The Ghostly Grounds: Death and Brunch

Canine Casper Cozy Mystery #2

by Sophie Love

Marie Fortune, 39, a successful dog groomer in Boston, leaves the stressful life behind and heads to a small town in coastal Maine to create a new life. She remains intent on renovating the old, historic house her great-aunt left her and giving it a new life as a B&B. Yet there was one thing she couldn’t plan for: the house is haunted. Two things, actually: her great-aunt also left her a dog—and he is far from a typical dog.

Other B&B owners have heard of Marie’s ability to expel ghosts, and she finds herself, to her own surprise, in demand for her “services” from neighboring towns. It seems there are many B&Bs that need to have their ghosts cleansed. With her B&B failing, Marie, her trusted dog as her sidekick, has nothing to lose.

But when she arrives to her first client—and someone unexpectedly dies—Marie realizes she may be in for more than she bargained for. Once again, she may have to solve the crime to save her own future.

A page-turning cozy, packed with mystery, love, hauntings, travel, pets and food—anchored around a small town and a B&B in need of renovation that will capture your heart—THE GHOSTLY GROUNDS: DEATH AND BRUNCH is an un-putdownable cozy that will keep you turning pages (and laughing out loud) late into the night.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Paranormal, Audiobook, Cozy, Fantasy, Fiction

182 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 29, 2020

About the author

A lifelong fan of the romance genre, Sophie Love is thrilled to release her debut romance series: FOR NOW AND FOREVER (THE INN AT SUNSET HARBOR—BOOK 1). Sophie would love to hear from you, so please visit www.sophieloveauthor.com to email her, to join the mailing list, to receive free ebooks, to hear the latest news, and to stay in touch!

Reviews

[Heather Adores Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐
Genre ~ cozy mystery
Series ~ A Canine Casper Cozy Mystery #2
Others in the series ~ The Ghostly Grounds: Murder and Breakfast
Setting ~ Maine
Publication date ~ October 6, 2020
Est Page Count ~ 181 (33 chapters)
Audio length ~ 7 hours 11 minutes
Narrator ~ Abigail Reno
POV ~ single 1st
Featuring ~ ghosts, haunted house

After not being so spooked with the first one I wasn't sure this series is for me, but there's a ghostbusting dog named Boo, so how can I not be somewhat interested?

Marie is struggling financially and someone knows that so they try to buy the BNB she inherited from her. She's adamant she doesn't want to sell, but when that person turns up dead with Marie hovering over the body all the signs point to her. And then we're off onto our amateur sleuthing.

Another little mystery is that her mother has been missing for years. Did she perhaps come across a clue that can lead her to more info on that?

As easy breezy as the first installment. I was surprised with the culprit so yahoo for that. I'll probably read more of the series.

Series notes:
Best to read the series in order as the life of Marie and what's happening with the BNB progresses.

Narration notes:
She did a fine job.

Connect with me ➡ Blog ~ Facebook ~ X

[Linda Langford · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was disappointed in book two. it wasn’t as good as book one. The protagonist is still struggling to make ends meet until she starts taking jobs where her ghostbusting dog, Boo, can chase ghosts out of haunted houses. I just couldn’t stay interested in the plot. Too much repetition.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this second book in the series but it's not quite the paranormal book I expected it to be. Marie accepts assignments to cleanse houses but the dog does all the work and there is no activity described in the books. Still, there is a murder and she investigates it to find the killer so it is an entertaining mystery; I was just expecting more paranormal because of the name.

[Heather]

I'm listening to the books in this series. This is a different narrator than the first one, if that bothers anyone. Book #3 is the same narrator as Book #2 though.

[Lea · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short cozy mystery with a paranormal dog but normal real life murder. There’s not much paranormal in this but the idea of the dog doing something in paranormal places, altho I’m not sure what he does.

[Judith Spence · Rating 2 out of 5]

Still no conjugations

This character is TSTL most of the time. There is no romance at all and the on again off again thing with the ghost hunter is boring. I’m done. Sorry

[Jess d'Artagnan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/25/25: 3.5 stars. I am really enjoying this series. A good balance between cozy elements and mystery elements. There are some unique mysteries in the series too.

[Gayle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite as good as book 1, but still cute and entertaining.

And who doesn’t love a little, ghost-buster dog?!!

[Djilan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5*
I loved that it had me surprised at the plottwist. Not what I expected.
But with the murder itself, I felt it left some questions.

Good story overall though, and I'm curious about the next book.

[Carol Burris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, light mystery.

[Lindsey Rap · Rating 3 out of 5]

This writer really enjoys a comma and a propositional phrases. It makes her characters seem stuffy, but I still like the playfulness of the books from the stories of her pet and supernatural beings.

[annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, but definitely liked the first more. It seemed a little dragged on and would’ve been fine as a standalone. Also the romance in this one was way too back and forth.

[Dorian]

Book 2, trying to hang in there. I like the storyline but I'm getting a little annoyed by her fake play dumb azz fck acting. I mean seriously, writer built her up as smart, perceptive, strong, etc. And then she starts acting like why is all this happening to me, why me, this is effecting my business, blah blah blah, the Beotch is deliberately starting all her own troubles, and does she really care Abt her business? I don't buy it cuz she keeps deliberately making moves to destroy it herself. I hope there's a good reason, long term for her stupidity..cuz right now it's annoying. She touches a dead body, strings a man along as if she's gonna sell, but playing mind games, when all she had to do is shut em down quick. But maybe her actions will lead to finding her missing mom later down the line or something.

[Dunai Fanni · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is already the third book which I read only to practise my german.
I listened to this book as an audio book, and set the language to german. In my opinion this book was a little bit more complex, and because of that, I couldn’t undesrtand it as much as the first book.
I get the things about the secret room, about the lost mother, the old pictures and the occult book of Tante June… I also understood that our heroine must saves others from ghost, or is it really her? Obviously not… it is Boo the dog, who chases away the ghosts. But she gets a lot of money because of it… and then I understood that there was a murder again… and that because of some silly reason she found the dead body and even touched it?!? What? Why?! Sometimes I feel like that our heroine is just stupid… She is a really simple character and there was no character developement at all in her personality… she is just stupid… but the murder was a more complex one as it was in the previous book. There was also a tiny little cliffhanger as well… I managed to figure it out, that who was the killer, but it was a little bit harder. And also unfortunately I didn’t understand the whole picture behind the murder motive… aaaand I understood that there is the hero (Brandon) guy, who is one time just doesn’t care about our heroine, and then the next time he kisses her… he is just the tipic red flag guy for me… I think that’s all…

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book as soon as I finished the first book in this series. Obviously, I like it a lot.

Background: Marie Fortune, who is pushing 40, inherits a big old stately home in Maine from her 92 year-old Aunt June. It is timely since she just quit her job as a dog groomer (book #1). Marie opens a Bed & Breakfast but her clientele are iffy at best. Her ghost busting dog, Boo, took care of the ghosts in June manor but being a suspect in the murder in book #1 has seriously handicapped her business.

However, other owners of haunted businesses heard of Marie's ghost busting skills (actually Boo's) and have hired her to exorcise the ghosts from their establishments. This keeps Marie afloat again. A realtor who has been going around buying up suspect properties cheaply and then flipping them to resell for much money, is murdered. Unfortunately, Marie, who made an appointment to see him and call him out on his practices, is caught standing over his dead body. More cancellations. Marie knows that if she wants to save her reputation, and that of June Manor, she has to conduct her own investigation.

This is a clever cozy series that has the usual amount of light romance too.

[Michelle ~catching up slowly~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

While trying to come to terms with the fact that her new home was haunted, then was not haunted, Marie Fortune decides to make a little extra money by cleansing spirits in other local bed and breakfasts. Since her own has been hit by so many rumors, she needs the money to keep her business open. What she doesn’t count on though, is Brendan bailing on her leaving just her and Boone to perform the cleansing.
Amazingly, Marie and Boo perform exceptionally well and soon word gets around and she finds her self in demand by other B & B owners. Everything seems to be going well until Marie finds a dead body. Once again, her name is being spread around but not in a good way. She’s back in the spotlight with the police department and she finds that the only way to clear her name is to do it herself. As expected this does not go over well with many including the police.
We also meet Atticus Winslow, a quite odd character, and we are able to see a bit of romance begin to form with Marie and Brenden. A decent follow up book to the first one in this series.

[Anna Morelock · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 ½ Stars

This was another great read/listen. We are back in Fort Bliss, where Marie is still working on updating June Manor. Her life is full of adventure as she and her trusty sidekick, Boo, are about to go on their first paid job to rid a bed & breakfast of some unwanted visitors. Right before they leave, Marie's contractor discovers a mysterious hidden room.
In the hidden room, Marie makes some unexpected discoveries about her family. Marie also has the great misfortune of discovering a dead body and is yet again a murder suspect.

Poor Marie is not the best detective. 😂 She jumps to conclusions pretty easily and tends to think everyone around her is a suspect. This story once again has just a slight romance arc. It's not a slow burn romance it's a glacial slow burn romance. I don't even know if there will be a romance. They've only shared a brief kiss but don't seem to be in any rush to pursue anything. I guess we'll just see where it goes. I am looking forward to the next book and can't wait to see what happens next.

[Share · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with a lot of series books, the second one isn't always as good. It was still a nice light easy read but the plot fell a little flat compared to book one.

The book started with Marie and her dog Boo going to rid homes of evil. But even this confused me a bit...what or how does Boo actually do this? * shrugs * So this is her new gig to earn an income and it is surprising how many people need ghosts removed from their homes.

The ghost cleansing storyline comes to a halt as a murder takes place and once again she finds herself in the middle of it.

It is a shorter read, easy and I do like the characters. Haven't decided if I will continue with book three yet.

[Lala 💕 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay I’m still not a fan of Sophie Love’s writing but as I said in the book #1 review I am giving it a chance.

I have to say this one is by far the best plot and much less predictable. I was disappointed for one sec and then there was a plot twist I didn’t see coming based on who did it. Definitely enjoyed this one more!

Her writing demonstrates growth so I’m looking forward to book #3.

My biggest complaint with the book is that at points it’s a bit boring and dragged out.

My biggest compliment to the book is how effortlessly it plays the line between reality and supernatural things such as ghosts.

[Grace · Rating 2 out of 5]

I still think this series is not as good as Sophie's other series.

ok, the dog can see ghost and chase them out of the house how long is that going to last?

pretty dumb story line about getting rid of ghosts as that is a niche she can advertise for and gain lots of money on. why couldn't she make the advertising as believe what you want, come and verify for yourself? instead of saying she lied about it? no sense at all.

not sure about the next book in series... but I have already borrowed it and it is in my rotation. I am sure I will do the same as I did for this one and the first one, read 30% and skip to the end to find out the result.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I nit picked Marie’s business acumen in the first book, but liked the overall plot concept and characters. For this book I decided to just enjoy the fiction. Boo chased away some ghosts and Marie received payment for the service. Once again Marie was a suspect in a murder investigation and she also found out a bit of her family history. While her B&B might not be a success her ghost busting side job with Boo might enable her to continue to live in her family beach front home. This was another fast enjoyable read.

[Margo James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great sequel.

The second book started off great, ghost-cleansing working out very well. Boo really seems to know his stuff. Then Avery Decker is murdered just before Marie arrives for their meeting. Since she found the body she becomes suspect number one. The rest of the book is Marie trying to clear her name, again. The story gets a little bogged down with investigative work you normally find in a police crime novel. There are enough references to the next book that makes if imperative that you read it next.

[🐥Erica 🐥 · Rating 2 out of 5]

The canine ghost chaser is a good idea, and even though I like Boo!, it’s just not working for me. I felt like the inner thoughts, feelings, and dialogue, for the most part, were overdramatic. i.e. while a lot of people find the thought of ghosts a little freaky, they are rarely terrified. The MC’s “investigation”, into another characters’ somewhat nefarious real estate dealings, before said character died, also didn’t make any sense to me. Last but not least, because I’m sure I found other things eye rolling, the “romance” portion of the formula was lackluster and boring.

[A.B. Vincent · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series has me struggling. Only because I am unsure if I should love it or hate it.

The main title: The Ghostly Grounds, doesn't really encompass the content of the books. I feel it should just be June's Manoras the main title.

The paranormal aspect is not as big of a plot in the book as I would expect it to be with the title being such.

But I am invested in Marie's story. I want to know what happens in her love life, the business, her mother... so much.

The murders are great though and the mystery is there.

[pam laporte · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series. Each book is full of mystery. Romance is just a step away .

I am waiting for Brendan to get more romantic. Two men but I am rooting for brenden. Not that robbie isnt cute too but brendan just seems more mysterious and caring. A hidden room, another murder and a dog that chases away ghost. What more could you want in this b and b. And a clue about a missing mother.

[Susanne Tz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mit Geistern hat das Anwesen recht wenig zu tun, wer also Bücher in Richtung Grusel erwartet, wird eher enttäuscht. Aber es sind ganz nette Cosy Crimes mit einem Hauch Übersinnlichem (wieso der Hund im Titel Casper heisst, erschliesst sich mir nicht, denn das ist nicht sein Name, zumindest nicht in der deutschen Fassung). Überhaupt scheint diese Autorin auf irreführende Titel und Cover abonniert zu sein.

[Karen Beculhimer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm new to the cosy mystery genre but this series has been fun. I liked this book better than the first one in the series. The writing is light and easy going even though it covers some dark topics like disappearances and murder. There's always an intriguing set of characters. It can be a bit predictable.

[Susan Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Paranormal Mystery!

This book is the second installment of Sophie Love’s excellent series that nimbly explores the truth of ghosts and supernatural events. The mystery is a great read. Within the book is another mystery, that of a unique guest. I completely recommend this book and author.

[CelesteMaeBeIntoMorallyGrayMen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 2 of the cozy and fun murder mystery series that is Ghostly Grounds. Paranormal nods with ghosts haunting random buildings/ homes and the FMC and her side kick pup take on spirits to bark them out of existence. The plot took a little longer to build in this book but still enjoyed the listen in audiobook for spooky season easy listen.

[Chelsea]

The second Ghostly Grounds mystery seems to double down on the less than ideal aspects of the first, making this one a DNF. I haven't enjoyed the second so far and given the relative brevity of each installment, that's not likely to change. I had a pleasant enough time with the first Canine Casper Cozy Mystery but I think I'll let the memory stand alone and forgo the rest of the series.