I did not particularly enjoy this book. I feel like the connection between the two main characters felt more lustful than romantic and I felt uninterested in their journey. I think this author has great writing potential this was just not the book for me.

The blurb had me so excited for this book and I loved the first chapter, but after that this book kinda lost me. The characters felt somewhat flat and while I enjoyed the plot I was really hoping for more of the paranormal aspect.

I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

pretty fun and quick read, I love an age gap romance & loved even more that she immediately hated him😂 the little spooky bits were fun to read about!

Thank you Dell & Netgalley for the ARC!

A supernatural celeb/normie romance. Sign me up a thousand times. Couldn't be happier to have spent time luxuriating in author Nadia El-Fassi's spicy romance. Thoroughly enjoyed.

Thank you to Ballantine | Dell and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group & NetGalley for this ARC! I absolutely enjoyed this cozy yet spicy read.

"There is nothing like eternity to make you realize how precious time really is"

The way this book brought some closure to me that I never knew I needed. The comedy and romance had me giggling and kicking my feet. I loved the chemistry between our two main characters from the beginning!

Rosemary, a horror author from Georgia, is watching her hit novel come to life as a movie—but that's not the only supernatural element in her world. She’s been able to see ghosts since childhood, and in this paranormal romance, she navigates career growth, unexpected friendships from the other side 👻, and plenty of drama both on and off set. Adding to the chaos? The irresistibly charismatic actor cast in her film adaptation.
With her sharp wit and unwavering determination, Rosemary never backs down from a fight—but will the glitz and grind of Hollywood, and her undeniable chemistry with the lead actor, be her biggest challenge yet?
Make sure to check trigger warnings before diving in!

Love at First Fright is your spicy spooky romance for the autumn months. But it's also very comfy with charm sprinkled throughout the novel. I adored Ellis and Rosemary every step of the way and Nadia's written a pleasurable read that itches the paranormal. Also I think it's perfect timing that I decided to read this book at the beginning of Pride Month (this was just a coincidence!). There's an angle to this book that's special in how the characters grow with one another. Overall, this was a lovely read and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Thank you Ballantine/Dell for the digital arc!

I absolutely was on the edge of my seat this whole book, i couldn't wait to see what happened next! Rosemary was the way i thought all authors should be when they are writing books. The ending had me so mad then jumping for joy next.

This is cute. I loved the ghost elements and that it didn’t draw attention away from the romance. But, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, I think there was too much spice. Like, so many sex scenes that it took away from the rest of the plot. I dunno. Maybe I’m just a prude? Thanks to Dell for the ARC.

This book was so lovely, I genuinely had the best time reading it. I loved the characters, the setting, the humor and banter, and the spice! This was a new to me author and I’ll be looking forward to more work from her in the future!

This book was just what I needed. A fun romcom with a fun and different paranormal twist. There is a bit of a Miscommuncation Trope, which I normally hate but it was wrapped up before it got out of hand and ruined the book for me. The characters do open up to each other and have some touching moments.

Love at First Fright
⭐️/3
🌶/3

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

The first thing to note is that the POV is third person. There are multiple views, but all views are in the third person. If you don’t like third person, this may not be the book for you.

Now that the POV is addressed, I did like the book. It was outside of my normal tropes. The blurb and cover are what drew me to reading. The paranormal/horror aspects are not something I normally read (not that I haven’t, I just don’t gravitate to them). And I enjoyed them here. Because the characters were on a film set with limited time, it felt a little rushed. Their development as a couple felt rushed. I loved that Rosemary could see and communicate with ghosts. The dog ghost was by far my favorite. Made me think of my soul dog who passed a few years ago and hope that she crossed knowing she was loved and didn’t need to stick around for me.

I really loved the diversity among the characters. Not just the LGBTQIA+, but also the different races, nationalities, and ethnicities throughout the book. A book with a character for everyone to identify with. Though most are side characters, they are still there and part of the conversation.

The spice was on point. I wasn’t expecting as much as we got and enjoyed it. There were some D/s elements and they were done well.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. I took away a star because the POV is not noted anywhere. If it had been I probably wouldn’t have read it. With that missing star it lands on 3 stars.

Blurb:
In this paranormal spicy age gap romance, a successful horror author whose novel is being adapted into a movie clashes with the actor cast as the male lead, all in a cozy mansion filled with ghosts, from the author of Best Hex Ever

Rosemary Shaw’s ability to see the dead has never scared her. In fact, it’s secretly inspired most of her horror novels. Now at twenty-nine and an acclaimed author, Rosemary’s most successful book is about to be a blockbuster movie. Set in a beautiful manor house in the English countryside, it’s no surprise there’s ghosts hanging around the film crew. But ghosts are something Rosemary can handle, she’s not so sure how to deal with her infuriatingly handsome leading man, who is all wrong for the role.

Ellis Finch is a Hollywood heartthrob with a secret. He’s tired of playing the action movie hero and would much rather be gardening with his sweet dog Fig. Frankly, he’s getting too old to maintain the industry’s standards of what a man should look like. Starring in a historical horror movie might be just the ticket for his new image, until he finds out that the author tried to get him kicked off the show.

Amidst filming for the movie and the chemistry-filled feuding between Rosemary and Ellis, Hallowvale manor comes alive, literally. Trying to balance the mayhem of her writing deadlines, an adorable ghostly dog and a pair of Regency-era women who are definitely nothing more than friends, Rosemary is at risk of telling Ellis her secret, or worse – falling for him.

Tropes:
Paranormal Romance
Celebrity Romance
Insta Lust
Age Gap
Dom/Sub
Forced Proximity
LGBTQ+ rep
Third-Act Breakup

Rosemary, a smart, slightly introverted, tatted up screenwriter (who can see ghosts 👻), finds herself thrown into the chaos of Hollywood when her horror novel gets picked up for a film adaptation. Enter Ellis, the unfairly attractive actor playing her brooding male lead.
Rosemary doesn't think he quite fits the role and he's determined to prove her otherwise. Add in ghosts and you got a cute spooky (yet spicy) fall read!

I definitely enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who loves reading cute paranormal type books during the fall/Halloween season (or really any time of the year 😂).
My only gripes would be the overuse of a pet name and miscommunication trope. But the latter was wrapped up nicely so I'm not that mad at it.
Overall, I loved watching the characters open up to each other. There was some heartwarming parts that had me blinking back tears.

Review posted on Instagram as well :)

This was a really fun read- I love the premise with a horror author that can see ghosts. And I’m also a sucker celebrity romances. The fat & bi sexual rep in the book were also really well done and I enjoyed the Rosemary and Ellis’ banter & how their relationship developed.

While I appreciated the main conflict for Ellis & Rosemary both, I do wish they had focused more on her ability to see ghosts as the conflict than Ellis’ agent situation. At times it felt repetitive and that it could’ve been solved a lot sooner with just one conversation.

Otherwise, I enjoyed the book and it was a fun read! I’ll definitely be trying more from this author.

Ghosts, and kinks, and haters-to-lovers, oh my! This second novel by Nadia El-Fassi has everything you didn't know you wanted in a romance. The two main characters are sweet and their relationship felt magnetic. Rosemary writes horror novels, and Ellis is starring in her first movie adaptation. They bicker on sight but can't seem to keep away from each other. It is such a fun romance between two people I genuinely wanted to find happiness! I am looking forward to Nadia El-Fassi's next book already.

A charming paranormal rom com with ghosts, great banter, and unexpected heart. Perfect for fans of cozy, supernatural love stories. It’s silly in the best way, with sweet romance, ghostly surprises, and funny moments. A fun, feel good read if you like stories with a little magic and a lot of heart.

This book was very cute! I love the age gap. I was surprised with how sweet the romance turned out to be. The side story with her seeing ghosts was fun, but I don’t know if it was super necessary for the story. I understand the parallels between the male main character and the ghosts about coming out and his sexuality, but I didn’t feel like it really added that much to the story. Either way I really enjoyed this book and I will definitely read more by this author.

This is not the book that I thought it would be. I thought it was a mysterious ghost romp with an intriguing plot line. Instead, I read a book that, while it had ghosts, was not for the point of a spooky good book.

I like to see representation in a book, but not every character can represent. This was so full of representation that it was unbelievable.

The dialogue and narration was stiff and long-winded. I once jumped ahead three pages and the character was still talking about the same thing.

A blurb that accurately explains what this book is about would help.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dell for this advanced copy!

Love at First Fright tells the story of Rosemary, a horror writer, and Ellis, an actor staring in her first ever movie adaptation.

Overall I give it 3.25 stars out of 5. It didn’t quite have the same charm as El-Fassi’s first book. It had too many side plots that didn’t really add to the story. I like the way she handled the kink aspect, but I just wanted more banter between the two interests besides their spicy scenes.

Such a cozy paranormal romance! This is the perfect book to add to your Halloween TBR. Ellis and Rosemary were so sweet together, I loved their bickering at the beginning of the book and watching as the fell in love. The book had a great mix of humor and heart, I was both laughing and crying. I really enjoyed the setting and premise of the book. I loved watching behind the scenes of movies and tv shows, so this was so much fun to read about. This was a really solid read, I highly recommend it!

I read Best Hex Ever last year as apart of a book club and I was so pleasantly surprised. So when I saw Love at First Fright on here and saw that it was Rosemary's story? Oh heck yeah. I was so excited and told everyone at book club about this.

That being said, I felt disappointed and let down by this book. I thought it was going to be a cute, cozy fantasy rom com with serious moments like the first one made me feel. This was not that. This was very social serious issues and I felt like that was not discussed in the description. It felt a little misleading. It was also like extremely sexual in a way I was just not expecting either.

I just think that this book wasn't for me.