Jen DeLuca (Well Met; Well Matched) leaves the Renaissance fair world of her first romance series behind for an equally vibrant setting in Haunted Ever After. Set in the tiny Gulf Coast town of Boneyard Key, Fla., whose tourism schtick is that it's haunted, this sweet and sexy novel is about found family and second chances.
After being priced out of Orlando, Cassie Rutherford didn't pay attention to the ghost-themed T-shirts in every shop window when she impulsively bought a small beach cottage in Boneyard Key. But when her electricity quits working and her refrigerator poetry magnets rearrange themselves to read "my house," Cassie realizes that the "haunted" thing might actually be real.
Because of the erratic power access at her house, Cassie starts doing her remote copywriter job at Hallowed Grounds, a coffee shop owned by handsome local Nick Royer. Nick grew up in Boneyard Key, and he shares the apartment above the coffee shop with a man named Elmer. But what he isn’t telling Cassie is that Elmer, the former owner of Hallowed Grounds, has been dead for years.
Clever, funny, and a bit spooky, Haunted Ever After will appeal to cozy mystery and paranormal romance readers alike. Cassie delves into the history of her house and tries to figure out who is leaving her fridge-magnet messages, and Nick is more than happy to help her solve the mystery as they grow closer. DeLuca creates a charming town full of entertainingly quirky characters sure to leave readers wanting more stories set in Boneyard Key. --Jessica Howard, freelance book reviewer