Cover Image: The Haunted Homecoming

The Haunted Homecoming

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Member Reviews

Homecoming with Verity and Lucy, what can go wrong, you ask? Plenty and it's up to Verity and her ghost buddy to solve the mystery. Wonderful series with loveable and relatable characters, and great storylines. Love this series.

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Was I hooked by that book? Oh, yes. It is fun and exciting as always.

The town of Sugarland is celebrating homecoming weekend and everyone is involved. Even Verity's mother makes a rare appearance in her hometown to attend the festivities. The whole town is in attendance to witness the early opening of the time capsule. And things start to heat up for Verity and Ellis when a body is discovered.

I am loving this series so much and I loved this one as well. Franky is in a heavy funk because his ghostly girlfriend seems to enjoy the company of El Gato more. His antics are entertaining, as always. Verity and her mother aren't having the joyful reunion they both wanted as her mother keeps blabbing all of Verity's ghost hunting secrets to anyone willing to listen.

I would have liked to see more of Ellis and Verity together. I love the two of them, and they are still a great couple, I just wanted a bit more intimacy between them, I guess. The biggest relationship growth was between Verity and her mother. I also enjoyed the little side plot with Melody. There are less ghostly interactions, but Franky is more than enough ghost for any story. I'm looking forward to the next one.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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I adore this series and this book definitely didn't disappoint! Homecoming in Sugarland is a big deal. When bones are discovered when a time capsule is opened Verity has her work cut out for her. With a murder, a ghost with romance problems and her mother back for homecoming Verity is stretched pretty thin! This book is full of Southern humor, snark and it's just plain fun!!!

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As always, the author delivers a good story with amazing characters.
Love that we can see more of the other secondary characters and new additions.
Can’t wait for the next instalment.

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The Haunted Homecoming by Angie Fox is set at homecoming, and Verity's mother has also decided to come home!

There's a body discovered at the homecoming festivities, and so Verity investigates!  Frankie is also trying to hide as he says El Gato is out to get him!

This is the school that Verity and her mother both went to, so there are some shared memories, and of course, ghosts that Verity recognises from when she went there.  

It's a fun read, with people pretending to be other people, ghosts, and a heap of family drama.

 The Haunted Homecoming  was published on 17th August 2021 and is available on  Amazon .

Angie Fox has a  Facebook page  and a  reader group .

I've previously read and reviewed the below books in the series:

 Southern Spirits, A Ghostly Gift and The Skeleton in the Closet  - book 1, 1.5 and 2

 Pecan Pies and Dead Guys  - book 7 

 The Mint Julep Murders  - book 8

 The Ghost of Christmas Past  - book 8.5

 Southern Bred and Dead  - book 9

I was given this book in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Moose Island Books and Author Collective 20  (the publishers) for this book.

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Homecoming in Sugarland is a week long celebration that is not to be missed! The food, the events, the dance, the body… And just like that there is a murder to solve.
I am having so much fun with this series! Each book is a fun new adventure with Verity, Frankie, Ellis and all the other colorful Sugarland characters!
I love how in this one Verity not only gets to the bottom of a 30 year old murder, she gets to help Frankie and his girl get back together!
This book was so much fun! I hope this series goes on for many more books! 5 stars for Haunted Homecoming!

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Another wonderfully quirky, cozy Mystery by Angie Fox. This is perfect for getting your Mystery book fix without having to wade through pages of graphic sex and violence. The paranormal aspect is just enough to entice some fantasy readers, also. Humor and real emotions are thoughtfully written and pull you in to like characters even more. This works as a stand-alone, as the author reflects back to past stories to bring the reader up to date on current situations. It does make this story feel a bit slow and drawn out with so much repetitive back story however. Still a good read and well worth it!

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The setting of this book makes me feel at home. I grew up in a small town in Germany and I know exactly what the author is describing, especially gossip-wise. I thoroughly enjoyed the small-town vibes and the paranormal aspects of the book. The case was interesting and reminded me of an episode of “Bones” with the time-capsule element.
I did not read the first installments of this series, but I think the relationships and past events were summarized well enough to dive right into the case.
The one thing I did not like about the story was that I just could not connect with Frankie. He was a very annoying character, and I was tempted to skim over his fits and complaints (which happened quite often). In fact, the case would probably have been solved much earlier if it wasn’t for his “tantrums”. The book would have been a solid 4-star for me, but sadly I just can’t get over how much I disliked Frankie.

**Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Verity Long eagerly anticipates her hometown’s homecoming weekend. She cannot wait to see her mother again – who returns home to watch the opening of the time capsule her class buried in 1986. The unveiling reveals more than what the community expects. Verity decides to use her ghostly expertise to help solve the case. However, her mother and her ghostly partner makes things difficult. Can Verity find the killer before the end of homecoming? Or will she find more than what she bargained for?
Sheriff Ellis Wydell expects more than the usual trouble during Sugarland, Tennessee’s homecoming weekend. The opening of a time capsule buried in 1986 brings even more people to his hometown. However, no one expects a dead body to be among the buried contents. Ellis knows that he cannot keep Verity, or her mother, from investigating the case. Can Ellis trust Verity to be vigilant and careful in her ghostly investigation?
I like the emergence of this new side of Verity’s personality. She is done with people taking advantage of her niceness and kindness. Verity no longer allows people to push her around but holds her own ground, thanks to a certain gangster’s influence. I adore how Verity refuses to use her relationship with Ellis as a shield or weapon. She prefers to fight her own battles. What I like the most about Verity is her relationship with her mother. The two do not have the cookie-cutter perfect relationship. They have their fair share of problems.
The only complaint I have is that Ellis did not have much “show time” in this novel. He seemed to be mostly in the background, only to appear here or there. The danger element of Verity’s ghost career still concerns Ellis, but he is making the effort to work through that. I adore that about him. What I love the most about Ellis is his protectiveness towards Verity and Lucy. He adores Verity’s pet skunk.
Frankie has shown incredible growth in this book. He is at a crossroads in his afterlife. Frankie cannot help but feel inadequate when compared to his late brother and sister-in-law’s romance, and that feeling stands in the way of his relationship with Molly. It is uncharted territory for the snarky gangster. What I love the most about Frankie is his concern towards Lucy. He and the skunk have always had a tenuous relationship. However, when someone threatens Lucy, he quickly forgets his woes and wants to protect her.
THE HAUNTED HOMECOMING is book ten in Angie Fox’s comical paranormal romance series, SOUTHERN GHOST HUNTER MYSTERIES. The story can easily stand alone. However, I highly suggest reading the prior nine books and novellas to understand both Verity and Frankie’s gradual evolution. I approve of the direction the author went with side characters, Melody and Duranja.
THE HAUNTED HOMECOMING is an entertaining, quirky and light-hearted mystery tale. I never grow bored reading this series. I am on pins-and-needles for the next installment!

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Sugarland is even crazier than usual with the advent of homecoming week and everyone is reliving their high school glory days. Even Verity’s mother Tilly has returned home especially to catch up with her old school friend Ashley. In addition to the usual festivities is the early excavation of a time capsule buried during homecoming week some 36 years previous. Trouble is no one expected to find a skeleton buried with the capsule. Making it personal for Verity is the identity of the victim – Tilly’s friend Ashley last seen leaving the dance to run away with her secret lover.

As someone from a country where homecoming isn’t a thing it seemed a bit bizarre to me how everyone in the town, no matter how old, reverted back to their teenage years. Then I realised that I’m the same age as Verity’s mum and that was a bit of a shock to the system though I did enjoy all the cultural references the eighties. As usual these cosy mysteries are a great way to spend a rainy afternoon. The humour and banter between Verity and Frankie is so well written it makes it a joy to read. The plot this time seemed a little more complex to me but again that might be just be down to my ignorance about American traditions like homecoming week. This book is a stand-alone but it does end on a semi-cliffhanger/hint for the next book in the series.

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Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided by the Author and Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an fair and honest review.

There is nothing I like better than the drama and mystery surrounding to opening of a long buried time capsule. Oh, the secrets that will be reveled, the mysteries solved and the murder that is sure to occur. We have all that, for sure, and the plot was great, but I am getting so tired of the constant conflict between Verity and her ghost Frankie. It was fun for the first eight books, but has begun to wear in the last two. I think it is time for Frankie to go into the light and for Verity to get a real live.

This is Homecoming Weekend and Verity's mother has returned. Verity is excited to have her mother home . . . except that every other phrase out of Mom's mouth is a zinger straight at Verity's psyche. Tilly also can't seem to keep things that Verity has told her to herself and Verity isn't happy having her ghost hunting business blabbed about town.

When the time capsule is opened, guess what? It contains . . . a dead body. Verity is on the case. After all ghosts are her specialty, but this particular ghost is proving difficult to track down. Verity doesn't have Frankie's full attention either. Our gangster ghost is having girlfriend problems and is hiding from El Gato and the Cuban mob.

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You can't go wrong with an Angie Fox book and especially Verity Long. Homecoming in the South is a weekend of reminiscing and celebrating. A murder doesn't slow down the festivities and Verity works to solve the demise of her mother's best high school friend. Verity's mother is a new and interesting character that brings more of a backstory to the series.

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I have become a huge fan of Angie Fox and her Southern Ghost Hunter Mystery series! I recently finished reading the tenth book in the series, The Haunted Homecoming, and enjoyed it immensely! I love the characters and part of me wishes for a pet skunk like Lucy!

If you enjoy a great, clean cozy mystery like I do, then you’ll love The Haunted Homecoming just as I did!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book!

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You can never go wrong with an Angie Fox book, and true to form, The Haunted Homecoming - number 10 of the Southern Ghost Hunter mystery series - doesn't disappoint.
This well-written book has everything we've come to expect from this series - engaging characters whose interactions are entertaining and complex; an adorable skunk finding new ways to ratchet up the cuteness; new characters, such as Verity's mother and step father, who shed light on the lives of the ones we've come to know and love; ghosts of both the helpful and cantankerous type; and an intriguing mystery with plenty of viable options for wh0 might have done it to keep you guessing to the very end. Add in some new relationship angst that for once doesn't centre on Verity and Ellis, and you have a page-turner that is difficult to put down.
Even the slight cliff-hanger is nothing to be alarmed about, as it just makes you even more anxious to read the next chapter in the Southern Ghost Hunter saga.
If you haven't started this series, what are you waiting for?

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The Haunted Homecoming was my first time reading a cozy mystery. I really enjoyed that it was an easy, fluffy read and I enjoyed it.

I loved the main character Verity and how she embraces her weirdness. She is an investigator who solves crime with the help of ghosts and she has a pet skunk. It's adorable, I loved it!

Although this is the 10th book in a series, you can read this as a standalone. It does end on a cliffhanger,but the overall mystery comes to a conclusion which is nice.

Although I enjoyed this book, I don't think I will continue with this series. I wasn't overly surprised with the ending and it didn't leave me on the edge of my seat. I needed just a little more to keep me.hooked and wanting more.

Overall I give this 3.5 stars for a fun and enjoyable read. If you're looking for something easy, I definitely recommend it.

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Another great adventure in the world of Sugarland, Tennessee and ghost hunter Verity Long. As always, plenty of humor mixed with (and often because of) ghosts and solving mysteries. This was a great book to get to know Verity's mother and her enthusiastic sharing of too much about her older daughter's life.
Terrific characters, cherished traditions, romance, friends, and a sweet skunk combine in a way that compels you to read as fast as possible to the surprising conclusion. Verity's ability to gain powers of ghostly interaction from her resident ghost Frankie, are used cunningly to solve this murder. I liked Verity stepping into the ghostly realm for solving her mystery and not being endangered by more than meatloaf and peas.
Delightful addition to a terrific series. I appreciate Net Galley and the author for the opportunity to give my unbiased review of this book.

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I was very happy to have received a copy of the book through Net-Galley, in exchange for a review, since I am not only a huge fan of the Author but also of the Series. I would recommend that you read the books in order, but you can still enjoy this book, since you will get the backstory on a lot of characters. As usual this was a fun book to read, I wish we could have had more interaction between Verity and Ellis, but it was also great to get to know her Mom. The storyline was great and I had to force myself to read the book more slowly to make it last. Can't wait until the next installment.

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A small southern town, a homecoming celebration, a murder mystery, and ghosts. I liked Verity with her pet skunk and her strangely sweet mafia ghost. It was fun watching the ghosts and their social lives.

This is not the first book I’ve read by Angie Fox, but it is the first I've read in this series. I had expected more paranormal content, but as a cozy mystery it was a fun read. Her mother, Tilly, eventually drove me crazy, she was so annoying with her lack of respect for Verity and her inability to show any signs of restraint, instead sharing all of Verity’s secrets to the entire town. Plus, Tilly was so self-centered, it was hard to like her, especially as a mother. I think I would have enjoyed the story more with less of Tilly in it. I really liked her boyfriend, how he respected her and her abilities. I liked that there were totally unexpected twists, and the southern cooking, I had to look up tomato pie!

I received an advanced reader copy from NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

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This is my second book that I have read in this series and I absolutely just love them. They are refreshingly quaint and hallelujah an actual cozy murder mystery. No gore, no cursing, and actually a mystery that you have to put pieces together to solve! I absolutely love cozies. I end up reading mostly cozies these days and I tell you sometimes it is hard to actually find a good cozy that is actually what it is supposed to be. They either start off great then end up falling into staleness. Or they end up being ruined by gore and filthy talk. This book completely hits the mark!

I absolutely adore Verity and Lucy. Verity is just like the rest of us. Just trying to go about her life and do the best she can. She is super relatable and absolutely as sweet as pie, until she's not. I love that she's an actual lady but can get down and dirty if need be.

Sugarland is just the cutest little town and reminds me of so many little towns that I have lived in/visited through out my life. I love that in these books manners and chivalry still do exist. In this world these are traits that seem to be going extinct.

You truly feel her emotions and her way of thinking things through. And I absolutely love her gangster ghost. He is absolutely hilarious. In fact, I have never been a huge fan of having ghost anything in the books that I read. However, these books have changed the way that I look at things and I now find that I like having that element in them.

I honestly wish that Verity was a real person. She is definitely someone that I could see myself hanging out with. All of the characters are great. I especially love her sister Melody. What a great bunch of gals. Their mom is a nice lady to but a whole lot of a bucket mouth and I could see why both girls get frustrated with her. I dislike that in a person myself. Hard to have a relationship with someone who doesn't know the meaning of the word 'discretion.'

And Lucy her pet skunk. Oh my! What an adorable critter! It is so refreshing to be able to read about a pet that isn't a dog or a cat. Don't get me wrong, I love both equally but it is so cool to read about. I had a great aunt that actually owned a pet skunk. Thankfully, it was de-bagged as is obviously Lucy. It's these little extra nuances that give readers such an in depth look into a characters life that keep us fans for life.

Every time I read one of these books they just keep getting better and better. I look forward to every book that I read. The mystery was really complex and I had no idea who the killer was until the end. The ending was very well done. This series is just a huge hit with me.

Highly highly highly enjoyable from start to finish. I could not recommend this book enough.

Thank you to the author and to NetGalley for the ability to read and review this book. All opinions are honest and are my own.

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