in a such away that you were kept invested the entire time. Seven is such an interesting character you can’t help but love her. Malek is the scary golden retriever that melts like butter with some belly rubs. While this wasn’t a 5 star for me I LOVED and enjoyed every minute of it!! I will continue to recommend this book to all my dark romance girls because it is definitely a must read for anyone who enjoys DR!! I can’t even think of anything to critique! I am a mood reader and I feel that’s what kept it from a 5 star honestly lol. Go preorder this or add it to your TBR it comes out September 1st!!!!!!!!

[Sabrina Lightsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an absolute masterpiece. It hooked me from the very first chapter. The FMC is a misunderstood, outcast mortician that only her family understands, whose side gig is being a “cleaning lady” for murders. The MMC is an Irish mob executioner set to inherit the family throne. They meet on one of her “jobs” and she immediately hates him. He thinks he is looking into the eyes of the past. The MMC starts stalking the FMC and inserts himself into life and falls fast and hard. They strike a bargain. He promises to leave her alone if she “cleans for him with a rival family’s disposal. But by that time, will she really want him to actually do it? This book is full of snarky banter, spice, dark romance, mob intrigue and games. He falls first and hard, she finally finds someone that understands her darkness. But in the end, will she keep him? I highly recommend this for anyone who loves romance on the dark side. I was a “kicking my feet, laughing out loud, dark, spicy good time.

[Kelly Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good read for sure that definitely deserves a follow by reading book 2

[harriet rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow

She makes something palatable, even funny that I never thought I would laugh at: violent death. This author gave me a new way to look at dying. Which is good as I approach that deadline myself, as I'm coming up on the average age of dying for women in the USA.

[Mar P · Rating 4 out of 5]

4🌟
2.5🌶
A rollercoaster ride🥳

[HHarlowReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I saw this book pop up on booktok and read the blurb, I knew it was for me.

Seven Gray. A mortician who “cleans” on the side and finds herself cleaning for the Irish mob? Yes, please. Her sass and nonchalance over dead things made her such a lovable character. The coffin in her living room was a perfect touch And her realization her area is full of serial killers, yet lack of fear over them was honestly so Seven.

Malek Byrne. Irish mob prince and executioner. The mouth on this red haired, green eyed, tatted and pierced man was delicious. The way he kills people on command yet has a softness for her was the perfect combo. The way the author wrote the Irish dialogue in here had me hearing it in Irish and it was absolutely everything.

Morally gray MMC & FMC
He falls first (and hard)
He would burn the world down for her
Stalker Romance
Touch her and die
Forced proximity
Frenemies to lovers
Deliciously dark humor

[Sorina§ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyment:⭐⭐⭐
Writing: ⭐⭐.5
Characters: ⭐⭐⭐
Plot: ⭐⭐⭐.5
Romance: ⭐⭐⭐

This book was disappointing. The idea sounded so good: a mortician with an illegal side business and a mafia heir. I really liked the beginning of the book, but then the MMC is intrigued by the FMC just because she looks exactly like his first love who died, and you are reminded of that fact every time someone who knew that woman sees the FMC for the first time. I didn't like that at all.

The plot was kind of boring. The MMC starts stalking her and tries to convince her to give him a chance, and then makes a deal with her to leave her alone if she helps him. So the whole plot is him not leaving her alone until it's time for her to help him.

I also hated that she didn't realize that her family was in danger because of him, until SPOILER, she gets kidnapped, and she is supposed to be very smart.

[Diana Slaughter · Rating 4 out of 5]

LOVED this book, it’s the first book I have read by this Author but won’t be the last. It was a 4.5 for me! I loved the banter between the main characters.

[Clair’s library · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seven Graves
Narrated by Aaron Shedlock and Angelina Rocca
4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was everything. Chaotic, Dark, bloody, and absolutely addictive.

This book follows Seven, our dark mortician queen, who has a secret side job cleaning up and disposing of dead bodies for other people.(Irish Mafia) During one of her clean up jobs she meets Malek. Who’s every bit unhinged and dark and becomes quickly obsessed with Seven.


Seven Gray: ⚰️🦇
our little mortician queen. Her whole vibe was just perfect. The alt girl energy, the mortician job, the side hustle cleaning up dead bodies… she was just iconic. She was funny, witty, and way to comfortable making corpse jokes. Honestly one of my favorite FMCs I’ve read in a while. The way she takes care of the dead during her daytime job is beautiful. She gave me a whole different perspective on the dead.

Malek Brynes: 🔪🪦
The kind of man that you would want to be stalked by 100%. He’s cocky yet very deadly especially when it concerns the ones he loves. He will quickly wiggle his way into your heart with his tattoos and delicious piercings. He loves just as hard as he fucks his words not mine and couldn’t be more true.

——
Overview:

The chemistry between him and Seven is like mixing bleach and ammonia explosive, toxic, and totally addictive.The spice PERFECTION. It was written sexy AF, perfectly balanced with the plot.

We can’t forget Bridget I loved her so much, along with every other side character they all warmed their way into my heart.

I was originally drawn towards this book because of the narrators. And let me tell you the audiobook was an experience. It was beautiful and addictive you could just feel the chemistry. Loved Aaron‘s Irish accent in this he really brought Malek to life and embodies this dark chaotic and witty man. Let’s not forget Angelina who absolutely devoured her role as Seven and playing a witty hot yet dark mortician. 100/100 will be re-listening to this audiobook. Their performances added so much to the dark, chaotic energy of the story.

I can confidently say that hearing Aaron and Angelina in this made me even more obsessed with them. Having previously heard Aaron in Nocticadia and Angelina in Unhinged Cain, I already loved them, but their performances in this was spectacular, that I will continue listening to everything they are a part of.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is without a doubt the most fun I've had with a book in a while. It's dark (seriously. It's an executioner for the mob and a mortician/cleaner), but it is also absolutely hilarious. Very few books make my reread list, but this one definitely will. Easily one of the best reads of 2025. Seven is in the family funeral home business, and she takes on the Mortician role. I loved Seven. She was smart, funny, beautifully sensitive and respectful about her clients, and ready to throw down for her family, especially her nieces. And Malek...oh, Malek. He was vicious, oh so protective of the women in his life, past and present, but also such a golden retriever in the most twisted way. The banter in this book is top tier. After meeting when Seven is hired to clean Malek's destruction (can I just say, this is how I want my dark heros to serve vengeance every time), Malek is instantly fascinated by Seven. What follows is Malek roping in Seven to protect his sister (maybe with a bit of blackmail and a hilariously complete lack of boundaries) while trying to win Seven over. For all the fun and darkness, the character development was beautiful to watch. There was a lot of healing and trying to become better people for the other people in their lives for Seven, Malek, and even his sister Brigitte while learning to let go and forgive themselves for things in the past. This book really does have it all. While I highly, highly recommend reading this book, please check your triggers. Violence and the aftermath is on page and very detailed, and the spice is most certainly not vanilla.

[Jess ❤️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hot damn… this book grabbed me by the throat in chapter one and never let go. Seven Graves gives me everything I crave in a dark romance—violence, obsession, twisted devotion, and a heroine who refuses to bow to anyone. Seven isn’t just a mortician… she’s a walking blade disguised as a woman, doing cleanup jobs on the dark web and leaving men twice her size trembling. Hands around throats within chapters? Yeah, she’s that level of badass.

When she’s called to clean up a job and ends up locking eyes with the heir of a mafia empire—Malek—everything tilts. The air changes. The tension becomes lethal. And somehow, this cold-blooded heir who has darkness flooding his veins gives her chance after chance to walk away. It’s the kind of obsessive, possessive love that’s terrifying in all the right ways… because he never cages her. He chooses her. And she chooses him back with teeth bared.

What makes their connection so intoxicating is the balance:
Malek’s softness is hidden behind oceans of violence, and Seven’s brutality is packaged inside a fearless, unbreakable woman who refuses to be tamed. Together? They combust. They ruin. They heal. They burn the world and bury the bodies later.

This book is dark, sexy, gritty, and absolutely unforgettable. Seven is a queen. Malek is a monster with a worship kink. And the story? Chef’s kiss—bloody perfection.
I cannot wait to dig deeper into this series and see what other graves get opened next.

[Nicole Turk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nicole

I love this book so much! Seven and her family seemed so real. Seven was written with so many insecurities all girls have. The way she was fiercely protective of her nieces and seven knew her self worth and that is was okay to be who she was! Everyone is different thank God but wait for that one person that lives you the way you are! Malek, he was a perfect about of funny, crazy, killer! He wasnt too intense psycho that you couldn't see him being sweet and caring towards his sister and Seven. I just finished watching a marathon of Pirates of the Caribbean and whenever Malek woukd say, "Savvy"it made my heart melt. He was like a little killer Johnny Depp!!! I can't wait to read on with Bridgets story! This book wasso original and real! Thank you for telling us at the end what inspired this book because I've often wondered what inspires a story. Now, I have to say I will always be reading from this author! It's been a really long time since I've read something so good! Good lordie this was top notch!!!! I think alotta girls can feel and identify with Seven! She had the perfect amount of sass, snark, different, weird, cool, tough, very loving just all around good lass! I love Seven!!!