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.

I don’t always read by season but I knew I needed to pick one up that aligned with the Halloween holiday this year—and I couldn’t have picked up a more perfect book!

I’ve enjoyed Jen DeLuca’s books in the past, and I’m so glad to see that caries through books outside of that series too. And this one on audio??? OMG! I had so much fun with it!

I love the nuance of Cassie moving to this small Florida town that’s known for being haunted—and yet she doesn’t believe in ghosts. Boy, is she in for a rude awakening!!

But at the same time, I love how the town embraces their ghosts. I love that they live side-by-side rather than viewing them as pests to get rid of.

This was truly the definition of a cozy paranormal romance and I am SO here for it.

Thank you Berkley for my copy. I really enjoyed this small town romance with paranormal elements. The ghost story was fun and interesting and I loved the plot.

Nick is the owner of a coffee shop in a town that is known for being haunted. He even has a ghost as a roommate. Cassie is new to Boneyard Key. She recently moved from Orlando and is flipping a historic home with some very unusual and unpredictable quirks. Nick shows Cassie around town, telling her all the ghost stories, all the gossip, and they begin to form a bond. But it’s hard to form a relationship when they aren’t sure how long Cassie will be around.

This book was more about the ghosts than the romance in some ways but that makes it perfect for this time of year! I particularly loved the ghosts and the character they added to both the story and the town. The town itself is what made this story - it was quirky and quaint with just a hint of spooky season vibes. I also enjoyed the main characters. Cassie was a very relatable character - as someone in my 30s I could relate to the struggles of friends being in very different stages of life between kids, marriages, and living the single life. Nick was a loveable grump who gave me Luke from Gilmore Girls vibes which made the fall vibes even better! This one is definitely a cute read!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

I really wanted to like this book more... but I just kind of didn't.

It wasn't a bad book, I think it's a very cutesy October book that some others will really enjoy. I just found myself not interested in the love connection at all.

I will say that the ghosts in this book are what I enjoyed most. I enjoyed those snippets the best. It kind of reminded me of the show Ghosts, which I love. So that is what I was picturing the entire time!

I'd recommend this book though if you're wanting some ghosty vibes, a sweet romance with little open door romance, and just here for the vibes.

If I enter a "write the cutest romance book with extra fantasy/nerd elements and spice" contest and Jen DeLuca is my competition, I'm immediately forfeiting. I absolutely adored DeLuca's Well Met series, so when I heard she was writing a series in a haunted beach town I knew I had to get my hands on it ASAP! And I'm glad I did because this one was the perfect haunting romance read! It has everything I loved about the Well Met series (small town romance, adorkable characters, meet cutes galore) plus ghosts!

Thank you for the early e-arc. I really enjoyed the Well Met series and was really excited to read Haunted Ever After. Unfortunately, I just could not connect with the characters. I still don't understand why but I felt no chemistry or tension between them. Maybe the stakes were too low? I'm not sure why this one didn't work for me, but I really struggled reading this. It couldn't really keep my attention though everything about it should have. I ended up putting it aside for a few months thinking it was a mood thing but upon picking it up again I found that I still couldn't get myself engaged. I think this was a case of it's me not you since I'm sure other readers will enjoy the town, characters and story.

This standalone kicks off a new series set in a haunted ghost town in Florida, and it’s the perfect Halloween read! Cassie, the town’s newest resident, moves into one of its most haunted houses, where she meets Nick, the charming barista who’s happy to fill her in on the spooky town lore. With a texting ghost, a slow-burn romance, and even an exorcism, this book was a fun, eerie ride that kept me hooked all Halloween week!

I was excited to read Haunted Ever After, but this was my least favorite of Jen DeLuca’s books, having read her previous Renaissance Faire books. The male and female main characters became secondary to the ghosts and the story dragged on and on and I DNF.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fun ghostly romance, melding a Florida setting and non-autumnal vibes with the supernatural. However, I've realized I just don't fully gel with Jen DeLuca's writing style, so this wasn't quite as fun of a romp for me as I was hoping. Still fun enough, though.

This one is for the Gilmore Girls girlies!! This lowkey reads like spooky GG fan-fiction and I loved it.

A small town filled with friendly ghosts, a diner owner who falls for the new girl in town, and a woman coming to terms with a new stage in her life who finds the place she’s meant to be. This book is the perfect book to read while curled up in a blanket in front of a fire. Cozy Fall perfection! I especially loved that this book has minor spooky vibes without actually being scary.

This was cute enough but nothing to write home about! Good premise and perfect for spooky season with the whole small town being haunted and full of ghosts. ~mostly~ all good ghosts. The romance was cute and we got a whole exorcism, so it was fun! Worth the read, but I recommend do not listen on audio. It was meh and made the story feel pretty blah.

Read if you like:
👻 ghosts
☕️ grumpy coffee shop owners
🌅 sunsets
🏘️ small town romance
🌶️ light spice (1.5/5)

Also, this was pretty much copy paste The Pumpkin Spice Cafe, so if you like that and want more of those vibes then pick this one up!

Such a cute spooky read for fall! I’m more of the thriller side of fall reads, so this was a nice change for a cute and cozy fall read. I wasn’t feeling very Halloweeny, but this helped put my in the Halloween mood.

Cassie moves from Orlando to Boneyard Key, most known for their ghosts. Naturally the house she moves into is haunted, but she’s nice enough to get the ghost magnets to communicate. But honestly, lowkey smart. Don’t mind me putting up magnet words to see if I have any ghosts who wanna yap.

While cassie learns more about her ghostie roommate, nick the local barista keeps her fueled with hazelnut coffee and banana bread. And honestly can we think of anything better than a man who saves the day with caffeine and bread???

This was a fun low stakes read🥰 definitely recommend if you’re in the mood for something to keep you in the spooky season mood👻 or if you’re in a fuck the patriarchy mood, because you get to exorcise a misogynistic ghost, always a crowd favorite.

Jen Deluca you've done it again. This was such a cute spooky romance just in time for Halloween. As an ex-Orlandoan, I loved the move from the tourist centric theme park world to a quant beach town that is "famous" for being the most haunted town in Florida. I started the book thinking it would be a bit more "and I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling kids" ghost story, but was pleasantly surprised by the actual paranormal aspects.