This book was way more gory than I realized it was going to be, but honestly that wasn’t such a bad thing. I loved the 4 generations of women. I loved the small town setting as well as the setting of the the early 2000s. I loved the multiple points of view. I thought the story was interesting and that really young adults or adults would appreciate this book.

The narrator with that southern accent made what could have been too much horror for me just right.

I picked this audiobook because of the name and cover. I went in blind(I find the best books that way).

I had no clue this was a quirky, mystery, and horror novel. It’s a book I wouldn’t normally pick up but I loved it so much.
I loved the Evan’s women and the story. While it’s considered a “horror” novel it won’t keep you up at night. It may make you laugh way more times than you expect. So excited for the next one.

The narrator really brings the story together. Loved the “ghoul” whispery voice.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advance copy in exchange for a honest review.

I loved this book!! This was such a a fun story. I really liked the characters, and I thought the story was very creative. This is the first of a series, and I will definitely check out the next installment. There were some very gory passages, so if you're not into that, then this might not be for you. Overall, I found this entertaining and it was darkly comedic at times.

Bless your Heart focuses on three generations of Evans women who run their towns funeral parlour. However, there is more to them that meets the eye, they also protect the town from the Strogoi (the original vampires) who are the dead come back to life. The story follows the women as they introduce the youngest Evan’s woman Luna to the real family business as there is a resurgence of the strogoi.

I didn’t finish this audiobook but I also don’t think there’s anything wrong with this, it just wasn’t for me personally. I know that a lot of people out there will like this. It kind of reminded me of The Southern Book Clubs Guide to Killing Vampires by Grady Hendrix, but I feel like there’s a lot less depth. I had a hard time keeping the characters apart and I wasn’t invested in them. I stopped around 35%, and I still had a hard time distinguishing the two sisters and the grandmothers. I think the narrator did a great job and I enjoyed her interpretation of each characters accent. I think I will just give this another try later. I think this would be a book for you if you enjoy vampire stories but you wish they were in a hallmark movie instead of a horror.

Thank you to Lindy Ryan, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC which publishes on April 8th

Thanks NetGalley,

I loved this novel and hopeful that this is the beginning of a series because I would love to hear more about the funeral parlor even if was a prequel to this one. I started out thinking this was going to be a cute little cozy novel and boy was I wrong. I was a bit surprised by some of the descriptions and instantly knew this was not considered a cozy. I'm not sure how this works but the horror and humor combination just works. It felt very Steel Magnolias in a horror movie just as much laughter. Who knew putting the two together would make such a lighthearted horror novel but with the gruesome bits. The description really says it all...A crackling mystery-horror novel with big-hearted characters and blood-soaked Southern charm, Bless Your Heart is a gasp-worthy delight from start to finish.

It’s 1999 in Southeast Texas and the Evans women, owners of the only funeral parlor in town, are keeping steady with…normal business. The dead die, you bury them. End of story. That’s how Ducey Evans has done it for the last eighty years, and her progeny―Lenore the experimenter and Grace, Lenore’s soft-hearted daughter, have run Evans Funeral Parlor for the last fifteen years without drama. Ever since That Godawful Mess that left two bodies in the ground and Grace raising her infant daughter Luna, alone.

But when town gossip Mina Jean Murphy’s body is brought in for a regular burial and she rises from the dead instead, it’s clear that the Strigoi―the original vampire―are back. And the Evans women are the ones who need to fight back to protect their town.

As more folks in town turn up dead and Deputy Roger Taylor begins asking way too many questions, Ducey, Lenore, Grace, and now Luna, must take up their blades and figure out who is behind the Strigoi’s return. As the saying goes, what rises up, must go back down. But as unspoken secrets and revelations spill from the past into the present, the Evans family must face that sometimes, the dead aren’t the only things you want to keep buried.

Bless Your Heart by Lindy Ryan is the first book in the A Bless Your Heart series. This paranormal story follows the Evans women, owners of the local funeral home. Owning a funeral home should be straightforward but it is anything but for the Evans women. Not only do they bury the dead but they also take care of them when they rise again. Mina Jean Murphy is the first Strigoi that arrives at the funeral parlor. The Evans women need to figure out who is creating the Strigoi, how to stop them and protect their town.

Bless Your Heart is told from multiple POVs. A lot of characters are introduced right away and it's difficult to follow along. I had a hard time keeping track of each character while listening to the audiobook. It may have been easier if I was reading a physical copy of the book or if the audiobook was narrated by multiple people.

I thought I was going to read a funny, intriguing small town paranormal story with vampires but I didn't find it very intriguing or humorous. I didn't care about the characters or the town. Even though people are dying there's no sense of urgency for the Evans women. There also wasn't enough information about them or the citizens to make me care. I wanted to stop reading the book about half way through but continued with it since I received an ARC. The explanations of the Strigoi came too late in the story. Overall I thought there was too much filler and fluff, it took away from the actual story and there were too many surface level characters.

I absolutely loved everything about this one!! The narrator was perfect for the book- different voices for characters, emotions when needed, suspenseful tones- she did it all! The storyline was fantastic, family drama mixed with suspense mixed with comedy and a dash of horror thrown in. I loved the author’s writing style as well! I cannot wait for the next one in the series to come out…I need to know what happened next!

Bless Your Heart is about being an outsider in a small southern town, family ties, family secrets, and the restless undead. Having been a weirdo in a small southern town when I was growing up (albeit a few years earlier than 1999, when this book takes place), there were some things I could readily identify with, but thankfully not dealing with the undead. I enjoyed the characters very much, although it did take me a minute to keep the women straight. I keep seeing this described as comedy horror mystery, and although there is a bit of comedy, it is not a major theme, nor was there all that much mystery, but it was still an enjoyable read that I would recommend to those who like a bit of horror in their fiction. I listened to the audio version and thought narrator Stephanie Németh-Parker did a wonderful job. My only complaint was repeated mentions of a Ford Rambler. Ford did not make the Rambler, American Motors Corporation did.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

A light hearted horror mystery. This book will be a great recommendation for people who want to start the genre of horror but really need a soft start. I will also recommend this book to my hard core horror readers when they want a plate cleanser between heavy books. I will make sure to tell readers that the start of the story is a bit slow but keep going as it will pan out in the end.

Bless your Heart is a campy horror with a fun twist to a vampire story.
Our story takes place in a small Texan town with a cast of quirky ladies in the Evan’s family who run the funeral home.
They handle the dead townspeople all the way from initial death and when they try to rise again.
The twist was good and I didn’t expect it. This was a good change to the traditional vampire story.
There was humor and also some gory , action packed parts.
At times in the middle it was a tad monotonous and boring but overall it was a fun ride and look forward for more in this series.
Huge thanks to NetGalley, Minotaur Books and Lindy Ryan for a eARC in exchange for my honest review.

𝐁𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭
𝐁𝐲 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐲 𝐑𝐲𝐚𝐧
𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫: 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐮𝐫 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝟒.𝟗.𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑆𝑜𝑜𝑛!



Thank you @minotaur_books for a gifted ARC.
Thank you @macmillan.audio for the gifted audiobook.

If you’re like me, you may have assumed that this book is about vampires from the cover, and it is... kind of. It’s even a little more disturbing, and yet, I found it to be hilarious.

Four generations of the Evans women own the only funeral parlor in a small Southwest Texas town. They are very good at caring for the dead, but they also specialize in killing the undead. These restless creatures are the Strigoi - part vampire, part zombie - and they don’t sparkle, they aren’t sexy, and they want to feed on the living. The question is, why are they returning now?

Thank goodness the Evans women know how to take out these ghouls and take them out they do! I loved Ducey, the elder of the family, she was feisty, and when things got dicey, she popped a butterscotch candy in her mouth and kicked butt.

The story is horror-ish with comic relief. The generational secrets that also come unburied along with these undead creatures made things quite interesting, especially for young Luna Evans. I really enjoyed these characters and their banter, so I’m eager to see where the series goes from here.

I paired my copy with the audiobook, which was a great experience.

This book was True Blood meets Practical Magic. I listened to the book on audio and it was amazing. The book had everything you could want along with strong family values and that you will do anything for love.

Although I enjoyed the storyline immensely, I found the narration to be a detriment to my enjoyment of this title.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Bless Your Heart
by Linda Ryan
Pub 04/09/24
Whoa what a fun book to read. The Evans family has run the funeral home in Southeast Texas with business as usual for the last 15 years since the last Godawful event leaving the ladies with two buried bodies and baby Luna being raised alone by her mom. Now the town gossip is on the table and she begins to not stay dead. It's up to the Evan's to take down the Strigoi returning to their town. Weird events start to happen across town and more and more bodies start to stack up and the Evan ladies are the only ones to stop them from growing more.

The characters are simply delightful to get to know and the family bond is very clear. I enjoyed the fun language used and the way the Evans family have secrets to keep but know that they have to stop this crazy killings from continuing. This book was so delightful to read!!The narrator, Stephanie Nemeth-Parker, does such a wonderful job narrating this southern vampire included mystery. The accents with the different voices given to each character only added to the enjoyment of this audiobook. I wanted more of this book and hope that there are more books with the Evans ladies to come. This was my first book by Lindy Ryan but will not be my last.

Clutch your pearls and don't walk but run to get this very smart funny Southern gore with a side of vampire family drama, don't forget your casserole for the family who has a loss. You will not regret reading this super delicious book!! Bless Your Heart if you don't.......
Keep Reading and find your next adventure in black and white. Thank you Netgalley and MacMillian Audio for the ARC in return for my honest opinion.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC.

The title alone peaked my curiosity, a Texas setting with supernatural will always get me. The Evans women pulled me back to small town life and its challenges. A teen trying to fit in but overshadowed by the family's funeral home, an overprotective mother and a few secrets. The Strigoi will force the family to open up about who they truly are. These Women will have you invested in their fates until the end. The Evans story is a great stand alone, but I would enjoy seeing this grow into a series. I recommend this for those who like Buffy, strong women and 1999.

This was such a delightfully fun audiobook. I enjoyed the characters, the story was captivating and the narrator did an excellent job of bringing the characters to life. This is being called a horror book, but I would say it is more of a cozy horror. There are some gruesome scenes, but they are not that horrible, and they are mercifully short.

I loved the Evans family! They are a tight knit family that has an unusual second job that fits right in with their running a funeral parlor. My two favorites of the group wer Ducey, the oldest member, and Luna, the youngest. But all of the women are given page time and they were all wonderful to hear from. I did keep confusing Lenore and Grace a little bit, especially at the beginning, but as the book went on, they did start to be more distinctive from each other. All of the Evans women are brave and tough, they have to be doing what they do, and always have each others backs, even when they are unhappy with each other. A wonderful and realistic family dynamic is shown through out the book.

There is an amazing number of secondary and tertiary characters, and some of them are narrators for short chapters of the books. Some are victims of the Strigoi, others just part of the story. I liked Deputy Roger Taylor, who has an important role in the story. But I think my favorite characters had to be Luna’s friends, Crystal and Dylan. They often provided a bit of humor when things got dark.

The story is quite riveting. I found myself wanting to find time to listen to the story because I needed to know what was going to happen next. The author does a good job with the setting, a small town in Texas in the 90s. Everyone seems to know each other and most of their secrets. There is a running thread of darkness in the story, but for the most part it is pretty light and sometimes even funny. The murders are somewhat off screen for the most part, the aftermath is sometimes fairly graphic in the descriptions, but not like in a true horror book. The only thing I would want more from is the backstory of the Strigoi. The Evan’s family has always fought them, but don’t seem to know much about them? That just felt a little off.

Stephanie Nemith-Parker does an excellent job of bringing this story to life. She does a southern accent well and managed to make each character distinct with different voices. She also does a really good job with the emotions of the characters, so you always knew how they were feeling. It is really hard for one narrator to portray so many points of view, but she made it seem easy.

This is a book I would recommend you have on your radar. It was funny, a little bit scary, and full of a lot of heart. I can’t wait to see what happens in the sequel.

Enjoyable read. Following 4 generations of Evans women who run a funeral home and secretly hunt vampires. The narrator did a great job voicing all of the characters. The book is told from multiple perspectives, not only the Evans family but a few other characters as well.

This audiobook was amazing! The narrator had convincing voices for every character, male and female. As a Texan, I can verify that she nailed southeast Texas too. The way she had the sheriff lick his lips as he spoke embodied every sheriff in this state. Amazing. The story was a fun ride the whole way through. Well paced, and Lindy Ryan KNOWS these characters. You could also tell she loved them. I was surprised at how gruesome it is, but not in a bad way. This book has the right to stand alongside male writers who do the same, but centers a matriarchy. What a fun ride!

I did not find this book gripping or even interesting, unfortunately. I also didn't enjoy the audiobook narrator's voice. I found the plot boring, definitely not what I expected based on the title and cover. Ah well!

It’s 1999 in a small Texas town where the Evans women run the only funeral parlor around. Four generations of women, from tough-talking Ducey Evans to her teenage great-granddaughter Luna, are entrusted with burying the town’s dead – and making sure they stay buried. But sometimes the dead are restless and their reanimated corpses return as Strigoi, vampire-esque creatures hungry to feed on the living. And it’s up to the Evans women to fight back to protect their family and the whole town.

I was pleasantly entertained by this quirky multiple POV story. It’s a little hard to describe, it’s like if you took paranormal Southern Gothic but made it cozy. That’s not to say there’s no gore, as there are definitely some descriptive blood-and-guts moments, but I’d describe it as light horror, perfect for readers who are newer to the genre. The relationships between the four women gave the story a lot of heart. The late 90s pop culture references are on point and were a lot of fun for this Gen X-er. This book would be perfect for fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and books by Grady Hendrix and Charlaine Harris.

Stephanie Nemeth-Parker narrates the audiobook and she does a great job! Her voice is so expressive and she differentiates the various characters clearly for the listener. She really channels the Evans women, especially Ducey with a crackerjack southern accent. If this becomes a series (and it seems like it will), I hope she narrates them all!

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, and Macmillan Audio for providing me an advance copy of this book.