A dream job, a hidden secret, and extenuating paranormal circumstances all come together in The Haunted Librarian, a sweet and cozy paranormal novel by Auralee Wallace.

Amelia Bates is excited to interview for her dream job of being a librarian. Everything should go well if she can just manage to appear “normal,” because Amelia has a secret that has followed her all her life that she desperately wants to keep hidden – she can see and hear ghosts. While the regular world goes on around her, she tries to navigate between the living and the dead by ignoring her abilities and the ghosts that are seemingly everywhere.

After a few mishaps, Amelia finally arrives at her interview with the lovely library manager, Rosalinda, who has already decided to hire her even before the interview is complete. Simon, the attractive head librarian, isn’t quite as convinced that Amelia is the right person for the job. As she leaves, thinking she has landed the job of her dreams, her happiness quickly turns to dread as she discovers that the library is haunted by not one, but three ghosts.

Amelia decides to take drastic action to remove the ghosts. However, she soon discovers that each one has a reason for being there and that they may actually be the key to saving the library from permanent destruction by another, more malign presence. To do this, Amelia will need to finally accept her abilities and work with the ghosts to save both them and the library itself.

I was pleasantly surprised by this novel. The book does progress as expected, with the protagonist facing an overwhelming challenge with the aid of the paranormal, but the characters, their development, and their relationships won me over. Each of the ghosts is different, unique, and charming in their own way, and, in my opinion, actually steals the show. We also get to see Amelia learn to accept a part of herself that she had spent so much of her life trying to hide.

By the end, there were happy tears, and the HEA ending was exactly what I was hoping for. If you enjoy cozy paranormal stories with charming characters, a little romance, and ghosts who are just as memorable as the living characters, The Haunted Librarian is definitely worth picking up. It was a fun, heartwarming read that left me with a smile.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are my own. Many thanks to the publisher, Ace, the author, Auralee Wallace, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC.