**3.5-stars rounded up**

Bless Your Heart is a Cozy Mystery-meets-Horror novel that I never knew I needed!

This was so stinking cute. My Horror Heart adored it. It was way more graphic than I expected and I loved the small town Southern vibes. Bonus: it's 1999!

Set in Southeast Texas, this story focuses on the Evans women, who are the owner/operators of Evans Funeral Parlor. Their small town has a bit of a history with the dead becoming restless and the Evans are well-versed in making sure they meet their final rest. The town has spent the last 15-years in peaceful normalcy. That's a pretty long stretch, and it's about to end.

When the town gossip, Mina Jean Murphy’s, body is brought to the Evans for a regular burial, yet she rises from the dead instead, it’s clear that the Strigoi problem is back. We then follow along, both with the Evans women, and with a local Deputy, Roger Taylor, as they try to figure out what has caused this recent unrest, and as they try to stop it.

This was so fun. The small town vibes, family dynamics and the horror elements, were all very well done. I was actually surprised at how graphic some of the darker scenes actually were. It was great, just the dichotomy between the cozy and the dark. I loved that part. It was giving me Sunnydale, but the Texas version, and it was giving me The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires, mixed with a touch of Designing Women. I was here for every minute of it.

I listened to the audiobook and absolutely recommend that format if it's an option for you. The narration style of Stephanie Nemeth-Parker fits the overall story so well. For me, the only critique is that I wanted a bit more of the mystery. I wanted more substance, more suspense, but I am hoping as the series continues the balance between the other elements and the mystery will balance out.

Speaking of 'the series', I'm so happy to learn this is going to be a series. I feel like the more time we get to spend with the Evans, the more attached to them we'll become and the more we'll see them grow and change. I'm particularly interested in Luna, as she's the youngest, so it'll be interesting to watch her learn about their powers and responsibility and see how she is going to use it.

If you are someone who enjoys Horror, but also love Cozy Mysteries ((like me)), you have to check this one out. I don't think I've ever really read anything like it and I'm definitely looking forward to more in this charming Southern setting.

Thank you to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. Lindy Ryan, you've impressed me. I can't wait for more!

When I saw the fangs on the cover of 𝗕𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁, I knew I had to read it. I am a sucker (see what I did there?) for a good vampire story and the cover of this screamed Desperate Housewives meets The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires. I liked the Evans family enough and the funeral parlor aspect had my attention, but the story itself wasn’t really suspenseful or scary so I would not put this in the horror category. I do think that Lindy Ryan is a good story teller, and I will read more of her work, but I probably won’t read anymore of this series. I listened to this one on audio and I think that the narrator did a phenomenal job with all the characters and kept it interesting. Many thanks to Minotaur Books for my advanced audiobook. 𝗕𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 is available now.

This was an audio read for me. And I think that fact truly allowed me to finish the book and not DNF it and the voices kept me going. It was a cute book. The audio reader was tremendous. It was more of a lighthearted horror book, if you will. I’m not sure I’ll continue on with the series but it was an okay book for me.

I’m not sure this is a good fit for me. Small town. Vampires. Southern charm. Readers that love a cozy mystery that’s a little bit different will love this.


Thank you to netgalley for a copy of this book.

I am not normally a fan of horror, but this was a fun and easy read, neither too gory or heavy on details. I enjoyed the characters and their interactions and the overall plot as well. I can't wait to see what's next!

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for my advance copy of this audiobook

There is something going on in this small town, and The Evans so.en are the only ones who can fix it . I enjoyed this read, part zombie/vampire, the characters wre great, loved their personalities, not sure if this will be a series, but would love to see this story evolve . I really liked the narrator, brought the story to life .

Gah, I’m so mad I didn’t like this as much as I was expecting to. I love a good vampire story, but this almost felt zombie-ish at times. I also found the characters hard to keep track of and the story was heavier than I was expecting based on the cover. However, the narrator did a great job with this performance. I think that’s the reason I kept going when the middle got slow. I’m so sad it didn’t work for me, but I will definitely share with those that I know would enjoy this type of story.

This was an excellent horror story with a gripping plot! The Evans women have to keep their town safe by making sure that the dead stay dead and killing them properly when they don’t. This second task can be especially hard when the newly risen strigoi looks just like your friend and is calling your name.
Luna is 15 and the youngest of the Evans women. Over the course of this book she has to come to grips with the multiple family secrets she’s just learning about and make some important decisions about who she wants to be. The inclusion of Luna’s coming of age story along with the stories of the older Evans women makes this a good read for both fans of Young Adult and Adult horror/fiction.
I listened to the audio version of the book and the narrator did a marvelous job.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Macmillan Audio for a free advanced copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

Audiobook/unabridged/Dramady: This novel is a funny horror book. I loved it. The narrator was terrific Thank you Netgalley. The humor was that of Christopher Moore. That's all I'm saying because I don't want to ruin it.

This book was refreshingly simple in it's otherworldly lore.
I loved the humor and 1999 southern gothic style.
The narrator was great. I recommend the audiobook.

Thank you to @NetGalley for letting me listen to the advanced audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

This book had an intruguing concept, matriarcal family who run a funeral home. When people come back to life the Evans women have to keep them dead/down. The miscommunication and withholding the truth between the women on this family was so infuriating. Almost every problem in the entire book was due to lack of communication. There also too many loose ends that werent addressed at the end and the book was too gory for my taste (im a baby when it comes to that). Overall the concept and characters were great but every problem could have been solved with just talking.

"Put me in pink lipstick or blue hair if you want when I go...but bury me in my brassiere and I'll haunt you."

Matriarch Ducey Evans, in her eighties, is my hero in the uproariously funny mix of southern charm and gore,Bless Your Heart, by award winning horror author Lindy Ryan. I am putting the above quote in my will!

In 1999 Texas, the Evans family, made up of 4 fierce females, runs the only funeral parlor in their small town. Ducey, the great grandmother and definition of a tough broad sleeps with smut paperbacks on her nightstand and a rifle in reach at all times. Her daughter Lenore keeps things running at the family business. Lenore's daughter Grace is a single Mom with her daughter Luna about to turn 16...and maybe turn...well old enough for family secrets.

When the body of Mina starts to rise from the dead at the funeral home the Evans women (minus Luna) know trouble is back. It's been 15 years. What's brought it back and how do they stop it?

Is it the new wanna be Christian Slater from Heathers teen who just appears in town, is it Luna's weird dreams or is it whatever is buried under the roses in Grace's garden?

I'm sending a virtual standing ovation to voice actress Stephanie Nemeth-Parker who with the perfect blend of southern drawl and ghoulish horror brought to life this hilarious world filled with some bloody scenes where only a tongue is left at a crime scene. This writer masterfully found the fun in gore.

Cops are bewildered by the deaths and the women know a fight is coming but with a wink at us the author mashed up Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Six Feet Under and Supernatural and all I can say is bless her heart for sharing her gory comedic talent with us mortals.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from #macmillanaudio via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

The restless dead have a resurgence in a small Texas town circa 1999. I mean, sure, the town experiences a restless member of the nonliving cropping up every now and then, but these are numbers the women of the Evans family haven’t seen in years. 
 
Three generations of Evans women are about to introduce a fourth generation to the family calling. As proprietors of the only funeral home in town, they are used to being the last stop before town members are laid to rest. Some of their clients just need a little extra help getting there. 
 
This one is told in multiple POVs. Strap in for something kind of wacky, and I recommending avoiding eating while reading. 
 
Bless Your Heart would be good for fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, who are open to impalements staged in a Southern setting. 
 
Stephanie Németh-Parker’s narration kept me engaged. I was impressed by how she uses a different voice for each and every one of the characters and was easily able to tell which Evans woman was speaking based on the narrator's tone and accent choices. 
 
I received an advance copy of the audiobook from Macmillan Audio and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

Thank you to @netgalley @macmillan.audio and @stmartinspress for the gifted copy of this book.

I just love the Evans women! As the owners of the local funeral home, they make sure that the dead stay dead. These women have big hearts, are tough as nails, and approach every situation with witty humor. They’ve seen it all, fought it all, and refuse to back down from a challenge. They prove that sometimes popping a butterscotch candy and wielding a sharp object is all it takes to get through the day.
This isn’t your typical vampire story, I mean there are vampires and gore, but at the heart of it is a family that will do anything to protect each other and their community.

I had such a great time reading this book. It’s well paced with a great mystery and even better cast of characters. If you’re looking for a fun, easy read - this is the one!

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫 (4.5)

Bless Your Heart by Lindy Ryan-debut author
Publication 4-9-24, read 4-9-24
E-book 301 pgs. and audiobook 10:48
Genre: Adult Fic, Paranormal, Fantasy, Horror, Humor, Thriller
Tropes: Vampires, Family Drama, Hidden Secrets

Thanks to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and Macmillan Audio for this ARC & ALC❤️! I voluntarily give my honest review and all opinions expressed are mine alone.

The narrator Stephanie Nemeth-Parker read in a Southeastern Texas accent that fit all the characters . The voices brought this fantasy to life with quick pacing by the narrator and the author. I loved all the different POVs-mainly the four Evans' women. The narrator paused and announced every time a new chapter came. The book had a table of contents which helped me follow along with the e-book and audio.

It's 1999 in TX where the Evans' women run a funeral parlor that protects the town from the Strigoi-the "original" vampires along w/ ghouls they create. The matriarch is Ducey Evans(80) along with her daughter Lenore, granddaughter Grace, and great granddaughter Luna. Grace has raised Luna alone and kept her father's identity from her, along with the events leading up to the death of Grace's father Jimmy. The killings and rising dead have started again so the Evans' women know the past has creeped back into their lives. The side characters gave the story some charm, loved Sheriff Buck and Belle . I would definitely read more in this world!

I loved this small town human/vampire story very much in the vein of The Southern Vampire Mysteries and The Dead Don't Die-both the book series and movie highly recommended. I suggest listening to the audiobook because you can adjust the speed, skip parts easily (if desired), and picture the characters more vividly.

Rating: 5/5

Thank you NetGalley and MacMilan Audio for an ARC of the audiobook Bless Your Heart!

Well, call me a Strigoi because I ate this book up and am restless to read book two!

For context, Bless Your Heart is the first book in a cozy horror meets small town mystery series. It follows four generations of Evans women as they deal with running a funeral parlor and trying to keep the undead at bay, all while dealing with their own secrets. Along the way, you meet a cast of lovable small town locals trying to figure out why dead bodies keep popping up all over their town. Lindy Ryan pays as much attention to the humorous banter and clever wit of the characters as she does to the gore and horror, giving this book a refreshing feel! As someone who rarely ventures into the horror genre I was nervous going into this one that it would be too much to handle; however, I could not have been more wrong! I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a gateway into the horror genre or those interested in the genre who welcome an energizing new read.

As I said before, I received this book as an audiobook and I simply cannot sing enough praises to the book's narrator! There are many different characters in this book and at times, we get bits and pieces of their perspectives. The narrator handled this with vocal gymnastics that made it easy to follow the plot and who was speaking. Such a delight!!!

This book was absolutely incredible and I feel like it’s opened the book world up to a whole new genre: cozy horror. It had all the heart, banter, and unrequited love of a cozy with all the gruesome gore of horror. The Evans women are a monster hunting force to be reckoned with but still have all the mother daughter, family drama of any other family. I definitely connected with the small TX town feel of this novel and of course loved ALL the references of 1999. I can’t wait to not only read more bout this family and town but also see it on the small screen since it’s been picked up for a series. All the characters were really special in this and after reading the acknowledgments it was really obvious why. This is overall a really fun book and I can’t wait to see what the world thinks about it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ALC of "Bless Your Heart" by Lindy Ryan.

"Bless Your Heart" by Lindy Ryan is a fun romantic comedy set in the cozy town of Magnolia Bay. You'll be laughing along with Emma Lee as she tries to find love in a sea of small-town drama. While the story is entertaining and the characters are lovable, some parts might feel a bit too predictable, and a few characters could use more depth.

The narration in "Bless Your Heart" is easy to follow, pulling you into Emma Lee's world with its vivid descriptions and relatable dialogue. It's like watching your favorite rom-com unfold on the page.

Overall, "Bless Your Heart" is a feel-good read that'll leave you smiling, despite its occasional predictability. If you're in the mood for a light-hearted romance with plenty of laughs, this book is sure to hit the spot.

This was not what I was expecting. From the synopsis I was looking for something more Grady Hendrix-esque, but this fell short. I feel like there were lots of loose ends left at the end too.

Y'allllllll. Okay, I know this book takes place in Texas, but I can picture the characters right here in south Louisiana. I can see them sitting on their porch, I can hear the mosquitoes, feel the humidity, and smell the wet grass.
With the exception of people turning zombie-like in the beginning of the book, the first 30ish percent was quite wholesome and funny....then it got GROSS but in the best way possible. Don't let the cute little southern women and cartoon cover fool you. 🫣

If you liked the Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix, I think you'd like this. I also think if you read Suburban Hell by Maureen Kilmer and wanted a little more gore, you might wanna pick this one up.