Rating: 4.5🌈

I really enjoy the Ghostly series by E.M. Leya, it’s got a number of interesting established ghostly characters, a slow burn romance, and at least one mystery per story that has a paranormal aspect to it that brings all the main cast together to find a solution, add to the series otherworldly information, and push the romance a bit further along.

In Ghostly Claus our victim is Santa. It’s the holiday season and someone is about to kill the fat jolly elf himself. But is it due to a lack of Christmas spirit or does the killer just not like the man under the costume? That’s what our coroner, Lance, who can see and converse with ghosts, and his detective boyfriend, Angus, are about to investigate, along with his partner, Frank.

Now on the fourth book, Leya has been accumulating a foundation of characters, alive and ghostly, to act as a found family to our core couple and important side adjacent people like Frank, Angus’ partner. Ghostly Claus continues that path as two more characters arrive in town that look to add to the knowledge of the other realm and expand on the found family for Lance, Angus, and the ghosts who live with Lance.

That’s the soldier brother of Lance returns home after a prolonged absence in missions overseas, and he’s got an unannounced surprise with him.

Once again, Leya gives the reader so much to sink into here. There’s the fact of the dead Santa’s family dynamics which are awkward and difficult for all, especially since his ghost is there, angry at everything he’s hearing and seeing. The mystery of who wanted to murder Santa, and catching him. Plus there the entire brother aspect of this storyline where Lance has decided to inform his brother of his new gift and hope it doesn’t change their relationship. Their brotherly friendship and dynamic feels real, especially as it deepens over the course of the book, each letting memories guide them back to each other. Finally, Angus and Lance continue to grow stronger with each other, not rushing things, communicating, confidently speaking about their lives and the things important to each other. Quietly adult and emotionally mature. So lovely, even with ghosts all around.

I adore the characters, the relationship dynamics, the mysterious nature of the cases, and the slow growth of the love story. Fabulous.

I’m highly recommending this but it needs to be read as part of the series, so really read them in the order they are written in order to understand the events and relationship growth.

Ghostly series:

✓ Ghostly Awakening #1

✓ Ghostly Findings #2

✓ Ghostly Envy #3

✓ Ghostly Claus #4

◦ Ghostly Target #5 – tbd

Buy Link :

Book 4 of 4: Ghostly

Blurb:

When Santa Claus appears on Lance’s autopsy table, he can’t believe his eyes or ears as the not-so-jolly ghost accompanying the body tells Lance he’s been murdered. Solving this murder will take time as the list of suspects is growing. For some, Christmas isn’t the most wonderful time of the year, but it is the most profitable.

To top it off, Lance’s brother is in town visiting and he’s not alone. He’s got a ghost attached to him. Telling his brother that he sees ghosts just became even more important as this ghost insists Lance help him make things right before he moves on.

While the rest of the world prepares for Christmas, Lance and Angus try to salvage what they can of the holiday as they work to solve Santa’s murder and keep someone from stealing everyone’s holiday spirit away