Come for the wholesome characters and cozy plot, stay for the sizzling spice——or vice versa! Fans of BEST HEX EVER will love this title too.

3⭐️
Love at First Fright came off at a lighthearted rom-com but it was actually more of a spicy LGBTQ+ confessing of one’s true self romance. Though the romance was believable and pretty enjoyable, I found the subplot of seeing ghosts much more fascinating and wish we had gotten more of that throughout the book.

I read a few of the other reviews and am shocked that no one else has mentioned the sheer number of typos and grammatical errors in this book. Sometimes words would be in the wrong tense or the author would switch subjects in the middle of a sentence. It seriously needed another round of edits.

Thanks NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an advanced copy of this book!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.*

I was over the moon excited when I received a copy of Nadia El-Fassi’s, Love at First Fright a Random House Publishing Group title from NetGalley! When I finished reading Best Hex Ever, I was wondering about Rosemary and was thrilled to learn that Love at First Fright would be about them. This story is real, raw and beautifully captures Rosemary’s feelings towards grief, loss and love. She is such a humble well-founded character; what she considers ‘flaws’ make her even more beautiful. I can’t wait to read a published copy! I love love loved it!

I thought the first half started great. The dynamic between the fmc and her friends was phenomenal and the story and plot was a great setup, but then it seemed to click too quickly and the language didn't feel like the characters. The sub/dom thing felt really weird on the intro and it threw the story off. Things started feeling forced and the pacing felt odd.

I hadn't looked at the reviews and details weren't mentioned in the netgalley blurb. Considering I thought it would be more romcom and enemy to lovers I wasn't expecting such a quick shift. More buildup would have made more sense. I loved the paranormal element. I thought the writing itself was great. I even really liked the fmc and the mmc.

This wasn't for me, but if you enjoy heavily spiced up books with dom/sub dynamics, it could be for you.

ove At First Fright follows Rosemary who is an horror author. She is not like most people she can see ghosts. One of her books is being turned into a movie. She wrote the script and is one of the executive producers. She doesn’t like the leading man in her movie Ellis. She makes that very clear. But while on set the two ended up spending a lot of time together. They might even end up together.

I really liked this book! I loved the whole paranormal / horror aspect of this book. I thought Rosemary and Ellis were super cute. I am shocked to say this but I found the spicy parts of this book a bit cringy. I don’t know if it was because this book was an age gap romance. Or because I felt like the spicy parts felt forced. But I really enjoyed this story over all. I am big into spooky things so love that this book focused on that. I would suggest this one.

Thank you, Nadia El-Fassi and Dell. This book comes out September 16.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. I really loved this story and hope to use it for book club once it is published, and hope to read more from El-Fassi.

Love at First Fright is a charming and spicy paranormal romance that blends cozy atmospheres with supernatural intrigue. The story follows Rosemary Shaw, a successful horror author with the ability to see ghosts, whose bestselling novel is being adapted into a film. The film is set in the eerie Hallowvale Manor, a location that proves to be as haunted as it is picturesque.

Enter Ellis Finch, a Hollywood heartthrob seeking to reinvent his image by starring in a historical horror movie. However, his casting is met with resistance from Rosemary, who believes he is totally wrong for the role. Despite their initial animosity, the chemistry between Rosemary and Ellis becomes undeniable as they navigate the challenges of filming in a haunted setting. Amidst the spectral occurrences and their growing attraction, both characters must confront their personal demons and the secrets they harbor.

El-Fassi's writing is engaging, with a perfect balance of romance, humor, and supernatural elements. The interactions between the characters are filled with tension and wit, making for an enjoyable read. The setting of Hallowvale Manor adds an atmospheric backdrop, enhancing the story's charm.

Fans of cozy paranormal romances and enemies-to-lovers story tropes will find Love at First Fright to be a delightful addition to the genre, offering a blend of romance, mystery, and a touch of the supernatural.

This was a fun and easy rom-com with elements of the paranormal that you'll love to read with your first pumpkin spice latte of the season! My only gripe was that the 3rd act issue felt forced instead of natural.

I really liked Ellis and RoseMary’s dynamic but I feel like there could have been more build up at the beginning. She ends up changing her mind about liking him very soon. There wasn’t any feuding.

This book was hot! I loved the rom-com setting with a touch of the paranormal—just the way I like it. It was a fun, easy read, and I especially appreciated the diverse communities represented throughout the story.

This is so delightful! Rosemary is an American thriller writer on the set of the movie adaptation of her book. Ellis is the star of the movie. Rosemary does not think Ellis is the right fit for the movie because, he's not scary enough to star in a scary movie.
He's also way too hot.
They have a few less then lovely interactions before coming to a truce of sorts. And then a bit more. Except they both have big secrets.
Ellis is in a fake relationship mandated by his sleazy agent and Rosemary sees ghosts. Like honest to God, they died and she can talk to them ghosts. And it doesn't help that they are staying in an ancient home in the British countryside.
The book is a delight and an amazing follow up to one of my favorite books of last year Best Hex Ever (Rosemary is the best friend of the FMC in Best Hex Ever).
There are ghosts doing ghostly things and accidentally(ish) terrorizing the cast and crew, so much dripping hot spice, and lots of outside drama.
If you want to rotate between laughing, blushing, and ordering a hex on evil doers ... this is the PERFECT book for you.

She is the author of the book being produced into movie and she can see ghosts. He is the main actor. He is tired of being type casted as the hunk. He does play James Bond. They had a not so meet cute in the rain. To be fair, he was kind of a jerk even though he thought she was just a fan. The premise is great, the banter is great. Not to mention, the spice is surprisingly hot.

This reminds me of the tv show, Ghosts.
Overall, it is a great romance book that centers not only them but other ghosts couple.

More in depth review to come

this was such a sweet book & i am so thankful we got to read it early!!! i cant wait to reread again for spooky season and do a review on our page!

This book has so much of what I love in a story. Paranormal, fantasy, cozy romance with banter and positivity galore!

Rosemary is a horror author, whose book is getting adapted into a movie. Ellis is the actor cast to play the lead in the movie, but Rosemary thinks that he isn’t a good fit for the role. Until they get to know each other and find that not only is he a good fit for the role, but a good fit for Rosemary as well.

I absolutely loved getting the opportunity to read this story early, because it was filled with so many good things! I loved the personal growth that both Rosemary and Ellis experience, as well as their relationship portrayal and progression. We get glimpses into Rosemary’s friendships, family, and her gift of being able to see ghosts. Her gift is especially useful as a plot device to help others address their grief or unresolved issues.

Love at First Fright releases September 16, 2025 (just in time for Halloween!)

Thank you Dell (via NetGalley) for gifting me with an eARC, all thoughts expressed are my own.

A deliciously sexy and fun paranormal romance. Not scary, but fun spooky settings and heartwarming ghostly encounters and backgrounds throughout. Perfect for fall!

I absolutely loved Best Hex Ever so I was really excited for this one. I think I enjoyed it overall, it just didn't hit the same as Best Hex Ever. The ghost-seeing didn't really seem crucial to the plot and I thought the 3rd act conflict was pretty forced. The pacing also seemed a bit off. There is dom/sub dynamics and a lot of spice so keep that in mind when deciding to read

Overall this was fine!

3/5

Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine for a review copy of this book--all opinions my own!

I was loving this book. It was a potential 5 star read until about 46% in when they started their dom/sub thing. That should’ve been noted on the books page here because I don’t like those types of relationships. It’s just not for me.

I really enjoyed this book. The ghost whispering aspect was definitely the most interesting to me and I was glad to see some subplot attached to it, but I would have loved her to talk more about it. I thought that they were super sweet together and the I loved how considerate Ellis was about his celebrity status and how that could affect her. Will definitely read more from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dell for access to the eARC! I always appreciate the opportunity to read and review ahead of release day.

After Best Hex Ever, I was so excited to pick up Love at First Fright by Nadia El-Fassi. Going in I expected a good amount of spice, a more insta-love romance (which I know some don't like, but I don't mind!), and a cast of lovable characters in a whimsical modern-but-magical setting. Nadia El-Fassi is such an expert at grabbing readers' attention immediately with main characters that all have unique backgrounds and magical quirks or other interesting motivations.

Rather than a magical bakery/cafe, this time we got a lightly-haunted gothic mansion as the backdrop for our main characters' historical horror movie. Rosemary is the author of the book and the screenwriter for the film, and demanded to be on set to keep an eye on details. She doesn't believe Ellis Finch suits her book's main character - and her opinion made its way to him just before their first meeting. As someone that is not a huge fan of enemies to lovers in contemporary romance, this story had just the right amount and length of grudge-holding to lead to some great banter and tension, but the right amount of emotional maturity so they could move past it and confront their attraction to each other. The banter quickly transformed into flirting, which quickly turned into realizing the two were a good fit in their more niche desires of a D/S dynamic (and more). I appreciated how quickly trust and caretaking became not just a sexual part of their dynamic but a foundation for the quick-moving relationship forming - and the way that played into their conflicts as well. It made the intimate scenes feel more relevant and foundational to the overall romance, rather than sex for sex's sake, and I always appreciate that in my romance books!

Outside of our main couple, I ADORED the ghosts in this story. From animals to a regency-era sapphic couple, I couldn't get enough. They brought a layer of sentimentality and mortality/urgency to the story that I really deeply appreciated, especially in how it impacted Ellis. But that aside - between Hank and Cherry, I could have cried multiple times. Rosemary's grandmother and mother both were also very emotional parts of Rosemary's backstory, and I appreciated the depth they gave her character.

I rated Love at First Fright a 4.5/5 (rounded up to 5 for netgalley and goodreads) stars, and I feel this is a must read for the fall/spooky season! You do not need to read Best Hex Ever first, but the characters do show up as the FMCs in both books are best friends, and this book takes place after Best Hex Ever so you may encounter light spoilers.

This was an okay read for me overall, but I really appreciated that it was different from my usual picks

Love At First Fright further cemented Nadia El-Fassi as an auto buy author for me. I really loved her first book but I think I might like this one even more, which I didn’t think was possible.

This book follows Rosemary, a horror author who’s novel is being turned into a movie. She doesn’t think Ellis, the male lead, is right for the part. On set the two don’t get along, they’re constant bumping heads and then things change.

I really love how this book deals with heavier topics like mental health, grief, or coming out/accepting your sexuality. Talking about these things and normalizing them is so important so I love that it was included in this book!

I also really love the romance in this novel. Seeing them going from dislike to love was so gratifying. The little moments where they almost break but then pull back were so good. It created so much tension and I ate it up.

I really enjoyed the d/s aspects of this novel. I loved seeing Ellis care for Rosemary (in both sexual and nonsexual aspects). Seeing this aspect of their life be almost cathartic for them (ex: helping Rosemary when she’s anxious) was so nice!