Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  Bone to be Wilde 

SERIES:  Holiday in Sunset Surf

AUTHOR:  Dani Lakely

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

LENGTH:  295 pages

RELEASE DATE:  September 27, 2022

BLURB:

It’s trick or treat for two smitten lovers in this seasonal holiday romance as Halloween approaches and a little unleashed magic lets the ghoul times roll.

Forrest’s to-do list:
1. Convince Jonathan to move in with him.
2. No, seriously. That’s it.

It’s been nine months of playful bickering and bliss for Forrest Wilde and his boyfriend, Jonathan. But in order to move their relationship forward, Jonathan needs Forrest to find closure from his past.

Alexander Adler is back in town and dragging all of Forrest’s ghosts screaming into the light. Is there still a spark waiting to ignite between Forrest and his ex, or are they nothing more than toasted history? Forrest isn’t exactly eager to find out, seeing as sometimes the monsters under the bed are people who haunt us from days gone by.

Every autumn, the town of Sunset Surf comes alive in celebration of the season. But this year, when Forrest falls under a mysterious spell that forces him to forget the person he loves most, there will be plenty of spooks in store for the fun-loving and eccentric residents of this seaside village. Torn between fright and flight, Forrest must face his fears in order to make his way back to true love—or risk losing it forever.

Bone to be Wilde is a Halloween romance set in a small beach town on the Southern California coast. The story features an amnesia spell, hijinks and banter, corn maze capers, ghost stories, and a little black cat. Stop in for a spell if you’d like a Halloween treat!

* This story follows the events of the first book in the series, Merry & Sprite, but may be read as a standalone.

REVIEW:

I had not remembered the details of the previous story until I started reading this one.  I highly recommend reading that story first to get a feel for this quirky little town and exactly how Forrest and Jonathan have come to be together.

This story takes place during the fall after the previous book and Jonathan and Forrest are contemplating the next step in their relationship.  Forrest wants Jonathan to move in  with him, but Jonathan is hesitant.  Then when Forrest’s ex is back in town, it’s clear to Jonathan that there is unfinished business there.  Jonathan cannot more forward until he’s sure that there is nothing between Forrest and Alex and that if Alex decides he wants Forrest back that Forrest won’t leave Jonathan – and given his past, Jonathan’s not sure he could survive if he was really all in with Forrest.

Alex does want to talk about the past.  Forrest is still mad and hurt and he hasn’t heard an apology yet for what Alex did.  In fact, Alex isn’t very good at articulating that.  It takes several fits and starts to get to where they can communicate at all rationally.  But Jonathan tells Forrest he can’t be with him until he’s sure that he’s over Alex and that he has forgiven him for the hurt that Forrest has been hanging onto for years.  Forrest is having a hard time with this because he wants to be with Jonathan, but he knows deep down he has to put this Alex thing to rest – as Jonathan says, he needs closure.

Forrest then wakes up not remembering Jonathan at all.  He seems to be on some sort of a hunt based on magical cards that keep appearing and giving him tasks telling him at the end, he’ll win his true love.  He’s skeptical and things are a little weird since people keep talking to him about his breakup – which seems a little bit late.  He agrees to try to be friends with Alex after he finally apologizes and explains what was going on his head.  When he sees Jonathan though, even though he doesn’t recognize him, he’s totally drawn to him.  And it appears Jonathan is drawn to him as well 🙂

Alex tries to see if there is something really between him and Forrest, but it really doesn’t feel right to Forrest.  It’s clear that any possibility for them to be together as anything but friends has passed.  Alex is sad, but Forrest is so drawn to this man that he’s been seeing around town and he has never ever felt like this about anyone.  He continues on his treasure hunt, led by his magical glitter cards 🙂  Who is behind it?  Could it be the magical cat Lilith?  When Alex and Jonathan find their way back to each other, Jonathan is skeptical about who could be behind it.  Is it really Lilith?

This was an adorable follow up story about Jonathan and Forrest and their happily ever after.  I loved the themes of closure and forgiveness.  Add in the special magic of Sunset Surf and the quirky townsfolk, Forrest’s friends, and a potentially magical cat and it’s a sweet low angst read that left me in the mood for Halloween fun.  This town sounds like it would be a wonderful place to live 🙂  There is so much togetherness and I love Forrest’s relationship with everyone.  Jonathan is a sweetheart and I was so glad his heart ended up with the right guy in the right place.  If you’re in the mood for a Halloween happy ending with sweet and quirky characters, then I think you’ll enjoy this easy and fun story.

RATING: 

BUY LINK:

Amazon