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Tag Archives: romance

Looking for Love in All the Haunted Places, by Claire Kann

Looking for Love in All the Haunted Places, by Claire Kann
Berkley, 0593336658, 416 pages, May 2024

Looking for Love in All the Haunted Places by Claire Kann is a refreshing take on the romantic comedy genre, infused with a touch of the supernatural. The novel follows the protagonist, 

Lucky, who is “gifted” (even though it sometimes feels like a curse) with the ability to read people to their core when she looks in their eyes for the first time. Decades of feeling ostracized due to her ESP abilities have left Lucky quite rusty when it comes to relationships, preferring her paranormal research over the company of others.

Lucky finally has her big career break after a trail of graduate school rejections and lack of investor funds for her research. A film company hires her to be the caretaker for a house that’s deemed haunted after the previous three tenants left abruptly after being tormented in the house. Lucky is determined to make it through the whole month in the house, unraveling it’s paranormal secrets along the way to bolster her career as in the field, but her usual go-it-alone attitude begins to change though when she meets Maverick, a podcaster and show host, whose work has always been a source of inspiration and comfort to her.

Lucky finds herself simultaneously bonding with the house, which develops an affinity for her, and her co-workers on the show, especially Maverick and his daughter Rebel. Meanwhile, she’s also trying to get a read on the owner of the home, Xander, to see just what’s going on here. Managing love and work can be hard as Lucky finds out, and it’s up to her to confront her past to choose the future she truly desires.

Claire Kann’s writing is both witty and heartfelt, offering a delightful blend of humor and emotion. She skillfully weaves together themes of love, friendship, and self-discovery, all set against the backdrop of spooky yet charming haunted locations. The characters are well-developed and relatable, with Lucky’s journey of finding herself, building her career, and trying to open up to love in the process feelings genuine and engaging.

The supernatural elements add a unique layer to the story, providing both comedic relief and poignant moments. It’s a testament to Kann’s ability to blend genres seamlessly, creating a narrative that is both entertaining and thought-provoking. As someone who loves things all paranormal, Lucky’s career ambitions and relationship with the supernatural felt authentic. There is content about the different types of paranormal phenomena and Lucky’s personal areas of focus (human-created supernatural phenomena).

Plus, the sentience of the house is really neat to experience first hand. I’ve read plenty of books where the house comes alive (The September House, Starling House) but this house’s abilities were really cool. I was fully absorbed in Lucky’s experiential process of undercovering what the house’s intentions were through the ways she managed to communicate.

Another aspect of the book that was interesting compared to other romance novels was that Lucky is asexual. While most romance books have the characters coming together in the throes of passion, in this book there was a good amount of discussion about boundaries and consent. This isn’t to say sparks weren’t flying, but I enjoyed the slower pace of there being actual open and honest dialogue around sexual expectations and preferences. I feel like it was more relatable and models what true intimacy looks like in a relationship.

For those who have ever felt the sense of being on the outside that comes with being psychic or having abilities others don’t understand, I think you’ll find Lucky quite relatable. While it’s in the genre of romance, I was moved to near tears multiple times as the book truly captures the emotional experience of what it means to have extrasensory perception that others don’t understand. From being isolated to mocked and ridiculed, it can be tough! Many of us readers have surely felt this at one point or another, so seeing Lucky find true love was especially rewarding.

Overall, Looking for Love in All the Haunted Places is a fun romance read for those who love all things supernatural. Its clever plot, endearing characters, and perfect balance of humor and heart make it a great book to curl up with this fall. I highly recommend it as a sweet, spooky read that will keep you intrigued with paranormal activity and a slow but steady relationship build-up.

Witch Please, by Ann Aguirre

Witch Please: A Charming Small-Town Paranormal Romantic Comedy, by Ann Aguirre
Sourcebooks Casablanca, 1728240166, 368 pages, September 2021

A sexy, funny, romantic tale of witchcraft? Witch Please, I just can’t get enough. Ann Aguirre has immensely brightened up my life with this book, which I just found hilarious. I will admit, it’s more of a romantic comedy with a backdrop of witchcraft than a supernatural tale, but regardless, it’s just what I needed for a light, entertaining read.

The premise is that main character Danica Waterhouse, a technomancer, is living her life, filled with the ups and downs of adulthood. While she has a successful fix-it business with her cousin Clem, she’s also still coping with ill feelings towards her former partner, who after years of “not wanting anything too serious” broke it off with her and was engaged in just a few months.

When the handsome baker in town, Titus Winnaker, also known as CinnaMan to her concern for his delectable buns, ahem, both in the bakery and in real life, if you catch my drift, needs repairs to his oven, Danica’s life changes forever. On his end, there’s instant attraction and he’s basically sure she’s the one from the first time they meet.

Danica too feels the attraction and literal sparks are flying as her magic goes haywire, but there’s family concerns that keep her from opening up to this love. Her mother chose to marry a mundane person, and as a result lost all of her magical power. This is not what Danica wanted for her life, and the path of no longer having her magic was certainly not how she intended to go.

Raised by her grandmother, who persistently badgers Danica to explore Binder (Tinder for witches) in order to find a mate and keep their bloodline pure, she has always considered mundane men off limits. Plus, after her last heartbreak, she made a pact with cousin Clem to stay single for life. With the love of her coven and her magic, she thought that would be enough to sustain her.

After just a few dates and some steamy moments with Titus, it’s clear the attraction isn’t dissipating. Even her spellwork can’t ward off this building attraction. Then to make this worse, her magic malfunctions have drawn a witch hunter to town. Now there’s just one more element in the mix adding to why she needs to break it off with Titus.

It’s nearly impossible not to adore Titus. He’s pretty much the perfect guy: sexy, romantic, reflective, and emotionally attuned to all of Danica’s needs. There’s a reason many of the women in town pop in to Sugar Daddy’s that goes beyond his irresistible pastries. However, Titus also has family problems going on that keep him preoccupied.

After his mother’s death, his father quickly remarried and moved to another state, leaving behind his grown children to essentially start a new life. Titus and sister Maya feel hurt at their father’s lack of a grieving process and are having a hard time accepting his new life. It doesn’t help to find out their new stepmother is expecting, further creating a rift between them and their father.

Needless to say, there’s enough going on in the book to make for a very captivating read. I especially love the way Aguirre wrote the book so that it alternates between Danica and Titus in narration. The internal dialogue of the characters is hilarious and really gives insight into their perceptions, intentions, and self-awareness. All the characters are relatable, and I liked each one very much. The context of the book is all very up-to-date, such as them watching Netflix and using modern slang.

This is also a fun read because of all the steamy parts. Phew! It got quite sensual and erotic. There were chapters where I was seeking out my husband like “Hello!” to relieve some of the steam 😉 So, for those of you who like the passionate, sultry moments as well, this is definitely a great read for that. It certainly added some spice to my life and got the juices flowing.

The only downside worth mentioning is that there were a few parts it felt like it was dragging on. While I was engaged the entire time, the pace isn’t the quickest. Keep in mind, the setting is a small Midwestern town where there’s not too much action. Even the witch hunter coming to town seemed to fizzle out into a very anti-climatic solution that honestly confused me greatly.

It was fun reading about Danica’s coven, but it seemed more like a book club, which is their ruse to keep it secret, than a coven to be honest. The women are more engaged in town gossip and venting about life than doing magic. Granted, each person had their own magical powers, but it seemed like mostly the vivamancers just tended to plant more than group spells. It is for this reason I think it’s more a fun, entertaining read than one really focusing on the reality of being a witch.

Also, all of this book is based on the idea of witchcraft being passed down secretly through bloodline, while Paganism, New Age, etc. are not real things and can be used merely as cover-ups so others don’t ask too many questions. I don’t find this offense in any way, but to some who are very prideful of their craft, it may feel like a slight, though it’s only fiction!

Overall, I really enjoyed Witch Please. It was hilarious, heartfelt, and a really fun premise for a book. By the end, it wove together in a really unique way that brought it all together and left me fulfilled. It also made me really want to go bake something with all the descriptions of eating sweets — mmm!!! I recommend this book to those wanting an easy, lighthearted read filled with romance, magic, and mishaps that make for a wonderful story. I’m sure it will have you chuckling and rooting for love along the way.