e-ALC, 09:34:53
Narrated by: Samantha Brentmoor, Jason Clarke, & Lyla Sage
Release Date: September 30, 2025
Published by: Books on Tape (Dial Press)
Read from: September 25-27, 2025
Sweetwater Peak, #1
Source: PRH Audio App (I received a free ALC from the publisher and their app. I also received a physical ARC from the ALA conference. This did nothing to influence my review)
Content Warning: Sexual Content, Death, Mental Illness, Murder, Animal Death, Domestic Abuse, Sexism
For Readers Interested In: Paranormal, Romance, Adult, Ghosts, Sparkly Covers, Audio, Contemporary RomanceHome is where the heart is—and this one is haunted.
The #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Rebel Blue Ranch series returns with a brand-new story, featuring a small-town upholsterer in need of a fresh start, a photographer whose life has come to a screeching halt . . . and the supernatural forces that bring them together.
Collins Cartwright does not want to go home. Sweetwater Peak, Wyoming, was supposed to be in her rearview mirror, but when she finds out a developer is trying to buy her parents’ antique shop out from under them, she doesn’t have a choice—at least, that’s what she tells her family. They don’t need to know she’s lost her job and is out of money. Or that the ghosts that have always been her companions have recently gone silent.
But just because she’s returned home doesn’t mean she has to stay with her parents or crash on her twin sister’s couch. Lucky for her, the new-to-town upholsterer has a room for rent above his store. Unluckily, it is absolutely crawling with more ghosts who are freezing her out. And Collins hates being ignored.
Brady Cooper is absolutely and totally fine. Seriously, there’s no secret reason why he decided to uproot his life and suddenly move to Sweetwater Peak. He just needed a change of pace. At least, that’s what he tells himself. And everyone else.
When he agrees to let the elusive Collins Cartwright stay in his spare room, he doesn’t know that she’s absolutely bonkers—constantly talking to herself and having conversations with no one—or that she looked like that. But as they begin to get closer, the lines between them start to blur, leaving both of them—and the ghosts that have been pushing them together—wondering whether or not their temporary arrangement could be something more permanent.
*MY THOUGHTS*
This wasn’t really on my radar at first. I’d never read a book by Sage and I wasn’t sure if this one would be like a series companion to the other books. And it definitely was. I just chose not to care because I saw the cover LOL
The paranormal aspect of this was my favorite. She spoke to ghosts and I thought that was pretty cool. And the fact that they were just always there was pretty awesome. I can’t imagine this in real life tho. I can’t decide if I would be annoyed all the time or what. But this seemed really cool in this instance. But the moving stuff around, and doing things beause you didn’t agree with a choice I made was just a big naw lol
The romance was ok. I felt weird about it because of what brought them together. But I have to say, their meet cute being pepper spray just worked for me lol But them together just didn’t really work for me. Mostly because he had no personality without her. HOWEVER, I loved how obsessed with her that made him. I just wish I felt like she had the same reaction to him? Idk how to explain it.
The plot was ok, but I just felt like it was just that, OK. I wasn’t completely moved, but I also wasn’t super bored and want to hide anything or anything like that either. I know it was my own fault for not having read the other series, but I think there were some places where the other series came up. This made me say I’m going to listen to all of them now tho. Because I need to know if my suspicions are correct lol
This was a lot of fun, but I think I would have liked it better if I was 100% in the know about Sage’s books and not making assumptions from the outside. I’ll be reading them soon because I need to know what’s happening lol
Overall, I give this
