Love and Other Conspiracies by Mallory Marlowe

Love and Other Conspiracies by Mallory Marlowe

Published by Berkley on August 20, 2024

Genres:  Romance, Contemporary, Paranormal, Chick Lit, Fiction, Halloween

Pages:  368

Format:  eARC

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★★★★★

🌶🌶/5 spice

The hardest thing for a paranormal conspiracy theorist and a web series producer to believe in is finding love in this swoony debut romantic comedy.

Hallie Barrett's life has imploded after she's dumped by her hotshot ex, who also happens to be her coworker and the star of the online series she was producing. Without a new show to present for the company competition, she’ll be out of a job. But inspiration can come from the strangest places . . . like the most handsome guy she’s ever seen passionately discussing Bigfoot on a late-night docuseries.

Hayden Hargrove made a name for himself as a cryptid expert on his hit podcast, and is intrigued by the plucky, blue-haired producer who offers him the opportunity to lead his own web show. When the production team sees that Hayden’s solo on-screen presence is bad enough to make a ghost blanch, Hallie jumps on camera too, hitting him (and his cryptids) with a healthy dose of skepticism—and enough chemistry to electrify their show to the top of the competition.

As Hayden and Hallie investigate the unknown, they unearth feelings for each other that shake their beliefs to the core. In their search for Mothman, aliens, and the truth, the most elusive discovery might just be learning to love again.

If you are a fan of the Ghoul Boys (a.k.a Shane and Ryan from Buzzfeed Unsolved) but wished there was a little more romance ... then THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU!

I love a good conspiracy theory, cryptid tale and your general spooky ghost stories so when I saw that this was all that mixed with some romance I knew I had to pick this one up.

Hallie needed a new show for Skroll (think of it as Buzzfeed) before she got fired - so after getting incredibly high and turning on late night TV she found the perfect (and incredibly hot) male lead who loves a good conspiracy. Somehow she ends up being not only the producer but his co-host as well and well you know how the one bed trope goes....

I absolutely ADORED Hallie and Hayden together. It's a bit of a slow burn and with only Hallie's POV we truly don't know how he feels. (Usually I prefer dual POV - but in this instance the suspense was KILLING ME). The progression of their working relationship to friendship to more was compelling to read about and I finished this book rather quickly.

The paranormal element just added to the entire book and I was equally enthralled to see if they were actually going to find some evidence. I loved the banter between the two MCs (Hayden's the believer and Hallie is the skeptic). The tension was perfect and the character growth fit so perfectly into this tale.

I do have one qualm with this book and it's that I really wanted a smut scene where Hallie dressed up like a crypid or for Hayden to whip out a monster themed toy LOL - but that could just be my monster romance loving self with that opinion.

I highly recommend this to romance readers who love a slow burn, the one bed trope and a good conspiracy theory! Bonus points if you like Buzzfeed Unsolved because this book was EXACTLY like watching the show but with Shane being replaced with a female lead. I'm a huge fan of that show and I could tell this is where the idea came from - but I am NOT MAD about it in the slightest.

4.5 stars | 2 spice

Big thanks to Mallory Marlowe, Berkley and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions!