3.5 Stars

THE 411...

Cassie Rutherford has decided to up and go buy a historic coastal cottage in Boneyard Key Florida after realizing just how much her social circle of friends has matured, married and most have had kids. She ditches Orlando and seeks comfort in a yellow cottage right by the ocean in a town that makes its money off of its haunted ghost tours. Her house seems quaint up until strange things start to happen in her new home. Magnets spelling out words she knows she didn't arrange as part of her morning message on the fridge like "Wrong" and "My House" appear the next morning. She can never get her laptop to charge which really interferes with her work from home career and leads her to seek out a local coffee shop to work from. It's not Publix but they sell coffee and that's all she's looking for...that and WIFI. 

Local coffee shop owner Nick is used to tourists coming by and overstaying their welcome using his wifi connection while sipping on the same cup of Jo for hours on end. He doesn't think Cassie is any different and doesn't hold back from a jab or two at her type. The tourist type. When Cassie informs him she's a Floridian native just not from the coastal side of the state, he is instantly curious as to why anyone from Orlando would move to Boneyard Key. Even more intriguing is just how much Cassie hasn't heard of their ghostly town. So he volunteers to be her tour guide of sorts while holding back some truths about his own connections to the founding families and their ghostly ties. 

THOUGHTS...

The vibeZ Book lovers! I love a beachside read set in a small town with cute coffee shops and town happenings. This time Jen DeLuca gives us some bonus ghost characters who refuse to NOT tell their story with the help of the towns inhabitants. There are 12 prominent families with descendants still living in town, some of which can speak/see their dead ancestors. Nick spends his evenings walking with Cassie along the shore and sharing stories of the towns history and that of her newly purchased home. Cassie starts to piece things together while really enjoying Nick's vibe and attention...until he starts acting differently which throws the story down the path of an unraveling mystery. The ghostly things happening to both Nick and Cassie were at times funny (text messages Nick Received from his ghost) and at others a bit creepy, that's because the righting of wrongs was at the center of this paranormal story. It's cute until you realize the pain behind the haunting of Cassie's home. If you're looking for haunted vibes on a beachside setting, this ones for you. The romance was there but the driving force is the mystery from the very start. We also get introduced to ghost tour guide Sopie and librarian Theo as side characters that I would LOVE to see get their own nerdy ghost story in the next Boneyard Keys installment 🤗

Thank you to Berkley, NetGalley and LibroFM For the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f paranormal romance
-haunted house/town
-small town
-frenemies to lovers

I always need my yearly dose of Jen. I couldn't have adored this cozy and wonderful haunted romance more. The small town vibes, the wonderful chemistry. I cannot wait for more in the world and just more from Jen in general. Highly recommend on audio

This novel was a delightfully cozy spooky time romance. I love my Halloween reads so when a book popped up that offered something softer than my dark romance reads, I scooped it up immediately.

I loved the small town setting and vibes, with all the ghosts and how the main characters were able to interact with them. This cute and quirky novel charmed me with all the neat characters and the world building was pretty vibrant. The author did a great job of describing the town.

I loved the antics and all the fun moments inbetween. This was a great Halloween/fall read.

Haunted Ever After was delightful mix of humor and heart. Cassie is new to town and ends up buying a legit haunted house in what turns out to be a haunted town. Nick is the local coffee shop owner who helps her navigate the new ghostly world she unwittingly entered.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️

👻 Paranormal Romance
🏠Small Town
👻Haunted House
🏠Small Town Secrets
👻Ghost Speakers

This was a cozy paranormal romance. I loved the small town vibes. My favorite parts were when the main characters talked to the ghosts that haunted their places.

New to town FMC finds out that her newly purchased house is haunted. She ends up having to go to a local coffee shop for WiFi due to “faulty” outlets at her house. She meets the MMC who happens to be the owner of the coffee shop and learns this town is more than what it seems.

I loved the cozy vibes. I thought there was the right amount of romance and paranormal plot.

Haunted Ever After charmed me with its quirky small-town vibes, a touch of ghostly mischief, and the heartwarming romance that unfolded between Cassie and Nick. Boneyard Key is the perfect backdrop—its blend of spooky lore and coastal charm felt alive (or hauntingly alive), and I loved how the town leaned into its ghostly history to create a unique sense of community.
Cassie's journey of leaving behind the predictable life in Orlando to take a chance on a historic (and haunted) cottage was relatable and endearing. Her determination to make her house a home, despite its eerie quirks, gave the story a lot of heart. With his grumpy yet kind demeanour, Nick was a fantastic match for her—his affection showed in the small things, like offering her free banana bread. Their chemistry felt natural, and the moments they spent unravelling the history of her house brought a wonderful mix of romance and mystery.
What stood out for me was the balance between the spooky and the sweet. The ghostly elements added the right amount of tension without overpowering the romance. The poetry magnets shifting on the fridge and the spectral roommate in the coffee shop were clever, atmospheric touches. However, there were moments when the pacing slowed, particularly in the middle, which slightly pulled me out of the story.
Haunted Ever After is a delightful blend of ghostly fun, small-town charm, and heartfelt romance. It left me with a smile and a craving for banana bread—haunted or not.

This story was so much fun! I loved Cassie from the book’s first line, “That meeting could’ve been an email.” Nick was just as hilarious in his own way, as was the town of Boneyard Key. It has such a great haunted house vibe and has me feeling ready for fall! Jen DeLuca always writes such great characters and dialogue; this story was another great example of that. Absolutely fantastic!

After really not vibing with her last book, I was looking forward to trying out a book with a new setting and a new cast of characters. Ultimately, this one also did not work for me and I DNF'd it.

This was such a fun palette cleanser! One of those books that’s just an easy and fun read.

It was a fun and quick read. I can’t say this is going to be one I’ll remember forever but it def was cute and enjoyable!

4/5

I loved this sweet. Slightly spooky small town romance. It had just the right amount of everything: flirting, smooching, haunting

Overall this was a good read for spooky season! I loved the ghost but wanted more when it came to the romance.

This was a bit of a different book compared to Jen Deluca's other books but just as fun! I really like the premise of this one and was interested to see how she pulled it off. She did a great job and I really enjoyed the chemistry between Cassie and Nick. I look forward to reading more from Jen Deluca in the future!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review!

This book was fun! Not exactly the haunting story I was hoping for, but it was sweet with a bit of ghostly fun. The beach setting was a nice touch, too.

Haunted Ever After follows Cassie as she uproots her entire life and moves to a small beach town after she feels a bit lost in life. No kids. No marriage. While all her friends are doing just that. However this small beach town is also a ghost town--drawing tourists in ghost stories and hauntings of town landmarks. While she thinks this is a cute schtick she not much of a believer. But unbeknownst to her the new house she bought is haunted. Enter in Nick the owner of the town coffee shop and long time resident and believer of all things ghost. What happens when a non-believer needs Nick to help her rid her house of ghosts? Romance obviously.

This book was well-written. The characters loveable. And story really intriguing. I wanted a tiny bit more spice, but that's minimal to the wonderful storytelling. Nick and Cassie's organic relationship development was perfect. And I loved Cassie's own backstory and feelings of being left behind by friends as you grow apart. The ghost story was also SO good! It was such a great telling of patriarchy and misogyny in our society through an innovative way.

There was a cute spooky season romance. I loved the idea of a town that was ghostly hot spot. Add in a romance and a bit of a mystery, and I knew I had to check this one out. There wasn’t any big twists, and the plot was a little predictable, but it was a cute and cozy read. Not scary with the ghosts, but a fun twist to a romance. Overall, a good listen!

❤️ Tropes ❤️
💋 paranormal romance
💋 a not so meet cute
💋 slow burn
💋 ghostly interference

Cassie may have just moved from the city, but she knows that Boneyard Key is leaning into its name to make itself a tourist destination. But when she heard a ghost tour stop outside her house, she realized that they thought her house was haunted. And there has been some strange occurrences… when she goes to the coffee shop to work because her laptop won’t charge when she plugs it in at home, she has a not so great first encounter with Nick. And when she realizes her home really is haunted, the only one she can think to run to for help is Nick.

I loved this one and all the ghost side characters! Now I’m really looking forward to the next one in the series. It’s very similar to The Pumpkin Spice Cafe, which I thought was cute and cozy and very enjoyable!

Jen DeLuca is back with another small town romance. Haunted Ever After is centered on the seemingly haunted town of Boneyard Key and recent newcomer Cassie. Cassie just moved into the infamous house in town that has a tragic backstory and when weird things start happening, Cassie enlists the help of cafe owner Nick to get to the bottom of things.

This was a cute slow burn with a fun paranormal spin. My main complaint is that I didn't feel a lot of chemistry between the characters and that part feel a little flat for me. I enjoyed the characters in this, especially Elmer who stole my heart.

I'm excited to read more books about this charming town!

Visitors often wear out their welcome in tourist spots. But in Boneyard Key, the small Florida town in Jen DeLuca’s HAUNTED EVER AFTER (Berkley, 352 pp., paperback, $19), it’s the locals who are lingering. Turns out the “most haunted town” slogan is more than just a marketing shtick, and the place is unusually full of ghosts.

Nick, the proprietor of a haunted cafe, and Cassie, Boneyard Key’s newest homeowner, both feel as though friends and loved ones have moved on without them. Nick has seen his ex and his parents leave the town for greener pastures elsewhere, while Cassie felt isolated as her Orlando friends coupled up and focused on their growing families. Buying a house somewhere new seemed like a way to jumpstart her life. But unfortunately the historic cottage she purchased belongs to Mean Mrs. Hawkins, Boneyard Key’s most notorious ghost, who’s not at all happy to have a roommate.

Cassie takes refuge from eldritch shenanigans in Nick’s cafe and a connection sparks, but she wonders if that’s enough to keep her in town when Mrs. Hawkins is putting so much energy into driving her away.

The tension in this romance is elegantly poised around knowing when to hold on and when to let go — and the Gothic plot in the tropical setting makes this a standout paranormal.

Funny, cute and sweet! Haunted Ever After takes the ghost story to a new and entertaining place.
Cassie moves to a coastal Florida town only to finds out that not only is her new town obsessed with ghosts but apparently her new house is haunted.
On the bright side, Nick, the super cute local barista is ready and willing to help Cassie navigate her new surroundings.
I really enjoyed this story. Right from the start I was rooting for Nick and Cassie to find a way to overcome their personal demons and find joy for themselves.
-4 Stars-

This was a rough one to finish. Based off the summary, I was hoping for a spooky season romance novel to dive into. Though there were spooky elements, mainly ghosts, I wouldn’t necessarily say this was what I wanted for a Halloween read.

The first quarter of the book started off really fun with elements of ghosts and a bit of mystery, but halfway through, it felt too dragged out bad repetitive. Hence, it took me a while to finish.

Overall, it was an ok read.