Book: Before You Forget: a Paranormal Mystery Halloween Romance Novella by Zara Monzel
Reviewed by Anonymous
Rating: 3.25/5
💕💀 ARC Review 🔎 💞
"'Fine,' she says, and the word comes out through gritted teeth. 'But if anyone sees you--'
'--I'll be the soul of discretion.' He straightens, attempting a posture of confidence.
'I'd argue you don't have a soul.'
'You wound me.'"
Before you Forget by Zara Monzel
This paranormal romance mystery set at Halloween introduces forensic anthropologist Meg to us as she's called to her hometown to investigate some unearthed skeletons. But, she finds more than meets the eye, and, possibly, something that will change her life forever.
This was so perfect for an October read! I loved the Halloween setting and felt that the mystery and the research hit my investigative detective side just right (although I wouldn't call this detective mystery fiction).
Meg's such an interesting character. Depositing her back in her hometown which she had been avoiding for years, brought up so much more for her than just doing her job - and with the paranormal and the mysterty component, it was just so much for her to process at one time.
So, I liked both how strong she was, but also how vulnerable she was. There was a lot going on with her and she could've just up and run back to her comfortable life instead of addressing what was going on head on and dealing with her personal grief a bit in addition to what was sitting in front of her.
I loved the banter from the moment the FMC and MMC meet. It was unexpected, even though I has read the blub, and so... fun in a cutesy sort of way that was still Halloween-y. I don't know how to explain it - maybe that it felt like The Nightmare before Christmas, but with a Halloween setting from a vibes feeling.
Because this book is only 212 pages, things did move forward pretty fast. So, I'd like to have seen a slower development with the relationship itself; however, there are only 213 pages and I can be wooed with the concept of a shocking event having an impact and moving a relationship forward just as a consequence of the heightened emotions.
It's a quick read for the day of Halloween or for a cozy weekend read around the Halloween time. Just enough mystery, and definitely some spice for those who like that...it's pretty spicy 🌶️🌶️🌶️ And in a way I never would've expected. 😳 But, you could easily hop over those scenes if you wanted to.
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In this paranomal romance with a deep mystery plotline, we meet Dr. Margaret 'Meg' Jones. She's a forensic anthropologist and she's been called to her hometown to investigate when some skeletons have been unearthed and the local authorities can't tell if it's a standard gravesite or something more nefarious.
When one of the bodies doesn't look like the other, Meg becomes more intrigued. Taking the skeleton home to her "quasi lab', she finds more than she was expecting.
In addition to a startling surprise about this skeleton, she finds herself deep diving into a century-old mystery. With a timeline winding down with disastrous results if she doesn't find the answer, she must dive deep into herself, the hometown she really didn't want to re-visit, and challenge herself to find the answer.
With the personal grief of staying at her father's old house, still full of his personal belongings, the startling mystery and what secrets this small town could've been hiding for a century, and the find of a lifetime in a completely differeny context, she has so much to deal with.
Can she focus on what's most important?
Because there's a deadline.
And the consequence is life or death.
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You may like this book if you're looking for....
💀 Halloween Reads
💀 Beauty & the Beast, but more mysterious and spicier
💀 Small Town Vibes with the History to Match
💀 Forbidden Love
💀 Century-Old Mystery
Triggers: Grief, Violence & Murder (off-page), Exploitation
Why did I pick up this book? This was another Threads find! 🎉 I just loved the cover and was immediately intrigued by the concept. Thanks so much to Zara for letting me ARC read t
his book!
Format: Digital
2026 Read Number: 206