This was a really cozy paranormal romance! To be honest, I really didn’t expect this to go the way it did — I’ve never read one of these contemporary paranormal genres before and as a skeptic I was honestly waiting for them to Scooby-Doo us and say, “See! It was never a ghost.” But no, be ready for the spookies to be real!

Haunted Ever After follows Cassie right when she moves to a small town called Boneyard Key, and it looks like the house she’s just bought might actually be haunted. The ghost tours that stop at her front door are annoying, yes, but what worse is that her computer isn’t charging and she has to borrow the internet from the local cafe, where the barista is kinda…cute?

I think the strongest aspect of this book is actually the setting; I would totally be down to read any other books that take place in the same town. By the end of the novel, I totally bought into the small town vibes and I liked how magical the entire community felt.

The plot is decent — a little on-the-nose sometimes, but overall I liked the light-hearted mystery and how the main leads worked together on it. The romance was actually just okay to me though; While I liked some of their banter, I think there’s a bit of insta-love (or insta-attraction for sure). Their backstories are things I’ve seen before, and it just felt low stakes and a little too easy despite the hiccups they had.

Ultimately, though, I still think this one was pretty fun! I’d be interested in seeing Cassie and Nick cameo in future novels for sure, and the writing is a breeze to get through.

Thanks to NetGalley, BerkleyRomance, and BerkleyPub for this copy of "Haunted Ever After."

I've been on a romance book binge and this one was delightful! I devoured all of DeLuca's "Well Met" series so I was very excited to start this one.

Cassie moves to the "Most Haunted Small Town in Florida" where residents just naturally accept that some of their neighbors can see and talk with ghosts. She buys the Hawkins House where people have always wondered if it's haunted by "Mean Mrs. Hawkins."

When her refrigerator magnets spell out words, she's intrigued about the history of house and tries to uncover what the ghost may be trying to tell her.

With a great group of town characters, I'm excited to see who will be featured in the next book in the series. Keeping my fingers crossed for a book about Sophie and Theo!

Haunted Ever After was a DNF for me, which pains me so much to say because I simply adored all four books in Jen's Well Met series. I was looking for her swoony romance, but that took a back seat to the supernatural elements. And I am not so much a fun of supernatural stories, so maybe I chose wrong when I requested to review this. I just love the author so much, and didn't realize how different it would be for me from her other books. The slow romance, plus the third person point of view, prevented me from fully immersing myself in the story and connecting with the characters. The instant attraction/crush wasn't believable for me and I could tell the relationship wasn't going to develop much as soon as Nick latched onto Cassie because he pretty much had no other choice in the town. I did love the small town vibes and the quirky setting. I just didn't like Nick. He seemed like a tool, and jumping into his brain wasn't an enjoyable place to be. If you're in this for the romance, I might suggest something else. If you're interested in ghosties, give this a try. The writing is solid, the story just wasn't what I wanted. I DNFed at about a quarter of the way in.

I loved this one! Mid-read I told my mom she needed to buddy read it with me. I love the mystery element to this one and felt like the love story was so cute. This read like a well written hallmark movie and I was totally here for it!

I'm a big Jen DeLuca fan. Her writing style and characters speak to me. I enjoyed Haunted Ever After but occasionally there were things that took me out of the story, primarily when the ghost effected Nick. I get why it happened but it's hard to come back from hearing your love interest say that to the protagonist. Otherwise a very good read.

This was so cute! I want to move to this hypothetical town. It felt so cozy. I feel like I saw the issue with the house pretty early on but the characters were so great it was worth the wait to see if I was correct.

Haunted houses, sexy coffeeshop owners, protgatonist trying to figure out their life path, and small towns! This book’s got it all. A cute romance with great chemistry between the two main characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

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.