Review: Casket Case by Lauren Evans*

*I received a copy of this book in eBook format in return for this review. All reviews published on Yours, Chloe are completely honest and my own, and are in now way influenced by the gifting opportunity. This review is being posted as part of the Casket Case blog tour hosted by Rachel's Random Resources.

Title: Casket Case
Author: Lauren Evans
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Trigger warnings:  Death, References To Car Crashes, References To Childhood Cancer, References To Death Of A Sibling, References To Death Of A Parent, References To Purity Culture/Abstinence

Rating: ★★★★

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️ (Fade To Black / Closed Door)   

He’s almost perfect.

But he works for Death.

Nora Clanton sells caskets. It wasn't her dream job, but it's the family business. She lives in Rabbittown, a sleepy middle-of-nowhere small community, and her only friends are decades older than her. Her life is comfortable but sometimes she finds herself wanting more.

Then Garrett Bishop turns up and sweeps her off her feet. He's handsome, charming and seems to have a good (if vague) job. There is one little thing though . . . death seems to follow him and rumours never stay buried in Rabbittown.

But when Nora finds out what Garrett has been hiding and all the ghosts left in his wake, she wonders whether it is time to lay their love to rest too . . .

Casket Case is the debut novel from author Lauren Evans. This unique and heartfelt paranormal romance is set in a small and sleepy town in Alabama and is the perfect read for the upcoming spooky season.

Nora and Garrett made a really nice couple. Their meeting explores the idea of finding love in the most unexpected places and they have quite a fast-burn relationship in the early chapters of the story. There is a third-act breakup which I’m not typically a fan of but it did feel necessary for the story and was well-written, particularly with the introduction of an additional potential love interest following their breakup.

Both Nora and Garrett are in their thirties which was nice to see and generally they demonstrated a maturity that was a breath of fresh air to see within a romance novel. Nora was a fantastic protagonist whose inner conflict regarding her future was a nice addition to the story. I loved her relationship with her Grandpa – who, side note, was one of my favourite characters – and the powerful exploration of her grief.

I also liked Garrett as a MMC, particularly his confidence and maturity. The flashback chapters exploring his past, particularly with regards to his job, were really interesting and really worked to support the narrative. They actually ended up being some of my favourites in the book as they helped us to really understand the somewhat complex concept of his job. Garrett is very matter of fact, particularly with his general approach to the topic of death which I found to be something it took me a little while to get used to, actually completely mirroring Nora’s experiences. But he does also show a more emotional side which was nice to see too. If gift giving is your love language, you’ll absolutely adore the meaningful gift Garrett gives Nora for her birthday towards the end of the novel, I know it absolutely warmed my heart.

Although Casket Case is primarily a romance novel, it is also a powerful exploration of the theme of grief and how people approach the topic of death very differently. A real comfort can be taken in the idea of Garrett’s job, with the idea that nobody is alone when they die. Nora lost her parents around a year before the start of the story so her grief plays a key role in her character and the story, which was well written.

Whilst being mindful of avoiding spoilers, the epilogue made me a really emotional. It was something I had predicted quite early on but I was still caught off guard by how much it captured my emotions and brought a tear to my eye in the final pages of the story. It ended the book on a really powerful note, which is testament to Lauren Evans’ fantastic writing ability.

I really liked the small-town setting of Rabbittown and it’s inhabitants. The idea of the small town everyone knows you and everything about you vibe really worked well in the story.

Overall, Casket Case is a heartfelt romance story which is an easy yet emotional read, perfect for fans of The Good Place. It’s a great debut novel from Lauren Evans and I’m excited to see what we see next from her.