#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.

This was a DNF for me.

I could not get into this book, even though I really, really wanted to. I heard such mixed things about this book that I wanted to give it a try, but I could not get into this. I think this is why it took me so long to write this review because I wanted to keep trying to finish it.

But I want to make this note: just because I could not get into this, does not mean that it isn't for you. There are so many books that other people have really enjoyed, that I could not stand, and vice versa. Do not let me stop you from trying this book if the premise sounds good to you!

Title: Bless Your Heart (audio)
Author: Lindy Ryan
Genre: Fiction, mystery
Rating: 4 out of 5

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

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.

As hard as it is for me to call this historical fiction, it did feel like that, and historical fiction in small-town Texas, which is my own history. This felt like a cozy mystery, but it was really bloody, too. Like, really bloody. I enjoyed the audiobook and thought the narrator did a great job on style with this read.

Lindy Ryan is a professor at Rutgers University. Bless Your Heart is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of MacMillan Audio in exchange for an honest review.)

"Bless Your Heart" by Lindy Ryan takes readers on a thrilling journey through the small town of Southeast Texas, where the Evans women run the Evans Funeral Parlor and safeguard the town from restless undead spirits. This multigenerational tale weaves together family dynamics, small-town charm, and horror elements in a refreshingly unique narrative.

Ryan's writing captivates from the start, with engaging prose and a plot that keeps readers eagerly turning pages. Despite the familiar premise of the undead rising, "Bless Your Heart" offers a fresh perspective, delivering a blend of cozy atmosphere and dark, graphic scenes that create a compelling contrast.

The strength of the story lies in its characters, particularly the spunky Evans women who charm readers with their banter and resilience. As the first book in a new series, it sets the stage for further exploration of the town's mysteries and the Evans family's adventures.

While "Bless Your Heart" offers light horror elements, it's more entertaining than terrifying, making it an enjoyable read for fans of mysteries and those looking for a dose of fun without the sleepless nights. Overall, Ryan promises an exciting series ahead, leaving readers eager to uncover what lies in store for the Evans women and their community.

Bless Your Heart was interesting listen for sure! Definitely not a book that I would normally pick up. It was a humorous horror mystery novel. The main characters family runs a funeral parlor and she finds out her true families history. The narrator did a great job I thought. Rating of 3 stars is mostly because it really wasn’t my cup of tea. Thank you to NetGalley, McMillion Audio and the author for allowing me to listen and review this audiobook!

3.75 stars! Fun southern vampire book with "bless your heart" humor. I did find it a little difficult to keep up with the different narrators and keep it straight who was talking. But I enjoyed it!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC Audio Copy!

Fun and lighthearted southern horror about vampires. What more can you want.
I really enjoyed this on Audio especially because the narrator did a wonderful job with really putting you in the right environment and feels for this book.

Following the owner/operators family of a funeral home in small town Texas, these are not your typical vampires, but it was a fun and quirky story and I can not wait for the next installment.

What do you get when you mix a cozy mystery, Strigoi (Vampires), with a splash and dab of horror? You get this book. I'm not sure how I feel about this story, but I'm leaning toward being quite entertained. I loved the unique flavor it presented, with a family of funeral workers trying to keep the dead where they belong, but cursed when it comes to love. This leads to some bad decisions that come back to haunt them. The main premise is that lots of strigoi are showing up and the townsfolk are dying in horrific ways. The Evans women must find out why this is happening and who is behind it all. We follow multiple characters, including most of the Evans family, Deputy Roger Taylor, and the victims at their time of death. So, we know everything that's going on, except who the mastermind is. 

The Evans women are sassy, opinionated, and full of love for each other, which makes the horror aspect somewhat less intense. Yes, the deaths are described in detail, but it's quaint because you have a grandma who's ready to murder some dead folk. There's also a coming-of-age story for Luna, the youngest Evans, who's trying to figure out her identity, her likes, and why she's having strange dreams. This book takes us all over the place in the best way possible. You'll cringe at the murders, laugh at the sassy humor, and shed a tear at the sad parts. Overall, this is a unique take on the horror/vampire genre and I'm here for it!"

Bless Your Heart was a fun romp. I loved the "proper lady" theme but mixed with vampires. Well done.

Cozy, hilarious, supernatural, gore, and a good amount of Southern charm, what more could I ask for?

"Bless Your Heart" by Lindy Ryan takes place in a small Southern town where a family of strong women run a funeral parlour. They take care of those who have passed.... and ensure that they don't come back again. All was going well until it isn't, turns out there has been a Strigoi (vampire) attack. Things go from bad to worse when more and more attacks end up happening. But this gives us a chance to learn more about the Evans women and learn more about what they have survived.

This was such an entertaining cozy mystery horror. I loved the characters, but the story was pretty slow. Nonetheless I'm excited to see what else Lindy Ryan has in store for us.

Thank you to Lindy Ryan, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the audio-digital ARC provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

A small Southern town where the Evans women's job is to kill the undead. They own a funeral parlor and have had no problems over the last few years, that is until a local woman dies and is raised from the dead. To their shocking surprise, Strigoi the original vampires are back.
This was a fun mystery horror novel. The characters have southern wit that is fun and woven in with the dark grim vampire lore. I liked the idea of this being a women-run funeral parlor for keeping vampires under-wrapped. There was much more description of blood, guts, and gore than what I was expecting. There are a lot of points of view. I can see and understand why some people may not enjoy this, it's slow, and there is a huge play on Southern etiquette. I listen to the audiobook so that may have helped the joyment and fun I had. This is a standard, fine vampire mystery that would make for a nice spring day read.

I'm here for all the various takes on vampire novels and this cozy mystery was hilarious and really fun. I think Stephanie Németh-Parker nailed the tone of this book with her narration as well.
Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio for the ALC!

I can not tell you when the last time I enjoyed a " horror " book more than I enjoyed Bless Your Heart by Lindy Ryan.

When I sat horror, I say it loosely, sure it has vampires, and murder, and morticians, and all that other creepy stuff, but more importantly, it has laughs, this is a fun horror story and I could not get enough of it.
Being a Southerner I love any book that has a Southern voice. Those voices, many times, are women and Bless Your Heart is no different. It takes place in a small southeast Texas town ( to be honest, more than half my family live in East Texas, and I read the whole book in their thick accent ) Also, I listened to it part time also, the narrator was a great reader and help make the audio.

The Evan's women Ducey, Lenore, Grace and teenage Luna, own the towns only funeral parlor. Soon people start dying and they realize they are rising, this is where the fun begins.

There is a lot to like about this story besides the vampires . The women in the book are strong and the family is dynamic, the characters are likable and humorous. There are times when I think it could have had more mystery and suspense , but the dark was there, lurking underneath all the fun.

This is so fun, I recommend it to anyone who wants a quick and enjoyable read.

P.S.-- Bless Your Heart is the first of a new series and even me, a non series reader can't wait for the next one!

Is cozy horror a thing because that is where this book belongs? This is definitely more slow moving and character driven. Each chapter is narrated by a different character which got a bit confusing at times. The reveal of the big bad was not surprising and a bit of a let down. It felt like we needed more pages here and less earlier about conflicts that were superfluous. Overall, I did enjoy it and I thought the audiobook narrator did a good job.

This was a fun read and gruesome and I can't wait for the next book in the series to come out! This was my 1st book by Lindy Ryan, but it will not be my last. I am adding all of her books to my TBR and anxiously waiting for the next book in this series! I want to know how Luna takes to the family business.

Lindy Ryan's Bless Your Heart combines horror, humor, and mystery in a delightful story of Strigoi infiltrating a small Southern town. The perspective shifts from Luna to her mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. Four generations of women hard at work protecting the town from an enemy most townspeople don't even know exists. Luna learns of her part in the story late in her teens-at a time when the dead have started to wake. This is a quick read that I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys vampire fiction. The ending is full of twists and I couldn't put it down.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio for the copies to review!

Oh my goodness, let me tell you how much I loved this book and how much I loved these Evans ladies! These southern Texas gals are not to be messed with, whether you are living or dead. I thoroughly enjoyed this story, including the shenanigans these ladies found themselves in and how they got themselves out of them. I am so glad this is the first book in a series as I was not ready to be done with this book that is for sure. The audio was also very well done and I very much enjoyed listening to this one while following along with the physical copy. The narrator did a truly fabulous job here, and while this is classified as horror it is on the light side and I think most would enjoy this one, and I absolutely recommend it.

I was definitely expecting something more along the lines vampire diaries, or even maybe a little bit of true blood, but it didn’t feel like those for me. It was definitely a force myself to keep going kind of book. I think if it weren’t for the audiobook format I might have DNFd. I guess I wanted to connect more with the characters. I think there is definitely an audience for this book I just don’t think it was for me.

Picture it: 1990s, small town in Texas, mysterious deaths…vampires!

Bless Her Heart is told through alternating perspectives from the Evans family women. They each represent a different generation for the family and a different perspective on their family responsibility to fight vampires. I loved getting to know each of them, their quirks, their motivations, their fears. In addition, readers also get to spend time with a handful of townsfolk who find themselves caught up in this most recent vampire outbreak.

Ryan did a great job of taking advantage of the small town vibes for this story, as well as channeling the culture of the 90’s. Nothing was over-the-top or felt forced, but instead served to set a backdrop that aided in making the story feel realistic and plausible. I could easily see how the Evans women were able to keep their vampire-fighting side hustle a secret!

I had no idea that this was going to be the start of a series until I left my star rating on Goodreads after finishing reading, but it makes so much sense with the way the book ended. I look forward to seeing what book two brings in the future!

What an absolute delight this book is! I'm not much of a horror reader, but this was almost so light and enjoyable that I will look into more. I found it to be funny and almost a breath of fresh air. It was entertaining to a fault, even the somewhat gory stuff. I loved the setting of 1999 Texas. It gave almost Lisa Frank nostalgia vibes, which is impressive when writing a horror book. I chuckled at every mention of a pager. It made my millennial heart fill with joy. Plus, listening to this as an audiobook was absolutely the best because the narrator did such a fantastic job of giving each character a specific voice. I was truly blown away how well she did! The book read as almost a mystery, trying to figure out why the people in this small town were turning up dead, and how they were all linked to the Evans women. There were breadcrumbs that were left so strategically along the way that it made me keep wanting to listen. Also, the ending seemed to indicate that there will be more in this series, which I love. I am very excited to read more from this author, especially more in this series.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers and Macmillan audio for providing me with an advanced copy of this audiobook. All opinions within this review are my own.