A family job!

The Evans women have kept the town safe from Strigoi for decades as the owners of the Evans Funeral Parlor where they can dispose of the spreading evil around town.

Ducey Evans is in her eighties, Lenore is her daughter, and Grace is Lenore's daughter. Last, there is Luna. She is Grace's daughter. A teenager who doesn't know what her family's job really is.

When several bodies start rising, Ducey, Lenore, and Grace know what they have to do.

Bless Your Heart was a light horror novel. At times, the pace was slow and for me, the "Strigoi" felt more like ghouls than vampires.

Cliffhanger: No

3/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Minotaur Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Super cute horror mystery story. Set in a small town, it contains all types of ghouls and monster. I loved the strong women in the story. I loved how it opens in a shocking way - giving you an idea what you are in for!

I also really liked the ending. I liked how it all came together and there was a moment there when even the bad things were making sense. Cute intro, love that it is book 1 in looks to be a very cute series with this family. I'd definitely read another!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

To be honest, I found the book started off really interesting but quickly lost its momentum. My mind kept wandering, so I had to reread many sections and force myself to focus. While the characters were well-developed, the cozy horror left me wanting more from the plot.

Full review will be posted on goodreads, storygraph, and instagram then linked here shortly!

2.5 stars

I was SO excited for this one based off the title, cover, and synopsis. It was so great in theory. Unfortunately, the execution fell flat for me. I found it to be dragging and it couldn't hold my attention for very long at all (which is very uncommon for me when I'm reading!) I'd potentially read the sequel based on it's synopsis but I'm not sure yet!

“Bless Your Heart” is a thriller with a dash of comedy that soothed my 90s-kid heart! The chapters were quick to get through and the storyline kept me interested! Quirky characters that I didn’t know I needed, as well!
This is my first read from Lindy Ryan and I hope to pick up more of their work!

A very cozy mystery/light horror novel! I wasn't sure what to expect because this isn't a book I would necessarily go for right off the bat.... but, in the end, I was pleasantly surprised and genuinely enjoyed it! I definitely would recommend this to others who, like myself, may want to "slow roll" themselves into either of these particular genres (i.e., horror; mystery/suspense), as well as to anyone who ALREADY enjoys these types of books and are looking for a quick & fun holiday/staycation read!

This is a fun, quirky southern vampire story! I love a good southeast Texas moment and this one was a delight. I enjoyed the multi-generational family aspect of it all. What a legacy to discover, that your family kills vampires and that vampires are real!

Bless Your Heart tells the story of four generations of Evans women running a funeral parlor in rural Texas. When the dead start rising, all bodies go to the Evans' women and it's nothing they aren't used to. But why? And why are they rising now? And better question, how do they stop it without a repeat of what happened last time?

This story was absolutely hilarious, dark, scary, satirical, and so much more all rolled into one. I loved the horror aspects but also the larger than life characters. It is such a well laid out narrative and it makes me so happy to see that this is the first in a series! I need more Evans women in my life and we can all learn something from them. The horror was gruesome and the humor was hysterical. I found myself laughing in my car. Overall, a fantastic read that is all parts funny and dark!

The year is 1999 & vampires have made a comeback in a small Texas town. The Evans women run a funeral home & are the only ones who know how to put a stop to the Strigoi. This was such a fun read. It's got the cozy vibes but with surprisingly dark elements. I thought it was a great start to a series. I'll be looking forward to reading more of the Evans women.

This was interesting. Lots of weird phrases and words to describe the outbreak, and I got a bit lost here and there. Overall an OK read. I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

This was a deja vu plot that felt a mash up of several different books of the same genre.

I did not finish it as it was not my cup of tea.

Thank you #NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me the opportunity to read this!

3.5 stars

Bless Your Heart was a fun read! Though it took me some time to keep Ducey, Lenore, and Grace straight, I loved the multigenerational aspect of the story. The plot was definitely unique - a family of woman who run a funeral home and keep their town safe from strigoi (aka zombies). I enjoyed Luna's backstory the most as she navigated high school and grappled with finding her place within her family. The story was more gory than I was expecting, and a little too descriptive when it came to strigoi attacks. However, this was balanced with dialogue that was full of southern charm. Overall, quite an enjoyable read!

Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

#BlessYourHeart:
Thank you so much Minotaur for my gifted copy.

Here’s the thing. I was born in Texas. I live in Georgia. I went to school in Alabama. I have the southern triangle pretty down pat. (There’s a few other states I’ve lived in the south, but let’s stick to the Jorts Triangle okay?) So if you’re going to say you’re going to give me a southern tale, I want a true southern tale. Not a saccharine/caricature of southern tales. I felt it was too hard of Steel Magnolias but more like a Not Another Teen Movie parody of SM (but like Steel Magnolia Vampire Hunters would be boss)

I felt like we had too much butterscotch candy, and not enough character development. Now I love multiple POVs but this was a bit too much for me.

But let’s talk about the good. Holy moly. The horror or deathly descriptions of the undead?! Amazing. It gave me Scream plus Walking Dead vibes. Did I close my eyes like my ears weren’t listening to the darn book? Yes. Lindy, boo, go write supernatural horror and I’m there ASAP. I did feel like once I had the audio it wasn’t as bad on the heavy southern, but still couldn’t keep my attention.

Overall, it genre bends between a cozy and horror? A corror? Hozy? I’d like to see what Lindy Ryan writes next.

Rise and shine. The Evans women have some undead to kill.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I have a lot of love for Bless Your Heart! I thought this book was well-written, fun to read, and unlike any other novels I have picked up before. Lindy Ryan did a great job painting the picture of each scene and portraying the strong, opinionated characters.

The Evans women and their family business were brought to life with each page, and while what happened in the novel's final pages was not a complete surprise, it was still really thrilling to read and brought the book full circle for me. I also enjoyed the multiple POVs throughout- the author's ability to work in sections from the cops and other community characters added a lot of dimension to the story that I found developed the plot even better.

This was a funny, cozy mystery with a bit of Southern charm and a whole lot of spunk. I usually don't go for fantasy or horror, but this book was a hit for me. I would absolutely consider reading more by this author in the future.

Great for fans of Grady Hendrix, Elle Cosimano, or similar authors.

I really wanted to like this one because I love stories with vampires, but this one was not for me.

DNF'd at 35%

Rating: 3/5 Stars

The funniest southern cozy mystery!

When the body of Mina Jean Murphy is brought to the funeral parlor run by the Evans family and rises from the dead - none of the Evans women are surprised except for Luna Evans who has spent all of her teenage years unaware of her family’s unofficial second job as killers of the rising dead. When more and more bodies begin to wake up, the Evans women fear they have a Strigoi on their hands - an original vampire - who must be stopped at any cost.

Bless Your Heart by Lindy Ryan is part horror, part quirky southern fun. With a riotous cast of characters, with big personality - the story movies quickly and stays light (in the way that all cozy mysteries can). There’s nothing overly remarkable here, but if it’s your genre of choice you’ll enjoy - 3 stars because it wasn’t hugely memorable.

Thanks in advance to Lindy Ryan, Net Galley and Minotaur Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review

Not only is it is the 90s, the setting is a funeral home ran by the Evan's woman. Plus, there are Strigoi popping up around town. These vibes! I loved the generation of Evan's woman who have this task of keeping their small, southern town safe from the strigoi. Not only do they have to stop the strigoi, but they also have family secrets that they also have to protect.
This book is very reminiscent of The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires - great for Grady Hendrix fans!

This book follows the story of the Evans women: Ducey, Lenore, Grace, and Luna. The three eldest Evans women run a funeral parlor. They also have a little secret side gig; they put down the undead when they rise. As the youngest, Luna has no idea about what her family does. Now that the dead are rising, it's Luna's turn to take up the trocar.

There's multiple POVs, including all four Evans women and a few side characters. Although I had my favorites, none of the chapters were boring. It kept things interesting to go from the matriarch of the family to the teenager, Luna, and then to one of the cops.

I couldn't get enough of Ducey's sass and addiction to butterscotch candies. The relationship between the Evans women was complex and well written. I really enjoyed the mystery in the book concerning a past event that changed the lives of the Evans family.

This was the perfect blend of southern comfort with a dash of horror. I loved the family dynamics present in the book. I'd be interested in the story of these women even if it didn't have vampires. It's written that well.

This was simply a delight to read. It was both funny and heartfelt. As I was reading this, I knew I wanted there to be a sequel. I'm glad that the author announced that a sequel will be coming. Let us all rejoice because once you step into the Evan’s funeral parlor, you won’t want to leave.

I'm really looking forward to seeing where the story goes in the next book.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC for review.

I love the cozy small-town vibes mixed with paranormal and mystery elements. The characters were all very interesting, but I did have a hard time connecting to them. I also wasn’t a huge fan of constant switching of POVs. The humor was great and was a nice balance to some of the horror/mystery moments. The pace is quick and has you flipping pages to find out what happens next. I’d recommend this to anyone looking for a fast paced, funny horror read. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I received an eARC of this book via Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

2.7 ⭐️ rounded up

This book started out so strong. It grabbed my attention immediately and held it for the first three chapters. After that, it was an uphill battle to keep me interested. Don’t get me wrong, there were good aspects to the book. For example, the horror part? The death and the bloodshed? Topnotch. It made my skin crawl at different points. Especially with Snow. This author can definitely write some horror.

But with that being said, the storyline fell flat for me. Too much focus on the butterscotch candies. There was no real character growth. And what little there was, it was eclipsed by the shifting POVs EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER. In my honest opinion, the book could have been better if it had stuck to two or three characters. I feel as if it would have given the characters more depth and a chance to grow. I get that the switching PoVs added to the horror aspects but one could have done without them.

Overall, it was an okay book. It had potential to be great but I just couldn’t enjoy it like I thought I would.