The Haunted Librarian

by Auralee Wallace

A lonely librarian finds love, friends, and a few ghosts between the shelves in this cozy, paranormal tale from beloved bestselling author Auralee Wallace.

It’s a dark and stormy night…and Amelia Bates is caught in the rain. Life hasn’t always been kind to her, and being a ghostseer certainly doesn’t make things any easier.

Glowing warmly through the autumnal downpour is her safest the library. Amelia, the newly hired librarian, has always relished the comfort of curling up with a novel, vastly preferring it to the company of humans (alive or ghostly).

But Amelia is shocked to discover the building is full of more than quiet stories and warm cups of tea. There are curious, talkative patrons, a shy, bespectacled head librarian who makes her heart skip a beat, and three quirky spirits causing paranormal havoc that endangers the future of the library.

To help the ghosts and save the building, Amelia will have to gather all her bravery and wits, because learning to trust others might just be the first step to a happily ever after she only thought was possible in books.

Genres: Fantasy, Halloween, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Fiction, Cozy Fantasy, Mystery

368 pages, Paperback

Expected publication October 6, 2026

About the author

After spending her formative years reading Grimms’ fairy tales and stirring up potions in the creek behind her house, Auralee Wallace knew she would grow up to be a witch. When that didn’t work out, she decided becoming a writer was the next best thing. Now, Auralee is the author of multiple novels, including the Otter Lake mystery series and The Evenfall Witches B&B mysteries. She lives in Ottawa with her husband, kids, dog, and cat.
She can be found on Twitter, Goodreads, Facebook, Instagram, and her website http://auraleewallace.com/.

Auralee is represented by Natalie Lakosil, Looking Glass Literary and Media.

Reviews

[Calamity Ayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up.

Auralee Wallace’s latest book was as nice to read as her others. She builds worlds that feel real, and that you can step right into. MC Amelia’s new job as the night librarian in a sentient library haunted by three ghosts proves to be more than she was expecting.

(You’ll need to suspend your disbelief as to why a small town library with hardly any patrons would need a night librarian.)

As a (reluctant) ghostseer, Amelia’s always done her best to avoid ghosts at all costs. When the library and the ghosts’ fates entangle, she’s compelled to lean into her abilities for the good of the library, the ghosts, and her new friends.

An overall good and cozy read. I like the author’s writing, and really hope she gets back to writing the
Evenfall Witches B&B series!

Thank you to ACE and NetGalley for the ARC!

[Natalie Bennett · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️ — It was a really cute premise, and it started out strong, but I felt like there was very little storytelling about Amelia being an actual librarian. Most of the time she was at the library, it was closed. There was reference to her being such a great librarian and people talking about all the amazing things she did for patrons, but there was little of her doing her job actually discussed in the story. Also, her relationship with Simon wasn't as touched upon through the story as much as I would have liked. The majority of their interactions were her pushing him away, so it felt a bit rushed when they admitted their feelings for one another in the end without much build-up beforehand. I thought her relationship with the ghosts was really cute, as well as her opening up and being vulnerable to make relationships and build connections with other people and seeing the good in her ghost-seeing abilities, but I feel like the storytelling didn't land as well as I hoped it would.

[★patt★]

wooo!!! cant wait

[Peppy Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love the premise of this story, but overall it didn't quite meet my expectations. I started out feeling bad for Amelia given her tragic backstory, but she quickly became unlikable and I was often frustrated with her. I'm not a fan of characters whose personalities are based on being awkward and helpless, and this was heightened by the way Amelia treated the ghosts as if they weren't people. I did enjoy the character arc of her becoming friends with the ghosts and I found myself wanting more of those moments. I think part of my disappointment was because I was expecting this to be more of a romance novel, but the promised romance wasn't really there. It was instalove on Simon's part while Amelia spent most of the book acting clueless and pushing him away. There was also very little shown of Amelia being a librarian. Overall, this was a cozy read that could have been a little shorter. I would recommend this book to someone looking for a cozy spooky-season read as long as they didn't have expectations of it being a romance novel. I loved the setting and I would be willing to read a second book if this becomes a series.

[Katy Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a delightful book. I had a little bit of trouble getting into it at first due to Amelia being a bit clunky and not very personable, but kept reading on and I am very glad I did! Amelia had beautiful growth as she came to recognize the parts of herself that she had been suppressing. The cast of characters was also a lot of fun and there were lots of quirky little attributes about all of them. I do wish we had gotten a bit more of Simon. There were kind of insta love vibes and then the novel just continued to show kind of stunted, awkward interactions between them. It didn’t feel like there was the same progression between Amelia and Simon as there was with the ghosts. I still recommend it for anyone who is looking for cozy spooky vibes this fall.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. If you like "Ghosts", the TV show then you'll enjoy book. This is a nice cozy paranormal mystery about a Librarian that sees ghosts and wants to save the library. Interesting story on how the ghosts and the library are tied together.

I liked all the characters, however, I wanted to know more about Amelia's backstory. Enjoyed the light humor and reparte between Amelia's and the ghosts
This is a good book to read if you want a fast paced story and something light.

Thank you Berkley Random House for this advanced copy thorough Goodreads Giveaway. This did not influence my review.

[Lamarise · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun cozy read, heavy on the paranormal. Amelia Bates is a very reluctant ghostseer who takes a job as a night librarian at a small-town library only to find that it is very haunted. There were a few times I found myself shaking my head at something that was just a little too unbelievable. Like a library needing a night librarian when she was able to sit and read so much during open hours, or a vortex that is sucking in physical objects that only the ghostseer can see. Overall, I enjoyed the story and would recommend it to anyone who enjoy cozy ghost stories with just a smidge of romance and slice of life.

[Emily Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

While there is a tiny smidge of romance, this isn't really a romance. It's not really very heavy on the library-related tasks, either. It's primarily a story about ghosts. Getting to know the ghosts and what their unfinished business is. While on the surface it might seem like the book follows all the tried-and-true routes of "ghost story" such as "I can see ghosts and I don't want to," it also has some original twists for the genre.

[Jenn]

DNF. I've enjoyed other books by this author, but this one isn't working for me. Amelia is just not appealing to me as a character.