Thank yo to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
I really enjoyed this book. I loved the mystery of the cottage in the woods. The ending was a surprise too. I found it well written and an enjoyable and suspenseful read. I also loved the setting as well.

This was my first NetGalley eARC read and I really enjoyed it! The plot was absolutely right up my alley- Jane goes back to the rural cabin that her grandmother left her after her passing last year. Jane is an author and after suffering a traumatic event while living in the city, feels the need to get back to her roots in Laurel Cove. She is more equipped to feel the paranormal than most, and when strange things start happening and she becomes strangely drawn to a cabin in the woods, she needs to find out why, what happened there, and why she keeps smelling laurel flowers.

I love how this book was so quick to breeze through but also gave me the full story without any unnecessary blabber. I love how Jane is investigating a 65 year old murder case while she is supposed to be relaxing during her time away from the city. The ending wrapped everything up and didn’t leave me wondering what happened. Mystery, the paranormal, and a splash of not-too-spicy romance.. this is a good one!

This book was pretty incredible to read! So the main character goes to her childhood home where her grandma raise her she comes back from the city and goes to where her grandma use to watch her and raise her. I think the story about the creepy barn that she saw a woman in a hood while she was driving was super weird an creepy an she never went to it because her dog pepper kept howling and freaking out.
There was definitely something that was haunting that cabin that was basically in the middle of the woods. There was also a mystery about it she kept obsessing and it was something she wanted to go back and see what was happening because she wanted to see what it was about she kept having dreams an thinking a bout it. I think the storyline about the barn an how everyone tells her the truth about it use to be a woman living there when she was younger was a bit slow, the whole obsessing over the barn an stuff I feel like it was a bit slow and i wish there was more haunting aspects when she was in the woods going to go there with her dog her dog freaked out an she went back i wish there was more haunting aspects to it to make it more freaky.
I liked the ending it was a real twist to find out the truth though and how the spirit was actually innocent.

I struggled to connect with the main character here. There were times where I was like yes, I get it, but then she would have a thought that was so random and weird. I also think it took too long to get to the suspense and spookiness, especially for a shorter book.

This starts out like a Hallmark Horror movie. You have the big city girl moving back to her grandmother's cottage in a small town, but the small town is located in Appalachia, and there might be a ghost or a witch present.
The man with his warm work shirts and sweaters is a gem. He remembers her birthday and gets her the ideal gift and of course he is respectful.
Of course there is the big baddy developers coming to buy up all the land where our girl cottages and her aunt's resort sit.
In the midst of all this chaos our girl is also working to solve a 65 year old mystery without even the help of a librarian, a nearly impossible task.
I love the battle with the developers. I am on a preservation board and we are currently dealing with our own drama, although it isn't in a peaceful little town.
Read this book. It is a creepy romantic tale that I would absolutely like to see made into an actual movie.

Thank you Netgalley and Wild Rose Press for allowing me to read and review this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Haunting of Laurel Cove has a gorgeous cover but the story doesn't quite hit the mark for me. I went into this thinking it would be spooky but came out feeling disappointed. The writing needs more polishing and the story felt a little too long for some of the explanations. The characters were bland and unremarkable.

This one was just not for me.

2.5 stars