Fair Market Value

The Body Shop #1

by Hailey Edwards

Forgot to feed your goldfish before your untimely demise? Need to jot down a will? Say a goodbye? See the Grand Canyon? Then come visit us at The Body Shop, where unfinished business is our business.

Mary Frances Talbot—Frankie—is a necromancer, probably. Hard to say since she never met her parents. She can see the dead, talk to the dead, and a few other things that aren’t strictly legal. It’s fine. No worries. As long as she doesn’t get caught.

The whole not getting caught thing was going well until Samuel Harrow blew back into town wearing a Savannah Police Department uniform. He might be a witch, but he hates magic. He’s not a fan of Frankie either. Which explains why he’s her ex.

When Frankie’s less than legal side gigs result in dead vampires, she knows she’s in trouble. Big trouble. And that’s before Harrow offers to help. With him waving a Get Out of Jail Free card in her face, Frankie doesn’t have much choice but to accept.

But that doesn’t mean she has to forgive. She’ll certainly never forget him breaking her heart or turning her over to the police or... Yeah. They were doomed from the start. Something tells her this investigation will be too.

Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Magic, Science Fiction Fantasy, Speculative Fiction, Adventure, Fiction

266 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 18, 2024

About the author

Hailey Edwards writes about questionable applications of otherwise perfectly good magic, the transformative power of love, the family you choose for yourself, and blowing stuff up. Not necessarily all at once. That could get messy.

Hailey isn't on Goodreads.

Please email her via her website:
https://haileyedwards.net/contact-form/

Reviews

[TJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5.0

LOVED this new start to what looks to be a fabulous series! I almost lowered the stars to 4 only to give Ms. Edwards some room to grow but I can’t think of a single reason for the book to rate that. It is so tightly written that I can’t find anything to complain about… AND, it is all kinds of fun to read! SOPE… at least for me, it deserves what it gets. :)

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars, it was slow to start for me but I ended up loving it

[Airwreckah · Rating 5 out of 5]

always a treat

I’ve really enjoyed all Hailey’s books and this doesn’t break the trend. It s a solid, well-paced adventure that makes sense and only borrows a little from world building in her other necromancer series. If you haven’t read the others you’ll be fine starting here. I’m really anticipating the next installment in the story. Can’t wait! Also want bird boy back.

[Dragana · Rating 4 out of 5]

New urban fantasy series from Hailey Edwards! Yay!
I have already read a couple; they have all been interesting and entertaining.
The same can be said for 'The Body Shop'. I can't wait for the sequel.

If you like urban fantasy, I recommend you give Hailey Edwards a try (if you haven't already). :)

[Penny · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I am with all the authors I adore, I was so very excited about this series starter. I know that when I read a book by this author, I’m getting a well-written, good time. That is the case with this new book. Frankie has a past, and one she has tried to leave behind, but it’s come calling, and this time she might not be able to run. I loved the dynamics between all the characters, and I am torn about Harrow and Kierce. I loved Carter, too, and, well, we’ll see. I enjoyed this book so much, and I want to learn more about all these interesting characters. Well-written, engaging from the first place, action-filled great time. Highly recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new Hailey Edwards series set in the BGtN/BD/BHB world. YASSSSSSS. (To be fair, any new HE book would have had me excited, but throw in the world from a couple of my favorite series and I am absolutely BOUNCING with excitement.)

Our new cast of characters include Frankie (a necromancer of sorts who offers something for the masses no other necromancer offers and who genuinely doesn't even know if she's strictly a necromancer or a necromancer crossed with something else OR something else entirely thanks to her murky parentage), her siblings by choice and deed, and Samuel Harrow (the man who betrayed Frankie and shattered her trust and HOO-BOY there might be more to that whole story than Frankie knows about). Plus we have messengers, partners, ghosts who keep Frankie and her sibs in business, and, well, others.

To make a long story short, the life Frankie has carved out for her and her siblings is potentially threatened. Harrow returning to Frankie's orbit is both distracting and breaks her a little, which isn't great since there are THINGS she needs to deal with to keep her siblings safe. (I'm sorry, I keep saying "siblings" like Josie and Matty are little kids. They're not. They're fully grown individuals with magical quirks as quirky as Frankie's.) Anywho, helping Harrow figure out what's going on while trying to stay off the radar is a challenge (an probably not nearly as doable as Frankie thinks). And that's before Frankie is making friends with people in cemeteries and nearly get run down in unexpected places.

Bottom line: One book in on a new HE series and I'm already smitten! More, please!

-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal

[Aleksandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't think I've ever read book by Hailey I didn't like.

As always I had great time! Scenes with Badb were hilarious! Can't wait to read next book :) It is really solid urban fantasy. Fast paced with really interesting magical system and criminal plot. I highly recommend it!

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

Fair Market Value
By Hailey Edwards
This was a refreshing and sharp fantasy with mythical gods, creatures, necromancers, shifters, ghosts, and more. What a great plot with mysteries and twists. Fun characters add pop to the mix! Loved every page! Will start on the next book!

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed Feelings

I want to give this book a 5 star….new series by a favorite author and all. I would like to give this book a 4 star; because the story was really pretty good. I’ll have to stick with 3 stars, though, because I just did not care for the main cast of characters. They were, apparently, young adults. Unfortunately, they were young adults still acting like teens rather than young adults that have grown up to behave like adults. I do not read YA stuff….this was too YA for me. On the plus side, the writing might have been intended to allow the MC “room for growth”. I can only hope.

[Katyana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in a new series by Hailey Edwards. It seems to be set in the same world as her TBGTN (The Beginners Guide to Necromancy) series, as well as the spin-off of that one (Potentate of Atlanta). Those are two of my favorites, so I was surprised and thrilled to see this set in that world.

This series is following Frankie and her two "siblings" (they bonded in the hellhole orphanage the three of them grew up in, and claimed each other as siblings ... and their bond is honestly lovely). They're all gifted in interesting ways - Josie is a dryad, and Matty is an onieros (dream walker). Frankie is not so clear-cut, and who she is seems to be the core mystery of the series. One parent was clearly a necromancer, but the other was ... I'm guessing something in the ballpark of the Death avatar that she meets in this book (there seem to be a few of them floating around, and given that he seems to be the love interest, I'm guessing they won't be related, cuz ew).

I really enjoyed it, and have in fact already burned through book 2 and have started book 3. This author can be a bit hit and miss for me, but when she hits, it becomes a favorite. This looks like it might be another one of those.

[☕️Kimberly (Caffeinated Reviewer) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read The Beginner’s Guide to Necromancy series by Edwards, so I was delighted to discover the Body Shop series is set in the same world. However, you do not need to have read that series to appreciate the world-building and mythology in this one.

Mary Frances Talbot, aka Frankie, runs the Body Shop and takes care of her siblings. Frankie is a necromancer. At least she thinks so. She can communicate and see the dead and manipulate spirits. Her body shop offers the dearly departed a chance to tie up loose ends, but borrowing a body. Is it legal? Not totally, which is why things go sideways when a vampire is killed by a departed in one of her rentals. When she becomes a suspect, things become complicated. Her ex-boyfriend is back and part of the Savannah police department. Will he turn her in? He seems to ask for her assistance. But can he be trusted? The tale that unfolds hooked me.

I adored Frankie, who seems to carry all the responsibility on her shoulders. She desperately wants to clear her name and find the killer. Frankie’s siblings, Matty and Josie, also have unique talents. They were both likeable and the family unit felt genuine. I look forward to learning more. Hailey did a great job of filling in backstory and introducing the secondary characters and their connections to us.

We also meet Carter, who is quite the character. Frankie connects with him, creating a little triangle vibe in the romance department. We shall see. It is clear there is something between her and her annoying ex-Harrow. I have a feeling we don’t know his full story.

The mystery was interesting with spooky moments, gods and more. Edwards is a master storyteller, and this did not disappoint. The next audiobook, Amber Gambler, releases in March but is available in ebook now. Edwards mixes heartfelt moments, snark and humor into her stories to balance out the darker aspects, allowing me to connect with the world and characters.

Candance Joice narrates this series and offered a wide range of male and female voices that suited the characters and enhanced the overall story. I recommend listening and plan to continue the series on audio. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer

[Shelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Source* Kindle Unlimited
*Genre* Urban Fantasy
*Rating* 3.5

*Thoughts*

Fair Market Value is the first installment in author Hailey Edwards' The Body Shop series. This is a brand-new series with a new cast of characters. The cast of characters includes Mary Francis Talbot aka Frankie (Necromancer), Josie Talbot (Dryad), Matty Talbot (Onerios), Samuel Harrow (Witch), and Carter (Redcap). The story is set in and around Savannah, Georgia. Frankie is a necromancer, probably. Hard to say since she never met her parents. She, like Josie, and Matty were orphans who grew up together and escaped to form their own family unit.

*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*

https://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/20...

[Anne - Books of My Heart · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
 

Review copy was received from . This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

An interesting start to The Body Shop series when Harrow, Frankie's first love shows up.  Frankie works to keep the bills paid, and her siblings safe, as she has done for so many years.  She is a necromancer, sort of.  Harrow is law enforcement who turned her in before he left town.

Now Harrow is back and wants her help with an odd set of murders. Harrow is in law enforcement now. It doesn't help that she looks like a prime suspect.  Frankie wants to know who is killing those close to her.  There is even an attempt to kill her!

There is a good amount of world building as we go along seeing witches, vampires, ghosts and shifters.  And there are gods too.   Harrow and Frankie's past comes out as they work this case.    They obviously have feelings about each other.  Harrow isn't too pleased with Frankie's attraction to another.

The action is exciting as they try to protect people and search for the killer. The pacing was steady. I will be interested to learn more about the capabilities of both Harrow and Frankie.  And maybe they will get together eventually?  Next up is Amber Gambler which is already out in print but not yet available on audio.

Narration:
The narrator was new to me. I appreciated her voices being appropriate for males and the females.  The males were deeper, or stronger.  I listened at my usual 1.5x speed.


Listen to a clip: HERE

[Spasticnontastic · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Ami · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

An interesting start - although as I previously experienced with most of indie UF authors, the world-building was minimal. It went straight into the story and the background for the characters were revealed along the way instead. I still enjoyed Edwards' writing and the whole concept of necromancer in this book, of being able to loan other people's body for ghosts to do their thing.

I also loved Frankie's relationship with her sister and brother - also with the ghost. She had good community there.

One warning for me though, in this book, it seemed there's a seed of love triangle between Frankie, Harrow (the man who broke Frankie's trust in the past but had returned now in her life), and Kierce (the personal assistant to Viduus, the god who separated soul and body after death).

Noted that Kierce had to leave to heal after the end of this book but I felt that Frankie's feeling was complicated between those two. I just hope that it doesn't end up dragging (if it DOES become a love triangle) because I hate love triangle in my book. And I already dropped Edwards' Black Hat Bureau series because it felt dragging...

[Andi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked this author’s BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO NECROMANCY series, but this one wasn’t as good. The pacing was off, and I didn’t like the main character or plot.

[Jen (That's What I'm Talking About) · Rating 4 out of 5]

For most of the world, Frankie and her siblings, Josie and Matty, run an auto body shop; however, special clients know that Josie runs a body shop: she loans bodies to spirits so they can move around the human plane. The siblings live under the radar until one of her loaners appears to kill a vampire. Now she must work with the ex who betrayed her in order to save herself.

Overall, I really enjoyed Fair Market Value. The story and mythology are engaging. Although the book appears to be set in the same world as Edwards’s other necromancy series (of which I’ve only read a couple books) there’s no need to understand the previous series to enjoy this book.

Frankie is a likable character, she wants to do right. Her moral compass is strong, and if she has to cross a line, it’s only as a last resort and to save others. She’s lonely, but now it appears she may be able to widen her circle a little and trust a few more people. She makes for an excellent reluctant heroine.

There are a handful of supporting characters. I like both of her siblings, who together form a great family unit. I like how they stand up for and help one another. Matty and Josie also have unique talents, and it’ll be interesting to see how they change as the series progresses. Her ex, Harrow, annoys me, but he’s dealing with some secrets and pain, so I may forgive him. New acquaintance Carter from the supernatural police adds humor and gives Frankie a sounding board. Then there is the mysterious Kierce, with whom Frankie feels a kinship. Edwards gives Frankie two protective men that seem to also have strong feelings for her. While there is no romance in the book, it has a “love triangle“ vibe, which I don’t care for.

Narration: The story is shared via the first person POV of Frankie. Joice has a solid feminine voice that is fitting for Frankie. She adjusts her voice effectively to express emotion. Joice alters her tone during dialogue for gender and regional accents, making characters unique sounding. She is far more effective creating additional and identifiable female characters than male ones.

In the end, Fair Market Value is an engaging story and I look forward to finding out what will happen next.

My Ratings:
Story: B
Narration: B

Review copy provided by publisher
Originally posted at That's What I'm Talking About

[Riana Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

New, nuanced, interesting characters!

I'm making a run through Hailey Edwards oeuvre and I'm thrilled to discover the "Body Shop" series is set in the same world as the "Necromancer" & "Potentate" collections. No character crossover (yet?) but still some wonderful, well-developed characters!

[☼♎ Carmen the Bootyshaker Temptress ☼♎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Necromancer or….

4.5 stars
Whoa! This was wild and a great start. Mary may not know exactly what she is but she’s definitely special and cares for people that she loves and those that she watches over.
Mary and the rest of the characters are definitely going to see more coming their way and I am going to enjoy reading the next book/s.

[Zen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really loving this book so far. It's in the same world as some of her previous series. The only small complaint I have is that once again, the author is using the old boyfriend and the FMC were separated by circumstances beyond her control and in walks a new love interest.New love interest is a bit awkward and unsure. It works,and I like the story. That tiny bit feels a bit rehashed, though.

[Alex]

DNFed on p. 50 out of 259 (20%)

This book is 80% dialogue so far and it is notttt good dialogue 😭 There were already so many names crammed into these 50 pages and none of them even speak like real people. Everyone in this book acts like they're 14 years old, and I really cannot get past that bc they are full grown adults. The FMC is somehow still not over her childhood ex who got her arrested all those years ago (like literally went out of his way to TURN HER IN), and NOW that man is a cop who coerces her into helping him solve a murder by asking her to use the EXACT same magic that he got her arrested for before... and she's STILL lowkey simping over him???? Yeah no thanks. I'm done. And no, I genuinely do not care that he probably secretly had a good reason for ruining her life before. Do. Not. Care. His entire personality is comprised of hypocrisy and abuse of power.

[Janet Welling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fair start to a new series.

This story had some intriguing elements and characters but lacked the usual depth one finds with a Hailey Edwards book. The author did attempt to tie up many loose ends in the final chapters with the often used “bad guy diatribe” but by that point my interest had waned considerably. Overall this book is well written with a fair share of suspense but lacks any real connection to the characters.

[Nancy · Rating 1 out of 5]

First book of the year that I've given up. 44%in and could care less about characters, story and no world building, what so ever. This seems like a teen novel. I have no idea the ages of the characters are, but annoying.

[Sian Rice · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

𝘽𝙖𝙙 𝙨𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨

A woman runs two totally different body shops simultaneously

𝙂𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙛𝙛

Fun
Mystery element
Unique premise

𝘽𝙖𝙙 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙛𝙛

I feel like I missed something

𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨/𝙨𝙪𝙗 𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙧𝙚𝙨

Paranormal
Romantic suspense ish
Second chance?
Enemies to lovers?
Dark romcom vibes

𝙊𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨

Frankie runs an auto body shop AND a people/spirit body shop at the same time. She’s not exactly a necromancer, but she has some of their abilities so she uses them to help the recently deceased…and pay the bills.

Basically, she has a set of bodies willingly donated, that she loans out to spirits with unfinished business (but not the sinister kind) for a short amount of time. There are bindings and agreements and all sorts in place to protect all parties involved. I’m still very hazy on the details to be honest but I’ll cover that in my spoilery points at the end.

So when one of her loaners goes haywire and ends up dead-dead, she’s suddenly being investigated by a special division of supernatural investigators. One of which is her ex. Eek!

I loved how unique the premise of this book was. It was fun and fresh, and although it had some darker content (because dead people) it also had a very humorous vibe.

Frankie’s relationship with her siblings was both sweet and amusing. Her chemistry with Samuel was reluctant but undeniable, and the reveals along the way were fairly surprising and unpredictable.

The only downside for me is that I feel like I missed chapters somewhere because of some things that happened at the end mostly. I have more questions than I did before the bad guy was revealed.

Absolutely thrilled to have found a new author to s̵t̵a̵l̵k̵ follow because I truly enjoyed Hailey’s writing.

𝙍𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨

🤤🤤🤤
(no smut)
🤣🤣🤣
😭😭
🌟🌟🌟🌟💫

SPOILERY OBSERVATIONS/QUESTIONS BELOW!!!
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I don’t really understand the whole body transaction thing. I mean this isn’t really spoilery but hey ho, I’m lumping it in here. Who exactly donates the bodies? The person themselves? Because they can only be people who know they’re dying in that case or how would you be able to donate your body and sign all the paperwork otherwise? How do people know about her and her trade? How do the spirits that enter the bodies explain their presence to the loved ones they visit? Because imagine some random turning up in your doorstep going “it’s me! Mum! I just want to check if I left the oven on” like…seems very suss that people would be so accepting when humans supposedly don’t know about the paranormal.

Not a question but I’m so curious to know who her true love interest is going to be! Unless it’s a throuple situation of course. I feel like it has to be Samuel but…there’s an undeniable connection with Kierce and he was weirdly adorable with how flustered he was over a woman laying him attention. I want him to have an HEA of his own at least!

And the big one is: I’m so confused over the Armie thing. Not who he was but the why of everything. So from what I understand, he entered their lives 13 months ago…to get close to her. Why? He’d been listening in to people’s ’ prayers, skimming for her name. Why? Lyle then makes a stupid internal bargain that Armie pounces on because that then is his way to get her killed finally. But again…why? Why did he enter their lives? Why was she even on his radar? Why did he want her dead? Was it explained and I just didn’t understand it?? I feel like there’s a huge chunk of information I missed to make it make sense.

And was Lyle the dybbuk or not??

Why was a vampire killed at the same time as each of the loaner souls?

Am I the only confused about everything?

Send help 😩

[Cally · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a strong, independent FMC, and here we have one. I really enjoyed the book, even to the point of distraction. What knocked my review down to 4 stars was the big bad fight at the end. Otherwise, fantastic. I loved the characters, the plot, the twists. I think the MC had good motivators, too.


Possible spoilers

With as little detail as possible I want to talk about the Big Bad fight and my problems with it.
I liked that there was a "call for help" and that lots of people showed up to help, I do not like how there was lots of "empty" space in the fight where our MC wasn't really doing anything when it could have just had a couple throw away lines to make it feel like she was involved (ie, saying she picked up a board and started attacking a spell or bindings or something) even if it was just useless side activity, the FMC just seemed to stand there frozen while everyone else was busy. I can understand decision paralysis but it seems like the FMC just wasn't going to help at all and let everyone else deal with it. I do like that last bit of the fight where she actually does something, but all in all, it didn't feel like a fight to the death that it should have been. It felt like a school yard tussle.

I liked the ending as well. Great set up for the second book.

[Alexandra G. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The disappointment I feel can hardly be put into words.

Because I did not love this.
If it was any other author I don't think I would've even finished it.
It was interesting at first, a bit confusing and heavy on the details but I like the writing style and it's in the same world as her other series'.
Also because I know the author I expected the love triangle and I hope she doesn't disappoint because Harrow seems like a man-child and in my head Kierce is a combination of Dream of the Endless and Khonshu from Moon Night.

What disappointed me greatly was the romance. It was so flat. There was no connection to either man, Frankie and Kierce were so awkward and cringe, while Harrow has so many issues and only sort of tries to be better.

The big fight at the end was confusing and cliche, with the villain monologue explaining his evil plan but being just vague enough on his motivation.

I'm gonna give the next book a try because I refuse to give up on one of my favourite authors, but my expectations are so low it's not even funny.

[Darcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is set in the world of many of the author's other series, so you have that base to go with, makes it easier since it's #1 in a new series. The siblings are interesting and so very different, yet you can tell they are very tight.

Frankie has found a way to make her talents work for her on a couple different levels. First with the garage and the work being done there. It's in genius if you think about it, a win/win for all involved. Then there is her loaner side gig. Interesting and again, seems to be a win for all involved.

The trouble that Frankie found herself in seemed awful and you weren't sure if there was something about what she did that was at the center. You could tell she would never have knowingly done something bad, but it could have morphed. That turned out to not be the case, instead it was worse, much worse. The betrayal at who was behind things really stung when it came out. The allies intriguing, all of them unexpected.

The bad guys got theirs and now the siblings are licking their wounds and trying to get back to their version of normal. It will be interesting where things go from here with so much of the past revealed and the allies being who they were.

[Shamell Klinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome ending

When she lets you in on the big secret finally. Boy does she blow it out of the water. It was spellbinding. Love Hailey Edwards.

[Francesca Arrigoni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Voto: 2.5/5
Personaggi: 0.5/1
Trama: 0.75/1
Scrittura: 0.75/1
Messaggio: 0.25/1
Emozioni: 0.25/1

[Noelani · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars