Title: The Reanimator’s Heart
Series: The Reanimator Mysteries: Book One
Author: Kara Jorgensen
Publisher: Self-Published
Length: 300 Pages
Category: Historical Fantasy
Rating: 4.5 Stars
At a Glance: Kara Jorgensen has a storytelling voice that clicked with me in all the best ways, which means if you’re particularly squicked out by blood and carnage, those scenes come across as vivid as the suspense, danger, and romance.
Reviewed By: Lisa
Blurb: A reluctant necromancer, a man killed before his time, and the crime that brings them together.
Felipe Galvan’s life as an investigator for the Paranormal Society has been spent running into danger. Returning home from his latest case, Felipe struggles with the sudden quiet of his life until a mysterious death puts him in the path of the enigmatic Oliver Barlow.
Oliver has two secrets. One, he has been in love with the charming Felipe Galvan for years. Two, he is a necromancer, but to keep the sensible life he’s built as a medical examiner, he must hide his powers. That is until Oliver finds Felipe murdered and accidentally brings him back from the dead.
But Felipe refuses to die again until he and Oliver catch his killer. Together, Felipe and Oliver embark on an investigation to uncover a plot centuries in the making. As they close in on his killer, one thing is certain: if they don’t stop them, Felipe won’t be the last to die.
Review: If you might be inclined to sneak in a really good fantasy before the end of the year, Kara Jorgensen’s The Reanimator’s Heart takes on the task of investigating a murder mystery, wraps it in the paranormal, then adds a smidge of romance between a necromantic medical examiner and an investigator with the Paranormal Society to sweeten the plot.
The opening scene drops a great hook, making the location of a murder nearly as consequential as the death of the victim. From there, Jorgensen leads readers through the investigation with Oliver Barlow and Felipe Galvan, not emphasizing the procedural aspects as much as the consequential. In their pursuit of a killer, coming too close to the truth means danger. Little could they have predicted that Filipe would be murdered in the one place he should have been safe. Oliver reanimating him was a panicked, spur-of-the-moment decision that his heart had a lot to do with since he’s secretly been in love with Felipe for years. Losing him without at least trying to discover the identity of the killer—and who better than Felipe to give Oliver that info?—was a loss too horrific to bear.
The Reanimator’s Heart is set in the late 19th century, though that isn’t pointed out until it’s given vague refence late in the story. If you’re a fan of rich and robust descriptions of time and place to set a particular mood, you might find these aspects a bit lacking. That, however, was a negligible issue when compared to watching a killer and an accomplice play cat-and-mouse while carrying out the villainy they were ordered to pull off.
I loved Oliver and Felipe and the ways in which the author portrays their relationship. Oliver being autistic means he needs certain constants and routines, and he has inhibitions and boundaries that Felipe respects. Communication becomes a key factor, both the importance of and the difficulties with expressing certain thoughts and feelings. The stakes in their relationship were a lot higher than in many romance novels, and I was rooting for them and their happy beginning right from the start. There are also characters who figure prominently in Felipe’s personal life that I look forward to getting to know better as the series progresses, as well as some of the role players in the Paranormal Society.
Kara Jorgensen has a storytelling voice that clicked with me in all the best ways, which means if you’re particularly squicked out by blood and carnage, those scenes come across as vivid as the suspense, danger, and romance.
You can buy The Reanimator’s Heart here:
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The Novel Approach Reviews 
I just read this one this week as a library find and really enjoyed it, for all the ways you pointed out. After, I had to see what else Kara Jorgensen had out and realized I bought Kinship and Kindness over the summer on a whim, even though I’d never read any of their books before. They’re both set in the same universe of the Paranormal Society but are part of different series. So, still great paranormal characters and thrilling moments, with definite heartfelt romance, but different types of stories. I’m really looking forward to more of the Reanimator Mysteries, but I’m definitely in for her others as well now that I’ve read these two.
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I love finding new-to-me authors :) I haven’t read Kindship and Kindness yet, but I had a feeling that when Reynard was mentioned I should have known him. I’m definitely going to read this one too!
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