I expected more “hauntings” and more drama. A quaint story that doesn’t quite get flushed out. The author gives better descriptions of the Smoky Mountains than of the story.

**Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley in exchange of an honest review. **

Talk about lose to home, I live right off the blue ridge parkway, grew up in the mountain with no one around…. It would have been awesome to have a witch around so I could see what she could do hehe. Five stars, loved it, sucked me right in

Maybe I'm just not into horror books? Felt cheesy to me. I enjoyed the paranormal aspect but didn't find it very scary at all. I think the best part was the descriptions of the scenery! Overall, it's a quick read, with some mediocre characters.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for a chance to read and review this book. This was a new author for me and overall I found this to be a very enjoyable read. This book was a quick read and there was just enough supernatural elements to the story to make it interesting. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone.

The Haunting of Laurel Cove by Lucy Naylor Kubash - 5/5

Mystery & Thriller - Romance - Sci Fi & Fantasy
Available on Barnes & Nobles, KOBO, and BookShop.

During The Haunting of Lauren Cove, Jane returns to the Smokey Mountains to an old family house after enduring a brutal mugging, only to find herself obsessing over a local legend. This is such a great read, it truly begins sucking all of your attention into the details, the blossoming reconnection between two old lovers and like a flip of switch, turns on you. I love a book with this many twists and turns and always keeps you on your toes wondering what will happen next.

Thank you NetGalley and The Wild Rose Press, Inc. for the eARC.

A cool, interesting concept. While I love how this novel can be a quick, summer read, I personally wish that there would’ve been a bit more of everything. More backstory for our protagonist, more world building, more delving into Cissy, more intro to Brendan, deeper connection with family, etc. I liked what’s there but just wanted more. I really did enjoy the vibe of the novel and would recommend it for people who are looking for a quick, spooky, witchy, but not gory read.

Interesting premise, some great characters, and some really wonderful eerie tension here and there. However the writing felt a bit stilted - there's elements of lovely prose but they're thrown out of whack by how dry the rest of the text can be.

This was so good and entertaining! Thrilling and kept me turning the pages. I love a book like this! Highly recommend.

Short ,little mystery of the past , uncovered by descendants. It was ok,,, not very fleshed out but it was short so I can see there wasn’t time for that. A little. It of the mystical involved, which I’m not really a fan of, but it was ok.

Unfortunately I had to DNF this book… I tried hard many times to get into this book, but I just couldn’t. I got almost halfway through the book and still wasn’t sure where the author was going with the story. It just seemed very scattered with many missing pieces making it hard to follow.

Thank you NetGalley and The Wild Rose Press, Inc for the digital ARC of The Haunting of Laurel Cove.

This is more of a 2.5, but I'm being generous and rounding up to a 3. I think the things that drove me crazy about this book was the fact that it skipped major pieces or chunks of time in the story and just jumped around them. It drove me nuts. The best part about the book and only thing that kept me reading was I was invested in Cissy's background and the "ghost" (but not really) ghost story. I didn't really guess the twist at the end so that was nice. It was an okay book, nothing mind-blowing. The lack of detain and complete skimming over and skipping over time and parts of time in the story in random parts just really threw it for me.

Thank you to The Wild Rose Press, Inc. for a copy of this novel in exchange for a review.

The Haunting of Laurel Cove is a short, enthralling novel about Jane's return home and a small town conspiracy to cover up her family's long-held secrets.

A quick but enticing read, I highly recommend The Haunting of Laurel Cove to any reader looking for a few spooky vibes without going too dark or creepy. The only reason I gave it 3 stars instead of 4 or 5 is because I wanted more payoff from the buildup that happened early on. I felt like everything was explained much too easily.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book for an honest review.

What a great read. Romance and mystery all tied up with an historical element.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I really enjoyed the first part of it because it was intriguing, and I wanted to discover more and more about everything. The second half was good at the beginning, but I think that the ending was a little bit rushed. Overall, I loved the atmosphere the author created with this book. I felt like I was there with Jane and her cute dog trying to discover the mystery behind not the death but the person of Cissy. The plot was interesting, and even though at a certain point the killer was apparent, I liked the little plot twists here and there. The past of this book is fast; you can easily read it in one sitting. It's a good mystery that makes me intrigued to read more about this genre.

I want to start by saying this book was very cute, Lucy Naylor Kubash understands good plot line development and the novellas pace was well set.

What I liked: good twists, some I predicted, others I didn’t…Kubash is good at setting you up to think you’re getting something and then she gives you something better instead. The length was good, fairly short and sweet, told the story well, I didn’t feel like anything more needed to be said. The geographical information is well set and researched and I enjoyed the descriptive nature.

What I didn’t like: Kubash is obviously from a different generation than her MC, even with her being southern of heart snd reserved you can still tell that Cecelia’s character is more grandma like than she should be. The book is flagged as romance when I would say more like “love interest” but it’s there, just not spicy. That’s also ok, I just love a good Thriller/Romance and this was a bit light on the heat.

Overall, good book, 3.5 stars, would recommend!

Thank you NetGallery for the ARC.

The Haunting of Laurel Cove by Lucy Naylor Kubash is a spine-tingling tale of terror and suspense. The story follows the mysterious events that unfold when a young woman moves into a seemingly idyllic home. As strange occurrences begin to take place, the woman must confront the dark secrets of the past that haunt the house and the town. With a gripping plot and a cast of unforgettable characters, The Haunting of Laurel Cove is sure to keep readers on the edge of their seats.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars
👻/5 spooky
❓❓/5 mysterious
Paranormal
Mysterious
Quick read
Country mountain setting
Past enemies to lovers
Happy ending.

Jane is a YA paranormal author. After experiencing trauma in her NY apartment she decides to retreat back to her former smoky mountain home. Her grandmother recently passed and left her cabin to Jane. While Jane retreats for a little R&R she is haunted by last family members, and the secrets they hold. Jane feels compelled to unearth these secrets even if it might lead to her grim end.

For me this book started out very slow. I had a hard time getting into it. I felt it lacked depth and suspense. Jane’s dreams were a big part of her uncovering the mystery of the last but the were rushed over and lacked detail. About 65% through the book things started to pick up and I started to get more into it, but it was very obvious who was behind it all.

I went into the book expecting a spooky vibes and a big mystery with a side of romance. While there was a little bit of spookiness with the abandoned cabin and the dark robed woman, it lacked in suspense, and romance.

This book was a quick and easy read. I finished it within a few hours of starting it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wild Rose Press for an ecopy of the book for review.

Ugh. I nearly DNF'd after the first few pages. The writing style is flowery and over the top, the "instant attraction" plot far fetched. Not creepy at all and more like a Hallmark horror. Just overall not a fan. Might just be me but it was too sachrine

This was such a disappointing read. First I didn’t realize it was a novella until I started it and I wouldn’t have picked it up if I had known. Second? This should not be identified as a romance. Just because something contains romantic elements doesn’t mean it should be included in the genre. Now for the bits of the actual story that irritated me: our MC was a young adult paranormal mystery author but she was the most dense character I’ve read in a long time, especially when the whole plot was supposedly in her wheelhouse; the “mystery” and reveal was so glaringly obvious nothing surprising happened; and it lacked overall atmosphere, chills, and suspense. I can’t even consider it a cozy mystery? It simply didn’t work.

*Thank you to Wild Rose Press, Lucy Naylor Kubash, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

After the death of her grandmother, best selling author Jane Stuart returns to her childhood home in the Smoky Mountains to decide how to proceed with the home that has been left to her. Living in New York City for many years, Jane hopes to find the peace and quiet she needs to heal after a brutal attack from an intruder robbing her apartment. While driving into Laurel Cove, she passes a strange ghost like lady on the side of the road. She begins delving into the local legends and there is even a little romance. I really enjoyed this novel. Kubash's characters are definitely multi-layered and I enjoyed some of the other mini-plots throughout the book.