Haunted Ever After

This year is all about haunted house romances for me! As a fan of love stories and of supernatural horror, this combination is the perfect marriage for me. Jen DeLuca’s latest book, Haunted Ever After, is the start of a new series set in the haunted Florida town of Boneyard Key. Cassie has just bought a newly renovated cottage, not realizing it’s famously haunted by Mean Mrs. Hawkins. Faulty wiring has her spending a lot of time in the best local café, Hallowed Grounds, where she befriends the owner, Nick. They might have a romance blooming between them, but Cassie’s about ready to flee town because of these ghosts, and Nick will never leave his hometown. Will ghosts be what prevents a relationship between them?

Tropes & Narrative Devices:

• New friends to lovers
• Haunted houses (and a whole haunted town)
• Third-person narrative; dual perspective (both Cassie and Nick)

What I Liked:

• So many haunted places! This isn’t just one haunted house; it’s basically every place in all of Boneyard Key! The beach, the bar, the ice cream shop… everything has a ghost or some other kind of paranormal activity. It’s a lot of fun and filled with excellent spooky puns.
• Interacting with ghosts (via text or magnetic poetry on the fridge). Talking to ghosts isn’t just for mediums here; you can use modern technology to make contact, at least in some cases.
• A bit of mystery surrounding the Hawkins House, Sarah Hawkins, and her life. With any good haunting comes a tragic past and more than a hint of mystery surrounding it. Was Mean Mrs. Hawkins really that mean? Why has she been haunting the house she vacated decades ago? What else is happening in Cassie’s new home, and why?
• Tear-down of misogyny and the patriarchy. There’s a certain point in the book when our co-lead Nick says something really out-of-character and alarmingly misogynistic. Don’t fret; this is a paranormal romance and there are really good reasons for this unexpected outburst. It all plays into great commentary on the problems of the patriarchy and misogyny. This book is ultimately feminist and empowering.
• Discussion of motherhood, working, and whether an old friend group is still the right one for you. Not everyone wants or can have kids. Not everyone wants a “traditional” life path, and that’s okay. And sometimes, the group of friends you had is no longer in line with where you’re at in life. Sometimes, it’s best to find your new people.
• Ghost tours. You can’t have a haunted town without a walking ghost tour. Such fun!
• Baked goods! Banana bread, lemon pound cake… yum.
• Possession! Exorcism! I love that this paranormal romance doesn’t shy away from the more exciting parts of hauntings and horror. Some ghosts are friendly, but some need to be vanquished.

What Didn’t Work for Me:

• Nothing, this was great!

Final Thoughts

Haunted Ever After is a delightful romance filled with ghosts, Floridian heat, and a nice relationship arc between Cassie and Nick. I loved the paranormal aspects, the full cast of characters, and the gentle pace at which it unfolds. It allows readers to savor the book… and all the references to hazelnut lattes and baked goods. This is the first in the Boneyard Key series, and I already have ideas on who one or two of the other couples could be. I can’t wait to read their stories next!

Special thanks to the publicists at Penguin Random House, Berkley, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Get the Book

You can buy Haunted Ever After here – it’s available as a paperback, ebook, and audiobook.

Haunted Ever After by Jen DeLuca
Series	Boneyard Key (#1)
Audience	Adult
Genre	Paranormal Romance
Setting	Florida
Number of Pages	352
Format I Read	Ebook (NetGalley ARC)
Original Publication Date	August 13, 2024
Publisher	Berkley

Official Summary

It’s love at first haunting in a seaside town that raises everyone’s spirits in this new series 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.