The Ghosts of Gwendolyn Montgomery by Clarence A. Haynes

I have been patiently waiting for traditional publishing to have an urban fantasy resurgence and while we're nowhere near that every once in awhile they throw us a bone with a new release. The Ghosts of Gwendolyn Montgomery promised paranormal thrills and it's shorter length was very appealing to me.  I received a copy from Legacy Lit in exchange for review, keep reading to see my thoughts. 

The Ghosts of Gwendolyn Montgomery is a fast-paced urban fantasy told in the povs of Gwendolyn, a publicist working for New York's top Black owned firm and Fonsi, a psychic who runs a shop in the South Bronx. Gwendolyn finds herself literally being haunted by the ghosts of her past as terrible things start happening at her events in a clear message for her. Fonsi is having some bad luck of his own with a ghost he just can't shake when he realizes that the barrier between the human world and the spiritual world is weakening. While Gwendolyn would prefer to stay away from ghostly business she finds herself having to confront the past that she left behind. 

A little campy with a very real feeling cast of characters this book balances supernatural thrills with the every day woes of being a millennial in New York City. While Fonsi is good at spiritual guidance his own life is a hot mess as he attempts to shake off an open relationship with an ex boyfriend. Gwendolyn's life is together, she's got a new man, and she's been able to bury her childhood trauma. She keeps things so under wraps she doesn't even like people in her personal life to get too close to her. The magic system is steeped in Afro Latinx spirituality with both characters tapping into their ancestral powers to fight the dark forces after them.

Clarence's writing is vivid and flows in a way that feels like you've just tuned into your favorite tv show. Readers are immersed in the cast of characters that flit around La Playa, Fonsi's shop. The book ends with an epilogue leaves some room for the story to continue in another book. The audiobook narrators do a great job bringing the characters to life, especially the narrative for Fonsi's chapters.