Alice James - Grave Danger (Lavington Windsor Mysteries #2)
5⭐
Genre: Fiction, Fantasy, Paranormal, Mystery, Romance, Humour, Crime, Horror
Pages: 298
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Solaris, Rebellion Publishing
Date Published: 23rd May 2023
Big thanks to Alice James for sending me an e-copy of this book to read and review.
Book Blurb:
More murder. More mayhem. More champagne.
Toni Windsor is failing at ‘happily ever after,’ but it really isn't her fault.
All she wants is true love and the perfect wardrobe, but it doesn't look like they are coming her way any time soon. Instead, there are murders to solve and zombies to raise, and she’s broken her phone again.
Worst of all, her shiny new boyfriend turns out to be a jerk; maybe dating a vampire wasn’t her best decision ever?
My Review:
This book is even funnier and quirkier than the first one. It is also even more sarcastic and witty than the first one. Oh, and it has even more sexy vampires. What’s not to like? James’s writing is brilliant! A perfect blend of witty, crazy and humorous tones mixed with seriousness and complexity. All this makes each of the characters, especially Toni, not only fun but also portrays how complex each of them are. Basically, I am trying to say that life is complex and James writes her characters with a perfect balance of seriousness, crazy and funny.
In the book, we follow Toni, who is asked to assist her brother in yet another murder case. There are several suspects, but no one knows who did it, not even zombie Bella after Toni raises her from the dead. On top of that, Toni has to deal with her boyfriend Oscar, who, let’s say, is getting on her nerves and pressuring her to do things she doesn’t want. She also is pushed around by Benedict, who she has to run errands for. Oh, and Toni also has to deal with the forever-growing line of people that wants to kill her…The girl can’t seem to catch a break…
This book felt both, a murder mystery and Toni trying to find her way, as well as make sense of her newfound life with vampires at such proximity. She is not only asked to find out who Bella’s murderer is but also needs to sort out her own (messy) love life and keep herself safe from vampires and other creatures that are trying to kill her, whilst also juggling whatever the Assemblage tells her to take care of.
I loved how Toni grew as a character throughout the first two books, especially in this book. I just love her attitude and her outlook on life. I feel I could learn a thing or two from her, yet at the same time, she feels like a familiar character to whom I can relate.
I love how the story is progressing too. There are still so many questions unanswered, but this book built such a great foundation for all of those to be answered in the next instalments.
I am just going to go and cry about how frustrating Peter’s situation is… and laugh about Oscar…if you know, you know…#TeamPeter
Overall: Brilliantly written story, with so many great characters that I fell in love in the first instalment and don’t want to let go. Like I need the third book now! The suspense! Why did the book have to finish on such a cliffhanger!!! Honestly, can’t wait to see what crazy situations Toni will get herself into in book three.
About the Author:
Alice lives in a converted chapel in Oxfordshire, England, with three cats and many house plants. She works as a writer, specialising in finance and travel. She was previously a journalist and TV presenter for Bloomberg before becoming press and PR director of a $1 billion US hedge fund for 18 months. That turned out to be the worst period in history for hedge funds, so she retired wounded. Alice has a degree in Maths from Bristol University – and half of a diploma in silversmithing from UCE University because it turns out that making the ladies’ version of the One Ring is a lot harder than she thought.
