High Spirits was a really enjoyable read. I loved the first book in this series, so I was eager to read the second one. Carol J. Perry is one of my favorite cozy mystery authors and she didn't disappoint me with this book. The reader gets a little more information on what, or should I say who, brought Maureen to Haven House Inn. But there's still plenty left to discover before that mystery is completely unraveled. The murder mystery was intriguing because it didn't just cover a murder in present-day Haven, but also a murder in Haven's past. I do wish ghosts had factored in this story a little more though. I'm looking forward to the next book in this series as I can't wait to see what happens next for Maureen and the Haven House Inn.

A cold case turns fresh when a movie theater owner involved in the original case is found dead. Maureen and her paranormal skills are back again to investigate. Another solid cozy mystery!

What's fantastic book! Loved the characters and the fun story. Excellent plot that kept me reading and didn't want to end!

Do you like beaches, hotels, old Hollywood movie stars & ghosts? Then this is the series for you! This is book two & I absolutely loved the first one. Perry does a magical job of adding the supernatural into her book yet still keeping it grounded enough to enjoy. Maureen takes having a ghost roommate quite well & when others pop up she takes it in stride. I loved that the mystery involved digging into the past. If you like the paranormal added into your cozy series, you can’t go wrong with this one.

Add in a dash of Christmas & you’ve got a fantastic sophomore book!

4.5 Stars!

I become a fan of Carol J. Perry, when I read the first book in this series: Be My Ghost. I found the book to be different, with a Haunted Florida setting, charming characters, and a spooky, let fun read. So, when I saw that High Spirits was available to request on NetGallery, I just had to read it.

High Spirits is another wonderful addition to the Haunted Haven Mystery series. I truly enjoyed reading this book, and recommend adding it to your reading list. Having a Florida Christmas theme, this time added a spooky holiday fun to the story. All the characters I enjoyed from the first book were back, along with some new characters.

My thanks to Kensington Publishing for a digital copy of this book for my review. I look forward to reading more of A Haunted Haven Mystery series!

Maureen Dohery is back and she and Ted are trying to find a way to make more money so they can make additional improvements to the Inn. With the holiday 12 Days of Christmas movies playing at the old movie house, they decide to tie in a dinner and a movie special with the event. It looks like this may be just the ticket, but at the first movie showing the projectionist is found murdered in his seat. Does this tie into a murder that happened back in the theater a long time ago? Can Maureen help solve an old cold case that was dropped because the victim was “nobody important”.

With Christmas approaching, Ted worries that Maureen will put herself in trouble if she helps the police, but with her ghosts on her side, she has information that others can’t get on this side of the veil. Will it be a Merry Christmas in Florida, or will be be a cold one with the case remaining cold?

This is the second entry in this series and I’m enjoying it. While I love the mysteries that each book brings, I also have been hooked by finding out HOW Maureen came to inherit the Inn and who is behind it. So many questions, so many more snippets of detail to wait for. LOVE IT! I also adore Carol’s other series set in Salem, MA and have both on my watch list as new entries are released.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
High Spirits, the 2nd book of A Haunted Haven Mystery by Carol J. perry was a great thrill ride.

If you like cozy murder mysteries that are at a smooth pace, fun, and dive more into character development you will love this series.

Our MC, supporting characters, and even villain at then end of the story are all well thought out and written characters. I really enjoyed getting to learn more about how Maureen came into her inheritance of the Inn; and how she was employing different ideas and businesses to help her get the inn back up to shape.

I very much enjoyed this cozy murder mystery and recommend Carol J. Perry's other series as well.

Book #2 in the Haunted Haven Mysteries. This one is just as good as the first. Likeable characters who are well developed. Entertaining story line and plot. Lots of red herrings. Thanks #netgalley and #Keningston for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

I was in a reading funk for a bit, just not jiving with anything I was reading, and the last 3-4 books have been top notch. This one was too! A cozy mystery with the perfect dollop of psychic. I adore Maureen and Tom, and I'm working on deciding on how I feel about Officer Hubbard. And who wouldn't love Lorna?! Worth picking up!

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are mine and mine alone.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4814537514

This is the second installment of Carol Perry's series about the new boutique hotel owner Maureen Daugherty. She's roped into helping the local detective solve a cold case while running her inn and trying to solve the mystery of how she came to inherit it from a total stranger. An enjoyable read with likeable characters and a few friendly ghosts.

Maureen Doherty lost her job and didn't no where to turn when she'd found that she'd inherited Haven House in Florida. The inn is old, and needs plenty of work, but has a lack of funds due to the mismanagement of the previous manager. But Maureen knows how to plan, and she's hoping to figure out a way to save it.

Then comes Decklin Monroe, an old actor who is now a projectionist of old two-reel movies at the Paramount, a theater also in need of repairs. Maureen has come up with an idea: have a dinner and a movie night. Purchase theater tickets, and include a dinner at the hotel's restaurant, giving them some proceeds -- which are better than none. But Decklin's story of a murder in the theater, and the ghost who haunts it, bothers Maureen, even though she doesn't let it interfere with her idea.

But at the first showing, there is another murder, and now people are wondering who killed this person, and police officer Frank Hubbard is none too happy with Maureen right now, but still needs her help in finding the killer. With a full house on board for Christmas, a ghost haunting her suite, and a murder to solve, it will be a wonder if Maureen can actually find a killer...

This is the second book in the series and I have to say that I enjoyed it quite as much as I did the first. Ms. Perry weaves a story well, and it was full of plenty of goings-on and a few ghosts to boot. Watching her try to keep the Haven House and keep it running is worth it, and her staff is fiercely loyal to her and the old inn as well. What I found humorous was the fact that Finn loves to be read to -- books about dogs, of course!

But who killed the latest victim? I had my own insights, and I read a lot of mysteries, so I had the culprit halfway through the book. I just didn't know how. That was all explained carefully, believably, and capably. This series is a delightful entry to the cozy genre, and the characters are becoming more defined, which I know will continue with each book.

The ending does have a nice epilogue, and it ties everything together in a brightly colored Christmas bow, and gives us something to look forward to in the next in the series. There are also a few yummy recipes in the back. Highly recommended.

I received an advance copy from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

I received a free copy of HIGH SPIRITS (Book 2 of the Haunted Haven Mysteries) by Carol J. Perry in exchange for an honest review. In employing new methods to cross-promote her inn with other local businesses, Maureen finds herself wrapped up in solving a movie theater murder. I enjoyed this book as well as the first.

#HighSpirits #NetGalley

I received this ARC via Netgalley and Kensington Books, in return for an honest review. While the second book in this series, it is easily read as a standalone. I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait for the next in this series, involving a Gulf Coast town with lots of resident ghosts, the female protagonist who’s the new owner of the Haven House hotel and restaurant, and the mysteries of an old and a new murder. Throw in that Maureen has no idea how or why she received the inheritance of the Haven House and there’s so much to solve in this book. Truly delightful with an interesting an quirky cast of characters.

Likable characters…story intriguing but moves somewhat slowly…this book was sent to me by Netgalley for review… this is a talented author who weaves a story that keeps the reader’s interest…what will happen next?

amateur-sleuth, chef, cold-case, cozy-mystery, Florida, friendship, ghosts, inheritance, innkeeper, law-enforcement, murder, murder-investigation, pets, preternatural, read, recipes, restoration, senior-citizens, small-business, small-town*****

Maureen had a surprise inheritance of an inn in Haven, Florida just as her career in Boston as a retail buyer came to an abrupt end. This venture is a new one for her and there is little actual money involved as the place has turned into a money sink. The inn is haunted by the glamorous ghost of an actress long dead who loves reading dog stories to Maureen's golden, Finn. Then there's the multitalented chef, an oddly behaving policeman, all the employees who love the inn, the locals with long memories and an appreciation of the luminaries who used to stay at the inn all those years ago.
The publisher's blurb is pretty good, so no need to repeat or do spoilers. I loved this one just as much as the first!
I requested and received a free e-book copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

I enjoyed this book a lot. It’s a fast easy read. The characters are great including the ghosts. I thought the ending is a bit abrupt but good. I was definitely surprised by who the killer is. #HighSpirits #NetGalley

Carol Perry’s sophomore effort in this new series lives up to high expectations I had after the first Maureen Doherty/Haven Inn story.

Maureen and the gang are back and busy with trying to keep the Haven Inn afloat despite the lack of cash and the multitude of building projects needed. Maureen is a determined inn-owner, though, and very creatively improves what she can with what she has, often with the help of her colorful staff members.

The ghost show up here again, but play a peripheral role in the murder mystery, which doesn’t happen until several chapters into the story. This time, it involves Old Hollywood/Vegas with a side of organized crime. Officer Hubbard returns with his suspicion of Maureen, although it’s starting to feel like a crush more than annoyance; Maureen’s relationship with hunky chef/bartender Ted continues to simmer, and Maureen finds herself more and more embedded into the Haven community.

All in all, this is a promising cozy series for those days when you just want to read something enjoyable that doesn’t make you think too much.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Kensington Books and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Fun cozy mystery with likable characters. I found it unique, an interesting and entertaining story.

Christmas movies, ghosts and murder! A perfect blend for Carol J. Perry's second book in The Haunted Haven series. The Paramount movie theatre is showing 12 Christmas movies and Haven House offers dinner and a movie to the inn customers and the locals. A shooting in the theatre during the first movie sets the mystery. Officer Hubbard takes the lead and finally asks Maureen for help. Together they solve a murder from the 1970's along with the latest murder.

I love this series and couldn't wait for this book to come out. The characters from the inn including the ghosts are fun and well developed. Finn will always be a favorite!. And in this book we get a budding romance. Great book and I can't wait for the next in the series.

High Spirits by Carol J. Perry is a great paranormal cozy mystery that is the second book in the fun series: A Haunted Haven Mystery.

I just love a cozy mystery with a paranormal thread, if it is done right and this series definitely is a picture-perfect example of how it should be done. Maureen Doherty is a great lead character, and she does a great job balancing her amateur sleuthing, running a hotel/restaurant, her ghostly “friends” and residents, remodeling, and a certain special someone.

The murder mystery was entertaining, the cast of characters unique and engaging, and the three things I loved the most:

Finn the adorable Golden, the Christmas setting, and the ending!

Looking forward to the next book in the series.

4/5 stars

Thank you NG and Kensington Books for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 10/25/22.