It’s spooky season and Haunt Your Heart Out sounds like the perfect book to read this season. Today is my stop on book tour hosted by TBR and Beyond tours. I had the honor to interview Amber Roberts. So today I’m going to tell you about this book and my interview with the author. Keep on reading to find out more!

Haunt Your Heart Out by Amber Roberts
Genre: Adult Romance
Publishing Date: October 8, 2024 

A dashing ghost hunter and the bookseller who made up the ghosts he’s chasing wind up entangled in more ways than one in this steamy contemporary romance from the author of Text Appeal, perfect for fans of Ashley Poston and Chloe Liese. 

Homebody Lex McCall loves her sleepy Vermont town and quiet bookstore job. After her family, friends, and exes all moved away to seek futures elsewhere, Lex set one rule: no dating tourists, newcomers, or anyone else who is bound to leave her behind. When the bookshop owner, eager to offload the supposedly haunted building, offers to sell the store to Lex at an unbeatable price, Lex jumps at the chance to further put down roots. 

Then handsome stranger James stops by the bookstore. Lex assumes he’s just another tourist passing through, but it turns out he’s part of a ghost-hunting documentary crew that’s looking into the many “verified” ghost stories in town. Lex can’t resist getting involved—especially because these so-called ghosts are actually made up stories from Haunted Happenings, her hobby vlog from a decade prior. Worried her ghost-faking secret will get out and ruin her chance to buy the store, she tampers with the ghosthunters’ research and skews the results. After all, James’s stay is only temporary and her career dreams come first. 

But as they spend more time together, Lex realizes she’s falling for James. Worse, there’s more at stake than her simply being found out and losing his his mission isn’t as frivolous as it seems and her interference may cost him much more than a spooky story. This not-quite-ghost-story is sure to delight Gilmore Girls fans and anyone who loves flirty romances with a little extra spirit. 

Content Warning: Panic attack, grief, death of a grandparent (off-page/before book), abandonment 

Book Links

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Amazon
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Author Interview

What inspired you to write Haunt Your Heart Out?

I spent a lot of time in 2005-2007 in Stowe, Vermont—the setting of the book—and that’s when I was introduced to some of the spooky local lore that shows up in Haunt Your Heart Out. While most of the ghost stories were invented for the book, the ghosts at Emily’s Bridge and Green Mountain Inn are existing Vermont stories. I’ve always enjoyed exploring places with stories attached—whether those stories are based in fact or fiction—and I wanted to bring that feeling to a book set in an area I love.

What has been the favorite part of your publishing journey so far?

It’s a tie between seeing my book cover for the first time and unboxing my early copies to hold it in book form for the first time!

If you were a character in Haunt Your Heart Out, what kind of character would you be?

I think that there is a lot of me in the main character, Lex. She has anxiety and she struggles with change, just like I do. But I also feel like I’d make a great “best friend” character—ready with cheerleading, hugs, advice, or snacks, as needed, and always calling it like I see it, even if the main character is too stubborn to listen to reason.

Describe Haunt Your Heart Out in five words or less.

Cozy, whimsical, snowy, flirty, and steamy

What is your favorite quote from Haunt Your Heart Out?

Shin-high snow and weather-obstructed views couldn’t keep us indoors. Not on a night as gloriously blustery as this. Something about gliding my way down my icy hometown sidewalk hit different with company, especially when they were seeing it with new eyes.

What do you hope readers take away from your story?

I hope readers remember the joy and excitement that comes with sharing stories—whether they’re true or made up. The fun that came with ghost stories during a sleepover or sharing around a fire during summer camp. Stories ignite a sense of wonder, and we can never have too much wonder. So, I hope readers feel the pull to share their stories with friends, family, or whomever—whether that’s talking about a creepy ghost encounter they had when they were younger, recounting the time they explored a new city, or reminiscing about an experience they’ll never forget.

Could you give us 5 random facts about Haunt Your Heart Out (think the story, writing, publishing, anything that comes to mind)?

• Emily’s Bridge and Green Mountain Inn are both real places in Stowe, Vermont, and each has a ghost story to go with it!
• I wrote the first draft of Haunt Your Heart Out in 30 days! The revision process, however, took much longer
• There is a bookstore ghost named Mary in Haunt Your Heart Out, and that was inspired by the rumors of a ghost in the bookstore where I used to work. We called her Mary!
• I love the movie A Christmas Carol, and especially The Muppet Christmas Carol—which is part of the reason I decided to pair ghosthunting with a wintertime setting.
• There’s a thread in Haunt Your Heart Out related to finding messages hidden within Lex’s house, and this idea came from when I was a kid: We were renovating my grandparents’ house, and before we put up some new wallpaper we wrote our names on the walls, leaving our mark behind for people to find in the future!

Tour Schedule

If this author interview has you curious, click here for the full tour schedule. Amazing bloggers and bookstagrammers are participating on this tour throughout the week.

About the Author

Amber Roberts writes contemporary romance about unabashedly nerdy characters in ridiculous situations. She lives with her husband, two children, and formerly feral cats in the Vermont woods, where eating maple creemees is a year-round activity. She spends her time copywriting, forgetting to water her plants, and awkwardly replying “you too” at inappropriate moments. 

Author Links

Website
Twitter
Instagram
Goodreads

I’ll definitely be reading this one before spooky season is over! Have you read any books for spooky season? Let me know in the comments. I’ve love to hear from you.