Review:  Bayou Born (The Foundling Book 1) by Hailey Edwards 

Rating: 2.75⭐️

Hailey Edwards has written several books I’ve enjoyed but this isn’t one of them. Bayou Born frankly isn’t worth the $0.99 cents I paid for it, which surprised me.

Edwards has taken elements from every trope, and types of tropes themselves and mashed them together into Bayou Born, the first book in The Foundling series. 

Now while other writers have done this, here none of these elements and tropes are well defined or written. It’s a grab bag of ideas, details, plots and tropes loosely defined and stuck together. And that’s about how well it works. 

It’s a supernatural, paranormal, urban fantasy murder suspense demonic thriller. Probably romance, not sticking around to find out.

Edwards layers in with her initial wild swamp female child/now adopted police detective a weird story about demons and dragons and hellish shifters in a setting in a swamp like location. That’s just the beginning.

Luce Boudreau, a mud caked child who stumbled out of a Mississippi bayou without a memory, grew up with the police officer who found her. Luce is now a police officer herself. And here’s a major problem. She’s supposed to be a “badass”, however she’s in no way credible as a law enforcement officer. And starting immediately, in almost every scenario, she’s “saved” by the new imposing Alpha security guy who’s stalking her, her dad or “Uncle” , both officers. She needs a lot of help and saving. 

It’s one eye roll after another here. 

A rotary phone that rings on her birthday in the attic but it’s not connected. Wooooo.  Just silly little things. A voice on the phone that she never bothered to track down, even though she’s an officer. 

It’s almost like she has zero common sense or understanding of how to research anything. 

Really, things get worse with unbelievable animals in the swamp, missing people, and the absolute worst or most incompetent investigations ever conducted. 

Trust me when I say that if you stick around by 60 percent, you’ll be flipping pages to get through this. 

And that’s ending just calls for a villain standing around or up a tree rubbing his hands or claws together, and laughing maniacally. 

Do yourself a favor and say no. 

The Foundling (5 book series)

Buy link

 Book 1 of 5: The Foundling 

Blurb 

Her beginning may be our end . . . 

Deep in the humid Mississippi bayou, a half-wild child is dragged from the murky waters. She has no memories, no family and is covered in mysterious markings. Adopted by the policeman who rescued her, Luce Boudreau follows him onto the force, determined to prove herself in the eyes of those who are still suspicious.

However, there’s more of a battle ahead than Luce could possibly imagine. She may be an orphan without a past, but no one – including Luce herself – could ever be prepared for the truth of her dark, powerful destiny .

Piatkus

Publication date

October 17, 2017

Language

‎English

Print length

336 pages

Book 1 of 5

The Foundling

Review:  A Hunting, A Hunting We Will Go (The House of Graves Series Book 4) by M. M. Crumley

Rating: 4.75⭐️:  

Crumley continues with the shocking events of the past book with Tessa Graves’s re-emergence after her kidnapping, torture and brutal handling by the Patron. 

This is pretty brutal with the ramifications for Tessa and the state of her physical health going forward. 

It’s hard for everyone involved, her past memories psychologically compromised by the constant brainwashing of them and the torture/ trauma that she endured over the years. It’s all added up. 

Now with a more nefarious plot they have uncovered, the need to find the Patron and finish him off is more dire than ever.

This and the others are dark books. It amazes me to see them described as horror comedy. No, they really aren’t. They are horror fantasy fiction . It’s death, psychological torture, pain and brutality wrapped in fantastical characters and plotting. 

And it’s worth reading. Absolutely. 

The House of Graves Series (6 book series) :

Three Little Graves & the Big Bad Wolf # 1

Over the River & Through the Wood # 2

Fire Burn & Cauldron Bubble #3

A Hunting, A Hunting We Will Go  #4

And He Walked A Crooked Mile #5

Deck the Halls: Holiday Special #6

Connected Universe and crossover series: 

  • I believe this is the reading order. But characters do appear within each other’s series. But Doc is the original source for them all. 

The Immortal Doc Holliday Series (21 book series)

The Legend of Andrew Rufus Series (7 book series)

Janey Falke: Saint Killer Series (4 book to date series)

The House of Graves Series (6 book series) 

Ghost Guy Series (3 books to date series)

Buy link 

        A Hunting, A Hunting We Will Go (The House of Graves Series Book 4)

    

Blurb 

The House of Graves has lost the fight; will they still be able to win the war?

Tessa Graves’s worst fear has just become a reality. She was afraid that she wouldn’t be ready, and she wasn’t. The patron stepped from the shadows, and she had no choice but to follow him. Will there be any of her left when he’s done, or will she lose everything and everyone she has started to care for?

Read and Listen to THE HOUSE OF GRAVES Book Series

Book 1: THREE LITTLE GRAVES & THE BIG BAD WOLF

Book 2: OVER THE RIVER & THROUGH THE WOODS

Book 3: FIRE BURN & CAULDRON BUBBLE

Book 4: A HUNTING, A HUNTING WE WILL GO

Book 5: AND HE WALKED A CROOKED MILE

Review: The Immortal Doc Holliday: Hidden (The Immortal Doc Holliday Series Book 1) by M. M. Crumley

Rating: 4.5⭐️

I have been jumping all over this complicated world that M.M. Crumley has created since I first dived into the House of Graves series and got helplessly hooked on her interwoven characters, stories and magical relationships in this dark horrifying universe. 

I knew it originated with the Immortal Doc Holiday, how perfect was that, but others kept calling. And Doc keeps appearing all over the place. 

So I knew that I would end up here eventually. What a treasure it looks to be.

Doc Holliday is one of those people who is well documented in history, his legendary status, through movies and books is such that he’s become a great western figure, a epic gunfighter but also a man with a tragic death and background.

Crumley takes this legendary character and his real life complicated personality and weaves it into something more. A magical immortal who has the same qualities, same personality, same depth’s and abilities but is given choice to be immortal. To cheat death, for a price. 

Doc was a brilliant gambler, loved his women and drink, didn’t mind killing people. Was extremely great at it. But he grew up with a code of conduct and kept it. His lifestyle made him few friends and many enemies in real life. Much as it does here.  And it makes him a character who has to grow on a reader. 

He makes no apologies for what or who he is.  Takes fives years off and disappears, telling no one. Reappears to find a changed place and angry companions. Not exactly sorry. He’s immortal. Five years is nothing. 

That mindset takes time to get used to. But as the story continues and the investigation develops, he’s all in and so is the reader. 

I’ve seen Doc from others perspectives and in different scenarios so this is enlightening. I’m really enjoying it. 

And I’ll definitely continue reading around this series as the others thread through it. 

Absolutely love it. And recommend them all. But these all have a dark side and horror elements to them. FYI. 

THE IMMORTAL DOC HOLLIDAY On-going Series Titles

Book 1: HIDDEN

Book 2: COUP D’ÉTAT

Book 3: RUTHLESS

Book 4: INSTINCT

Book 5: ROGUES

Book 6: EMPIRE

& More…

Connected Universe and crossover series: 

  • I believe this is the reading order. But characters do appear within each other’s series at any given point in time. But Doc is the original source for them all. 

The Immortal Doc Holliday Series (21 book series plus )

The Legend of Andrew Rufus Series (7 book series)

Janey Falke: Saint Killer Series (4 book series to date)

The House of Graves Series (6 book series) 

Ghost Guy Series (3 books to date series)

Hell To Pay #1

Length of Days #2 – Sept 6,2026

Reckoning #3 – Tbd

Buy link

        The Immortal Doc Holliday: Hidden (The Immortal Doc Holliday Series Book 1)

    

Blurb 

What would you do with immortality? And could you pay the price? 

Immortal rogue Doc Holliday will stop at nothing to keep his promise and repay the shaman who saved him from death.

But rescuing the shaman’s missing granddaughter and a hidden city of so called “monsters” from being destroyed may be more than Doc bargained for… Can Doc cheat death one more time? Dive into a hidden world of magic and mayhem to find out now!

Keywords: urban fantasy series snarky wizard detective humor Shifters Dragons male mage private investigator Vampires Mages funny paranormal pi books Witches Wizards Cryptids modern magic mystery male lead Werewolves humorous urban supernatural sleuth Fae Fey Fairies witty druid investigator series occult Demons Monsters

Lone Ghost Publishing

Publication date

May 14, 2021

Language

‎English

Print length

265 pages

Book 1 of 21

The Immortal Doc Holliday Series

Review:  Ghost Guy: Hell to Pay (Ghost Guy Series Book 1) by M. M. Crumley

Rating: 5⭐️

I just talked about the fluidity of M. M. Crumley’s series timelines and character appearances in the various series that make up this universe. m playing catchup here with this fantastic character of young boy Nevin Tucker who inhabits the body of TJ Bryant, a police detective who died in the same bomb blast that killed Tucker. 

How that happened and the ramifications are fully explained and remain a part of Tucker’s journey. Crumley is so gifted at characterization that Tucker becomes rawly believable.  So complex and incredibly layered as Tucker is, a young boy/ ghost who, without any real desire or design, wakes up in a grown man’s body and has to adapt.

He’s “seen” by all except those in the “know” as an adult. But mentally, emotionally and for all intents, including knowledge, he’s a kid inside. One who has lost his older sister, and been extremely poor and vulnerable. 

That dichotomy sets up a character driven narrative, a urban fantasy horror story that is fraught with poignant moments and yet filled with humor, albeit unintentionally funny scenarios that a young boy doesn’t understand but a man would. 

Tucker is first introduced in The Immortal Doc Holliday Book 6, a novel I haven’t gotten to as yet. But he’s has been in several books since, and Doc recently introduced him to the Graves family, who play a prominent role in this book.

This fantastic story, and it’s filled with character development as Tucker must look at his own life and think about who he is and what he wants to become, while solving a horrific situation.  And it ends on a heart stopping cliffhanger. 

Oh no. So if you don’t want to read a cliffhanger, wait for the next book to be released, then read through. And check out the Immortal Doc Holiday series or The House of Graves, or any other series listed below. 

Honestly, I need a separate bookshelf just for this author. She’s fantastic. So are these series. 

Highly recommended. 

Connected Universe and crossover series: 

  • I believe this is the reading order. But characters do appear within each other’s series at any given point in time. But Doc is the original source for them all. 

The Immortal Doc Holliday Series (21 book series plus )

The Legend of Andrew Rufus Series (7 book series)

Janey Falke: Saint Killer Series (4 book series to date)

The House of Graves Series (6 book series) 

Ghost Guy Series (3 books to date series)

Hell To Pay #1

Length of Days #2 – Sept 6,2026

Reckoning #3 – Tbd

Buy link

        Ghost Guy: Hell to Pay (Ghost Guy Series Book 1)

    

Blurb 

Even the dead need a hero.

Nevin Tucker is a snarky young detective who just happens to be dead. This paranormal PI spends his days (and nights) as Ghost Guy: the only occult detective willing to take cases from clients who can’t pay, can’t be seen, and who really need a hero. But as a ghost in someone else’s body, Tucker has his own issues to deal with, and most of his issues are members of the House of Graves. Dive into a hidden world of magic and mayhem now! Available in print, eBook and audiobook formats

Lone Ghost Publishing

Publication date

March 4, 2026

Language

‎English

Print length

357 pages

Book 1 of 2

Ghost Guy Series

Review:  Janey Falke Saint Killer: Blood Oath (Janey Falke: Saint Killer Series Book 1) by M. M. Crumley

Rating: 4.75⭐️

I’m just enthralled by M.M. Crumley’s multi series universe, one I understand is complex in its plot and character dynamics and timeline fluidity. 

I started with the incredible House of Graves series, backtracking to the first in the Immortal Doc Holliday series (the first of them), and have read around the universe since. 

Becoming more invested and deeper engaged with each character and their respective stories. 

But I don’t think I was prepared for Janey Falke. She’s older, an adult in the other series. But here she’s a child. A terrifyingly battered and abused girl surrounded by her violent family in a wagon train headed west. 

Left behind in the East, a grandmother and the grave of her mother, Janey is a young girl who is brutally beaten constantly by her father and brothers. Told she’s worthless while being knocked about. On a journey west with dwindling numbers of wagons to destinations unknown. 

 That’s a backstory we get after we meet her, bloody and fleeing a massacre of the wagon train headed west.

Janey is a singular voice. Young, scared, rooted in her truth and raw emotion.  A survivor, and her story is told from the prospective of someone who lives in the 1800’s, with all that comes with its history of that era. The attitudes and the way history treated native peoples, women , and children. 

This is a often dark and brutal tale, which encompasses many sorrowful and violent crimes against women, children of all races , as well as those crimes committed against the various tribes of the area. Janey’s revenge is against the criminals here is as violent as theirs. 

It’s also a deeply emotional and psychological journey for Janey as she struggles with her trauma, her memories, her abuse, and the idea of actual magic in the world around her. 

It’s a social upheaval for her as well. That the very people who take her in and care for her are the “Indians “ she was taught were evil. 

It’s a thought-provoking, powerful, and compelling story. Janey is heartbreaking and a girl we take into our hearts. Her strength and struggles become ours. 

I believe she is one of the most memorable characters among many this author has written. 

An additional point about the many series and stories. 

To show exactly how fluid this world is , this universe and series fits in between chronologically, Janey Book 2, that’s the next book, falls between Andrew Book 6 and Andrew Book 7.

That’s the Legend of Andrew Rufus Series, which falls, maybe, after The Immortal Doc Holliday, which also meshes with The House of Graves. So very timeline fluid indeed! That’s the thing with immortality and magic. 

Anyway Andrew (somewhat ) and Janey are set in the Western United States in the late 1800’s and you believe in that absolutely. 

Highly recommend reading this, and those. And this author. But think about what the characters go through. This is a dark universe and these characters have brutal struggles to overcome. 

Fantasy horror indeed. 

Connected Universe and crossover series: 

  • I believe this is the reading order. But characters do appear within each other’s series. But Doc is the original source for them all. 

The Immortal Doc Holliday Series (21 book series)

The Legend of Andrew Rufus Series (7 book series)

Janey Falke: Saint Killer Series (4 book to date series)

Blood Oath #1

Blood Ties #2

Blood Feud #3

Blood Lust #4

The House of Graves Series (6 book series) 

Ghost Guy Series (3 books to date series)

Buy link 

 Book 1 of 4: Janey Falke: Saint Killer Series 

Blurb 

How far would you go for revenge?

After her family is murdered, young Janey Falke makes a blood oath to avenge them. But as her quest for personal vengeance shifts into a mission of protecting the innocent, she unknowingly draws the attention of a dark god who hungers for her growing power… Dive into a hidden world of dark magic and mayhem now!

Please Note: This series is on-going and additional books will be added to this list as they become available

Lone Ghost Publishing

Publication date

November 3, 2024

Language

‎English

Print length

332 pages

Book 1 of 4

Janey Falke: Saint Killer Series

Review:  Fire Burn & Cauldron Bubble (The House of Graves Series Book 3 by M. M. Crumley

Rating: 4.75⭐️

Another great story. Angst and action filled as the Patron continues to strive for control over Tessa Graves’ mind and body. 

Each book ups the suspense and emotional tension as Tessa and those around her search for answers to the magical bindings within her mind and the Patron’s identity .

Crumley excellently crafts such a heartbreaking, complicated story that pulls the reader intimately into Tessa’s mind and heightened state as she reaches out for help to witches with her longtime bindings created by her father and the Patron 

As the helplessness grows and her other cases continue, the reader becomes even deeper immersive into her life and the dark world she inhabits .

Incredible storytelling and a  memorable character who I’ve taken to heart. 

Highly recommended. What a series. 

Connected Universe and crossover series: 

  • I believe this is the reading order. But characters do appear within each other’s series. But Doc is the original source for them all. 

The Immortal Doc Holliday Series (21 book series)

The Legend of Andrew Rufus Series (7 book series)

Janey Falke: Saint Killer Series (4 book series)

The House of Graves Series (6 book series) 

Ghost Guy Series (3 books to date series)

The House of Graves Series (6 book series) :

Three Little Graves & the Big Bad Wolf # 1

Over the River & Through the Wood # 2

Fire Burn & Cauldron Bubble #3

A HUNTING, A HUNTING WE WILL GO BOOK 4

AND HE WALKED A CROOKED MILE BOOK 5

HOLIDAY SPECIAL: DECK THE HALLS BOOK 6

Buy link:

        Fire Burn & Cauldron Bubble (The House of Graves Series Book 3)

    

Blurb 

If letting the most powerful witch in the world rip her mind apart is the only way to protect her family, then that’s just what Tessa Graves will do. No matter the cost… As the Patron’s noose tightens down around the House of Graves, Tessa finds herself seeking the aid of Thomas Jury, a witch who’s powerful beyond measure and just as dangerous. But even with Jury’s so called ‘help’, will the Patron’s power prove too much for Tessa to withstand?

Lone Ghost Publishing

Publication date

January 14, 2024

Accessibility

Learn more

Language

‎English

Print length

319 pages

Book 3 of 6

The House of Graves Series

Review: Over the River & Through the Wood (The House of Graves Series Book 2) by M.M. Crumley

Rating : 4.75 ⭐️

I really don’t know how I missed this author before, she’s astonishing. 

Over the River & Through the Wood makes Tessa Graves’ situation ever more precarious, the horror and ever present danger that the Patron threatens to her mental and physical state, and those around her is increasingly terrifying. And the hidden files of her father brings the truth of exactly how evil and vicious he and the Patron he as well as all the men of her family have become. 

It is a race to uncover who the Patron is, vs the mental pressure and physical force he’s bringing against her, the files she and Ollie and her grandmother are trying to fix and outside forces who have their own issues.

 

The deepest emotional struggle is that of Tessa, who, with help, has come to realize exactly what her father has done to her and her mind since she was 13. The missing memories, the chunks of her life, in fact, her life and consent, that was removed from her, until now. Grief, rage and loss is there  and the fact that she has no idea has to interact with others. And we are with her, in her head each second of every moment of every heinous act of her struggle to regain control of her mind and body . It’s gritty, raw, and utterly heartbreaking 

At the end I found I couldn’t stop, grateful that this was a finished series and kept going. The suspense, the intensity and, frankly, the building heartbreak, as Tessa lets a small circle of people into her life and heart even as the Patron is trying to dig in further for control, well, tissues are something to have around. Be warned.

Darkness is everything here, laughs a minor thing. The characters are brilliant. 

I absolutely love them. Binging is everything.

Connected Universe and crossover series:

The Immortal Doc Holliday Series (21 book series)

The House of Graves Series (6 book series)

Ghost Guy Series (2 book series)

The House of Graves Series (6 book series) :

Three Little Graves & the Big Bad Wolf # 1

Over the River & Through the Wood # 2

FIRE BURN & CAULDRON BUBBLE BOOK 3

A HUNTING, A HUNTING WE WILL GO BOOK 4

AND HE WALKED A CROOKED MILE BOOK 5

HOLIDAY SPECIAL: DECK THE HALLS BOOK 6

Buy link:

        Over the River & Through the Wood (The House of Graves Series Book 2)

    

Blurb 

Tessa Graves’s to-do list: Find her lost memories, kill the Patron, and restore honor to the House of Graves, if such a thing is even possible… 

The Cadwel incident did not go unnoticed, and as a result the Graves gals and Curtis Nash may be up a creek without a paddle. Old clientele are seeking to insure they don’t end up like the Cadwels by removing Graves, Graves, and Graves from the picture, permanently. And the only way to keep the Hidden government off their case is by solving one for the Tetrarch. (Never mind that it’s an unsolvable cold case from before Tessa could tie her own shoes.) If that wasn’t bad enough, Tessa is discovering that her mind is far less her own than she realized and that the most dangerous threat to her family may be her… Can the House of Graves survive as the power of the Patron takes hold? Dive into a hidden world of magic and mayhem to find out now! Available in print, eBook and audiobook formats, OR read FREE with Kindle Unlimited and listen FREE with your Audible Subscription!

The House of Graves is a new series with all the nail-biting-mystery, laugh-out-loud humor, and supernatural action that you’ve come to expect and demand from bestselling author M.M. Crumley. So if you’ve been looking for a fun ride, jump on, because this is the series for you!

Lone Ghost Publishing

Publication date

September 23, 2023

Language

‎English

Print length

326 pages

Book 2 of 6

The House of Graves Series

Review: Three Little Graves & the Big Bad Wolf (The House of Graves Series Book 1) by M.M. Crumley

Rating : 4.5 ⭐️

I honestly dislike when Amazon or the author’s publisher goes overboard in its marketing efforts for a story, needlessly I think, to say things like “laugh-out-loud humor” or “among the best female fantasy books”.

Because first I enjoy making my own impressions, especially if the writer is new to me, as Crumley is here, or it is realistically not true. This isn’t the best female fantasy story ever but it’s absolutely terrific in a horror story, PNR, thriller manner. 

Crumley brings the reader into the story at the funeral for Tessa Graves’ father. Standing at the gravesite, she’s the last Graves now in the powerful, old family firm of Graves, Graves, and Graves. A man apparently mourned but none but herself. 

Turns out with excellent reason. 

Step by harrowing step, the author shatters Tessa’s well constructed, calm and orderly life. Her life and her household, when her “crazy aunt” and her “unstable butterfly” grandmother move back into the family mansion she’s inherited, along with the butler who’s been living there for centuries. 

But the horror arises when evil is discovered. Not one but two villains (one deeply in the shadows) and  the beginnings of the heinous acts they have committed.

There is a series prior to this one, The Immortal Doc Holliday Series , and those characters figure greatly here in this one. And there’s a carryover plot from this series into the Doc Holliday Series in book 17 I believe. 

The writing is detailed, emotionally charged and very terrifying/horrifying in the dark physical and mental trauma that the main character is enduring constantly. To say that I was hurting for her and those who cared for her is saying the very minimum. 

Incredible storytelling and series. Yes I’ve finished it. Binged it in a day. Highly recommended.

Connected Universe and crossover series:

The Immortal Doc Holliday Series (21 book series)

The House of Graves Series (6 book series)

Ghost Guy Series (2 book series)

The House of Graves Series (6 book series) :

Three Little Graves & the Big Bad Wolf # 1

OVER THE RIVER & THROUGH THE WOOD BOOK 2

FIRE BURN & CAULDRON BUBBLE BOOK 3

A HUNTING, A HUNTING WE WILL GO BOOK 4

AND HE WALKED A CROOKED MILE BOOK 5

HOLIDAY SPECIAL: DECK THE HALLS BOOK 6

Buy link:

 Book 1 of 6: The House of Graves Series 

Blurb 

Working as an investigator for the supernatural elite means living by three simple rules: don’t ruffle feathers, keep the clients (vampires, shifters, witches, etc.) happy, and never give them a reason to want you dead. Simple. Unfortunately, Tessa Graves just can’t seem to follow the rules. And that’s why 300 bloodthirsty wolf shifters are hot on her trail. Adding insult to injury, her newly-retired aunt and feisty grandmother have decided to become her new sidekicks… and roommates… and life coaches whether Tessa likes it or not. Can these three strong-willed women survive each other long enough to avoid being torn to shreds?

Review:  The Prodigal (The Corpse Whisperer #1) by H.R. Boldwood

Rating: 4⭐️

Although listed as the first book in The Corpse Whisperer series, The Prodigal is considered by its author the prequel to the series. Its actual introduction to the corpse whisperer, Allie Nighthawk. 

These are my first books I’ve read by Boldwood so it’s my introduction into her writing as well as the universe of Allie Nighthawk. 

Allie is a ghost whisperer, someone who can raise the dead and equally important, put them back into the grave. In a world where zombies have been on the rise for the last few years, her talents are in demand. But the pay gap between the damage caused by the zombies and their destruction is seeing her bank account empty.

That’s got her heading back to Cincinnati, where she has a house and a past. 

There Allie’s got a rough landing into a situation where she’s in need of revenue, law enforcement is leery of her help, and the zombies are not behaving like normal. 

I really enjoyed this. It’s short but the characters, including Headbutt the Bulldog, are interesting and layered. And there’s a past darkness following Allie that seems to be a huge part of the series that is hinted at by the end of the book. 

It’s an entertaining read and sets the foundation for the series. A definite winner. 

Cover art by Dar Albert at Wicked Smart Designs

The Corpse Whisperer series: 

The Prodigal 

The Corpse Whisperer 

Corpse Whisperer Sworn 

Corpse Whisperer Torn

Buy link

 Book 1 of 5: Corpse Whisperer, the Series 

Blurb 

The Prodigal is a 2021 Imadjinn Award finalist, and H.R. Boldwood is a Pushcart Prize nominee and winner of the Thomas More College Bilbo Award for creative writing.

Murder. Mayhem. Zombies. Just another day in my hometown.

Welcome to my world—I’m Allie Nighthawk, a flat-broke zombie hunter with more attitude than cash. When I roll back into Cincinnati, I’m hoping for a fresh start. Instead, I land knee-deep in not one but two murders, a mess of mayhem, and more zombies than you can shake a machete at.

The good guys? They might not be so good. And the blast from my past? Yeah, he’s back—and not exactly bringing flowers.

Now I’ve got to juggle the walking dead, the maybe-not-so-living, and the very real chance I won’t get out unscathed. But hey, it’s all in a day’s work when you’re me: the Corpse Whisperer.

Oliver Heber Books

Publication date

March 18, 2025

Language

‎English

Print length

188 pages

Book 1 of 5

Corpse Whisperer, the Series

Review :  Kiss My Ash: A paranormal fantasy with chaos and heart (An Umbrafore Novel) by Lara McKenzie

Rating: 5⭐️

“Grief is a squatter. You can’t evict it or reason with it, and it keeps touching your things.”

This is a story I want to share, underline, have quotes made into bumper stickers, and just absolutely love. 

But it’s not an easy story to read at times. It’s emotionally draining, raw, heartbreaking, funny, full of truth and tragedy, and for many women who are struggling with their bodies, trauma, and grief, this story can only be described as a tale of recovery and healing. 

Lara McKenzie always manages to balances darkness with humor in her writing, and that’s especially true here in Kiss My Ash.

Charlotte Marelli, ex-lawyer, now owner of a supernatural coffee shop in  the realm of Umbrafore. Charlotte is a character we’re familiar with if you’re a reader of the connected series, Maya’s Blogs, written in the similar style.

Charlotte has been a wonderfully steady force in the lives of many beings around her but here it’s Charlotte who is in need as her life begins to shatter. 

Careful to keep complete control of her life, reasons for which become apparent as the story develops, her past life begins to invade her current situation and her physically changes of perimenopause and hot flashes are making her everyday life even more difficult. 

This is truly such a powerful read as Charlotte’s struggles through her tragic history, current dangers and watch as she grows into a survivor and warrior. 

A remarkable book that’s relevant, quotable, and heartfelt.  I highly recommend both the author , Kiss My Ass, and Maya’s Blogs too. 

Cover Illustration by Mansitha.

Side story. Related to

Maya’s Blogs (5 book series)

Buy link

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.comKiss My Ash: A paranormal fantasy with chaos and heart (An Umbrafore Novel) eBook …

Blurb 

Forty-seven, perimenopausal, and armed with a lethal wit, ex-barrister Charlotte Marelli runs a supernatural coffee shop. 

Her small and carefully controlled life shatters when someone from her past reappears just as her no-strings-attached relationship becomes complicated. 

Thrust into a web of surveillance and old traumas, Charlotte must unravel a conspiracy tied to her own kidnapping, forcing her to decide whether trusting anyone is worth the risk of being broken again.

February 2, 2026

Language

‎English

Print length

312 pages

Women’s fantasy fiction, fantasy fiction, 

Kiss My Ash contains depictions of: Mild PTSD and panic attacks  Past captivity and human trafficking (not depicted on page)  Alcohol as a coping mechanism  Death of a parent  Trauma responses  Menopause and perimenopause experiences  Violence and threats of violence (non-explicit)  Please, take care of yourself.

Note; written for neurodivergent readers, with shortish chapters, accessible prose, and minimal filler.