‍Rating: 🤩

Two things about me: I’m not usually a series ghoulie (save for connected standalones), and in the exception that I do pick up the first in a series, I usually wait until the later books are out.

I broke from my norm when I read Good Mourning, Darling by Azalea Crowley last week. I did it for a few reasons. For one, it’s Disability Pride Month, and I wanted to make sure I was reading some books with disabled main characters by disabled authors this month. Two, I’ve been getting into horror romance—especially cozy horror romance—and I was in the mood for one. And three, a paranormal mafia funeral home??? Sign me up.

Anyway, I’m glad I did because Good Mourning, Darling is one of my favorite books I’ve read this year.

The tl;dr is that our MMC, Eugene, is a Shadow-having monster who speaks like the 20s mobster he was (before death/undeath/post-death)—he even uses a transatlantic accent!—is basically in indentured servitude to Ella’s family, unbeknownst to her. Ella is moving home, there’s a (monster) hit out on her, and Eugene (who she’s had a crush on for ages), is assigned to be her bodyguard. He hates her at first, but not for long.

I loved that Eugene still speaks like the 20s mobster he was even though the book is set in contemporary times (and I appreciated the 20s slang glossary in the beginning of the book so I knew what he was saying). I loved that a transatlantic accent somehow became hot to me?? I loved the world building, and how things were sort of revealed as we went along (this was my first book by Crowley, so I don’t have the context from the Odd Blood series). I loved the nature of Eugene’s Shadow, and that it was sort of its own entity and still at times part of a “we.” I loved the depiction of Ella’s autism, and how it was front-and-center as part of who she was. I just loved it.

And I’m so ready for more, omg. Trust I will be re-reading this when the next in the series comes out so I can remember everything before the story continues.