What do you think?
Rate this book
Boneyard Key #2
Ghost Business
Clashing ghost tours lead to a sizzling romantic rivalry in the second romance in the new series from USA Today bestselling author Jen DeLuca.
Boneyard Key, Florida, is the only home Sophie has ever known. Her love for its supernatural history has flourished into a career, as she guides the one and only ghost tour through the town’s can’t-miss haunted spots. And while her bank account isn’t full by any means, her heart is. Or at least, it was.
But there's a newcomer in town. The son of a Fortune 500 businessman, former theater kid Tristan has grown his tours from a fraternity fundraiser to a multicity ghost tour conglomerate. It’s doing well, but not well enough—if he can’t prove that he’s solidly in the black by the fall, Dad’s going to pull his funding, spelling the end of his career. Boneyard Key, with its haunted reputation, seems like the perfect place to boost his bottom line.
When the two ghost tours clash, Sophie’s expletive-filled rant goes viral, and the rivals strike up a deal. Whoever has the most successful business by summer’s end stays, while the loser must ghost. But the more Tristan comes to appreciate Boneyard Key, the more Sophie comes to appreciate Tristan, and what starts as begrudging respect becomes something spicier. Can they put their feuding businesses aside to make room for a chance at love, or is Boneyard Key too small for two ghost tours?
Boneyard Key, Florida, is the only home Sophie has ever known. Her love for its supernatural history has flourished into a career, as she guides the one and only ghost tour through the town’s can’t-miss haunted spots. And while her bank account isn’t full by any means, her heart is. Or at least, it was.
But there's a newcomer in town. The son of a Fortune 500 businessman, former theater kid Tristan has grown his tours from a fraternity fundraiser to a multicity ghost tour conglomerate. It’s doing well, but not well enough—if he can’t prove that he’s solidly in the black by the fall, Dad’s going to pull his funding, spelling the end of his career. Boneyard Key, with its haunted reputation, seems like the perfect place to boost his bottom line.
When the two ghost tours clash, Sophie’s expletive-filled rant goes viral, and the rivals strike up a deal. Whoever has the most successful business by summer’s end stays, while the loser must ghost. But the more Tristan comes to appreciate Boneyard Key, the more Sophie comes to appreciate Tristan, and what starts as begrudging respect becomes something spicier. Can they put their feuding businesses aside to make room for a chance at love, or is Boneyard Key too small for two ghost tours?
335 pages, Paperback
First published September 9, 2025
185 people are currently reading
16660 people want to read
About the author
Jen DeLuca
8 books4,392 followersJen DeLuca was born and raised near Richmond, Virginia, but now lives in Arizona with her husband and a houseful of rescue pets. She loves latte-flavored lattes, Hokies football, and the Oxford comma. Well Met is her first novel, inspired by her time volunteering as a pub wench with her local Renaissance Faire.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 588 reviews
September 17, 2025
dnf. not a fan of the MMC and it’s as simple as that. 🥲
June 6, 2025
❥ My Thoughts & Rating ❥
This was such a cute and lighthearted romance! I found it to be sweet, adventurous, hopeful, funny and emotional. This book was very relaxing, which was nice. This is a medium paced read with lovable characters! It came with a well structured plot and had a clear thesis. I really liked the setting of the book, which was in a small town in Florida. It came with vivid descriptions and a unique story. The supernatural elements really stood out to me! This is an enemies to lovers romance, which is one of my favorite tropes in a book. The two main characters were doing a ghost tour at the same time, which is how they ultimately meet. The minor characters definitely stood out to me and gave me some laughs! Be sure to read the content warnings. I think this book is perfect for fans that like to read romance comedy books, added with some paranormal elements to it! Overall, I rate this a 3 out of 5 stars!
❥ Thank You ❥
Thank you to NetGalley, author Jen DeLuca and Berkley Publishing Group for this electronic ARC of this book to read in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
❥ Release Date ❥
This book is expected to be published on September 9, 2025!
This was such a cute and lighthearted romance! I found it to be sweet, adventurous, hopeful, funny and emotional. This book was very relaxing, which was nice. This is a medium paced read with lovable characters! It came with a well structured plot and had a clear thesis. I really liked the setting of the book, which was in a small town in Florida. It came with vivid descriptions and a unique story. The supernatural elements really stood out to me! This is an enemies to lovers romance, which is one of my favorite tropes in a book. The two main characters were doing a ghost tour at the same time, which is how they ultimately meet. The minor characters definitely stood out to me and gave me some laughs! Be sure to read the content warnings. I think this book is perfect for fans that like to read romance comedy books, added with some paranormal elements to it! Overall, I rate this a 3 out of 5 stars!
❥ Thank You ❥
Thank you to NetGalley, author Jen DeLuca and Berkley Publishing Group for this electronic ARC of this book to read in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
❥ Release Date ❥
This book is expected to be published on September 9, 2025!
October 26, 2025
✩ 3 stars ✩
What to Expect:
➼ Rivals-to-Lovers
➼ Haunted Small Town
➼ Ghost Tour Guides
➼ Found Family
➼ Florida Setting
➼ Forced Proximity
➼ Next Door Neighbors
➼ Narrated by Jeannie Sheneman
➼ Third Person POV
It definitely seemed like the author was setting up a romance between the FMC and another guy in town, so this storyline was a bit of a surprise. At first, I really wasn’t sure this was going to work for me, because the MMC moves into town with the intention of taking away her livelihood. He didn’t realize that’s what he would be doing prior to coming there, but he certainly doubled down once he became aware. There were valid reasons for him to continue on that path, but it was still pretty shitty of him to be frank. 🙃 In the end, I was happy with the resolution they reached, so it mostly worked, but it would be hard for me to trust him after that if I were her.
They had an insta lust thing going on that they were fighting all the way till the end. It got to the point where they kissed regularly but just never talk about it so they could remain in denial. 😅 Not sure why, but this was weirdly endearing to me. My favorite inclusion was the found family vibes and how much he grew to love and be accepted by the town even in the midst of their feud. The townspeople made it clear that they were on her side, but as time passed, it became more and more apparent that he fit there too. Sometimes the endings of romance books can feel a bit too convenient, but their HEA was actually backed up by data 😂. Jokes aside, it did feel pretty realistic for them to make it work. If not for him trying to steal her job initially, I probably would have rated this a little higher. I do wish there were a few more ghostly encounters, but otherwise, this was a cute spooky read!
✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼
Pre-read: A spooky read seemed fitting for my last day of Fall Break. 👻 Currently in denial that I have to go back to work tomorrow. 🫠🫠
≪ ◦ ❖ ◦ ≫
Connect with me on Instagram
What to Expect:
➼ Rivals-to-Lovers
➼ Haunted Small Town
➼ Ghost Tour Guides
➼ Found Family
➼ Florida Setting
➼ Forced Proximity
➼ Next Door Neighbors
➼ Narrated by Jeannie Sheneman
➼ Third Person POV
It definitely seemed like the author was setting up a romance between the FMC and another guy in town, so this storyline was a bit of a surprise. At first, I really wasn’t sure this was going to work for me, because the MMC moves into town with the intention of taking away her livelihood. He didn’t realize that’s what he would be doing prior to coming there, but he certainly doubled down once he became aware. There were valid reasons for him to continue on that path, but it was still pretty shitty of him to be frank. 🙃 In the end, I was happy with the resolution they reached, so it mostly worked, but it would be hard for me to trust him after that if I were her.
They had an insta lust thing going on that they were fighting all the way till the end. It got to the point where they kissed regularly but just never talk about it so they could remain in denial. 😅 Not sure why, but this was weirdly endearing to me. My favorite inclusion was the found family vibes and how much he grew to love and be accepted by the town even in the midst of their feud. The townspeople made it clear that they were on her side, but as time passed, it became more and more apparent that he fit there too. Sometimes the endings of romance books can feel a bit too convenient, but their HEA was actually backed up by data 😂. Jokes aside, it did feel pretty realistic for them to make it work. If not for him trying to steal her job initially, I probably would have rated this a little higher. I do wish there were a few more ghostly encounters, but otherwise, this was a cute spooky read!
✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼
Pre-read: A spooky read seemed fitting for my last day of Fall Break. 👻 Currently in denial that I have to go back to work tomorrow. 🫠🫠
≪ ◦ ❖ ◦ ≫
Connect with me on Instagram
September 3, 2025
Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for this arc in exchange for an honest review!
Pretty disappointed with this one for a couple of reasons.
I thought for sure this book was gonna be Sophie and Theo, they had way more chemistry in the first book as side characters than Sophie and Tristain did in this book as main characters.
And there wasn't very much development with the main relationship. The reader sees everything that each character is struggling with, but neither of them have any kind of serious conversation with the other, at least not where the reader sees it. So we were easily past 70% before these guys had an actual conversation one-on-one and even then the important stuff was ignored until the very end.
The writing is still good and both characters had a lot of great qualities, but they just didn't jive together for me.
Pretty disappointed with this one for a couple of reasons.
I thought for sure this book was gonna be Sophie and Theo, they had way more chemistry in the first book as side characters than Sophie and Tristain did in this book as main characters.
And there wasn't very much development with the main relationship. The reader sees everything that each character is struggling with, but neither of them have any kind of serious conversation with the other, at least not where the reader sees it. So we were easily past 70% before these guys had an actual conversation one-on-one and even then the important stuff was ignored until the very end.
The writing is still good and both characters had a lot of great qualities, but they just didn't jive together for me.
December 11, 2025
A ghost story!
The town of Boneyard Key, Florida, is full of real ghosts—we learned that in the first book, Haunted Ever After.
That’s also where we met our heroine, Sophie, the local ghost-tour guide. She takes her job seriously, grounding every story in accurate history because she genuinely respects the spirits around her. Sophie loves her friends, but she still feels lonely and misses her grandmother deeply.
Her quiet life gets upended when newcomer Tristan launches his own ghost tour. Unlike Sophie, Tristan doesn’t care about accuracy—he’s all about entertainment and fun. When a heated argument between them goes viral, Tristan sees dollar signs. Realizing the town can’t support two competing tours, they strike a deal: they’ll share profit numbers, and whoever earns less by the end of summer has to shut down their tour for good.
I adore Sophie—she’s sweet, honorable, and so easy to root for. Tristan was tougher to warm up to at first (he’s the outsider trying to push her out of the job she loves), but he grew on me, and I ended up completely okay with how everything resolved.
Cliffhanger: No
4/5 Fangs
A complimentary copy was provided by Berkley via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
The town of Boneyard Key, Florida, is full of real ghosts—we learned that in the first book, Haunted Ever After.
That’s also where we met our heroine, Sophie, the local ghost-tour guide. She takes her job seriously, grounding every story in accurate history because she genuinely respects the spirits around her. Sophie loves her friends, but she still feels lonely and misses her grandmother deeply.
Her quiet life gets upended when newcomer Tristan launches his own ghost tour. Unlike Sophie, Tristan doesn’t care about accuracy—he’s all about entertainment and fun. When a heated argument between them goes viral, Tristan sees dollar signs. Realizing the town can’t support two competing tours, they strike a deal: they’ll share profit numbers, and whoever earns less by the end of summer has to shut down their tour for good.
I adore Sophie—she’s sweet, honorable, and so easy to root for. Tristan was tougher to warm up to at first (he’s the outsider trying to push her out of the job she loves), but he grew on me, and I ended up completely okay with how everything resolved.
Cliffhanger: No
4/5 Fangs
A complimentary copy was provided by Berkley via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
September 9, 2025
👻 Bookish Thoughts
This was such a cute and cozy paranormal romance! I’ll be honest, Tristan rubbed me the wrong way at first, but he really grew on me by the end. Sophie, on the other hand, I adored from the start. I loved how she led her tours with honesty and historical detail instead of just spectacle. Their rivalry made for such a fun setup! And I did how their romance came around!
Solid 4.5 star read!
✨ What to Expect
• Rival ghost tour guides
• Florida small town
• Viral feud
• Forced competition
• Slow burn rivals to lovers
_ _ _
📅 Pub Date: September 9, 2025
Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.
This was such a cute and cozy paranormal romance! I’ll be honest, Tristan rubbed me the wrong way at first, but he really grew on me by the end. Sophie, on the other hand, I adored from the start. I loved how she led her tours with honesty and historical detail instead of just spectacle. Their rivalry made for such a fun setup! And I did how their romance came around!
Solid 4.5 star read!
✨ What to Expect
• Rival ghost tour guides
• Florida small town
• Viral feud
• Forced competition
• Slow burn rivals to lovers
_ _ _
📅 Pub Date: September 9, 2025
Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.
August 10, 2025
This is probably more of "it's not you, it's me," because I am a hard sell on an enemies to lovers and the hero reminded me a lot of Logan Huntzberger. Overall - love the town, this author always delivers on the writing, but I just didn't fully connect on the romance
Read
September 4, 2025DNF 40%
Okay, so the author teased Sophie and Theo as a future “thing” with intriguing animosity and enemies to lovers vibes in the previous book. BUT obviously there was a shift, ‘cause here we are with a “whoops” in the Dedication and with a Sophie and Tristan pairing instead.
A little flirtation between strangers at the beginning but then a whole lot of dead chemistry. I just do not feel it. And I can’t comprehend why Sophie would be randomly attracted to a man that is undermining and threatening her business and who she’s had no meaningful interaction with.
I also find it frustrating that, despite a little cold shoulder action, the town hasn’t banded together to do a damn thing. Not even a “Sophie: Official Ghost Tour Guide of Boneyard Key” moniker. And the weeks are just passing by. I’m not enjoying the constant skipping ahead with no detail in between because it’s just emphasizing the lack of activity from everyone around Sophie.
I loved book one but this is not hitting. I don’t care what sort of character arc Tristan is supposed to have. The foundation isn’t working for me.
* I received a free copy from the publisher
Okay, so the author teased Sophie and Theo as a future “thing” with intriguing animosity and enemies to lovers vibes in the previous book. BUT obviously there was a shift, ‘cause here we are with a “whoops” in the Dedication and with a Sophie and Tristan pairing instead.
A little flirtation between strangers at the beginning but then a whole lot of dead chemistry. I just do not feel it. And I can’t comprehend why Sophie would be randomly attracted to a man that is undermining and threatening her business and who she’s had no meaningful interaction with.
I also find it frustrating that, despite a little cold shoulder action, the town hasn’t banded together to do a damn thing. Not even a “Sophie: Official Ghost Tour Guide of Boneyard Key” moniker. And the weeks are just passing by. I’m not enjoying the constant skipping ahead with no detail in between because it’s just emphasizing the lack of activity from everyone around Sophie.
I loved book one but this is not hitting. I don’t care what sort of character arc Tristan is supposed to have. The foundation isn’t working for me.
* I received a free copy from the publisher
October 20, 2025
3.5🌟 cute but nothing crazy! Fun for the season👻
September 5, 2025
We’re back in Boneyard Key with characters we learned to love in book one! Sophie gives historically accurate ghost tours around town and is very passionate about her job. Tristan is new to town and thinks ghost tours are a silly goofy time. He also has a plan to run Sophie out of business but the town in small and it’s hard to avoid people. Can she get him to understand how important this is to their town?
I really enjoyed book one and was excited to return to Boneyard Key! I loved Sophie’s passion for her town and the respect she showed to the members. Which is why I was slightly disappointed with how interested she still was in Tristan. I also needed a refresher on the town earlier on in the book since it’s been a year from my last read. We did get there and I enjoyed the characters and story for a bit. The last 2/3 of this book were very detailed in daily activities, very slice of life storytelling. Certain scenes seemed to go on for chapters and I was more interested in the characters themselves so it was difficult for me to stay focused at times. It was overall a cute read.
Thank you so much to Netgalley, Jen DeLuca, and Berkeley Publishing Group for providing this free E-ARC, this publishes on September 9th. This is my honest review!
I really enjoyed book one and was excited to return to Boneyard Key! I loved Sophie’s passion for her town and the respect she showed to the members. Which is why I was slightly disappointed with how interested she still was in Tristan. I also needed a refresher on the town earlier on in the book since it’s been a year from my last read. We did get there and I enjoyed the characters and story for a bit. The last 2/3 of this book were very detailed in daily activities, very slice of life storytelling. Certain scenes seemed to go on for chapters and I was more interested in the characters themselves so it was difficult for me to stay focused at times. It was overall a cute read.
Thank you so much to Netgalley, Jen DeLuca, and Berkeley Publishing Group for providing this free E-ARC, this publishes on September 9th. This is my honest review!
dnf
October 22, 2025DNF @ 25%
as much as i was looking forward to being back in boneyard key again, sophie and tristan just could not hold my attention. i felt like there was a lack in charm that the first book brought. while i understand that i DNF'd kind of early in the book, it was enough for me to realize that i wasn't as immersed into the story a quarter way through. i have nothing against sophie, she was the one character i was really looking forward to reading more about when we met her in the first book. i think it was the ulterior motive behind tristan's actions that made me feel like i got the ick. yes, he was attracted to sophie, but the way he kept constantly doubting her and how he also just kept agreeing with his business partner to dig for information and poach off of sophie's business - it just rubbed me the wrong way. i wish i had liked this story enough to keep going, it saddens me that i DNF'd.
thank you to berkley romance for the galley, all opinions are my own.
as much as i was looking forward to being back in boneyard key again, sophie and tristan just could not hold my attention. i felt like there was a lack in charm that the first book brought. while i understand that i DNF'd kind of early in the book, it was enough for me to realize that i wasn't as immersed into the story a quarter way through. i have nothing against sophie, she was the one character i was really looking forward to reading more about when we met her in the first book. i think it was the ulterior motive behind tristan's actions that made me feel like i got the ick. yes, he was attracted to sophie, but the way he kept constantly doubting her and how he also just kept agreeing with his business partner to dig for information and poach off of sophie's business - it just rubbed me the wrong way. i wish i had liked this story enough to keep going, it saddens me that i DNF'd.
thank you to berkley romance for the galley, all opinions are my own.
September 6, 2025
Theres nothing I love more than a fun little haunted romance.
Look at that cover. Look at those cute little ghosties!
Sophie runs ghost tours in her small haunted hometown of Boneyard Key, Florida. She doesn’t make much, but she loves doing it and takes joy in sharing the town history.
Problems arise when a Tristian arrives in town, and decides to start offering his own ghost tours. Even worse, it is a chain and is built on selling fake stories.
Now, Sophie must fight to keep her small business alive, while also trying not to fall for this new stranger.
Perfect if you love:
- Slow burn romance
- Small towns
- Cozy ghost vibes
* Note: This is the second book in a series, but acts as a stand alone. I have yet to read book 1 “Haunted Ever After”, but it did not effect my ability to read or enjoy this one!
This was pretty enjoyable.
Where I come from, we are no strangers to ghost tours. So, i feel like i can basically see the setting of this book.
In my head I am picturcing Savannah, New Orleans, and Charleston type scenery- which just makes this a real win for me.
It feels close to home and I just love that.
It was interesting the way that ghosts were protrayed in this story.
It was very casual, and not at all spooky.
Now, I do love a spooky ghost story but I didn’t mind that this wasn’t one.
It made it feel more unique.
If i were to change one thing about this, I would want more development in the relationship between Sophie and Tristan.
I did not feel a super strong connection with them, and there did not seem to be a lot of yearning or buildup, even though things did not really happen between them until near the end of the book.
I do think they were a likable couple!
They just could have used a bit more passion.
This book has an obvious “support small bsuinesses” message, which I think is great.
It shows the difficulties that small business owners may face when larger companies come into an area and take over.
I loved how the locals in this story seemed to band together to support one of their own!
It was very feel-good.
Very fun overall, and feels very close to home for me! I liked it!
Huge thank you to Netgalley, Berkley Publishing group and author Jen DeLuca for providing me with the eARC of “Ghost Business”, in exchange for my honest review!
Publication date: September 09, 2025
Look at that cover. Look at those cute little ghosties!
Sophie runs ghost tours in her small haunted hometown of Boneyard Key, Florida. She doesn’t make much, but she loves doing it and takes joy in sharing the town history.
Problems arise when a Tristian arrives in town, and decides to start offering his own ghost tours. Even worse, it is a chain and is built on selling fake stories.
Now, Sophie must fight to keep her small business alive, while also trying not to fall for this new stranger.
Perfect if you love:
- Slow burn romance
- Small towns
- Cozy ghost vibes
* Note: This is the second book in a series, but acts as a stand alone. I have yet to read book 1 “Haunted Ever After”, but it did not effect my ability to read or enjoy this one!
This was pretty enjoyable.
Where I come from, we are no strangers to ghost tours. So, i feel like i can basically see the setting of this book.
In my head I am picturcing Savannah, New Orleans, and Charleston type scenery- which just makes this a real win for me.
It feels close to home and I just love that.
It was interesting the way that ghosts were protrayed in this story.
It was very casual, and not at all spooky.
Now, I do love a spooky ghost story but I didn’t mind that this wasn’t one.
It made it feel more unique.
If i were to change one thing about this, I would want more development in the relationship between Sophie and Tristan.
I did not feel a super strong connection with them, and there did not seem to be a lot of yearning or buildup, even though things did not really happen between them until near the end of the book.
I do think they were a likable couple!
They just could have used a bit more passion.
This book has an obvious “support small bsuinesses” message, which I think is great.
It shows the difficulties that small business owners may face when larger companies come into an area and take over.
I loved how the locals in this story seemed to band together to support one of their own!
It was very feel-good.
Very fun overall, and feels very close to home for me! I liked it!
Huge thank you to Netgalley, Berkley Publishing group and author Jen DeLuca for providing me with the eARC of “Ghost Business”, in exchange for my honest review!
Publication date: September 09, 2025
August 6, 2025
3 stars.
I really enjoyed Jen DeLuca's last book, "Haunted Ever After," the first in her Boneyard Key series. Unfortunately, "Ghost Business" left a lot to be desired. I liked the rival ghost tours part of the story, and I thought that this part was very fun and entertaining. However, the actual paranormal aspect is severe lacking in this installment. I also wasn't super invested in Tristan and Sophie's love story, sadly. Something, some big, massive spark is absent from their pairing! Except for the first and last few chapters, I didn't feel any chemistry between the two of them. Things wrap up fine enough, but by then, it was too late. I honestly liked the friendships more than I did the romantic relationship. I loved watching Sophie, Cassie, and Libby bond throughout the story. Speaking of Cassie, I loved getting to see her and Nick and their thriving relationship! And more Sarah and her fridge magnets! I even liked Tristan changing his tune about Boneyard Key and him becoming a regular as opposed to a visitor. Despite my complaints, it is always fun to go back to Boneyard Key. I will definitely read any future installments of this series, but this one was hit or miss for me.
Thank you to NetGalley, Jen DeLuca, and Berkley for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.
I really enjoyed Jen DeLuca's last book, "Haunted Ever After," the first in her Boneyard Key series. Unfortunately, "Ghost Business" left a lot to be desired. I liked the rival ghost tours part of the story, and I thought that this part was very fun and entertaining. However, the actual paranormal aspect is severe lacking in this installment. I also wasn't super invested in Tristan and Sophie's love story, sadly. Something, some big, massive spark is absent from their pairing! Except for the first and last few chapters, I didn't feel any chemistry between the two of them. Things wrap up fine enough, but by then, it was too late. I honestly liked the friendships more than I did the romantic relationship. I loved watching Sophie, Cassie, and Libby bond throughout the story. Speaking of Cassie, I loved getting to see her and Nick and their thriving relationship! And more Sarah and her fridge magnets! I even liked Tristan changing his tune about Boneyard Key and him becoming a regular as opposed to a visitor. Despite my complaints, it is always fun to go back to Boneyard Key. I will definitely read any future installments of this series, but this one was hit or miss for me.
Thank you to NetGalley, Jen DeLuca, and Berkley for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.
September 10, 2025
When competing ghost tours collide will everyone survive?
Audiobook Stats:
⏰: 11 Hours 45 Minutes
🎤: Jeannie Sheneman
Publisher: PRH Audio
Format: Dual POV
I found the narrator to be clear and concise in her narration. I never had to adjust my speed and was able to listen within my typical range. I enjoyed the tone and tempo of this narrator.
Themes:
👻: Cooperation
Representation:
🧟♂️: Bisexual MMC
Tropes:
💗: Business Rivals to Lovers
💗: Haunted city/ghost tours
💗: Social Media embarrassment
💗: Hurricane
💗: Small Town
🥵: Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Potential Triggers: domestic violence **check authors page/socials for full list.
General Thoughts:
This book was a good time. Cute story. Found family of friends. Small town chaos and a dash of the supernatural. While cute and fun, I don't foresee it being overly memorable or long lasting in my mind.
The characters were the best part of this story. They all elicited an emotion and a tie to the small town setting. This is a series with more books due out featuring more of the townsfolk. I am interested as palette cleansers for sure.
The haunted town was fun. And I really liked Sophie. She felt real and relatable. Tristan was the appropriate level of annoying until he turned into the heartthrob of the story. But this book was missing some sizzle for me. Tristian never really materialized into a memorable book boyfriend for me.
Overall a good fun time while reading and I'll definitely revisit for more from Boneyard Key. Just not a show stopper for me at the end.
Disclaimer: I read this audiobook via free ALC through PRH Audio. All opinions are my own. This is my honest and voluntary review.
Audiobook Stats:
⏰: 11 Hours 45 Minutes
🎤: Jeannie Sheneman
Publisher: PRH Audio
Format: Dual POV
I found the narrator to be clear and concise in her narration. I never had to adjust my speed and was able to listen within my typical range. I enjoyed the tone and tempo of this narrator.
Themes:
👻: Cooperation
Representation:
🧟♂️: Bisexual MMC
Tropes:
💗: Business Rivals to Lovers
💗: Haunted city/ghost tours
💗: Social Media embarrassment
💗: Hurricane
💗: Small Town
🥵: Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Potential Triggers: domestic violence **check authors page/socials for full list.
General Thoughts:
This book was a good time. Cute story. Found family of friends. Small town chaos and a dash of the supernatural. While cute and fun, I don't foresee it being overly memorable or long lasting in my mind.
The characters were the best part of this story. They all elicited an emotion and a tie to the small town setting. This is a series with more books due out featuring more of the townsfolk. I am interested as palette cleansers for sure.
The haunted town was fun. And I really liked Sophie. She felt real and relatable. Tristan was the appropriate level of annoying until he turned into the heartthrob of the story. But this book was missing some sizzle for me. Tristian never really materialized into a memorable book boyfriend for me.
Overall a good fun time while reading and I'll definitely revisit for more from Boneyard Key. Just not a show stopper for me at the end.
Disclaimer: I read this audiobook via free ALC through PRH Audio. All opinions are my own. This is my honest and voluntary review.
October 7, 2025
"his future had so many question marks, but sophie…sophie was an exclamation point." ── .✦
well, this was a bit of a letdown. i honestly didn't have any expectations whatsoever for this book; kind of went into it blindly without knowing anything more than i've read all of this author's previous books and typically enjoy them.
it wasn't that this was bad, per say, but it just felt wholly unnecessary. like i genuinely don't see why this was a book. the characters were flat, nothing to know about them besides they both want to do ghost tours in a small town. i absolutely disliked tristan from the beginning. could not stand him. sophie was fine but she was just so bland. the plot was abysmal, i don't even think there was a real one. it went from ghost tours to hunkering down during a hurricane. kind of just felt all over the place. it kept jumping from weeks to months and it really neglected the character development and relationship development. the romance was just not it.
this book was just not it for me, unfortunately.
cawpile system┊characters 2/10, atmosphere/setting 4/10, writing 5/10, plot 2/10, intrigue 2/10, logic/relationships 1/10, enjoyment 2/10 ⊹₊⟡⋆
well, this was a bit of a letdown. i honestly didn't have any expectations whatsoever for this book; kind of went into it blindly without knowing anything more than i've read all of this author's previous books and typically enjoy them.
it wasn't that this was bad, per say, but it just felt wholly unnecessary. like i genuinely don't see why this was a book. the characters were flat, nothing to know about them besides they both want to do ghost tours in a small town. i absolutely disliked tristan from the beginning. could not stand him. sophie was fine but she was just so bland. the plot was abysmal, i don't even think there was a real one. it went from ghost tours to hunkering down during a hurricane. kind of just felt all over the place. it kept jumping from weeks to months and it really neglected the character development and relationship development. the romance was just not it.
this book was just not it for me, unfortunately.
cawpile system┊characters 2/10, atmosphere/setting 4/10, writing 5/10, plot 2/10, intrigue 2/10, logic/relationships 1/10, enjoyment 2/10 ⊹₊⟡⋆
September 7, 2025
Oh my gosh - I LOVED this book. Jen's books are always so delightful and whimsical, and this might be my favorite since Well Met. The romance between Sophie and Tristan was wonderful and the author's note in her acknowledgments that Tristan was a reimagined Logan Huntzberger was spot on! I've been craving a little more action in my romances, so I appreciated the hurricane subplot and, of course, the ghosts! This book is a winner!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my complimentary ARC. All opinions are my own.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my complimentary ARC. All opinions are my own.
September 11, 2025
2/5
Sadly I'm once again disappointed by one of my most anticipated releases :(
I didn't feel the vibe of this book and what was weird the plot takes place over months and I couldn't tell because nothing happened...
But what was the final nail in the coffin? Sophie and Tristan had NO chemistry :(
Sadly I'm once again disappointed by one of my most anticipated releases :(
I didn't feel the vibe of this book and what was weird the plot takes place over months and I couldn't tell because nothing happened...
But what was the final nail in the coffin? Sophie and Tristan had NO chemistry :(
October 26, 2025
1.5/5
As a local to Boneyard Key, Sophie has put in a lot of love and effort into doing the residents, living and dead, justice on her ghost tours which also goes into the history of their friendly, haunted town. She's never had any issues with competition, until now. Looking to add Boneyard Key to his ghost tour business that's barely staying afloat and prove to his father with a year round experience they could turn a profit, Tristan is looking to move in on Sophie's territories. And to make matters worse there's no basis behind his stories, he uses a retooled script, and doesn't even believe in ghosts to begin with. But will this town be big enough for the both of them?
I have never been so disappointed in Jen DeLuca, wtf is this book?? She pissed me off from the DEDICATION page, quite literally shrugging at her fans who UNDERSTANDABLY wanted the love story perfectly teed up during book 1 with Sophie and a certain librarian/historian and THIS is what we got instead?!?! I'm utterly BAFFLED! I saw a review on here that said they DNF'd it because they hated the MMC and yeah...I ABSOLUTELY get it! Is there some book 2 curse with her?? But here's the thing, while I have MANY complaints about the romance in book 2 of her Ren Faire series, to the point where she hilariously spent a chunk of book 4 correcting her errors, at least the rest of the plot of that book was really well done, so on the whole I still finished it feeling frustrated, but positive. I have never seen her put out such shoddy work as this. I spent this ENTIRE book waiting for there to be ANY reason why these two would even like each other, let alone inevitably fall in love, and straight up it doesn't ever give me one. Every single plot point brought up? Just forgotten and quite literally never resolved. These two are severely underdeveloped, their plot progression makes zero sense, and they have negative chemistry. It's even worse knowing the story I expected is RIGHT FUCKING THERE, but she just fully dodged it for no discernable reason other than she thought the idea of Logan Huntzgberger from GG following his theater kid dreams was a funny concept. Whelp, just like he was a shit boyfriend for Rory, turns out he's also shit inspiration for a MMC. And what's worse?? WHERE THE FUCK ARE THE GOD DAMN GHOSTS?!!?! Most of the charm of this fucking series is the friendly ghosties, especially how they interacted with our leads. We get the ones we already know from last book, and maybe one or two new moments of town ghosts, but these are two fuckers doing GHOST TOURS!!! Why didn't we get new ghost stories?!!? WHAT ARE WE DOING?!!?!? Even the smut can't save this shit because there's a comment that felt like throwing a bucket of ice water on me and fully took me out, I just cannot believe an editor read this and thought, yup, this is ready for publishing. I KNOW JD is better than this, I honestly am so shocked I feel a little betrayed. The only reason this is bumped up to the 2 and not 1 is because I just love this town and I really like the side characters. I'm PRAYING she gets her shit together and this was just a huge lapse in judgment. This series has SO much potential and her other books are so fucking good, I know she can do better. This was just absolutely not it, by far the worst she's ever done...
SPOILERS FROM HERE ON
Omg I don't even fucking know where to begin, I'm so mad. Let me start I guess with what I DID like, because let's get real, there's not a lot. I fucking love this town. It's so cute, the vibes are perfect for cozy, spooky season (even if it's set in the hellscape that is FL), the townspeople are darling and I love how much they back their own, and the little ghosties that are just in their everyday life, amazing. The Cold Spot being a local bar, but we find out during the hurricane when there's outages everywhere that there's a literal cold spot in the bar that if you stand in the correct section it feels freezing, but the owner will only let locals know so the tourists don't fuck it up, hence why Soph can't put it on the tour, very cute. Every time Nick and Cassie were mentioned I got so happy and then so sad because I just wished this was THEIR book instead and it reminded me how much better we've had it. Especially loved Nick being rude AF to Tristan once he realized why he was here and Cassie having weekly watch parties of this world's version of Love Island with her ghost roomie, Sarah, obsessed with her. Also that Sarah hated Tristan and his dumb AF stories as much as I did, bless her, she's such a real one. The side characters are all awesome, we meet some new ones too that seem fun, but now I don't fucking trust wtf JD will do with them.
So remember when I read all of her Ren Faire books and it was VERY clear who she was setting up for the next entry?? YEAH so I had two couples after reading HEA that were so brilliantly teed up I couldn't WAIT to read their stories, cut to opening this fucking book and seeing her mother fucking dedication that said 'this book sadly is for all of you who read HEA and were excited for Theo and Sophie's book next...whoops!' UM. WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK DO YOU MEAN WHOOPS?!??!?!!?! There is a fucking REASON we expected Theo and Sophie to be the ones to fall in love....becuase their fucking story is PERFECT!!!!!!! They already had the brilliant setup of Sophie creating her tour off an inaccurate historical text so Theo believed she didn't care to get the correct history and dismissed her ever since. Once she was informed, she ran to him begging for his knowledge and to know the truth to do an accurate tour. Their chemistry is IMMEDIATE, the bond is INSTANT, THEO IS A HOT AS FUCK TALL NERDY ANGEL!!! WHAT THE ABSOLUTE FUCK ARE WE DOING?!?!!? What's WORSE?!!?! Every time Theo was in a scene here and they had moments, IT WAS A MILLION TIMES CUTER AND SWEETER THAN ANYTHING BETWEEN THE MAIN FUCKING ROMANCE!!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING JEN!??!!!?! And the fact she KNEW there'd be fans she'd immediately ostracize from this shit....that makes it so much worse. It means she did this shit on purpose, they were her plan, but she changed her fucking mind. And no Jen, I do NOT 'like this one anyway', I fucking hate this shit! And now I'm petrified she's gonna ruin my other potential couple of Ramon and Libby!!!!! Ramon is Nick's angel chef who has a huge crush on Libby, the granddaughter of the local medium, and he's legit not even mentioned until like 85% into this book, and then they make some bizarre comment of Libby having a coworker named Lawrence (who straight up didn't exist before this fucking book) who 'pushes her buttons in the right way......'. WTF is JD's damage with making sure the couple have one person from out of town!?!?!?! One of the best romances in her Ren Faire series was between two fucking locals, and even the other couples weren't quite random out of towners....so wtf is she doing?!?! WHY IS SHE FUCKING WITH SOMETHING THAT'S GOOD???? Especially since that one seems like ANOTHER enemies to lovers type plot...WHY?!?! Theo better not have a straight bone in his goddamn body, because otherwise I cannot fathom why she shifted so hard away from her own perfectly set up plot, a story I'd VASTLY prefer and would've been a MILLION times better than this...especially cuz THERE'S NO WAY IT CAN BE WORSE!!!!! And she set up some weird ass shit with Theo and this painting which I ASSUME will have something to do with a future love interest of his?? Maybe the girl that can sense histories by touch? But genuinely who the fuck knows because she's lost my trust....ok, let's get to this shit....
I hate basically everything about this 'couple'. First off, the fact that it BEGINS as him coming in looking to destroy Sophie's business with his own ghost tour???? And he thinks he can reuse canned stories that have ZERO baring with this town, that's basically retooled from his dozens of other tour spots, wearing the cheesiest fucking outfit and that's supposed to work?!?! I'm sorry, what the absolute hell is he talking about?? He shits on how 'no one cares about history on ghost tours', Jen, have you EVER been on a mother fucking ghost tour?! I HAVE! MANY OF THEM!! The entire POINT is to mix reality and history with the paranormal because it adds fucking validity to the god damn experience. I have been to a handful of tours in Gettsyburg, one of the most haunted places in the fucking country because it's also a historical fucking site, and my fav parts are that it mixes history with the vibes, that's literally the entire reason we're here. People are dumb, but they can sense phoniness and I'm sorry, if I heard the same tour in Salem or wherever and then saw the company had a new location in a haunted town in FL and had a similar schpeal, I WOULD BE INCREDIBLY SUSPECT!!! And genuinely, how the fuck does this man live off of these lazy ass tours alone?! We know they had his dad's loan that kept them afloat, but they keep mentioning how they haven't turned a profit after 5 years and pretty sure it's because his dad had been funding his business, how has he gotten away with this all this time?!? And I get the appeal of Boneyard Key is that, due to the location, they could have a tour basically year round, but is that really enough?? And he CLEARLY didn’t take hurricane season into account. Even Sophie has a fucking day job and doesn't live off this alone. Plus the entire conflict of this book is if he doesn't succeed his dad will pull his money and he's fucked, not just him but all his employees he has to provide for. Guess what?! He basically fails and not only do we never see his solution other than to just keep on keeping on in Boneyard Key, but we NEVER get the confrontation between him and his father or any fucking fallout?!?! HOW?? THAT WAS THE ENTIRE GODDAMN TICKING TIME BOMB!! Did you just FORGET to come back to this point??? WTF are we DOING?! Also NGL, I HATED the solution of this book. Oh turns out there was room enough for two tours, fucking SPARE ME! It sounds like Tristan hasn't fixed any of his idiotic tour, they've just now played into the two tours bumping into each other and Sophie calling him out, how is that good for business?!?! How does it make ANY SENSE?! Tristan mentions multiple fucking times the only reason he got into tours was to have an outlet for being theatrical, which btw this mother fucker was only ever in ONE god damn musical from college and he won't shut the fuck up about it, but apparently it's in his blood. Yeah, I was in MY FAIR LADY too, you don't hear me fucking bragging about it. Yeah, I miss being on stage too, but I know I'm not good enough to make it a career or anything, so wtf are we doing?!?! I thought this was leading somewhere because he clearly couldn't give two shits about his actual business, it's more sticking it to his father, so I thought maybe this would lead to him helping Sophie expand HER business. I thought they'd join ventures and instead of absorbing her, he'd be inspired by her. He'd help her create a social media presence to grow her business so she can make it full time and maybe he could add actual truth and love behind the tours he already has. Sophie even suggests something similar so he can 'win the bet' with his dad and get out from under his thumb, and Tristan's just like nah, fuck him, but we'll just keep on going, I think Eric figured it out with ZERO explanation of how or why two tours would fucking work. As someone who just said that there are multiple tours in haunted places, I do agree there CAN be multiple tours for one town, but they have to have different stories that can't be fake!! But his heart is just SO not in this business, I thought he'd set up Sophie and let her help with the business and then he could create a community theatre in town or something, that would be sweet and actually give back to the town he claims to love. BUT NO. GOD FOR FUCKING BID! This is so much dumber....
I spent more than half of this book waiting for any reason for why these two would like each other other than I guess they're attractive, and straight up nothing. I have no issue with their meetcute at the bar, flirt away with the random stranger, tho ngl if this dude was constantly slurping down oysters I would be quickly turned the fuck off (idgaf if they're an aphrodisiac, at what cost?!). At first I thought he was just gonna be a nonbeliever when he immediately seemed judgmental on the ghost stuff, but then it's quickly revealed that he plans to set up a ghost tour himself. Now Sophie has zero online presence so I guess fair enough he may not have known, though I still find it REALLY hard to believe there'd be ZERO footprint of it. Don't fucking tell me there wouldn't at LEAST be a reddit thread that says, 'oh I visited this cute place and they have this great tour' blah blah, there'd definitely be word of mouth don't lie, but fine, let's pretend this boy put in zero effort past a cursory google on if there was already a tour. But the MOMENT he found out there was one, why the fuck was his first instinct all, oh well, sucks to be her. That is such an incredibly selfish notion and as said above, even worse that his tour is 100% fabricated bullshit. I hated how much he LOVED that her calling his ass out made them go viral, what a prick, and even more that they incorporated that into their later tours, fuck that. But the fact that Tristan doesn't even consider joining forces and working with her, no, he just wants to take her over and then this entire bet just disgusts me. Sophie reeming him out by the end of the book being like, you never considered that I HAVE no backup, but you didn't fucking care when you made this bet, was completely justified, however it came at the wrong time. In reaction to him fretting about his dad she's like, boo hoo poor little rich boy has to move on to a guaranteed lucrative job, apartment in NYC daddy pays for, and not do a job you love like the majority of us adults. Now, all those criticisms are again valid and correct reads, but at this point she theoretically LOVES him, they've been fucking at this point, and THAT'S her reaction?! I get being like, oh you lose EVERYTHING basically meaning that she's nothing to him, but I just don't see that as a normal response. She should've made that response to this tour bet IMMEDIATELY! Or even the moment he started to grow a heart, but at this point I'm like girl wtf, he dropped out of this dumbass bet FOR YOU, why isn't your first response to do what she inevitably does and be like, ok but do you HAVE to go? It just felt like a very bizarre reaction and did this book honestly need any more conflict?! This ENTIRE book is conflict, we don't need a 3rd act bullshit breakup on top of it. And the fact this girl thought he left without saying goodbye, I'm sorry...that tells you everything you need to know about her estimate of his character. But what bothers me more is I just see zero development or growth in why they'd ever be friends let alone more. This dude is a DOUCHE to her from day one, he's milking her town for profit with zero respect, he has no care for who he hurts in the process and makes his living on these tours with zero passion, and he just assumes 'everyone likes him' without any attempt of connection. He is genuinely all the WORST qualities of Logan from GG and straight up when I read her author's note and saw that was her inspo I screamed WELL NO FUCKING WONDER! Said it before and I'll say it again Logan is a great friend for pushing someone out of their comfort zone, for trying new things, and being a landing pad for hard changes, but Logan is a SHIT boyfriend because he has zero concept for anyone who thinks differently than him and uses money to solve all problems, which can work for a bit, but never long-term for anything meaningful. Tristan is the exact same, just assuming that everyone will accept him no questions asked and doesn't alter himself at all. I loved when the entire town blocked him off for Sophie, but then Sophie of ALL fucking people is the one to reach out. WHY?! Why are you rewarding his shit behavior?! It'd be one thing if he opened up first, if he started doing good deeds out of any goodness of his heart, if he made ANY attempt to try and grow the fuck up, but no, she just accepts him and then they start making out constantly with zero lead up or explanation to how we got to this point. I find it so bizarre because I KNOW JD can do better. This woman took Dex, who after book 2 I couldn't imagine him as a lead, to having probably my fav love story of the bunch. This was just incredibly lazy.
And all the side plots go fucking nowhere!! Sophie starts out missing her Aunt and begging to get some kind of ghostie connection to her, since she was basically abandoned by her parents, but other than this thought, there's very little that comes out of it. She's like, everyone leaves, but other than her folks, where's the proof? Her aunt didn't leave...she died dude...she can't help that. And they try to shoehorn in, you've never been alone, with the town which I love, but the theme is half assed. Similarly so, this book just throws in that Tristan used to date his business partner bff, Eric, but they're better friends, and while I LOVE a bisexual king, this felt like the book was trying to get a pat on the back for diversity with zero effort. It wasn't enough to make this asshole likable, sadly, and Eric was barely a character so it only further felt like he was just a checkmark. I hated that the town was constantly like, we approve, of Sophie having feelings for Tristan. Truly HOW?! This man is LITERALLY trying to ruin her business, how do you ship them?! Again, he's shown no reason for why you'd like him, he’s just a cocky dickhead and at every turn he pissed me off. And where the FUCK are the ghosties?! As said above, love Sarah's moments, and I knew as soon as Tristan went on the beach with an empty beer he'd be visited by the beach bum (they bent over backwards to make that shit organic...it wasn't) but how was this not a great opportunity for NEW ghosties?! Tristan has a few, oh shit maybe this is real, moments, but I just felt like the majority of why I liked last book is missed here. And the smut?! First off, we wait until basically the last 15% of the book to get anything and I was immediately taken out for multiple reasons. From bad to worse, it's during a hurricane with no power so I can't even imagine how hot and disgusting they'd be in FL, the lead up of the whole 'omg I've really fallen for this tooowwnnn' just gag me you have zero reason to have deep feelings for each other, there's been no attempt earned to get me to like this two, fuck this, but the worst?! When Sophie gets naked she goes, 'I know, I have the body of a 12 year old boy', pardon wtf??! It's mentioned she'd petitie, but NEVER has this been an insecurity of hers or a concern throughout this entire fucking book and then they keep mentioning it!! I'm sorry, TWELVE YEAR OLDS HAVE NO PLACE IN SEXUAL CONVERSATION LET ALONE FOREPLAY!!! Stop saying, 'oh I know what a 12 year old boy is like' stfu!!! This is disgusting!!! Any spicy momentum they had was instantly ruined, I was beyond icked out and there went any hope I had for enjoying their romance even a little bit.
So yeah...this book was a massive letdown. I cannot fathom anyone enjoying this, but hey, there are a lot of people who're team Logan out here, so maybe they'll like it (also let me say for the record, Logan is a FAR more likable, better fleshed out character than this tool, so tbh I think she did him dirty in this comparison, but I stand by he's a bad boyfriend especially for Rory). I'm sad and disappointed, but overall truly, fuck this book.
As a local to Boneyard Key, Sophie has put in a lot of love and effort into doing the residents, living and dead, justice on her ghost tours which also goes into the history of their friendly, haunted town. She's never had any issues with competition, until now. Looking to add Boneyard Key to his ghost tour business that's barely staying afloat and prove to his father with a year round experience they could turn a profit, Tristan is looking to move in on Sophie's territories. And to make matters worse there's no basis behind his stories, he uses a retooled script, and doesn't even believe in ghosts to begin with. But will this town be big enough for the both of them?
I have never been so disappointed in Jen DeLuca, wtf is this book?? She pissed me off from the DEDICATION page, quite literally shrugging at her fans who UNDERSTANDABLY wanted the love story perfectly teed up during book 1 with Sophie and a certain librarian/historian and THIS is what we got instead?!?! I'm utterly BAFFLED! I saw a review on here that said they DNF'd it because they hated the MMC and yeah...I ABSOLUTELY get it! Is there some book 2 curse with her?? But here's the thing, while I have MANY complaints about the romance in book 2 of her Ren Faire series, to the point where she hilariously spent a chunk of book 4 correcting her errors, at least the rest of the plot of that book was really well done, so on the whole I still finished it feeling frustrated, but positive. I have never seen her put out such shoddy work as this. I spent this ENTIRE book waiting for there to be ANY reason why these two would even like each other, let alone inevitably fall in love, and straight up it doesn't ever give me one. Every single plot point brought up? Just forgotten and quite literally never resolved. These two are severely underdeveloped, their plot progression makes zero sense, and they have negative chemistry. It's even worse knowing the story I expected is RIGHT FUCKING THERE, but she just fully dodged it for no discernable reason other than she thought the idea of Logan Huntzgberger from GG following his theater kid dreams was a funny concept. Whelp, just like he was a shit boyfriend for Rory, turns out he's also shit inspiration for a MMC. And what's worse?? WHERE THE FUCK ARE THE GOD DAMN GHOSTS?!!?! Most of the charm of this fucking series is the friendly ghosties, especially how they interacted with our leads. We get the ones we already know from last book, and maybe one or two new moments of town ghosts, but these are two fuckers doing GHOST TOURS!!! Why didn't we get new ghost stories?!!? WHAT ARE WE DOING?!!?!? Even the smut can't save this shit because there's a comment that felt like throwing a bucket of ice water on me and fully took me out, I just cannot believe an editor read this and thought, yup, this is ready for publishing. I KNOW JD is better than this, I honestly am so shocked I feel a little betrayed. The only reason this is bumped up to the 2 and not 1 is because I just love this town and I really like the side characters. I'm PRAYING she gets her shit together and this was just a huge lapse in judgment. This series has SO much potential and her other books are so fucking good, I know she can do better. This was just absolutely not it, by far the worst she's ever done...
SPOILERS FROM HERE ON
Omg I don't even fucking know where to begin, I'm so mad. Let me start I guess with what I DID like, because let's get real, there's not a lot. I fucking love this town. It's so cute, the vibes are perfect for cozy, spooky season (even if it's set in the hellscape that is FL), the townspeople are darling and I love how much they back their own, and the little ghosties that are just in their everyday life, amazing. The Cold Spot being a local bar, but we find out during the hurricane when there's outages everywhere that there's a literal cold spot in the bar that if you stand in the correct section it feels freezing, but the owner will only let locals know so the tourists don't fuck it up, hence why Soph can't put it on the tour, very cute. Every time Nick and Cassie were mentioned I got so happy and then so sad because I just wished this was THEIR book instead and it reminded me how much better we've had it. Especially loved Nick being rude AF to Tristan once he realized why he was here and Cassie having weekly watch parties of this world's version of Love Island with her ghost roomie, Sarah, obsessed with her. Also that Sarah hated Tristan and his dumb AF stories as much as I did, bless her, she's such a real one. The side characters are all awesome, we meet some new ones too that seem fun, but now I don't fucking trust wtf JD will do with them.
So remember when I read all of her Ren Faire books and it was VERY clear who she was setting up for the next entry?? YEAH so I had two couples after reading HEA that were so brilliantly teed up I couldn't WAIT to read their stories, cut to opening this fucking book and seeing her mother fucking dedication that said 'this book sadly is for all of you who read HEA and were excited for Theo and Sophie's book next...whoops!' UM. WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK DO YOU MEAN WHOOPS?!??!?!!?! There is a fucking REASON we expected Theo and Sophie to be the ones to fall in love....becuase their fucking story is PERFECT!!!!!!! They already had the brilliant setup of Sophie creating her tour off an inaccurate historical text so Theo believed she didn't care to get the correct history and dismissed her ever since. Once she was informed, she ran to him begging for his knowledge and to know the truth to do an accurate tour. Their chemistry is IMMEDIATE, the bond is INSTANT, THEO IS A HOT AS FUCK TALL NERDY ANGEL!!! WHAT THE ABSOLUTE FUCK ARE WE DOING?!?!!? What's WORSE?!!?! Every time Theo was in a scene here and they had moments, IT WAS A MILLION TIMES CUTER AND SWEETER THAN ANYTHING BETWEEN THE MAIN FUCKING ROMANCE!!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING JEN!??!!!?! And the fact she KNEW there'd be fans she'd immediately ostracize from this shit....that makes it so much worse. It means she did this shit on purpose, they were her plan, but she changed her fucking mind. And no Jen, I do NOT 'like this one anyway', I fucking hate this shit! And now I'm petrified she's gonna ruin my other potential couple of Ramon and Libby!!!!! Ramon is Nick's angel chef who has a huge crush on Libby, the granddaughter of the local medium, and he's legit not even mentioned until like 85% into this book, and then they make some bizarre comment of Libby having a coworker named Lawrence (who straight up didn't exist before this fucking book) who 'pushes her buttons in the right way......'. WTF is JD's damage with making sure the couple have one person from out of town!?!?!?! One of the best romances in her Ren Faire series was between two fucking locals, and even the other couples weren't quite random out of towners....so wtf is she doing?!?! WHY IS SHE FUCKING WITH SOMETHING THAT'S GOOD???? Especially since that one seems like ANOTHER enemies to lovers type plot...WHY?!?! Theo better not have a straight bone in his goddamn body, because otherwise I cannot fathom why she shifted so hard away from her own perfectly set up plot, a story I'd VASTLY prefer and would've been a MILLION times better than this...especially cuz THERE'S NO WAY IT CAN BE WORSE!!!!! And she set up some weird ass shit with Theo and this painting which I ASSUME will have something to do with a future love interest of his?? Maybe the girl that can sense histories by touch? But genuinely who the fuck knows because she's lost my trust....ok, let's get to this shit....
I hate basically everything about this 'couple'. First off, the fact that it BEGINS as him coming in looking to destroy Sophie's business with his own ghost tour???? And he thinks he can reuse canned stories that have ZERO baring with this town, that's basically retooled from his dozens of other tour spots, wearing the cheesiest fucking outfit and that's supposed to work?!?! I'm sorry, what the absolute hell is he talking about?? He shits on how 'no one cares about history on ghost tours', Jen, have you EVER been on a mother fucking ghost tour?! I HAVE! MANY OF THEM!! The entire POINT is to mix reality and history with the paranormal because it adds fucking validity to the god damn experience. I have been to a handful of tours in Gettsyburg, one of the most haunted places in the fucking country because it's also a historical fucking site, and my fav parts are that it mixes history with the vibes, that's literally the entire reason we're here. People are dumb, but they can sense phoniness and I'm sorry, if I heard the same tour in Salem or wherever and then saw the company had a new location in a haunted town in FL and had a similar schpeal, I WOULD BE INCREDIBLY SUSPECT!!! And genuinely, how the fuck does this man live off of these lazy ass tours alone?! We know they had his dad's loan that kept them afloat, but they keep mentioning how they haven't turned a profit after 5 years and pretty sure it's because his dad had been funding his business, how has he gotten away with this all this time?!? And I get the appeal of Boneyard Key is that, due to the location, they could have a tour basically year round, but is that really enough?? And he CLEARLY didn’t take hurricane season into account. Even Sophie has a fucking day job and doesn't live off this alone. Plus the entire conflict of this book is if he doesn't succeed his dad will pull his money and he's fucked, not just him but all his employees he has to provide for. Guess what?! He basically fails and not only do we never see his solution other than to just keep on keeping on in Boneyard Key, but we NEVER get the confrontation between him and his father or any fucking fallout?!?! HOW?? THAT WAS THE ENTIRE GODDAMN TICKING TIME BOMB!! Did you just FORGET to come back to this point??? WTF are we DOING?! Also NGL, I HATED the solution of this book. Oh turns out there was room enough for two tours, fucking SPARE ME! It sounds like Tristan hasn't fixed any of his idiotic tour, they've just now played into the two tours bumping into each other and Sophie calling him out, how is that good for business?!?! How does it make ANY SENSE?! Tristan mentions multiple fucking times the only reason he got into tours was to have an outlet for being theatrical, which btw this mother fucker was only ever in ONE god damn musical from college and he won't shut the fuck up about it, but apparently it's in his blood. Yeah, I was in MY FAIR LADY too, you don't hear me fucking bragging about it. Yeah, I miss being on stage too, but I know I'm not good enough to make it a career or anything, so wtf are we doing?!?! I thought this was leading somewhere because he clearly couldn't give two shits about his actual business, it's more sticking it to his father, so I thought maybe this would lead to him helping Sophie expand HER business. I thought they'd join ventures and instead of absorbing her, he'd be inspired by her. He'd help her create a social media presence to grow her business so she can make it full time and maybe he could add actual truth and love behind the tours he already has. Sophie even suggests something similar so he can 'win the bet' with his dad and get out from under his thumb, and Tristan's just like nah, fuck him, but we'll just keep on going, I think Eric figured it out with ZERO explanation of how or why two tours would fucking work. As someone who just said that there are multiple tours in haunted places, I do agree there CAN be multiple tours for one town, but they have to have different stories that can't be fake!! But his heart is just SO not in this business, I thought he'd set up Sophie and let her help with the business and then he could create a community theatre in town or something, that would be sweet and actually give back to the town he claims to love. BUT NO. GOD FOR FUCKING BID! This is so much dumber....
I spent more than half of this book waiting for any reason for why these two would like each other other than I guess they're attractive, and straight up nothing. I have no issue with their meetcute at the bar, flirt away with the random stranger, tho ngl if this dude was constantly slurping down oysters I would be quickly turned the fuck off (idgaf if they're an aphrodisiac, at what cost?!). At first I thought he was just gonna be a nonbeliever when he immediately seemed judgmental on the ghost stuff, but then it's quickly revealed that he plans to set up a ghost tour himself. Now Sophie has zero online presence so I guess fair enough he may not have known, though I still find it REALLY hard to believe there'd be ZERO footprint of it. Don't fucking tell me there wouldn't at LEAST be a reddit thread that says, 'oh I visited this cute place and they have this great tour' blah blah, there'd definitely be word of mouth don't lie, but fine, let's pretend this boy put in zero effort past a cursory google on if there was already a tour. But the MOMENT he found out there was one, why the fuck was his first instinct all, oh well, sucks to be her. That is such an incredibly selfish notion and as said above, even worse that his tour is 100% fabricated bullshit. I hated how much he LOVED that her calling his ass out made them go viral, what a prick, and even more that they incorporated that into their later tours, fuck that. But the fact that Tristan doesn't even consider joining forces and working with her, no, he just wants to take her over and then this entire bet just disgusts me. Sophie reeming him out by the end of the book being like, you never considered that I HAVE no backup, but you didn't fucking care when you made this bet, was completely justified, however it came at the wrong time. In reaction to him fretting about his dad she's like, boo hoo poor little rich boy has to move on to a guaranteed lucrative job, apartment in NYC daddy pays for, and not do a job you love like the majority of us adults. Now, all those criticisms are again valid and correct reads, but at this point she theoretically LOVES him, they've been fucking at this point, and THAT'S her reaction?! I get being like, oh you lose EVERYTHING basically meaning that she's nothing to him, but I just don't see that as a normal response. She should've made that response to this tour bet IMMEDIATELY! Or even the moment he started to grow a heart, but at this point I'm like girl wtf, he dropped out of this dumbass bet FOR YOU, why isn't your first response to do what she inevitably does and be like, ok but do you HAVE to go? It just felt like a very bizarre reaction and did this book honestly need any more conflict?! This ENTIRE book is conflict, we don't need a 3rd act bullshit breakup on top of it. And the fact this girl thought he left without saying goodbye, I'm sorry...that tells you everything you need to know about her estimate of his character. But what bothers me more is I just see zero development or growth in why they'd ever be friends let alone more. This dude is a DOUCHE to her from day one, he's milking her town for profit with zero respect, he has no care for who he hurts in the process and makes his living on these tours with zero passion, and he just assumes 'everyone likes him' without any attempt of connection. He is genuinely all the WORST qualities of Logan from GG and straight up when I read her author's note and saw that was her inspo I screamed WELL NO FUCKING WONDER! Said it before and I'll say it again Logan is a great friend for pushing someone out of their comfort zone, for trying new things, and being a landing pad for hard changes, but Logan is a SHIT boyfriend because he has zero concept for anyone who thinks differently than him and uses money to solve all problems, which can work for a bit, but never long-term for anything meaningful. Tristan is the exact same, just assuming that everyone will accept him no questions asked and doesn't alter himself at all. I loved when the entire town blocked him off for Sophie, but then Sophie of ALL fucking people is the one to reach out. WHY?! Why are you rewarding his shit behavior?! It'd be one thing if he opened up first, if he started doing good deeds out of any goodness of his heart, if he made ANY attempt to try and grow the fuck up, but no, she just accepts him and then they start making out constantly with zero lead up or explanation to how we got to this point. I find it so bizarre because I KNOW JD can do better. This woman took Dex, who after book 2 I couldn't imagine him as a lead, to having probably my fav love story of the bunch. This was just incredibly lazy.
And all the side plots go fucking nowhere!! Sophie starts out missing her Aunt and begging to get some kind of ghostie connection to her, since she was basically abandoned by her parents, but other than this thought, there's very little that comes out of it. She's like, everyone leaves, but other than her folks, where's the proof? Her aunt didn't leave...she died dude...she can't help that. And they try to shoehorn in, you've never been alone, with the town which I love, but the theme is half assed. Similarly so, this book just throws in that Tristan used to date his business partner bff, Eric, but they're better friends, and while I LOVE a bisexual king, this felt like the book was trying to get a pat on the back for diversity with zero effort. It wasn't enough to make this asshole likable, sadly, and Eric was barely a character so it only further felt like he was just a checkmark. I hated that the town was constantly like, we approve, of Sophie having feelings for Tristan. Truly HOW?! This man is LITERALLY trying to ruin her business, how do you ship them?! Again, he's shown no reason for why you'd like him, he’s just a cocky dickhead and at every turn he pissed me off. And where the FUCK are the ghosties?! As said above, love Sarah's moments, and I knew as soon as Tristan went on the beach with an empty beer he'd be visited by the beach bum (they bent over backwards to make that shit organic...it wasn't) but how was this not a great opportunity for NEW ghosties?! Tristan has a few, oh shit maybe this is real, moments, but I just felt like the majority of why I liked last book is missed here. And the smut?! First off, we wait until basically the last 15% of the book to get anything and I was immediately taken out for multiple reasons. From bad to worse, it's during a hurricane with no power so I can't even imagine how hot and disgusting they'd be in FL, the lead up of the whole 'omg I've really fallen for this tooowwnnn' just gag me you have zero reason to have deep feelings for each other, there's been no attempt earned to get me to like this two, fuck this, but the worst?! When Sophie gets naked she goes, 'I know, I have the body of a 12 year old boy', pardon wtf??! It's mentioned she'd petitie, but NEVER has this been an insecurity of hers or a concern throughout this entire fucking book and then they keep mentioning it!! I'm sorry, TWELVE YEAR OLDS HAVE NO PLACE IN SEXUAL CONVERSATION LET ALONE FOREPLAY!!! Stop saying, 'oh I know what a 12 year old boy is like' stfu!!! This is disgusting!!! Any spicy momentum they had was instantly ruined, I was beyond icked out and there went any hope I had for enjoying their romance even a little bit.
So yeah...this book was a massive letdown. I cannot fathom anyone enjoying this, but hey, there are a lot of people who're team Logan out here, so maybe they'll like it (also let me say for the record, Logan is a FAR more likable, better fleshed out character than this tool, so tbh I think she did him dirty in this comparison, but I stand by he's a bad boyfriend especially for Rory). I'm sad and disappointed, but overall truly, fuck this book.
September 27, 2025
4.5⭐️ Rounded Up
I won an e-book copy of Jen DeLuca's newest paranormal romantic comedy, Ghost Business, the 2nd book in the Boneyard Key Series, and just as I predicted, I loved it and found it to be even better than the 1st book, Haunted Ever After, although I really enjoyed that one as well!
I was completely interested in the ghost tours from the 1st book in the series, so I was quite happy that this book revolved around them. Sophie and Tristan were both super fun, super lovable characters in the book, and the side characters are also a huge part of the series as well, and the books definitely wouldn't be the same without them.
I would definitely recommend Ghost Business to your fall TBR! And, I'm very much looking forward to the next book in the series, which has definitely got to be Libby and Theo's tale!
Thank you to GoodReads and the publisher for this GoodReads giveaway winner!
I won an e-book copy of Jen DeLuca's newest paranormal romantic comedy, Ghost Business, the 2nd book in the Boneyard Key Series, and just as I predicted, I loved it and found it to be even better than the 1st book, Haunted Ever After, although I really enjoyed that one as well!
I was completely interested in the ghost tours from the 1st book in the series, so I was quite happy that this book revolved around them. Sophie and Tristan were both super fun, super lovable characters in the book, and the side characters are also a huge part of the series as well, and the books definitely wouldn't be the same without them.
I would definitely recommend Ghost Business to your fall TBR! And, I'm very much looking forward to the next book in the series, which has definitely got to be Libby and Theo's tale!
Thank you to GoodReads and the publisher for this GoodReads giveaway winner!
August 31, 2025
I really enjoyed the first book, so I was eager to get to this one.
I really liked Sophie and Tristan. They're both good people who seem to be opposites at first glance, but have several things in common. Together they have animosity and button pushing, friendship and more. Reading these two navigate their way through the summer was a damn delight.
Plot wise, it was good. This is another cozy trip towards the ending. There is conflict, but no real tension and the epilogue was fantastic. I can't wait to see them again.
Overall, this one was a lot of fun and I'm excited for more.
**Huge thanks to the publisher for providing the arc free of charge**
I really liked Sophie and Tristan. They're both good people who seem to be opposites at first glance, but have several things in common. Together they have animosity and button pushing, friendship and more. Reading these two navigate their way through the summer was a damn delight.
Plot wise, it was good. This is another cozy trip towards the ending. There is conflict, but no real tension and the epilogue was fantastic. I can't wait to see them again.
Overall, this one was a lot of fun and I'm excited for more.
**Huge thanks to the publisher for providing the arc free of charge**
November 4, 2025
I honestly can't believe this is the same author that wrote Well Met (aka one of my favorite comfort reads) because the chemistry in this paranormal romance was dead on arrival.
I'm one of the poor suckers that totally expected Book 2 in the Boneyard Key series to be about Sophie and Theo. The enemies to lovers and grumpy/sunshine was right there! I don't know why DeLuca pulled Tristan from the ether to be Sophie's love interest instead, but I found him immensely unlikeable almost immediately. I honestly would have shipped her with an actual ghost before rooting for her to end up with someone who spent the entirety of the book trying to destroy her business.
Overall, I just thought the competing business angle was a horrible fit for Sophie's romance. I didn't think it was cute competitiveness, and I didn't buy the fact that Tristan was just being pressured by his father and that he's actual a Good Guy™. There's just no way someone would be able to get over what these two had to get over in order to make their relationship work. I can't even fathom Sophie actually being attracted to this man that treats the history of her beloved home town like a joke that doesn't really matter. Supernatural spirits aside, as a historian, I just can't buy Sophie even giving Tristan the time of day.
Honestly, I'm super bummed this series isn't really working for me the way that DeLuca's Renaissance Faire series did. Florida holds a really special place in my heart, and I was so stoked that she set a spooky romance series there, but both Ghost Business and Haunted Ever After have been duds. I'm still mildly curious to see what's in store for Theo, so if his book is next I'll likely pick it up from the library, but my expectations are not very high.
I'm one of the poor suckers that totally expected Book 2 in the Boneyard Key series to be about Sophie and Theo. The enemies to lovers and grumpy/sunshine was right there! I don't know why DeLuca pulled Tristan from the ether to be Sophie's love interest instead, but I found him immensely unlikeable almost immediately. I honestly would have shipped her with an actual ghost before rooting for her to end up with someone who spent the entirety of the book trying to destroy her business.
Overall, I just thought the competing business angle was a horrible fit for Sophie's romance. I didn't think it was cute competitiveness, and I didn't buy the fact that Tristan was just being pressured by his father and that he's actual a Good Guy™. There's just no way someone would be able to get over what these two had to get over in order to make their relationship work. I can't even fathom Sophie actually being attracted to this man that treats the history of her beloved home town like a joke that doesn't really matter. Supernatural spirits aside, as a historian, I just can't buy Sophie even giving Tristan the time of day.
Honestly, I'm super bummed this series isn't really working for me the way that DeLuca's Renaissance Faire series did. Florida holds a really special place in my heart, and I was so stoked that she set a spooky romance series there, but both Ghost Business and Haunted Ever After have been duds. I'm still mildly curious to see what's in store for Theo, so if his book is next I'll likely pick it up from the library, but my expectations are not very high.
November 3, 2025
2.75/5
I’m rounding down because I’m disappointed in the lack of chemistry between the main characters, the lack of ghost hijinks, and I was promise a more historial mystery deep dive on the town. Based on the ending of the first book.
What I got was a businessman who does ghost tours is small towns but doesn’t bother to do a site visit and talk to the locals before setting up shop. Sophie’s tours were historically accurate (to a fictitious town) and entertaining, Tristan’s are kitschy, gimmicky, and so basic that he can tell the same story in any town.
Tristan does get better over time. I just don’t care about his “find joy in small a town” arc when there are ghosts. Real ghosts. Fun ghosts. I can read that plot line anywhere else, I am here for the ghosts. I don’t care about profit margins and websites and that is what 60% of this book has been about. When it should be about the emotional connections between the living and the dead.
I’m rounding down because I’m disappointed in the lack of chemistry between the main characters, the lack of ghost hijinks, and I was promise a more historial mystery deep dive on the town. Based on the ending of the first book.
What I got was a businessman who does ghost tours is small towns but doesn’t bother to do a site visit and talk to the locals before setting up shop. Sophie’s tours were historically accurate (to a fictitious town) and entertaining, Tristan’s are kitschy, gimmicky, and so basic that he can tell the same story in any town.
Tristan does get better over time. I just don’t care about his “find joy in small a town” arc when there are ghosts. Real ghosts. Fun ghosts. I can read that plot line anywhere else, I am here for the ghosts. I don’t care about profit margins and websites and that is what 60% of this book has been about. When it should be about the emotional connections between the living and the dead.
October 29, 2025
I’ve read every single book by Jen DeLuca, so I can say with my whole chest that this one was Not It. Sophie and Theo were set up so perfectly in the last book that I was anticipating that to be the pairing this time. Instead we get some Business Bro™ that I felt nothing but dislike for all the way through to the end. I wanted to DNF, but stuck with it to see if he’d ever get some redeeming qualities. And while he somewhat gets an ounce better, I just don’t see where the like for him is at. I’m sorry, Jen DeLuca. I wanted to like this one, I really did :((((
August 7, 2025
oh brilliant.
just bloody brilliant.
best way to win over a small town you want to do ghost tours in? try and get the local kicked out.
brilliant.
for god's sake, it's a small town, which the first book went bat shit over explaining how protective they were of the people in it.
and they would just let Sophie leave for some frat boy out of towner with a superiority complex and a need for daddy's trust fund money?
god save me from idiots.
please
just bloody brilliant.
best way to win over a small town you want to do ghost tours in? try and get the local kicked out.
brilliant.
for god's sake, it's a small town, which the first book went bat shit over explaining how protective they were of the people in it.
and they would just let Sophie leave for some frat boy out of towner with a superiority complex and a need for daddy's trust fund money?
god save me from idiots.
please
September 19, 2025
⅘ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ghost Business
Author: Jenn DeLuca
Well, I hope everyone is ready because my cozy, spooky fall reads have officially begun. The timing could not be better as I get ready to finish school. This cover might not be my favorite, but the book itself was great! We have two rival ghost tour owners in a small town competing to see who gets to stay. Sophie runs the more authentic and heartfelt tour, while Tristan’s version is sleek, polished, and corporate. Their rivalry quickly escalates, and so does the chemistry between them. Overall, this was such a cute read, and I especially loved the ghostly and paranormal details woven throughout. I’m a huge fan of ghost tours myself, so honestly I would go on both of these if I had the chance. Just a quick PSA: beware the oysters while reading. Thanks, Leanne, for pushing this one onto my list!
Ghost Business
Author: Jenn DeLuca
Well, I hope everyone is ready because my cozy, spooky fall reads have officially begun. The timing could not be better as I get ready to finish school. This cover might not be my favorite, but the book itself was great! We have two rival ghost tour owners in a small town competing to see who gets to stay. Sophie runs the more authentic and heartfelt tour, while Tristan’s version is sleek, polished, and corporate. Their rivalry quickly escalates, and so does the chemistry between them. Overall, this was such a cute read, and I especially loved the ghostly and paranormal details woven throughout. I’m a huge fan of ghost tours myself, so honestly I would go on both of these if I had the chance. Just a quick PSA: beware the oysters while reading. Thanks, Leanne, for pushing this one onto my list!
September 24, 2025
I was excited to pick this one up after reading Haunted Ever After. This was Sophie's story. I'm not sure why the author mentions Theo in the foreward because Theo is hardly in this book, so that part was a bit confusing.
Overall, this was a comforting read. That's the best way to describe it. Cozy up on a fall fat with a blanket and this is it. The story was cute and fun. Was it great, no, but it was still quite a fun read that well keep you entertained.
Overall, this was a comforting read. That's the best way to describe it. Cozy up on a fall fat with a blanket and this is it. The story was cute and fun. Was it great, no, but it was still quite a fun read that well keep you entertained.
October 17, 2025
Boneyard Key is a very charming small town, so I was glad to be back. I enjoyed this book less than the previous book though, mostly because I didn't love Tristan for most of the story, but also because I wish the town history, which Sophie has been working on writing a book about, was more central to the story. I would have liked for there to have been another historical mystery like in the previous book.
August 19, 2025
I really enjoy Jen DeLuca so I was excited to get this ARC. I enjoyed the first book in this series and her Renaissance Faire series as well. Sophie runs a ghost walking tour in their town. She meets a cute stranger at a bar only to find out later that he runs a ghost tour company and has decided to set up one in her town too. They both do their tours but is there room for both tours? They are both really attracted to each other but Sophie knows he is the enemy coming in on her turf. I enjoyed all of the characters in this quirky ghost town and laughed out loud several times. I read half of this book in one day and I ended it with a smile on my face. I also enjoyed the shout out to a Renaissance festival in this book.
-"Believe me, no one can freeze you out like a small town."
-The refrigerator didn't respond. It was a marvel that Tristan expected it to.
-"Believe me, no one can freeze you out like a small town."
-The refrigerator didn't respond. It was a marvel that Tristan expected it to.
September 28, 2025
Rating 1.5 Stars,
A really disappointing sequel that I should have DNFed. It was not a good choice on DeLuca’s part in my opinion to change the pairing and have Sophie not end up with Theo. Tristan did not have enough personality to make up for that. It was all daddy issues with this arrogant persona that was really grating at the beginning and I almost DNFed because of that. Not to mention Sophie just seemed to also become one dimensional with her insta-lust for Tristan and all common sense just seemed to go out of the window when he was trying to drive her business into the ground. I also loathe the enemies to lovers trope and this one is another example of why I do. There’s no chemistry or reason to have attraction for each other. It makes no logical sense. Also as another reviewer pointed out, the town did nothing to really help Sophie. They are all about locals being a united front but did not drive Tristan out of town as soon as they got a whiff of his intentions to put Sophie out of business. Especially Cassie and Libby. They seemed to even encourage her attraction to him and I was thinking everyone seemed to lose common sense altogether.
Anyway will hope that the next book in Boneyard Key series is better since there are other side characters that need more chapters and I’m hoping Libby will be next. I also think this fictional Florida tourist town that has so many ghosts and haunting is also compelling enough to also continue on.
A really disappointing sequel that I should have DNFed. It was not a good choice on DeLuca’s part in my opinion to change the pairing and have Sophie not end up with Theo. Tristan did not have enough personality to make up for that. It was all daddy issues with this arrogant persona that was really grating at the beginning and I almost DNFed because of that. Not to mention Sophie just seemed to also become one dimensional with her insta-lust for Tristan and all common sense just seemed to go out of the window when he was trying to drive her business into the ground. I also loathe the enemies to lovers trope and this one is another example of why I do. There’s no chemistry or reason to have attraction for each other. It makes no logical sense. Also as another reviewer pointed out, the town did nothing to really help Sophie. They are all about locals being a united front but did not drive Tristan out of town as soon as they got a whiff of his intentions to put Sophie out of business. Especially Cassie and Libby. They seemed to even encourage her attraction to him and I was thinking everyone seemed to lose common sense altogether.
Anyway will hope that the next book in Boneyard Key series is better since there are other side characters that need more chapters and I’m hoping Libby will be next. I also think this fictional Florida tourist town that has so many ghosts and haunting is also compelling enough to also continue on.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 588 reviews