What do you do when you wake up dead?

Daisy Montgomery was living her best life until she was attacked by a force so powerful that it separated her body from her soul. Now neither living nor dead, her spirit form lacks ghostly abilities like walking through walls, and she can’t communicate with anyone. Except one.

Luckily her connection to her little dog, Alfie, led her to super sexy Charlie O’Sullivan, a man who can not only see her spirit and open doors for her but someone who makes her question everything she thought she knew about her life, love, and almost death.

The more she, Charlie, and his merry band of spirit helpers uncover, the longer her suspect list grows. But when someone else she knows dies, Daisy must use her newfound knowledge to discover who the killer is before they strike again. If she can’t, not only are her loved ones at risk but the killer could come back to finish the job they started the night of her attack. And Daisy’s not ready to rest in peace.

Titles in the Dandelion Ponds Mystery series include — In High Spirits —♥— The Hollyday Spirits —♥—

This is an adult 18+ story that might contain language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult audience.

Booksprout ARC

Title:  In High Spirits
Series:  Dandelion Ponds Mystery #1
Author:  Beth Prentice
Genre:  Cozy Paranormal Mystery
Released:  July 29, 2022
My Rating:  4.5 stars

Just when I think I’ve read just about every spin on a Paranormal Cozy Mystery story along comes In High Spirits to break that presumption.  What a fun, intriguing, and engaging introduction to the Dandelion Ponds Mystery series.  I had a blast, and you can bet that I’ll be back for more!

Without giving away too much it seems that Daisy has awakened – well – deceased.  But, not really dead.  She’s finding herself half in the spirit world and half in the real world and it’s frustrating, frightening, and dangerous in so many ways.  It seems that aside from her faithful pup, Alfie, and the stranger whose home she wakes up in (drawn by her dog’s presence) she can’t interact with people or things, like doors.  Charlie (who certainly would turn a woman’s eye if she weren’t already engaged – and kinda dead?) has adopted her dog after he was surrendered, and she’s thankful but confused because the man she loves should have still kept Alfie, shouldn’t he? Charlie is the only person who can help her now if she can convince him to that is.

As we begin the search for answers to Daisy’s dilemma we’ll run into some very interesting characters (alive and deceased), and some very dangerous ones as well.  There are a lot of things that don’t add up for Daisy, even if she cannot remember what happened to her or who harmed her.  Following clues, she’s about to not only discover that she doesn’t know some people as well as she thought and that there are a lot of lies that need to be unscrambled before she and Charlie can get to the truth of who did this to Daisy.  And perhaps realize that the right man for her isn’t who she thought he was.

In High Spirits is a solid, good read from start to finish.  I was drawn into the mystery, changed my mind several times about who the villain was, and watch one of the most unlikely couples begin to fall in love.  What’s not to love about any of that?  Secondary characters always matter to me for they round out the story in so many ways – and we’ll meet some fantastic people in Daisy and Charlie’s story.  I laughed out loud, got annoyed, then frustrated, (at the characters, not the story) then amazed at the twists and turns to bring us to the conclusion… and just a touch more.  I had such a good time in this world and I’m ready to return.  If you love a Paranormal Romance with a touch of mystery, a definite twist on the romance, and characters that leap off of the page, then you’ll want to pick this one up right now.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the author or author’s team via Booksprout. The opinions expressed in this review are my own – good, bad, or indifferent. I was not financially compensated for this review and no expectation of a positive review was promised.*

Available for the Kindle as this title is currently in KU