by Jen DeLuca
Release Date: August 13, 2024
2024 Berkley
ARC Paperback; 352 Pages
ISBN: 978-0593641217
ASIN:B0CN8KY134
Audiobook: B0CPTFL3TC
Genre: Fiction / Romance / Paranormal
Source: Review copy from publisher
3 / 5 Stars
Summary
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.
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.
My Thoughts
Haunted Ever After is the first book in a new series, Boneyard Key, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. But was there anything different about this story that you haven't read in previous books? No, there wasn't. You have the woman who buys a haunted house, meets a man who at first appears to be grumpy for reasons we will discover, they connect on a personal level, work together to discover why her house is being haunted, and you get my point. However, I did enjoy their banter and their connection and definitely enjoyed the paranormal aspect of this story even if it was quite predictable.
Both Cassie and Nick are charming characters even if somewhat stereotypical; Cassie is the newbie having moved to the small town to escape the fact her friends were moving on with their families and their lives while she felt stuck and Nick is the stereotypical grumpy man having been ditched by his long-time girlfriend and knows everyone in town. Despite this, I felt the connection between the two of them and was glad there was no major drama and angst involved in this story other than the usual stuff that comes up when two people don't quite know each other. Cassie is very skeptical at first, but I understood this as I would be as well. However, what I never understand in any of these books is why people don't do RESEARCH to find out more about their houses when weird stuff starts happening. You live in an old house where everything says scared them as a kid and you just brush it off.
The beginning of the novel actually starts quite well, with witty and engaging dialogue and I was enjoying myself quite a bit. I always like the atmosphere of a small town and enjoy meeting quirky characters and this seemed like it was going this way. However, the middle of the book was quite repetitive and although I enjoyed the research, I did feel like both the characters and the paranormal aspects were not developed, which meant the ending felt rushed and disconnected from the rest of the story, leaping into more of a romance section. Because I felt the author wasn't quite sure how to focus on the paranormal elements or the romance without compromising either, it felt like neither were developed causing the novel to slow down considerably and I just felt compelled to finish it quickly.
Verdict
Haunted Ever After had a lot of good things going for it, but lack of character and plot development in the middle of the book slowed it down considerably leaving the ending feeling diminished and not quite as interesting as it could have been. However, the overall story was charming, and there were a lot of intriguing characters, ones I expect to see in future books. Overall, the book starts rather strongly, has a great premise, but struggles to keep that charm going for the entire book. But there was enough in there to keep me intrigued enough to look forward to seeing what comes next.
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