Title: Ghostly Howls: A Paranormal Fantasy Romance
Author: Stephanie Hansen
Genre: Paranormal Fantasy, Small Town Paranormal
Book Blurb:
Irish folklore meets small town USA A heartbroken half banshee, a cockle selling soul possessor, and a town haunted by mysteries…if they don’t find the killer, Orla and Molly might die before finding their soulmates. Orla and Dave’s love has been unrequited for as long as they can remember. Cormac and Molly are used to drawing outside the lines. None of them are prepared for the new ghostly neighbors. In a town that’s always ostracized them, can Molly and Orla finally use their powers openly in order to save the citizens? Contains mature themes, open door sex scenes, and mature language.
My Review:
A fresh voice in paranormal fantasy has emerged and Stephanie Hansen is her name. This paranormal story may be short, but it packs a lot between the pages. Blending Irish mythology, supernatural beings hiding in plain sight, a mystery to unravel, plus two romances, this novella has something for everyone to enjoy.
For a novella, this has a fairly large cast of characters. I was surprised at first but soon got caught up in the story. I liked both Orla and Molly right away. Their closeness was evident from the start. It was hard to get a connection with either of them due to the shortness of the story. The other characters filled out the story nicely but not with much depth.
The plot moved at a whip-fast pace. The descriptive narration lent itself to the frantic vibe to the overall plot. First, Cormac was missing then a body was found murdered. I spent most of my time trying to figure out what was happening and why.
The romance part I had the most difficulty with. A lot of describing but without the necessary emotion. If I were to rename the genre, I’d put it as paranormal fantasy or paranormal.
What I loved most was the world-building. The world-building was excellent, and the mystery kept me entertained.
If you’re looking for a quick, fast-moving paranormal set in a small town, you’ll love Ghostly Howls.
My Rating: 4.5 stars
Buy it Now:
Universal link: https://books2read.com/u/bQP0JE
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/ghostly-howls-a-paranormal-fantasy-romance-by-stephanie-hansen
Author Biography:
Stephanie Hansen is a PenCraft and Global Book Award Winning Author. Her debut novella series, Altered Helix, released in 2020. It hit the #1 New Release, #1 Best Seller, and other top 100 lists on Amazon. It is now being adapted to an animated story for Tales. Her debut novel, Replaced Parts, released in 2021 through Fire & Ice YA and Tantor Audio. It has been in a Forbes article, hit Amazon bestseller lists, and made the Apple young adult coming soon bestsellers list. The second book in the Transformed Nexus series, Omitted Pieces, released in 2022. GHOSTLY HOWLS is scheduled to release in 2023. She is a member of the deaf and hard of hearing community so she tries to incorporate that into her fiction.
Social Media Links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/hansenwriter
Reviewed by: Nancy