Graveyard Shift

Paranormal Women's Fiction Novel (Midnight Stakes, Book One)

De: Melanie Davies

Narrado por: Maxine Mitchell

A descent of Van Helsing meets her match and starts to question is her loyalties to her family.

Perfect for fans of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel, The Vampire Diaries, The Originals. A Modern Van Helsing retelling.

Sometimes family secrets should stay buried...

Hayley Van Helsing, a twenty something vampire hunter, has always known her destiny was to become the leader of the Van Helsing dynasty, a clan made of supernatural hunters but she has always wondered if her life was meant for a different path, wishing for a normal human mundane life.

That is until she meets Darius, a tall dark mysterious man with piercing blue eyes, in a graveyard one night and unbeknown to her, he's not just your average guy.

And he's about to take her on an adventure that will make her question everything.

GRAVEYARD SHIFT is the thrilling first instalment in a steamy upper NA paranormal vampire romance series. If you like enemies-to-lovers, LGBTQ, touch her and die, a tough female heroine, and a sexy morally grey antihero, this book is for you. Get ready for a fresh take on vampires, werewolves, and witches by one-clicking today!

*This book is part of a series and ends in a cliffhanger. Best suited for ages 18+ due to sexual situations. Triggers include: Death of parents, mentions of suicide, criminal activities, gun violence, blood (minor), drugs & drinking, PTSD, general violence, smoking.

©2023 Melanie Davies (P)2025 Blue Nose Publishing

Spoke to my undying love for Underworld and Buffy the Vampire Slayer

✨𝒜𝓊𝒹𝒾𝑜𝒷𝑜𝑜𝓀 𝑅𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌✨
🎧: Graveyard Shift (Midnight Stakes, Book 1)
🎙️: Maxine Mitchell

Hayley Van Helsing hails from a distinguished line of supernatural hunters and is jaded by the sudden responsibility of leading the clan. A chance encounter with a handsome stranger unleashes secrets that shatter her world.

With the growing threat of danger and discord around her, Hayley must decide who to trust and how to move forward.

Tropes:
⚔️Slayer FMC
🩶Morally grey MCs
🏍️One motorcycle
🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒Found family
🚫Touch her & 💀
🫥Hidden identifies
🗣️Banter
💫Magic & bonds
🌶️: open door

The narrator instantly drew me into this story and world, delivering dynamic performances for each character. This story spoke to my undying love for Underworld and Buffy the Vampire Slayer! I was living for the banter and loved the sizzling tension between Hayley and Darius and Hayley’s deep-rooted friendship with Jackson.

Hayley is such a BA FMC but feels so lost as she reconciles all she’s learned with everything she once believed. With Darius’s help, they race to uncover the plots against her. And she can’t seem to outrun the undeniable connection they share.

Graveyard Shift is a gripping, fast-faced, high-stakes twist on Van Helsing and vampire lore!

Huge thanks to the author and Blue Nose Audio for the listening copy. This is my honest and voluntary review.

" Use your words Huntress "

I normally don't read this genre, but decided to give it a chance since I would be listening instead of reading if that makes sense. Graveyard shifts I give 5 stars, it kept my attention, kept me guessing, kept me wanting more. Hailey and Darious is so end game I think and I hope there is more to this story line because I definitely need it. By the end of the book I was hooked and was like what that is it, it can't be, I have so many questions lol. Great work 👏 to everyone involved in this ALC audiobook

Intriguing

This book was so good I couldn’t put it down. I was sucked into the story and left intrigued to see what would happen next. I listened to the audio and Maxine Mitchell really delivered and brought the characters to life

Buffy fans will love!!

When I heard the dedication for this book, I knew I was going to love it! Being a Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan, I was ready to dive in. And I was not disappointed.

Hayley Van Helsing comes from a chosen bloodline to help keep the paranormal creatures from harming humans. She stepped into her role as leader much sooner than she wanted after her parents were killed in a battle to keep the vampires at bay. So when someone mysterious begins popping up around her, and things happen to her and the group of crusaders that she leads, she suspects the stranger that she can't shake. But what she finds is more questions, betrayals, and answers that she may not like.

Hayley absolutely reminds me of Buffy from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She's tough, she's fierce and she's fiercly protective of her friends and those she cares about. This story was fast paced and kept me hooked until the end, and that ending left me wanting more! I'm hoping the second book will be out in audio soon because I'm ready to see how this story continues. This story gave me the break I needed from dark romance and was so refreshing from the typical fantasy and paranormal books that I'm used to.

Then there's the performance of Maxine Mitchell. She is so talented and really brought all of the characters to life. As a single narration, she played each character so that you knew the difference between them all, which cannot be easy to accomplish! She's one of my favorite narrators and I could listen to her all day long!

Overall, I loved this story and the narration and cannot wait for the next book in this series!

Story ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Performance ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice 🌶️🌶️

Strong Independent FMC

Graveyard Shift, Midnight Stakes book one written by Melanie Davies, features a strong independent FMC. Hayley is finding her way as the new leader of the Van Helsing clan. A group of hunters whose mission is to keep the supernatural contained within Ravenblack, and to protect humans from the darkness.

Paranormal is still new to me, I was concerned I would get a little lost. Not the case at all. The flow and pace had me engaged consistently throughout this book as I joined Hayley on her adventures. Determined to find who to trust as she worked through her place in this world and all whilst learning of family secrets.

The standout for me is the performance of this story. Maxine Mitchell’s transitions and transformation into each and every character is superb. At many times I was sure there was more than one voice actor. Maxine’s male voice, next level. Following along whilst listening, I highly recommended it!

Where will this story take us in book two. Can’t wait to find out!

Nostalgia

This story was nostalgic for me because it reminded me of the show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I loved the hilarious banter and quick wit among the characters. Haley is a total bad a** in every which way. She’s confident, strong, and intelligent. It was so much fun stepping into a familiar atmosphere of vampires, witches, the slayer, and werewolves. The narrator Maxine Mitchell did a phenomenal job with the audio of this book. She brought such raw emotion and strength to the FMC. Maxine is easy to listen to and has a captivating voice!!!

Such a fun listen!

Vampires, werewolves, halflings, and such a powerfully twisty Toby storyline, and the narration was pure magic! Listen to this book, it’s worth the time and credit!

I said it once I’ll say it again. It’s amazing!

Omg you guys I’m obsessed! Graveyard Shift - Midnight Stakes Book One by

It’s amazing I repeat amazing!! I loved every second of it from start to end I didn’t want it to end but as the saying goes all good things must come to an end. BUT that means we get book two! I can’t wait for it.

I’m gonna try my best to keep this short lol

Hayley is one of my favorite FMCs she’s someone you wanna get to know more about and see where the story goes with her and why. The moment the MMC popped up I knew I would love him. I say popping cause he seriously did lol. The more Hayley experiences things you get to see things from her eyes and how she navigates with choices. Each chapter became more very interesting

If you love anything supernatural with vibes like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, vampire Diaries, underworld, and other movies/shows in this area then you’ll love this

It’s fast-paced and gives you everything you’re looking for from banter to laughter to mystery with a few other things. This book was a whole vibe the narrator is top tier in my opinion Maxine truly
Brought the characters to life for this one as she does with any book i heard her narrator

Terrific Story & Narration🎧 Fascinating & Gripping!

Melanie Davies pens a fascinating story, a modern Van Helsing retelling with her own unique spin on the story. The lead character, Hayley Van Helsing, a descendent of the original monster hunter, and the current leader of the Van Helsing Dynasty, supernatural beings who train to hunt the monsters plaguing society, the vampires, wolf shifters and more paranormal beings. She always knew what her destiny was, but she thought her parents would be around a long time before she was to take over. Unfortunately, they perished in a hunt gone bad, and bad things continue to happen around her, including threats to her and the dynasty. With her trusted by her side, her close friend Jackson and Eric, she investigates all the paranormal activity around them. Then a mysterious man, Darius, makes appearances in her life, as if he was following her. We learn he enters her life for a reason, one she has trouble deciphering at first, but all the pieces fall into place and they get their answers, including who betrayed them and why. This is a fast-moving story with drama is non-stop and there is action, angst, mystery, thrilling and suspenseful moments, heartfelt emotions and steamy romance. The writing, plot and world building are fantastic, as are the character growth and development. Melanie Davies, thank you for this fantastic story and wild ride.

🎧📚🎧 Maxine Mitchell is a superbly talented voice artist, and she did an incredible job covering the roles of all the characters, giving each their own distinct voice, making it easy to follow along and tell who is who. She did an amazing job voicing and portraying both the male and female characters, showcasing each personality with believable conviction, including Hayley’s fierceness, Darius’ swoon worthy charm and Jackson’s dedicated and loyal friendship. She sets the right tone for the story, captures all the characters’ emotions and has you feeling them all. Mitchell is an entertaining storyteller and her performance elevates the already amazing story to another level. Thanks for another amazing listen, it is always a pleasure to listen to your books.

I want to Dive into Bk 2!

BAD A$$ FMC, Vampires, Werewolves, Witches and Slow Burn! This audiobook makes you want to dive right into the next book! I know bk 2 will be even better. As always, Maxine Mitchell did a fabulous job voicing all of the characters!