With Spirit

Paranormal America #1

by Josie Mae

When an actress becomes convinced her house is haunted, she calls in a TV paranormal investigator who doesn’t actually believe in ghosts and has been faking her show the entire time…until now.

Successful actress Lo Lane has a problem: she's pretty sure the beautiful new house she just bought is haunted, but she has no proof.

The solution? Calling on the Paranormal America team, led by the irritatingly charming Stevie Anderson.

Stevie and her team agree to investigate the house, desperate for the kind of exposure Lo would bring. But what Lo doesn’t know is that Stevie is also an actress…and her entire TV show is fake. With Stevie’s credibility on the line, she’s determined to put on the best performance of her life and make sure Lo never figures out they’re not actually paranormal investigators.

Lo is relieved to finally get some answers and Stevie is certain she has it under control…until things start happening around the house that Stevie and her team didn’t set up.

Genres: Lesbian, Romance, LGBT, Paranormal, Lesbian Fiction, Contemporary, Novella

177 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 7, 2025

About the author

Josie Mae (she/her) is a lesbian who writes sapphic romance. She’s a sports romance girl through and through despite being generally unathletic, and she says y’all far too much for being a city girl. She has worked a million odd jobs, lived a million different lives, and wants to live for a million more years. Josie writes all of her books with her small but mighty chiweenie, Baby Mae, by her side.

Reviews

[ashlee ❤ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stevie + Lo

-sapphic romance
-skeptic x believer
-grumpy/sunshine
-only one bed
-velma + daphne but make it lesbians

ohhh this was soo creepy but also so cute!! i also didn’t expect the slight cliffy there at the end ahhhh!! whats all gonna happen?? it was also such a slow burn & the tension is still ramping up! like GIMME MOREEE!!

[Mary McCleaf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok but this book actually had me SCARED! I couldn’t go into my basement to finish my laundry 😂 I love this change up by Josie Mae. I became an instant fan after reading “Tip In” and couldn’t WAIT for this book’s release. I love a good novella and this book definitely did it for me when it comes to spooky x sapphic. Perfect for October cozy reads. Lo and Stevie had the perfect grumpy x sunshine dynamic. I feel like grumpy may not be the best way to describe Stevie, maybe more just cool? I thought their chemistry felt natural and their one-night stand had me wanting more. When seeing posts by Josie Mae on instagram, I was so curious how the one bed trope was going to work out in this X-files lesbian crossover. But it was SO good. This is the perfect spooky, but cozy lesbian novella for October! I can’t wait for more from this series (🤞) and as always more from Josie Mae!!

[Chelsea Pitsos · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was having so much fun with this one, but it really feels unfinished with that “ending”… I wish it was a full novel, rather than a novella — but I will tell you I am seated for any continuation!

[Anna On Board · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay. THAT WAS AMAZING.
I'm shocked after not having high expectations for the book, and wondering how it was possible to make it last a lifetime despite the short read.

Josie Mae's ability to create tension is one of my favorite things among all. It feels as though I have lived through this book literally. Starting with a narrative that felt like a reality show, it's quite amusing. The suspense that builds up with each of their paranormal encounters had my heart racing. I loved the thin balance of romance and mystery without taking much from either, which was perfect. The author keeps us in the loop about all of this.
Despite only being on page 60, this book creates a comfortable feeling of knowing each character for an eternity. There are no tense relationships or uneasy feelings among the characters within the short time frame. Additionally, a one-bed situation occurs, which I found to be an enjoyable twist.

The book leaves us with an open end, and I NEED the second book as soon as possible.

[Hayley · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was really good bones here, that I think having this be a novella did it a disservice.

We didn't really see enough of the characters to really fall in love with them.

The actual haunting storyline? Great! Loved it, was very eager to learn more and then it just ended 😭

The ending really had me going ???? After what happpened that night you just pack your stuff up and leave? Was weird.

It was interesting enough to make me want to read more by this author though. Honestly, I hope she does a full length novel to follow on from this one.

[Jaime Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

"[I]f I’ve learned anything in my time of living in a haunted house, people don’t tend to find it sexy when you’re at the end of your rope."

"There’s no ghost, no outlandish explanation. I’ve gone a long time without ever truly being convinced the paranormal exists; I’m not about to start now."

"Every second of it was horrible and completely unforgettable. It's the kind of night that changed a person fundamentally—the kind of night that really makes someone, even the most skeptical, believe that some things can't be easily explained away."

[Scarlett · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book would have benefited from being longer

In the last chapter If felt like things went from 0 to 100 real fast, and then it felt like everything just stopped rather quickly, there was no proper resolution, and it just felt underwhelming. Because they didn’t talk to any of the other guys about what happened. And why did Lo just not care about them being frauds, like she was mad for like 3 sentences and then was over it.

I like the romance within the story, and the characters were really fun to read about, which is a plus definitely

Unfortunately, just not a story for me.

[A G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Josie Mae gives us a hilariously spooky read that feels like Ghostbusters meets SNL. Lo, an actress, is excited about her first house until it becomes clear it's haunted. Her friend calls a team of tv paranormal investigators, which is lead by Stevie, a hot single lesbian. Unfortunately for Lo, Stevie doesn't really believe in ghosts and her show is staged... Until it isn't 👻 Beware it is going to be a series, so the ending doesn't resolve *everything*. (That's the biggest downside)

[Gregory Kwasney · Rating 5 out of 5]

The whole book does great job blending skepticism with fear, bouncing back and forth between "this must have an explanation" to "what is going on?!". The romance provides a nice interlude, and truly all the characters are well done and have their place in the story. Really fun and scary, creepy read, and it does great justice to the genre, a perfect fit amongst the classics that inspired it.

[Adysson Newton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Waaaaaaaait! Why isn’t the book talked about more?! I’m so sad this was just a novella and I would actually like three full books about Lo and Stevie oh my god why was this just a novella?!?!

Also… what’s she gonna do about the legit demon in her house trying to kill her? I feel like novella or not I need a little bit more closure on that one.

[Abby · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a promising start to a series, and I appreciate the ending is setting up for future books, but it was so abrupt it ruined the book for me a little. I was surprised there wasn’t closure for any of the plot points… they have a terrifying night in Lo’s house and then “ok see you around.” Weird choice.

[Alice Rodgers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and I think lesbian horror is one of my new fav sub genres. Giving 4 stars because I don’t think the characters were very in depth to start with. But Josie Mae pls be writing another book in this series!!!

[Mol Pennick · Rating 5 out of 5]

not sure if i wanna date stevie or be stevie tbh…

[Lindsey C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not for everyone but I really enjoyed it! Quick read and perfect for Halloween.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love love loved this book!! I can’t wait till the next one!!!!!

[Tara'e · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[u · Rating 4 out of 5]

okay, LOVED the writing, the characters, and the plot!!! but WHYYYY did it have to end so soon???? i need more 😭 (i know it’s a novella but 😭😭 more pls 😔)

[Frances · Rating 4 out of 5]

the length of this book is both its friend and its enemy, i.e. it’s amazing the romance managed to be as solid and cute as it was given its length but i def needed this to be longer

[procrastinated review 🚶🏻‍♀️]