This book was full of surprises - partly because the title and cover do not convey the contents. I thought this would be about a family of vampires, but it's basically the opposite.

Thankfully, I love a quirky horror story with a cast of strong, vibrant women who are willing to do whatever it takes to handle a sticky situation.

This book is a lot more gory and intense than I anticipated. Too much puking for my taste, although given what the strigoi did to all those people, it's justified. Yick!

Another unexpected twist was that this book came with a big dose of Y2K nostalgia. Why does it take place in 1999? I don't entirely know, but as someone who entered their goth teen years at the turn of the millennium, this scratched a very particular itch.

For me, this super fast read was an absolute joy. Part 2?

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Bless Your Heart was such a great fun read! The book definitely gave me Grady Hendrix vibes while reading this book since it was a blend of humor and horror. This was about a family of women who run a funeral home and they try to keep the town safe from the undead. I loved every aspect of this book and so happy I found a new amazing author to read since this book had me turning pages till the very end. Highly recommend to everyone especially if you love Grady Hendrix books. Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for this ARC read in exchange of my honest review.

This reminded me so much of Grady Hendrix, so if you love his work, you'll love this!! Very fast-paced and very fun! Loved the feminism!

My Thoughts

The only game open in their small Southeast Texas town is their family run Evans Funeral Parlor, a business that unknown to everyone else in town that is responsible for more than regular burials.

There is a saying that I am going to repurpose for this book and my take on it is “The family that slays together stays together.”

As you are enlightened about the slaying aspect of this story readers beware that some parts are more graphic than a squeamish person may be comfortable with.

Four generations of the Evans women are main characters that range from over 80-year-old great grandmother Ducey (matriarch, lover of sarcasm and butterscotch candies in equal measure) , her daughter Lenora (who approaches things emotionally and yet logically in almost the same breath), to her own daughter Grace (riddled with guilt all 15 of the years that come after that “Godawful Mess” followed by her 15-year-old teenaged daughter Luna (result of a love affair with the wrong man).

Not all fun and games as the family secrets come out into the open for Luna one by one, not only opening her eyes to what three generations in her immediate family have kept from her but the final truth about her father as well.

Words cannot express how much I adore these 4 main characters and how it pains me to be forced into waiting for another chance to once more get a look at how things progress after such an ending as this first book has.

The supporting cast of characters are well used and for me this was the perfect introduction to an author new to me who I will keep a lookout for more of her reads to dive into in future.
[EArc from Netgalley]
On every book read as soon as it is done and written up for review it is posted on Goodreads and Netgalley, once released then posted on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles as well.

This reminded me of a Grady Hendrix book. It was fun to read and had interesting characters. A very fast and easy read. I loved the feminist aspect of a group of women fighting evil

I really enjoyed Bless Your Heart and the female characters the book was centered on. I also liked how the bad guy didn't turn out to be who we were expecting and broke through that stereotype.
*Spoiler* I would have liked to see more growth/resolution in Luna and Grace's relationship. However, the way it ended for them was realistic while the circumstances around it were fantastical. Realistic in that a lot of parent/child relationships don't have a clean ending or understanding of each other. Realistic in that they had love for each other but they didn't relaize or get to show it how they wanted to until it was too late.
Not only this but the lost of two mother's made me want to go and give my own mom and grandma a hug and show my love for them while I still can.
I also loved how the ending makes it open for a possible book 2.

Oh how I loved this book. It was fun and had the best characters ever. A fun story line and kept me interested in one reading.

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

**3.5 Stars

This cover definitely fools you. I thought I was going into a horror/comedy book about generations of women making sure the restless dead are officially laid to rest. That is not what I got. You definitely get a book about four generations of women and how the Evans women have always been responsible for making sure the dead stay dead. But comedy was not something this book had a lot of. There was a lot of tension and angst, and toward the end is when the action started to really pick up.

If you go into this book knowing what to expect, I think it'll be a book a lot of women's fiction/horror lovers will want to add to their TBR.

“𝙻𝚎𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚌𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗‘𝚝. 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚖.“

The theme for this month’s Lore of the Nails nail collab is Vampire and, luckily for me, it pairs perfectly with my last spooky season read. This gruesomely fun tale from Lindy Ryan was exactly what was needed to end October with a bang!

“𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜𝚗‘𝚝 𝚜𝚊𝚕𝚟𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝙴𝚟𝚊𝚗𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗. 𝙸𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚌𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚎.“

When we first meet the Evans women, it’s 1999 in Southeast Texas and the four generations of fiercely strong & undoubtably capable females are running the family business - death (aka, the only funeral home in town). The reason that this has been the family business forever quickly becomes clear. The Evans women are there to make sure that the dead stay dead.

“𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚝𝚘 𝚔𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚍𝚘𝚗‘𝚝 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚞𝚙 𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗.“

This was a fast, fun read full of nostalgia and gore. I loved it and it was perfect for Halloween but will definitely work anytime of year when you’re looking for those chills & thrills. It releases on April 9th so go ahead and pre-order. You won’t regret it!

“𝙽𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚊𝚌𝚝, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢‘𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜. 𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚍𝚘𝚗‘𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚒𝚝.“

I'd been waiting to read this because I knew it was going to be a super good read. And it was SUPER worth the wait! This took me on a complete roller coaster and every time I thought I was on the right track, things twisted around to the point where I had to sit back for a second to process. This was an amazing read and the bonds of love between the Evans women coupled with the small town they live in makes for an adventure of a lifetime. 10/10!

Four generations of women take care of the dead at their funeral home, and take care of the undead, too.

When the ghoulish strigoi start showing up in small-town Texas, it’s up to Ducey, Lenore, Grace and Luna to discover who (or what) has caused them to rise. Family secrets are dug up, and the teenaged Luna is finally told about her family and her role in it.

Pretty gruesome descriptions, and lots of gore (I don’t read horror novels, so maybe it’s light gore for some folks!) but I really enjoyed the book, and look forward to reading more by Lindy Ryan.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC!

Bless Your Heart is perfect for fans of Grady Hendrix and Charlaine Harris who like their horror with a big dose of heart and humor. While there is gore-a-plenty, the focus is on the matriarchal Evans line and the four generations of women who keep a small Texas town safe from the undead by performing one good burial at a time. If you read Practical Magic and wished it was set in the South instead of New England, this one is for you!

Four generations of Evans women run the funeral home in a small Texas town. The story takes place in 1999 and great-grandmother Ducey, grandmother Lenore, mother Grace are trying to keep the business going and keep the youngest Evans female, Grace's teenage daughter Luna, from learning certain unpleasant facts about things that have gone on in their town. Unfortunately, it soon becomes impossible to keep Luna in the dark when the recently deceased suddenly begin coming back to life. The newly awakened dead are not at all pleasant to be around and want nothing more than to attack and kill any humans they come into contact with. The Evans women are all too-familiar with the concept of the "strigoi" or dead who come back to life. All of them (except for Luna) have dealt with putting the strigoi back in the ground, although not recently. As they struggle to keep the undead from multiplying (apparently they get stronger with each person they kill), they will also finally have to confide in Luna and tell her about what happened surrounding the "Godawful Mess" that occurred 15 years ago.

I enjoyed the humorous aspects of the book and the interactions between the characters. If a horde of ravenous zombie creatures were on the loose, you'd certainly be glad to have the Evans women on your side! The main quibble I had was that any time there was an undead creature that they were planning to dispatch, there had to be a long, drawn-out conversation among the women as the monster was flailing about and trying to attack them -- you'd think they'd have more pressing matters at hand that arguing over when to tell Luna about the Godawful Mess and why that might not be such a good idea. I think this would make a really amusing film, especially with great-grandma taking down the undead!

In a Southeast Texas town in 1999, four generations of Evans women are caretakers for the dead. Owning and running a funeral home has made them outcasts in the town, but that’s only helped them keep their secret: they don’t just care for the dead, they ensure the dead stay dead.

It’s been years since they’ve had to worry about the Strigoi, ghouls that are part vampire, part zombie. But something’s stirring in this small town and suddenly there are a lot more dead to take care of. And it’s not just the dead rising – family secrets are bubbling to the surface, too.

What a delightful mix of mystery and horror, with just a dash of humor. This book has action from the get-go, and some great reveals. And the ending…I gasped! It definitely made me anxious for the next book in the series.

Because of the fast pace of the novel, and all the characters that were introduced, I do wish I’d gotten to know a little more about each of the Evans women. But I’m sure that’s coming in Book 2.

Bless Your Heart, a debut novel by Lindy Ryan, is about a family of women who own and run a funeral parlor in a small Texas town. There’s been a rash of nightmarish murders and mutilated dead bodies that have confounded the local sheriff’s department.

The women, a grandmother, mother, daughter and granddaughter, can’t tell the officers that they know the murders have been committed by ghouls and that the dead are rising and they know how to stop them and are trying to do that.

What will happen? You’ll have to read this wild book to find out. If this is the kind of story you like, it’s well written and the characters are fascinating and the story is entertaining and it’s worth the read. However, this type of book is not my usual style of reading and not something I’d normally read so I didn’t love it. But I did end up liking it.

I’d suggest trying it to find out what happens.

3.5

this was pretty fun! although the climax felt... a little muddled? i wasn't entirely sure what was happening at times or the logistics of it all. i also feel that it was a little slow in the middle which i don't have a problem with in stories if it helps readers get to the know the characters. i didn't really feel like i got to know the Evans women all that well. what i did know of them though, i enjoyed!

I wanted so much to like this book but unfortunately it just wasn’t for me.
A multigenerational family of women run the town funeral home which includes keeping the town safe from the undead things that show up too.

I tried to get into this book so many times. I would read a little, then have to step away for a bit….then I’d come back and try again. There were so many different characters that it felt impossible to keep the Evan’s family straight, and while I like horror, I can only handle so many intense descriptions. This just wasn’t for me.

Don't let the cute silly cover fool you! This is not a light vampire read. It's got gore and death and some tough as nail women ready to take it all down!