What a wonderfully enchanting cosy tale. I was captivated from the start by the mix of characters and the antics that they got up to. Very reminiscent of of the BBC Ghosts series, this was an easy read and perfect for when you just want to escape.

I truly wanted to like this story. However, it was overall predictable and the writing was okay. Just dialog between characters was forced and fluffy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Sharon Booth's Kindred Spirits at Harling Hall offers a delightfully cozy and unique start to a new series, blending charming romance with a fun fantasy twist! The premise immediately caught my attention: a single mom who can see ghosts inherits a historic village. What's not to love?

Callie, our single mom heroine, visits the picturesque Cotswold village of Rowan Vale and discovers she can communicate with its spectral residents. This leads to an astonishing offer from the village's elderly owner, Sir Lawrence Davenport: she can purchase the entire estate for a song, provided she protects both the living and the highly opinionated dead. Among the spirited residents are a spectral lord, an imperious lady, a mischievous 1940s schoolgirl, and even William Shakespeare's former tutor, all adding layers of humor and personality to the setting.

The cast of characters, both living and departed, is wonderfully quirky and distinctive. While it took me a little while to warm up to Callie, her daughter, Immi, is an absolute delight and quickly became a favorite. The ghosts themselves are incredibly engaging, each with their own unique quirks and backstories that make them almost more interesting than some of the living villagers!

The budding romance with Brodie, Sir Lawrence's disinherited grandson, is a sweet addition to the story. He's the handsome, brooding type with a hidden soft heart, and their connection adds a lovely layer to the narrative. While the romance isn't the sole focus, its slow development felt appropriate for a series opener, allowing the intriguing world and its inhabitants to take center stage.

Kindred Spirits at Harling Hall has an interesting premise, even more interesting ghosts, and a beautiful village setting. It gently explores themes of self-esteem, found family, and the importance of forging new friendships. It's a charming read that leaves you curious to see what adventures, both earthly and otherworldly, the next book will bring!

Tropes to expect:

~ Single Mom Romance
~ Ghosts & Magic
~ Small Town Charm
~ Found Family
~ Enemies-to-Lovers (subtle)
~ Mystery/Intrigue

DNF @ 70%

Definitely for fans of BBC’s Ghosts. I think this book just got off to a really slow start and was difficult to get into.

The plot is so cool in theory, but it took way too long to build up any of the relationships. Despite there being several characters, dead and live, many of the characters were static and frustrating.

I think this could be done well with a tweaked focus.

I really enjoyed this book and loved the relationships the characters had with each other. I loved the ghost characters. I loved how it had the same vibes as the tv show ghosts!

For fans of BBC Ghosts craving something new to escape to, feast your eyes of the latest cosy book "Kindred Spirits at Harling Hall." The first novel in the Ghosts of Rowan Vale series introduces us to single mom Callie as she is hired on to help manage a cooky group of ghosts in a charming Cotswold village. As she comes to terms with the new arrangements and the long held magical gift that she's ignored all her life, Callie begins to open up to the possibilities of new friends, new opportunities, and new love. Though a bit slow at times this story makes for a wonderful introduction to a lovely series. Each character felt purposeful, well thought out, and a vital part in a forever growing family. I am so excited for future novels from Booth and can't wait to dive back into this sweet community.

Oh boy! What a treat! This book was truly a delight to read. It’s cozy and quirky and right up my alley. This is a series that I’m sure I’m going to love and and very impatiently awaiting the next release!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free ARC in exchange for a review.

I am still confused as to why Florrie had a POV but that's neither here nor there really.

Overall, this is a cute little book about a single mom and her kid, and she can see ghosts. There's not a huge amount of plot beyond that to be honest. It's a lot of interpersonal disputes which are easily solved in the cute, picturesque town.

Callie is a nice lady who is doing her best, and Immi is a cute kid. Beyond the surface, the characters aren't that deep, and frustratingly, Brodie doesn't have a personality at all. He's vaguely nice and cute. It wasn't that I didn't support them together, it was more that he could have been anyone, as they didn't really have much chemistry or reason for "loving" each other. I think he was sort of thrown in so that this could be in the romance genre, but it's much more about Callie tackling the various personal issues had by the ghosts.

Nothing remotely terrible ever happens, and it's very easy, light read. It makes for a nice palette cleanser between other reads but I don't think it will be anyone's best book of the year. If you're looking for a low stakes story about some funky ghosts, this is the quick read for you. Three stars.

Kindred Spirits at Harling Hall is a magical mystery tour of delight that tickles your fancy and tugs your heartstrings.

I was completely swept away into a world where ghosts are real, have real lives, and are accepted as citizens of Rowan Vale. Not everyone can see the ghosts but people know they’re there, that they are cherished and most welcome. I absolutely loved learning about all the ghosts and where (and when) each one was frozen in time.

The backdrop of this lovingly crafted story is beautifully illustrated through the eyes of Callie and the people of this charming English village. The book is utterly enchanting. The characters are vibrant, their storied pasts holding secret pieces of history, wonder, and whimsy.

The romance is a gentle breeze that lingers in the background of the story, but is no less powerful. Callie and Brodie have past hurts that have fundamentally affected them. It has made Callie skittish and caused her to tightly guard her heart. She also has a daughter to think about and doesn’t want her to experience the pain that Callie went through growing up.

Callie and Brodie’s relationship throughout the story is a tug-of-war of sorts as they struggle with their new realities, their futures uncertain. My gut clenched with every awkward encounter… until things stopped being awkward and started developing into something meaningful.

I couldn’t put the book down! I want to live in Rowan Vale and help Callie and Sir Lawrence wrangle ghosts. I really enjoyed discovering all the pleasant (and not so pleasant) surprises. I am SO happy this will be a series and I cannot wait for the next book!

Callie can see ghosts and a chance meeting leads to her being invited to purchase Harling estate which is full of living and dead residents...
Kindred Spirits at Harling Hall is a light hearted novel with a supernatural focus.
Callie has always hated being able to see ghosts and has hidden it for years. On a visit to a living museum, she meets some characters and realises they are ghosts and she is offered the opportunity to be the new estate owner as the current owner's descendants can't see ghosts. Callie has doubts about the whole situation but reluctantly agrees. She uproots herself and her daughter and struggles to fit into centuries of tradition.
This book has some vibes similar to TV’s Ghosts. Callie is at odds with several of the ghosts who see her as an interloper and not a worthy successor. The outgoing owner and his grandson are naturally upset about leaving their home and Callie feels guilty about letting down living and dead residents.
I loved the different ghost characters and how different eras are represented. They are set in their ways and Callie doesn’t have the force of personality to put her stamp on the estate but she gradually grows in confidence.
Most of the book is written in the first person to show Callie's experience and the dilemmas and challenges she faces. Some chapters do show other characters including the ghosts and I think this could have been more balanced to give a greater depth to their characters.
Kindred Spirits at Harling Hall is an entertaining book and it looks like there will be a series: yay!

As much as I wanted to read and enjoy this book, I just couldn’t connect with the characters and it, unfortunately, failed to capture my attention :( I’m so sorry team, I had to DNF this one at 30%.

This wasn't my cup of tea. It was inherently bad, but the writing was just not clicking for me.i couldn't bring myself to care about the characters either.

Cute ghost story set in a quaint small town in Britain. I wasn't sold on the romance however and was way more invested in the ghosts than the surprise happy ending for two characters who didn't actually seem to interact all that much. Loved the historical piece that all the different ghosts lent to the plot.

Cozy paranormal read, but I felt the romance was lacking. It definitely had potential and the premise is very intriguing, I didn't not enjoy myself, but it also wasn't amazing.

3.75⭐️

This was such a delight to read. As all cozy books it was quite slow, but it did not bother me at all.

Callie can see ghosts. Not just the ones from her family, but all. This makes her the perfect successor of the estate. Reckless as she is, she dives in head first bringing her daughter Immi along. She learns how to deal with the estate, her own problems and the grandson of the old landlord.

Now, for what I liked. I absolutely adored the vibes. It was all so cozy, fun and delightful. I really enjoyed the ghosts. They all come from different time periods and they act accordingly to that, from the way they dress to the way they talk. Imogen was such a fun character, maybe sometimes a bit old for her age, but she was my absolute favourite.

Callie, however, she was quite annoying at times. Her approach was all over the place and so not consistent that it low-key made me mad at one point. And another thing I disliked is personal at it is just part of the whole cozy thing. I’d love for there to be a bit more conflict, that is more difficult to overcome.

Overall, an absolute delight to read and I’d recommend it fully!

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy!

The most cutest, coziest and sweetest paranormal romance of the year!!!!!
I love immi with my whole heart!! God bless her kind and understanding heart🥹🥹 Her character was very well written and I loved how readily adaptive to Rowan vale she was.
Brodie is a sweetheart and I love his character evolvement towards callie. The ghosts were the sweetest and definitely were a character 😂😂
I definitely will be rereading for Halloween this year!!
Author's delivery of story is far excellent and it would be a story forever residing in my heart.

Thank you Netgalley for this wonderful read

This book is like wrapping yourself in a warm blanket with a cup of tea, if that blanket came with chatty ghosts and a dash of romance (NEED).

From the moment Callie and her daughter arrive in the charming village of Rowan Vale, you can’t help but fall in love with the setting. It’s quirky, magical, and full of history—literally, since the residents include a host of endearing (and occasionally mischievous) spirits. Literally one of my fave set of side characters.

Callie is such a lovable heroine. She's brave, kind, and trying her best to build a new life for her little girl. Her unexpected gift — being able to see and talk to the ghosts — leads to some hilarious and touching moments as she helps them find peace and purpose.

The supporting cast of ghosts is delightful, from the opinionated lady of the manor to the cheeky schoolgirl haunting the grounds. And then there’s Brodie, the grumpy (and handsome) grandson with his own ghosts to face. Watching his slow connection with Callie bloom is one of the many heartwarming threads in this lovely story.

Sweet, whimsical, and full of charm, this is a perfect read for anyone who believes love—and a good haunting—can show up when you least expect it.

This book is cleverly marketed as being similar to the tv series Ghosts with an unsuspecting woman discovering and then buying an estate teeming with ghosts (Harling Hall). The family that was the previous stewards of Harling Hall don’t have any descendants who can see ghosts and thus they pass the estate onto Callie and her daughter. The concept was amazing and some of the ghosts were very entertaining but that’s where my enjoyment ended. Callie was pretty insufferable as she didn’t really trust the ghosts and it felt counterintuitive to follow her if she was going to second guess/hate every interaction with the ghostly inhabitants (it made it so hard to root for and care for her). Also she and her love interest Brodie were incredibly bland and boring. I gave up at 36% because I couldn’t stand them. I am kind of disappointed as I wanted to love this book so much.

DNF @ 36%

I will not be finishing this book due to content; unfortunately this feels eerily similar to another popular book I have read and I believe the influence may have been taken too far.

Cute premise! I wish there was more development in the ghosts and the relationship between Callie and Brodie. The ending does leave it open to be a series.