How To Kiss An Undead Bride & How To Survive An Undead Honeymoon by Hailey Edwards

My thoughts on The Beginners Guide To Necromancy series (books 1-6).

FYI - 
These are not normal novel-length stories but they're definitely longer than a novella would be... Around 200 pages in length.

Spoilers ahead for the series as a whole!

🌻

Groom? Check.

Dress? Check.

Cake? Check.

More cake? Double Check.

Even more cake? Triple check.

(Seriously, who left Lethe alone with Grier's credit card?)

Anything that can go wrong has,but all the deposits have been paid, and the menus are set. Mostly. There's always room for more cake, right? All that's left is for Grier and Linus to exchange vows and set off on their honeymoon. Their happily ever after awaits, so close they can taste it.

No. Wait. That's probably just more cake. Frosting gets everywhere.

Anyway, there's also murder, arson, and general mayhem. This is what happens when two potentates marry. Just cross your fingers they survive exchanging vows, and that the knot they tie doesn't turn into a noose.

I absolutely adored The Beginner's Guide To Necromany series and Linus and Grier have become one of my most favourite bookish couples ever. Therefore, I was stupidly happy to read epilogue novellas showing them in that state of happy ever after!

How To Kiss An Undead Bride is - unsurprisingly - about their wedding!

It's set a couple of years after the end of the main series and unlike the main series has chapters from both Linus and Griers pov! *happy dances!*

The time jump was a welcome thing as it shows how they'd progressed as a couple, touched on how they'd navigated Linus being split between Savannah and Atlanta (while training two new Potentates) and the strain that puts on even the most rock-solid of relationships.

I was a bit disappointed to see Linus still struggling to believe, on occasion, that he was getting to marry the love of his life (and that she actually loved him) however, I wasn't surprised for the guy has been through the wringer over the years. I absolutely loved how Grier was on a mission to erase the doubt though.

The book was a wonderful blend of fast-paced action - for (gasp!) someone is out to sabotage the wedding! - and sweet and touching moments between Linus and Grier and their extended bunch of happy weirdos. It was nice checking in and getting to "see" what's going on with them.

There was no new world-building, the novel isn't the start of a new series, it's just a snippet in time... A slice of life... An epic thank you to fans of the series and as such it should not be read as a standalone, imo.

However! If you've read the series and love Linus, Grier and the gang, then you absolutely don't want to miss it!

🌻

Nothing says romance like spending a long weekend at a haunted inn famed for sending its guests to the ER with scratches, bites, and fractures. Or so Linus thinks when he books a trip for Grier and himself to Oliphant House. As far as honeymoons go, the choice is nontraditional, but then, so is his bride.

Haunted history is one of Grier’s great loves, and she’s thrilled to discover Linus has given her a mystery to solve. Forget walks on moonlit beaches and sipping fruity drinks, Grier would much rather unravel the curse that’s plagued the Oliphant family for generations than pick sand from between her toes.

The resident spooks, however, aren’t happy with the newlyweds sticking their noses where they don’t belong. Between the missing persons, the dead bodies, and the secrets lurking in the basement, Linus and Grier start to wonder if they’ll survive their honeymoon.

The second epilogue story and this time we get to go on Linus and Grier's honeymoon!

This book was a little bit shorter than Undead Wedding and has a different feel to the first.

For a start, they're on honeymoon so they're away from Woolworth House (so no sentient dwelling) and they're away from their friends, family and the politics that comes with being titans of Necromantic society so very different pace and tone.

However, Grier and Linus attract trouble wherever they go so, true to form, there is evil afoot, a mystery to solve and shenanigans to survive!

I enjoyed the story, I love the subtle shift in Linus now they're officially married (insecurities seem to be on the decline) and enjoyed seeing them as a duo without the support network... Until the support network gatecrashes for the big finale!

I love Lethe and Hood but come on! It's their honeymoon! Give them some peace!

But the big reveal - which I guessed before the big reveal - kinda made up for the gatecrashing and I'm now stupidly excited for the final (sob!) of the epilogue stories - How to Rattle An Undead Couple!

Once again, this story isn't designed to be read on its own. It's written for fans of the series so I don't recommend reading if you haven't read the main series.

If you have, read read read!