I'll be honest, I was 100% sure that this was a YA book up until the 70% mark where the main character suddenly mentions that she is 24 and three pages later there is an explicit sex scene. Both Blair and Leif are just written so juvenile that it hit me out of nowhere that they were supposed to be older than freshman in college. Learning how old they were supposed to be completely changed my opinion of the characters because they don't in anyway act their age and it really threw me off.

The ghost hunting aspect was cool and the queer rep was good, but the overall plot left a lot to be desired. I felt like there was a lot missing when it came to the final conclusion. We never learned why Jessica and Ivan sucked dry while everyone else was just killed and the whole power of belief thing was really corny. That paired with the rivals to lovers trope, but the rivals become lovers like 25% in just kind of made the book overall cringe. Blair and Leif just sort of felt like insta love and them just randomly hooking up in a tent when their friends were getting kidnapped and killed was wild.

It was generally a no from me.

A spooky mystery with sapphic representation, big plus for me. I do love the horror/mystery genre and it’s nice when a writer can do something a little different than the normal story lines. The bones were definitely there for this one but unfortunately fell a little flat for me. I felt the ‘timing’ of situations and behaviors in this book were a little wonky which made it a little difficult for me to get in to.

All in all it’s a quicker read with an interesting plot, I do recommend it for something quick and easy to get through or just to add to your sapphic collection.


Review appears on Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6212641128

I have read many books that involve haunted places. This one went in a different direction altogether. I liked the fact that there were many types of unique individuals. Each person had a contribution to make even though they were unaware of this fact. When different people went into the forest, the reader could envision each person’s experience. The description of there being no sounds in the forest was truly terrifying. When Leif and Blair discovered the unusual place in the forest, I do not think anyone was prepared for what was about to ensue. This book would make the reader think twice about ghost hunting.

A dark and chilling adventure with a twist!

Blair investigates the paranormal and Leif is a ghost hunter but they don’t quite agree with one another’s methods. Upon receiving what they each think is an exclusive invite to investigate a famous ghost town, there is instant tension when they both turn up with their teams, and find other likeminded people there too. Innocent investigating takes a deadly turn when they realise they might not be alone there, and if they don’t try to work out what, they might never find a way to escape.

At first I really thought this was going to be a fun ghost hunting story with a few spine-chilling experiences that in the end would have an explanation, or turn out to be some sort of prank, but it quickly took a turn and had me on the edge of my seat. Doing exactly as the title would suggest, a story unfolded that had even Blair and Leif finding common ground and agreeing that whatever was there with them was definitely something dark and sinister that resulted in nasty consequences. Everything in this story shocked me, expect for Blair and Leif realising that they actually made a good team and had an amazing connection.

As they worked together to try and uncover the truth about what was happening to their friends and the other’s there with them, they uncovered some uncomfortable things that had me glad they had put their differences aside so they had each other for emotional support. I loved the tingling feeling I got from their perceptions of strange findings and goings on, and my heart broke for them all when the fact they were in real danger dawned and no help was coming.

It was such an experience to join them on this adventure, and now I hope for more stories where they really get to investigate the paranormal and ghosts, rather than fear for their lives.

A gripping tale of friendship, love, adventure, mystery, and betrayal wrapped up in a big terrifying paranormal bow

This book was nothing like I expected it to be which was amazing. I really liked the premise of it and I haven’t read very many mystery or horror type books in a while and so I jumped straight into this, also its sapphic so of course I had to! I was expecting a light-hearted mystery with a sapphic subplot, what I got was way more intense and scarier and I couldn’t put this book down. The characters were extremely well written, and we got to know each of them and root for them which isn’t always the case when there’s a larger cast of characters. The atmosphere was beautifully written and made me feel as though I was there with them, which, in a ghost hunt is important, I want to be scared!

I really appreciated the representation in this, especially for a horror. There is a deaf character so we have sign language being used which is so refreshing, there are lots of queer characters including the mcs and some poc and older characters too. This very mixed group creates such a unique balance and lots of variety.

This is a fast paced, monumental mystery thriller that you won’t be able to put down and I would be surprised if you could guess the ending! Highly recommend this one!

To put it bluntly... this was bad.

The title and concept drew me in. Upon starting the book, however, I realized this was not going to be my kind of book. The biggest issue I had with this book was the writing and the author's choice to make this an adult book. Yet, the tone and dialogue felt very YA, almost bordering on middle grade. I don't know many 25 year olds who talk or act like the characters in this book. Speaking of which, I did not connect with any of the characters. The angst between the two main characters was incredibly heavy-handed and petty and took any enjoyment out of the book because every other sentence the reader is reminder that these two characters don't like each other. The end result, just by reading the sympnosis, is increadibly obvious.

While there is often a suspension of disbelief that comes with reading thrillers/horrors, I could not suspend my disbelief that these characters were actually grown adults. Based on reviews, it appears that people are connecting with this one, which is great. Unfortunately, I could not stop rolling my eyes during the duration of this book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providng this digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

I'm always eager to read a new ghost story when they are released. This book is enjoyable since it's a whole town that is haunted and not just one house. Blair and her friend Abe are invited to investigate Masonville. It becomes more than an investigation when Blair's unfavorite person Leif has also been invited. I, for one, am not someone who likes relationships in horror books but it works in this book. I think this is a fun read for anyone interested in the paranormal. Just don't expect your normal run of the mill horror book!

In R.E. Ward's captivating paranormal romance, Blair Wyndon and Leif Henderson, two rival paranormal experts, embark on an unforgettable investigation into the haunting of Masonville, an abandoned ghost town. As they delve deeper, they uncover layers of mystery and danger, forcing them to rely on each other for survival.

What truly resonates in this novel is its remarkable LGBTQIA representation, adding depth and authenticity to the characters' relationships. The evolution from adversaries to lovers is expertly portrayed, fulfilling the allure of the enemies-to-lovers trope, though hindered at times by a lack of communication. Ward masterfully weaves in the paranormal elements, immersing readers in a thrilling, cinematic experience reminiscent of a suspenseful horror film.

While the book delivers on many fronts, there are moments where certain aspects could have been further developed instead of rushed through. Despite this, the overall experience remains engaging and satisfying.

In conclusion, Ward's work is a delightful read, offering a compelling blend of romance, intrigue, and supernatural mystery. I extend my gratitude to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for granting me the opportunity to read and review this novel.

This book was pretty good, I would definitely recommend

~This was given by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

There’s a lot to say about ghost town, when I read the synopsis I was intrigued. Who could say no to a story about a group of ghost hunters being invited to an abandoned town, one which strange and unusual things have occurred. Not me the book nerd that loves the weird and unusual. The story start off with Blair and her group of friends doing their thing with ghost hunting. It tells about the website they she and her friends belong to and how they share their finding and research. So basically backstory but then things get weird they are invited to a famous abandoned town but the corporation that owns it. If that’s not shady I don’t know what is. I kinda got Silent hill or resident evil vibes. . All is good until they and the other ghost hunters from the forum get there and weird stuff starts happening. What’s going on, is this really paranormal activity or is there some sinister person behind it all. Well I can’t give it all away you will just have to read it and find out!

I think the writing could have been better, but I stayed for the plot. I couldn’t put the book down even though I was really spooked. I can't wait for people to read this one!

P.s: who said you can’t read horror during the “month of love”

would like to thank netgalley and the public for letting me read this book

such a strange book about ghosts and ghost hunters, though some of them arent quite as friendly as you would hope

but if its a fright in the night and one to keep you awake at night then this is the book for you

Blair is a “serious” Ghost hunter investigator (she likes to think so), not like some of the others who glamorise ghost hunting with no real value.

Blair likes to post all the ghost hunting information including emf readings and the history of where she is.

So when Blair and Abe, her camera man are invited to a ghost town called Masonville, renowned for mysterious goings on and unexplained phenomena Blair jumps at the chance. It would be fantastic to finally prove ghosts are real!!

Unbeknown to Blair her arch enemy Leif has also been invited, Leif is more interested in the clicks / hits she gets from her live feeds and videos. So how will they get on when they realise they are not the only ones invited and odd things start happening.

A good concept but felt very cliched in places. Worth a read but wouldn’t return to this book in the future.

Ghost town was a great unique take on a storyline that could have gone badly. Ward does a great job weaving the story together in a unique way that hasn't been done before. The intrigue, suspense, and characters will 100% want you to keep reading into the night. Best keep those lights on though.

thank you to netgalley for providing me with an arc for this book!

ghost town is a sapphic love story plonked into a mystery thriller in which we follow groups of ghost hunters as they try and solve the mystery of an abandowned town.

in theory i should have loved this book. in reality i did not. the synopsis doesn't mention if this is a YA or an adult book, but i really do hope it falls into the first category. the writing style feels quite juvenile, which makes it an easy read, but also a little too over-explained at times and we're really spoonfed a lot of exposition at the start. it doesn't really leave room for the reader to draw their own conclusions or have their own thoughts.

my main gripe though is that for a book about ghost hunting, there's barely any ghost hunting in it? feels like the whole ghost premise was way too underused.

i never really felt like i had a good grasp on the characters and that only goes downhill once the mystery starts up. we end up with a couple of ghost hunting crews and the group of characters is just too big for individual personalities to shine through and i have to admit i did forget about a couple of characters more than once.

there is a twist at the end which wasn't too surprising to me and i guess it pretty early on. again, i think you should be able to guess a twist as a reader because it means the author left enough breadcrumbs throughout the story and it makes sense within the plot, but i would like breadcrumbs instead of a whole loaf of bread.

the pacing didn't quite land for me either. we get to the central mystery a little too fast, but then once that starts up the book slows down a little too much again which really undercuts the tension it's trying to build up.

*2.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advanced reader copy to me in exchange for honest criticism.

Lesbian ghost hunters - need I say more?

It was more or less what I was expecting it to be based on the description. A group of ghost hunters are invited to explore the most haunted town in Canada, and the two main characters are rival ghost hunters. Their rivalry isn’t fully fleshed out - it pretty much comes down to one of the girls believing in ghosts and posting dramatic videos, and the other girl believing in ghosts but posting more researched, scientifically grounded videos. I can understand the dynamic, but for the first few chapters the comparisons to Ghost Files were impossible not to make.

Both leads - Blair and Leif - are likable. It’s easy to believe that these women exist, and that they could fall for each other under less than ideal circumstances. They were definitely the highlight of the book - I would have loved to spend more time with them, getting to know them before they vanished to Masonville. I honestly loved most of the characters. I wanted to spend more time with each of them, getting to know them and who they were before the ghost hunt started.

The story itself is a bit simple, like a skeleton was carefully constructed but the rest of the body wasn't completely filled in. The premise lends itself to opportunity after opportunity, but it seems like it was underutilized. The potential for genuine scares was there, but the ghosts weren’t the main focus of the story, so it’s understandable that they took a backseat to the developing love story. There is a twist towards the end of the book - if one is used to mysteries and horror stories, the twist may seem a little obvious, but that doesn’t make it any less enjoyable.

The underutilization of the location is a bit disappointing, and the lore of the town itself was underdeveloped. I do feel as if there was something missing there, like perhaps a part of the story was developed but then cut. I would have loved to learn more about the history of the town, and the hauntings that have put it on the map.

Overall, Ghost Town is a fun, queer story that can easily become a favorite Halloween comfort read. There is some gore and death, so go into it wary of that, but if that’s something that doesn’t bother you, I would definitely recommend this book.

Leif and Blair are paranormal ghost hunters who get the opportunity to visit an abandoned ghost town called Masonville. When they arrive things seem pretty run down, but calm, that will soon change. Can Blair and Leif prove that ghosts really exist in this town or is it not really haunted at all?

I enjoy watching paranormal investigation shows and have even been on some haunted ghost tours so I was intrigued to read this book. I enjoyed the pacing of this book. Before each chapter we read a transcript that Leif or Blaire recorded about their ghost hunt. I liked that because you knew something bad was going to happen, it kept me on my toes and kept me interested to see what was going to happen. I thought this read was very YA. The way the characters spoke to one another was juvenile as were the relationships. The love story seemed a bit unnecessary and the ending got a little bizarre, but overall I liked the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

This book made my little Scooby Doo Mystery loving heart pitter patter to the max. No spoilers as I never want to ruin the surprise for a reader. It's an essential part to the experience of this book. I will say that Ward really brings it together for a satisfying conclusion. And if you ever wanted a Velma/Daphne pairing, Leif and Blair make great stand-ins. Thoroughly enjoyed.

Thank you to Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗦: 𝚂𝙰𝙿𝙿𝙷𝙸𝙲. 𝙷𝙾𝚁𝚁𝙾𝚁. 𝙶𝙷𝙾𝚂𝚃𝚂. 𝙿𝙰𝚁𝙰𝙽𝙾𝚁𝙼𝙰𝙻. 𝚄𝚁𝙱𝙰𝙽 𝙵𝙰𝙽𝚃𝙰𝚂𝚈. 𝚁𝙾𝙼𝙰𝙽𝙲𝙴.
📚 ᴀʀᴄ 🏳️‍🌈⁠
Rating: 2.5/5 🌟🌟⁠

𝚂𝚄𝙼𝙼𝙰𝚁𝚈
The cover is what lured me here, looks all dark, dead and dry... mystery and horror. Now, the actual plot, that is something else. Reading the synopsis, you would feel a spark of intrigue and excitement. And yes at some point in the book, there was a little suspense but it was so little. The cover deserved a deeper story. The story just feels incomplete, not that there are holes or something but a little extra story because I am a fan of ghost and paranormal stuff and this was too softie.

Both Blair and Leif didn't know much about what they were doing but the way they were at each other in the start was strange. Their investigations, if you may call it that, were not cited anywhere much, apart from what happened in the ghost town. Though, I wonder the recordings before they left for ghost town, were they connected to the ghost town or other findings?


𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙍𝘾 𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙫𝙞𝙖 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙜𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙨𝙤 𝙄 𝙖𝙢 𝙫𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙮 𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬.

I really enjoyed reading Ghost Town. I loved the fact that we are following two different ghost hunters, not only in that they have two different channels but in how they go about ghost hunting. One is more scientific while the other isn't at all. And when they are both asked to travel to a ghost town that no one has been allowed to investigate how could they possibly say no?

Of course, as soon as they arrive it becomes obvious things aren't what they thought. Both Leif and Blair not only had no idea the other had been invited, but other ghost hunters had been invited as well, but with no sign of the people who set the whole thing up.

The vibe of the town was amazing, R.E Ward did a great job of making the atmosphere feel creepy and spooky and throughout the whole book, I kept thinking I would totally watch this as a movie. The characters including all of the side characters all felt real and unique and that combined with the atmosphere and storyline sucked me in and I didn't want to put it down. There are also some crazy twists and turns that I definitely didn't see coming, and I loved how it all played out. There is also this part in the end where it seems like a return trip to the ghost town might be in the cards, and I would definitely read that, as I would love to explore the town and its ghostly residents even more!