Happy New Year and welcome to 2023. It’s going to be a “grim” year! I mean as far as books, that is. đ
Grave Girl, Book 4 in The Accidental Reaper Paranormal Urban Fantasy Series, releases in my store on January 10th, and at retailers January 17th. To kick off the new year, I wanted to share an excerpt!

âA witch, a vampire, and a shifter walk into a barâŠâ Andy scanned the room before us. Music blared, patrons yelled and laughed, and I stifled the urge to run. We were between the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras, Valentineâs Day only a few days away, but this place didnât offer a whiff of any of those mundane celebrations. It was hardcore supernatural.
His girlfriend, Aurora, pinched his arm. âFocus.â
The wolf shifter jerked. âYou havenât even heard the rest of the joke.â
âWhy is there no grim in it?â I asked.
He winked good-naturedly. âI was getting to that.â
Killion, the master vampire in our entourage, zeroed in on two men in a booth nearby. Their heads were together in what appeared to be a conspiring conversation. âWe are surrounded by powerful creatures, none of whom will take well to our presence if we step on toes. This is a reconnaissance mission. If we locate the Fae princess, Aurora will befriend her.â He glanced at the witch, who was posing as one of the beings I hadnât known existed until a few weeks ago. âIf all goes well, and the opportunity presents itself, draw her outside and Chloe and I shall handle it from there, but donât push. If you arouse her suspicions, sheâll disappear on us.â
Aurora nodded. For tonightâs operation, part of an ongoing investigation for Soul Management Group, sheâd transformed herself into a blonde with slightly pointed ears and vivid blue eyes. âDonât worry. Iâll get her to the alley.â
Those irises, more than the change in hair color, kept tripping me up. She often transfigured into a panther with those same peepers, and I kept waiting for the rest of her to morph. âDonât take any unnecessary chances,â I warned. âPrincess Harmony seems like a Disney faery with her petite frame and innocent charm, but sheâs Grimm Brothers-level dangerous. Sheâll giggle one moment and rip out your throat the next.â
Andy leaned close to the witch, his long reddish hair brushing her shoulder as he spoke in her ear, too low for me, even with my enhanced grim hearingâaided by Killionâs vampire bloodâto catch. I saw her expression soften. She cupped his face in her hand and nodded. After a lengthy gaze into each otherâs eyes that denoted a mental conversation, they broke apart and he spoke to Killion and me. His nose twitched as if it itched. âSheâs definitely here. I scent the hallmarks of her kind.â
Four months ago, I was a normal twenty-four-year-old attending college and working two jobs in DantĂ©âs Grove, Louisiana. After being attacked by a grim reaper and killing him, I was plunged into the world of death and the supernatural. I was introduced to the things of nightmares and this bar was full of them.
Vampires, shapeshifters, powerful witches, and evil wizardsâIâd encountered all types. My boss was Death. Youâd think by now, nothing would surprise me, but learning that the Fae, along with pixies, trolls, and elves existed honestly shocked the reaper robes right off me.
I sniffed the air, but all I could strongly detect above the other odors was dog, thanks to my psychopomp, Ghost, who liked to sleep on my robes. The eau de bar was laced with stale beer and greasy wings. The only other notable aroma was Killionâs warm caramel and old libraries scent. It was all over me, since weâd come directly from the warmth of his bed when Aurora had called with the news that Harmony Fairweather had tripped one of her magical alerts and was in the area.
I hadnât had time to shower, and I kinda didnât care. The master vampire and I had recently begun a romantic relationship that still had me reeling from the intensity of it. I was head over heels for the guy.
I did regret not eating before weâd hustled out of the penthouse to join Andy and Aurora, but apprehending Harmony should be quick and easy, once we had her in the alley. The trick was getting her there. âI donât see her.â I scanned the place again. âWhat I do see is a lot of magical residue and far too many ghosts.â
âYour grave sight is growing stronger.â Killion touched my low back, the corner of his mouth quirking with smug satisfaction. âTold you it would.â
I tried not to roll my eyes. Weâd shared each otherâs blood, and when weâd become intimate, not only had he resurrected my dead love lifeâand thank all that was holy for thatâheâd told me my natural abilities would increase exponentially because of the sexual energy we shared. It heightened everything.
So while I was no shifter like Andy, nor vampire as was Killion, I could sense and spot the glow of magic and interact with earthbound souls as easily as I could those still living. In fact, I walked between the worlds of life and death, and at times, I couldnât tell the difference between those who were corporeal and those who werenât.
A pulse of magic rippled over my skin and raised gooseflesh. It reminded me of the feel of stardust Iâd experienced a few months ago when Death had almost killed me on a trip through the cosmos. Iâd earned a white streak in my hair that I preferred to dye the same violet as Killionâs eyes. Unfortunately, Iâd let it go too long and it was silvery once more.
âShe smells like elderberry wine,â Andy said. His voice was tinged with yearning.
Aurora sounded dreamy and far away when she added, âAnd summer days in the forest.â
âMoonlight kisses.â Killionâs voice was a purr and the sound made certain parts of my anatomy tingle.
âWow.â I glanced at them. Pure bliss shone on their faces. Had that pulse done this? More importantly, why was I immune? I snapped my fingers in their collective faces. âGrim to Scooby Gang. Whatâs wrong with you guys? Maybe I better handle this myself.â
Each blinked as if waking from a dream. âIâm fine,â Aurora said.
Andy tugged at the crotch of his pants. âIâm not. Thatâs some powerful mojo sheâs slinging around.â
Killion frowned and edged closer to me. âSheâs using her charm magic to test everyone who walks into the place.â
âWhy?â I asked.
âTo see if weâre prey.â
Ready for more? Here are the links, including for print! Remember, if you preorder through my store, you get the book a WEEK EARLY!
â Mistyâs Store (Get it a week early!): https://mistyevansbooks.com/product/grave-girl-the-accidental-reaper-paranormal-urban-fantasy-series-book-4
â Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BPDN2SX2?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420
â Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/grave-girl-the-accidental-reaper-paranormal-urban/id6445002570
â Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BPDN2SX2?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420
â Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0BPDN2SX2?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420
â Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0BPDN2SX2?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420
â Amazon PRINT: https://www.amazon.com/Grave-Accidental-Reaper-Paranormal-Fantasy/dp/1948686821/ref=sr_1_1
There will be TWO more grim books coming out later this year, and I can’t wait to share them with you. Be sure to follow this blog, sign up for my newsletter, and/or join my private VIP readers group to be the first to see the covers and get the links!
Wishing you ALL the best and lots of good books to read in 2023!