Kindred Spirits at Harling Hall: this fun British story about a resourceful but guarded single mom, her precocious 11-year-old daughter, both who can see ghosts; an attractive accountant who grew up knowing about the ghosts with his grandfather but can’t see them; his grandfather, Lawrie, the former caretaker of Harling Hall who can see the ghosts and has very different views on how to handle them than our protagonist Callie; and an amazingly written supporting cast of both living humans and ghosts alike - my favorites are the central ghost family, especially the stern old-fashioned ghost mother Agnes and her wellies-wearing rebellious ghost daughter; Shakespeare’s former tutor turned children’s tutor ghost; and the human chef Mia. Love the chemistry between Callie and Brodie and Brodie’s relationship with her daughter Immi, which I deeply related to as a single mom who dipped her toes in the dating world as well (luckily no ghosts for me!). I also loved the little tux kitten (and his name story, which I won’t spoil!). Overall a very heartwarming cozy love & ghost story to read on a snowy Valentine’s Day weekend! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Book comes out March 28th!! Definitely worth picking up if you love ghost stories, cozy rom coms, single mom love stories, and a delightful mix of past and present.

Reviewed on Bluesky (@katniceverdeen), Goodreads & StoryGraph.

This drew me in with the premise of being similar to the show “Ghosts.” It was just a pretty average cozy story of a mom who can see ghosts in a small town and the typical plot ensues. Callie just wasn’t interesting or likable to me so I couldn’t really care too much for her story.

I never thought I would like this book as much as I am now. Cotswold Village does not only accommodate living people but also the dead, and it's not in any spooky way. Somehow living with the dead is normal to villagers and that’s spook Callie out. All her life, she knows seeing and talking to the dead is not a normal thing to do, especially to her family. And somehow she gets to offer not only talking to the dead for a living but also managing the entire estate of Harling Hall and Cotswold Village. An offer too good to be true right? And that just entices me to read this book in the first place.

I was not expecting much from the story at first, but as I read it up until the end, I knew how much love and effort the author put into creating the story. The amount of studies and site visits she must have done must have been insane. All the plots going on into the story, not one that I found useless. And that must have been a crazy proofread and editing. To be honest I found the earlier part of the story a bit too lengthy but thinking back it was as important to the plot.

I’m pretty frustrated with Florrie’s situation because from the beginning I can sense everyone misjudgement against her and she deserves the right treatment. And the same goes to Immi. One thing for sure, I knew for sure both girls will click really well. And thanks for not making the romance part as the first genre of the story. Overall, I enjoy the story so muchh that I could not help myself from falling in love with the whole village.

I received a temporary digital copy of Kindred Spirits at Harling Hall from NetGalley, Wednesday Books and the author in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

On a field trip with her daughter Immi, Callie visits Rowan Vale, living village museum. Callie falls in love with the village on sight but after observing a physical altercation with two village actors, she decides she needs to have a discussion with the owner of the village. What is quickly realized is that Callie can see the ghosts living in Rowan Vale, a gift that is rare and vital to the village's success. Callie is offered the village for 10 pounds and after moving to Rowan Vale with her daughter, she realizes this may be a much larger task than originally thought. Can she become a successful village owner or will the village fall under her ownership?

I found Kindred Spirits at Harling Hall to be a light-hearted read. I was not a fan of Callie, but enjoyed the other characters. Many of the characters grew and learned through their interactions with Callie; however, I didn't see real growth within her. She talked about her ability seeing ghosts was a curse, a perspective she learned from her emotionally-abusive father; however, there was no real acknowledgment with herself or the other characters that it is indeed a gift she treasured and was happy for. I also that I found her and Brodie's romance lacking; they didn't seem to have any true chemistry.

I loved this book. It was a perfect mix of cozy paranormal, romance and found family. I'm hoping this is a series. I loved the characters and the setting. Once I started reading I was transported to a tourist town in Cottswold with Callie and her daughter Immie. Callie has a special gift once she has been trying to repress for years. She can see and speak to ghosts and Rowen Vale is filled with them. The US version of Ghosts is one of my favorites. So when I read the premise I knew I had to read this one.

This book was so so good. I couldn't stop reading this book. I couldn't put this book down for a second. I rated it 5 stars because it's that good.

I can definitely see the Ghosts (tv show) comparisons with this book! For sure! So I would definitely recommend it to fans of that show.

I, personally, wasn't obsessed with this book. I thought it was okay. I did enjoy it for the most part, I just could not get behind the main character. I did not like how she made choices, I understand her rationale, but I think she went about everything rather aggressively. She just felt like she was taking everything to the extreme, being unnecessarily dramatic. And not in a fun way, in a I-wouldn't-really-want-to-hang-out-with-her way. Ya know?

This was a bit predictable but the side characters were fun. They're the real draw to this book.

I would definitely read more reviews and the synopsis to see if this is the book for you. I feel like it has a very specific audience (that's not a bad thing, it's just a thing - plenty of books are like that).

Overall, this was a cozy read. Definitely gives me fall vibes!

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

Thank you NetGalley and Boltwood Books for the ARC.

This was an amazing book that I couldn’t put down once I picked it up and am already in need of 5 more books in the series. This was an adorable cozy fantasy with a splash of romance. Featuring ghosts, found family and learning to embrace who you are. Set in one of those idyllic English villages, that we all wished we lived in, this is the story of Callie and her daughter Immi as they settle into their new life as stewards of a village that runs as an historical reenactment village that is full of ghosts. If this sounds even remotely interesting to you then give this book a chance you won’t be disappointed.

I loved this cozy paranormal romance! I loved the character development between all the characters and you were able to see many sides to each character. I am eager to learn more about the residents of Rowan Vale! The stubbornness of many of the characters both living and dead were frustrating, although I was able to see how that stubbornness moved the plot.

I’ve absolutely adored this wholesome. Cosy little paranormal romance.
Each side character had their own back story which was intriguing and I throughly enjoyed getting to know them. Especially Florrie.

‘It’s terribly bad manners to eavesdrop,’ Aubrey told her sternly. ‘Oh, codswallop! Not like they know about it, is it?’ Florrie said 😅

I’m so glad Callie gave herself the chance at a better life for herself and Immi and was able to breathe life back into the village, I can’t wait for more in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review of the book.

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I really liked this book, Ghosts is one of my favourite tv shows, so I enjoyed the setting of this book very much.
Callie and her daughter find themselves owning and managing a rather unique estate, having to take care of people in the village, both living and dead, The ghosts were such intriguing characters, I hope we will learn more about them and their stories. I also loved the changes Callie implemented.
Although the stubbornness of certain people made me mad at times, I enjoyed reading about them.
Overall I had a good time, can't wait to read more.

I really liked this! A woman starts to see spirits on a school field trip. This not only starts pointing her in a love interests but showing her another purpose in life.

I like cosy paranormal romance, I enjoyed 'ghosts' on tv so this should have been a match made in heaven. for the most part it was a light, frothy read, nothing too unpredictable buy entertaining . I felt uncomfortable reading the relationship between Callie and her daughter. her motives are 100% in the right place , she loves her daughter, but she does so much harm out of trying to protect her. im glad she came around in the end, but it made those moments hard to push through. seeing Callie bring new life into the village was a joy, and while I wasn't sold on Flossie at first, by the end I wanted to hug her. I did enjoy all the threads running through this, and the mysteries that have not been answered, hanging plots for later books I hope.

I like cosy paranormal romance, I enjoyed 'Ghosts' on TV so this should have been a match made in heaven.

For the most part, it was a light, frothy read, nothing too unpredictable but entertaining. I felt uncomfortable reading the relationship between Callie and her daughter. Her motives are 100% in the right place, she loves her daughter, but she does so much harm out of trying to protect her. I'm glad she came around in the end, but it made those moments hard to push through.

Seeing Callie bring new life into the village was a joy, and while I wasn't sold on Flossie at first, by the end I wanted to hug her.

I did enjoy all the threads running through this, and the mysteries that have not been answered, hanging plots for later books I hope.

~ Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review of the book.~

I discovered this by chance and loved the premise! Luckily I was able to click read now and I started reading Callie’s tale immediately!
I was quickly drawn in to her story and to the events leading her to take ownership of a vast country estate and its surrounding village and community. The characters leaped off the page and I adored them from the beginning. Callie, as a single mum, struggles to make ends meet and while on a school trip with her daughter, she discovers a hidden truth. She can see and speak with ghosts. I loved seeing this story evolve as she meets ghosts but also the living who help to ensure their happiness and care.
She meets Lawrie, who can also see the ghosts and his grandson Brodie, who cannot. Moving her and her daughter to the Cotswolds was a tough choice but learning that her daughter can also see the ghosts is a complication she didn’t envision.

As you read through, you can see centuries old traditions in play and Callie, a very modern woman, needing to adapt and make some changes to how things are done. Can she bring the ghosts to her way of thinking? A fair few feathers are ruffled as Callie takes control of tur estate but who has taken her heart?

An absolutely delightful story- bound to bring you to tears and joy!

This was such a cool read! It is so different from a lot of romances with ghosts stories that I’ve read. I laughed and I cried and simply couldn’t put it down! The only critique I can come up with is honestly just a person problem: I’m American and struggled to read some of Florence’s commentary simply because it was written to show her thick accent. It’s such a minor thing and after rereading I obviously figured it out but it took me longer than if I had a better understanding of UK accents. Overall it was such a cozy book and I’d love to dive into more of their little village!

This was such a good read. I wish I could give Callie the world; I absolutely adore her. All of the characters feel so real and are given the opportunities to show the best and worst of themselves. I appreciate how the relationships are allowed to be dynamic and responsive as the characters make their way through the book. None of the relationships or the characters feel stuck or stagnant.