Written by Sharon BoothI loved it! ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
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My grateful thanks go to the author, Sharon Booth, her publisher, Boldwood Books and to Netgalley for a free digital copy of Loving Spirits at the Vintage Teashop to review.
This is a novel I saw listed for a blog tour but was unable to commit to reading at that time. I was, however fortunate enough to receive a copy through Netgalley, and thanks to the 20 Books of Summer Reading Challenge, I have finally made time to read it.
The blurb:
Loving Spirits at the Vintage TeashopThe beautiful Cotswold village of Rowan Vale is run as a living museum, allowing tourists to see history in action. But there’s more to the place than any visitor would guess...
Fifty-something Shona grew up in the village and now runs its vintage, 1940s-themed teashop. Not everyone knows that the previous manager, her great-aunt Polly, still lives there too… as a ghost!
When newcomer Max arrives, hoping to find out more about the place where his German grandfather was a prisoner of war, both Shona and Polly are unsettled. Shona, because handsome, interesting Max is the first man to catch her eye since her divorce, and Polly, because she must finally confront the terrible truth about her past.
A 1940s-themed weekend planned for the village brings the families’ connections to a head and tragic secrets to light.
Can Shona help her ghostly great-aunt to find love and forgiveness once more, while also creating her own happy ever after?
The second in the comforting, feel-good, romantic series with a dash of fantasy that started with Kindred Spirits at Harling Hall.
Sharon Booth is a not an author I'd read before, but I was intrigued by the blurb. It ticked so many of my boxes that I just could not ignore it. I loved the premise for this book, that of ghosts and the living sharing a village, with only some of the living being able to see and communicate with their deceased relatives, and fewer able to see and communicate with all the ghosts. The blurb hints at a mystery to solve, and whilst reading I discover that the mystery is a murder. This book had my interest piqued from the start.
Loving Spirits at the Vintage Teashop is the second book in Ms Booth's Ghosts of Rowan Vale series, and of course the first I've read. Although it is listed as a romance, I felt it was more a cozy mystery with a smattering of romance. Regardless, I thought it was a very enjoyable and comfortable read.
There are a lot of characters to take in. Probably less so if I'd read the first book beforehand. I loved Polly and waited with baited breath as her story unfolded. There are two minor characters, Harmony Hill and Quintus Severus, that I wanted to learn more about. I felt a lump in my throat when Qunitus's role is finally revealed and would love to dig deeper into his backstory.
This book really caught my imagination and I've added the Ghosts of Rowan Vale series to my wish list, which means I've read one book and added four more!
Highly recommended to readers who enjoy a gentle, paranormal, cozy mystery with a sprinkling of romance.
| Author Bio – Sharon Booth |
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 Whether it’s the rugged cliffs of the North Yorkshire coast, the ancient magic of an historic market town, or a village where the ghosts are as friendly as the neighbours, Sharon Booth's stories all share one heartbeat: the search for home. She writes contemporary drama and romance that explores the messy, funny, and beautiful reality of family and community. From the loving, if flawed, families of Kelsea Sands and Tuppenny Bridge, to the mythic legends of the St Clairs, her books are an invitation to escape into the wild and beautiful British landscape and find a place where you truly belong. When Sharon's not untangling the 'tangle of secrets' in her fictional villages, you can find her visiting old country houses, ruined castles and abbeys, the coast or the countryside. At home in the East Riding of Yorkshire she likes to watch old films, comedies, and just about any British cosy crime series that was ever made, but reading is her great love. Sometimes she wonders if she buys way too many books, but common sense soon prevails as, obviously, you can't HAVE too many books. Sharon will argue till the end of time that scone rhymes with bone. She also admits to being shamefully prone to crushes on fictional heroes. If you enjoy warm, humorous, feelgood stories set in pretty villages and quirky market towns, with close-knit communities and flawed characters doing the best they can, you’ll love Sharon's books. |
| Social Media Links – | |
| Web site | sharonboothwriter.com |
| @sharonboothwriter | |
| Goodreads | Sharon Booth |
| Facebook Author Page | sharonboothwriter |
| Bookbub | sharon-booth |
| BlueSky | @sharonboothwriter.bsky.social |
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