Sharon Booth's 'Loving Spirits at the Vintage Teashop' is a charming mix of cozy mystery, touching romance, and delightful paranormal fantasy, set in the unusual "living museum" village of Rowan Vale. This second title in the "Ghosts of Rowan Vale" series finds Shona, manager of the 1940s-themed teashop, juggling not just her own emerging romance with new arrival Max but also the residual secrets of her ghostly great-aunt, Polly.

While Rowan Vale is getting ready for a 1940s weekend, Max drops by looking for answers regarding his grandfather, a war prisoner in the village. This awakens long-hidden facts, particularly for Polly, who also has a tragic history entangled in the war years. The author expertly interlaces a complex story, incorporating issues of family, forgiveness, mourning, and second chances. The spectral characters contribute a distinct, humorous, and occasionally touching element, adding depth to the already colorful cast of characters. With its witty plot twists, interesting mystery, and masterfully managed emotional depth, 'Loving Spirits at the Vintage Teashop' is an absolutely captivating read that will have you smiling and wanting more from Rowan Vale.

I love this series, and so will you if you're a lover of BBC's Ghosts!

It's the second in Booth's Ghosts of Rowan Vale series, the first book being Kindred Spirits at Harling Hall. Nestled into the Cotswolds, Rowan Vale is a living museum where visitors get to experience a slice of history.

Not only are the settings idylls, the book also comes with a fabulous cast of characters, both living and dead.

I so want a job in that teashop!

Highly enjoyable, heartwarming and an absolute delight to read.

This has been the absolute surprise sensation this year for me. I requested this book on netgalley thinking it sounded like a great wee cosy read. Little did I know it was the 2nd in a series and although it could very much be read out of order, the completionist in me, had to read book 1 first.

I had such a wonderful time reading both stories. They brought me complete Heidi Swain vines, but with ghosts. This might sound a bit out there and I suppose it is, but oh my goodness it works so well.

In 'Loving Spirits at the Vintage Teashop' we meet Shona, a 52 year old divorcee running the teashop in Rowan Vale, a historic village, known amongst the residents as a hotspot for spirits living out their after life. Shona's great aunt Polly is one of the ghosts here and the circumstances of her death remain mysterious to this day.

Things to love about the book include, the age of the characters, the different stories from the past, following up characters we fell in love with last time and writing that takes care of the reader. These elements create a book that may well make you cry; it did me, and will attach itself to your heart.

Please tell me we will be able to return to Rowan Vale, especially for the Christmas season??

I adored this book even more than book 1. I was fully entertained and want to see this book everywhere. You all need in on this!! I want to gush about it with you.

If this is your first visit to Rowan Vale – and yes, you could most certainly enjoy this book without having read the first in the series – you’ll soon feel surprisingly comfortable there. And you’ll discover that there are ghosts among the residents of the living history museum in the Cotswolds, mostly only seen by some members of their families – although the new owner Callie took on her role because she’s able to interact with them all.

But this time, it’s Shona who we get to know rather better – universally liked, she’s in her 50s, long divorced and now living with her dad, and runs the village’s 1940s teashop. And in the flat upstairs, there’s her great aunt Polly – she was killed in 1948 (and it’s an incident no-one talks about – the murderer’s identity is still unknown), but now enjoys spending time in the teashop, staving off loneliness and keeping track of everything that’s going on in the village.

And she can soon see that Shona – who’s rather given up on any possibility of romance – is attracted to newcomer Max. He’s the father of Rissa, one of the land girls at the farm – and he’s rather horrified to find his daughter living with the family he believes were implicated in the death of his German grandfather, who spent time in Rowan Vale while a prisoner of war and never came home. As he doggedly tries to uncover the full story – ruffling a lot of feathers along the way – Shona does her utmost to help, but more secrets are revealed than either of them expected.

The story unfolds against the backdrop of the village preparing for a 1940s weekend – one of Callie’s new initiatives planned to appeal to visitors and to the ghosts from that time that are still around. There’s bunting everywhere, the shop windows are suitably decorated with wartime memorabilia, Brief Encounter is playing at the vintage cinema, the speakers are blaring Glenn Miller and songs from the time, everyone gets dressed up – but the ongoing story has a rather darker edge, as the truth about events of the past slowly emerges.

The characters are simply wonderful – I loved Shona with all my heart, trying to do the right thing by everyone whatever the personal consequences. Max was a lovely surprise too, with layers to his personality and history that were slowly uncovered – and I really believed in their slow-burn and gentle romance, along with all the barriers in its way. And as for Polly – her personal story was unexpected, and absolutely heartbreaking. The family relationships were beautifully drawn too – Shona’s with her daughters and father Jimmy, Max’s more complicated one with daughter Rissa, and Polly’s with the family she loves while wrestling with her own difficult memories and wartime secrets.

I absolutely loved the ghosts – distinct and very real personalities, all with their own stories. It was particularly good to get to know Harmony Hill (what a great character!), a 1940s Hollywood starlet who Shona tries to get involved in the events of the weekend, but who ultimately plays a rather more significant role in the story. Then there’s Isaac, the seventeenth century landlord of the village pub causing real complications by listening in to conversations – and the 1920s Reverend Silas angrier than ever about the influx of visitors. And as for the Roman centurion Quintus Severus, constantly patrolling the village perimeter – he has his own part to play in the cleverly constructed and quite wonderful story.

There’s humour, there’s drama, and there’s heartbreak – and the author’s emotional touch is faultless. The pacing is perfect, and the 1940s mystery kept me engaged throughout – but so did many aspects of the present day story, especially the desire for Shona and Max to have their own happy ending. The world the author has built is something so very special – such an imagination, such superb storytelling, and this book delighted me every bit as much as the first in the series. I’m very much looking forward to my next visit…

DNF - I unfortunately did not finish this book. It was a very interesting premise and reading it was enjoyable, but the pacing was slow and it was very confusing that the chapters did not say which character’s perspective we are in in a multiple-POV book. It does read very cozy and family-oriented, including the ghosts, which I enjoyed, but it was not for me. Fans of The Spellshop and Chocolate Chip Cookie Murders would enjoy this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Full of whimsy, ghosts, and history!

I really enjoy reading about the quirky village of Rowan Vale where history is alive… and so are the ghosts!

In this book we get to learn more about Shona who runs the local teashop and her family, including the ghost of her great-aunt, Polly. I love that there’s a town full of ghosts and that they have everyday lives, hold grudges, fall in–and out–love, take care of each other, and contribute to the betterment of Rowan Vale.

In Loving Spirits at the Vintage Teashop, there’s mystery, surprises, and loads of history surrounding World War II. It’s such a treat to read.

I was able to relate to Shona so well and her life as a single mom. She’s resilient and brave and deserves all the happiness in the world. The ghosts of Rowan Vale are lovely and steal the spotlight again in this delightfully whimsical story.

Though I did not realize this was book two in a series, I am really glad I picked it up. This was a cute, cozy mystery with likable characters and a quaint little village which seems to thrive on nostalgia and the resident ghosts of the area. It seems in the first book we must have resolved the issue of the "owner" of the village.

We follow Shona and her great-aunt "ghost" Polly, in this particular installment. Shona is about 50 years old and is the manager of the cute teashop in the village. One day, a new comer arrives in town and Shona is a bit smitten right off the bat, but Polly sees him and there is something about him which reminds her of her past and it also brings up some hard memories for her to face.

Max is in town, not only to find his daughter Rissa who has been working at a local farm, but to find out more information about his German grandfather who was supposedly a prisoner of war during WWII. Some of the stories he heard were pretty hard and he does not think she sugar coated village he sees is how they truly are. He thinks something more sinister lies underneath.

Overall, it's a feel good book with some comfort and a bit of romance. There's a little bit of history and coming to terms with the past as well but all done in quite a loving way. I think if you are looking for a cozy book series to start, I would recommend this one.

Loving Spirits at the Vintage Teashop by Sharon Booth is book two in a series about a village inhabited by ghosts. People of the town can see them—but only if they’re related, and even then not EVERYONE can see them. Bit of a bummer if your whole family can have a chat with grandma except you. The first book was from the viewpoint of a young girl ghost named Florrie as well as Callie, the new owner who can see ALL the ghosts (that is, after-all, what allowed her to become the person overseeing the town). This book is from the viewpoint of Shona Deakin (or is it Bannerman?) and her great-aunt Polly, who was murdered in 1948.

The focus is what happened to Polly that night, a mystery suddenly brought into the forefront when the grandson (Max) of a German POW soldier has arrived in Rowan Vale seeking answers of what awful atrocity was committed toward his grandfather during and just after the war.

I really enjoy that we’re going from someone else’s perspective in this one. I didn’t love Callie, but I was pleased to be tagging along with Shona. She’s curious but also thoughtful of other people’s feelings, and her romance with Max was sweet. I found it to be more believable and fun than Brodie and Callie, and I also thought they were given more time to interact and develop feelings, which was nice.

I guessed (correctly) what had happened to Polly, why it happened, and who was involved almost immediately, but that only made it more fun for me to see if I was right. The clues are there but it’s never in a “I wish the author would just get to the reveal already” way. It made the suspense of waiting for the shoe to drop that much more delightful.

So! I liked this book more than the first one—and the first one was decent—and I wonder where the author will go next. There are plenty of possibilities (Harmony Hill, Quintus Severus, Brooke and Danny…) with many directions available, which only leaves me excited for more stories from Rowan Vale! For a possible audience, I would recommend it to anyone who loves a very soft, chaste romance as well as ghostly shenanigans and mysteries.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Not only was just my first book by Sharon Booth. I didn’t realize that it was the second book in a series. With that being said, I did enjoy the book. It had a cute 1940s cozy mystery vibe. The characters will be written in the mystery was definitely interesting enough to keep my attention. I will definitely go back and read the first book of the series and look for more. this was very enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sharon Booth for this ARC for an honest review

First, I would like to thank Sharon Booth, her publishers, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This story is a sequel to Sharon's amazing book Kindred Spirits of Harling Hall which I absolutely loved. This book follows Shona, a divorced woman who is the manager of a teashop. She can see the ghost of her great aunt who has an interesting and devastating story about her death. Max shows up in town to make amends with his daughter, but he also comes searching for answers about his German POW grandfather. The reader must follow the mystery of how Shona's and Max's families' past are connected and solve the murder of Polly, Shona's great aunt.

Overall, I absolutely loved the mystery which is the main plot of this book; however, as much as I love a romance, I did not love Max and Shona's. I wanted to love it, but I felt like there wasn't much chemistry. The book was very much a slow burn (the romance began 68% in). The author did a very good job showing how the characters were attracted to each, but she only showed one awkward date and then skimmed over the rest of the relationship. I was hoping for a little bit more depth or more glimpses of their relationship. I loved the plot and all of the returning ghosts and characters. I can't wait to see what Sharon Booth has next.

Loving Spirits at the Vintage Tea Shop is about Shona, a middle-aged single woman living in Rowan Vale and managing her families tea shop. Shona has a special ability: the chance to see and talk to her long-passed Aunt Polly, who was murdered in the 1940’s. When the father of a fellow worker at Rowan Vale shows up demanding answers as to why his father was abused during World War 2, things get sticky. Shona finds herself falling for Max, but can he accept that she can see ghosts, and that everything isn’t as it seems?

I absolutely adored this story and have nothing negative to say about it. I loved everything: the characters, the setting, the ghosts, the mystery plot, the twist at the end, all of it. It made me feel so cozy and lovely and I was smiling and laughing audibly by the time I finished reading. I cannot say enough good things about this book, as well as the first in their series. It might be my favorite series of the year and I’m so hoping Sharon Booth has more stories in this world in the works because I will absolutely read them all.

Loving Spirits at the Vintage Teashop by Sharon Booth is the second title in the cosy Rowan Vale Ghosts series.

Cover designed by Rachel Lawston.

The village of Rowan Vale and its residents are charming. Fifty-something Shona, manager of the Teashop, and her Aunt Polly, a ghost, are central characters in the story. Add in a 40s weekend, a mystery, and a bit of romance and you have one great, easy to fall into book.

I definitely want to read more in this series!

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books
for this ARC in return for my honest review.

Boldwood Books
June 25, 2025

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This is not a book I would have readily chosen from a bookshelf but I have been pleasantly surprised. Sharon writes with warmth. A good story and lovely characters.

I didn't realize that this was a second book in a series so I was a little confused about some things. I still enjoyed the story though! I liked the murder mystery vibe and the 1940s theme. I had some trouble in the beginning understanding who the different characters were and whose point of view I was reading from, but overall it was a very cute and easy read! Thank you NetGalley for my ARC.

Though I've enjoyed book 1,i didn't connect well with the FMC but I had loved the side characters. So, I was really pleased to read more about other characters and ghosts.
The setting is charming, moving stories and great relationships.

Loving Spirits at the Vintage Teashop is the second book in the Ghosts of Rowan Vale series. I've truly adored both of these books and I'd highly recommend reading them both and in order if possible (that being said, this book does an awesome job of recapping so you definitely could just jump into book 2, I just personally found book 1 to be a lovely book and a great intro to this world).

This series is fantastic for anyone into cozy paranormal books! Loving Spirits specifically would appeal even more to those who love cozy paranormal mysteries specifically because there is a really cool mystery aspect to this book. I love the way that Sharon Booth chose to focus this book on a different person in the community and allowed the readers to get to know other characters and ghosts.

Shona and Polly were fantastic FMCs and I enjoyed the way both of their stories unfolded and intertwined with each other. All of the characters in these books are interesting and compelling, I cannot wait to learn more about them all as this series continues! The whole town is wonderfully quirky and even has town meetings like in Gilmore Girls. The first book had a big Found Family aspect to it and while this one is more about actual family, the warm fuzzy vibes are all still excellent.

I am so happy to have stumbled upon another wonderful cozy paranormal series and I cannot recommend these books enough! If you're a Danielle Garrett fan, you will absolutely adore this.


Thank you so much to Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read this early!

Loving Spirits at the Vintage Teashop by Sharon Booth

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

Fifty-something Shona grew up in the village and now runs its vintage, 1940s-themed teashop. Not everyone knows that the previous manager, her great-aunt Polly, still lives there too… as a ghost!

When newcomer Max arrives, hoping to find out more about the place where his German grandfather was a prisoner of war, both Shona and Polly are unsettled. Shona, because handsome, interesting Max is the first man to catch her eye since her divorce, and Polly, because she must finally confront the terrible truth about her past.

A 1940s-themed weekend planned for the village brings the families’ connections to a head and tragic secrets to light.

Can Shona help her ghostly great-aunt to find love and forgiveness once more, while also creating her own happy ever after?

My Opinion

I haven’t read the first book in the series but I still found that Loving Spirits at the Vintage Teashop was an enjoyable read. Sharon Booth has created a great series with an interesting premise. A cosy and heart-warming read.

Rating 4/5

Review Dorothy Parker style:
I found myself on the blog tour for the second book in this series, and it occurred to me (with the slow horror of realizing one has left the iron on while vacationing in Vienna) that I had, in my infinite negligence, failed to review the first. Naturally, I decided to atone the way any self-respecting book reviewer does: by smudging my lipstick, sighing deeply, and writing one review for both. Efficiency, darling—it’s next to godliness.
Sharon Booth, bless her storytelling heart, has written other series that were perfectly charming, but this one? This one pirouetted past them all and gave me that rare and bewildering feeling one might call... enjoyment.
In The Kindred Spirits of Harling Hall, we’re introduced to a heroine who talks to ghosts with the ease most people reserve for houseplants. Callie, the new gal in town, has the dubious honor of being qualified to protect said town solely on the basis of her spiritual party line to the afterlife. The village? Quaint. The ghosts? Chatty. The magic system? Delightfully structured, like a very polite séance with rules.
It's a tale of finding oneself—or several versions of oneself, depending on how many spectral former selves are floating about—and attempting to fit into a village filled with living people and dead ones who still think they run the neighborhood watch.
Loving Spirits at the Vintage Teashop begins with a 1940s-themed weekend (because nothing says community bonding like ration cards and tea dances) and introduces Shona, who runs a charming teashop with the unsolicited assistance of her ghostly Aunt Polly. Enter Max, who turns up looking for family, stirs some long-buried secrets (as one does), and provides ample opportunity for brooding, revelations, and perhaps—if the lighting is right—romance.
The entire series is a warm cashmere throw in book form. Rowan Vale is the sort of place one escapes to when reality feels rather too much like a Monday with a migraine. It made me smile, occasionally sigh, and absolutely forget to water my ficus. I consider that a strong endorsement.
Many thanks to Boldwood Books and Rachel’s Random Resources for the digital copies, though any opinions—witty or otherwise—are entirely mine.

My original review:
I'm on the blog tour for the second instalment in this series, but I noticed I hadn't written a review for the first book (my bad), so I decided to write a combined review of both.
First things first: I've read other series by Sharon Booth, and this is my favourite so far.
There's a lovely setting, humour, emotion, and well-done, intriguing world-building. I loved how the magic system works and how the relationship with ghosts shapes the story.
I appreciated how the characters’ journeys, the paranormal elements, and the relationships were all well balanced.
The Kindred Spirits of Harling Hall is a lovely and well-plotted cosy fantasy that introduces the reader to this quaint village. Callie is the new girl in town, but she's also the one who meets the requirements to protect and own the village: she can communicate with ghosts—all of them.
This is a story about discovering new sides of oneself, trying to be accepted in a small community by both the living and the dead, and falling in love—even if your romantic interest might be an enemy.
Loving Spirits at the Vintage Teashop begins with Callie proposing a 1940s-themed weekend event for the village. Shona, the owner of the teashop, runs it with the help of the ghost of her Aunt Polly.
Max, a visitor searching for his uncle, uncovers old secrets, brings Polly’s past into the spotlight, and maybe sparks some new love stories.
It’s another cute and heartwarming book. I loved catching up with the characters and seeing how they’ve evolved. The world-building expands beautifully, with more detail and depth.
Rowan Vale is a lovely series—an excellent cosy fantasy that helps me relax, smile, and feel good.
Strongly recommended if you're looking to have fun and escape from the bleakness of reality.
Many thanks to Boldwood Books and Rachel’s Random Resources for the digital copies. All opinions are my own.

This is a very intriguing concept. I think it was well-written and refreshing, and it really delivered on the cosy vibes. The setting was quaint and inviting, deeply fleshed out, and the obvious result of an author with a lot of love for their art. This would be the perfect autumnal read.

I wasn’t sure what I was going into, but I was pleasantly surprised and enamoured by all the ghostly visitors, their stories, and the throwbacks to the 40s. The intimate look at the lives of those who lived through the war was equal parts compelling and heartbreaking.

My favourite part was the mystery aspect of this book. Did I expect it? No. But it worked so well coupled with the cosy vibes of a quaint town full of the dearly departed. And Polly? She was favourite of all. A mischievous and sweet soul with a few loose ends to tie up.

Overall a very captivating book. It is not alike my usual genre, but that is why I wanted to read this book—and I think it has started me looking for many more.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for this ARC.

In one word . . . Cute. This was a fun read. Set in the 1940ks with a little mystery sprinkled in. The atmosphere and the characters are very good. If you’re looking for a happy little story, I would definitely recommend it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sharon Booth for this ARC

3.5⭐️