Somehow, I missed the review of Amanda Stevens’ second audiobook in The Graveyard Queen series. Sandie Herron did review it, but for some reason I went from the first book to the third. Thanks, Sandie, for the review of the audiobook of The Kingdom.
The Kingdom
Written by Amanda Stevens
Narrated by Khristine Hvam
Series: The Graveyard Queen, Book 2
Unabridged Audiobook
Harlequin Books (5/1/2012)
Listening Length: 11 hours 10 minutes
Amelia Gray has been commissioned to restore an old graveyard in Asher Falls, South Carolina. She leaves her home in Charleston and leaves her dashed romance with detective John Devlin, although she thinks of him often. She feels drawn to the ghosts that haunt him, especially the young girl who was his daughter. Amelia Gray can see ghosts, and she tries to follow the rules set out by her father to not let them latch on to her which include not getting involved with a haunted man.
Asher Falls is a withering community by Bell Lake, formed when a reservoir was created, drowning the town below the damn, including the old cemetery. Only a small group of people remain including the family the town was named after. Thane Asher meets Amelia on the ferry into town and invites her to dinner where she meets the family as well as three women who grew up in Asher Falls. While Amelia puts her best foot forward, she feels something strange, almost malevolent among them.
Amelia works on the neglected cemetery where she finds a grave set apart from the others in a remote area. It has been well tended, unlike the majority of the cemetery. She mentions it at dinner and is greeted by a stunned silence. Her curiosity grows even more. She is temporarily living in a vacationing resident’s home near the lake where a stray dog appears. He is mutilated in ways that suggest he was involved in a dog fighting ring. Amelia has grown to care for the dog she names Angus, and he is protective of her. More than once, he comes to Amelia’s rescue while working at the cemetery when she is overcome by a thicket that seems to surround her and want to carry her away.
Thane and Amelia are drawn to each other, yet Amelia holds back, thinking of Devlin. However, when they visit the cemetery late one night, another evil force seems to push them into each other’s arms with abandon. Amelia feels as if she is being watched. Late one night, Amelia awakens to Angus’s cries. He has been restrained in a field full of bear traps. Desperate to reach him, Amelia is terrified, when a neighbor named Tilly comes to her aid. This isn’t the first time Tilly has saved Amelia from harm, seeming to know just when to show up.
Amelia goes back to Charleston to see her adoptive parents. She wants to find out why Asher Falls seems to call to her. When her aunt and father lay bare the secrets, Amelia is both shocked and relieved to understand why she is drawn there and why she must return despite the danger.
This Southern gothic mystery was eerie, spooky, surreal. I was stunned when the truth was revealed. Amelia’s connection is very real, very gruesome, very compelling, and very dangerous. Narrator Khristine Hvam kept me on the edge of my seat with her Southern drawl unfolding the story ever more urgently. The story was gripping, and I definitely recommend
