Acquire Today Better Homes And Hauntings Drafted By Molly Harper Available Through Kindle

review of both the audio and kindle version, . .

Better Homes and Hauntings is a standalone novel by one of my favorite author/narrator teams Molly Harper and Amanda Ronconi.
I often wonder if they share the same brain waves because, without fail, Ms, Ronconi performs the story exactly the way I imagine Ms, Harper meant it to be performed,

Blurb

When Nina Linden is hired to landscape a private island off the New England coast, she sees it as her chance to rebuild her failing business after being cheated by her unscrupulous ex.
She never expects that her new client, software mogul Deacon Whitney, would see more in her than just a talented gardener.
Deacon has paid top dollar to the crews hes hired to renovate the desolate Whitney estatehe had to, because the bumps, thumps, and unexplained sightings of ghostly figures in nineteenthcentury dress are driving workers away faster than he can say “Boo.
”

But Nina shows no signs of being scared away, even as she experiences some unnerving apparitions herself, And as the two of them work closely together to restore the mansions faded glory, Deacon realizes that hes found someone who doesnt seem to like his fortune more than himselfwhile Nina may have finally found the one man she can trust with her bruised and battered heart.


But something on the island doesnt believe in true loveand if Nina and Deacon cant figure out how to put these angry spirits to rest, their own love doesnt stand a ghost of a chance.


My thoughts

I really am a huge fan of Molly Harpers stories, with the Jane Jamison series being my favorite.
Reading the stories is a great experience but nothing beats listening and reading along at the same time as Amanda Ronconi brings it all to life.


Though it took a little while for Better Homes and Hauntings to grab me, I enjoyed the whole book.
Because this is a standalone, there was a lot of time spent on character introduction and plot setup which isnt necessarily a bad thing considering there are actuallyromances taking placeif you count the dearly departed couple who are the foundation and driving force behind this story.


The bottom line

If youre interested in trying her work without investing in a series, Better Homes and Hauntings is a great place to start.
Its an entertaining story with awesome characters and lots of witty dialog, Its romantic, steamy, funny, and spooky, and I really wish Ms, Harper would write more ghostly tales,
. courtesy of sitelinkAll Things Urban Fantasy

Take a standard romance novel trope, add a ghost story and some humor, and you get a romance novel only Molly Harper could write.
BETTER HOMES amp HAUNTINGS is a departure from Harpers normal vampires, werewolves, and witches, but it doesnt suffer for it, In fact, this standalone was a treat, and definitely worth the read despite my complaints about tropes,

There were some truly creepy moments in BETTER HOMES amp HAUNTINGS, Between the ghostly experiences, plus the “trapped on an island” plotline, theres almost a horror movie feel in the background, I appreciated that the ghosts were scary, because the last paranormal romance with ghosts I read, the ghost was the heroine, and it just doesnt seem right.
Creepy ghosts are much more like it,

My one complaint was the reallife bad guy, I think the book could have done without that addition, since there was already enough tension with the ghost story and trying to figure that out.
Plus, the story was unique, and the addition of the stalker exboyfriend made it feel, at times, a little formulaic, I could easily see this novel without the ghosts being a standalone contemporary romance novel, so anything that made it feel more that way was a downside, in my opinion.


All in all, BETTER HOMES amp HAUNTINGS was classic Molly Harper, with laughs and romance and just enough paranormal to round it out.
While it isnt my favorite Harper, it definitely stands on its own merit, and since it

isnt a series, there really isnt much investment required though I wouldnt mind a book about some of the other characters.
I would recommend it to anybody looking for a fun, creative romance read,

Sexual content: Several sex scenes posted at: sitelinkwww, SweptAwayByRomance. com

Ghostly Stars

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I love everything that Ive read of Molly Harpers to date I have to say her “Half Moon Hallow” series is favorite of mine Her characters are witty, snarky, and just plain fun amp refreshing and the cast of characters in this book is no exception.


Better Homes and Hauntings is a standalone but has the same snarky humor I've come to expect from her books.
Nina Linden is one of several contractors hired to renovate the rundown estate of software mogul Deacon, The estate is rumored to be haunted by his Great, Great, Great Grandmother who was murdered on the estate and Nina along with the others has definitely experienced some unusual occurrences.
Deacon, Nina, Cindy, and Jake, our Hamph and secondary characters along Deacons eccentric cousin Dottie who all work together and attempt to restore the estate while trying to avoid what seems to be hostile hauntings while slowly becoming fast friendsand for a couple of the characters more than friends.


We are treated to what we have come to expect from a Molly Harper bookFun main amp secondary characters, along with fun romances, and snarky heroines that make me chuckle or actually laugh out loud.
Its rare for me to find an author that can combine paranormal activity, romance, and humor all in one tidy little package.
She's great read every single time and never disappoints!

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ARC kindly provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review This is a light read, which is sometimes needed.
Honestly, I think it would have been better as a paranormal romcom type film, The dialogue is very snappy and filled with one liners, clever comebacks, and pop culture references, I enjoy these elements, I truly do, but I think it translates better to film than paper, YMMV

Basic plot, Deacon Whitney is a tech nerd who has made it big with his Facebookesque technology, He comes from a gildedage New England lineage, but his family lost the money long ago, They weren't exactly poor by average standards, but the family was determined to keep up with the same social set and couldn't afford the fancy private schools and all the trappings, so they were in massive debt.
They did have a dilapidated old mansion on a private island, but only because it was held in trust and couldn't be sold.
Rumor is that the mansion is haunted by the ghost of Deacon's great great grandmother who was apparently strangled by her stern older husband after an affair.
He subsequently lost all the family money and no one, until Deacon, has been able to earn it back,

Now that Deacon has made it big, he plans to restore the old mansion to its former grandeur and hires a group of contractors to live on the island.
The main characters are Nina the landscaper and heroine, Cindy the gorgeous owner of a cleaning and organization service, his best friend, Jake, an architect, and his eccentric cousin Dottie who wants to write a book about the house.
They all bond over their romantic and ghostly trials on the island,

Overall a cute read, but not outstanding, I've never read anything else by this author, so not sure if this is a good representation of her work, .Stars

Ive always been drawn to scary stories, even when I was much younger, Im not sure why because Id usually end up scared out of my wits and unable to turn the lights out at bedtime.
These were times I was very grateful to have shared a room with my sister! As a grownup I still love a good thriller, so the thought of vengeful ghosts, and spine chilling encounters, had me giddy to pick up Better Homes and Hauntings.
Add in a big, beautiful, spooky mansion as the setting, and some romance and I was happy girl!

Landscape artist Nina Linden is on her own after getting shafted by her business partner, Rick.
Shes thrilled to have landed the lucrative Whitney Mansion renovation knowing the results can make or break her, With the stakes so high, Nina doesnt let the houses haunted reputation deter her, She doesnt plan on being distracted by romance, but Declan the good looking, wealthy and sweet owner is too hard to resist.
But bigger things are at play and the house seems intent on using both Declan and Nina to reenact past tragic events, and bring to light the identity of a murderer.
Can they solve the past mysteries before the sinister spirits do actual harm Youll have to read it and find out!

The Cranes Nest on Whitney Island was isolated and a ferry ride away from civilization making it a perfectly spooky setting! It was also packed with Molly Harpers signature humor and oneliners that make you giggle, but surprisingly there were a lot of scary scenes that may make you think twice about shutting off the lights at night after reading.


Declan and Ninas romance was sweet and at times very passionate, Even though Declan was a multimillionaire, he was unassuming, nerdy, and adorable, Hes taken with Nina right away, especially because his wealth doesnt seem to faze her, Being too trusting, Nina had gone through some rough times, And so I was pleased she finally had someone like Declan who cared and wanted to protect her, especially with Rick still lurking about.
This girl needed some happiness,

I enjoyed Better Homes and Hauntings, but I had some issues with the many POVs, The description makes it seem that this a story focused on Nina and Declan, but that is not the case, We also have Jake, Declans best friend and architect, Cindy, owner of the cleanup crew, and Declans cousin Dotty, a novelist.
They all have pretty substantial story threads, Add in the past characters and mystery, and theres a lot going on, I feel like it was a little too much and the story wouldve benefited by focusing primarily on Nina, Declan and the haunting past.
Still, I enjoyed this story, I was laughing one minute and getting goose bumps the next,

Im picturing the Whitney Mansion to resemble one of these two houses below after the renovation, If I were Nina, I wouldnt mind living here with my rich, hot geek, minus the ghosts, of course!

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