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tomeaftertome 's review for:

Graveyard Shift by Melanie Davies

4.25

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This was my first book by Melanie Davies book… and I am officially a fan!

Maxine Mitchell Okay, first of all… SHE ATE. This narrator brought this dark, bloody, banter-filled world to life so vividly, I swear I could smell the leather and danger. And don’t even get me started on the MMC’s voice 😮‍💨. I was clutching my figurative pearls like an unprepared Victorian widow. Then there’s her portrayal of the FMC, her inner monologue had me nodding along like, “Felt that, queen 👏 say it again for the monsters in the back.” As far as overall sound and quality goes… this is a Blue Nose Audio production, need I say more? 👏

Book one: Graveyard Shift of the Midnight Stakes series, had me fighting off full-body Buffy the Vampire Slayer flashbacks in the best possible way. I’m talking WB-era, green dancing frog nostalgia. Remember staying up too late to catch those vampire brawls and broody stares? Yeah, now imagine that— but grown-up, grittier, steam-on-full-blast-powering-an-entire-railroad-line, and with a romance that will make your soul and your underwear combust (I recommend laying down some newspaper before starting this journey). We’re serving Spike & Buffy vibes on a silver (not wooden) platter, with eternal-life-level angst and tension you could cut with a dagger (preferably dipped in venom or something equally dramatic).

Enemies to allies to lovers? ✅

Deliciously forbidden? ✅✅

Banter so sharp it could kill a lesser vampire? ✅✅✅

And yes, my new vamp boyfriend Darius has officially joined the ranks of fictional obsessions I am emotionally unavailable because of. 😮‍💨🔥

No high school drama here; this is full-grown, full-throttle, full-body heat. The romantic scenes? Definitely NOT WB-approved. Let’s just say if Buffy had scenes like this, the FCC would’ve had a meltdown. You’ll be blushing, gasping, and maybe barking “no way” to yourself at 2AM. It’s that kind of read.

If you’re a fan of Van Helsing, Underworld, or anything where monsters look like models and talk like sin, you need this book.

Book rec-wise, if you’re into:

*Deals with Demons by Stacia Stark? Yep, this one.

*Crescent City but want less fluff (sweetness) and more fangs? It’s here.

*Kel Carpenter’s morally gray chaos and cryptid hotties? Grab this book now.

I’m ready for book 2 of the Midnight Stakes series, Taken to the Grave, like a vampire at sunrise: dramatic, desperate, and a little dangerous. Because Darius? That man has officially earned his place in my vampire boyfriend hall of fame. 😮‍💨🖤🩸

Thank you so much to the author and Blue Nose Audio for a copy of this audiobook, which allowed me to post this honest review of my experience.

Content Warnings