❥ Thank you for the free audiobook, Libro.fm.
Synopsis
Small Florida coastal towns often find themselves scrambling for the tourism dollars that the Orlando theme parks leave behind. And within the town limits of Boneyard Key, the residents decided long ago to lean into its ghostliness. Nick Royer, owner of the Hallowed Grounds coffee shop, embraces the ghost tourism that keeps the local economy afloat, as well as his spectral roommate. At least he doesn’t have to run air-conditioning.
Cassie Rutherford possibly overreacted to all her friends getting married and having kids by leaving Orlando and buying a flipped historic cottage in Boneyard Key. Though there’s something unusual with her new home (her laptop won’t charge in any outlets, and the poetry magnets on her fridge definitely didn’t read “WRONG” and “MY HOUSE” when she put them up), she’s charmed by the colorful history surrounding her. And she’s catching a certain vibe from the grumpy coffee shop owner whenever he slips her a free slice of banana bread along with her coffee order.
As Nick takes her on a ghost tour, sharing town gossip that tourists don’t get to hear, and they spend nights side-by-side looking into the former owners of her haunted cottage, their connection solidifies into something very real and enticing. But Cassie’s worried she’s in too deep with this whole (haunted) home ownership thing… and Nick’s afraid to get too close in case Cassie gets scared away for good.
Thoughts
This was an enjoyable read with which to kick off spooky season. I am reading my way through DeLuca’s other series, Well Met, so I could not resist the urge to pick this new book up. As a former Gulf Coast resident, I could imagine the book’s touristy town, which was a lot of fun for me. I also appreciated the significance of poetry magnets. I look forward to seeing where this quirky mix of small-town romance and paranormal takes us as the Boneyard Key series continues!
❥ Listening to this via audio was great. Narrator Jeannie Sheneman did a wonderful job!
Question
Have you ever been to Florida?