I just finished this book, and it is so fun! The first thing I have to say is that this isn’t exactly a romance; it’s more of a mystery with romance in it. I wasn’t going to pick it up because I thought it was all romance, so I’m very glad I did. This book isn’t without a few problems, mostly it’s slow in the beginning, but it made me laugh out loud at one point in the book. That scene was so darn funny! I really hope this is the first of a series because there’s so much potential there, and there are a few things that I’d like to find out about. A wonderful debut book, and I’m hoping for much more. Recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

Margaritas, Chips, Queso + Tarot Cards = the perfect combo
Thank you, PRH Audio, for the gifted copy of An Enchanting Case of Spirits {partner}

Genre: Cozy Mystery
Format: 🎧
Audiobook Narration: ☆☆☆☆.5
Pub Date: 4.9.2024
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆

While browsing the list of soon-to-publish books on the PRH site, I stumbled across An Enchanting Case of Spirits and thought it sounded like just the book I sought. I’m so glad I decided to try it because it was such a fun and lighthearted read full of outstanding and well-developed characters.

Yes, there were themes of friendship, the death of a spouse, family, loss, and learning to love again, but it never felt too heavy. Many moments offered a comic reprieve, and even the ghosts that Alyssa communicated with left me chuckling at times.

👻 Paranormal cozy mystery
❤️ A bit of romance
😂 Lots of humor
🙌🏼 Well-developed characters
🥳 Series potential

An Enchanting Case of Spirits was the perfect cozy mystery for me, and I sincerely hope there is more to come from Alyssa and her friends!

Melissa Holtz combines a paranormal cozy mystery with some romance in her debut novel An Enchanting Case of Spirits. Alyssa Mann’s fortieth birthday has arrived and her friends Nina and Lanie aren’t about to let her sit home alone. After dragging her out for drinks, they surprise her with a visit to a psychic, Madame Corinne. The next morning, Alyssa wakes up with a hangover and a man perched on the edge of her bed.

In a panic, Alyssa runs next door to her detective neighbor’s house. Nick West searches and doesn’t find an intruder and Alyssa finally accepts that she saw a ghost. As other ghosts appear, she and her friends work to learn how to control her power and investigate the deaths of the ghosts.

The characterization is great in this novel. Alyssa isn’t adventurous, but she is organized, clumsy, and witty. She’s also a widow with a teenage daughter. Nick is skeptical, courteous, hates hypocrisy, and lives for the chance to help others. Alyssa’s daughter Ava is studious, empathetic, protective, and funny. Lanie is smart, charismatic, and loyal. Nina is practical, analytical, and has a secret she won’t share with her friends.

Romance and humor mix with amateur sleuthing and police investigations into several deaths providing a lighthearted and entertaining read. However, there was one secret that wasn’t revealed. Why refer to it multiple times and not have it play a role in the plot? Will there be a second book with these characters that resolves it. The pacing was a little slow in the beginning of the novel. While the connections made were a little obvious, I still enjoyed the story and the characters, but wished the ending wasn’t quite as rushed as it was.

Overall, this was a funny and light read that entertained me. If this becomes a series, I would read the next book. Themes include friendship, family, grief, romance, death, romance, helping others, and much more.

Berkley Publishing Group and Melissa Holtz provided a digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently expected to be April 9, 2024.

An Enchanting Case of Spirits by Melissa Holtz is an enchanting debut with a mystery and romantic story. We meet Alyssa Mann, our heroine, who has just turn 40, with a teenage daughter; and still grieves over the accidental death of her husband. Her two best friends (Lanie and Nina) drag her out for drinks, and they end up visiting a psychic medium for fun. They are all shocked when a ghostly event occurs, connecting Alyssa and the medium, Collette. The following morning, Alyssa wakes up with a hangover and a ghost sitting on the edge of her bed. At first, she is scared and upset, but she quickly realizes that whatever happened the night before, she now has the ability to see and talk to ghosts.

Alyssa realizes she now can see ghosts, who come to her to help them move on; and in a short time, she knows that the ghosts are in limbo and need help to cross over to the other side. So, Lanie and Nina, as well as Collette work together with Alyssa to solve why the ghosts cannot move on. With the first ghost still hanging around, two more ghosts will eventually appear; especially with ladies working hard to discover how the three deaths (which could include her husband’s accident) are connected.

Alyssa tries to explain to her neighbor, Nick West, who is a detective (and a hunk), about some clues the ladies have discovered, with help from the ghosts. Nick, who is attracted to Alyssa, refuses to listen to her suggestions, as he doesn’t believe that she knows something. But after he gets some facts about those deaths, Nick will slowly begin his own investigations, which will lead him to realize that she does see the dead. Nick will get his partner to research the deaths of four people locally, which will include the mayor.

What follows is Alyssa, Collette and even Lanie/Nina have a new purpose in their lives, in helping those to move on. Alyssa and Collette learn to control their power, and their interactions with ghosts were lots of fun; with lots of witty banter with the mischievous spirits. There was a number of intriguing twists and turns, which will also have her discover the truths that also include her husband’s death. To say too much more, would ruin the fun, which you need to read.

An Enchanting Case of Spirits was a fun, delightful, humorous, emotional mystery, with a paranormal element. I also enjoyed the romantic slow build relationship between Alyssa and Nick. I loved her friends, Lanie, Nina and Collette. An Enchanting Case of Spirits was so very well written by Melissa Holt. I really enjoyed reading this book, as it was fun, easy to read and entertaining.

An Enchanting Case of Spirits is a captivating blend of romance, comedy, and supernatural intrigue. This novel is a delightful mix of genres that will appeal to a wide range of readers. From the very first page, I found myself completely engrossed in the story, laughing out loud as I turned each page.

In this lighthearted mystery, Alyssa is a widow who is turning 40 and in a slump since her husband's unexpected death. When her friends convince her to do a tarot card reading, she reluctantly participates and ends up unlocking the power to speak to the dearly departed. While trying to navigate these new, unwanted powers, Alyssa enlists the help of her friends, the medium, and the hot detective next door to solve the mysteries of their deaths. But what she finds might shed some light on her husband's untimely death and what caused it.

I really liked the premise of this book, but it fell a little short on execution. I was actually surprised by one of the twists, but I was disappointed that nothing really came out of that storyline. Connections between the cases were flimsy and some seemed to come out of nowhere. It took a bit to get into the story, but after the first third of the book, the action finally picked up a little. However, it then felt rushed, especially the last few chapters. The epilogue really confused me and I still don't really know the answer to one of the mysteries that was mentioned on several occasions.

Overall, this one was just ok for me. I think the twists and turns the mystery took were a little over-engineered and ultimately the solution wasn't satisfying.

Read if you like:
📚 Cozy Mysteries
✨ Magical Realism
👻 Talking to Ghosts
🔎 Amatur Sluthing
💗 Romance Sub-Plots

This was a fun read! I didn’t know quite what to expect since I went in basically blind to this read, and if you enjoy Finlay Donnovan series I feel like you will enjoy this cozy mystery too!

This story brings in the paranormal when our FMC Alyssa tries to connect with her husband’s ghost through a psychic and ends up connecting with another ghost that may or may not help in her putting to rest her guilt and wondering about what happened the night of their car crash that her husband died in.

I loved the found family vibes with the three besties and the romance sub-plot between Alyssa and her hot detective neighbor.

All in all, if you like magical realism and cozy mysteries I’d recommend this one as it was a fun and fluffy read & seems like it may be the first in a series with the ending!

Thanks so much to Berkley for my ARC and PRHA for my gifted audiobook in exchange for my honest review!

I loved this book (and hopefully the start of a new series?!).

A 40 year old widow has definitely seen better days. Her friends are trying to get her out of a funk by taking her to a tarot card reader for her birthday. However, strange magic is unleashed, and suddenly, Alyssa is now able to see and communicate with spirits! After her shock has (somewhat) subsided, all she wants is for her new sarcastic ghost to GO AWAY. However, it is quickly revealed that the spirits haunting her are related to some local crimes that are all interconnected. Alyssa, her hilarious friends, and her band of spirits must work together to solve these mysteries. Complicating things is Alyssa’s very hot and single neighbor who is a local detective and absolutely does not believe in spirits. She needs to convince Nick to follow her spirits’ tips and clues to reopen their cases and finally serve justice.

I laughed so much in this one! I feel like Alyssa’s reaction to suddenly being able to see and communicate with the spirit world is absolutely how I would respond= with booze and denial, LOL. The antics the spirits unleash, and the forced proximity with hot detective Nick end up possibly being just what Alyssa needed to move past her grief and find a new start.

If you like fun mysteries, cheeky ghosts, medium stakes action, combined with a romance plot, you should definitely add this one to your TBR!

An Enchanting Case of Spirits is equal parts romance and mystery in this debut from author Melissa Holtz. Alyssa's 40th birthday has her taking to her bed, but her friends are determined to celebrate. When they take Alyssa to a psychic, she tries to make contact with her deceased husband whom she is still grieving. Somehow Alyssa unlocks her own psychic abilities and ends up with Billy who needs Alyssa to help him with his unfinished business. This story is fun, and although Alyssa spends a lot of time freaked out by the ghosts, she eventually comes to terms with the situation. With the help of her friends and her police detective neighbor Nick, she is able to help the ghosts. Nick is her love interest and although Alyssa is our main narrator, we also get Nicks's POV. I liked being able to see how he was feeling about Alyssa and also his thoughts on the case. I enjoy the mystery romance genre, so the addition of ghosts was a fun twist. It seems like this could become a series or a follow up with a different character. I will be checking out what Melissa Holtz writes next.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the advanced copy.

I was pleasantly surprised by just HOW much I enjoyed this paranormal romance debut featuring a widow who is reluctantly celebrating her 40th birthday with friends and accidentally unlocks previously unknown medium powers when they visit a tarot reader.

Soon Alyssa finds herself helping spirits deal with unfinished business and solving multiple cold case murders, including figuring out who was responsible for the accident that caused her husband's death.

I loved the romance between Alyssa and neighbor detective Nick who is also grieving the sudden loss of his wife and finds himself becoming a believer when Alyssa starts trying to help him with clues she learns from her spirit 'friends.'

Fresh, fun, and heartfelt, this was thoroughly entertaining and I really hope there will be more books featuring Alyssa and her friends, especially after the way this book ends! It was also good on audio and is perfect for fans of books like Sarah Adler's upcoming, Happy Medium.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Berkley and @prhaudio for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review! This was a perfect combination of female friendship, low spice romance and murder mystery with an occult twist.

Steam level: kissing only

An Enchanting Case of Spirits follows Alyssa Mann, a widow, as a psychic reading on her 40th birthday unlocks her own latent powers and she begins to see ghosts.

This book is a mix of women’s fiction and mystery with just a sprinkle of romance thrown in. It took me quite a while to read it, mostly because I didn’t particularly care for the main character. The story was good. I liked the mystery and thought the friendships between Alyssa and her girl group were really great. I really liked Nick and wished there were more scenes from his POV and that the romance took a bit more center stage. Alyssa was really bizarre though. She didn’t read like a 40 year old woman in the slightest. She was super immature at times. She was stubborn and obstinate with the ghosts for no good reason. Overall, I just didn’t particularly connect with her.

I do wish we got more information about what Nina was hiding and the conclusion of the “justice” part of the mystery. The mystery itself was super obvious and I guessed it almost immediately. It seemed the end was really open ended and it truly didn’t need to be. Overall, I liked the story. I will probably pick up the next book if a book 2 arrives. Would have liked to see more of Alyssa and Nick’s relationship and development too. And a bit more mystery to the mystery.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
🌶️

This book was fun! It starts out with our main character Alyssa celebrating her 40th birthday. Her husband recently died in a car accident so she has been kind of recluse. Her friends get her to go out for a celebration dinner. They end up at a psychic's and Alyssa tries to contact her husband. In the morning she ends up with a ghost stuck to her who is NOT her husband. She has to try to figure out how to get him to move on.
I liked Alyssa, it was obvious she was stuck in a kind of rut after her husband dies and it's nice to see her friends really rally around her to get her back into the swing of things. She was determined to figure out why this ghost is now stuck to her, to get him to move on and once things get rolling to figure out if maybe his death is related to her husband's death. She formed a friendly relationship with her neighbor Nick, the cop. She feeds him information about the case through the ghost (Billy). Nick was a great character too. He was skeptical, but just as determined to figure out some of these cold cases (or cases that may have been closed that should not have been).
The plot was fun. At first it was almost silly, these 3 friends summon a ghost, but it turns serious when all these inconsistencies in each case and similarities between them become known. While the first genre of this book says romance, I think it reads almost like a cozy mystery. There were a lot of things that became known throughout the book and it was fun to follow the clues through ghosts. The ending was exciting and satisfying. While this book looks to be a standalone, the very last line opens the door for a sequel, or another book with a different character as the main character.

I want An Enchanting Case of Spirits by Melissa Holtz to be the first of a series, and I will be there for it. The story kept me thoroughly entertained. Alyssa, a widow and a mom, embarks on a journey of self-discovery when she uncovers her paranormal ability on her fortieth birthday during a visit to a medium with her friends. This sets the stage for an engaging, cozy mystery that I couldn't put down.

The heart of the story lies in the friendships, which are not just spellbinding but also deeply emotional. The four women, each with their unique personalities and struggles, and Nick West, the next-door neighbor and a detective, form a tight-knit group that is a joy to witness. Their love and respect for each other, as well as their shared experiences, are palpable and drew me into their world.

The mystery aspect is the main plot thread, and it did remind me of the TV show Medium, but with a group of friends. I was more than okay with that. There are enough differences that I could enjoy it in its own right. Still, I also loved the aspects that were the most similar. The ghosts are the key to figuring out the mystery of her husband's death, and it was all purely entertaining and held me exquisitely enthralled.

If you're in the mood for a book that will whisk you away into a world of mystery and the supernatural, An Enchanting Case of Spirits by Melissa Holtz is a must-read. Its blend of cozy mystery and paranormal abilities is a recipe for a captivating read that will keep you turning the pages long into the night.

3.5

This is part mystery and part ghost story.

After Alyssa goes to a tarot reading on her 40th birthday, she wakes up the next morning able to see ghosts. She learns to get rid of them, she needs to help uncover a mystery in her town. She also finds that the mystery involves to death of her husband.

I enjoyed this one. It was entertaining and engaging. There were a few moments when I felt frustrated with Alyssa. She has let herself go after the death of her husband. She gets upset when her friends give her their perspective but she’s also asked them to share. I don’t think not being able to move on is the problem. Grief is hard, especially after a traumatic death. But some of her reactions to her friends were just ugh.

Overall. I liked, but it won’t be a favorite.

This book is many levels of adorable. For me, it hits all the right points and I was delighted by the apparent set up for a series? At least one more book, and I hope this happens because I would love to dive back into the world of the women of Knox Harbor.

This book is, perhaps, a little deceiving. The cover screams typical romance novel to me, and while there is romance, it is slow burn and do not go into this thinking its spicy. Its low levels of spice. There's more pining than anything which I find refreshing in my romance. Its a ghost story, but its also a mystery. Why do these spirits haunt Alyssa, our FMC? What do they need from her? How are they all connected? Its a very cool puzzle as it starts to come together, anchored by some really interesting characters. For a debut novel, I was delighted that this was the story Holtz chose to bring into the world.

My ONLY gripe is, as a woman nearing 40, there was WAY too much emphasis put on the idea that turning 40 is the end of the world. most definitely could have done without that popping up every so often.

I have never read another book like this—and I say that in the best possible way! The premise of this story is SO creative and I had the best time reading it. I love the friendships (above all else) and I love the mystical aspects (I love the woo!) The romance was sweet and perfect. I hope this continues as a series and I get to enjoy more of these characters. Loved it!!!

Have you ever seen the TV show "Ghosts"? This RomCom reminds me of that show, with a romantic twist. It's funny and imaginative. The characters are well written and enjoyable. This feels like something fresh and not overdone, which I enjoyed. I also love that the main character is 40 rather than in her early 20's like so many romcoms.

If you're looking for something funny and light-hearted, give this book a shot!

Imagine not being a believer in the occult but agreeing to having your tarot read and wham! There's a ghost in your life. Alyssa and her friends are the kind of galgang everyone needs, even if Alyssa's still mourning her husband... and when the ghosts arrive, demanding she help them pass by solving the mystery of their deaths, they're all in on helping her. Of course, having a hunky detective next door doesn't hurt, right?

eARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.

2.5 🌟 rounded up! Based on the premise of this book, I thought I would love it. A grieving widow using a psychic to connect with her deceased husband and finding out she has her own medium abilities - what’s not to like?! For me, I think a few things were tough. First, I never judge how someone chooses to grieve but when it consists of childish behavior to friends trying to support you, I struggle with that. Also, the romance subplot was a little strange with how deep in her grief she was at the beginning of the book. We were told a lot of things about how she was moving on and felt comfortable but her actions did not line up with that. On a more positive note, I enjoyed the paranormal elements and helping spirits find peace! Overall, I think we should have seen more of our FMCs healing through her new abilities and focusing on herself, her daughter, and her female friends instead of moving on to a new romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for my advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review!

An Enchanting Case of Spirits is one of the more original books I've read lately! Sure, there have been plenty of paranormal books that I've enjoyed but this one stood out to me! It's fun, has a great mystery element, and a nice little romance!