I hope publishers realize that NetGalley doesn't just spur reviews - it spurs sales. When I requested "The Kingdom," I didn't realize it was second in a series. After reading the first page, I knew I had to go back and buy the first book (The Restorer) because it was just that good.

"The Kingdom" finds graveyard "queen" Amelia in a spooky little town restoring one cemetery while investigating the mysteries of the other, lake-drowned, graveyard. The mysteries of her parentage alluded to in the first book finally come to light, and the atmosphere is once again in full on creeps-ville. Amanda Stevens has a real talent for exploiting that feeling that something MIGHT be right behind you, might be about to touch you, the kind of feeling you get late at night going through an unfamiliar dark place.

Like "The Restorer," "The Kingdom" hearkens back to the gothics of old. While Amelia is a much stronger heroine than the gothic heroines of the 1970s, the basics are all still there. The only thing that didn't work for me, oddly enough (as I've found out Stevens is also a romance novelist) was the romance. I had the same problem in "The Restorer" - I just never bought the romantic connection. Because the rest of the book was so enjoyable, it's still a 4-star read for me, and I can't wait for the next installment in the series.