I was a little wary when starting this book as stories with ghosts don’t always provide the basis for a coherent story. However I was pleasantly surprised with the portrayal of the characters both living and deceased and the wealth of humorous situations described. I was quickly drawn into the story and found it hard to put down.
The Cotswold village was described in delightful detail and provided various settings for the ghosts and their back stories. Having ghost characters from different periods in history was a nice level of detail.

Callie’s blossoming romance with Brodie is obvious to everyone except themselves and repeated scenarios of them both hesitating and missing the moment to move the relationship on was a bit of a letdown. This is the first in a series and has set some good foundations for its sequel.

3.7 Stars
One Liner: Liked the ghosts more!

When single mother Callie Chase visits Rowan Vale on a school trip, the last thing she expects is to see ghosts. Turns out, the elderly Sir Lawrence Davenport, the village head can also see them and has been their keeper for years. He even offers to sell the place to Callie for a teeny sum so that she could be his successor.
After much hesitation, Callie agrees. However, becoming the new owner of a village filled with humans and ghosts is easier said than done! Can she handle the responsibilities? Will the ghosts accept her?
The story comes in (mostly) Callie’s first-person POV and the third-person POV of another character.

My Thoughts:
This is the first book in the series, so it takes some time to set the stage and introduce us to various characters, living and dead. The cast is pretty large, so you may want to make notes.
The ghosts are pretty quirky and have distinct personalities. In fact, I liked them more than some of our living folk! Florrie is a little monkey, though you can’t help but fall in love with her.
While it took me a lot of time to warm up to Callie, I loved Immi pretty soon (not at the beginning but when she gets a dialogue). I tried my best to empathize with the FMC but it wasn’t easy. Though she has good intentions, her approach is a bit all over the place.
Immi, on the other hand, is a delight to read. I so wished she would have more space in the book. She sometimes acts like a tween but is a really lovely girl. Mia is another character I like a lot.
Bordie is the male main lead though I didn’t see him as anything other than a trope – the handsome brooding guy with a soft heart. Good that romance isn’t central to the plot and I read this for the ghosts. Otherwise, the rating would have tanked.
The pacing is uneven. The first half is spent on the setting but quite a few things happen in the second half. This doesn’t leave space for the romance to develop organically. Since this is any way to be a series, maybe we could have limited this one to attraction and ended it in a slightly different manner.

To summarize, Kindred Spirits at Harling Hall has an interesting premise and even more interesting ghosts in a beautiful village. It deals with important themes like self-esteem, found family, friendships, etc. I’m curious to see what the next book will deal with!
Thank you, NetGalley and Boldwood Books, for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

3.5 stars rounded up!!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC, I really enjoyed this book, and it was a pleasure to get to it early!!

If you like cozy books, any sort of UK countryside vibes, or ghosts, you will LOVE this book! I happen to love all 3 things, so this book worked beautifully for me. I really enjoyed the found family, Florrie's character development, as well as our main character's development with her relationship with her daughter, and the ghosts were perfectly funny and fit in nicely.

The entire concept of her inheriting an estate and a whole village being ok with ghosts may be off-the-wall, but if you can look past that and focus on just the cozy elements, you'll be in for a real treat. I think sometimes people forget the difference between a "cozy" book vs a regular piece of literary fiction. The cozy elements are absolutely what carried and made this sweet book so enjoyable!

What I loved:
- Immi and her cat lol
- Lawrie's old grandpa vibes
- Pub trivia sounds so fun
- Callie navigating emotional abandonment issues and overcoming them

What didn't quite work for me:
- Unfortunately, the reason I deducted stars, was the romance didn't work for me. Yes, there were hints to the romance throughout the book, but it ultimately felt pigeonholed into the last 12 percent of the book, which made it hard to believe/follow. You're telling me they went that quickly into saying I love you, after totally avoiding the subject and barely interacting with each other through the whole book? That was my biggest gripe. I like them as a couple, the timeline was just a little too rushed. I would have loved to see them on a date or two beforehand. I think the focus was on the ghosts too much first.

Despite that, I still really liked this book and would recommend!!

Kindred Spirits of Harting Hall is a lovely story. My personal highlight was the ghost characters. If you enjoy the show Ghosts, you’ll probably appreciate the quirky, fun dynamics of the spirits in this book. Each ghost has a unique personality, and their storylines are well-developed, adding some much-needed depth. Their banter kept me wanting to read more, and I found myself rooting for them!

However, the romance felt a bit forced. I didn’t feel much chemistry between the characters, and while their relationship made sense from a plot perspective, I never truly believed in their connection.

The writing style took a little getting used to, but once I settled into it, it became easier to follow. There are some clunky moments, but overall, it was still an enjoyable read. If you can look past the weaker romance arc and focus on the ghosts and their stories, there’s a lot to like here. By the time I turned the final page, I felt glad to have spent a few hours with these characters, even if the book didn’t completely win me over.

It was alright. Love the world building and the structure of the stories. Every ghost had a unique and engaging backstory. However, the chemistry wasn't quite there for me. The prose read a bit stiff and the romance felt a bit awkward and forced. However, there was some really fun dialogue.

Such a a cozy read. I had absolutely zero expectations when it came to this read and was happily surprised with this little adventure.

Kindred spirits at Harling Hall by Sharon Booth follows Callie, a single mother who has the especial ability to see ghosts; While accompanying her daughter in a school trip to Costworld Village, she gets an offer that will change her life forever.

As an avid fan of horror books, I'm used to reading about a haunted house where the ghosts make horrible things to the living, I was interested by this book's premise.
However, I felt the story needed more depth. I am aware this is a cozy book and things will not get the least scary. But I thought the plot lacked a real reason to why Callie and others before her had to be a liaison between the dead and the living, but these ghosts did not pose a threat at all, even if they were unhappy with their living arrangements.

This is series that can have the potential to become a cozy classic, I will read more from this author in the hopes this story can unleash it's true potential.

A fun mystery. I love books with ghost and this had an added touch of some humor. Loved it. Looking forward to more.

What a great read. Mysteries and ghosts abound in this intriguing cosy romantic story. I was fully immersed from start to finish. An absolute joy to read.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Thank you so much to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

This book is a cosy and romantic story, filled with ghosts and mysteries. I absolutely loved the setting for this book. It is described as being perfect for fans of the BBC series Ghosts, and I totally agree that there are a lot of similarities between that show and this book.

I loved the cast of characters, and the different personalities and quirks they bought to the story. I could really picture the rambling estate and manor, as well as the quaint village that serves as part tourist attraction, part sanctuary for all the residents.

I did find the main character of Callie difficult to get on board with, with her black and white way of thinking. There were also a couple of clunky parts to the plot that I didn't enjoy as much. I thought some of the issues that the characters were facing were not very complex, or over explained, so when the issues were resolved it left me feeling a little bit ambivalent towards them because I didn't feel like the stakes were very high. I absolutely love cosy books, so I know slower pacing is often part of the deal, but I just wasn't invested for some of these issues.

However, I did find this book was an easy one to fly through, and I really loved the varied cast of characters. I thought the overall message was beautiful - that family is more than what you're born into, it's what you make for yourself 🥰

This charming and whimsical story is the perfect blend of cozy romance, small-town charm, and just the right touch of the supernatural. The setting is enchanting, with Rowan Vale offering a beautifully immersive backdrop where history and magic intertwine. The idea of a heroine not only finding her place in a new community but also helping a group of eccentric, lingering spirits find peace adds a heartwarming and unique twist to the story. The characters—both living and ghostly—are wonderfully vivid, making every interaction delightful and engaging.
The balance between humor, mystery, and romance is spot on, creating a lighthearted yet emotionally satisfying read. Callie’s journey is both touching and fun, and the developing connection with Brodie adds a lovely layer of slow-burn romance. With its cozy vibes, endearing characters, and a feel-good blend of history and heart, this is the kind of book that leaves a smile long after the last page. A perfect escape for fans of magical small-town stories with a touch of the unexpected.

📖 Book Review 📖 I’ve lived in a haunted house for over thirty years and have experienced a variety of strange things but have yet to see anything. Many people have, including little girl ghosts wearing white nightgowns, that would be the single most terrifying thing to me. When Calli chaperones her daughter’s field trip to the Cotswold, she walks into my worst nightmare: a village full of ghosts that she first assumes are live action role players. Rowan Vale is a portal to the past where lively spirits have a lot to say to those who hold the gift to listen.

When Callie is offered the chance to buy the impressive Harling Hall to call home for a steal, she cannot pass up the opportunity- even if it means living amongst the spirits. Life with the undead is an adjustment and does not come with a written manual on etiquette though it really should…The first book in this charming new series is chock-full of the most colorful characters both dead and alive that absolutely delight and bring the past alive. I am so excited to see what else Sharon Booth has in store for us as we continue this magical journey through Harling Hall.

Callie is a single mum that visits the village of Rowan Vale, a living museum, on a school trip with her daughter. While she's there, exploring the steam railway station, cosy village shops and Elizabethan Manor house, she observes some odd behaviour from the actors who are bringing the different time periods to life around the village. She is summoned to meet the owner of the village, Sir Lawrence Davenport, only to discover that some of the actors are not actors, but ghosts, that she she can see. Not only that, but he offers to sell Callie the village for £10 as long as she agrees to protect the village, tenants and ghosts.

This is a cosy story, it's quite low stakes. We follow Callie as she starts her new life, gets to know the ghosts and the village, and navigates the changing dynamics with Sir Lawrence Davenport and his handsome grandson Brodie, now disinherited from the only home he's ever known. I have a history background, so I really enjoyed the ghosts from different eras and how they interact with each other and live in the 21st century. The story wasn't overly complicated, though it took a minute to get going, and i found myself wanting more! More Ghosts, more of Callie's relationships with Lawrie and Brodie, more time at Rowan Vale. As the book went on it definitely felt like this might be a series, and I was pleased to see that we will be revisiting Rowan Vale, and I will definitely check out the next book when it comes out.

If you liked the BBC series Ghosts, or are a millennial and remember The Ghost Hunter, you will enjoy this!

I rated this 3.25 stars on storygraph, but I don't doubt that this is going to be a series that I am going to enjoy more as it goes on, as the concept and characters were my favourite parts.

This was a slightly different style of book to what this author has written previously and had an interesting and quirky vibe to it. I love the fact that this is an introduction to a new series especially as the way it ended felt slightly rushed but hopefully this will set the scene for the next book in the series .

Rowan vale and harling hall sound like they would be incredible places to visit and as always work this authors descriptive writing it makes the reader feel like they are actually there in person.

A real mixture of historical fiction and the paranormal/supernatural rolled into one.

Looking forward to the next instalment.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

It was a very good and enjoyable read. I loved te characters, setting and story line.

It moved swiftly and kept my interest from page one to the end.

I have never read anything by this author, bit i will be looking for more.

Recommend.

This title was unfortunately a DNF for me. While I was intrigued by the premise, the choppiness of the writing style was too distracting for me to get into the plot. I felt like I was being told rather than shown, in large information dumps that took away from my intrigue. Since I was unable to finish, I will not post a public review elsewhere out of fairness to the author.

Thank you Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read this e-ARC.

Ok, the title alone had me excited. Ghosts? An old manor? A cosy romance? Found family? Sign me UP. This was my first experience reading any of Sharon Booth's novels. While i'll admit I wasn't completely taken with this story, there were many elements I enjoyed.

Callie and her daughter Immi (I mean this child has my name so cue interest pique) find themselves the unlikely inheritors of Harling Hall, an old manor set amongst the picturesque backdrop of the Cotswolds. The offer comes after the discovery that Callie can see ghosts, and as such, she presents at the town's 'saviour' to manage the ghostly inhabitants of the village. Enter disgruntled manor ghosts, a brooding estate accountant, a curious housemaid and the evolution of mother and daughter dynamics. All-in-all, a very cosy, magical and light read.

I do admit, I WISH it was heavier on the romance. But I feel this is more of a me problem, not a book problem. The complex interplay of ghostly dynamics was enough to keep me intrigued instead. Finished this novel feeling all sorts of warm fuzzy feelings.

When Callie joins her daughter Immi on a school trip to the Cotswold village of Rowan Vale she witnesses something that transforms their lives.
If you've ever watched and enjoyed the TV series Ghosts you will love this book, I certainly did. It made me wonder how I'd cope with the ability to see and talk to ghosts as Callie can, but also how it would feel if I'd lose my home due to the fact that I couldn't. There are a wide range of ghosts, from one who reminds me of Lady Fanny Button, a cantankerous vicar, Shakespeare's tutor and a wilful going girl who died in the 1930s. This mix of characters and their unique situation certainly made the story for me and I'm definitely looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.

I'm going to preface this review by admitting that i did not finish the book. however, i got in far enough to know for sure that while this wasn't a book for me, it does have components that i think other readers will love.

If your a fan of any hallmark movie, then you'll probably like this book. the characters are interesting, and the premise of the story is definitely intriguing. however, i found the plot to be quite subpar. in that, there didn't seam to be anything really happening. i really liked the main characters reaction to being offered a house, and the struggle thereafter with her decision both to refuse the offer, and then later, accept it... but overall the plot was too slow for me. there seamed to be no real antagonist, unless you count the love interest, or the very rude and passive aggressive ghost. it seams to be a book more focused with internal conflict than external, so if your a fan of people just trying to get along, then you'll definitely enjoy this book a lot more than i did.

ultimately, while there were parts of the book i found interesting, it just felt like a chore to read, and a lot of nothing happening at all, and since we already know the guy gets the girl, as they always do, i found it to be mostly just a lot of fluff and filler.

Callie goes on a school trip with her daughter, never expecting to encounter ghosts. sweet story, it was hard to put down.