Lucky Hart has a predilection and talent for the supernatural. However, her interest in parapsychology is not taken seriously by anyone, and she finds herself isolated — -and self-isolating — -as a result. She is estranged from her family, has repeatedly lost friends, and has been rejected from graduate school on two separate occasions. She is finally able to land a break in her chosen field by scheming her way onto a reality show about Hennessee House, an old Victorian house with a notorious reputation. The production company has problems; every actor on their show quits after spending only three nights inside.
Once she is on the inside, Lucky meets famous paranormal podcaster Maverick Phillips, and while she’s falling for the house, she also finds herself falling for him — -and she doesn’t fall for anyone. Their connection is so palpable that everyone on the team notices it, even the house.
Maverick’s past never threatens to interfere with their relationship, even his plucky teen daughter loves Lucky, but the lonely, sentient house might have something to say about it. Thrust out of her isolated world, Lucky must decide what she is willing to risk for the life she wanted… and the life she thought was out of reach.
Not being a fan of horror, I was a little cautious about something so ghost-centric, but I really couldn’t fight my curiosity about a romance involving a sentient house. While I found it slow-moving in places, this was a lot of fun to read, and, thankfully, blended just the right amounts of creepy and cozy for me. The story and characters invite you in, and so does the house.
All Images: Berkley Publishing Group
The love story was inevitable, of course, but the interactions between the whole team, and between Lucky and Maverick’s extended family, really made the whole thing work on so many levels. You wanted them both to be happy, and there didn’t seem to be any real danger of it not working out, which is my favorite kind of suspense in a romance novel. This is a great, light-hearted read for a summer night or to save for October!
Kann did lose my interest in several places by the over-exploration of what it means to be an asexual person. I found it to be quite long-winded and placed into the narrative in awkward places. But even though I didn’t care for it, I still found it to be well-written. You can definitely see how someone in a similar situation would be encouraged to see themselves in print, and how this might help someone whose partner is so inclined to better understand them. I certainly have more understanding than I did before reading this. I did a little reading around because, as a cis-gendered white woman, I have zero personal references for any of these things. I did find several reviews by asexual people who did not like the coverage but for different reasons than mine. So, if that is something that is triggering for you, then it is worth seeking out these reviewers.
Apart from the house, which borrowed some sass from the house in Disney’s Encanto, the scene-stealer in this book was Rebel, Maverick’s teen daughter. Everything about her is screaming for her own YA series. There is a mini-story within the story when the crew takes a break from Hennessee House to film a mini-show about Rebel as a paranormal investigator. It is definitely something that teenage me would have been interested in and something that did not feel like an interruption so much as a segue into something else I would like to read.
The ghost story kept taking unusual twists and turns, which kept me engaged in the narrative without scaring me too much. Kann writes with passion and creates engaging characters, so she’s certainly someone I’ll be keeping an eye on. She caught my heart within the first chapter with a reference to one of my favorite stories.
No paintings or pictures on the walls. One lone table rested in the middle of the hallway with a flowered vase on top. The same exact purple flowers dotted along the light brown and cream wallpaper. “At least it’s not yellow,” she mumbled absently.
Looking for Love in All the Haunted Places was released on May 21, 2024. GeekMom received an ARC for review purposes.
