Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the early ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Having never read this author before, I wasn’t sure what to expect in terms of writing style, character development, or world-building. But when I saw a new cozy book with magical ghostly themes, I was absolutely thrilled to give it a try. I am ALWAYS down for a spooky romance—no matter what time of year it is.

That being said, it wasn’t my favorite cozy paranormal book I’ve read. Overall, my experience was good, and I would rate this 3/5 stars. The world created is so vivid and charming. The descriptive imagery paints a clear picture of Rowan Vale, right down to the cracks in the sidewalk. The best way to describe the atmosphere is eerily charming—inviting yet unsettling, like something is just slightly off. I found myself waiting for the other shoe to drop when the mystery aspects were at their peak.

The story itself felt a bit slow until you reach the halfway point, where everything comes into focus and the plot really gains momentum. I appreciate that the side characters received just as much care and attention as the main ones. The inclusion of various ghostly POV chapters offered deeper insight into the inner workings of the town’s residents—both living and dead. Those chapters were crucial in advancing the plot, and the character development of the ghosts was masterfully executed.

Some choices in this book weren’t my personal cup of tea—and that’s okay! For instance, Callie saying "I’ve lost the plot" felt jarring and out of place. It’s a pet peeve of mine when authors use trendy phrases or current slang unironically. The language actually threw me off in the beginning because Callie initially spoke in a posh, almost dated way. Once it became clear the book was set in the present day, some of her word choices felt bizarre to me. The ghosts, of course, came from different eras, so their dialogue felt more fitting. Callie herself was rough around the edges and borderline rude at times, which made her a harder pill to swallow for me.

Another personal qualm was that the romance felt rushed and somewhat forced, especially given the book’s otherwise slow pace. It seemed like the romance was squeezed in, and it didn’t feel entirely authentic.

Overall, I think there were some pacing issues, a few overly elaborate details that could have been trimmed, and some language inconsistencies that could have been polished.

That said, it was a delightfully cozy read, and I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a slow-paced spooky read with quirky characters!

Kindred Spirits at Harling Hall by Sharon Booth is a cozy, heartwarming paranormal novel. If you enjoy Ghosts (tv show), you’ll love this book! Callie, a stubborn and insecure woman, inherits a beautiful estate and discovers she can see and communicate with ghosts—something she’s been trying to hide for years. The journey of her accepting this gift, especially through the eyes of her daughter Immie, was truly touching.

The setting in Cottswold and the charming ghosts added to the magical atmosphere, and I loved the found-family dynamic that developed throughout the story. My only complaint is that the romance felt a bit rushed and didn’t fully develop until late in the book, but I’m hopeful it will grow in future installments.

Overall, this book is a delightful mix of cozy paranormal elements and heartwarming relationships. I can’t wait for the next book in the series! Would recommend for fans of cozy mysteries and magical stories.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this eARC to read and review.

An entertaining read that has the potential to lead to being book one in a great series.

I really enjoyed reading it, but being the reviewer I am, will include constructive criticism.

Firstly, it's a great book, but not what I'd call historical fiction or sci-fi fantasy. But that may just be due to the limit options of genres offered by Netgalley when listing your book. To me, it was more a YA spec fic. And an entertaining one. The romance was definitely there, but came across as a little "cookie cutter" for me. And the drawn out reveal was drawn out a little too long.

I found the pace of the story good, but a tad too slow in places, and overly wordy in a way that looked like the author was told to beef out the word count, rather than add more story. If that makes sense. Then again, it was the first book and had a lot of world building to do. It just seemed a little over crammed with not much more than endless, repeated details. Good details! But, yes, over done.

But it was a lovely, almost original, concept that really does set the scene for a potentially entertaining series.

I know most of what my review says sounds harsh, but it truly was a fun read, and an author and (hopefully) series I will look out for.

Kindred Spirits at Harling Hall was such a cute cozy read for anyone that's a fan of the paranormal! Thank you Boldwood Books & NetGalley for the opportunity to read an e-ARC. The book is marketed towards fans of Ghosts which I've yet to watch, however parts reminded me of the show Being Human as the relations are between humans and ghosts alike.

As a reader, I tend to read cozy books as breaks between fantasy worlds and this was a perfect book for that task! It was a bit slow to start, with the amount of new to everyone characters and explaining Callie's backstory. Since it's the first book of a new series I'm sure the relationships between most of these characters will grow and blossom throughout the following books.

Overall review: 4 stars out of 5, 100% recommend and look forward to the series continuing!

Absolutely delightful. Kindred Spirits at Harling Hall is like a warm cup of tea on a rainy afternoon cozy, comforting, and laced with just the right amount of mischief. If you love found families, gentle romance, and a touch of ghostly charm, this one’s a treat. Perfect for fans of the BBC series ‘GHOSTS’

I loved this book so much. It was such a heartwarming story, and all the characters were so interesting. Rowan Vale, it's history, and the ghosts who live there are all well developed and make the story more interesting. This story did have a cosy feel to it based on the village setting, but the stakes were very much real, and there were several internal and external conflicts throughout. I think the author did well at making this story unique. I really liked how it worked and how the owner of Harling Hall had to be able to see ghosts. Rowan Vale was such a nice place and a great setting. I just had a great time with this book. My only complaint was that it ended! In the last chapter, I wanted to read more and more. The antics that the ghosts get up to and the mischief they caused was so fun to read about. The romance subplot was so cute and complimented the story well and fit in with everything else going on. I don't want to give too much away, but I think this is a great book for anyone who loves historical fiction or just stories with supernatural elements.

If you enjoyed the TV show Ghosts, then you will definitely enjoy this book. But the book is unique in how it tells the story of the ghosts and the village of Rowan Vale.

Thank you to the author and Boldwood Books for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a very fun, light read. Callie’s constant confusion and inability to settle into her new environment made for an entertaining read.

It was described as being good for fans of Ghosts, and I can see why. Agnes very much reminded me of Hetty, and it was fun to see such a broad supporting cast of characters.

The ending with Callie and Brodie was predictable, but boy it really took until the last minute for it to happen!

Watching Immi, who had never questioned her gift, explain to her mum that this was ‘normal’ and seeing her bond with the ghosts she was sharing a house with was great.

An easy, but enjoyable read.

A transporting and immersive story that will enthral fiction readers. Poignant and moving, its unforgettable characters will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading.

I was so excited to read this book and couldn't wait to start reading it!

Sadly, this ended up being a DNF for me - it is written in first person narrative, and I just could not get into the story.

The blurb sounded amazing, and I am sure there are plenty of readers who can enjoy a book written in the FP - I just am not that reader.

Rating: 3.25 stars

What if you inherited an entire village—ghosts included? That’s exactly what happens to Callie when she visits Rowan Vale with her daughter. Enchanted by the village, she shocks everyone—including herself—when she realizes she can see and speak with its ghosts. Because of this rare gift, the owner, Sir Lawrence Davenport, offers to sell her the estate for a tiny sum if she agrees to protect its living and spectral residents. But Callie quickly learns that keeping both the spirits and the villagers happy is no easy task.

This book turned out to be a pleasant surprise after a slow start. I found myself intrigued by the characters and plot, wishing for more, and hoping for a sequel. It was heartwarming at times, and I really enjoyed the progression of relationships—aside from the romance—which felt a bit underdeveloped. Most of the character arcs were satisfying, and this definitely seems like the beginning of a potential series, so I’d love to see where the author takes it next. I also adored the ghosts and would have loved to spend more time getting to know them. Their personalities were so interesting, and Florrie completely stole my heart.

That said, I had a few issues that made the reading experience less cozy than I expected. My biggest struggle was the pacing—nothing significant happens for the first 55% of the book, leaving a lot to be crammed into the remaining 45%. Once the story hit that halfway point, things improved drastically: the plot finally moved forward, the characters developed, and even the romance started picking up, which completely changed my view of the book. There were also some repetitive sections in the beginning, with nearly identical sentences appearing in the same chapter, which became distracting.

Another challenge for me was Callie herself. I found her frustrating at times, especially in how she spoke to people—some of her dialogue came off as unnecessarily harsh, and a few of her actions were questionable. I would have liked to see her growth happen earlier instead of only at the very end.

As for the romance, it was barely there, but that didn’t really bother me. I do wish we had seen more of them actually falling for each other throughout the book, but I understand that romance wasn’t the main focus.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read that left me with a positive impression and a desire for more. I can’t wait to see where the story goes next! I’d recommend this to anyone looking for a cozy-ish paranormal book with a light touch of romance.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

Firstly, huge thank you to NetGalley for the ARC and an opportunity to explore this cosy book.

Okay so this is not my usual book type, but bare with me.

This story follows Callie who visits a little town called Rowan Vale, on her daughter's school trip but everything's not quite as it seems. Callie seems to be the only one on the trip that can see and speak to ghosts, however Callie is completely unaware of this.

Sir Lawrence Davenport makes Callie an extraordinary offer, to sell the entire village for a tiny sum, if Callie vows to stay and protect the village's current headstrong sprits

However with significant friction from the house/village sprits, it's clear this will not be an easy job for Callie and that's without the disinherited grandson (SPOILER - love interest) Brodie

This really was slowwww and cosy, but maybe that's just what I needed to get out my little reading rut. It's giving Ghost meets Gilmore Girls for me. Give it a go if you like light fluffy romance

When single mum Callie visits Rowan Vale with her daughter, she is enchanted. The beautiful Cotswold village is run as a living museum, allowing tourists to see history in action. But there's more to the place than meets the eye...
To the residents' surprise, Callie is observed talking to several villagers she simply shouldn’t be able to see - as they’re ghosts.

This book caught my attention and I thought to give it a try. I am very glad that I did, what a lovely, crazy feel good story. I immediately liked Callie and Immi and the concept of a village full of ghosts intrigued me hugely. Callie has spent her whole life hiding the fact she could see and speak to ghosts also unaware that Immi had the same gift (or curse as Callie seen it) as herself. When she visits Rowan Vale and unexpectedly finds herself being asked to stay, the story runs along beautifully. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is light and fluffy with more serious undertones which keep the reader hooked. I hope that there are more stories from Rowan Vale in the future. Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood for an ARC of Kindred Spirits at Harling Hall.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sharon Booth, and Boldwood Books.

I so wanted to love this one. I adored the world created, the village, the estate and the stones. The ghosts, so many great personalities, so many stories to tell. The supporting characters were wonderful. The main character though, it was impossible to even like her. She was so oblivious to everyone’s feelings, needing the others to reminder her that even her own daughter was important. I found her so frustrating. Then when it comes to romance, it felt like an afterthought, just thrown in at the end to satisfy the genre. I found this story disappointing when it has so much potential.

A cosy paranormal read with some fun spirits and heartwarming developments.

The idea of a little ghost filled village was brilliant, the only part that made no sense to me was the bargain mansion purchase.... If someone wants to sell me a mansion complete with funds to live off for the price of being able to see ghosts I'll take it but it strikes me as impossible!

I enjoyed the relationship progressions and (most of the) character arcs, this looks like the start of a possible series so I'd be interested to see where the author takes it next.

I’d like to start by thanking NetGalley and the publishers and Sharon Booth for allowing me to read an ARC of Kindred Spirits at Harling Hall!!

This was a really heartwarming story with a core value of learning to accept yourself as you are, perceived flaws and all.

This book had a huge focus on relationships and healing. And learning to love yourself. I loved the relationship between Callie and her daughter Immi. I loved how sometimes it took Callie viewing things from Immi’s perspective to allow herself to heal and love qualities about herself she previously disliked.

I thought the romance was sweet and believable. No insta love here. It was refreshing and I was here for it. The romance definitely took a backseat in the story, which I also liked. Callie and Brodie’s relationship developed very naturally and I loved the outcome. I enjoyed how he helped her insecurity and listened to her. I also loved his separate relationship with Immi and how she trusted him enough to confide in him.


This was a lovely story about a single mom took a leap of faith and was rewarded with so many good things in her life. Rich relationships, new friends, a stronger relationship with her daughter, and a greater purpose using a “gift” she previously resented.

I definitely recommend picking up this story. It will sweep you away and leave you with a smile on your face.

This book was just okay, I thought I would like it more since I love the Ghosts TV show but this didn't hit like the show did. However, the ghosts were the best part of this book. I didn't really love our main character Callie. Something about her just rubbed me the wrong way. The way she would talk to other characters and the outbursts she would have made me feel like she was teenager instead of a mom. The atmosphere and the setting were really well done and I would have loved to see the village.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the eArc

Callie es una madre soltera que, al acompañar a su hija en una visita escolar al pueblo de Rowan Vale, descubre que puede ver y hablar con fantasmas. Al darse cuenta de esto, el propietario de la mayor parte del pueblo, Sir Lawrence, le hace una propuesta que la deja sorprendida: le venderá todas sus propiedades a un precio tan bajo que prácticamente se las estaría regalando, pero con la condición de que debe hacerse cargo de los fantasmas y velar por su bienestar. Ella acepta, sin embargo, pronto se da cuenta de que no todos los fantasmas están de acuerdo con el cambio y no le pondrán las cosas fáciles.


~

Es un libro ligero, sin dramas (bueno, solo un poquito), con personajes que no son perfectos, hay found family y tiene final feliz.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very sweet story, that took me just a little while to get into. While on a school trip with her daughter to an historical village, Callie realizes she can see ghosts. The village is full of ghosts and that's the point. The owners of Harling Hall have always been able to see the ghosts and they are the ones charged with caring for the village and both its living and non-living residents. Callie, due to her gift, becomes the new owner of Harling Hall. Its a challenge for everyone involved.

It took me a bit to feel connected to Callie, but eventually I did. Her daughter seemed almost more mature than expected for someone that age (10 going on 11) but seemed to be in keeping with having a mom that has some trauma in her background. All in all, a good read.

4.5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

What can I say about this book other than I loved it? I immediately gravitated towards the premise of this story. I mean, a single mom who goes to a living historical town as a chaperone on her daughter's field trip and winds up seeing the ghostly occupants? That alone hooked me! Then, upon learning that she has "the sight", she is offered the deal of a life time! A deal to buy the entire town of Rowan Vale & the great estate of Harling Hall for nothing more than a tenner. I, for one, would be jumping at the opportunity!

With a reluctancy, Callie agrees to this ridiculous, too good to be true, plan to buy the estate and take over as the caretaker of its residents (both lively and ghostly). Then again, she's also roped into it by her daughter, who can see the ghosts too. With one month to learn everything she has to learn about running this place from the Lawrie, the current owner and care taker and navigating her growing feelings for his grandson, Brodie, Callie sure has her hands full!

Throw in some wild child spirits, casual drama between the occupants of Harling Hall & trying to navigate this new normal made for one great story! The pacing was just right & the characters had great development throughout the story. While there was a romance sub-plot, it wasn't the main focus of the book. I particularly loved how all the ghosts had their own back stories. Everything was so carefully thought out that I couldn't pick up on any plot holes! While I wish there was some more description when it came to some of the living characters, I did enjoy making up what all of these individuals looked like in my own mind, so that wasn't much of a deal breaker for me.

Overall, a great read for someone who is looking for something fun & cozy to pick up! I guarantee you'll love Rowan Vale like I did!

2 stars This is the type of book I love but I feel very meh about this one. It's quite slow in the first half and I found myself questioning why I was persevering but I kept going and the 2nd half didn't make up for it. I also found Callie really mean and not likeable.