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The Keeper of Lonely Spirits
In this mesmerizing, wonderfully moving queer cozy fantasy, an immortal ghost hunter must confront his tragic past in order to embrace his found family.
Find an angry spirit. Send it on its way before it causes trouble. Leave before anyone learns his name.
After over two hundred years, Peter Shaughnessy is ready to die and end this cycle. But thanks to a youthful encounter with one o’ them folk in his native Ireland, he can’t. Instead, he’s cursed to wander eternally far from home, with the ability to see ghosts and talk to plants.
Immortality means Peter has lost everyone he’s ever loved. And so he centers his life on the dead—until his wandering brings him to Harrington, Ohio. As he searches for a vengeful spirit, Peter’s drawn into the townsfolk’s lives, homes and troubles. For the first time in over a century, he wants something other than death.
But the people of Harrington will die someday. And he won’t
As Harrington buckles under the weight of the supernatural, the ghost hunt pits Peter’s well-being against that of his new friends and the man he’s falling for. If he stays, he risks heartbreak. If he leaves, he risks their lives.
Find an angry spirit. Send it on its way before it causes trouble. Leave before anyone learns his name.
After over two hundred years, Peter Shaughnessy is ready to die and end this cycle. But thanks to a youthful encounter with one o’ them folk in his native Ireland, he can’t. Instead, he’s cursed to wander eternally far from home, with the ability to see ghosts and talk to plants.
Immortality means Peter has lost everyone he’s ever loved. And so he centers his life on the dead—until his wandering brings him to Harrington, Ohio. As he searches for a vengeful spirit, Peter’s drawn into the townsfolk’s lives, homes and troubles. For the first time in over a century, he wants something other than death.
But the people of Harrington will die someday. And he won’t
As Harrington buckles under the weight of the supernatural, the ghost hunt pits Peter’s well-being against that of his new friends and the man he’s falling for. If he stays, he risks heartbreak. If he leaves, he risks their lives.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published March 25, 2025
41 people are currently reading
14k people want to read
About the author
E.M. Anderson
5 books208 followersE.M. Anderson (she/they) is the queer, neurodivergent author of The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fisher (Midnight Meadow, 2023) and The Keeper of Lonely Spirits (MIRA Books, 2025). Her work has appeared in Wyldblood Press's From the Depths: A Fantasy Anthology, Dark Horses: The Magazine of Weird Fiction, and SJ Whitby's Awakenings: A Cute Mutants Anthology. It is their doom to one day vanish in the depths of a forest, never to be seen again, after ignoring the repeated warnings of the locals to stay out of the woods. Until that fateful day, you can find her on Instagram, BlueSky, Facebook, or Tumblr at @elizmanderson.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
January 14, 2025
Peter is cursed to roam the world, never to die. He sees ghosts, tries to rid the world of malevolent and angry spirits by helping them cross over, and leaves Savannah for Ohio when a teenager on a ghost tour says he saw a ghost in a small Ohio town. He becomes the grounds keeper for the local cemetery, and meets people there who care about him. Unfortunately, I never really felt a connection to any of the characters. I selected this book because it was supposed to be a cozy fantasy, one of my favorite genres, but it read more like "horror lite" to me. I received an advance copy from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
March 25, 2025
The Keeper of Lonely Spirits is not what I expected in what turned out to be the BEST way.
Maybe I didn’t do enough info gathering or maybe I was just not in the mood, but the first part of this book was slow for me to get into. This was definitely a me problem and honestly, just sometimes happens as a mood reader. I put it down for a little while and when I came back to it it felt like an entirely different book. Does that ever happen to you? Just me? Ok, well…it’s just how I’m built.
I’m so glad that I gave this book another shot because it ended up being so so good. This book is about grief, loss, relationships, and how we do (or don’t in some cases) move forward after experiencing loss. It’s touching and tearful and heartbreaking in a way that a book can only be when the subject matter is relatable and real. E.M. Anderson brings so many beautiful characters to life in this book.
- Peter Shaughnessy, a ghost hunter with a tragic past.
- Nevaeh, a young woman struggling with the sudden death of her beloved father.
- Sayid and Samira, two young siblings who are feeling alone and unmoored while their parents do their best to balance an impossible situation.
- David, a museum curator whose long time partner passed away.
Just to cover a few of my favorites.
I would definitely recommend you read this if you’re wanting a cozy, slightly spooky, queer paranormal story with beautiful friendships and a little bit of romance.
Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing for the gifted digital ARC of this book. This is my honest review.
Maybe I didn’t do enough info gathering or maybe I was just not in the mood, but the first part of this book was slow for me to get into. This was definitely a me problem and honestly, just sometimes happens as a mood reader. I put it down for a little while and when I came back to it it felt like an entirely different book. Does that ever happen to you? Just me? Ok, well…it’s just how I’m built.
I’m so glad that I gave this book another shot because it ended up being so so good. This book is about grief, loss, relationships, and how we do (or don’t in some cases) move forward after experiencing loss. It’s touching and tearful and heartbreaking in a way that a book can only be when the subject matter is relatable and real. E.M. Anderson brings so many beautiful characters to life in this book.
- Peter Shaughnessy, a ghost hunter with a tragic past.
- Nevaeh, a young woman struggling with the sudden death of her beloved father.
- Sayid and Samira, two young siblings who are feeling alone and unmoored while their parents do their best to balance an impossible situation.
- David, a museum curator whose long time partner passed away.
Just to cover a few of my favorites.
I would definitely recommend you read this if you’re wanting a cozy, slightly spooky, queer paranormal story with beautiful friendships and a little bit of romance.
Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing for the gifted digital ARC of this book. This is my honest review.
November 2, 2024
I fell in love with every character in this captivating story about grief, love, and finding your way in the world, both in the world of the living and of the dead. E.M. Anderson has created a diverse cast of characters who are all dealing with different types of ups and downs in their lives, but support one another in the ways that truly matter. Peter, the grouchy new groundskeeper of the cemetery in Harrington, Ohio, is in town to take care of business with an angry spirit. His plan to keep to himself and disappear as soon as his task is done gets a little complicated as he meets the other folks around town. The range of human, and spirit, connection represented in these pages brings a cozy feeling to a somewhat spooky tale of curses and ghostly influence. I highly recommend this book, especially to lovers of T.J. Klune's Under the Whispering Door or Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book!
April 6, 2025
More people need to read this one! Its beautiful story. Can a reader love every single character in a book? I might!
October 22, 2024
I had the absolute pleasure of betareading this book, and not only did it make me a rabid fan of E. M. Anderson's work, it also gave me out-loud gasps and shivers, unhinged cackling, poignant tears, and even drove me to drawing (rare) fanart. These are rare occurrences for me when reading, so it earned a permanent place in my bookish soul.
These characters have SO much heart. It's a glorious exploration of found family, and a thoughtful exploration of the ripples of trauma that affect a whole community when we let wrongs fester.
One of the freshest voices in fantasy currently. Treat yourself to The Keeper of Lonely Spirits for a surprising tale of unusual immortality, second-chance romances, and chilling ghosts. Oh, and a whole lot of plants!
These characters have SO much heart. It's a glorious exploration of found family, and a thoughtful exploration of the ripples of trauma that affect a whole community when we let wrongs fester.
One of the freshest voices in fantasy currently. Treat yourself to The Keeper of Lonely Spirits for a surprising tale of unusual immortality, second-chance romances, and chilling ghosts. Oh, and a whole lot of plants!
December 24, 2024
Somewhere around a 3.5. Thank you so much NetGalley and the publisher for the arc of this book. I have exceptionally mixed feelings about this book. I had moments of loving it and absolutely adored the characters, so it breaks my heart that the story just… dragged. The last ~20% was so great and felt big (emotionally, plot-wise, etc.), which makes me wish it were shorter/tighter.
If you love magical realism like I do, I definitely think this is worth the read. I have a lot of big, positive feelings about this book’s overall vibe but it just fell a bit short for me.
If you love magical realism like I do, I definitely think this is worth the read. I have a lot of big, positive feelings about this book’s overall vibe but it just fell a bit short for me.
March 14, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Oh this was such a pleasant surprise of a book! I was unfamiliar with this author going in, and I will absolutely be keeping them on my radar from now on! Taking what could have been a predictable premise and turning it entirely on its head with the lead character had me won over within just a few pages!
Peter Shaughnessy has dedicated his extremely long, cursed life to putting ghosts to rest. After a run in with one of the folk back in Ireland almost two centuries ago, he's had the ability to see ghosts and talk to plants - and he's barred from returning home... and refuses to get attached to people after everyone he's ever loved has long since died. So when he follows rumors of a haunting to tiny Harrington, Ohio, his goals are to deal with the ghosts and NOT to get involved in the lives of the living there. But the young director of the cemetery where he's placed himself as groundskeeper desperately needs therapy after the death of her father (whose ghost lingers nearby and refuses to leave until she does so), two children are constantly sneaking into the cemetery, and a very attractive museum curator is researching the cemetery's history and could use some protection.
The delight I felt when I realized I was getting to read about an immortal trapped in the body of a 70-year old! That fact alone immediately changes so much about the premise of this book. That he's also some flavor of asexual is also a high point. And the diversity in this book is just so lovely - all of the characters are so different and Anderson has managed to fit in so much representation without it feeling tokenized. This is just how small towns are! Sure, there's a mystery and an aggressive ghost for the main plot, but this book is SO cozy anyway. It's an elderly immortal trying and failing to avoid getting attached. The romance was minor, but so so so precious, especially in how it handled the aftermath of grief and healing together.
Seriously, I could babble about how soft this book is for paragraphs. Please just read it.
Oh this was such a pleasant surprise of a book! I was unfamiliar with this author going in, and I will absolutely be keeping them on my radar from now on! Taking what could have been a predictable premise and turning it entirely on its head with the lead character had me won over within just a few pages!
Peter Shaughnessy has dedicated his extremely long, cursed life to putting ghosts to rest. After a run in with one of the folk back in Ireland almost two centuries ago, he's had the ability to see ghosts and talk to plants - and he's barred from returning home... and refuses to get attached to people after everyone he's ever loved has long since died. So when he follows rumors of a haunting to tiny Harrington, Ohio, his goals are to deal with the ghosts and NOT to get involved in the lives of the living there. But the young director of the cemetery where he's placed himself as groundskeeper desperately needs therapy after the death of her father (whose ghost lingers nearby and refuses to leave until she does so), two children are constantly sneaking into the cemetery, and a very attractive museum curator is researching the cemetery's history and could use some protection.
The delight I felt when I realized I was getting to read about an immortal trapped in the body of a 70-year old! That fact alone immediately changes so much about the premise of this book. That he's also some flavor of asexual is also a high point. And the diversity in this book is just so lovely - all of the characters are so different and Anderson has managed to fit in so much representation without it feeling tokenized. This is just how small towns are! Sure, there's a mystery and an aggressive ghost for the main plot, but this book is SO cozy anyway. It's an elderly immortal trying and failing to avoid getting attached. The romance was minor, but so so so precious, especially in how it handled the aftermath of grief and healing together.
Seriously, I could babble about how soft this book is for paragraphs. Please just read it.
March 25, 2025
Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing and E.M. Anderson for allowing me to read this lovely story before its publication date in exchange for an honest review.
What is grief, if not love persevering?
This book ripped at my heartstrings, basically all but destroying them several times, and then delicately put them back together. It is a beautiful take on grief, complex family dynamics, and choosing to move forward in your life despite an overbearing sense of guilt. If you like chosen family or slow-burn romance tropes, this book is for you.
This book sort of reminded me of Ghost Whisperer, as the main character's goal is to help spirits pass over. However, this book focuses much more on the emotional motives of the spirits, which was written very beautifully. Peter, an immortal trapped in the body of a 70-year-old, will easily become one of your favorite book characters of all time as you read about him sharing his vast emotional wisdom with a plethora of spirits and the living.
Overall, I loved this book. It was cozy, heart-breaking, heart-warming, all of the hearts. I cannot wait to read more by this author moving forward.
SPOILERS BELOW:
I rated this book four out of five stars, for two main reasons. One, I loved the book's plot progression and felt very immersed throughout, never waiting for any scene to end to get to the next one. However, there is a sort of fight scene that occurs towards the end that feels like the MCU meets Ghostbusters, and it did not really work for the overall vibe in my opinion. Additionally, there were parts of Peter and Sayid's powers that I wish were explained just a touch more. Sayid's storyline of yielding such powers felt unfinished.
What is grief, if not love persevering?
This book ripped at my heartstrings, basically all but destroying them several times, and then delicately put them back together. It is a beautiful take on grief, complex family dynamics, and choosing to move forward in your life despite an overbearing sense of guilt. If you like chosen family or slow-burn romance tropes, this book is for you.
This book sort of reminded me of Ghost Whisperer, as the main character's goal is to help spirits pass over. However, this book focuses much more on the emotional motives of the spirits, which was written very beautifully. Peter, an immortal trapped in the body of a 70-year-old, will easily become one of your favorite book characters of all time as you read about him sharing his vast emotional wisdom with a plethora of spirits and the living.
Overall, I loved this book. It was cozy, heart-breaking, heart-warming, all of the hearts. I cannot wait to read more by this author moving forward.
SPOILERS BELOW:
I rated this book four out of five stars, for two main reasons. One, I loved the book's plot progression and felt very immersed throughout, never waiting for any scene to end to get to the next one. However, there is a sort of fight scene that occurs towards the end that feels like the MCU meets Ghostbusters, and it did not really work for the overall vibe in my opinion. Additionally, there were parts of Peter and Sayid's powers that I wish were explained just a touch more. Sayid's storyline of yielding such powers felt unfinished.
March 4, 2025
Thank you to Mira and Netgalley for allowing me to read an e-ARC of this one. All thoughts are my own.
This was SUCH a good book. I had my doubts at the start but once I settled into the style and tone, I was absolutely hooked.
This one is marketed as a cosy fantasy and while it definitely has elements of that, I’d argue that it’s more cosy horror if such a thing could exist. Very horror lite, but also definitely has horror elements throughout.
I LOVED Peter so, so much. He’s such a sad, tired, wonderful person. He’s suffered so much and he builds these protective walls to keep his heart safe, but he still goes out of his way to help people without letting them in too far.
But all that changes when the people of Harrington get under his skin and its history entwines with his own.
The relationships he forms in this book, every single one of them, hooked my heart. His love for these people and the spirits around them was palpable. I laughed, I teared up, I was on the edge of my seat during some moments. I felt so many things reading this book.
The soft, slow romance between Peter and David made my heart sing. They were so lovely together, so careful with each other.
Ahh! I can’t recommend this book enough.
This was SUCH a good book. I had my doubts at the start but once I settled into the style and tone, I was absolutely hooked.
This one is marketed as a cosy fantasy and while it definitely has elements of that, I’d argue that it’s more cosy horror if such a thing could exist. Very horror lite, but also definitely has horror elements throughout.
I LOVED Peter so, so much. He’s such a sad, tired, wonderful person. He’s suffered so much and he builds these protective walls to keep his heart safe, but he still goes out of his way to help people without letting them in too far.
But all that changes when the people of Harrington get under his skin and its history entwines with his own.
The relationships he forms in this book, every single one of them, hooked my heart. His love for these people and the spirits around them was palpable. I laughed, I teared up, I was on the edge of my seat during some moments. I felt so many things reading this book.
The soft, slow romance between Peter and David made my heart sing. They were so lovely together, so careful with each other.
Ahh! I can’t recommend this book enough.
March 22, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for a review!
I’ve always loved ghost stories and ghost hunters (I was a big Supernatural fan back in the day). But I’ve never read a book about an immortal ghost hunter who struggles not only with his immortality, but with when to go and when to stay.
Peter was a complicated character with a difficult past, but that doesn’t stop him from treating the ghosts he hunts and helps move on with such gentleness and kindness. There was such compassion in this book; it was clear that Peter struggled with wishing he too could move on after 200 years alive, but that jealously never colored his kindness when helping someone move on.
Peter is also probably the oldest protagonist I’ve ever read from (stuck in time in his 70s). I enjoyed seeing how that affected his story and what things he could and couldn’t do.
Overall, this was a really sweet, cozy read. I loved all the inclusivity in this story and can’t wait to pick up a physical copy on release day 😊
I’ve always loved ghost stories and ghost hunters (I was a big Supernatural fan back in the day). But I’ve never read a book about an immortal ghost hunter who struggles not only with his immortality, but with when to go and when to stay.
Peter was a complicated character with a difficult past, but that doesn’t stop him from treating the ghosts he hunts and helps move on with such gentleness and kindness. There was such compassion in this book; it was clear that Peter struggled with wishing he too could move on after 200 years alive, but that jealously never colored his kindness when helping someone move on.
Peter is also probably the oldest protagonist I’ve ever read from (stuck in time in his 70s). I enjoyed seeing how that affected his story and what things he could and couldn’t do.
Overall, this was a really sweet, cozy read. I loved all the inclusivity in this story and can’t wait to pick up a physical copy on release day 😊
February 6, 2025
Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for the ARC, this story didn’t just tug at my heartstrings; it built a nest there. The Keeper of Lonely Spirits is one of those rare gems of a book for me (and how lucky I was to stumble across the beautiful cover art on NetGalley. Somethings are meant to be, I suppose.) E.M. Anderson masterfully entwines the darker themes of loss, grief, and loneliness with the warmth of found family, the beauty of human connection, and the art of love (both romantic and platonic) at all stages of life. From the grumpy yet deeply tender groundskeeper Peter (old as shite and utterly endearing) to the fierce and fabulous Samira, every character has a purpose, a moment, a heartbeat. Their journeys through sorrow and healing felt genuine and relatable. The only thing this book was missing for me? A never-ending cup of tea and a rainy day to match its poignant, heartfelt prose.
March 29, 2025
Peter is probably one of the best book characters I have ever read. He is relatable in so many ways and written in a way that makes you look at yourself in a different light.
Cursed to never die he spends his over 200 years roaming the earth ridding it of unhappy spirits. He’s never put down roots after his beloved Jack died when they were in their 80’s and his neighbors started to notice he wasn’t aging beyond that. Once his 100th birthday came and went he started off on his journey. Every ghost he chases he hopes will be his last.
Peter’s arrival in Harrington brings a terrible anger and sadness from a ghost who is holding the entire town in its palm. While Peter is on a quest to save Harrington, Harrington saves him.
David, Neveah, Sayid, and Samira show Peter what love and family really mean. The book is riddled with life lessons for those of us a little lost, feeling a little unloved, for anyone who feels different and not seen.
Cursed to never die he spends his over 200 years roaming the earth ridding it of unhappy spirits. He’s never put down roots after his beloved Jack died when they were in their 80’s and his neighbors started to notice he wasn’t aging beyond that. Once his 100th birthday came and went he started off on his journey. Every ghost he chases he hopes will be his last.
Peter’s arrival in Harrington brings a terrible anger and sadness from a ghost who is holding the entire town in its palm. While Peter is on a quest to save Harrington, Harrington saves him.
David, Neveah, Sayid, and Samira show Peter what love and family really mean. The book is riddled with life lessons for those of us a little lost, feeling a little unloved, for anyone who feels different and not seen.
April 4, 2025
4.5 stars
I thought this would be a sweet, cozy fantasy book and it is, but it's also so much more. This grabbed me from the start and never let me go. I love the magical realism and how the ghosts and faeries were an integral part of the characters' lives, for better or worse. And the characters were my absolute favourite part, I adored all of them and it was so lovely to see them grow and bond. I felt so deeply for Peter and his curse to go anywhere he wanted, but just not home. The keeper of lonely spirits was ultimately the loneliest spirit.
In short, this was beautiful and heartfelt and I need more people to read it!
I thought this would be a sweet, cozy fantasy book and it is, but it's also so much more. This grabbed me from the start and never let me go. I love the magical realism and how the ghosts and faeries were an integral part of the characters' lives, for better or worse. And the characters were my absolute favourite part, I adored all of them and it was so lovely to see them grow and bond. I felt so deeply for Peter and his curse to go anywhere he wanted, but just not home. The keeper of lonely spirits was ultimately the loneliest spirit.
In short, this was beautiful and heartfelt and I need more people to read it!
March 22, 2025
I definitely enjoyed this book more towards the end and there was a scene that made me a little teary eyed. However, it did feel as though it started off a little slow and took a bit to really get into.
I loved the direction the story went and all of the representation spread throughout.
I think I would have been happier if the ending had a little more added to it and had a more substantial feeling to it since the book definitely focused on things like that.
Overall, it was a but slow, but definitely enjoyable.
I loved the direction the story went and all of the representation spread throughout.
I think I would have been happier if the ending had a little more added to it and had a more substantial feeling to it since the book definitely focused on things like that.
Overall, it was a but slow, but definitely enjoyable.
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February 18, 2025Both heartwarming and heartbreaking, with a diverse cast of characters who will grab you fast and not let go! This is such a beautiful book, with messages of love, grieving, and hope as well as some truly tense moments leading to a dramatic climax. This was a lovely read and I'm definitely looking forward to E's next.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc! Opinions are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc! Opinions are my own.
February 23, 2025
Peter Shaughnessy is cursed. He has spent 200 years hunting ghosts unable to die. Peter gets to a new city, gets the job done and leaves before anyone can even learn his name so he doesn't ever have to go through the heartbreak of watching the people he loves age and die without him. Things go as planed until he gets to Harrington, Ohio. There's a vengeful spirit here having ill effects on the townspeople. He should be in and out and NOT becoming attached to anyone or falling for the local historian.
The first thing that drew me to this book was the beautiful cover. It was so refreshing to read a cozy queer story with an older protagonist. This book is full of interesting, well-fleshed out characters who it's impossible to not become attached to.
The story beautifully deals with grief, all different kinds of love and figuring out what's really important to you. Peter and David's slow burn romance is so sweet and this story is full of found family.
I wish I could forget this book just so I could read it for the first time again.
Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The first thing that drew me to this book was the beautiful cover. It was so refreshing to read a cozy queer story with an older protagonist. This book is full of interesting, well-fleshed out characters who it's impossible to not become attached to.
The story beautifully deals with grief, all different kinds of love and figuring out what's really important to you. Peter and David's slow burn romance is so sweet and this story is full of found family.
I wish I could forget this book just so I could read it for the first time again.
Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
November 12, 2024
I felt deeply connected to every character. Talk about the perfect found family trope. Also, as someone in the death care industry’, I really appreciated the depiction of the cemetery and the amount of care and maintenance needed to maintain its beauty and functional abilities
March 12, 2025
Finished reading: March 11th 2025
"Some hundred years ago, he had decided to stop wanting. Anything he might want was fleeting, he eternal. Anything, anything he wanted would be stolen away sooner or later. It would tear him apart as Jack's death had. And it would go on like that, an eagle eternally picking at his liver, because it couldn't kill him. Because nothing could."
*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and MIRA in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***
REVIEW
March 28, 2025
I received an e-ARC and am giving my honest review!
This was an emotional ride of grief and longing and family, though not always by blood.
The groundskeeper has been cursed, and has been travelling for decades helping ghosts move on (and stop terrorizing the living). He never stays anywhere long, and absolutely never grows any attachments to anyone he meets. After his lover died of old age, while years went on and he never changed, romance has been something of his past. Then, he comes to Harrington, where he's heard of a spirit scaring people. Even though he has vowed to never grow new relationships, new attachments, two local kids, Samira and Sayid, the local museum operator, widower David, the manager of the cemetery Naveah, and the rest of the town slowly inches their way into his heart. With the threat of something rotting and changing spirits with its anger, as well as the predicament the groundskeeper is faced of his new-found "family," he has to battle both his inner wantings as well as the impending threat of this spirit.
This was beautifully written. I have to say, I'm quite annoyed at myself for not having read this earlier as it would've been the perfect addition to my final essay on types of devotion. The groundskeeper is a character I won't be forgetting for a very, very long time. I've grown a love for stories of immortal beings with their mortal loves (This is Not a Vampire Story by Simon Doyle having kicked this off) and this book does that beautifully. The push and pull of the groundskeeper's inner turmoil, desperately wanting to feel at home, to lose that sense of loneliness he's felt the majority of his life and call the people's he's surrounded himself with his newfound family.
Every single character made an impression on me. They were all so real, so flawed in the best way possible. Samira especially, I can't stop thinking about her. As an elementary teacher, I've met a lot of kids like her. On the surface, simply a troublemaker who is constantly going against the rules. But sit down with them once, have a conversation, and almost every time is just a scared little kid who's lost something, whether it be a person or even just attention in general. It broke my heart reading her story and emotions, reminding me of all of the kids I've bonded with, helped them to feel at ease and cared for, only to watch them have to go to a different teacher once the quarter is over, mainly never seeing them again. Never knowing if someone else would take over for me and give them the care they deserve.
I can't forget David. David immediately became my favorite character, I felt like the groundskeeper, whenever I saw his never my face lit up. I loved Isaiah as well, truly their relationship is one to remember forever. I just adored everything about the museum itself. David was the type of character that is like a cup of hot chocolate. You tell yourself you're happy with coffee but you have one sip of hot chocolate and remember how much you love it and everything like it. It's been a while since I've read a character with such a positive influence on the story, with no twist or anything to negate it, and it felt so nice. He kept changing between Burt from Severance and Michael Sheen (when he has crazy hair) when I'd picture him in my mind.
This novel weaved the intricacies of grief, despair, wanting, and even hope so beautifully. I feel lucky to have read it at all, it's the type of book to help you change your view on life for the better.
This was an emotional ride of grief and longing and family, though not always by blood.
The groundskeeper has been cursed, and has been travelling for decades helping ghosts move on (and stop terrorizing the living). He never stays anywhere long, and absolutely never grows any attachments to anyone he meets. After his lover died of old age, while years went on and he never changed, romance has been something of his past. Then, he comes to Harrington, where he's heard of a spirit scaring people. Even though he has vowed to never grow new relationships, new attachments, two local kids, Samira and Sayid, the local museum operator, widower David, the manager of the cemetery Naveah, and the rest of the town slowly inches their way into his heart. With the threat of something rotting and changing spirits with its anger, as well as the predicament the groundskeeper is faced of his new-found "family," he has to battle both his inner wantings as well as the impending threat of this spirit.
This was beautifully written. I have to say, I'm quite annoyed at myself for not having read this earlier as it would've been the perfect addition to my final essay on types of devotion. The groundskeeper is a character I won't be forgetting for a very, very long time. I've grown a love for stories of immortal beings with their mortal loves (This is Not a Vampire Story by Simon Doyle having kicked this off) and this book does that beautifully. The push and pull of the groundskeeper's inner turmoil, desperately wanting to feel at home, to lose that sense of loneliness he's felt the majority of his life and call the people's he's surrounded himself with his newfound family.
Every single character made an impression on me. They were all so real, so flawed in the best way possible. Samira especially, I can't stop thinking about her. As an elementary teacher, I've met a lot of kids like her. On the surface, simply a troublemaker who is constantly going against the rules. But sit down with them once, have a conversation, and almost every time is just a scared little kid who's lost something, whether it be a person or even just attention in general. It broke my heart reading her story and emotions, reminding me of all of the kids I've bonded with, helped them to feel at ease and cared for, only to watch them have to go to a different teacher once the quarter is over, mainly never seeing them again. Never knowing if someone else would take over for me and give them the care they deserve.
I can't forget David. David immediately became my favorite character, I felt like the groundskeeper, whenever I saw his never my face lit up. I loved Isaiah as well, truly their relationship is one to remember forever. I just adored everything about the museum itself. David was the type of character that is like a cup of hot chocolate. You tell yourself you're happy with coffee but you have one sip of hot chocolate and remember how much you love it and everything like it. It's been a while since I've read a character with such a positive influence on the story, with no twist or anything to negate it, and it felt so nice. He kept changing between Burt from Severance and Michael Sheen (when he has crazy hair) when I'd picture him in my mind.
This novel weaved the intricacies of grief, despair, wanting, and even hope so beautifully. I feel lucky to have read it at all, it's the type of book to help you change your view on life for the better.
March 25, 2025
I utterly adore the concept of this book. When I read the synopsis, I needed it. Immediately. Unfortunately, I have some personal hang ups that made what this book is actually about less for me than I wanted it to be.
This book does so many things so interestingly and so well. The characters are incredibly diverse for small town Ohio and they’re endearing as people. The way that ghosts work and the lore for what Peter does and how is interesting and makes sense while also feeling just a little unique. A lot of the prose is very pretty. When the action hits, I was hooked. Genuinely, there’s a lot to love here and I’m glad a lot of people seem to be enjoying it so far. It just was not for me.
Peter, our lonely groundskeeper, cannot die. I knew this. I always expect these immortals to be somewhere between 20-40 in appearance and sometimes countenance because that’s what you usually see. Peter hits at 70-80. I really truly struggle to read about characters like that and that’s fully on me. I’m stating it here only because I know it may be a hang up for someone else as well and I’d like to save you the trouble.
The tone and writing style is also very whimsical most of the time. This book is cozy but also kind of horror, if that makes sense, and sometimes with cozier storylines the whimsy just takes over and the logic doesn’t have to apply. A lot of people don’t mind that, but I overthink everything so little inconsistencies or anything that feels like it needs fact checking will stop me cold and I obsess over it a little. There’s a lot of that here and, again, that’s a subjective problem and not really a statement on how well this story was crafted.
That said, there were some less subjective problems I had with this book too. The plot was very drawn out, repetitive, and a little plodding up until the 60% mark when things actually started happening. It took 300 pages to get a backstory that all of the important parts had already been sprinkled into the narrative. I feel like I lived Peter’s past probably twenty times by the end and it was excessive. There’s so much buffer and fluff here that the plot structure kind of collapses; it could have been 150 pages shorter and still hit every emotional beat (flip floppy as they were, as intended). I truly enjoyed a lot of the last 30% of this largely because it tightened up. There were less extraneous details in the descriptions, people were reacting in a less easy going way (I will rant for days about the al Masri’s not being more worried about their kids hanging out with Peter before they even knew his name), and things that mattered were finally happening.
Before I get bogged down with things that don’t matter for this review, I want to reiterate that this isn’t a bad book. It’s a bad book for me. There’s a distinction I feel it’s important to truly make. This book is heartfelt and it’s a beautiful take on grief and love and what makes a home. I truly hope many people pick it up and enjoy it and see what they need to within its pages. Just maybe skip it if you’re not a fan of octogenarian narrators and can’t turn off the overly analytical part of your brain is all.
Thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for this eARC given in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions here are entirely my own.
This book does so many things so interestingly and so well. The characters are incredibly diverse for small town Ohio and they’re endearing as people. The way that ghosts work and the lore for what Peter does and how is interesting and makes sense while also feeling just a little unique. A lot of the prose is very pretty. When the action hits, I was hooked. Genuinely, there’s a lot to love here and I’m glad a lot of people seem to be enjoying it so far. It just was not for me.
Peter, our lonely groundskeeper, cannot die. I knew this. I always expect these immortals to be somewhere between 20-40 in appearance and sometimes countenance because that’s what you usually see. Peter hits at 70-80. I really truly struggle to read about characters like that and that’s fully on me. I’m stating it here only because I know it may be a hang up for someone else as well and I’d like to save you the trouble.
The tone and writing style is also very whimsical most of the time. This book is cozy but also kind of horror, if that makes sense, and sometimes with cozier storylines the whimsy just takes over and the logic doesn’t have to apply. A lot of people don’t mind that, but I overthink everything so little inconsistencies or anything that feels like it needs fact checking will stop me cold and I obsess over it a little. There’s a lot of that here and, again, that’s a subjective problem and not really a statement on how well this story was crafted.
That said, there were some less subjective problems I had with this book too. The plot was very drawn out, repetitive, and a little plodding up until the 60% mark when things actually started happening. It took 300 pages to get a backstory that all of the important parts had already been sprinkled into the narrative. I feel like I lived Peter’s past probably twenty times by the end and it was excessive. There’s so much buffer and fluff here that the plot structure kind of collapses; it could have been 150 pages shorter and still hit every emotional beat (flip floppy as they were, as intended). I truly enjoyed a lot of the last 30% of this largely because it tightened up. There were less extraneous details in the descriptions, people were reacting in a less easy going way (I will rant for days about the al Masri’s not being more worried about their kids hanging out with Peter before they even knew his name), and things that mattered were finally happening.
Before I get bogged down with things that don’t matter for this review, I want to reiterate that this isn’t a bad book. It’s a bad book for me. There’s a distinction I feel it’s important to truly make. This book is heartfelt and it’s a beautiful take on grief and love and what makes a home. I truly hope many people pick it up and enjoy it and see what they need to within its pages. Just maybe skip it if you’re not a fan of octogenarian narrators and can’t turn off the overly analytical part of your brain is all.
Thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for this eARC given in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions here are entirely my own.
March 14, 2025
Thanks Netgalley for the ARC
This is an unusual type of cozy fantasy. Personally, I'm not always a fan of cozy fantasy. Sometimes it's just a bit too much of characters just vibing in a nice and cozy environent you wished you lived in, but there's just not enough going on for it to be interesting. This book wasn't like that.
It's not "everything's nice and we're just vibing" cozy, it's more of a "we've all have trauma and shit going on but it's easier if we hold hands" cozy, which I really liked.
The story follows Peter, a man who was cursed by the folk in Ireland to forever wander far from home. This means he cannot return to Ireland, and cannot die. He travels around towns, where he stays for a while to help ghosts move on, and then moves on himself, never stayng long enough to get attached. After all, everyone dies at some point and he doesn't.
What I really liked was that Peter presents as a man in his seventies. He's not forever young like a lot of immortal characters are, he is an old guy, and remains an old guy. I think this made for a nice dynamic, because over 200 is a lot older than 70, but he feels realistic and grounded as an immortal rather than having a several centuries year old being look like mid 20s and act like a teenager. He also has a romance subplot with a man in his 70s who lives in that town, who lost his husband a year prior.
Apart from the love interest, there's a great cast of side characters. There's Nevaeh, who works at the graveyard with Peter, and is struggling with her grief for her father. My personal favorites were Sayid and Samira, a pair of siblings, who first meet Peter while breaking into the graveyard at midnight because Samira is a fearless little girl who tends to act out in response to difficult things happening. The two children start looking up to Peter like a grandfather, which I thought was really sweet. They're also dealing with some things in the family, since their grandfather is dying of dementia.
I think grief is the overarching theme of this book, what loss does to people, but also to keep loved ones close. Peter has already lost everyone he knew from his own lifetime, and has become detached to avoid having to experience that loss over and over, and his character arc is about finally letting people in again, because living in solitude is no way to live, and love is worth it even if eventually you will lose someone.
There's also a ghost mystery in this book, as there's an especially powerful and angry spirit stuck in this village, and much of the plot revolves around Peter trying to figure out who it is and help them pass on, which is not so easy, and he really needs the help of all the side characters to figure this out since some of them, have more knowledge about the town's history, its ghost stories, etc, and I think overall there was enough tension in the story to keep me interested.
Would recommend this to people who enjoy quieter fantasies and stories about grief and loss, and people who would like to see more fantasy with old MCs.
This is an unusual type of cozy fantasy. Personally, I'm not always a fan of cozy fantasy. Sometimes it's just a bit too much of characters just vibing in a nice and cozy environent you wished you lived in, but there's just not enough going on for it to be interesting. This book wasn't like that.
It's not "everything's nice and we're just vibing" cozy, it's more of a "we've all have trauma and shit going on but it's easier if we hold hands" cozy, which I really liked.
The story follows Peter, a man who was cursed by the folk in Ireland to forever wander far from home. This means he cannot return to Ireland, and cannot die. He travels around towns, where he stays for a while to help ghosts move on, and then moves on himself, never stayng long enough to get attached. After all, everyone dies at some point and he doesn't.
What I really liked was that Peter presents as a man in his seventies. He's not forever young like a lot of immortal characters are, he is an old guy, and remains an old guy. I think this made for a nice dynamic, because over 200 is a lot older than 70, but he feels realistic and grounded as an immortal rather than having a several centuries year old being look like mid 20s and act like a teenager. He also has a romance subplot with a man in his 70s who lives in that town, who lost his husband a year prior.
Apart from the love interest, there's a great cast of side characters. There's Nevaeh, who works at the graveyard with Peter, and is struggling with her grief for her father. My personal favorites were Sayid and Samira, a pair of siblings, who first meet Peter while breaking into the graveyard at midnight because Samira is a fearless little girl who tends to act out in response to difficult things happening. The two children start looking up to Peter like a grandfather, which I thought was really sweet. They're also dealing with some things in the family, since their grandfather is dying of dementia.
I think grief is the overarching theme of this book, what loss does to people, but also to keep loved ones close. Peter has already lost everyone he knew from his own lifetime, and has become detached to avoid having to experience that loss over and over, and his character arc is about finally letting people in again, because living in solitude is no way to live, and love is worth it even if eventually you will lose someone.
There's also a ghost mystery in this book, as there's an especially powerful and angry spirit stuck in this village, and much of the plot revolves around Peter trying to figure out who it is and help them pass on, which is not so easy, and he really needs the help of all the side characters to figure this out since some of them, have more knowledge about the town's history, its ghost stories, etc, and I think overall there was enough tension in the story to keep me interested.
Would recommend this to people who enjoy quieter fantasies and stories about grief and loss, and people who would like to see more fantasy with old MCs.
March 23, 2025
I enjoyed the themes here and parts of the story, but I can’t quite say it always held my attention, so maybe 3.75 stars.
Peter Shaughnessy looks like an grumpy old groundskeeper taking care of cemeteries, but in reality he is a cursed immortal who has the abilities to speak to plants and ghosts, and travels around different towns to rid them of malevolent ghosts before moving on to the next place before he can get too attached. He arrives in Harrington, OH for the next hunt, but the townspeople start rooting deep into his life. As he starts feeling more at home, the ghost he was hunting turns more malevolent, and a spirit from his past returns to haunt Peter, too.
So it’s a little predictable in a way with an immortal man who loses all his loved ones because he outlives them all, so as a result he hardens himself and doesn’t let anyone in, until he meets some people who force their way in. The fantasy elements are light mixed with a bit of a mystery (not too hard to figure out tbh), but the focus of this was the characters, their relationships, and grief. The author’s note says this is a sad book and that is very true, but it makes sure to add in hope and heartwarming aspects to make it cozy and comforting as well.
The protagonist, Peter, is well developed, and the side characters were as well, with their own lives and problems outside of the main plot that brought them to life. No character was flat, but for some reason I couldn’t quite connect to any in particular, so I wasn’t as moved by the emotional moments as I feel I should’ve been. There’s some romance as well between Peter and another older gentleman, but it was fine, I guess. Idk if it’s my biases but it seemed a bit more focused on physical attraction more than emotional as I prefer, so it wasn’t my favorite. The middle dragged at parts, and I liked the ending for the most part, but I’m not entirely convinced it tied up all the loose ends in Peter’s arc as it appeared.
This book was unique in many aspects, very gentle and kind and comforting, but I wasn’t as moved by it as I wanted to be. Still, would recommend!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!
Peter Shaughnessy looks like an grumpy old groundskeeper taking care of cemeteries, but in reality he is a cursed immortal who has the abilities to speak to plants and ghosts, and travels around different towns to rid them of malevolent ghosts before moving on to the next place before he can get too attached. He arrives in Harrington, OH for the next hunt, but the townspeople start rooting deep into his life. As he starts feeling more at home, the ghost he was hunting turns more malevolent, and a spirit from his past returns to haunt Peter, too.
So it’s a little predictable in a way with an immortal man who loses all his loved ones because he outlives them all, so as a result he hardens himself and doesn’t let anyone in, until he meets some people who force their way in. The fantasy elements are light mixed with a bit of a mystery (not too hard to figure out tbh), but the focus of this was the characters, their relationships, and grief. The author’s note says this is a sad book and that is very true, but it makes sure to add in hope and heartwarming aspects to make it cozy and comforting as well.
The protagonist, Peter, is well developed, and the side characters were as well, with their own lives and problems outside of the main plot that brought them to life. No character was flat, but for some reason I couldn’t quite connect to any in particular, so I wasn’t as moved by the emotional moments as I feel I should’ve been. There’s some romance as well between Peter and another older gentleman, but it was fine, I guess. Idk if it’s my biases but it seemed a bit more focused on physical attraction more than emotional as I prefer, so it wasn’t my favorite. The middle dragged at parts, and I liked the ending for the most part, but I’m not entirely convinced it tied up all the loose ends in Peter’s arc as it appeared.
This book was unique in many aspects, very gentle and kind and comforting, but I wasn’t as moved by it as I wanted to be. Still, would recommend!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!
September 28, 2024
The Keeper of Lonely Spirits by E. M. Anderson is a story about the many forms of grief and and the struggle to continue life in the wake of it. Over two hundred years ago, an encounter in Ireland left Peter with immortality, which would be considered a gift to anyone but him as he's watched all those he loves, including his husband, die.
Now, in present day Ohio, Peter finds himself in another town and he intends for it to be like all the others - he'll go and pose as a groundskeeper, learning what he can of the local legends on ghosts until he finds the spirit that needs to move on. It's not glamorous but quiet, a conversation to let them know their child is waiting for them on the other side, the promise their loved one is okay, whatever it is they need to hear to find peace.
He's always been careful to keep people at arm's length, but the people of Harrington take a liking to him, his quiet nature and his amusing habit of talking to the plants.
This isn't your typical cozy mystery nor is it your typical ghost hunter book, Peter is in his eighties and he doesn't have elaborate setups to trap ghosts. He finds out about their life, about what drove them to stick around and connects with them, helps them feel seen in their grief and encourages them to move on. Which is what draws so many of the townspeople to him. Navaeh who has recently lost her father, one of the ghosts Peter sees who has lingered, worried about his daughter. To David, the local keeper of the museum who lost his own husband a few months prior. Even young Samira who experiences her own form of grief in missing her mom who is so often at work.
Anderson’s writing style draws the reader in, making it feel like you’re walking through the cemetery alongside Peter or moving through the quaint town, checking on the occupants he keeps telling himself he’s not attached to. The end wraps up the various subplots while leaving it open should Anderson wish to return to one of Harrington’s residents.
Now, in present day Ohio, Peter finds himself in another town and he intends for it to be like all the others - he'll go and pose as a groundskeeper, learning what he can of the local legends on ghosts until he finds the spirit that needs to move on. It's not glamorous but quiet, a conversation to let them know their child is waiting for them on the other side, the promise their loved one is okay, whatever it is they need to hear to find peace.
He's always been careful to keep people at arm's length, but the people of Harrington take a liking to him, his quiet nature and his amusing habit of talking to the plants.
This isn't your typical cozy mystery nor is it your typical ghost hunter book, Peter is in his eighties and he doesn't have elaborate setups to trap ghosts. He finds out about their life, about what drove them to stick around and connects with them, helps them feel seen in their grief and encourages them to move on. Which is what draws so many of the townspeople to him. Navaeh who has recently lost her father, one of the ghosts Peter sees who has lingered, worried about his daughter. To David, the local keeper of the museum who lost his own husband a few months prior. Even young Samira who experiences her own form of grief in missing her mom who is so often at work.
Anderson’s writing style draws the reader in, making it feel like you’re walking through the cemetery alongside Peter or moving through the quaint town, checking on the occupants he keeps telling himself he’s not attached to. The end wraps up the various subplots while leaving it open should Anderson wish to return to one of Harrington’s residents.
March 25, 2025
I’d planned to finish this last week to help drum up hype for this book. Unfortunately, a number of things kept pushing it back. Here is my review of an ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley, on release day. Go out and buy it. It’s worth buying and reading right now!
Anderson’s content warning within their author’s note at the beginning was well done. Often, it’s a simple list, but the explanation of what happens supported by why felt authentic and less like a nod to current conventions and more like the author thoughtfully considered her readers.
The opening chapter is gorgeously written, grabs Your heart and rips it right out. You could read just the first Chapter as a complete short story, but I'm so glad we have an entire novel to learn about Peter Shaughnessy, why he's so lonely, and if those wishes and wants he hints at in the first Chapter get answered.
The story progresses with a person of very old and slightly curmudgeonly morals and behavior who can calm ghosts and help the onto the next life.
Anderson clearly cares about her characters and her readers. It's plain in the topics she broaches in Keeper and the way she handles them, with compassion.
I found myself saying to myself, hot damn this is good several times. Anderson's foreshadowing is spectacular.
Anderson sets up a cozy mystery and there are a lot of mysteries. She strings them out and answers them slowly.
You know the trope about the unwilling protagonist? Anderson takes that trope and cranks it up to 11. See Charlie Jane Anders review in The Washington Post and Bluesky posts about the book. Peter fights and fights and fights and by the time we know why, we understand and our hearts are breaking. And then the twist I did not see coming wholloped me right upside the feels. There's a meme for this.
The best line in the book: “Guarantee you won’t kill me,” he said. “But you can try.” Just wait until you get there!
Anderson’s content warning within their author’s note at the beginning was well done. Often, it’s a simple list, but the explanation of what happens supported by why felt authentic and less like a nod to current conventions and more like the author thoughtfully considered her readers.
The opening chapter is gorgeously written, grabs Your heart and rips it right out. You could read just the first Chapter as a complete short story, but I'm so glad we have an entire novel to learn about Peter Shaughnessy, why he's so lonely, and if those wishes and wants he hints at in the first Chapter get answered.
The story progresses with a person of very old and slightly curmudgeonly morals and behavior who can calm ghosts and help the onto the next life.
Anderson clearly cares about her characters and her readers. It's plain in the topics she broaches in Keeper and the way she handles them, with compassion.
I found myself saying to myself, hot damn this is good several times. Anderson's foreshadowing is spectacular.
Anderson sets up a cozy mystery and there are a lot of mysteries. She strings them out and answers them slowly.
You know the trope about the unwilling protagonist? Anderson takes that trope and cranks it up to 11. See Charlie Jane Anders review in The Washington Post and Bluesky posts about the book. Peter fights and fights and fights and by the time we know why, we understand and our hearts are breaking. And then the twist I did not see coming wholloped me right upside the feels. There's a meme for this.
The best line in the book: “Guarantee you won’t kill me,” he said. “But you can try.” Just wait until you get there!
March 25, 2025
👻🌳✨️🪦🪴🫂
This one is a bit different from the books I usually read but it sounded interesting and i'm so glad I gave it a try! I really loved it!! It's a cozy queer fantasy, with some horror/supernatural elements especially towards the end. There's a curse and a mystery and a spooky cemetery and a wonderfully diverse cast of characters.
"That's what life is."
"You lose people you love and you love more people and you lose them, too, and you keep loving anyway because what's the point otherwise?"
Peter is a groundskeeper cursed with immortality & doomed to wander from town to town sending restless spirits on their way. He ends up in a small town in Ohio where an angry spirit is hiding in the cemetery. Peter quickly becomes attached to the residents and the town. Should he leave and put them in danger or stay and get everything he's ever wanted ... even if it means he will one day outlive these people he's come to care for?
I just loved Peter, he's had a rough go of it. Poor guy. But he's such a good person and he just wants everyone else to be okay and safe. Even though he's not going to stay, he cares so much. I just wanted some sort of happy ending for him. He deserved to be happy. And David. He's so precious, with his goofy, colorful outfits
I adored these two so much!! I genuinely loved all the characters, a wonderful found family!
I loved how the mystery of the ghost was handled and I definitely gasped when it was revealed!!
The more serious things like therapy and grief and loss of a loved one was also done well and with care. Pretty much every character is dealing with the loss of a loved one, so be aware of that before reading.
Several queer characters and oh so beautifully written, the descriptions of the cemetery and forest are so lush that I almost felt like I was there.
There's honestly so much more to this book that i'm not saying! But it's so good!
The Keeper of Lonely Spirits is OUT NOW! Please go get yourself a copy!
This one is a bit different from the books I usually read but it sounded interesting and i'm so glad I gave it a try! I really loved it!! It's a cozy queer fantasy, with some horror/supernatural elements especially towards the end. There's a curse and a mystery and a spooky cemetery and a wonderfully diverse cast of characters.
"That's what life is."
"You lose people you love and you love more people and you lose them, too, and you keep loving anyway because what's the point otherwise?"
Peter is a groundskeeper cursed with immortality & doomed to wander from town to town sending restless spirits on their way. He ends up in a small town in Ohio where an angry spirit is hiding in the cemetery. Peter quickly becomes attached to the residents and the town. Should he leave and put them in danger or stay and get everything he's ever wanted ... even if it means he will one day outlive these people he's come to care for?
I just loved Peter, he's had a rough go of it. Poor guy. But he's such a good person and he just wants everyone else to be okay and safe. Even though he's not going to stay, he cares so much. I just wanted some sort of happy ending for him. He deserved to be happy. And David. He's so precious, with his goofy, colorful outfits
I adored these two so much!! I genuinely loved all the characters, a wonderful found family!
I loved how the mystery of the ghost was handled and I definitely gasped when it was revealed!!
The more serious things like therapy and grief and loss of a loved one was also done well and with care. Pretty much every character is dealing with the loss of a loved one, so be aware of that before reading.
Several queer characters and oh so beautifully written, the descriptions of the cemetery and forest are so lush that I almost felt like I was there.
There's honestly so much more to this book that i'm not saying! But it's so good!
The Keeper of Lonely Spirits is OUT NOW! Please go get yourself a copy!
March 27, 2025
Peter Shaughnessy was cursed to wander eternally with the ability to see ghosts and talk to plants. After losing everyone he's ever loved, he focuses on the dead. After arriving in Harrington, Ohio, Peter is soon drawn into the lives of the townsfolk, and may even be falling in love. The angry ghost he's hunting is causing trouble and is threatening the lives of the people he now cares for.
Peter stopped aging in his 70s, so he often takes on the role of an unassuming groundskeeper for cemeteries and places where he will be unnoticed. He moves from town to town, avoiding attachments, and helping ghosts move on to the afterlife. They get unburdened of their earthly attachments keeping them around and affecting things. Ghosts aren't the transparent ones from movies, mostly the scents, emotions, and memories of the person that's left behind. We see how effective he can be, and then he hears about a strong ghost in Harrington. Once there, he finds it difficult to stay detached from the people around him, and the ghost proves more difficult to track down than usual.
There is so much grief, loss, and talk about family. Gradually, Peter grows to love the children who sneak into the cemetery, the historian, and the cemetery director. As he gets to know them, he tries so hard to break the connections, hurting them as well as himself. It also brings up memories of his own past and his losses. He can't bear to keep grieving, but it's all he does anyway. We see his growth, subtle as it is, and by the end, he accepts the fact that people love and lose, and it's still worth the grief to have the love while it's there.
Peter stopped aging in his 70s, so he often takes on the role of an unassuming groundskeeper for cemeteries and places where he will be unnoticed. He moves from town to town, avoiding attachments, and helping ghosts move on to the afterlife. They get unburdened of their earthly attachments keeping them around and affecting things. Ghosts aren't the transparent ones from movies, mostly the scents, emotions, and memories of the person that's left behind. We see how effective he can be, and then he hears about a strong ghost in Harrington. Once there, he finds it difficult to stay detached from the people around him, and the ghost proves more difficult to track down than usual.
There is so much grief, loss, and talk about family. Gradually, Peter grows to love the children who sneak into the cemetery, the historian, and the cemetery director. As he gets to know them, he tries so hard to break the connections, hurting them as well as himself. It also brings up memories of his own past and his losses. He can't bear to keep grieving, but it's all he does anyway. We see his growth, subtle as it is, and by the end, he accepts the fact that people love and lose, and it's still worth the grief to have the love while it's there.
March 25, 2025
I had a mix of feelings for this book. I loved the overall eerie but cozy vibe, the slow-burn queer romance, a wealth of diverse characters, the descriptions of the cemetery. The main character's repetitive stubbornness in keeping people at arm's length was frustrating.
Peter has been cursed with immortality and an inability to return to his homeland and family, but gained the ability to see ghosts and communicate with plants.. He's lost everyone he's ever loved, so he spends his years wandering the world hunting agitated ghosts, helping them to move on to the afterlife. His fear of more grief keeps him traveling around without getting attached to anyone else, or letting them get attached to him.
When Peter follows the story of an angry ghost to Harrington, Ohio, he connects with wonderful people who make him want to stay and risk his heart. He is torn between running to protect his heart (and theirs) and staying to protect them from the supernatural force threatening them all.
The pacing of this book made me a little crazy....the long slow first 80% and then the rapid whirlwind of ending events, especially the last few pages. I loved the atmosphere of it though, just very cinematic and lovely even though disturbing! I'm rounding this one up to four stars just for the vibes.
Thank you to Mira and Netgalley for The Keeper of Lonely Spirits by E.M. Anderson!
Peter has been cursed with immortality and an inability to return to his homeland and family, but gained the ability to see ghosts and communicate with plants.. He's lost everyone he's ever loved, so he spends his years wandering the world hunting agitated ghosts, helping them to move on to the afterlife. His fear of more grief keeps him traveling around without getting attached to anyone else, or letting them get attached to him.
When Peter follows the story of an angry ghost to Harrington, Ohio, he connects with wonderful people who make him want to stay and risk his heart. He is torn between running to protect his heart (and theirs) and staying to protect them from the supernatural force threatening them all.
The pacing of this book made me a little crazy....the long slow first 80% and then the rapid whirlwind of ending events, especially the last few pages. I loved the atmosphere of it though, just very cinematic and lovely even though disturbing! I'm rounding this one up to four stars just for the vibes.
Thank you to Mira and Netgalley for The Keeper of Lonely Spirits by E.M. Anderson!
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March 16, 2025Over 200 years ago, a young man is cursed to never return home to his native Ireland. With his eternal curse, he gains the ability to communicate with ghosts & plants, so he wanders from town to town to help ghosts move on.
When he moves to Harrington, Ohio, he thinks this town will be like the rest. He'll find the ghost haunting the town, help it to move past whatever is keeping it here, then he'll leave before anyone can remember he was there. He makes no connections. But, Harrington proves different. Despite his best efforts to remain distant, the townsfolk make their way into his life and, eventually, his heart.
Without a doubt, my favorite aspect of this book was the characters. I love the established relationships and the ones that blossomed as the story unfurled. I loved the glimpses into their heads which really allowed me to know the characters and better understand their motives. Even the minor characters felt fleshed out and real.
While the characters made me fall in love with the story, the mystery made me stay up too late to finish it. The reveal felt obvious to me, but the way the characters reacted to it really had me *in* that moment.
Come for the cozy mystery, stay for found family.
When he moves to Harrington, Ohio, he thinks this town will be like the rest. He'll find the ghost haunting the town, help it to move past whatever is keeping it here, then he'll leave before anyone can remember he was there. He makes no connections. But, Harrington proves different. Despite his best efforts to remain distant, the townsfolk make their way into his life and, eventually, his heart.
Without a doubt, my favorite aspect of this book was the characters. I love the established relationships and the ones that blossomed as the story unfurled. I loved the glimpses into their heads which really allowed me to know the characters and better understand their motives. Even the minor characters felt fleshed out and real.
While the characters made me fall in love with the story, the mystery made me stay up too late to finish it. The reveal felt obvious to me, but the way the characters reacted to it really had me *in* that moment.
Come for the cozy mystery, stay for found family.
January 25, 2025
I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I have a hard time reviewing this one. It moved a little slow for me, but made me feel! Personally, I have to be in the mood for slower books, but I don’t like to put books down for more than a day or two, so I’ve pushed through. The first half of this was a bit slower paced for sure, but it picks up towards the end. This one is definitely as much about the journey as the destination. The writing feels almost like meandering through a forest, taking in the details while giving us important plot points. The past and the present are sprinkled throughout, and I enjoyed getting to know Peter through the book.
The characters are adorable and precious and I really loved meeting them. If you enjoy TJ Klune or really any LGBTQIA+ fiction, you’ll love this. The relationships, platonic and romantic, are just the sweetest things and how I wish life was lived. I cried at least three times, but the ending gutted me in a bittersweet way.
All in all, this was a wonderful read. Be prepared for a slower paced book, but it’s well worth it. 4.5⭐️
March 9, 2025
A beautifully heartfelt story that follows a man cursed with immortality.
Peter O'Shaughnessy spends his life dealing with spirits and talking to plants, and avoiding meaningful relationships of any kind. He takes care of business and moves on, never staying in one place for long - until he arrives in Harrington, Ohio. There are spirits to deal with, of course, but Peter is really just done with everything and wishes his existence could end.
But then something happens. Peter begins to truly care for people in Harrington, and he feels himself falling for David, a historian. The slow building of relationships is heartwarming, the tendrils of love that being to form around Peter's heart blooming as his life becomes intertwined with various townspeople. Their struggles and joys, the small moments in their lives pull him in until he realizes that he no longer wants to die. He wants to live, and he wants his life to be connected to theirs.
E.M. Anderson has a talent for the heartfelt, and this cozy, sometimes scary story is perfect to enjoy when you want to smile upon finishing a book.
Peter O'Shaughnessy spends his life dealing with spirits and talking to plants, and avoiding meaningful relationships of any kind. He takes care of business and moves on, never staying in one place for long - until he arrives in Harrington, Ohio. There are spirits to deal with, of course, but Peter is really just done with everything and wishes his existence could end.
But then something happens. Peter begins to truly care for people in Harrington, and he feels himself falling for David, a historian. The slow building of relationships is heartwarming, the tendrils of love that being to form around Peter's heart blooming as his life becomes intertwined with various townspeople. Their struggles and joys, the small moments in their lives pull him in until he realizes that he no longer wants to die. He wants to live, and he wants his life to be connected to theirs.
E.M. Anderson has a talent for the heartfelt, and this cozy, sometimes scary story is perfect to enjoy when you want to smile upon finishing a book.
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