A review by aubreysmith9412
Better Homes and Hauntings by Molly Harper

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This book really ticked all my boxes - paranormal romance, sass, bickering, bantering, a historical mystery, a modern mystery (ish), and ghosts. Sometimes, these all appeared at the same time. Just not all from the same character. 

I really loved the multiple POV this book offered. I loved seeing the events transpire from so many different perspectives, and how the house affected everyone differently. But overall, I loved that at the heart of it all, they wanted to try to solve the mystery of who, really, killed Catherine Whitney. (For the sake of ensuring this review is spoiler-free, I'll say no more on the matter.)

I honestly can't say whether or not I loved one character over the other, but as a group I loved their dynamic. They were all afraid to admit to each other, and themselves, that there were some very haunted things happening around the house, but once they admitted it out loud, they worked together to find a solution. 

There was no secret-keeping, or gaslighting, or trying to sweep it under the rug. There a mildly reluctant acceptance of the events that were occurring, and a team effort to find out why it was happening, and how to stop it. And they really all worked so well together. 

The mysteries were by far the threads that weaved these characters together, but they were fairly secondary to the connections being built and the overall goal of renovating the historical mansion to a modern version of it's former glory. (Did I have to google what the Gilded Age was more than once to try understand? Yes. Yes I did.) 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and it made me realize that I've read a couple of Molly Harper titles before, a while ago, that I also really enjoyed. Once is chance, twice is coincidence, but three times is a pattern. It's time I explore more of Molly Harper's universe, and her series in full.