The position makes his biceps bulge under his horrible sweater, and the dark gold strands of his hair fall right back into place as soon as he lets go.
It takes a moment for Gretchen to refocus on the matter at hand, her brain as reluctant to pull itself away from watching his movements as an extra strong magnet resisting removal from a refrigerator.
Happy Medium is a fun and unique rom-com with a paranormal twist.
A clever con woman must convince a skeptical, sexy farmer of his property’s resident real-life ghost if she’s to save them all from a fate worse than death, in this delightful new novel from the author of Mrs. Nash’s Ashes .
Fake spirit medium Gretchen Acorn is happy to help when her best ( wealthiest) client hires her to investigate the unexplained phenomena preventing the sale of her bridge partner’s struggling goat farm. Gretchen may be a fraud, but she’d like to think she’s a beneficent one. So if “cleansing” the property will help a nice old man finally retire and put some much-needed cash in her pockets at the same time, who’s she to say no?
Of course, it turns out said bridge partner isn’t the kindly AARP member Gretchen imagined—Charlie Waybill is young, hot as hell, and extremely unconvinced that Gretchen can communicate with the dead. (Which, fair.) Except, to her surprise, Gretchen finds herself face-to-face with the very real, very chatty ghost that’s been wreaking havoc during every open house. And he wants her to help ensure Charlie avoids the same family curse that’s had Everett haunting Gilded Creek since the 1920s.
Now, Gretchen has one month to convince Charlie he can’t sell the property. Unfortunately, hard work and honesty seem to be the way to win over the stubborn farmer—not exactly Gretchen’s strengths. But trust isn’t the only thing growing between them, and the risk of losing Charlie to the spirit realm looms over Gretchen almost as annoyingly as Everett himself. To save the goat farm, its friendly phantom, and the man she’s beginning to love, Gretchen will need to pull off the greatest con of her being fully, genuinely herself.
I will admit, this book took a couple chapters for me to get into. I did not instantly connect with Gretchen’s character and the story just wasn’t jiving with me. But the moment Everett (the ghost haunting Gilded Creek farm) popped up on the page, I was instantly drawn in. Everett’s character was so perfect and charming you cannot help but love him. He also brought out a side of Gretchen’s character that had me seeing her in a different and more likeable light. The story also gets this wonderful injection of humour and lots of slightly outdated pop culture references (which should be expected when you are dealing with a ghost who has been around since 1920’s).
The overall story, is a lot of fun, once you get past the first couple chapters. Gretchen who is a con artist, who pretends she can talk to ghosts, is asked to go to Charlie’s farm to help him with a ghost problem. Gretchen thinks this will be a quick and easy job, but things take a dramatic turn, when Gretchen literally walks through Everett who is a ghost. Everett explains that Charlie cannot sell the farm, because if he does the family curse will kill him and prevent him from leaving. Gretchen finds herself trying to convince a very skeptical Charlie that she isn’t a con artist and that ghosts and his family curse are very real. This story takes place over a month, so a lot happens during those four weeks.
There is a real fish out of water tropey feel to this book. Poor Gretchen has no idea how to work or live on a farm, which results in some pretty hilarious moments. There is also a fish out of water experience when Gretchen learns that ghosts are real. Her growing friendship with Everett was wonderful. Their banter and chemistry were playful and just screamed best friends. As I mentioned, I didn’t take a shine to Gretchen’s character right away. But once I started to understand her, and her past I started to really like her. Gretchen really is battling some inner demons. She doesn’t want to be like her father, who is a ruthless conman, but she also knows that she needs to earn a living. She struggles with what she does, but doesn’t think she can do anything else. Her lifestyle is a lonely one, which is why it clicks so well with Everett and Charlie. Everett doesn’t judge her for who she is, and Charlie is also living a life that has him rather lonely. I loved watching Gretchen find her place on the farm and begin to realize that she can break free from this cage she has placed herself in.
The romance in this story is delightful. It has this one sided loath-to-lovers feel to it. Charlie cannot stand Gretchen because he thinks she is a lying con-artist, who is out to swindle everyone she meets. I liked the relationship between these two. Charlie is a big old cinnamon roll with a heart of gold. You can tell that both characters feel something for each other, but they are both hesitant to act upon those feelings. Charlie, because he doesn’t think he can trust Gretchen. And Gretchen because she doesn’t see how these two could have a future. The chemistry was fabulous and like so many love stories where the two MCs don’t get along the banter is sharp and witty. The spice level is pretty tame, which worked with the overall story. There is a lot of progress and regress with their relationship, which is from that lack of trust Charlie has when it comes to Gretchen’s intentions. There is also forced proximity, insta-attraction, miscommunication, and opposite attract tropes sprinkled throughout this story. All of these tropes come together to make a really enjoyable story.
Happy Medium is an easy to love paranormal romance and a book I would highly recommend for anyone looking for a love story that is a little unique.
Thank you, Berkeley Publishing Group, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
