One Heart

by Chace Verity

At thirty-five, Vincent Ezell has settled into a routine. The nonbinary bartender sleeps during the day, serves drinks at night, contemplates the mysterious pendant his biological parents left him in between, and (most importantly) avoids dating coworkers. It's isolating, but anything is better than getting ghosted again—at least, he clings to this belief until his hot new coworker melts the walls guarding his fragile heart.

Kit Clayton has broken ties with his morally bankrupt family and their billion-dollar oil company, prompting him to borrow money from a shady lender and start again on his own. Despite the challenges, his broken heart gets soothed by a cute, scrappy bartender. Kit's new life seems to be going well until the snowy winter night he disappears.

Months after getting ghosted, the still-grieving Vincent winds up reuniting with his crush—by accidentally reviving him from his icy coffin. The newly awakened necromancer's routine gets turned upside down as he works with Kit to solve the zombie’s murder, investigate his own mysterious origins, and deal with the demon following them. Everything would be easier if they weren’t now sharing a heart—Kit might have died, but Vincent's feelings for him live on.

---

One Heart is a full-length, standalone paranormal romance novel.

Genres: Romance, Queer, Ebooks, Fantasy, Paranormal, Mystery, Genderfluid

380 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 30, 2022

About the author

Chace Verity (she/they) is publishing queer as heck stories with a strong romantic focus, although queer friendships and found families are important too. Chace prefers to write fantasy but dabbles in contemporary and historical fiction as well. An American citizen & Canadian permanent resident, Chace will probably never be able to call a gallon of milk a "four-liter."

Reviews

[b.andherbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only Chace Verity can make me believe that a love interest getting murdered and coming back as a zombie could be sweet, sexy, and so much fun. I loved the world building, the glimpses of characters from Verity's Satisfaction Demon books, and Kit & Vincent 🥺.

Kit is a golden retriever, pansexual himbo and Vincent cannot believe this sweet man could love them the way Kit does, so of course when Kit disappears Vincent believes they've been ghosted yet again. The lore behind Kit stumbling into their necromancy powers and the large, anatomical heart pendant were intriguing and so different from anything i've read in romance in awhile.

Do note, there is quite a bit of gore and I had to settle myself imagining Kit with the big hole in his chest. Plus you know, the murdery stuff.

Super fun.

Content notes: Kit is a pansexual, white cis man and former rich boy heir, Vincent is a white, queer nonbinary bartender who discovers they are a necromancer (their parents are deceased). Blood, murder, body horror, ghosts, scary stuff, death and reanimation

[Shelba · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 13%.

A necromancer & and their zombie love interest sounds amazing. I so wanted to like this. I actually had my eye in it for a bit, but also knew my one other attempt at Chace Verity ended in a DNF. But I had hoped this would go better.

So this is set in Calgary. And Kit’s family are evil oil industry tycoons. Alberta & oil are not things I want to read about. There’s mention of the company workers being upset about “Indigenous peoples wanted the company to stop destroying their homes”. And then politics about the crazy, fictional RCA political party. I really don’t enjoy politics in my romance books.

But, I was like, maybe it won’t pop up that much and I can just enjoy this in spite of that. But Chance Verity had another card up their sleeve to drive me up the wall: epithets.

Note, these are just from the first 3 chapters and are only for Kit or Vincent, not any of the side characters:

* the veteran bartender x2
* the giant greenhorn
* the oddly enamored bartender
* the sentimental person
* the flustered bartender
* the advice-bearer
* the moody bartender
* the older person x4
* the crush-haver x2
* the totally smitten man
* the blushing rose
* the scrappy nonbinary bartender
* the new Calgarian
* the veteran resident
* the older bartender
* the personification of sunshine
* the gentle giant
* the younger man
* the gentle man
* the infatuated person
* the friendly ray of sunshine
* the broad man
* the sweet man
* the eloquent crush-haver
* the larger man
* the water-lover
* the flustered person
* the smitten person
* the tall, muscular man
* the lonely person
* the equally lonely man
* the Jolly Green Giant
* the tense person
* the easily-wounded person
* the anxious person

Why bother giving your characters names when you can call them anything but?

Necromancer and a zombie boy just don’t have a chance against these super distracting epithets. I can’t do it. It’s not worth it. The disappointed reader is quitting.

[Danni · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A very fun read and exactly what I needed right now.

Vince is a grumpy enby bartender, who has firm rules against dating coworkers but immediately hits it off with the tall sunshine Kit, and they can't help themselves. It's all very adorable aaaand then Kit dies within the first few chapters.

I was kind of worried at first, considering that one of the main characters dying is a pretty heavy thing to tackle, but I really appreciated the way it was handled. Kit thinks he's been ghosted until he accidentally revives Kit as a zombie . They work together to try to solve what happened to Kit, Vince's surprise necromancer abilities, and some ghost hunting shenanigans.

Shenanigans spoilers: a sex curse, made me literally laugh, and was a lot of fun.

Given plot of the book, this had the potential to be a very heavy read. But it maintains a very light feeling throughout. The book wraps up everything very nicely by the end, but leaves a lot open for more to come, and introduces a bunch of characters I want to know more about and I'm very excited to see if more comes of this.

5 stars - please check this out, because I really loved it.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another banger (literally) from Chace! The sense of playfulness and joy that permeates this author's writing is aspirational and, frankly, a blessing in These Incredibly Precedented Times. Big feelings, big imagination, big [redacted]: why SHOULDN'T there be sprawling universes of creative, fresh-feeling urban fantasy, populated by zombies, demons, necromancers heavy on the romance, the odd human, and more? I especially enjoy Chace's commitment to not-always-glamorous-but-true-to-life settings and locales, and the relationships and realities stemming from the places we live and work. Chace's characters might find themselves in outlandish straits, but the emotions those situations rouse, and the connections Kit and Vincent forge or destroy to deal with what they're going through, are as real and vital as air.

[Elizabeth]

I don’t think I can handle the zombie storyline.

[Ren · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5* for the story. 1* for the overuse of epithets instead of using the characters’s names. It drove me mad and kept throwing me out of the story.

[tysephine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I could not handle the amount of epithets in this book. Just use the character's name or a pronoun!

[scarr · Rating 5 out of 5]

RTC, ARC

Bang In the Night Bingo Murder, They Wrote!

[Emmalita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chace Verity is one of my favorite authors of the past couple of years. Their soft Canadian demon romances are delightful, weird, and fun. They also acknowledge and address the frustrations of existing in late stage capitalism with it’s dehumanization and the constant grind of mere existence. In One Heart, they give us a true romance where the love interest dies early in the book and then raise their middle fingers at Canada’s far Right. Perfect for spooky season election season. (If you can register to vote, please do and please vote.)

Vince (they/them) is a grumpy bartender in Calgary. They tend to keep to themselves, not interacting much with co-workers, especially after being ghosted (non paranormally) by their last romantic partner, Nathalie. When the very handsome and sunshiney Kit (he/him) comes to work at the bar, Vince plans to keep them a little farther than arms length. Kit is instantly smitten and invents all kinds of reason to spend time with Vince. Just as Vince is letting down their guard enough to agree to a real date and serious kiss, Kit disappears. Vince assumes that Kit has returned to the fold of his very rich family.

Until something weird happens and while attempting to escape an attack, Vince jumps into the Bow River and accidentally revives Kit’s dead body. This is how Vince learns they are a necromancer from a line of necromancers. Vince and Kit also learn demons are real and that zombies eat ghosts, not alive people.

As Vince and Kit get thrown headfirst into this paranormal world, they learn they must solve Kit’s murder and free him from his grudge. They both need to learn a lot more than they wanted to about their families, and figure out the power dynamics of sharing a heart.

I love the way Chace Verity handles the hearts of their characters. Kit and Vince both experience and work through a great deal of trauma, but never in a way that would traumatize readers. One Heart also brings in some demons we got to know in other books. Harrison’s son Justin (from Match With a Demon) good naturedly joins the ghost hunting and grudge busting shenanigans. Vince’s whole plan to keep himself protected from love, friendship and family was destined to fail.

CW: murder, death of parents off page, toxic family, toxic workplace, hostile ghosts, parental abandonment, politics.

I received this as an advance reader copy from the author. My opinions are my own, honestly and freely given.

[Bethany · Rating 2 out of 5]

More of a 2.5.

I probably should have DNFed this. But I really wanted to know where the story went, but I felt like this was a bit of a disappointment.

This is about Vincent and Kit. Vincent is a grumpy nonbinary person who learns they are a necromancer when they accidentally resurrect Kit, the former coworker Vincent had a crush on who they assumed ghosted them. Kit is now a zombie (who was the sunshine character) and shenanigans ensure.

I was excited about the concept of a zombie romance like Warm Bodies. And there were interesting ideas for this world in necromancy and zombies. The first problem was the pacing of this was all over the place. it was SO slow. It needed to be 100 pages shorter (if not more). I know the author is known for their books with demons, but I felt like I didn't need the demons and would rather have focused on just the necromancy.

I know the writer was trying to write a book about a nonbinary person which is great. Vincent went by he/they pronouns, but the language got bogged down with this. They kept using "annoyed person, aggravated person, curious person" as descriptors for the main character. But it would have been better to lean more heavily into the they pronoun. Kit goes by he so the reader would know the difference. It was A LOT of that in the narrative and it made for a more difficult read.

I liked the concept of the One Heart power, but it took Vincent WAY too long to figure it out. I liked the zombie eating ghosts concept. I thought the grudge concept was interesting but it also was a bit confusing and I didn't really understand why it was so bad by the end. I didn't like the last scene of them visiting Kit's family and interaction with the demon. It made no sense.

I really liked Vincent and Kit though. The only downside is that Kit as the sunshine character kind of lost his spark when he becomes a zombie. He's a little bit more dulled down, but still cute. Also apparently zombies can't be sexually aroused or have orgasms. But he gets pleasure from Vincent's pleasure. Like I guess that's okay? but seemed an unbalanced dynamic? I kind of hoped Kit would have his sexy moment too.

I know the author mentions how much they poured into the book, which I appreciate. But I think the concepts could have been better and the pacing needed to be adjusted.

[Riayl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet & Sexy

Excellent read with a cast of highly entertaining characters - humans, demons, AND ghosts. The romance was both soft & sweet AND hot & sexy. The lore around necromancers, zombies, demons and ghosts was well thought out and fascinating and I really enjoyed that things didn't get divided into black and white. "Not all ghosts are bad, and not all demons are good."

The only, tiny, niggle I had was that in many places the author chose to use a phrase instead of him/they/Vincent and at times this was jarring and seemed overly cumbersome. I'd like to stress that I do not mean this as a problem with Vincent being nonbinary, or using other terms. But in one sentence the author uses he and him and then something like "the cursed person" (usually the phrase used instead of he/him they/them or Vincent would be a descriptor followed by person). I don't know if this was done on purpose to remind us that Vincent is nonbinary or just to reduce using he/him or both. I understand not wanting to use he/him too much when your character is nb, even if their pronouns are he/them, because that can really erase the "them" part. I would just suggest using Vincent in more places where it works - there were places it really wouldn't have - for better flow. But! I don't identify as nonbinary, so my opinion on this is low on the importance pole. I don't THINK suggesting the use of the character's actual name in more places instead of "the tired person" or "the excited person" is offensive, but, again, not enby so I may be wrong and will happily apologize. I really only suggest it because the constant use of phrases in place of one word made the writing feel clunky in places, to me. It might not have that effect on others, sometimes my brain is weird.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded up. This book is irritating to read due to the overuse of epithets to describe the characters, especially when in their viewpoint. Example:

The last item he put on was his pendant. He never went anywhere without the heavy chain carrying an even heavier heart of gold. The sentimental person only took it off for work, showers, and sex - for some reason, his bedroom partners all found the realistic replica of the human organ to be a mood killer. Draping the pendant around his neck always soothed the frequently irritated bartender.

The "sentimental person" and the "frequently irritated bartender" are both Vincent, the POV character. It's like this on almost every page. It's such a strange stylistic choice and it threw me out of the book almost every time.

The world building is wonky too. He finds out he’s a necromancer which apparently manifests around 35 and parents usually give their kids up for adoption since it’s so dangerous being a necromancer. And they show up again when they’re 35 to go over the necromancer stuff. It really doesn’t make sense – lots of people already have kids by the time they’re 35 – they’re going to suddenly give up their 10-year old for adoption? And if they’re waiting until after 35 to have kids, and then the parents are showing up when their kid is 35, then the parents have to be at least 70. It really doesn't make sense if you think about it for even a few minutes. This is a pet peeve of mine. Authors don't need Tolkien levels of world building but at least think about your concept for a few minutes or run it by someone else.

But even with that, the story and characters were interesting enough to keep going.

[dee~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually a pretty solid and interesting story. Never really got boring. Still, I have to agree with some of the other readers. The overuse of epithets was off-putting. I even thought about quitting around 50%, but continued since I liked both MCs and wanted to know how everything would turn out in the end.

[Teamama · Rating 5 out of 5]

A necromantic treat, just in time for spooky season! Chace Verity has a deft touch with paranormal romance. The worldbuilding is *chef's kiss*. The balance between comedy, dark comedy, & just plain horrifying is excellent. Our hero & non-binary heroic person are delightfully queer. I can't wait for their next adventures.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was sweet, a little silly, and utterly charming.

It required a certain amount of suspension of disbelief given my mental image of zombies is of the mindless, shambling, flesh-rotting ones, and consent seems...questionable at best.

But Kit is a hot, non-rotting zombie, and is fully capable of consent. Phew.

Vincent and Kit work together to cure hauntings and solve a murder, while achieving their HEA. A delight to read.

[hea booktubes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was incredibly unique. Fun, queer, and political. And we get to see our favorite demons.

[mari (givemaribooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this couple, and despite the serious plot the book manages to be very sweet and not heavy at all. It is a slow burn, but I think it worked so well because it just added to the pinning. There was so much pinning! I did struggled with the overuse of epithets, if it wasn't because I was so invested in the story and I've enjoyed every book I've read by this author I might've stopped reading because of that.

Also I was really happy to see so many characters from previous books. I am a sucker for cameos.

Check for CW as there is a bit of gore, and one of the main character REALLY is a zombie.