“The perfect romance or beach read, with a difference: its enthusiasm and beautiful descriptions offer an unexpected attention to the complexity of not just evolving love, but evolving psyches. It’s a delightful recommendation for romance readers looking for a touch more complexity from their romance reads.”–Midwest Book Review (For Now and Forever)THE GHOSTLY GROUNDS: MURDER AND BREAKFAST is … GROUNDS: MURDER AND BREAKFAST is the debut novel in a charming new cozy mystery series by bestselling author Sophie Love, author of The Inn at Sunset Harbor series, a #1 Bestseller with over 200 five-star reviews.
Marie Fortune, 39, a successful dog groomer in Boston, has had enough of catering to the wealthy and their pampered dogs. Realizing it is time to make a change, she quits and heads to a small coastal town in Maine where she remembers fond summers as a kid. Marie expects to go for a brief getaway—and is shocked to learn that her great-aunt left her an inheritance: a dilapidated, historic house high up on a hill overlooking the harbor.
Marie feels an instant connection. Although the locals tell her it would be folly, Marie decides to renovate and give it a second life as a B&B.
But there is one thing she couldn’t have planned for: the house is haunted.
Two things, actually: her great-aunt also left her a dog—and he is far from a typical dog.
When an unexpected death occurs soon thereafter, solving the crime will be more than just a matter of curiosity for Marie—her very future may depend on it.
A page-turning cozy, packed with mystery, love, hauntings, travel, pets and food—anchored around a small town and a B&B in need of renovation that will capture your heart—THE GHOSTLY GROUNDS is an un-putdownable cozy that will keep you turning pages (and laughing out loud) late into the night.
“The romance is there, but not overdosed. Kudos to the author for this amazing start of a series that promises to be very entertaining.”
–Books and Movies Reviews (For Now and Forever)
Books #2-#6 are also available!
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Easy read, not terribly original!
Very enjoyable, fast read. Nothing serious, just entertaining.
Not a Whole Lot To This Story
The beginning showed promise, up to the point where the great-aunt dies. I liked the descriptions of the town, Marie’s inherited house and grounds, but after that, there wasn’t much to the story. Just common themes lacking originality. The ghost angle hardly sparked a flicker of interest before it was over. Disappointing.
This book carried real coziness to it. I enjoyed every bit. Thank you, author.
I really enjoyed this book.
good book
This was just a fun book to read and very interesting.
Loved it. Just enough of everything to make for a good story. Old friends, new friends, murder, haunting and some really good laughs.
Good characters, and action! Looking forward to reading more!
Didn’t live it but was good for a couple of hours of diversion.
Was disappointed in the ending as it is necessary to buy the next book in order to find out what transpires with the two main characters. I love reading but prefer to have a true ending to the story I am reading. I like to vary my material and change authors and story lines, don’t like to jump right into the same general story.
3.5 stars
A perfect lead into a cozy and warm Halloween.
Cozy Mysteries- for when I’m in the mood for a few bumps and paranormal twists, without any serious horror.
Themes:
Bed-And-Breakfast- Gothic style, Possibly Haunted, Outdated and Spooky
Beachfront Setting (felt a tad off compared to the aesthetic, but I understand why this was done)
Small Renovations- Hiring contractors, things going wrong with the house, these added elements kept the story moving along
Paranormal Occurrences- blended believers and debunkers nicely! The scenes were pretty good, especially the BIG paranormal scene. 🙂
Murder Mystery- classic cozy mystery but this one had a more real feel to it.
Investigations- Small town sheriff and police work (the usual this would never happen, laid back police work) + classic cozy DIY sleuth detective work.
A Lighthouse- Possibly Haunted?
Canine for doggy lovers!- Boo, the black dog. Cute. Feisty. Loved him.
Food/Cooking- I craved the hot chocolate and pancakes that were described. The food sounded so good I could smell breakfast in the air which made my stomach gurgle with hunger! Well done!
This was a cute and fun cozy. I was unsure who to point fingers at the majority of the mystery. I loved all the mysterious elements including ghost hunting. The romance was the equivalency of a crush, lightly touched on, it kept it kind and sweet.
I downloaded this e-book while it was free on Amazon because the cover was super cute and I thought it would make for a perfect lead into a cozy and warm Halloween. I was under no obligation to write a review, my honest opinion is freely given.
Note for author/editor:
The Kindle E-Book edition had quite a few typos that need correction yet.
As far as the other 2 stories in the series go, I plan on checking them out next Halloween when they are all polished up!
[11/4/20- Ghostly Grounds #1 is still available for free download on Amazon, if you are interested in checking it out.]
This is the first book I’ve read that was written by this author but I liked it. After Marie inherits her aunt’s gothic-style and reportedly haunted house, her childhood dream of running a B&B seems possible. When one of her guests is killed, she’s a suspect. She and a handsome ghost hunter work to find the murderer. But, can she trust him? This was an interesting book for me. I will probably like to read the other books in the series.
What a fun start to a new series. Great characters, a fun dog, ghosts or not. Very enjoyable and entertaining read. Cannot wait to read more by this author
Enjoyable.