Review: Haunted Ever After by Jen DeLuca

 

Haunted Ever After (Boneyard Key #1) by Jen Deluca

Publication Date: August 13th  2024 by Berkley & Penguin Audio

Pages: 352

Audio Book Length: 10hrs 51min

Narrators: Jeannie Sheneman

Source: Publishers

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Cassie moves to Bonyard Key, Florida after her search for an affordable house in Orlando doesn’t work out. Also, she now feels like an outsider to her original friend group when they’ve moved onto marriage and kids while she remains single. It quickly becomes apparent that the ghost hauntings the town is famous for are real, and one of those ghosts seems to inhabit her cute, historic cottage. She’s freaked out, but with the help of Nick, the town’s coffee shop owner, Cassie starts to get used to the idea. It becomes clear that her ghost has a few things to clear up.

 

Nick is used to the ghosts in Boneyard Key, after all he’s a descendant of the “Founding Fifteen” the group of families that originally settled there. Nick has an affinity with ghosts and so he helps introduce Cassie to the oddities of the town and show her some of the wonderful things about living there.

 

I enjoyed this romance with a side of paranormal mystery! It was easy to figure out most of what was going on and I did wonder at how Cassie and Nick didn’t sooner, but I had fun “exploring” the town, getting its history as they sorted things out. Cassie and Nick had some relationship hangups they had to get over on their way to a HEA. It was a low romance drama read that I thoroughly enjoyed!

 

I alternately read and listened to an audio copy of Haunted Ever After and can recommend either version. Jeannie Sheneman did a wonderful job with all voices, male and female, brining each character to life. I listened at my usual 1.5x normal speed. 

4 Stars

Book Description:

It's love at first haunting in a seaside town that raises everyone’s spirits from USA Today bestselling author Jen DeLuca.

Small Florida coastal towns often find themselves scrambling for the tourism dollars that the Orlando theme parks leave behind. And within the town limits of Boneyard Key, the residents decided long ago to lean into its ghostliness. Nick Royer, owner of the Hallowed Grounds coffee shop, embraces the ghost tourism that keeps the local economy afloat, as well as his spectral roommate. At least he doesn’t have to run air-conditioning.

Cassie Rutherford possibly overreacted to all her friends getting married and having kids by leaving Orlando and buying a flipped historic cottage in Boneyard Key. Though there’s something unusual with her new home (her laptop won’t charge in any outlets, and the poetry magnets on her fridge definitely didn’t read “WRONG” and “MY HOUSE” when she put them up), she’s charmed by the colorful history surrounding her. And she's catching a certain vibe from the grumpy coffee shop owner whenever he slips her a free slice of banana bread along with her coffee order.

As Nick takes her on a ghost tour, sharing town gossip that tourists don't get to hear, and they spend nights side-by-side looking into the former owners of her haunted cottage, their connection solidifies into something very real and enticing. But Cassie's worried she’s in too deep with this whole (haunted) home ownership thing… and Nick's afraid to get too close in case Cassie gets scared away for good.

About the Author

Jen DeLuca was born and raised near Richmond, Virginia, but now lives in Arizona with her husband and a houseful of rescue pets. She loves latte-flavored lattes, Hokies football, and the Oxford comma. Her novels, Well Met, Well Played, Well Matched, and Well Traveled were inspired by her time volunteering as a pub wench with her local Renaissance Faire.