Florida

Ghost Business

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Ghost Business by Jen DeLuca

Ghost Business, an enjoyable read, is the second spooky rom-com by DeLuca, who also has four wonderful romances set at renaissance faires, beginning with Well Met.

Ghost Business is the sequel to Haunted Ever After, and both stories are set in Boneyard Key, somewhere on Florida’s Gulf Coast. I’ve visited Florida several times and never once thought of ghosts or hauntings, but maybe I haven’t visited the right towns. Carol Perry writes a cozy mystery series set in Florida, beginning with Be My Ghost, which are readalikes for Ghost Business. The Spirit Moves is the fourth and most recent. Cedar Key was the inspiration for Boneyard Key.

Tristan moves to Boneyard Key for six months, staying in a condo his dad’s just bought for an investment. He’s there to start up a ghost tour, which he and his college buddy Eric run in several tourist towns across the U.S. Right away he meets Sophie, who also runs a ghost tour in Boneyard Key every weekend. She doesn’t have a website, so Tristan and Eric didn’t know they’d have competition. Sophie, a local, knows that Boneyard Key is truly haunted, and tells the stories of the resident ghosts. Tristan, with Ghouls Night Out, just wants to entertain his customers with familiar ghost stories with no real connection to Boneyard Key. Of course, Tristan doesn’t believe in ghosts, which leads to some funny scenes.

Tristan and Sophie are rivals, though quite attracted to each other, and Tristan has a hard time getting the locals to welcome him. A few months after he’s settled in, a hurricane is headed for the Gulf Coast, and Boneyard Key. No one in town is injured, but it’s pretty intense reading. Tristan needs Sophie’s help, and they fall for each other. Rivals to lovers is a common but pretty good trope, and DeLuca is a very good storyteller. I look forward to her next page-turner, wherever it’s set.

Brenda

The Spirit Moves

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The Spirit Moves by Carol J. Perry

Some cozy mysteries are either too cookie-cutter or too bland to keep my interest. The 4th book in the Haunted Haven series is a pleasant but never boring read. I liked the haunted player piano and dog Finn on the cover. Many ghosts can be found in Haven, a small town on the Florida coast, but the locals never mention the ghosts to tourists. The ghosts are usually pretty friendly, and appear and talk with some of the residents. Ghost Billy, who plays the piano, sets the mood when he plays familiar tunes in the restaurant of Haven House Inn. Ghost Lorna gives Maureen, the Inn’s newer owner, fashion and other advice.

A group of mystery writers, a bookseller and a ghostwriter meet at the Inn, along with a visiting police officer and the local police chief. Two recent unsolved crimes have tourists cancelling hotel and dinner reservations, and a beach wedding is relocating to another town. Maureen and her sweetheart Ted, the restaurant’s chef, have to come up with promotions to attract customers and solve the crimes. A weekend trip to Key West made a nice change of pace. I quite enjoyed this mystery, although it wasn’t quite as cozy as the previous book, Haunting License, which has Maureen organizing a fishing tournament. The earlier books are Be My Ghost and High Spirits. Readalikes include Haunted Ever After by Jenn DeLuca and Interview with a Dead Editor by Shanna Swendson.

Brenda

The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern

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The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern by Lynda Cohen Loigman

After her mother’s death, Augusta Stern’s Great Aunt Esther moves into the family apartment above their drugstore. Solomon Stern is the pharmacist, older sister Bess sells cosmetics, Irving Rivkin is the delivery boy, and Augusta is a cashier who learns about medicine and healing from her father and her aunt. Esther treats patients in the apartment with soup and herbs. The book title is a bit misleading, as neither Esther or Augusta makes a love elixir, although there is a bit of magical realism to Esther’s methods.

Set in Brooklyn in the early 1920s, and in south Florida in 1987, this is a heartfelt and enjoyable historical novel. It’s unusual in that the same main character is featured in both timelines. At almost 80, Augusta is still working as a hospital pharmacist, having altered her birthdate. She is finally ready to retire and her niece Jackie finds her an apartment at Rallentando Springs, a development for seniors, most of them Jewish, that includes a swimming pool and a book club. Augusta swims in the pool daily, and is stunned to meet Irving, who was her teenage sweetheart. She also encounters her late friend Evie’s handsome husband Nathaniel, who is not friendly with Irving. I appreciated that the seniors here are depicted as vibrant, active, and fairly healthy.

The author was inspired by the story of her husband’s great grandmother Goldie, a pharmacist, and by her father’s move to an assisted living residence in south Florida. Daily life in Prohibition era Brooklyn really comes to life and it was fun to read about the fashion trends of the 1980s. I found this book to be quite a good read, though her previous book, The Matchmaker’s Gift, is my favorite.

Brenda

Haunted Ever After

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Haunted Ever After by Jen DeLuca

I loved reading Jen DeLuca’s four romantic comedies set at Renaissance Faires, beginning with Well Met, so I was happy to read her new book.

Set on Florida’s Gulf Coast, Boneyard Key attracts quite a few tourists. Local assume that Cassie, fresh from Orlando, is just another tourist, but she’s hoping to put down roots in the Hawkins House. On her balcony one night Cassie overhears Sophie’s ghost tour, learning that her cottage is said to be haunted by mean old Mrs. Hawkins. Well, really! Cassie absolutely doesn’t believe in ghosts. When her laptop won’t charge and she needs power and wi-fi for a work meeting, she rushes into Haunted Grounds, the local coffee shop, at the last minute. She encounters owner Nick and it is decidedly not a meet-cute scene. The coffee shop and small 2nd floor apartment are said to be haunted by original owner Elmer, who supposedly communicates with Nick by text. Locals also leave an open beer bottle for the usually quiet Beach Bum ghost while they watch the sunset.

Cassie’s gorgeous sunset posts on her group chat with Orlando friends don’t get many comments; all the chat lately seems to be about baby gear. Then the poetry magnets on Cassie’s fridge start moving around, and she starts thinking there may be something to Boneyard Key’s haunted reputation. She develops a friendship with Nick that has potential to become romantic, though Nick wonders if she’ll stay on the island.

The author previously lived in Florida and her love of the area shows in the descriptions of the island, and even of Publix supermarket subs. I enjoyed this novel, and look forward to a sequel or two. Readalikes include the Lucky Lexie cozy mysteries by Shanna Swendson, beginning with Interview With a Dead Editor, and Be My Ghost and High Spirits by Carol Perry.

Brenda

About the book jacket photo: Little Bear thought it was time he made another appearance on our blog.