anabel_unker's Reviews (1.16k)

*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*

All single mom Callie wants is to spend more time with her growing daughter, Immi. And while a lot of things are spread thin at their home (time and money, for example), the last thing Callie wants is for Immi to grow up feeling anything but loved. So, when the opportunity arises for her to assist with a school trip to the village of Rowan Vale, Callie takes the chance without thinking twice. And, at first, everything seems better than perfect; the village practically oozes charm, the children are relatively well-behaved, and so what if there are misbehaving actors at the train station?

However, when its revealed the men Callie scolded for fighting <I>weren't</I> just actors dressed as WWII soldiers, but <I>ghosts</I>, and that the entire village is populated by, well, another sort of population; Callie and her daughter are given the opportunity of a lifetime.

This was a charming spooky season read for any time of the year! It was a bit slow to start, but by the end I was so glad to have stuck it out. Booth does a fantastic job of juggling such a large cast of characters, and I am so excited to be returning to Rowan Vale in the second book of this series to uncover more secrets!

*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*

Hotel heiress Pomona Afton has exactly one thing to do in life: whatever the hell makes her happy. After nearly thirty years of sucking on that silver spoon, Pom (yes, Pom) fills her days with brunching, shopping, gala-attending, and not much else. While her older brother is poised to take over the family empire, Pom (and her family) gave up any hope of her pulling her own weight long ago (not that she hasn't tried, and failed). But when granny is brutally murdered, and the funds are frozen until the crime is solved, the most unlikely candidate to get her designer shoes dirty investigating is... well... Pom. 

This book was so much fun! The murder mystery was full of twists, and it never felt <I>completely</I> unrealistic. But really the best part of this story for me was Pom's development. Rose did a fantastic job of making a spoiled, lazy, self-centered character actually lovable (which is no small feat), and her growth believable. At her core, Pom had always been a kind and generous individual, but, much like any of us would we continually tore down by family and propped by up with money, she had some serious issues to start working through. 

A great addition to any modern cozy mystery fan's library, I'll be waiting with bated to breath to find out if Pomona Afton will return in another story!

*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*

Connie definitely has a chip on her shoulder; she's been burned time and time again by <I>nice</I> guys, and her cynicism runs deep at this point. So when she meets her neighbor (the one who's been gifting her with homemade pies), she can't believe that he's real. Samuel Henry Beckett, or Beck, is the kindest, most genuine, seriously naive man Connie has ever met-- and she finds herself oddly drawn to his sincerity and bow-ties. And when his workplace bully picks a fight in front of her, she makes a huge mistake and claims to be Beck's (fake) wife. Suddenly, they're on a writer's retreat and Connie has to pretend to be the loving spouse to a man she hardly knows; and worst of all? She's not sure she hates it.

I wanted to love this book, it has so much going for it: fake marriage, cinnamon roll MMC, plus-size FMC, there-was-just-one-bed... just to name a few. However, it just wasn't for me this time.