This post may contain affiliate links — meaning we get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through our links, at no cost to you. We carefully curate our affiliate partnerships and only work with companies we like and believe in. Earning commissions like this helps us sustain our blog but the opinions we share are always our own.
The Official Blurb
“He’s the Ghost of Christmas Past. She’s not exactly Scrooge.
Ghost of Christmas Past Nolan Callahan intends to spend this holiday haunting like every other—get in, get out, return to his otherwise aimless existence as a ghost awaiting the afterlife. But when he’s faced with Harriet York, the sweetest assignment he’s ever had, he suddenly finds himself wishing for a future.
Harriet York has no idea why she’s being haunted. She’s a good person—or, at least, she tries to be. A people pleaser to her core, she always does what’s expected of her. But as she and Nolan begin to examine her past, they discover there are threads that bind them together— and realize there might be more to moving on than expected.
With the deadline of Christmas Eve fast approaching, will they find the key to their futures in each other’s pasts? Or will they stay firmly in the present, indulging in their unexpected, spirited connection?”
Good Spirits by B.K. Borison
By Nicole — Romance on the Rocks Podcast
If you’ve been around Romance on the Rocks Podcast for a minute, you know B.K. Borison owns a very large piece of my heart. She’s one of my all-time favorite romance authors, so the second I spotted Good Spirits on sale at the Target checkout (as one does), I made a naughty but necessary switch from my originally-scheduled “North Carolina Christmas romance.” Good Spirits had been sitting on my TBR wish list, whispering sweet nothings at me. And who am I to refuse temptation?
My co-host, Meghan, dutifully stuck with her Wisconsin pick. I did not stick with my assigned book. Zero regrets.
Season 2 Episode 28 is our holiday episode — A Spirited Christmas — and Good Spirits delivered exactly the paranormal rom-com holiday chaos I knew I needed.
Hot Take (aka Quickies with Nicole — because Meghan doesn’t like when I call them Hot Takes)
A Christmas Carol gets horny … with a twist.
Enough said.
Book Details
Title: Good Spirits
Author: B.K. Borison
Published: 2025
Genre: Contemporary Paranormal Holiday Romantic Comedy
Vibes: Grumpy/Sunshine, Ghost MMC, Holiday hijinks, Soft angst, Cinnamon Candy and Candy Cane appreciation
Spoiler Warning: I try. I really do. But I also have many thoughts. Proceed accordingly.
Meet the Main Characters
Harriet York (27)
• Runs her late aunt Matilda’s antique shop
• Estranged from her Very Serious Lawyer Family™
• Obligated to make annual family Christmas appearances
• Wears chef’s kiss pajama sets that I am now determined to buy for myself
Nolan Callahan (late 20s-ish?)
• Irish
• Died in 1902 (“how long have you been 20?”)
• Has been a Ghost of Christmas Past ever since
• Lives on limited sensory experiences
• Obsessed with Hot Tamales because they’re one of the few things he can almost taste
• Haunts one person a year and apparently has a ghostly HR department (based out of a Bed, Bath & Beyond — I shit you not)
A few things to know about ghosts in this world:
Their senses are muted. They can barely feel temperature, barely taste and can’t interact fully with the physical world. Which is hilarious, considering what eventually happens between Harriet and Nolan.
Plot (The Spoiler-Lite Version)
Nolan’s holiday assignment is Harriet … which is already odd because she’s no Scrooge. Like, not even a mild curmudgeon. Something is off. Actually, multiple somethings.
And that’s all I can say without dropping us into spoiler territory.
If you’re reading this blog to decide whether to read the book: YES. Read it. Come back. We’ll drink Candy Cane Cocktails (and try not to poke our eyes out) and discuss.
If you’re here for my FULL review, well … buckle up.
Spice Level: Jalapeño
Nothing too wild. Nothing too intense. A true slow burn — which, you know, is not usually my strongest reading suit.
But we do get the answer to the eternal question my husband, Bob, kept asking (with a straight face):
“If she hooks up with a ghost … what happens? Is there, like, ecto-plasm?”
Well.
After Harriet gives Nolan an “old fashioned” with a BJ, we learn:
Ghosts of Christmas Past jizz snow. Like a snow globe.
I told Bob.
He said, and I quote:
“Fabulous. Love it. No notes.”
Anyway. Moving on.
Things I Loved
1. The name Nolan
Personal nostalgia unlocked. Fourth grade. Hawaii and Japan. Bike wars. First crush. We saw Bambi at the sub-base movie theatre and he bought me a chocolate bar.
So yes — I am predisposed to love any MMC named Nolan.
2. Their first meeting
He appears on December 1st while Harriet is watching White Christmas, and their conversation is exactly what any normal, intelligent modern woman would say to a literal ghost suddenly in her living room. It is chef’s kiss iconic.
3. The pajama sets
Harriet’s matching PJs?
Delicious.
Buttery soft.
Indulgent.
I feel spiritually compelled to buy my own holiday sets now.
4. Nolan’s off-season hobbies
This man — ghost — cat dad and knitter.
I swooned.
5. The Irish ghost connection
I adore the movie High Spirits, so discovering Nolan was Irish and the book was titled Good Spirits felt like a personal gift.
Challenges & Critiques
1. The inefficiency of Ghost Workforce Management
Nolan haunts one person a year. ONE!
From Dec. 1–24.
And usually he finishes early!
Either HR is asleep at the spectral wheel or someone needs to rethink ghost resource allocation.
2. The slow burn nearly burned me alive
At some point I mentally screamed,
“Sir, please just put your peen in her. I am BEGGING.”
Your mileage may vary.
3. The ending … oh girl
This is where things get messy.
I LOVE B.K. Borison. She is hilarious, heartfelt, brilliant.
Mixed Signals is one of my top romance reads of the year — maybe top 5 of all time.
But the last few chapters of Good Spirits?
Oof.
It felt like the characters were steering the ship and then suddenly the ending had to be wedged in wherever it fit — even if it didn’t fit well.
I kept turning to Bob (my husband) on our holiday road trip to Wisconsin like,
“I truly do not know how this is going to wrap up.”
And then … logistics?? Immigration?? Employment law??
Once Nolan becomes corporeal …
How is he working?
Where are the documents?
Is he being paid?
Is ICE on the way??
Is he now an undocumented worker doing manual labor + sex work (??) for no pay???
Listen, I know I shouldn’t overthink things.
But I am who I am and the questions were loud. (Fans of the podcast know I get VERY invested in book couples’ futures.)
4. Why a nine month epilogue?
Not six.
Not ten.
NINE.
Which has one extremely obvious cultural meaning — and yet nothing happens.
My brain short-circuited.
5. And then … DEATH strolls in?
Death.
Capital D.
To buy a lamp.
I audibly whispered “WTF” in my car.
This is not the same as the interconnected, subtle series-building cameo she did in Mixed Signals.
This was … bold.
Favorite Quotes
On Harriet’s eyes:
“They look like whiskey in the dark. A glass half-filled, a single cube of ice at the bottom.”
On A Christmas Carol adaptations:
“I always preferred The Muppet Christmas Carol. There’s something oddly-captivating about Miss Piggy.”
Correct. 100% correct.
The song When Love Is Gone?
And Marley & Marley?
Perfect cinema. And, yes, Miss Piggy IS captivating.
Final Thoughts
Despite the chaotic final act and lingering questions, Good Spirits is charming, cozy, funny and perfect for fans of A Christmas Carol with a romantic-paranormal twist.
If you love holiday romance with humor and heart — and don’t mind a little ghostly snow-globe action — this is a festive delight.
If you want to hear more of my thoughts on the book, you can listen to the podcast episode on your favorite podcast streaming service. Or click here for our in-house podcast player. I share my Romantic Reminder based off the book and you can also find out if I won the episode Boobie Prize. Want to read the book for yourself? You can get it via:
Have you read Good Spirits? Let me know your thoughts on this book in the comments!
