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The Lavington Windsor Mysteries #1
Grave Secrets
Agatha Raisin meets Sookie Stackhouse, with croquet and zombies. Toni Windsor is trying to live a quiet life in the green and pleasant county of Staffordshire. She'd love to finally master the rules of croquet, acquire a decent boyfriend and make some commission as an estate agent.
All that might have to wait, though, because there are zombies rising from their graves, vampires sneaking out of their coffins and a murder to solve.
And it's all made rather more complicated by the fact that she's the one raising all the zombies. Oh, and she's dating one of the vampires too. Really, what's a girl meant to do?
All that might have to wait, though, because there are zombies rising from their graves, vampires sneaking out of their coffins and a murder to solve.
And it's all made rather more complicated by the fact that she's the one raising all the zombies. Oh, and she's dating one of the vampires too. Really, what's a girl meant to do?
320 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2020
68 people are currently reading
636 people want to read
About the author
Alice James
8 books71 followersAlice lives in a converted chapel in Oxfordshire, England, with three cats and many house plants. She works as a writer, specialising in finance and travel. She was previously a journalist and TV presenter for Bloomberg before becoming press and PR director of a $1 billion US hedge fund for 18 months. That turned out to be the worst period in history for hedge funds, so she retired wounded. Alice has a degree in Maths from Bristol University – and half of a diploma in silversmithing from UCE University because it turns out that making the ladies’ version of the One Ring is a lot harder than she thought.
Alice’s series of whodunits, The Lavington Windsor Mysteries, is studded with zombies, vampires, romance and croquet and you should definitely read it. Today.
Alice’s series of whodunits, The Lavington Windsor Mysteries, is studded with zombies, vampires, romance and croquet and you should definitely read it. Today.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 178 reviews
July 4, 2020
I thought the summary sounded like a fun, cute little novel!! But, unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me. I could care less about the characters. Sigh!!!!
I do believe a lot of people will love this book though!! So, make sure to check it out yourself! It has sim ore and gynornous
**I would like to thank Nertgalley for the opportunity to read this book.
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
I do believe a lot of people will love this book though!! So, make sure to check it out yourself! It has sim ore and gynornous
**I would like to thank Nertgalley for the opportunity to read this book.
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
September 13, 2020
Often whoever markets books seems to be lying when they make their comparisons. In this case, however, it’s spot on. This definitely feels like Sookie Stackhouse meets Agatha Raisin.
The world that James has created is very similar to the Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood universe. Vampires have recently come out of the closet, and, unwelcome in the US and Canada, they’re flocking to Europe. Our protagonist, Lavington “Toni” Windsor, is a necromancer, and she spends her evenings raising the dead as zombies at the local cemetery. She quickly learns, however, that vampires have nearly eradicated necromancers from the planet, because vampires are dead, and they don’t want anyone to have power over them.
The way that necromancy works in this world is quite fascinating. James has done a great job with worldbuilding while not actually information dumping at any point. I never felt overwhelmed with details, and the pacing never suffered for the explanation of how things work. Toni is a unique necromancer, yet her powers have limits, which are clearly defined as she learns them. I love this--she’s a bad-ass human being with a unique power, yet she’s still extremely vulnerable to her enemies, given that she doesn’t have martial arts training or superstrength. She has to use her wits and her special ability to defeat her enemies, and she does this quite a few times over the course of Grave Secrets .
There’s a lot of romance in the story, as Toni falls for vampire Oscar early in the plot. But of course, being with a vampire isn’t as easy as you’d think. Oscar is sweet and kind (though he’s maybe a tad too bloodthirsty). But it isn’t Oscar that intrigues me. Benedict Akil, the leader of the vampires, is a benevolent leader who enjoys irritating Toni. She’s not afraid of him and she’s really quite rude to him. I love a protagonist with no sense of self-preservation! I’m hoping to see more of their chemistry in the sequel.
This book is light in tone, with quite a few laugh-out-loud moments. That said, this book has phenomenal pacing, with lots (and I mean lots ) of action. It felt like there was a scene worthy of a novel’s climax every thirty pages. That said, the story ends quite abruptly, and I was expecting a major development in the plot or cliffhanger. I’m glad there wasn’t one, but still, it was quite surprising!
I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good genre-blender and wants to read a fast-paced, thrilling, and sometimes spooky romance/fantasy/mystery.
*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc to review*
This review appeared first on https://powerlibrarian.wordpress.com/
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My 2020 Reading Challenge
September 1, 2020
Release Day
This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
2.5 hearts
Grave Secrets by Alice James is the first book in The Lavington Windsor Mysteries and piqued my interest when the book blurb indicated it is Agatha Raisin meets Sookie Stackhouse, with croquet and zombies. The summary of the book made it sound like it would be a lot of fun and quirky enough to keep my interest. The sad truth though is the characters were under developed, the romance was eh, the murder mystery was a sub-sub-sub-plot of the story and I just struggled through most of it.
The good parts. The main character Toni is interesting enough. She raises the dead as a necromancer and is pretty strong as a necromancer, but really doesn’t know what that means. She has a few good friends and a loving cop brother who sometimes has her revive victims of crimes to find out who dun it. There are vampires in this world and in America, it is pretty much stake them on sight is the motto, but in England they are a protected class. I was enjoying the beginning enough and then we meet the vampire love interest and it was really all downhill from there.
Now the stuff that didn’t work for me. The romance is just smashed together, literally. There is no build up, there is no tension. Toni meets Oscar, they go on one half date and then they are in love. The MC spends way more time with the vampire’s number one guy Peter than she ever spends with the Vampire so I really never bought into the relationship or her devotion to him. Toni is also really squeamish about letting Oscar bite her, it was just so strange, she’d have sex with him but be totally creeped out by the biting.
So, the romance didn’t work for me, all the men seem to want to sleep with or grope Toni and the murder mystery was so back burner it was practically non-existent. I just would have appreciated some more character development, better scene transitioning, more time spent on the case and general build up to the story.
Not really my cup-o-stuff but for early reviewers I seem to be in the minority so it is working for a lot of people.
This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
2.5 hearts
Grave Secrets by Alice James is the first book in The Lavington Windsor Mysteries and piqued my interest when the book blurb indicated it is Agatha Raisin meets Sookie Stackhouse, with croquet and zombies. The summary of the book made it sound like it would be a lot of fun and quirky enough to keep my interest. The sad truth though is the characters were under developed, the romance was eh, the murder mystery was a sub-sub-sub-plot of the story and I just struggled through most of it.
The good parts. The main character Toni is interesting enough. She raises the dead as a necromancer and is pretty strong as a necromancer, but really doesn’t know what that means. She has a few good friends and a loving cop brother who sometimes has her revive victims of crimes to find out who dun it. There are vampires in this world and in America, it is pretty much stake them on sight is the motto, but in England they are a protected class. I was enjoying the beginning enough and then we meet the vampire love interest and it was really all downhill from there.
Now the stuff that didn’t work for me. The romance is just smashed together, literally. There is no build up, there is no tension. Toni meets Oscar, they go on one half date and then they are in love. The MC spends way more time with the vampire’s number one guy Peter than she ever spends with the Vampire so I really never bought into the relationship or her devotion to him. Toni is also really squeamish about letting Oscar bite her, it was just so strange, she’d have sex with him but be totally creeped out by the biting.
So, the romance didn’t work for me, all the men seem to want to sleep with or grope Toni and the murder mystery was so back burner it was practically non-existent. I just would have appreciated some more character development, better scene transitioning, more time spent on the case and general build up to the story.
Not really my cup-o-stuff but for early reviewers I seem to be in the minority so it is working for a lot of people.
February 4, 2021
Grave Secrets
(Lavington Windsor Mysteries #1)
by Alice James
This book is so funny and witty! I was giggling and laughing out loud at the cleverly worded phrases, dialogue, and situations! I found another favorite author for my wicked sense of humor! Loved it!
A necromancer by night, just because it's fun, and a real estate agent by day, Toni, or Lav, is quite a odd but charming gal. Then she meets a hot vampire. They hit it off right away, sort of. All but the blood drinking. Ick! Raising corpses, no problem, but blood, eww!
In this world, vampires have come out and most in the EU have excepted the vampires where in the US, they are not excepted because they are too American and started to profit off their gifts by drug running. So Americans do not respect vampires like the European countries do. Vampires there helped with the fight for cancer.
Now, hidden groups in the EU are rising up to fight back and America vampires are trying to sneak in.
Toni is trying to help this hot vampire buy a mansion and gets caught up in the middle. It's really fun and exciting!
Oh, and necromancers and vampires are enemies. Vampires have hunted necromancers to extinction, they thought. Toni has to keep this a secret but it might be her only way to defend herself.
A super fun, ghost raising, vampire loving story that kept me giggling throughout the book! Loved it so much! Going in my favorite folder!
(Lavington Windsor Mysteries #1)
by Alice James
This book is so funny and witty! I was giggling and laughing out loud at the cleverly worded phrases, dialogue, and situations! I found another favorite author for my wicked sense of humor! Loved it!
A necromancer by night, just because it's fun, and a real estate agent by day, Toni, or Lav, is quite a odd but charming gal. Then she meets a hot vampire. They hit it off right away, sort of. All but the blood drinking. Ick! Raising corpses, no problem, but blood, eww!
In this world, vampires have come out and most in the EU have excepted the vampires where in the US, they are not excepted because they are too American and started to profit off their gifts by drug running. So Americans do not respect vampires like the European countries do. Vampires there helped with the fight for cancer.
Now, hidden groups in the EU are rising up to fight back and America vampires are trying to sneak in.
Toni is trying to help this hot vampire buy a mansion and gets caught up in the middle. It's really fun and exciting!
Oh, and necromancers and vampires are enemies. Vampires have hunted necromancers to extinction, they thought. Toni has to keep this a secret but it might be her only way to defend herself.
A super fun, ghost raising, vampire loving story that kept me giggling throughout the book! Loved it so much! Going in my favorite folder!
August 27, 2020
Many thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy of #GraveSecrets.
Based on the cover of this book, and the description, I really thought I was going to be reading some sort of a cozy mystery. It was not. But I was not disappointed! In my opinion this was a really nice paranormal romance. (With a little sex thrown in, but not too much).
It's basically about a necromancer named Lavington Windsor, AKA "Toni", who sells real estate by day and raises the dead by night. Her best friend is a zombie named Bredon. In the course of selling a home to a vampire named Oscar, she runs into trouble with a team of vampire mobsters, but also finds love and friendship on unexpected places. I really liked Toni's character as well as Oscar's "servant" Peter.
The story was fast paced and held my interest throughout. It came to a nice conclusion in the end but definitely left me anxious for more. This was the author's first novel and first of a series. I will definitely be on the lookout for the next book!
I really think the cover will probably be changed later because this one doesn't quite do it justice!
Based on the cover of this book, and the description, I really thought I was going to be reading some sort of a cozy mystery. It was not. But I was not disappointed! In my opinion this was a really nice paranormal romance. (With a little sex thrown in, but not too much).
It's basically about a necromancer named Lavington Windsor, AKA "Toni", who sells real estate by day and raises the dead by night. Her best friend is a zombie named Bredon. In the course of selling a home to a vampire named Oscar, she runs into trouble with a team of vampire mobsters, but also finds love and friendship on unexpected places. I really liked Toni's character as well as Oscar's "servant" Peter.
The story was fast paced and held my interest throughout. It came to a nice conclusion in the end but definitely left me anxious for more. This was the author's first novel and first of a series. I will definitely be on the lookout for the next book!
I really think the cover will probably be changed later because this one doesn't quite do it justice!
February 6, 2022
Grave Secrets // by Alice James
I won a giveaway for a signed copy of this book right after buying it. And then it sat on my shelf for who knows how long. Reader, don't make the same mistake I did and sleep on this book. I'm so glad I finally picked it up to read. I won't go into a ton of detail but if you're looking for something light-hearted and funny to break up the monotony of serious, epic fantasy (a genre I obviously love but still), then this is what you need to read. I laughed out loud multiple times and despite not everything always making 100% sense, I honestly didn't really mind that here. I'm generally not a fan of (pretty much) insta-love but this book has an interesting take on the usual relationship we expect. There are some other instances that were probably handled more easily than expected. But overall, this is a book that doesn't take itself too seriously and that's what made it so fun and what made it easy to overlook some of those faults that would usually bother me a lot more. I can't wait to get my hands on the next one when it comes out!
I won a giveaway for a signed copy of this book right after buying it. And then it sat on my shelf for who knows how long. Reader, don't make the same mistake I did and sleep on this book. I'm so glad I finally picked it up to read. I won't go into a ton of detail but if you're looking for something light-hearted and funny to break up the monotony of serious, epic fantasy (a genre I obviously love but still), then this is what you need to read. I laughed out loud multiple times and despite not everything always making 100% sense, I honestly didn't really mind that here. I'm generally not a fan of (pretty much) insta-love but this book has an interesting take on the usual relationship we expect. There are some other instances that were probably handled more easily than expected. But overall, this is a book that doesn't take itself too seriously and that's what made it so fun and what made it easy to overlook some of those faults that would usually bother me a lot more. I can't wait to get my hands on the next one when it comes out!
September 2, 2020
The strapline for this one is: Agatha Raisin meets Sookie Stackhouse, with croquet and zombies. And it’s spot on. Toni is a quirkier, younger version of Agatha, while the paranormal backdrop, though firmly set in rural England, is peopled with characters that wouldn’t look out of place in the Sookie Stackhouse mysteries. There is also a similar amount of heat in Grave Secrets as in Charlaine Harris’s books, which means that while it is considerably less explicit than the HBO True Blood series – it still contains several raunchy scenes. This isn’t usually an ingredient I look for in my reads, but it’s done well. Toni’s strong attraction to Oscar is convincingly portrayed – along with her ongoing concerns about his suitability, until she sees him again when once again, she’s swept off her feet.
But what really beguiled me is the strong first-person voice. A breezy, generally can-do attitude, combined with a sharp-edged Brit humour that had me sniggering throughout and a couple of times made me laugh aloud. The vampires are suitably arrogant and entitled, so no surprises there – though I also like the fact that they come in shades of nastiness and some make a real effort to be more caring of the humans in their coterie. I also really like Toni’s relationship with Peter, the other human who is in Oscar’s coterie. James has the ability to write her characters with warmth along with the snarky humour, so it didn’t descend into an adventure where poor put-upon Toni is ranged against all the powerful nasties without any help. To counter-balance the vile behaviour of the antagonists, there are also a number of people happy to assist Toni.
Another plus point – the fact that Toni is a necromancer, who has been raising the dead since a small child. They are normally portrayed as chilling creatures, whose repellent habits make them as unwholesome as the zombies they create – so Toni’s portrayal as a bubbly, impetuous young woman full of strong views on what is Right and Wrong comes as an enjoyable change. As you may have gathered – I was charmed by this one, so I’m very much looking forward to reading the next book in the series. While I obtained an arc of Grave Secrets from the publishers via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
8/10
But what really beguiled me is the strong first-person voice. A breezy, generally can-do attitude, combined with a sharp-edged Brit humour that had me sniggering throughout and a couple of times made me laugh aloud. The vampires are suitably arrogant and entitled, so no surprises there – though I also like the fact that they come in shades of nastiness and some make a real effort to be more caring of the humans in their coterie. I also really like Toni’s relationship with Peter, the other human who is in Oscar’s coterie. James has the ability to write her characters with warmth along with the snarky humour, so it didn’t descend into an adventure where poor put-upon Toni is ranged against all the powerful nasties without any help. To counter-balance the vile behaviour of the antagonists, there are also a number of people happy to assist Toni.
Another plus point – the fact that Toni is a necromancer, who has been raising the dead since a small child. They are normally portrayed as chilling creatures, whose repellent habits make them as unwholesome as the zombies they create – so Toni’s portrayal as a bubbly, impetuous young woman full of strong views on what is Right and Wrong comes as an enjoyable change. As you may have gathered – I was charmed by this one, so I’m very much looking forward to reading the next book in the series. While I obtained an arc of Grave Secrets from the publishers via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
8/10
July 1, 2020
Hilarious, steamy, and ... gory. Sign me up.
Zombies, vampires, and a necromancer! Oh yes, all of that blended into a delicious tale, I couldn't put down.
This was totally unexpected. I laughed, cringed, and swooned. What a delicious dark mix that was also somehow light. I was hooked from the start with the fun premise and light feel. I read a lot of genres and love a range of tones and themes, so when heads rolled and guts squished I was all in. Of course add to that a sexy vamp or two and the heated chemistry and really all the things I needed to get done today were going to have to wait while I read, and read, and finished the story.
There is so much character here. Toni is sassy, holding her own with some pretty domineering personalities without being obnoxious. Oscar had me at hello and then Benedict came along, what can I say, I like vamps, the bad-ish ones even more so. Peter was so sweet, making a great contrast to the others. However, my heart belongs to Bredon. That really surprised me, because like I said, I'm usually all in for the naughty vamps, but he was so charming. I just adored every little thing about him.
The pace was zippy, the humor refreshing, and settings easy to imagine as I lost myself to world. I loved that most things were tied up, leaving it a complete and satisfying read, yet there was enough left to make me hungry for more - as if I'd just raised the dead, or been raised from the dead.
I hope there will be more in this series soon. I can't wait to step back into it and have a gory, sexy, laugh with characters who I already feel like are friends.
Zombies, vampires, and a necromancer! Oh yes, all of that blended into a delicious tale, I couldn't put down.
This was totally unexpected. I laughed, cringed, and swooned. What a delicious dark mix that was also somehow light. I was hooked from the start with the fun premise and light feel. I read a lot of genres and love a range of tones and themes, so when heads rolled and guts squished I was all in. Of course add to that a sexy vamp or two and the heated chemistry and really all the things I needed to get done today were going to have to wait while I read, and read, and finished the story.
There is so much character here. Toni is sassy, holding her own with some pretty domineering personalities without being obnoxious. Oscar had me at hello and then Benedict came along, what can I say, I like vamps, the bad-ish ones even more so. Peter was so sweet, making a great contrast to the others. However, my heart belongs to Bredon. That really surprised me, because like I said, I'm usually all in for the naughty vamps, but he was so charming. I just adored every little thing about him.
The pace was zippy, the humor refreshing, and settings easy to imagine as I lost myself to world. I loved that most things were tied up, leaving it a complete and satisfying read, yet there was enough left to make me hungry for more - as if I'd just raised the dead, or been raised from the dead.
I hope there will be more in this series soon. I can't wait to step back into it and have a gory, sexy, laugh with characters who I already feel like are friends.
June 29, 2020
I requested Grave Secrets by Alice James from NetGalley, with no obligations, as an uncorrected Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) but even without the final polishing, there is no doubt this one is a gem. It’s been an exceptionally long time since I’ve had to stop reading to wipe the tears from my eyes because I was laughing so hard. That’s what happened before I was even a quarter of the way into the book. The protagonist, Lavington (Toni) Windsor, a real estate agent by day and necromancer by night, is delightful as the first-person narrator of this story, a twist on Stephanie Plum with Vampires and Zombies. With lines like, “What I lack in strategy, I make up for in overkill!” Toni barrels through a fast-paced adventure that is not without its share of blood and guts but is also full of warmth and friendship, romance, and great humor. The setting of rugged rural Britain, with cozy village life, is seamlessly woven into the plot and further reinforced by the British colloquialisms peppered throughout the dialogue.
GRAVE SECRETS is the first of a series and the author hints in the Acknowledgements that at least nine more are in the pipe. This debut is due out September 1, 2020 (US) and September 3 (UK) and I would suggest that anyone who enjoys Janet Evanovich and Patricia Brigg’s will love this one.
GRAVE SECRETS is the first of a series and the author hints in the Acknowledgements that at least nine more are in the pipe. This debut is due out September 1, 2020 (US) and September 3 (UK) and I would suggest that anyone who enjoys Janet Evanovich and Patricia Brigg’s will love this one.
August 23, 2020
(Only one week until this comes out on Sep. 1st!!)
Alice James' "Grave Secrets" was an accidental and amazing find. I can't recommend it enough to fans of urban fantasy with a good helping of mystery, romance, and terribly addictive characters. Thank goodness this is the beginning of a series or else I'd have to beg the author to write more.
By day, Toni Windsor is a real estate agent for humans and supernatural creatures. By night, she raises the dead to follow in her grandfather's footsteps and, with luck solve the mysterious death of a Jane Doe (whom, incidentally, she can't bring back to life). Then a particular vampire comes to town looking for the perfect house, and the real adventures begin.
Honestly, I'm not much of a romance or urban fantasy reader (in that I don't read many books in either genre, not because of any particular aversion), but I found myself hooked by "Grave Secrets" from the first chapter. Toni's an engaging character who's never perfect and always owns her decisions. I love that she has a passion for her work, a rarity for stories set in sleepy towns. Her relationships with her brother, neighbors, friends, and love interest(s??) are also a huge draw, making Toni instantly feel like a real person who has a life beyond the adventures (and vampire political shenanigans) that scoop her up. It takes a lot of skill to write a gripping story with high stakes and magic while, somehow, making the real estate agent protagonist the principal driver.
(Note: A small trigger warning for an attempted sexual assault.)
Overall, if you want something really fun to read (with characters you'll quickly care about so, so much), you should pick this up. I honestly can't wait for the sequel. Who knew a story with urban (or rural?) vampires could feel so fresh?
I received a free eARC of this book in exchange for a fair, honest review.
Alice James' "Grave Secrets" was an accidental and amazing find. I can't recommend it enough to fans of urban fantasy with a good helping of mystery, romance, and terribly addictive characters. Thank goodness this is the beginning of a series or else I'd have to beg the author to write more.
By day, Toni Windsor is a real estate agent for humans and supernatural creatures. By night, she raises the dead to follow in her grandfather's footsteps and, with luck solve the mysterious death of a Jane Doe (whom, incidentally, she can't bring back to life). Then a particular vampire comes to town looking for the perfect house, and the real adventures begin.
Honestly, I'm not much of a romance or urban fantasy reader (in that I don't read many books in either genre, not because of any particular aversion), but I found myself hooked by "Grave Secrets" from the first chapter. Toni's an engaging character who's never perfect and always owns her decisions. I love that she has a passion for her work, a rarity for stories set in sleepy towns. Her relationships with her brother, neighbors, friends, and love interest(s??) are also a huge draw, making Toni instantly feel like a real person who has a life beyond the adventures (and vampire political shenanigans) that scoop her up. It takes a lot of skill to write a gripping story with high stakes and magic while, somehow, making the real estate agent protagonist the principal driver.
(Note: A small trigger warning for an attempted sexual assault.)
Overall, if you want something really fun to read (with characters you'll quickly care about so, so much), you should pick this up. I honestly can't wait for the sequel. Who knew a story with urban (or rural?) vampires could feel so fresh?
I received a free eARC of this book in exchange for a fair, honest review.
May 2, 2020
Grave Secrets by Alice James a thrilling five-star read. I had high hopes for this one and in many ways it was a five-star read, the mystery and the necromancy were all spot on and the rest of the characters were brilliant but I was left cold by Oscar and not in the usual sense, because of this I nearly gave it four-stars, but then I realised one man doesn’t make the story. This was funny and Toni was brilliant, I would read so much more about her and the rest of the characters, even Benedict. It may just be me as I have never been a big fan of blondes, but I will say give this a go and pick it up if you like funny, mystery with a twist of the undead, I will be picking the rest in the series up when they come as I did enjoy it and I will be waiting to see what happens to a certain blonde. (I may secretly be wishing for something different to the main consensus, but hey a girl can dream, who knows maybe I will warm to him in number two, we could always take a sauna together, I will just have to be mindful of the pages wilting.)
May 1, 2020
Heads up to all fans of True Blood and Buffy, our new favorite heroine is here, she's a necromancer, and she's kind of a hot mess! Estate agent by day, zombie-raising necromancer by night, Toni is straggling along in a world where vampires have been unveiled - but while they've been embraced in Europe, the USA is a stake-on-sight zone. When her cozy English countryside begins to bustle with import vamps, her life gets a little out of control! I absolutely flew through this fun and frothy urban fantasy and can't wait for more in the series!
January 31, 2021
I'm so bad at writing reviews. I just never know what to write without giving away spoilers or making it too boring haha. But I just wanted to say that I enjoyed this first book from the series.
Benedict sounds like a more intriguing person to me than Oscar right now, so I'm curious what the next book will bring.
Benedict sounds like a more intriguing person to me than Oscar right now, so I'm curious what the next book will bring.
August 28, 2020
A great new contemporary fantasy series starts funny, smart and not afraid to go to darker places. I think you’ll want to meet your new favourite Necromancer
Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
May 17, 2023
Ok, let’s start this off from the outset. This was well outside my comfort zone. I stopped reading the sexy vampires thing after I had finished with the Sookie Stackhouse books. Although I like things to do with vampires (I think that they are still one of my favourite horror monsters), but I tend to be up at the bloodier end of the scale, more like Necroscope or the 30 Days of night kind of end. You know where they generally rip your throat out and cause complete panic and mayhem.
Not only that, I have a typically male response to whole romance thing. You know, never moved on from the twelve-year-old perspective that kissing and stuff is yucky. Now please don’t hassle me coz I know that there are men out there that do like the romance thing, it’s just not my kind of thing, and I tend to like my yuckiness to be around blood and guts, and a bit more blood and guts thrown in for good measure.
However, from the moment that I met part time necromancer, part time estate agent Toni (or Lavington if you want to use her Sunday name) Windsor attempting to raise the dead in her local graveyard with packets of crisps and loads of ham butties, I was hooked.
I have got to say that I breezed through this book and this was mainly due to Alice James’s light touch in the writing department. She manages to make everything light and airy and fun, except when it is not! And then she throws in the right amount of jeopardy.
The stary take place in an alternative version of earth, where vampires can live out their lives in comfort and aren’t threatened with the numerous methods that can kill them like steaks to the heart ( sorry, I meant stakes, but the image of people fighting vampires with a lump of charred steak amuses me, so there! I ain’t changing it!). Well, if you live in Europe anyway, coz this enlightened acceptance of the old sharp toothed blood suckers doesn’t extend to the USA who have adopted a stake (steak! Still not letting it go) on sight kinda attitude and subsequently we have a vampiric immigration problem. Anyways, back to the story! Our little hero of the piece (her words not mine coz she is only about five foot in her stockinged feet) is Toni Windsor, crack estate agent by day. Raiser of the undead by night who perchance gets involved with a vampire wanting to buy a house. This leads to all sorts of complications, for one, Toni has quite lascivious designs on the bloke, but two, this brings a whole heap of trouble, including a far-right extremist group of anti-vampers, meeting the leader of the nest of vamps and a whole load of other stuff.
Now be warned. If you don’t like a bit of rumpy pumpy spiciness in your novels, then be warned that there is some. However, if you do like a bit of sauce then this may be up your alley.
The book is really enjoyable. Like I said, it’s a very easy read. At times, it can get a bit bloodbathy, but who doesn’t like a good bloodbath or two. I know I am definitely up for them (can’t go wrong with a good blood bath, cleans out the pores and gives you a nice shiny complexion. Just ask that Lady Batharoy woman!) At times there were some aspects that I didn’t get to grips with as they niggled me a bit as I thought they were a bit out of character for Toni and didn’t seem to fit. However, I can live with that, and it certainly didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the book as a whole.
Now, I know on the tagline that it mentions Sookie Stackhouse, and there are definitely vibes of that, but (and I know that this might just be my opinion and completely falsified) I thought I saw quite a lot of references to Anne Rice in there. I mean there’s a character called Louis (only brief mind!) and the leader of the vampire coven seems to bear a resemblance to Armand and there were other bits. I only mention it coz I loved the Anne Rice books, and it was a fun little game for me whilst I was reading the book, and a little bit of an aside.
The characters in the book are all good. I especially liked Peter who I thought was more of a better fit for Toni (notice how a bloke who doesn’t do romance is now talking relationshipy stuff😂). At times the vampires could get a little too vampy, but again I can live with that, especially when Toni starts to poke fun, especially at Mr rippling biceps/lover boy Oscar. The other standout character was Bredon, the zombie. A 17th Century lord, dandy, not quite sure….but who cares on the perpendicular semantics (I don’t know what that means, but I like it so it’s staying, I’m just making shit up now!)
Anyways, to cut a long story short, really enjoyed this book. There you go!
Not only that, I have a typically male response to whole romance thing. You know, never moved on from the twelve-year-old perspective that kissing and stuff is yucky. Now please don’t hassle me coz I know that there are men out there that do like the romance thing, it’s just not my kind of thing, and I tend to like my yuckiness to be around blood and guts, and a bit more blood and guts thrown in for good measure.
However, from the moment that I met part time necromancer, part time estate agent Toni (or Lavington if you want to use her Sunday name) Windsor attempting to raise the dead in her local graveyard with packets of crisps and loads of ham butties, I was hooked.
I have got to say that I breezed through this book and this was mainly due to Alice James’s light touch in the writing department. She manages to make everything light and airy and fun, except when it is not! And then she throws in the right amount of jeopardy.
The stary take place in an alternative version of earth, where vampires can live out their lives in comfort and aren’t threatened with the numerous methods that can kill them like steaks to the heart ( sorry, I meant stakes, but the image of people fighting vampires with a lump of charred steak amuses me, so there! I ain’t changing it!). Well, if you live in Europe anyway, coz this enlightened acceptance of the old sharp toothed blood suckers doesn’t extend to the USA who have adopted a stake (steak! Still not letting it go) on sight kinda attitude and subsequently we have a vampiric immigration problem. Anyways, back to the story! Our little hero of the piece (her words not mine coz she is only about five foot in her stockinged feet) is Toni Windsor, crack estate agent by day. Raiser of the undead by night who perchance gets involved with a vampire wanting to buy a house. This leads to all sorts of complications, for one, Toni has quite lascivious designs on the bloke, but two, this brings a whole heap of trouble, including a far-right extremist group of anti-vampers, meeting the leader of the nest of vamps and a whole load of other stuff.
Now be warned. If you don’t like a bit of rumpy pumpy spiciness in your novels, then be warned that there is some. However, if you do like a bit of sauce then this may be up your alley.
The book is really enjoyable. Like I said, it’s a very easy read. At times, it can get a bit bloodbathy, but who doesn’t like a good bloodbath or two. I know I am definitely up for them (can’t go wrong with a good blood bath, cleans out the pores and gives you a nice shiny complexion. Just ask that Lady Batharoy woman!) At times there were some aspects that I didn’t get to grips with as they niggled me a bit as I thought they were a bit out of character for Toni and didn’t seem to fit. However, I can live with that, and it certainly didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the book as a whole.
Now, I know on the tagline that it mentions Sookie Stackhouse, and there are definitely vibes of that, but (and I know that this might just be my opinion and completely falsified) I thought I saw quite a lot of references to Anne Rice in there. I mean there’s a character called Louis (only brief mind!) and the leader of the vampire coven seems to bear a resemblance to Armand and there were other bits. I only mention it coz I loved the Anne Rice books, and it was a fun little game for me whilst I was reading the book, and a little bit of an aside.
The characters in the book are all good. I especially liked Peter who I thought was more of a better fit for Toni (notice how a bloke who doesn’t do romance is now talking relationshipy stuff😂). At times the vampires could get a little too vampy, but again I can live with that, especially when Toni starts to poke fun, especially at Mr rippling biceps/lover boy Oscar. The other standout character was Bredon, the zombie. A 17th Century lord, dandy, not quite sure….but who cares on the perpendicular semantics (I don’t know what that means, but I like it so it’s staying, I’m just making shit up now!)
Anyways, to cut a long story short, really enjoyed this book. There you go!
August 13, 2023
A highly entertaining and fun to read book. It's the excellent start of a new series that I will surely read.
I think it's well written and tightly knitted, the quirky characters are likable and fleshed, the world building is interesting.
The plot is fast paced, full of twists and turns, and it kept me hooked.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and it's highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
I think it's well written and tightly knitted, the quirky characters are likable and fleshed, the world building is interesting.
The plot is fast paced, full of twists and turns, and it kept me hooked.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and it's highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
January 4, 2021
If you like Sookie Stackhouse (Charlaine Harris), Betsy Taylor (Mary Janice Davidson), Jane Jameson (Molly Harper) and Stephanie Plum(Janet Evanovich) you are going to love Toni Windsor! She's a sassy, tough, British firebrand who can raise the dead, what more can you ask for? Absolutely can not wait to see what happens in this series.
January 21, 2021
Outside of my normal genre, but I really enjoyed this book. It has vampires, zombies, a love story, a bit of steamy (sex), humor, and it’s set in England! Cute story and worth the read.
September 4, 2022
This is a delightful read. Delightful if you like ravenous zombies; murderous but undoubtedly sexy vampires; a scattering of limbs punctuated by regular decapitations, then you are in for a treat!
The writing is witty, knowing and moves briskly. I fair whizzed through this hugely enjoyable book .
Bravo more please!
The writing is witty, knowing and moves briskly. I fair whizzed through this hugely enjoyable book .
Bravo more please!
November 24, 2020
My Five Word TL:DR Review : Sookie Stackhouse meets Bridget Jones
Grave Secrets is the start of a new series involving romance, vampires, murder and necromancy. I requested this one because it promised something fun and light and in that respect it does exactly what it sets out to do.
Toni (Lavington) Windsor is a real estate agent from Staffordshire. By day she’s a bubbly, vivacious character with a head full of curls and snippy comebacks – at night she sneaks into the local graveyard to raise the dead. Toni is a necromancer, she has to keep her strange ability to herself because necromancers are feared and hated in equal measure by vampires who in the past have hunted them down and killed them whenever possible. And, yes, vampires are an accepted part of this world. They live in the open (in Europe at least) and have an accord that allows them to live amongst humans (although there was a lot of deaths in this book alone that did give me pause for thought about how comfortably the two really can live together). As the story begins Toni is seeking a property for a vampire, a hot, sexy vampire who wants a remote property with lots of cellar space. At the same time Toni begins to experience trouble, people trying to kidnap her and all sorts of other shenanigans and the body count starts to rise.
This was a fun read, fast paced, a trifle silly maybe in places, but it was the sort of light popcorn read that I wanted at that particular time and so it fit the bill. I did have a few issues and at this point I’m not entirely sure if those can be laid at the door of first ‘book in series syndrome’. I would probably pick up No.2 to see how things develop though.
Firstly, the plot. It felt a little scattered to me. There is a mystery but it mostly revolves around vampire politics, not a cosy murder mystery which is the vibe I was originally picking up. That being put to one side, I enjoyed the writing style and the injection of humour and the pace definitely has legs.
The characters. Well, and this does sometimes happen for me, I found myself liking the peripheral characters rather than the main couple. So, for example, I really liked one of the characters that Toni kept raising from the grave, and I liked the old lady with the chocolate box cottage who loved to bake, but I felt that Toni was very blaize towards people in general, death and the like didn’t seem to really have an impact on her and considering some of the scrapes she got into I think I would have liked to see a bit more emotion. That, together with the instantaneous ‘love’ between Toni and the client she’s finding a house for didn’t really endear me to either of them. Particularly as, whenever Toni was being harassed by the vampire ‘boss’ her would-be boyfriend seemed to be nothing more than an idle bystander.
In terms of the world building. It’s a little skimpy. I would like to know more about Toni’s abilities which for the moment seem to be accredited quite simply to the ‘some people can and some people can’t’ school of thought. I don’t particularly have a problem with that and it’s possible that more information may be forthcoming as the series progresses.
I realise that probably all sounds a little negative, which isn’t really my intention. I can see this building up into a good fun series . I think it need a few things ironing out, particularly with Toni and her boyfriend because I’m not buying into that particular romance at all at the moment, but, if the author succeeds in generating a little more chemistry and sizzle then this could be a winner for many readers.
A UK-style Sookie Stackhouse with a character not completely unlike Bridget Jones and a few vampire and zombies thrown in for good measure.
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publishers, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
My rating 3 of 5 stars
Grave Secrets is the start of a new series involving romance, vampires, murder and necromancy. I requested this one because it promised something fun and light and in that respect it does exactly what it sets out to do.
Toni (Lavington) Windsor is a real estate agent from Staffordshire. By day she’s a bubbly, vivacious character with a head full of curls and snippy comebacks – at night she sneaks into the local graveyard to raise the dead. Toni is a necromancer, she has to keep her strange ability to herself because necromancers are feared and hated in equal measure by vampires who in the past have hunted them down and killed them whenever possible. And, yes, vampires are an accepted part of this world. They live in the open (in Europe at least) and have an accord that allows them to live amongst humans (although there was a lot of deaths in this book alone that did give me pause for thought about how comfortably the two really can live together). As the story begins Toni is seeking a property for a vampire, a hot, sexy vampire who wants a remote property with lots of cellar space. At the same time Toni begins to experience trouble, people trying to kidnap her and all sorts of other shenanigans and the body count starts to rise.
This was a fun read, fast paced, a trifle silly maybe in places, but it was the sort of light popcorn read that I wanted at that particular time and so it fit the bill. I did have a few issues and at this point I’m not entirely sure if those can be laid at the door of first ‘book in series syndrome’. I would probably pick up No.2 to see how things develop though.
Firstly, the plot. It felt a little scattered to me. There is a mystery but it mostly revolves around vampire politics, not a cosy murder mystery which is the vibe I was originally picking up. That being put to one side, I enjoyed the writing style and the injection of humour and the pace definitely has legs.
The characters. Well, and this does sometimes happen for me, I found myself liking the peripheral characters rather than the main couple. So, for example, I really liked one of the characters that Toni kept raising from the grave, and I liked the old lady with the chocolate box cottage who loved to bake, but I felt that Toni was very blaize towards people in general, death and the like didn’t seem to really have an impact on her and considering some of the scrapes she got into I think I would have liked to see a bit more emotion. That, together with the instantaneous ‘love’ between Toni and the client she’s finding a house for didn’t really endear me to either of them. Particularly as, whenever Toni was being harassed by the vampire ‘boss’ her would-be boyfriend seemed to be nothing more than an idle bystander.
In terms of the world building. It’s a little skimpy. I would like to know more about Toni’s abilities which for the moment seem to be accredited quite simply to the ‘some people can and some people can’t’ school of thought. I don’t particularly have a problem with that and it’s possible that more information may be forthcoming as the series progresses.
I realise that probably all sounds a little negative, which isn’t really my intention. I can see this building up into a good fun series . I think it need a few things ironing out, particularly with Toni and her boyfriend because I’m not buying into that particular romance at all at the moment, but, if the author succeeds in generating a little more chemistry and sizzle then this could be a winner for many readers.
A UK-style Sookie Stackhouse with a character not completely unlike Bridget Jones and a few vampire and zombies thrown in for good measure.
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publishers, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
My rating 3 of 5 stars
dnf
October 23, 2021DNF at 45%
Grave Secrets is a humorous and fun adventure, but there were a few aspects that put me off and, after looking through some other reviews, motivated my decision to DNF.
First, the good. James certainly has a unique voice; I can't say I've ever read something quite like this. The writing style is very informal and very British. As an American, there were a number of seemingly inside jokes and other phrases that I didn't get, but this didn't lessen my enjoyment. The pacing is nonstop (perhaps a little too much so for me, as I'll explain below) and left me constantly eager to read the next chapter.
I also liked the characters. Toni, our protagonist, constantly jumps in to things head first, which often leads to trouble. She's a pretty typical girl (aside from the necromancer thing) but still manages to hold her own among the ongoing murder and mayhem. Bredon, her polite zombie friend, is my favorite character despite how little we see of him. He and Peter, my second favorite character, are rather thoughtful and constantly have Toni's back.
All this sounds great, right? So what's the problem?
Remember how I said this book moves fast? That remains true with the romance, which just didn't work for me. I'm totally down for a sexy vampire love interest, and I can typically deal with instalove even if it's not my favorite. But that's because instalove typically occurs between two people who are perfect for each other. In my opinion, Toni and Oscar are far from that. He's pushy and doesn't exactly respect boundaries (leading to some dubious consent). And while most of the time Toni is relatively logical and self-sufficient, when it comes to Oscar she just goes along with things because, apparently, it's inevitable that they'll end up married. (Though to me that seems like even more of a reason to establish boundaries up front.) When I realized I was shipping Toni more with several other people (one of which is an insatiable zombie) than with her actual love interest, I decided I was unlikely to get much satisfaction from the remainder of the book.
Beyond the romance, there were a couple of other contributing factors. The plot was heading in a direction I didn't really care about (I was more interested in the murder mystery than in the political machinations between various vampires clans), Toni was revealed to be , and sexual harassment was constantly brushed off in an almost humorous manner. Three men introduced so far were well known serial gropers, including Toni's boss, and apparently there was nothing to be done about it but to try to avoid giving them the opportunity. (I understand that at times women can't afford to report these offenses, but I still would prefer it to be taken more seriously.)
If you're looking to spend a few hours with a fast-paced, funny, and romantic paranormal adventure that doesn't require too much brain power, Grave Secrets might be great for you (depending on your tolerance for the portrayal of sexual harassment and dubious consent). I certainly found enjoyment in the story despite all of my complaints and could see myself finishing it if I were in a different mood, but I doubt it would have warranted over 3 stars.
Many thanks to Rebellion publishing and Netgalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Find more reviews and other bookish content on my blog!
Grave Secrets is a humorous and fun adventure, but there were a few aspects that put me off and, after looking through some other reviews, motivated my decision to DNF.
First, the good. James certainly has a unique voice; I can't say I've ever read something quite like this. The writing style is very informal and very British. As an American, there were a number of seemingly inside jokes and other phrases that I didn't get, but this didn't lessen my enjoyment. The pacing is nonstop (perhaps a little too much so for me, as I'll explain below) and left me constantly eager to read the next chapter.
I also liked the characters. Toni, our protagonist, constantly jumps in to things head first, which often leads to trouble. She's a pretty typical girl (aside from the necromancer thing) but still manages to hold her own among the ongoing murder and mayhem. Bredon, her polite zombie friend, is my favorite character despite how little we see of him. He and Peter, my second favorite character, are rather thoughtful and constantly have Toni's back.
All this sounds great, right? So what's the problem?
Remember how I said this book moves fast? That remains true with the romance, which just didn't work for me. I'm totally down for a sexy vampire love interest, and I can typically deal with instalove even if it's not my favorite. But that's because instalove typically occurs between two people who are perfect for each other. In my opinion, Toni and Oscar are far from that. He's pushy and doesn't exactly respect boundaries (leading to some dubious consent). And while most of the time Toni is relatively logical and self-sufficient, when it comes to Oscar she just goes along with things because, apparently, it's inevitable that they'll end up married. (Though to me that seems like even more of a reason to establish boundaries up front.) When I realized I was shipping Toni more with several other people (one of which is an insatiable zombie) than with her actual love interest, I decided I was unlikely to get much satisfaction from the remainder of the book.
Beyond the romance, there were a couple of other contributing factors. The plot was heading in a direction I didn't really care about (I was more interested in the murder mystery than in the political machinations between various vampires clans), Toni was revealed to be , and sexual harassment was constantly brushed off in an almost humorous manner. Three men introduced so far were well known serial gropers, including Toni's boss, and apparently there was nothing to be done about it but to try to avoid giving them the opportunity. (I understand that at times women can't afford to report these offenses, but I still would prefer it to be taken more seriously.)
If you're looking to spend a few hours with a fast-paced, funny, and romantic paranormal adventure that doesn't require too much brain power, Grave Secrets might be great for you (depending on your tolerance for the portrayal of sexual harassment and dubious consent). I certainly found enjoyment in the story despite all of my complaints and could see myself finishing it if I were in a different mood, but I doubt it would have warranted over 3 stars.
Many thanks to Rebellion publishing and Netgalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Find more reviews and other bookish content on my blog!
September 2, 2020
Grave Secrets
Author: Alice James
Publisher: Rebellion Publishing
Page count: 300pp
Release date: 3rd September 2020
For those urban fantasy fans of the 90s/00s raised on the likes of Nancy A Collins, Kim Harrison and Jim Butcher, you’ll feel an affinity for Alice James’ debut novel from Rebellion Publishing.
For me, Laurel K Hamilton was the must-read, and I fell in love with Anita Blake’s sassy zombie raiser and her gorgeous entourage including vampire master Jean Claude, but it was the world, not the erotica, that kept me reading.
If you loved the Anita Blake books but then the sex started getting in the way of story, you’ll love ‘Grave Secrets’.
Written in first person snark, Lavington Windsor is estate agent by day, necromancer by night. Like Blake, Lavington started raising zombies from age eight. It’s a Compulsion and if she doesn’t follow through it’s dangerous.
The night in Aug as the book starts, she’s attempting to raise Bredon Havers, armed with blood, salt, a nice packed lunch for the corpse and a bottle of Chanel; every necromancer worth their salt * sorry, not sorry * wears Chanel.
When Bredon arises, nearly three centuries dead, he’s quite well preserved, eloquent and rather dishy.
Her chat is interrupted by a call from her brother Wills, a cop in a sleepy Staffordshire village, who wants her to raise a murder victim for him to interview.
In this world, since the Heidelberg Accord, vampires have come out of the proverbial monster closet and co-exist within human communities. Though some USA States have a kill-on-site order. As a result, quite a few American vampires are immigrating to the UK.
Lavington or Toni, is a very likeable character. She’s not tall and lithe, she’s a short, wild redhead and talks sarcasm as a second language. Her insults are especially inventive, such as calling the head vampire "a fangy tosser". There are real laugh out loud moments in this novel, particularly the interview with dead body Fenella. The jokes are such that I let out a few indelicate snorts along the way.
However, it isn’t just about fun adventures. There are some thinly veiled anti-racism and anti-prejudice analogies in the novel, for instance, the U.K. Anti-vampire Party, AKA UKAP. And so far, given the two vampire characters we have met appear likeable, even friendly, the analogies work very well. Of course, it wouldn’t be a modern urban fantasy - albeit in a rural setting - without one of two hot vampires, in the shape of debonair Oscar, her soon to be boyfriend, and sexy arrogant head vampire Benedict Akil.
At this point I have to tell you I’m from Birmingham UK, and I still found the bumbling jerks from the Moseley Mafia to be very amusing. Speaking of amusing, Peter is a great character - a sweet, domestic Renfield,who also happens to be a talented doctor - and I'd like to see more of him in the next book.
With its cosy paranormal crime setting but it's big city characters and attitude, the series is up there with Kim Harrison, Charlaine Harris, Chloe Neill and Ben Aaronovitch.
Though we're just getting used to this diverse world and the strength of Toni's resolve plus some hotter than hell vampires, this is truly an addictive book with plenty of scope for more adventures. There's also lots of viscera for fans of blood and gore.
This is very much in the vein, ahem, of Buffy meets Midsummer Murders.
A brilliant, funny debut novel.
I can't wait for more of Toni's adventures.
Author: Alice James
Publisher: Rebellion Publishing
Page count: 300pp
Release date: 3rd September 2020
For those urban fantasy fans of the 90s/00s raised on the likes of Nancy A Collins, Kim Harrison and Jim Butcher, you’ll feel an affinity for Alice James’ debut novel from Rebellion Publishing.
For me, Laurel K Hamilton was the must-read, and I fell in love with Anita Blake’s sassy zombie raiser and her gorgeous entourage including vampire master Jean Claude, but it was the world, not the erotica, that kept me reading.
If you loved the Anita Blake books but then the sex started getting in the way of story, you’ll love ‘Grave Secrets’.
Written in first person snark, Lavington Windsor is estate agent by day, necromancer by night. Like Blake, Lavington started raising zombies from age eight. It’s a Compulsion and if she doesn’t follow through it’s dangerous.
The night in Aug as the book starts, she’s attempting to raise Bredon Havers, armed with blood, salt, a nice packed lunch for the corpse and a bottle of Chanel; every necromancer worth their salt * sorry, not sorry * wears Chanel.
When Bredon arises, nearly three centuries dead, he’s quite well preserved, eloquent and rather dishy.
Her chat is interrupted by a call from her brother Wills, a cop in a sleepy Staffordshire village, who wants her to raise a murder victim for him to interview.
In this world, since the Heidelberg Accord, vampires have come out of the proverbial monster closet and co-exist within human communities. Though some USA States have a kill-on-site order. As a result, quite a few American vampires are immigrating to the UK.
Lavington or Toni, is a very likeable character. She’s not tall and lithe, she’s a short, wild redhead and talks sarcasm as a second language. Her insults are especially inventive, such as calling the head vampire "a fangy tosser". There are real laugh out loud moments in this novel, particularly the interview with dead body Fenella. The jokes are such that I let out a few indelicate snorts along the way.
However, it isn’t just about fun adventures. There are some thinly veiled anti-racism and anti-prejudice analogies in the novel, for instance, the U.K. Anti-vampire Party, AKA UKAP. And so far, given the two vampire characters we have met appear likeable, even friendly, the analogies work very well. Of course, it wouldn’t be a modern urban fantasy - albeit in a rural setting - without one of two hot vampires, in the shape of debonair Oscar, her soon to be boyfriend, and sexy arrogant head vampire Benedict Akil.
At this point I have to tell you I’m from Birmingham UK, and I still found the bumbling jerks from the Moseley Mafia to be very amusing. Speaking of amusing, Peter is a great character - a sweet, domestic Renfield,who also happens to be a talented doctor - and I'd like to see more of him in the next book.
With its cosy paranormal crime setting but it's big city characters and attitude, the series is up there with Kim Harrison, Charlaine Harris, Chloe Neill and Ben Aaronovitch.
Though we're just getting used to this diverse world and the strength of Toni's resolve plus some hotter than hell vampires, this is truly an addictive book with plenty of scope for more adventures. There's also lots of viscera for fans of blood and gore.
This is very much in the vein, ahem, of Buffy meets Midsummer Murders.
A brilliant, funny debut novel.
I can't wait for more of Toni's adventures.
August 31, 2022
I wanted to like this book, I really did. It sounded cute and fun and interesting, but left me feeling uncomfortable and honestly astounded that someone wrote this in 2020.
Please don't read this book if you're uncomfortable with sexual harrassment. Or if you have any respect for women in general, really.
The narrator will mention sexual assault/harrassment literally any time it is possible to do so, and then some. It's like she's trying to win an award. There's a character literally called "Gropey George" who is an old man who squeezes her bum and thighs but the narrator just rolls her eyes and goes "oh that's just Gropey George haha!" This happens so many times in the story I lost count — Toni wears a low cut dress and wonders if it "invites gropes", to which her male best mate says "I was considering having a grope myself". Not the quirky joke you think it is. Actually really creepy. One of the other male main characters kisses her without her consent and repeatedly asks her if he can bed her despite her constant declines. Harrassment, and honestly quite terrifying. Oh, and Toni's male boss literally comes to work wearing a tie with pictures of naked women on it. Like? Hello? What year is it and why was that okay to write? And I don't know, to me, it seems as though the narrator has some form of internalised misogyny since every insult thrown at the main character uses the word "bitch". Over and over... I could go on.
For a book with an author who LITERALLY calls herself a "rabid left wing woke snowflake feminist" (her words, not mine), I guess I expected it to respect women a bit more.
Aside from that, I'd like to bring up that the contents of the book are nothing like what is described in the blurb — the blurb is actually really misleading.
● "...but first she’s got to deal with zombies rising from their graves, vampires sneaking out of their coffins and a murder to solve."
So, for one, the zombies rising from their graves is not a problem she has to deal with, but a hobby she chooses to do. She never has problems with this, and she does it to her benefit multiple times. The vampires are not sneaking out of their coffins, but instead are a relatively normal part of society—no mystery, no fantasy aspect. They just exist. Which is fine! But it should be marketed as such. The murder she "needs to solve" is a TOTAL afterthought. It's brought up maybe twice: once at the start of the book and then oh yeah it's also tacked on at the end. Not an integral part to the story, not something "she needs to solve" at all.
Now, those things in themselves aren't issues with the plot; the plot itself wasn't bad. In fact, I quite enjoyed it! But it was everything else in the book that spoiled this. The constant, *constant* mentions to sexual harrassment painted as a complete joke made it really unenjoyable.
The writing style itself would be cute and quirky were it not for Toni finding any opportunity to joke about harrassment. The romance was totally rushed and cheesily love-at-first-sight and Toni had way more chemistry with the boyfriend's best mate than with the boyfriend himself. The plot was alright though but nothing like what was described.
I wish I'd liked it, truly. But as it stands, I wouldn't recommend it. I hope if the author writes more in the future, she'll hire a sensitivity reader :(
Please don't read this book if you're uncomfortable with sexual harrassment. Or if you have any respect for women in general, really.
The narrator will mention sexual assault/harrassment literally any time it is possible to do so, and then some. It's like she's trying to win an award. There's a character literally called "Gropey George" who is an old man who squeezes her bum and thighs but the narrator just rolls her eyes and goes "oh that's just Gropey George haha!" This happens so many times in the story I lost count — Toni wears a low cut dress and wonders if it "invites gropes", to which her male best mate says "I was considering having a grope myself". Not the quirky joke you think it is. Actually really creepy. One of the other male main characters kisses her without her consent and repeatedly asks her if he can bed her despite her constant declines. Harrassment, and honestly quite terrifying. Oh, and Toni's male boss literally comes to work wearing a tie with pictures of naked women on it. Like? Hello? What year is it and why was that okay to write? And I don't know, to me, it seems as though the narrator has some form of internalised misogyny since every insult thrown at the main character uses the word "bitch". Over and over... I could go on.
For a book with an author who LITERALLY calls herself a "rabid left wing woke snowflake feminist" (her words, not mine), I guess I expected it to respect women a bit more.
Aside from that, I'd like to bring up that the contents of the book are nothing like what is described in the blurb — the blurb is actually really misleading.
● "...but first she’s got to deal with zombies rising from their graves, vampires sneaking out of their coffins and a murder to solve."
So, for one, the zombies rising from their graves is not a problem she has to deal with, but a hobby she chooses to do. She never has problems with this, and she does it to her benefit multiple times. The vampires are not sneaking out of their coffins, but instead are a relatively normal part of society—no mystery, no fantasy aspect. They just exist. Which is fine! But it should be marketed as such. The murder she "needs to solve" is a TOTAL afterthought. It's brought up maybe twice: once at the start of the book and then oh yeah it's also tacked on at the end. Not an integral part to the story, not something "she needs to solve" at all.
Now, those things in themselves aren't issues with the plot; the plot itself wasn't bad. In fact, I quite enjoyed it! But it was everything else in the book that spoiled this. The constant, *constant* mentions to sexual harrassment painted as a complete joke made it really unenjoyable.
The writing style itself would be cute and quirky were it not for Toni finding any opportunity to joke about harrassment. The romance was totally rushed and cheesily love-at-first-sight and Toni had way more chemistry with the boyfriend's best mate than with the boyfriend himself. The plot was alright though but nothing like what was described.
I wish I'd liked it, truly. But as it stands, I wouldn't recommend it. I hope if the author writes more in the future, she'll hire a sensitivity reader :(
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 29, 2021
Estate Agents.
They aren't exactly universally loved are they?
Name one from literature? It might take a while.
Can't think of one can you?
It's all right neither could I.
Well after you read Grave Secrets you might just have a new found respect for the peddlers of houses because Toni Windsor is the hero Staffordshire deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So they'll hunt her. Because she can take it. Because she's not our hero. She's an exceptionally chatty guardian with a love for shoes, a watchful protector. A Necromancer Estate Agent.
Alice James has created a fantastic protagonist in Lavington Windsor. Likeable, enjoyable and above all believable.
James creates characters it's very difficult not to feel invested in. Seemingly throwaway characters are fleshed out to the point you feel you might have met them. You come to care about recurring characters very quickly and the main characters you either love or hate depending if the author wants you to or not.
Peril is handled very well in this book. When characters are in danger, you feel they are in danger. The first meeting with the Vampire Big Kahuna Benedict Akil was particularly fraught. Also when characters are feeling something else you feel that too, but more about that in a minute.
This book is funny. I mean laugh out loud funny. The author has a fantastic grasp of observational humour and amusing little every day occurrences. It reminded me a little of how Terry Pratchett deftly wielded humour in his writing.
A clever Who Dunnit weaves it's way leisurely through the entire book and you get an almost "Murder She Wrote" vibe from Toni Winsdor. If Jessica Fletcher sold houses and banged Vampires that is.
Talking of banging, there is a lot in this book. Sex scenes in fiction generally are not easy to read or I imagine write. Alice James nails it - so to speak. The erotic sections of Grave Secrets are just that. Erotic. I had to clutch at my pearls more than once and this is a testament to her skill as an author.
World building in this is excellent. It's entirely believable that Vampires have emerged from the shadows and live among us. That the old guy who sits in the corner of the pub every night is a 300 year old bloodsucker. The back story, lore, politics of the Vampire world and even terms used like "Assemblage" and "Coterie" build this world of Vampires living amongst us. But even world building in the sense of describing the area of England the books are set in is excellent. Grave Secrets should be handed out by the Staffordshire Tourist Office because after reading it I really want to go there. After just one book I feel I know it such are the authors descriptive talents.
I listened to the Audio Version of Grave Secrets and it's read by the author herself. it's an outstanding performance and sometimes you can hear the joke coming because you hear Alice James smile at her own work and it's so endearing. If you have an audible account this is well worth your credit.
I'm making no secret of the fact I loved this book. It made me laugh, it's exciting and 100 percent hornier than any book featuring an estate agent should be.
I for one can't wait for Toni Windsor's next adventure.
They aren't exactly universally loved are they?
Name one from literature? It might take a while.
Can't think of one can you?
It's all right neither could I.
Well after you read Grave Secrets you might just have a new found respect for the peddlers of houses because Toni Windsor is the hero Staffordshire deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So they'll hunt her. Because she can take it. Because she's not our hero. She's an exceptionally chatty guardian with a love for shoes, a watchful protector. A Necromancer Estate Agent.
Alice James has created a fantastic protagonist in Lavington Windsor. Likeable, enjoyable and above all believable.
James creates characters it's very difficult not to feel invested in. Seemingly throwaway characters are fleshed out to the point you feel you might have met them. You come to care about recurring characters very quickly and the main characters you either love or hate depending if the author wants you to or not.
Peril is handled very well in this book. When characters are in danger, you feel they are in danger. The first meeting with the Vampire Big Kahuna Benedict Akil was particularly fraught. Also when characters are feeling something else you feel that too, but more about that in a minute.
This book is funny. I mean laugh out loud funny. The author has a fantastic grasp of observational humour and amusing little every day occurrences. It reminded me a little of how Terry Pratchett deftly wielded humour in his writing.
A clever Who Dunnit weaves it's way leisurely through the entire book and you get an almost "Murder She Wrote" vibe from Toni Winsdor. If Jessica Fletcher sold houses and banged Vampires that is.
Talking of banging, there is a lot in this book. Sex scenes in fiction generally are not easy to read or I imagine write. Alice James nails it - so to speak. The erotic sections of Grave Secrets are just that. Erotic. I had to clutch at my pearls more than once and this is a testament to her skill as an author.
World building in this is excellent. It's entirely believable that Vampires have emerged from the shadows and live among us. That the old guy who sits in the corner of the pub every night is a 300 year old bloodsucker. The back story, lore, politics of the Vampire world and even terms used like "Assemblage" and "Coterie" build this world of Vampires living amongst us. But even world building in the sense of describing the area of England the books are set in is excellent. Grave Secrets should be handed out by the Staffordshire Tourist Office because after reading it I really want to go there. After just one book I feel I know it such are the authors descriptive talents.
I listened to the Audio Version of Grave Secrets and it's read by the author herself. it's an outstanding performance and sometimes you can hear the joke coming because you hear Alice James smile at her own work and it's so endearing. If you have an audible account this is well worth your credit.
I'm making no secret of the fact I loved this book. It made me laugh, it's exciting and 100 percent hornier than any book featuring an estate agent should be.
I for one can't wait for Toni Windsor's next adventure.
October 20, 2021
I think this book is a victim of the wrong marketing. The cover and back cover seem to promise a fun mystery with an intelligent necromancer protagonist. It is not.
This book starts off well, but then takes an unexpected turn that needs some content warnings. The reader is asked to accept some things in the story, but the novel makes little attempt to support those asks.
I have no idea why the protagonist Toni is with, or even likes, the romantic male lead Oscar. They never have a real conversation or a pleasant interaction. He is described as impulsive, selfish, and hot. That’s really it. But we are asked to believe that Toni is very experienced and loves him. And their first intimate encounter is described as feeling like an “assault”. Not ok!
And everyone wants to assault Toni. It’s really uncomfortable. A character is a known harasser and groper, but that’s not a big deal for any character. The book treats assault too casually, where at night she is attacked and threatened with torn clothes and by day buying new handbags.
We are also asked to see this as a mystery. The whodunnit is pushed so far to the side that when the killer is revealed, I had forgotten who they were or why they mattered to the story. And at the end, Toni is asked to give up the male lead for a safer life, and she says no. Why?!
I’m sad that this marketing and concept was used for this book. It’s very misleading.
This book starts off well, but then takes an unexpected turn that needs some content warnings. The reader is asked to accept some things in the story, but the novel makes little attempt to support those asks.
I have no idea why the protagonist Toni is with, or even likes, the romantic male lead Oscar. They never have a real conversation or a pleasant interaction. He is described as impulsive, selfish, and hot. That’s really it. But we are asked to believe that Toni is very experienced and loves him. And their first intimate encounter is described as feeling like an “assault”. Not ok!
And everyone wants to assault Toni. It’s really uncomfortable. A character is a known harasser and groper, but that’s not a big deal for any character. The book treats assault too casually, where at night she is attacked and threatened with torn clothes and by day buying new handbags.
We are also asked to see this as a mystery. The whodunnit is pushed so far to the side that when the killer is revealed, I had forgotten who they were or why they mattered to the story. And at the end, Toni is asked to give up the male lead for a safer life, and she says no. Why?!
I’m sad that this marketing and concept was used for this book. It’s very misleading.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
dnf
September 2, 2020**I was provided with an ARC through the publisher in exchange for an honest review**
I've had to put this book down. It doesn't seem to be the book for me.
Grave Secrets follows Lavington 'Toni' Windsor, who is a necromancer by night and an estate agent by day, and living in a world where vampires are allowed to freely coexist (well in Europe anyways) she sells houses to vampires too.
Though indulging in such affairs proves to be much messier than her usual late night cemetery excursions.
It has been a fun and quirky read thus far - the necromancy elements are really cool (particularly the fact that she can raise dead bodies which are part of homicide cases to help her detective brother with his investigations) as well as the history and affairs surrounding the vampires.
However, for starters there's a relationship which is insta love (personally one of my most hated tropes) and the love interest didn't have much of a personality besides being a vampire and being borderline controlling which didn't sit well with me. There were also some offhand comments in the book that didn't either. The dialogue between the characters also felt really off at times.
So though I'm curious to see where the story goes i'm not curious enough to actually continue and i'm choosing to put the book down. I may come back to it someday though.
DNFed at page 121
I've had to put this book down. It doesn't seem to be the book for me.
Grave Secrets follows Lavington 'Toni' Windsor, who is a necromancer by night and an estate agent by day, and living in a world where vampires are allowed to freely coexist (well in Europe anyways) she sells houses to vampires too.
Though indulging in such affairs proves to be much messier than her usual late night cemetery excursions.
It has been a fun and quirky read thus far - the necromancy elements are really cool (particularly the fact that she can raise dead bodies which are part of homicide cases to help her detective brother with his investigations) as well as the history and affairs surrounding the vampires.
However, for starters there's a relationship which is insta love (personally one of my most hated tropes) and the love interest didn't have much of a personality besides being a vampire and being borderline controlling which didn't sit well with me. There were also some offhand comments in the book that didn't either. The dialogue between the characters also felt really off at times.
So though I'm curious to see where the story goes i'm not curious enough to actually continue and i'm choosing to put the book down. I may come back to it someday though.
DNFed at page 121
August 29, 2020
Grave Secrets was funny, touching, well plotted and all round enjoyable. I adored Toni right from the start of the book. She just felt so real and believable (even with her ability to raise the dead). I was completely on her side the whole time.
The Zombies in this book were brilliant, a very clever take on the genre and I loved how they weren’t just completely mindless.
Our vamps were very much traditional vampires, which was just fine by me. The vampire society built up in the book was excellent as well.
All the characters here were so well written but I have a special soft spot for Bredon and funnily enough Benedict (there are definitely some more revelations to come there). Peter is a darling as well.
I can’t talk about this book without also mentioning the amazing cover that hits the feel of this book straight on.
If you love Zombies, Vampires or just books that are really good fun (even if gory in places) then you should definitely pick this one up. I will definitely be on the look out for the next book in this series.
The Zombies in this book were brilliant, a very clever take on the genre and I loved how they weren’t just completely mindless.
Our vamps were very much traditional vampires, which was just fine by me. The vampire society built up in the book was excellent as well.
All the characters here were so well written but I have a special soft spot for Bredon and funnily enough Benedict (there are definitely some more revelations to come there). Peter is a darling as well.
I can’t talk about this book without also mentioning the amazing cover that hits the feel of this book straight on.
If you love Zombies, Vampires or just books that are really good fun (even if gory in places) then you should definitely pick this one up. I will definitely be on the look out for the next book in this series.
September 1, 2020
First off, thank you to NetGalley for the free ARC of this book.
Ok.... so.... I struggled with this book. Hard. And I still don't quite know how I feel about it. It seemed so promising in the beginning, but then everything went off of the rails. I was expecting a humorous, paranormal mystery and instead got a bit of a train wreck.
I think in the end most of my issues with this book boil down to Oscar. I cant stand him. The insta-love was sickening and he is so one dimensional that I wished I could stake him multiple times. I HATED the fact that when Toni got upset about things he would proposition her as though sex would solve everything. What the hell?
I enjoyed the idea of a necromancer with a zombie bestie. I adored Bredon. Peter confused me as I originally was picturing a stout little man with glasses, yet he somehow ends up being a super buff, super hot doctor..... who I liked, if I'm honest. I even liked Benedict (at least more than Oscar). Camilla seems ... ridiculous though charming. This whole book had so much potential and ended up being a disappointment.
Ok.... so.... I struggled with this book. Hard. And I still don't quite know how I feel about it. It seemed so promising in the beginning, but then everything went off of the rails. I was expecting a humorous, paranormal mystery and instead got a bit of a train wreck.
I think in the end most of my issues with this book boil down to Oscar. I cant stand him. The insta-love was sickening and he is so one dimensional that I wished I could stake him multiple times. I HATED the fact that when Toni got upset about things he would proposition her as though sex would solve everything. What the hell?
I enjoyed the idea of a necromancer with a zombie bestie. I adored Bredon. Peter confused me as I originally was picturing a stout little man with glasses, yet he somehow ends up being a super buff, super hot doctor..... who I liked, if I'm honest. I even liked Benedict (at least more than Oscar). Camilla seems ... ridiculous though charming. This whole book had so much potential and ended up being a disappointment.
November 29, 2020
A humorous, lively book about the dead lol. Vampires and Zombies. There are good vampires and bad vampires. Good humans and bad humans. Every race has their bad apples. The author did a wonderful job balancing those., Also, no characters out did the other. Strong smart woman and strong smart men. I love that in a book! Most books nowadays the female character is so overly abundantly smart and strong and the all the male characters are weak and spineless. I did not get that in this book, and for that I want to Thank the author. I love Toni's attitude on things. She gets groped by certain guys and she knows what to expect. She never plays the victim. I love her sarcasm and she can laugh at herself. This is a fun read!
In this book you get wit, sarcasm, blood lots of blood, open minded relationships, and a rabbit that didn't know what hit him. To me it is more if an action book with a small mystery, paranormal and romance. I give this book 5 stars. I am looking forward to the second book in this series. Can't wait to read more about Toni, Bredon, Oscar and Peter.
In this book you get wit, sarcasm, blood lots of blood, open minded relationships, and a rabbit that didn't know what hit him. To me it is more if an action book with a small mystery, paranormal and romance. I give this book 5 stars. I am looking forward to the second book in this series. Can't wait to read more about Toni, Bredon, Oscar and Peter.
June 24, 2021
I really wanted to like this book more. The writing is good, the opening hooks you, the premise is interesting, and there were some amusing scenes. I'm sure there are many who will enjoy it, but it's not for me.
There are too many annoying issues. When writing paranormal you can only stretch the unbelievable so far, and this book stretches more than Spanx. For example:
The MC, Toni, is apparently so attractive that everyone who isn't gay or related to her wants to have sex with her. But of course she's very deprecating about her own looks.
All of the supernaturals are supremely good-looking.
Toni gets beaten up, twice, and takes painkillers and alcohol, yet somehow she's refreshed and ready to go after a long nap.
After less than two days, Toni tells her vampire boyfriend, who has all the personality of a porn-obsessed teenager, that she loves him. Of course he loves her too.
The story is billed as funny, yet there are numerous instances of abusive rapey behavior.
The author has talent, I just wish she would put it to better use.
There are too many annoying issues. When writing paranormal you can only stretch the unbelievable so far, and this book stretches more than Spanx. For example:
The MC, Toni, is apparently so attractive that everyone who isn't gay or related to her wants to have sex with her. But of course she's very deprecating about her own looks.
All of the supernaturals are supremely good-looking.
Toni gets beaten up, twice, and takes painkillers and alcohol, yet somehow she's refreshed and ready to go after a long nap.
After less than two days, Toni tells her vampire boyfriend, who has all the personality of a porn-obsessed teenager, that she loves him. Of course he loves her too.
The story is billed as funny, yet there are numerous instances of abusive rapey behavior.
The author has talent, I just wish she would put it to better use.
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