The Haunting of Laurel Cove

This starts out like a Hallmark Horror movie. You have the big city girl moving back to her grandmother's cottage in a small town, but the small town is located in Appalachia, and there might be a ghost or a witch present.
The man with his warm work shirts and sweaters is a gem. He remembers her birthday and gets her the ideal gift and of course he is respectful.
Of course there is the big baddy developers coming to buy up all the land where our girl cottages and her aunt's resort sit.
In the midst of all this chaos our girl is also working to solve a 65 year old mystery without even the help of a librarian, a nearly impossible task.
I love the battle with the developers. I am on a preservation board and we are currently dealing with our own drama, although it isn't in a peaceful little town.
Read this book. It is a creepy romantic tale that I would absolutely like to see made into an actual movie.

Thank you Netgalley and Wild Rose Press for allowing me to read and review this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Haunting of Laurel Cove has a gorgeous cover but the story doesn't quite hit the mark for me. I went into this thinking it would be spooky but came out feeling disappointed. The writing needs more polishing and the story felt a little too long for some of the explanations. The characters were bland and unremarkable.

This one was just not for me.

2.5 stars

This was my first NetGalley eARC read and I really enjoyed it! The plot was absolutely right up my alley- Jane goes back to the rural cabin that her grandmother left her after her passing last year. Jane is an author and after suffering a traumatic event while living in the city, feels the need to get back to her roots in Laurel Cove. She is more equipped to feel the paranormal than most, and when strange things start happening and she becomes strangely drawn to a cabin in the woods, she needs to find out why, what happened there, and why she keeps smelling laurel flowers.

I love how this book was so quick to breeze through but also gave me the full story without any unnecessary blabber. I love how Jane is investigating a 65 year old murder case while she is supposed to be relaxing during her time away from the city. The ending wrapped everything up and didn’t leave me wondering what happened. Mystery, the paranormal, and a splash of not-too-spicy romance.. this is a good one!

This book was pretty incredible to read! So the main character goes to her childhood home where her grandma raise her she comes back from the city and goes to where her grandma use to watch her and raise her. I think the story about the creepy barn that she saw a woman in a hood while she was driving was super weird an creepy an she never went to it because her dog pepper kept howling and freaking out.
There was definitely something that was haunting that cabin that was basically in the middle of the woods. There was also a mystery about it she kept obsessing and it was something she wanted to go back and see what was happening because she wanted to see what it was about she kept having dreams an thinking a bout it. I think the storyline about the barn an how everyone tells her the truth about it use to be a woman living there when she was younger was a bit slow, the whole obsessing over the barn an stuff I feel like it was a bit slow and i wish there was more haunting aspects when she was in the woods going to go there with her dog her dog freaked out an she went back i wish there was more haunting aspects to it to make it more freaky.
I liked the ending it was a real twist to find out the truth though and how the spirit was actually innocent.

Thank yo to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
I really enjoyed this book. I loved the mystery of the cottage in the woods. The ending was a surprise too. I found it well written and an enjoyable and suspenseful read. I also loved the setting as well.

The Haunting of Laurel Cove is a book much more than it appears. It is a statement about local businesses vs. conglomerates, environmental activism, family, and romance, with a healthy dose of mystery thrown in. I enjoyed this book, and getting to know the characters and their motivations. The setting is ethereal, taking place in the Smokies, and the descriptions make it a character of it's own. The book moves along at a clipping pace, and that, if anything, is my one complaint with this book. I would have loved for the tension to be a little more drawn out, to explore the themes more, but that's the sign of any book worth reading isn't it? Not wanting it to end quite so soon. Overall, a slightly different romance, a mystery with heart, and secrets that tie everything together.

This well-written novel drew me in from the beginning and wouldn’t let go. As a discriminating reader, I particularly appreciated the intriguing plot, the expert pacing, the well-developed setting, and the rich sensory details (e.g., “The sun poured down like warm honey…”; “the river…shimmering like black satin…”). The cold-case mystery was skillfully juxtaposed against the present-day conflict, and there were some twists and turns I did not expect. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mysteries, ghost stories, or romances.

[ Review time ]

Title: The Haunting of Laurel Cove
Author: Lucy Naylor Kubash
Genre: Mystery/Thriller/Romance/Spooky
Release Date: December 6th 2022
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press, Inc.
My rating: 🌟🌟🌟

When I read the synopsis of this book I just knew I had to read it and I’m so thankful for getting the opportunity to do so!

Even if it didn’t reached 5 stars from me it was a very good story! Lucy is an amazing writer and the way she described the surroundings was PHENOMENAL. Definitely one of the best books when it comes to details and it really felt like I was in the Smoky Mountains myself!⛰️

I wished I felt a better connection to the characters but It can’t happen in every book I read am I right?☺️

Overall I thought it was a beautiful book, with a very good story!✨

A big thank you to NetGalley and The Wild Rose Press, Inc. for letting me read this ARC for an honest review.
And of course a big thank you to Lucy for writing this book!💖

I thought that this would be more of a spooky book by the description, but it wasn't. The main premise of the book is that the main character works to solve an old mystery with a bit of romance thrown in.. Great read on a cold winter day.

A nice and spooky read! I felt at the edge of my seat after every chapter, the characters are explained very well and had a great purpose throughout the book. Overall, a great story that and I recommended it to my coworkers!

Jane Stuart, a novelist, returns to Tennessee and the house she inherited from her grandmother after she's brutally mugged in her NY apartment. In Laurel Cove, Tennessee, she becomes absorbed in local legends involving an alleged witch and her cabin. Jane begins to uncover family secrets and rekindle old romances, but when she and her family begin receiving threats, she's not sure who she can trust.

THANK YOU NetGalley and The Wild Rose Press for the opportunity to review this book! It's a quick page-turner (I finished it in one day) that left me guessing until the end. I assumed from the title that this would be a spooky ghost story, but there's way more dimension to it than that. I think that my favorite part of the story itself was that Jane, while battling personal ghosts after the trauma she's endured, finds solace in another ghost - the ghost of Cissy Oliver. This could have easily been a "woman is wronged in the past and turns into a vengeful spirit that terrorizes a small town" story, but the true villains in this novel aren't ghosts at all. It's a story about secrets and family, trust and trauma.

There were a few points in this story that I wanted a little MORE from... I thought Jed's ending was a little abrupt (maybe that's on purpose??? SEQUEL????) and I would've loved some element of flashback or dual narrative to see some of Cissy and Sheridan's life (we get a little of that in her diary entries but those left me wanting even more!!!). Overall I enjoyed this quick read - it was unique, spooky, and suspenseful!

The Haunting of Laurel Cove was a great quick read. I was constantly guessing "whodunit".

There was just enough supernatural elements to the story to make it interesting, but not over-the-top.

The characters were well written, as was the story itself.

Because of the shortness of this book, I was left feeling like there were a few blind spots, if you will... However, the writer did a great job at touching on the little details throughout.

Honestly, I'd probably read this one every year during spooky season!

Solid 4/5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley, publisher, and author for the ARC. I enjoyed it!

Jane Stuart, now a best selling author of paranormal books for teens returns to her roots in the great Smokey Mountains to the home where she grew up in and now she has inherited from her grandmother. Jane lives in the city and must decide what to do with the home in the small town of Laurel Cove but the real reason she returned is to get much needed quiet and rest to get her bearings back after a horrible, physical attack that has left left her quite shaken and her self-confidence in pieces. Jane is also fascinated by some local legends and decides to follow up on a sixty-five year old murder case where it's said that there is a ghost still haunting the grounds where the tragedy took p!ace. Soon after Jane arrives back in Laurel Cove, named for the infinite beautiful laurel blooms growing throughout the cove and the mountains, she sees a mysterious woman in different places and she can't seem to forget about the woman while also experiencing other subtle, strange events with haunting nightmares night after night destroying any chance of getting the restorative rest that she was hoping for. There are other major situations occurring in town where Jane innocently gets involved in that soon become a threat to her safety and unknown to Jane someone wants her out of their way permanently.

This was an enjoyable, little ghost story that was not scary but it was very interesting. The author had a way with words with her descriptions of the Smoky Mountains so it kept the story very atmospheric which I appreciated. For romance lovers there is some light romance that seemed very compatible with the story. When I picked this book up I was hoping for something a little.darker with some tension and scares but that's just me and I still found the story entertaining and it had some surprises in the last quarter that were unexpected. The parts I didn't care for were that many clues to the mysteries were right in Jane's face and she wouldn't make the connections in many instances until much later and that would bother me a lot because it made her seem too naive. Also she made quite a few silly, impulsive decisions for my taste, but that's just my opinion. Although I normally prefer darker crime and horror stories this book was a nice little change of reading for me and I found it enjoyable and well-written even with some of my peeves. I guarantee many readers will love this book! I recommend this novella to any reader who enjoys a good mystery with a touch of the paranormal with some romance thrown in.

I want to thank the publisher "Wild Rose Press, Inc" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this story and any thoughts or opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

I have given a rating of 3 SMOKY MOUNTAIN 🌟🌟🌟 STARS!!

For a cozy mystery with a hint of paranormal, this book is a good choice. I'm so surprised by the way how the writer weaves a story around an old Smoky Mountain legend. She conjures a spectacular story of an old romance and murder.

The main character; Jane goes back to the rural cabin that her grandmother left her after her death last year. Jane is an author and after a traumatic event while living in New York, feels the need to get back to her cabin in the in Laurel Cove. when strange things start happening and she drawn to a cabin in the woods, she needs to find out why, what happened there, and why she keeps smelling laurel flowers.

I love how this book was so quick to breeze through but also gave me the full story without any unnecessary details. I love how Jane is investigating an old murder case while she is supposed to be relaxing during her time away from the city. The ending wrapped everything up and didn’t leave me wondering what happened.

This one was strange. It was more of a Hallmark-y type mystery with some romance interspersed throughout it. I really appreciated the twists and turns and I was for sure not expecting that twist at the end!

While I did feel that the romance was a bit too rushed and I didn’t feel like I truly had time to connect with the main characters, again, the Hallmark type vibes of it explained that away.


* Received e-galley from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

The Haunting of Laurel Cove by Lucy Naylor Kubash, this was a new author for me and overall I found this to be a very enjoyable read. When Jane goes back to stay for several weeks in the old cabin left to her by her grandmother she encounters a woman beside the road, and then she disappears. Jane is a author and recovering from a traumatic event, and hopefully the Smoky Mountains will help her to overcome what happened to her. I loved the way the author could make you feel like you were in those mountains surrounded by all the beautiful area. Jane starts to investigate the life of a woman that lived in a run down cabin in the woods, and finds out interesting things. I would recommend this book to others.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and The Wild Rose Press, I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thoughts: I thought this was a good book. I had a little trouble getting into it in the beginning. It just wasn’t drawing me in, but I kept reading, and am glad I did because I was captured by the story of Cissy the witch and Jane’s fascination with her. The characters are realistic—especially Jane’s PTSD reactions. And the setting beautifully done (though I did have a couple issues with some minor things). Still, we could see the curtains blowing, the mists covering the mountains, the smell of lilacs and laurel. The author put you right there in the mountains.

The conflict was also very real between the environmentalist and the developers. And the mystery of Cissy was fascinating. I didn’t understand why Jane did some things the way she did, but that might just be me. Overall, I enjoyed the story, though I did know who the villain was halfway through.

Recommendation: a decent paranormal romance mystery. And relatively short.

Disclaimer: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

Overall, an atmospheric, cozy mystery with a side of romance.

If there was ever a novella that was a Hallmark movie, it’d be this one! It definitely had a cozy mystery vibe, with some minor haunting moments. I’ll admit it was very predictable and the romance too insta/fast for me, but it is a novella. The strength of this book was in its writing and the absolutely gorgeous descriptions of the atmosphere.

A fun, easy read for those who like a taste of spooky with their romances.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

-A

I enjoyed this book so much! It felt like I was back in one of my favorite vacation spots! What a beautiful area it is! I know exactly where the American Indian Museum is in Cherokee N. Carolina is.
I didn't want to come home after the book ended it was good!
Best read now book there is!
I loved the many secrets that this wonderful novel held. My favorite thing in this story
I felt so sorry for Cissy! My heart mourned her and her losses. She did the right thing in my opinion though.
I can relate to her son the most.
Family dynamics were definitely a plus in this book. The author has done well with this. This is what made me keep turning the pages
Family is everything to the mountain people. It showed very strongly in this book
5 stars for a job well done! I highly recommend!
My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

A fun quick read. The descriptions of the Smokies were superb. I loved unraveling the Cissy mystery.

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.

*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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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