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A review by mx_manda
Better Homes and Hauntings by Molly Harper
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
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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.