Review of 'Loving Spirits at the Vintage Teashop' by Sharon Booth
Release date: June 25th, 2025
Publisher: Boldwood Books
REVIEW
Sharon Booth’s Loving Spirits at the Vintage Teashop is a stunning romantic paranormal fantasy masterpiece! I laughed, cried and was speechless at times. It is such a perfect story in so many ways. Without question, I adore this new series set in Rowan Dale! The first book is truly magnificent and I loved it but the second just took me a notch higher! It is incredibly moving, shining with wisdom and bursting with powerful lessons. It conveys boldly the importance of family and the power of forgiveness to set a heart free. Fresh starts, healing of past wounds, recovering from losses and accepting new loves are all beautifully woven into this unique tender tale.
Despite all the initial humour in this novel, there is a serious, complex murder mystery that delves into layers of social issues connected to war. Sharon deals with these topics respectfully and poignantly. Family devotion is at the heart of the plot but Prisoners of War and PTSD are part of the tightly knitted fabric. We get to see what it was like for Germans to be prisoners in a war camp. But also after the war ended, many were detained and forced to help rebuild Britain. This would have been distressing to those who just wanted to go home. The moral dilemma of this action is explored. Also, the conflicts in communities that arose because British citizens did not trust Germans to live among them. For they were seen as the enemy they fought against and who wreaked havoc on their lives. Yet, while these Germans gained more freedom to move within the community, romantic relationships occurred between German men and British women. It was not an easy existence for the couples. With feelings of betrayal and mistrust rampant, they had a lot to overcome. Loving Spirits at the Vintage Teashop explores these possible scenarios in some of the characters which helps us see what it was like to be in these situations.
PTSD, an endless negative by-product of war, is seen through some of the characters’ experiences and the havoc it created. This illness caused individuals to act in ways they never would have previously. It was not understood in the 1940s and many onlookers would have judged unfairly.
The novel has two points of view which are divided between vintage teashop manager Shona and her great - aunt Polly, a ghost. These likeable women take us into their worlds – one of the living with current concerns and the other wondering why she remained in spirit on this earth. Seeing events through their eyes presented some interesting observations and also revealed their similarities and differences. Shona can see her great-aunt but no other ghosts. Yet being able to talk to Polly is very useful, especially when the events of her death are under scrutiny. Polly has harboured secrets to protect certain persons but when Max arrives into town to visit his daughter and find out more about his German grandfather’s time as a prisoner of war, Polly is forced to tell the truth of what she knows to restore one man’s reputation. There are lots of twists and turns in this mystery to uncover the facts of a shooting that occurred in the past.
I loved the various characters, including recurring ones, that kept the plot sailing along. I was truly pinned to the pages! I enjoyed the lighter elements of the 1940s theme with the Vintage Teashop and the special 1940s party. Plus revisiting the more serious aspects of the historic time period such as the lasting effects of war on participants and their descendants.
This is a wonderful novel that I cannot praise enough for its originality, humour, depth, creative plot, fascinating characters of unusual ghost residents dwelling with the living. It is a story about healing, forgiveness, love, family and community. Beautifully delivered, respectfully handled, this divine mix of light and shade, passion and humour is an absolute delight to read. 5 Stars
Thanks to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for the ARC.
