Katherine Gilbert

Lizzy Bennett – no not that Lizzy Bennet – is a perfectly ordinary 18yo living with her parents and four sisters in north London – until one day the magical police break in and announce that her father's secretly a witch who's gone rogue and hidden them all from the ministry. And Lizzy has Narrative syndrome.

Paranormal romance fans who love a bit of Austen and crave diverse/inclusive representation will enjoy this one.

This one had too much focus on the romance for my tastes – but most readers will probably find that a plus.

CW: While I know the author isn't transphobic, this definitely could have benefited from having a trans sensitivity reader.… (more)

Katherine Gilbert’s Protecting the Dead features main character Lydia, a young woman who escaped a horrific childhood and just wants a normal life. She reinvents herself as Linda and finds herself a job at a care home that turns out to be anything but normal. Her boss is a total hunk (and magical). Her residents all are very strange and come in all shapes and sizes. Even her apartment is odd with a loud noisy closet that apologizes to her when she tells it to stop making noise in desperation for sleep. When she meets her first long-term resident, Glory, Lydia-now-Linda swears she hears Glory’s cats speak.

When reality crashes in on her and she realizes that she is surrounded by magical creatures and an evil demon and his overlord are out to get her, Linda must accept that she just isn’t normal. She accepts she will never escape her supernatural world and accepts her real identity as Lydia again. As she struggles with her romantic feelings for her boss who is more than he seems, she must also find the strength to face off against the darkest evils from her past to save the care home residents and the world.

I really enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone who enjoys the paranormal romance genres. The main character is interesting, the progression of events is suspenseful, and the writing is solid. There is a wide range of supernatural characters and species to fall in love with for the speculative fiction aficionado.
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