Wow, an amazing mystery that kept me invested. The characters were great and the author gives out good details about the scary environment. Plus, the author added the enemy to lover theme which added another layer. A great read.

Just finished Ghost Town, and it's definitely a 5-star read! The plot kept me hooked from beginning to end, and even though I had a hunch about the betrayer, the twist still managed to catch me off guard. The romance in the story was heartwarming, adding a touch of sweetness amidst the suspense and horror.

While the book leans more towards suspense and adventure than outright horror, it still delivers plenty of thrills and excitement. The writing style was light and easy to follow, making it a breeze to get lost in the story.

Overall, this book offers a perfect blend of suspense, romance, adventure, and lil bit horror, making it a must-read for fans of the genre.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a quick read combining elements of horror, mystery, sci-fi, and romance.

I liked the two main characters, Blair and Leif. Their enemies-to-lovers arc felt a bit forced at times but individually I enjoyed their characters.

As much as I live for a queer romance, honestly it was what I cared about least in this book. I was way more interested in the ghost story and figuring out what was really going on.

2.5 stars rounded up because it kept me guessing til the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and thank you to the author for providing me with a free copy of this book. This review contains spoilers.

"Ghost Town" is a book that partially surprised me. In the beginning, it was hard for me to get into the story and to adjust myself to the author's writing style. Then, after I had 30 % of the book finished, suddenly I couldn't put it down, until I reached 80 %. That's when the storyline's pace dropped for me again. Overall, I can say that the plot of this book is very interesting, but it is also very foreseeable, and the writing style is not very fleshed out. Without further ado, let's analyze some key points:

The plot: As mentioned, I liked the idea of the book. Lesbian ghost hunters trapped in a ghost town and they have to solve a mystery to get out, whilst one by one their crew is diminished due to paranormal circumstances? Count me in. However, what made the story very boring for me in the beginning and in the end, was that some things were very easily guessable. Such that Gen was one of the bad guys. It was too on the nose for me, all facts pointed to her and her general suspicious behaviour. Then there was the romance between Leif and Blair, which was of course obvious to happen, but foreshadowed so heavily, that at one point I got quite exasperated with that. Nevertheless, as mentioned, from 30%-80%, the book does pick up speed and I wasn't able to put it down, because I wanted to know how Tannincorp was involved in all of this and what kind of experiment the ghost hunters were a part of. Overall, 50% of the book were unfortunately hard to get through, whilst the other 50% were surprisingly easy to read.

The writing style: Was not my cup of tea. What I noticed was that many of the same words were used frequently after each other, without being replaced by other words of the same meaning. That to me made the reading experience less enjoyable.

The characters: They were all mostly endearing. Especially the representation of deaf people and the use of ASL language was very refreshing and I liked it a lot. Abe is everyone's sweetheart and mine as well.

The setting: Was really good. I liked the old manor they stayed in as well as the depictions of the woods. It set the scene nicely for the horrors that were happening.

The ending: Some questions of mine remained open, such as why the bodies of Jessica and Ivan didn't decompose for days. And why, in the end, Blair and Leif would want to return to Masonville even though Blair mentions that she has episodes of PTSD.

Overall, the reading experience was 50% not my thing and the other 50% quite entertaining. I give one star for the general idea & the setting, one star for the characters, and minus three stars for the writing style, the foreseeable plot twists and the fact that this reading experience was at times quite bumpy for me.

A paranormal investigator and a ghost hunter are invited to explore a famous ghost town. Blair is analytical and scientific, while Lief is wilder and seeks sensation. Naturally, they've been butting heads and bickering, but stick together when things turn sinister. I liked both MCs, even if Lief can be a bit immature at times. Though the focus is more on ghosts and gore, their romance is a bright spot in midst of the dark ghostliness.

But I wished it took more time for them to switch from enemies to lovers. They're quite sweet together, but more tension/intimacy would've made their romance stronger. I truly enjoyed the mystery, it's creepy with some good twists. A solid sapphic ghost thriller, though the writing can be a little inconsistent.

Blair Wyndon and Leif Henderson might both be paranormal investigators who want to show the world that ghosts and paranormal activity really do exist, but beyond that they have very little in common. While Blair likes to confront her paranormal work with research, science, and facts, Leif likes her videos to be flashy and entertaining. So, when Blair, Leif, their personal crews, and a few other paranormal hunters are mysteriously invited to a well-known but highly guarded and evacuated ghost town on the pretense of trying catch paranormal activity, everyone jumps at the opportunity. Although Blair and Leif do nothing but butt heads when everyone first arrives to the ghost town of Masonville, they quickly have to look past their differences and start working together when more sinister activities begin threatening the stranded group's lives. Only time will tell in this fast-paced sapphic mystery/thriller if Blair, Leif, and their friends will be able to figure out the mystery of Masonville and escape with their lives and sanity intact.

I am an avid reader and big fan of sapphic novels and thriller novels separately so I was very excited to see Ghost Town by R.E. Ward combine two of my favorite genres. All in all, I really enjoyed this book. I thought Blair and Leif really complimented each other well and it was sweet to see their relationship change and develop throughout the story. While I loved the two main characters, I was also drawn in by the supporting characters and the plot. While it took me a little while to get into the story and keep everyone organized in my mind at the beginning (I had to keep reminding myself who was a part of which group), I was quickly drawn in and found the book difficult to put down once the first major incident happened. I was also able to predict part of the ending/reveal, but I feel like the author did a good job of providing enough subtle clues to make that possible. I also appreciated that, even though I might have known “the who,” I had no idea what “the why” was until the end. While I would have liked the ending better if it had been a little more realistic, this is a paranormal book after all so I cannot fault it for not catering to my personal preferences. Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a paranormal mystery with sapphic main characters.

Thank you to Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an electronic ARC of Ghost Town in return for my honest review.

This review will be posted to the page for Ghost Town on Goodreads and StoryGraph

When reading the synopsis of the book, I loved that it seemed like it was going to be like an episode of Ghost Hunters. I was definitely intrigued and loved how it kept you guessing at each turn.

I loved the different personalities of the different Ghost hunters who were sent to Masonville and how they ended up working together. At first I thought Leif and Blair were going to be constantly against each other, just because of their rivalry and causing people to pick sides. But I was happy they were able to put that aside and work together to get their proof they needed.

I definitely enjoyed this book.

A really gripping read, I thought the characters were intriguing and I'm going to look out for more by this author.

A really nice queer paranormal romance! Perfect for my ghost hunting loving heart!

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for giving me an arc!

A very entertaining and well plotted queer paranormal romance: enemy to lovers, ghosts, skeptics vs believers, humour.
I loved it and had fun, hope to read other books by this author soon
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

{4,5} stars

I am a huge fan of queer romance, any paranormal stuff and especially enemies to lovers. This book delivers ALL.

Blair Wyndon, Ghost Hunter, is determined to prove that ghosts are real. She and a group of ghost hunting vloggers receive invitations from a company to stay at Hastings Manor; a historic estate known for paranormal activity. Little do they know, things do not go their ways, and they are suddenly forced to bond together for only one goal: staying alive.

The plot and plot twist were extremely smart. The author was throwing little ides here and there, a small hint to what was about to come that you only understood after the big reveal. I definitely loved that aspect.
The romance was also very sweet, a bit rushed in some parts, but if you don't like a slow enemies to lovers, this one's for you.

The only things I'd day I was not a fun of was the dialogue sometimes. I was surprised to find out they were adults because they talked and made the decisions of fresh teens. Perhaps some parts kept repeating too much, but other than that, it was fine.
As for the writing, I personally liked it. I was easy to read through, and the plot being so engaging made me finish it quickly. Even thought the writing was pretty plain or simple, I LOVED the descriptions of the gore. They were so well-written it made me picture every scene perfectly. Huge fan of that.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and also for giving me the opportunity to read this book in advance!

I liked the concept of the story but not the execution. The summary grabbed my attention, so I was excited to be able to get an arc of this. Thank you netgalley. I really enjoyed the plot at the beginning, but toward the middle to end it started losing me. The writing could have definitely been better, because it was a little off in my opinion. I liked the stylized choice of adding the bits of recording before each chapter since it adds in more commentary. The whole story could have been stronger, if it was more thoroughly thought out. It was too predictable and was very obvious who the traitor was, just by how the friend was acting the whole time throughout the book. Also, you would think ghost hunters knew the first rule of horror, but I guess being the main characters excludes them from being attacked while getting together haha. It's a pretty quick read, if you want a fun lgbt ghost story.

Thank you Netgalley & Bold Strokes Books for an eARC ♥️

In the haunting town of Masonville, two rival paranormal investigators, Blair and Leif, are lured into a trap of unspeakable horror. Their relentless pursuit of evidence and clicks becomes a fatal attraction, drawing them deeper into the abyss. As the eerie atmosphere thickens, their competitive drive turns into a desperate struggle to stay alive. The ghosts of Masonville seem to come alive, taunting them with macabre whispers and gruesome visions. Every step they take leads them further down the spiral of madness, blurring the lines between reality and nightmare. Will they uncover the dark secrets that have haunted Masonville for centuries, or will they become the next victims of its merciless curse? This spine-chilling tale masterfully crafts an atmosphere of dread, ensnaring you in a web of terror from which there may be no escape. As I read this book, I couldn't shake the feeling that R.E. Ward has somehow managed to tap into my deepest fears, making the experience all the more unsettling and unforgettable. Prepare to confront the darkness within😳

This was a really good story. Creepy and on the scary side in places. With a mysterious feel. It had me gripped and turning the pages from the beginning . However, I feel it could have been written better in places with a bit more detail but overall this book is worth a read. Note - it does contain some gore, which I actually didn’t mind. 3.5 stars.
Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this ebook in exchange for this review

I love romance.
I love ghost stories.
This book has a bit of both.

The two main characters are rival ghost hunters who dislike each other based on perceived slights. They, along with other ghost hunting teams, are invited to an abandoned town not open to the public. Things quickly start to go downhill.

My favorite part of a ghost story or mystery is not being able to guess "who dunnit" or if what is happening is real; this book was able to string me along almost to the end with one major plot point I didn't see coming.

Easy read that I enjoyed

Ghost Town is a great adventure with a twist. I loved the different characters and thought it was a cute story overall.

Thank You, NetGalley, Bold Strokes Books and Author R E Ward.

Ghost Town by R.E. Ward follows rivals Blair Wyndon and Leif Henderson, a paranormal investigator and ghost hunter, who are invited by Tanicorp to the famed ghost town of Masonville. They arrive to find each other, as well as a group of other investigators who have also received this invitation. When no one from Tanicorp is there to greet them, the entire excursion starts to look a bit suspicious. Their hunch soon proves correct when the invitees begin dying. Blair, Leif, and their fellow investigators must figure out what is behind the calamity at Masonville before they too fall victim.
One of my favorite parts about this book is the mixed media. Each chapter starts with the transcript of a video or voice recording and some of the chapters feature website posts and comments. I think this is such a simple way to add visuals to a novel without actually having to draw anything. It works especially well for a novel like this because they double as foreshadowing and create suspense as the mystery continues to build.
The rivalry between Blair and Leif was fun, but at times it felt very over the top. A lot of their descriptions of each other read as "she's so hot but so annoying," and it got very repetitive after a while. I want those feelings written into dialogue and seen in actions, not just blatantly stated while we read their thought processes. The resolution of this feud was also very boring. I know bigger things were going on, but I didn't feel like it was a 'death puts into perspective what's important' situation. It just felt like one page they still annoyed each other and the next they were friends. A build-up of them really having to work together and learn about each other, rather than just "I guess you care about more than just likes on your videos so I don't hate you" would make me more connected to them and their relationship.
I also felt that throughout the book the concept of telling and not showing was an issue. It wasn't bad enough to take me out of the book, but a lot of sentences read as "Blair felt sad", "Leif was annoying", "Blair was happy", or "Leif felt at peace."
Overall, I thought the mystery was interesting, even if the end of the book got very weird. There were a bunch of small issues, but nothing was bad enough to take me out of the story or make me want to put the book down. Sapphic romance is always a plus too, so it's gorgeous to have that and plenty of other representation throughout the book.

Now this was definitely not for me. Even though regarding to the synopsis it should've /could've been. The premises sounded so promising. Man was I disappointed. I hate writing negative reviews but this is gonna be one.
While reading this I struggled so hard to concentrate on the story. Every other page I audibly went "Oh god no what the heck" (in a bad way)
My boyfriend kept telling me to just stop reading if I'm not enjoying myself, but I pulled through my dudes.

The amount of characters in this book was simply overwhelming, yet none of their personalities are fleshed out or consistent. They all felt like the same person. Besides maybe the old lady who didn't get enough lines in my honest opinion.
Abe. Just. What the heck. A 40 something year old guy hanging out with people 20 years younger. I mean fine whatever. But he was CONSTANTLY asking them if they need hugs. He gave off strong weird uncle vibes. The one uncle that keeps touching you inappropriately at family parties. I don't think that was the authors intention with him. Like he was supposed to seem like the protector of the group or something idk. He was giving me the ick.

Conversations are extremely unnatural and the decisions made just made me shake my head in disbelief.
The writing overall felt juvenile at some parts but then...suddenly there's smut. Detailed smut. I was shocked.. People are dying man...and you're just randomly doing the woobiedoo!??

The twist was very obvious (which would'nt bother me THAT much if I weren't so annyoed with this whole book)
It just seemed like the author tried to do too much. Sadly they were not successful.

I feel bad about being so negative but I'm also glad I finally finished the book and got my thoughts about it out of my system.

1 star for effort and the occasional slightly spooky moment.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me an advanced digital copy. I loved the discripton of the story which is why I requested it immediately upon seeing it. However, it's unfortunately not as good as it sounds. The characters are pretty flat and I never cared about any of them. The plot was predictable and didn't surprise me once.
But I did like the queer representation!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book had me feeling a lot of different ways, and I had to sit with this book for several days after reading it to determine how I felt about it.

This novel did several things that I really enjoyed, and the biggest one was the atmosphere. I loved the feeling of being beside the main characters through every step of the journey, good or bad. I also enjoyed the relationship between the two main characters and the realization that they’re only enemies because of a misunderstanding and after clearing that up, they realize they work really well together and have a lot in common. This allows for their relationship to bloom quite fast after that. I also loved how there was enough clues for the reader to predict things that were going to happen, without being too obvious or being a boring book. An example of this is the big betrayal at the end, I think most readers could predict that from very early on in the story. I’m also a huge fan of queer stories, especially when romance isn’t the forefront of the book, and “Ghost Town” had a great premise and had the potential to be a great book.

However, several things within this book felt weak or under-developed. The first thing that comes to mind is the transcripts at the beginning of each chapter. Some of these gave more context to the chapter, while others just seemed to be there simply to fit the aesthetic. Another point that was really weak for me was the ending, the entirety of the ending brought in a whole secondary plot line that really didn’t make sense to me. I felt like this cheapened the book, because it came so out of left-field it didn’t make sense.

I really don’t think I’d revisit it, or recommend it unless someone is looking for a book about sapphic ghost hunters (and this is simply because I don’t know of another sapphic ghost hunting book).

Overall rating: 2.75/5 stars