Better Homes and Hauntings

Better Homes and Hauntings by Molly Harper is about a gardener/landscaper who wins a bid to completely redo the grounds of a historical mansion on an island supposedly haunted by the ghosts of the woman who was murdered there long ago. Parts of the book are scary, but it's more of a light-hearted, ghostly, and cheesy friend and romance story.

(picture taken from Goodreads)

First Impression: This story is really cute. The characters are fun, if a bit obvious. There isn't a lot of substance to the book, but I'm enjoying Harper's lighthearted, humorous trip into the paranormal. Although I like Nina, her character is a little confusing (supposedly from her experiences both romantic and work-related). Deacon is fantastic--a geeky girl's dream man. So far, I'm enjoying this little break between more serious reads.

Conclusion: I enjoyed this quite a bit, despite more minor expectations. The storyline was predictable, but I felt that excusable for the type of book. It was very charming, and I liked the developing relationship between Deacon and Nina, although I felt Jake and Cindy's relationship to be more appropriately paced. The ghost sub-story was a bit predictable but still well-developed and quite creepy in conclusion. The climax was really good. I don't know about the very end, though. It was forced, too cheesy, and a little weak. (Since Nina is a gardener, I felt that a more natural approach would have been more appropriate--plus, talk about fast-moving!) Also, everyone getting weepy about family and their futures was a bit much for me. I guess that's pretty typical of quick reads like this. So overall, fun but a little too sappy for me in the end.

Recommendation: If you like easy and quick reads about romance and friendship with a touch of the paranormal, this is the book for you!