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ellena91's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
huldasif's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I really like Molly Harper's books, although I thought this was not the author's best work. It was still entertaining and I enjoyed it. If you like sweet romance with a bit of spice (nothing too graphic) and a dash of the paranormal, you'll like this sort of stuff. Don't expect it to be scary though. It's just a little creepy at times. The non-ghostly troubles were more worrying than the ones from the afterlife.
jen_baroness_mom's review against another edition
4.0
Spooky, funny, witty, supernatural mystery with a touch of love.
I really enjoyed this audio book. The story is wonderful. I loved the nerdy comments, the film references, and the witty conversations. The hauntings added just the right amount of spookiness.
Deacon is an unusual hero. He has the background of old money and yet the money he uses to rebuild the family home is from money that he has made himself in the tech world. I love that Deacon was extremely comfortable in his own skin, even though others didn’t agree with his decisions. He has an eclectic taste in movies and is a self-proclaimed Si-Fi nerd. Deacon has a way of making things fun even when it is serious. However, Deacon doesn't believe in the hauntings but he goes along with the others.
Nina is a great character. She starts out meek and afraid of her own shadow, who unfolds much like her beloved flowers. It only took friendship, love, and acceptance. She is extremely talented in landscape design. The indoor room that she creates is so easy to picture. I loved the ideas that Nina has for the gardens and the interior. She loves to dig and design but she truly has a heart of gold. Nina is highly sensitive to the hauntings on the island, it made me think that she was the one related to the ghosts.
The supporting cast is great too. They all make a wonderful team. Jake and Cindy with their little romance of sorts, along with Dottie and the others all fit together wonderfully with a comedic attitude toward finding the cause of the haunting. The way they each deal with the supernatural haunting on the island adds a real belief to the story. They all form this wonderful family unit. It is extremely nice the way that they protect, support and work together.
The narrator, Amanda Ronconi does a wonderful job. She has a way of playing off the suspense in the story and the voices that she uses to add a warmth to the story are lovely.
This was the first book that I have read (heard) by Molly Harper, I truly enjoyed it and will be looking up some of her other books. My rating is 5 stars.
If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out BaronessBookTrove.com.
I really enjoyed this audio book. The story is wonderful. I loved the nerdy comments, the film references, and the witty conversations. The hauntings added just the right amount of spookiness.
Deacon is an unusual hero. He has the background of old money and yet the money he uses to rebuild the family home is from money that he has made himself in the tech world. I love that Deacon was extremely comfortable in his own skin, even though others didn’t agree with his decisions. He has an eclectic taste in movies and is a self-proclaimed Si-Fi nerd. Deacon has a way of making things fun even when it is serious. However, Deacon doesn't believe in the hauntings but he goes along with the others.
Nina is a great character. She starts out meek and afraid of her own shadow, who unfolds much like her beloved flowers. It only took friendship, love, and acceptance. She is extremely talented in landscape design. The indoor room that she creates is so easy to picture. I loved the ideas that Nina has for the gardens and the interior. She loves to dig and design but she truly has a heart of gold. Nina is highly sensitive to the hauntings on the island, it made me think that she was the one related to the ghosts.
The supporting cast is great too. They all make a wonderful team. Jake and Cindy with their little romance of sorts, along with Dottie and the others all fit together wonderfully with a comedic attitude toward finding the cause of the haunting. The way they each deal with the supernatural haunting on the island adds a real belief to the story. They all form this wonderful family unit. It is extremely nice the way that they protect, support and work together.
The narrator, Amanda Ronconi does a wonderful job. She has a way of playing off the suspense in the story and the voices that she uses to add a warmth to the story are lovely.
This was the first book that I have read (heard) by Molly Harper, I truly enjoyed it and will be looking up some of her other books. My rating is 5 stars.
If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out BaronessBookTrove.com.
renpuspita's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars
Review on blog:
Not your ordinary Scoby Dooby Doo gang!
It's not the first time I read Harper's book. I had read her Nice Girl series (just book 1, Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs :P) and already like her quirky and nerdy humor. I pick Better Home and Hauntings since this one is just a stand alone and perfect for a quick read. Actually, I read this book in 2 days because of my hectic schedule, but I'm glad that in the end, the story left me with warm fuzzy feeling! :D
I don't like ghost. Pronto. From all paranormal and supernatural creature, ghost is what I hate the most. Zombies are second *shudders* . It's just I easily scared and since right now I live alone in my cramped apartment unit (hubby is work long long away), my wild imagination sometimes is running amok, especially in the night. So I brave myself to read Better Homes and Hauntings. The ghost part actually not too much, but still give me heebies-jeebies. Some ghost part that Harper wrote will freak me out! Like the scene when there was ghost in one of character's bed!! >.<
The story itself is pretty simple tho. Nina Linden is a gardener, she come to Crane's Nest to restore the building to its former glory. Nina herself kinda try to rebuild her self-esteem, after her business partner screw her company, Demeter Design. But, Crane's Nest have its own curse, and the current owner, the tech-billionaire Deacon Whitney who happen to hire Nina, didn't believe it. His cousin, Dotty Whitney, think otherwise though. She had been curious to solved the mystery behind the Whitney family curse, began with the death of her great-great grandmother, Catherine Whitney. Rumors have it that Catherine murdered by her jealous husband, Gerald, for having affair with her old flame, Jack Donovan. Nina not alone tho, she had company, Cindy Ellis who run cleaning service and Jake Rumson, Deacon's friend that Cindy seems to love to hate because "a past incident".
At first, Nina and co. didn't believe the ghost, nor the hauntings that they feel. But day by day, the appearance getting stronger. Nina also got a vision, like Catherine's spirit want to tell her something. The gang, together with skeptical Deacon, try to revealed the mystery behind Catherine's death. Because you know, when ghosts try to tell you something, something fishy must be going on. What lay behind Catherine's grave? Reader must find out what truly happen to her and is it really Gerald murder his own wife in cold blood.
Better Homes and Hauntings have multiple POVs, therefore the story didn't focus to just Nina. The romance also not always between Nina and Deacon. Harper also wrote about Jake and Cindy. Even the main focus of course still to Nina and Deacon, the other characters also have their part as well. In the end they are bonded and become a new family. I usually rolling my eyes when reading about billionaire hero (with FSoG that I hate the most come out, the wave of billionaire heroes is....make me not amused). Deacon is a tech-billionaire, kinda like Mark Zuckenberg with his FB, he invented a social media called EyeDee. But, I feel grateful because even Deacon is a billionaire per se, he's a beta hero! A nerd to the core! My heart is so delighted to read about mythology banter between Nina and Deacon. You have me at the mythology, Harper! Even its Greek one *grumble. Reading about Deacon make me remember Roarke. Sigh...I can't believe I haven't read In Death for long. Might try to do some revisit.
If Nina and Deacon romance is blossoming slow but sure, Cindy and Jake's is about reconciliation. They used to date, but Jake forgot it, so Cindy always act hostile to him from the start. It's nice to see how they work their differences. While Cindy at first look like blonde bimbo, she's not one. Cindy is so independent and provide a strong friendship bond to Nina. Alas, no hero for Dotty, but I like her quirky personification! She is the most open minded of them all, but strangely, the phenomenon didn't happen to her, make she quite irritated. I like reading the friendship between Nina, Cindy and Dotty. Sure there some skanky bitchy character, you must use the trope after all, but Harper wrote it so smoothly. So many nerd references, and if you are nerd, you will looooove it. Back to Nina and Deacon, I really love how unusual their relationship. My favorite part is when he proposed to her using...cell phone. Yep, you read it right. Cellphone. Is it not romantic? I just go..awwww XD.
Despite the slow start and maybe some plot hole regarding the ghost and family history, this book still make me smile and feel happy. In the other side, this book kinda make me scared a little bit, I sleep with the light on! I must remember to not read anything ghostly when it's Thursday night, (It's the local superstition) phew! I will recommend Better Homes and Hauntings to anyone who want to read a light paranormal romance, with unusual relationship, many nerd references and a great friendship between the female characters (which.. I don't know, it's seems so rare!)
"Of all the things she just said, skipping to the end of a book is what bothers you most?" Jake asked.
Cindy crossed her arms and set her chin. "I hate spoilers."
Review on blog:
Not your ordinary Scoby Dooby Doo gang!
It's not the first time I read Harper's book. I had read her Nice Girl series (just book 1, Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs :P) and already like her quirky and nerdy humor. I pick Better Home and Hauntings since this one is just a stand alone and perfect for a quick read. Actually, I read this book in 2 days because of my hectic schedule, but I'm glad that in the end, the story left me with warm fuzzy feeling! :D
I don't like ghost. Pronto. From all paranormal and supernatural creature, ghost is what I hate the most. Zombies are second *shudders* . It's just I easily scared and since right now I live alone in my cramped apartment unit (hubby is work long long away), my wild imagination sometimes is running amok, especially in the night. So I brave myself to read Better Homes and Hauntings. The ghost part actually not too much, but still give me heebies-jeebies. Some ghost part that Harper wrote will freak me out! Like the scene when there was ghost in one of character's bed!! >.<
The story itself is pretty simple tho. Nina Linden is a gardener, she come to Crane's Nest to restore the building to its former glory. Nina herself kinda try to rebuild her self-esteem, after her business partner screw her company, Demeter Design. But, Crane's Nest have its own curse, and the current owner, the tech-billionaire Deacon Whitney who happen to hire Nina, didn't believe it. His cousin, Dotty Whitney, think otherwise though. She had been curious to solved the mystery behind the Whitney family curse, began with the death of her great-great grandmother, Catherine Whitney. Rumors have it that Catherine murdered by her jealous husband, Gerald, for having affair with her old flame, Jack Donovan. Nina not alone tho, she had company, Cindy Ellis who run cleaning service and Jake Rumson, Deacon's friend that Cindy seems to love to hate because "a past incident".
At first, Nina and co. didn't believe the ghost, nor the hauntings that they feel. But day by day, the appearance getting stronger. Nina also got a vision, like Catherine's spirit want to tell her something. The gang, together with skeptical Deacon, try to revealed the mystery behind Catherine's death. Because you know, when ghosts try to tell you something, something fishy must be going on. What lay behind Catherine's grave? Reader must find out what truly happen to her and is it really Gerald murder his own wife in cold blood.
Better Homes and Hauntings have multiple POVs, therefore the story didn't focus to just Nina. The romance also not always between Nina and Deacon. Harper also wrote about Jake and Cindy. Even the main focus of course still to Nina and Deacon, the other characters also have their part as well. In the end they are bonded and become a new family. I usually rolling my eyes when reading about billionaire hero (with FSoG that I hate the most come out, the wave of billionaire heroes is....make me not amused). Deacon is a tech-billionaire, kinda like Mark Zuckenberg with his FB, he invented a social media called EyeDee. But, I feel grateful because even Deacon is a billionaire per se, he's a beta hero! A nerd to the core! My heart is so delighted to read about mythology banter between Nina and Deacon. You have me at the mythology, Harper! Even its Greek one *grumble. Reading about Deacon make me remember Roarke. Sigh...I can't believe I haven't read In Death for long. Might try to do some revisit.
If Nina and Deacon romance is blossoming slow but sure, Cindy and Jake's is about reconciliation. They used to date, but Jake forgot it, so Cindy always act hostile to him from the start. It's nice to see how they work their differences. While Cindy at first look like blonde bimbo, she's not one. Cindy is so independent and provide a strong friendship bond to Nina. Alas, no hero for Dotty, but I like her quirky personification! She is the most open minded of them all, but strangely, the phenomenon didn't happen to her, make she quite irritated. I like reading the friendship between Nina, Cindy and Dotty. Sure there some skanky bitchy character, you must use the trope after all, but Harper wrote it so smoothly. So many nerd references, and if you are nerd, you will looooove it. Back to Nina and Deacon, I really love how unusual their relationship. My favorite part is when he proposed to her using...cell phone. Yep, you read it right. Cellphone. Is it not romantic? I just go..awwww XD.
Despite the slow start and maybe some plot hole regarding the ghost and family history, this book still make me smile and feel happy. In the other side, this book kinda make me scared a little bit, I sleep with the light on! I must remember to not read anything ghostly when it's Thursday night, (It's the local superstition) phew! I will recommend Better Homes and Hauntings to anyone who want to read a light paranormal romance, with unusual relationship, many nerd references and a great friendship between the female characters (which.. I don't know, it's seems so rare!)
"I can't bring you flowers," he said, gesturing to the garden. "You seem to be afraid of expensive jewelry. So making your life a little easier is going to be how I show you I love you, all day, every day, for the rest of our lives."
"You're proposing to me with a cell phone? " she said, her eyebrows raised.
"If you think about it, they're both long-term contracts."
"Well, how could a girl resist an offer like that?" she asked, taking the phone out of the box. She turned it on and sighed. " You put a Master Gardener app on here."
"The 'all day, every day' speech didn't get her, but a gardening app did?" Jake whispered as Nina threw her arms around Deacon's neck and kissed him, whispering "Yes, yes" against his lips.
"Everybody has their thing, " Cindy told him.
emerion's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
bibliofiendlm's review against another edition
3.0
Still funny but didn't like this one as much as her others. I missed the first person narrative and Half Moon Hollow characters.
berls's review against another edition
5.0
Yes I realize I JUST marked this as currently reading but it is #deweys24hourreadathon today and I did start it around 11am and then listen non stop while doing errands.
This was so fun! I loved the two threaded story, with the ghost mystery in the background and all the possessions and hauntings that went with it. And then the primary story - all these interesting people living together while renovating an old family mansion, essentially trapped on an island together. As always, Harper wrote fun characters that are hard not to love. Was a great choice for the readathon. Especially with Ronconi narrating to keep me engaged.
This was so fun! I loved the two threaded story, with the ghost mystery in the background and all the possessions and hauntings that went with it. And then the primary story - all these interesting people living together while renovating an old family mansion, essentially trapped on an island together. As always, Harper wrote fun characters that are hard not to love. Was a great choice for the readathon. Especially with Ronconi narrating to keep me engaged.
mx_manda's review against another edition
3.0
I've found with Molly Harper that audiobook is the way to go. Otherwise, I miss about 70% of the humor with how I read her.
BH&H is a light paranormal rom-com, with, admittedly, the most predictable "mystery" to solve as the backdrop.
In many ways, this is a typical Harper offering: a red-headed heroine, lots of banter and a bit of sass, many pop culture references. Good, but not Great reading. Comfort food.
Unlike the other works of hers I've read, this one does have more POVs than usual. There are the main characters, Nina and Deacon, but there are also the perspectives of Cindy, Jake, and Dottie, as well as 1 or 2 mystery-but-not-really characters in play. Obviously a lot of readers didn't care for this, but I understand why Harper went this route to reveal clues to the question they're all trying to answer as they work.
BH&H is a slow starter in the sexy times department, and it's not a terribly explicit work when it finally gets there. If anything, this seems to be a pretty "normal" pace for "realistic" romance. I felt the connections just fine, even if I wasn't having to fan myself.
This was an enjoyable way to fill a couple of days, with lot of chuckles and eye-rolls mixed in.
Real Rating: 3.5 stars
-----------------
Minor problematic ding: use of g*psy when rover, nomadic, or free spirit would have sufficed.
G*psy and words derived from it are racist to the Romani in Europe—there's a term specifically for this, "antiziganism". A lot of Americans still do not seem to be aware of this, so it's worth pointing out so it can hopefully be replaced with vocabulary that works better. If you know better, you can do better.
BH&H is a light paranormal rom-com, with, admittedly, the most predictable "mystery" to solve as the backdrop.
In many ways, this is a typical Harper offering: a red-headed heroine, lots of banter and a bit of sass, many pop culture references. Good, but not Great reading. Comfort food.
Unlike the other works of hers I've read, this one does have more POVs than usual. There are the main characters, Nina and Deacon, but there are also the perspectives of Cindy, Jake, and Dottie, as well as 1 or 2 mystery-but-not-really characters in play. Obviously a lot of readers didn't care for this, but I understand why Harper went this route to reveal clues to the question they're all trying to answer as they work.
BH&H is a slow starter in the sexy times department, and it's not a terribly explicit work when it finally gets there. If anything, this seems to be a pretty "normal" pace for "realistic" romance. I felt the connections just fine, even if I wasn't having to fan myself.
This was an enjoyable way to fill a couple of days, with lot of chuckles and eye-rolls mixed in.
Real Rating: 3.5 stars
-----------------
Minor problematic ding: use of g*psy when rover, nomadic, or free spirit would have sufficed.
G*psy and words derived from it are racist to the Romani in Europe—there's a term specifically for this, "antiziganism". A lot of Americans still do not seem to be aware of this, so it's worth pointing out so it can hopefully be replaced with vocabulary that works better. If you know better, you can do better.