Francine, a 55-year-old single woman, lives in the manor in which she grew up in a small English village. She’s generally considered and odd outsider who keeps to herself and her herb and flower garden. But she’s not alone; she sees ghosts all around her, and her constant companion and best friend since childhood is a little girl named Bree. She’s content with her life such as it is, until two contractors come to stay as lodgers, one of whom starts to fall for Francine, much to her disbelieve and consternation. And then her sister, newly widowed from her 7th husband, also comes to stay. It’s when her sister starts digging up the past that Francine’s memories start to return, and she may finally get the answers she’s long searched for about who Bree really is, whether she really wants them or not. An excellent ghost story with a pretty fantastic mystery as well. Francine is a fabulous character, and I loved her stubborn, prickly nature and her independence, and that she could still remain in some ways vulnerable as well. The plot was good and creepy, and the mystery was nicely paced, and even though the ending wasn’t a complete shock, it was still very satisfying.

This manga series gets better with every volume. Beautiful artwork and a finely told story.

Amy left her small New Hampshire hometown as soon as she graduated high school and never looked back. Her boyfriend’s mother had died during their senior year, and his downward spiral into depression had been too much for her to handle. But now her grandfather, who still lives in the house in which she grew up, needs her getting back on his feet after a car accident, so she finally returns to Autumnboro. Her old boyfriend is still there, no longer depressed and looking handsome, and they hit it off again. But when she discovers that he wants to turn her grandfather’s house into a B&B, she feels betrayed.

This one is Hallmark vibes all the way down (and in fact, the cover claims that there is a Hallmark movie version). It’s a sweet-enough romance story, but there’s negligible substance here, in the plot or the characters.

Chloe Fong is busy helping her father build a market for his sauce business and has no time for the rumors that she’s odd and cold and prickly, and she has no time for the trifling, rich young man who comes to town once a year to participate in the Trials (a town-wide scavenger hunt), flirt with her, then leave again. And she definitely doesn’t have time to think about him almost constantly, especially since after he left three years ago and hasn’t been back. And then suddenly he is back. But will his attempts to be serious be enough to convince her that he’s serious about her? And will he ever get the courage to tell her that he’s actually the duke who owns the land the town stand on? A cozy, low-stakes romance that has clever dialogue and vividly-drawn characters you root for from the first page. I loved it, and I especially loved the duke’s adorable and well-rounded personality. It’s simple but solidly written.