Reviewing In All The Haunted Places

Looking for Love in All the Haunted Places by Claire Kann

#Asexual #Supernatural #RomCom #Contemporary

CW: Capitalism, Supernatural Content, Click for More

5/5

I have been waiting to read Claire Kann's Looking for Love in All the Haunted Places since she revealed she was writing it. I love everything Kann writes. I discovered her because I wanted more asexual representation in the romance and romcom novels I read. I'm the one who asks my library to get her books added to Libby. Weirdly, after months of me waiting, post-release, for this novel to be added, they got the ebook first. I thought I had made it clear that I needed the audiobook. A couple more weeks went by before the audiobook was added. I JUMPED on reading this. I'll say the wait was worth it. This might just be my favorite read from this year! 

When Lucky is hired to be a temporary caretaker for Hennesee House, she finds something she wasn't expecting or prepared for. No, it's not that the house is sentient and active. She charms her way into an interview for the reality TV show about it so she can investigate it. What she finds is people that can break her fortified walls down. Maverick is a fantastic single dad, her favorite podcaster, and now her work partner. Maverick, his daughter, the crew of the show, a stray cat, and even the house worm their way into Lucky's heart. Will Lucky be able to uncover Hennesee's secrets? Will she have to lose everything to do so? 

The writing of Looking for Love in All the Haunted Places was impeccable! It felt so cinematic. I would love to see it on screen, it would just need someone who understood that it's not a horror story, it's a romcom with some mystery. Things do get scary for the characters, but Kann never tries to make the audience feel scared. I think the pacing is well done, taking just the right amount of time to reveal information about Lucky, Hennesee, and Xander, the man who hired Lucky. The characters are very fleshed out and each brings something necessary to the story. This is a romance and a mystery, but it's also a found family novel. It's absolutely beautiful to see Lucky fall into all kinds of love, not just romantic. I also felt that the supernatural elements and world-building were enthralling. Hennesee House sounds amazing, but there are also some off-site locations for future audience members to look forward to! 

If you're looking for asexual main characters for fiction novels, Kann is absolutely the author for you. Lucky is asexual, although this isn't revealed until nearly halfway through the book. It comes to light when her new best friend, Georgia, assumes that Lucky is having sex with Maverick. Although she may have assumed Lucky to be allosexual, it's nice to see that she's supportive of asexuality and already informed about it. As for Maverick, his reactions are frustrating, but realistic. He makes a lot of assumptions about asexuality instead of just talking to Lucky. Frankly, I wasn't sure until the book was nearly over if Maverick was actually the love interest. A part of me wondered if he was a decoy and Hennesee House was the actual love interest. That, I won't answer for you. I will say that Lucky finds happiness in the end. 

Be warned: The very end of Kann's Looking for Love in All the Haunted Places feels like it leaves a few too many things unanswered. I'll be vague to the future readers, but clear for those that have read it. How does the phone call go? Who is next?

If you're excited by the idea of a black woman asexual lead to a haunted house mystery romance, you have to read Claire Kann's Looking for Love in All the Haunted Places. You won't regret it! You'll be treated to time with an adorable kid, a secretly softie cat, an omelet aficionado, and one of the most charming people to ever have ESP. Go on, Hennesee's doors are open….