REVIEW: The Ghosts of Rowan Vale by Sharon Booth

Kindred Spirits at Harling Hall & Loving Spirits at the Vintage Teashop by Sharon Booth - 4*

I love a ghost story. Feed me ghosts. All iterations and genres are welcome; I’m not picky when it comes to spectres. I guess that’s half the point; you don’t choose the ghosts, they choose you. 

When the first book in Sharon Booth’s ‘Ghosts of Rowan Vale’ slipped into my recommendations then, it was fated to be. Then I read the blurb and immediately bought it- a single mum stumbling headfirst into a haunted village that was as charming as it is populated by ghosts? Sign me up.

Disclaimer; this is as cosy as cosy gets when it comes to our ghostly friends. If you’re looking for something more uncanny or uncomfortable, check out Susan Hill or Stephen King, et al. 

Booth’s first novel was entrancing. ‘Kindred Spirits at Harling Hall’ follows the story of Callie, who inadvertently becomes the new owner of Cotswold village, Rowan Vale, thanks to her ability to see all its spectral inhabitants during a school trip with her daughter. When offered guardianship of the Vale, and all that role entails, Callie decides to take a leap into the literal unknown. A golden ticket to a new life, one that could be steeped in fantasy (and perhaps a bit of love on the side). 

We see Callie and her daughter Immi settle into the Davenport’s manor, navigating familial tension and the loss of a prescribed vision of the future. It’s all very real, ironically, and the ghosts add their own dash of humanity to the plot with multiple underlying plots letting you into their lives (and their afterlives). There’s also a splash of romance with the grandson of current owner, Lawrence Davenport, the grumpy Brodie, which adds to the overarching lovely feeling you get while reading. 

I finished Kindred Spirits in a day, and felt sad and bereft afterwards as all good books are want to do. It’s the book that reminds you there are good people in the world, and that good things can happen at random. It does also ignite the belief that somewhere, out in the seemingly boring world, there are places of magic. I may also have recently read the ‘Thousand Doors of January’, so that may be rose tinting my view a smidge. Nevertheless; this is a ghost novel that reminds you of the magic of being alive, and the love that follows you afterwards. 

Thankfully, there was more to come. I immediately pre-ordered its follow up, ‘Loving Spirits at the Vintage Teashop’, knowing that Rowan Vale was a good place to return to. I was welcomed back with open arms, and a surprisingly fantastic lemon cake. 

Shona, manager of the local village teashop and baker extraordinaire has not had it easy, following her divorce and move back to her family home. We meet her as she’s settled into her new life, happy with her friends, her family relationships, and her work running the generational shop. Obviously, it wouldn’t be a ghost novel without a ghost, and Shona’s Aunt Polly is one hell of a ghost. This novel follows the intertwining fates of Polly and Shona, as we unravel the story of Polly’s fateful death and the mystery of the handsome stranger who is more connected than you would initially believe. 

I’ll do my best not to spoil this book as it’s only recently published, but wow- what a follow-up. This feels much more murder-mystery than the first, which I think really compels you to get to the end to find out what happened. Thankfully, it’s a really satisfying, if yet sad, ending, that perfectly rounds off the story. You fall in love with entirely new characters, all whilst getting glimpses of our original heroes throughout. Characters’ backstories are deepened, new areas are explored in the Vale, and time moves forward; everything you need in a good sequel. It has all the cosy, loveliness of the first novel, with a new perspective and story that adds to the ‘Ghosts of Rowan Vale’ series without taking anything away. 

‘Loving Spirits at the Village Teashop’ also leads very nicely into its coming novel, set for release in September. In ‘Christmas Spirits at Honeywell House’, Carrie sets her sights on the village holding a Dickensian Christmas following the success of a 40’s event that sets the scene of the second novel. I’m picturing: fluffy hats, red cloaks, and roaring fires. 

There’s a beautiful tradition of ghosts and Christmas, with everything gathering together in front of the fireplace with a glass of warming sherry or red wine to hand. One person pipes up, “would you like to hear a ghost story?” and then a seductively mysterious woman who has been sitting in the shadows stands and walks over. “I have a ghost story for you.” That may just be the opening to Mike Flanagan’s take on ‘The Turn of the Screw’, ‘The Haunting of Bly Manor’ on Netflix, but it just feels right. 

Anyway- ghosts at Christmas. Christmas ghosts. Once again Sharon booth; sign me up. 

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