Loved this! It was somehow cozy and gross all at the same time.
The Evan’s women were wonderful, unique characters with their own personalities and them being funeral directors was a quirky and fun backdrop to the story. The supporting cast was great too, but I would have loved some more fleshing out of some characters - Crystal and Dillon, for example, we’re just Luna’s friends and barely existed beyond being Black and gay respectively.

The descriptions were great, the gory parts were gross when required and I could feel the weight of the Texas heat throughout.
I totally thought I had figured out the ending about 25% in but I was totally wrong. I love when a book catches me out like that.

Bless Your Heart is a delightful blend of mystery and light horror that I thoroughly enjoyed. The novel features the quirky and spirited Evans women—Ducey, Lenore, Grace, and the newest addition, Luna—who run the only funeral home in town. Their job goes beyond burying the dead; they also handle those who return from the grave. When a local woman unexpectedly rises from the dead, the Evans family must confront the Strigoi once again, while Luna discovers more about herself in the process.

The Evans women’s lively interactions and witty banter add charm to the narrative. If you enjoy a mix of mystery and light-hearted horror without the scares that keep you up at night, this book is perfect. It’s fun, captivating, and well-paced, offering plenty of entertainment and a few smiles along the way.

http://thesecretbookreview.co.uk

I adored this book with it southern charm and vampires.

It was a great read with some amazing characters and great storytelling

Due to health issues cannot write a proper review now even if I enjoyed this book. as it's well plotted, very entertaining, made me laugh and have fun. It also made me think of Grady Hendrix, one of my fav author
A more extensive review will follow
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Bless Your Heart
Lindy Ryan
UK Release date: 18 July 2024
Publisher: Solaris (Rebellion Publishing)

In the same vein – pardon the pun – as The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires, ‘Bless Your Heart’ is pure Southern Charm, Sweet Iced Tea and Exsanguination.
Set in 1999, post Columbine and at the height of the goth/pagan period, this novel introduces us to the Evans women and the men who lives them – plus the dead.
Ducey Evans is matriarch of Evans Funeral Parlour – which has been handed down the female line for generations. Lorene is the next in line, then Grace, then her teenage daughter Luna. Each woman plays a pivotal role in the business of death, from hair, to make up to floral arrangements.
Luna Evans is nearly sixteen, and suddenly facing things like curfews and window alarms since she started dating local boy Andy. Though lately she’s become more enamoured of newcomer Crane Campbell. He’s your typical late ‘90s grunge goth with long black hair and a black trench coat. Still, he’s managed to charm Luna and her misfit friends so far.
Recently however, Luna’s been having disturbing dreams keeping her up at night.
The book is told in multiple points of view, third person, as the wholesome Southern town deals with the emerging infestation of bloody deaths and missing people.
It seems that ‘things’ are already escalating in their town.
And that means the Evans women have work to do, and Luna is about to learn more about the family business. About Strigoi, or Ghouls; the restless dead.
The Evans women – with the help of Snow’s makeup skills – dress the dead in beauty and finery to lessen the hurt loved ones feel. In the same way, the Texas town with it’s polite Southern veneer, hides a rotten core.
Homophobia and racism are rife, seen easily through the experiences of Luna’s best friends, Dillon and Crystal. Crystal is black and Dillon is gay. Ever since Dillon came out, he’s faced punishment and prejudice from his parents, beatings from local teens and much more. Whilst Crystal and her family are no stranger to racism.
In fact it’s the outcast, goth boy Crane, who accepts Luna’s friends completely.
There’s a terrific line near the end, when Luna is attempting to convince her best friends the truth about the risen dead. Horror fans will definitely snort at Dillon’s logic.
There’s a whole host of unspoken fears and loves within this novel, including that of local Deputy Roger Taylor, who finds himself investigating the missing people and strange deaths in the town.
This is a wonderfully fun read, yet beneath the glamour of hospitality and how important the way you are viewed is seen as, we have a lot of ugly truths, never mind some violent and graphic scenes, emotional trauma and laugh out loud moments.
I adored this novel, though I suspect the sweet veneer will put off a few hard-core horror readers. There’s plenty of blood for your buck, some great characters and the potential for a vibrant ongoing series.
I can’t wait to get my teeth into Ryan’s next book.

https://lynns-books.com/2024/08/01/review-bless-your-heart-by-lindy-ryan/
4.of 5 stars
My Five Word TL:DR Review: Perfect Start to New Series

Well, who knew cosy horror was a thing? This book is a great combination of Southern charm, quirky characters and blood soaked horror. I definitely wouldn’t call this scary, but at the same time nobody is safe from this author’s pen, so be afraid, be very afraid, of becoming too attached.

The Evan’s women have been burying the dead since way back when. It’s the family business and one which they pay a great deal of attention to. There’s a reason for this, some of the dead go to the grave unhappy and have a way of waking up with a terrible hunger and The Evan’s ladies have a no nonsense way of putting these newly risen Strigoi back to rest again.

In this first instalment things start to escalate quickly and the number of bodies start to rise with alarming speed. The Evan’s women know they must go on the hunt, they know what to do but family issues are also taking precedence.

So. What did I enjoy about Bless Your Heart.

Well, as I mentioned, there’s no shortage of victims, who for the most part meet a violent and bloody end to their lives, and yet this is tempered by this almost 50s style charm and grace as presented by the Evan’s women. It’s a really great counterbalance.

I found myself enjoying the mystery of what was taking place as things are gradually revealed. Even when things do get crazy, there’s no need to panic, there’s this ‘slower than molasses in winter’ feel to everything that keeps the panic at bay. Be calm, the Evan’s ladies know what they’re about.

I really liked the characters. All of them to be honest. The Evan’s funeral parlour has four generations of females I love the scope, we go from the eldest Evans, reading saucy paperbacks and sucking on sweets, totally no nonsense, to the youngest, in high school with all the teenage angst and crazy crushes. Again a really winning combination that fills the pages with entertainment and prevents the story from losing heart.

In terms of criticisms. I’m not a fan of family secrets, especially that over used trope of deliberately keeping something from someone, with the best of intentions, that ultimately leads to much bigger problems in the long run. But, on this occasion, although I may have huffed and puffed a little, it certainly wasn’t a deal breaker as I was enjoying the read so much. Also, the undead have more of a zombie feel than that of your traditional vampire. They’re hungry and driven but I would liken them more to the creatures from I Am Legend,say, as opposed to Bram Stoker’s Dracula. They’re kind of messy eaters for sure and not a hint of seduction or glamour. That’s not really a criticism though, simply an observation.

Overall I had quite a ridiculously good time reading Bless Your Heart and can’t wait for the next instalment.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

My rating 4 of 5 blood spattered stars

𝐁𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐛𝐲 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐲 𝐑𝐲𝐚𝐧
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫
𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫: 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒
𝐌𝐲 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝟒 ⭐️
What an original take on the vampire story.

Ryans writing flows beautifully and sucks you into this southern story of 4 strong willed women who run a funeral parlour in a small town and they are responsible for keeping the dead, dead!

I enjoyed the 90s nostalgia and how it introduced ‘Strigoi’ a Roman mythology about spirits that are said to rise from the grave. I love how this was incorporated into ‘Bless Your Heart’. I wouldn’t say it was overly a horror but there were definitely horror elements.

100% recommend if you like;
*southern drawls
*small town
*different POV
*cozy horror mystery
*90’s nostalgia
*quirky and strong willed characters

Thanks to @netgalley for this eArc. This book is already out!

#bookstagram #bookstagrammer #booktok #lindyryan #blessyourheart #bookstaghouls #booksandcats #books #booklover #bookworm #bookandabrew #bookstacats #bookish #bookishcontent #bibliophile #bookghouls #netgalleyreads #netgalley

Bless Your Heart by Lindy Ryan is a tense mystery set in a small southern town in the US. With four generations of Evan’s women currently living and working at the family funeral parlour, there are plenty of disagreements over how things should be handled. But one thing they can all agree on is that the dead should stay dead so after years of making sure the townspeople don’t resurrect they are tired.

Ducey Evans is the family matriarch and takes no nonsense from anyone, including her daughter Lenore and granddaughter Grace. Following a night fifteen years earlier which ended in a bloodbath, Ducey is determined to prevent the same happening again. But with her great-granddaughter Luna, at the rebellious age and family secrets that cannot be kept secret any longer things are about to change for all the Evan’s women.

When the bodies start resurrecting and people are unaccounted for Ducey must lead her family one last time and make sure that the restless dead don’t do any more damage. With Grace worrying over Luna’s behaviour and Lenore carrying out secret experiments the women must come together and shake off distractions before it’s too late.

The story was told from so many POVs that you felt immersed in the different lives of the townspeople and this added to the tension. Ending chapters of a cliffhanger and then switching to a different character narrative made me want to keep reading just to find out what was happening and I finished this book quite quickly. I’m not usually a fan of multiple POVs but in this book, I think it worked well, this might be because it is such a tight-knit community so all the characters were able to give their opinions and insights to the others which kept the story flowing nicely.

If you love creature horror with a bit of mystery and some kickass women who can fight off the undead and unwanted attention from grumpy men then this is the perfect book for you. I received an eARC from @netgalley but also preordered a paperback copy because I knew I’d love it!

Bless your heart is cozy horror. Is that a thing. It was cute and I rooted for the characters and I was 16 in 1999 so it was perfectly nostalgic for me also.

Bless Your Heart is almost what I expected it would be from the cover and the description, a mix of fun, horror, and cozy mystery centred around family. I only wish it had done more, because it definitely lent itself to humour over horror and that is not something that I found immediately obvious from the get-go. I would be much more inclined to describe this as horror-adjacent.

I found this book to be more entertaining than scary, though it certainly does not shy away from blood and gore. It is very well written, I love Ryan’s writing style and her cast of very strong-willed female characters lend themselves well to the Southern setting, however there wasn’t enough background in there for me. An extra chapter or two would have done this book wonders if there was more of a focus on getting to know the characters, and perhaps would have even helped to keep the slower parts of the book moving, especially where the multiple POVs become a little bit repetitive.

I think the concept here is fantastic and overall I would say that I had a good time with Bless Your Heart, I really only wish that it had committed harder to the horror aspects of the plot. With a better understanding of what Ryan is trying to do within the genre, I can’t say that this is entirely my cup of tea, but I can absolutely see why so many people love this.

Loved this book. Set in 1999, Southeast Texas. Luna is oblivion to the truth and Grace is harbouring secrets since so long. There is a small town which has deadly secrets and supernatural deaths are happening and when Dead bodies begin to rise, it turns everyone’s life upside down. The mystery is too deep, secrets are buried and truth is twisted. If you are looking for a spooky book with mystery, secrets and unthinkable twists, look no further.

Thanks to the Publisher and Author

DNF at 20%

I absolutely loved the idea of this book, however the writing style wasn't quite for me.

This was a great funny, frightening read! I absolutely love suburban horror, and this one did not disappoint! It's equally heartwarming and heartwrenching but also scary and adventurous. To me, it felt very reminiscent of a good old family drama, but with horror and mystery mixed into it. I never felt overly-terrified, but I never felt like I was struggling to stay rooted in the story the whole way through. I loved the family dynamics between all of the Evans women, and how their individual POVs brought out their individual, unique perspectives not only on the world, but the vocation they've attached themselves to. Luna, in particular, who I feel acts the most as a stand-in for the reader in this new world, was a favourite of mine, and I loved her burgeoning relationship with Crane, and what it says about disabusing yourself of pre-conceived assumptions. I can't wait to see what the next book brings!

So, if you're a fan of shows like Buffy or Grady Hendrix, you'll enjoy this one!

A phenomenal journey into the world of folklore, Lindy Ryan creates a fascinating and unique take on the dead rising to claim the living. Using 'Strigoi' as opposed to the usual vampires and zombies to create mystery and intrigue right up until the very end.

The plot had me intrigued from the outset and continued to grip me as the book went on. The family dynamic between the Evans women was brilliant and Ducey has to be one of my favourite characters for her whit and blunt approach to life.

I'll definitely be looking for more work from this author in the future.

Thank you to the publisher for granting me access to an advance copy of this book through Netgalley.

I made it 44% before deciding to DNF Bless Your Heart, and I’m gutted about.

Everything about this premise called out to me: 90s setting, small town American, family of women, Strigoi (classic Romanian mythology vampires), and the premise of a comedic mystery horror, and it just fell sort of flat.

I didn’t feel a sense of place or connect with the characters and it took nearly half of the book to get to the horror so it felt slow even though it’s a fast paced book.

Gutted about this one as I expected it to be a 4 or 5 star read for me.

A palette cleanser from all the sports romances I’ve been reading but not one for the faint of hearts. I have only recently started reading more horror books and feel like despite its gorgeous cover that Bless Your Heart might be a step too far in the gory direction for me.

Monster fighting all female family, this book was really filled with girl power and explores a fun range of family dynamics. Each chapter is from a different character POV, which helps give character depth that otherwise might have lacked in such a busy storyline. Gotta say, Ducey was one of my favourite characters! It was a fun read, a little grotesque in places, but nothing you wouldn't see in a monster slasher film. I love vampire lore too, so a novel that explores one of the earlier mythologies - Strigoi - was very appealing to me.

A spunky melange of family saga and Buffy the Vampire Slayer (natch) that pulls no punches

Don't let the cover fool you: it really is as good as it looks. A perfect mix of funereal realness and Hellmouth-style shenanigans, Bless Your Heart hews to its Southern Gothic stylings, with four generations of the matriarchal Evans family running the town's only funeral parlour, whilst also secretly dealing with the risen dead. As in all good books, the general is also the personal so the back story of the family and how the town's horrors are deeply interwoven with their origins only add to the pulse-pounding light horror/mystery.

With a wide age range of central characters, there's a lot for readers of comic horror or dark fantasy, and the ending hints to, at least, one sequel. And it's going to be adapted for television so get in now before everybody else jumps on the bandwagon: if you're a fan of Buffy, iZombie, Dead Like Me, or Pushing Daisies, this is right up your street.

Four stars: solid, likeable, fun.

Honestly I could write pages about how much I enjoyed this book! But I am going to break it down to some key points that I loved.

Small town horror.
Strong independent women.
Characters you instantly love and care about. 
A sassy grandmother.
Teenage angst.
LGBTQ+ representation. 
Brilliantly descriptive horror scenes. 
A cute dog.
Vampire/zombies. 
Family secrets.
Heartbreak.

This book ticked all the boxes for me. It was funny, creepy, horrifying and cosy all at the same time. I was so happy when I saw this was book one of two! I will be first in line for the next instalment.

dnf @ 100 pages

I liked the concept of this but I could not get into the writing at all. I assume the author was going for a slow Southern drawl kind of vibe, something atmospheric and apt like that but it was TOO SLOW for me. I can't with books that take 20 pages to say something that could have been conveyed in a single sentence, especially when a large part of the slow pacing was achieved through needless repetition. We get it, granny likes butterscotch! I don't need a reminder every paragraph. A third of the way in and very little had happened plot-wise so I had to admit defeat and put this down. I'm sure this book will find an enthusiastic audience, but it wasn't for me.