Susan Mallery, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Fool’s Gold romances, proves there’s no place like Happily Inc for the holidays… independent woman who can’t help dreaming what-if about a man she barely knows. Until he needs her help…
Garrick’s pregnant daughter will be home for Christmas, and his house needs a woman’s touch. Garrick and his little girl were tight once and he’s hoping a small-town Christmas will bring her back to him. But thawing his daughter’s frosty attitude will take more than a few twinkle lights. Maybe sharing the holiday with Wynn and her son will remind her of the joy of family.
As the season works its magic on these wounded souls, Wynn realizes it’s time to stop punishing herself for a painful secret, while Garrick remains haunted by the ghosts of past mistakes. Will he allow Wynn to open the only gift she truly wants—his heart?
Don’t miss The Summer Getaway by Susan Mallery where one woman discovers the beauty in chaos in a poignant and heartwarming story about the threads that hold family together.
Read more in the reader-favorite Happily Inc series:
Book 1: You Say It First
Book 2: Second Chance Girl
Book 3: Why Not Tonight
Book 4: Not Quite Over You
Book 5: Meant to Be Yours
Book 6: Happily This Christmas
more
What do you do when your drool-worthy next-door neighbor show up on your doorstep asking for help? Well, in the Happily Inc. tradition, you help!
Wynn has been peeking out her windows while her next-door neighbor Garrett, has been mowing his lawn, sans shirt. She’d like to get to know him better, but just can’t pop out of her bubble and talk to him. Then, it’s almost like she conjured him up and he’s at her door asking for help getting his house ready for his very pregnant daughter Joylyn. She’s been such a pain to her mom, she gets relocated to dad’s house. Joylyn’s husband is a deployed Marine who SHOULD be home for the birth!
Wynn helps Garrett. Joylyn pouts. Garrett doesn’t know what to do. Wynn’s son Hunter schools Joylyn on why she should be glad people care for her. Add in the quirky community of friends who are all on the Wynn/Garrett band-wagon, Wynn’s friends who want to accept Joylyn into their circle, Hunter’s missteps that lead to some learning for the young lad, the excitement of the upcoming holidays, a new baby, and you have a wonderfully written Christmas story.
We get a look into what’s been happening in Happily Inc. since we visited last and that is always fun. I cried when a wedding for a military couple was planned by the town in weeks instead of months, at no cost to the couple. Knowing the backstory of the Groomsmen’s names, made it even more emotional.
Another great read from Susan Mallery. I love opening her books and knowing I’ll be transported to a wonderful place where love shines and there is always a Happily Ever After.
This is a wonderful, feel good story that has it all. The characters are relatable with real problems, fears, hopes and dreams. The story flowed, and I devoured this book.
Author Susan Mallery brings us back to the small town of Happily, Inc with a sweet Christmas story. Town police officer Garrick and business owner, single mother, Wynn, have been neighbors for about a year, and each secretly has a crush on the other. Instead of acting on this crush, they both seem to go out of their way to avoid one another. But Christmas is coming, and Garrick needs help getting his house ready for his very pregnant, married daughter Joylyn to move in. So Garrick asks Wynn to help him prepare. The relationship between father and daughter, and the growing attraction between Garrick and Wynn, are both complicated. This story is full of small-town charm and friendliness and, of course, has a beautiful HEA. Revisiting the characters from this Happily Inc series is a great way to start the cozy fall/winter reading season.
A feel good, sometimes laugh out loud story about life in general! Susan Mallery can put into words exactly what a person is thinking and makes it so realistic. Blended families are commonplace and making relationships work sometimes is hard. But I particularly like how she inserts humor into some of the best places, making what is a sad or emotional scene true to life. You can never go wrong with one of her stories and you’ll always take a bit of it with you forever!
I received an ARC from the author for an honest an unbiased review.
Oh my! Susan Mallery made me ugly cry. This story is full of so many relatable insecurities, life changes, relationship woes and amazing life changes. This is a fabulous read that you can’t put down!
Happily This Christmas by Susan Mallery
Happily Inc #6
Wynn is daydreaming as she gazes her front window while thinking about and doing a teen-like crush on Garrick. Garrick moved in about a year ago, is moving his way up to being at the top of the Happily Inc police department. Wynn was smitten by Garrick’s chest as seen without a shirt during his bouts mowing the yard and has had steamy thoughts more than a time or two since. At this point I felt a bit like Wynn sounded more teen than adult with a teenage son and when Garrick came knocking at her door her reaction was a bit teen-ish, too. That soon changed as the two began working to prep his house for his daughter’s arrival and I saw her interacting with her son and others. In the end I came away with a feel good holiday romance that was a fun way to spend the day.
What I liked:
* The small-town setting
* Wynn: Excellent mother, good friend, community minded, ready to let go of something from her past, and perhaps ready for more in her life
* Garrick: excellent with his colleagues, capable, a good man, not the best at relationships, hoping to find out what went wrong with his daughter and perhaps ready for more in his life
* Hunter: a 14-year-old mature beyond his years. I liked the way her related to his mother and to others
* The Jolynn story line – I did not like Jolynn at first, but she grew and in so doing she grew on me
* The Holly/Rex story line – a fairytale story fitting for the season
* The love that showed in so many relationships within the story
* The HEA for more than one in the story
What I did not like:
* Nothing really to dislike…an easy read with a holiday happy ending
Did I like this book? Yes
Thank you to Edelweiss+ and Harper Collins for the ARC – This is my honest review.
4 Stars
Will Wynn act on her crush on Garrick who lives next door? Can Garrick survive his angry pregnant daughter coming for an extended visit? Will the season continue to shower blessings on these families? Please read and enjoy!
This was such a good read and really it delivered everything you could want in a holiday themed book. Wynn and Garrick’s tale is about mistakes, regrets, forgiveness and familial and romantic love. There was lot of genuineness and a high level of relatability about this book. I thought that this made it very easy to connect with and sympathize with the characters. Very enjoyable. I am choosing to post a candid review.
I am so happy to get Wynn’s story. We have gotten to know her and Hunter through the rest of the series. She has been crushing on her neighbor for a while, but hasn’t acted on it. Then he appears at her door asking for a favor. Garrick’s estranged daughter is coming for a visit. She is 8 months pregnant and his house isn’t really ready for the visit. Garrick asks Wynn for help to get his house in order. Joylyn is miserable because she is pregnant, her Marine husband is deployed and now her mother has kicked her out. What is up with that? She is making Joylyn go stay with her father. They used to be close, but when she was a teenager, things changed. Garrick is clueless as to why and Joylyn isn’t going to give him a reason. Wynn helps Garrick and Joylyn come to terms with their relationship, she helps him dress up his house a bit and she makes him rethink relationships. Wynn realizes that she has missed out on a lot since having her son and she wants to change that. Can Garrick be part of that?
So we are back in Happily for Wynn and Garrick’s story. I don’t remember if Garrick was mentioned in any of the other books, but I will admit I have not been a big fan of Wynn. This story does explain her a bit better, but her “big” secret is not that big. I loved Garrick. Liked how he really kept trying to figure out why his daughter had cut him out of her life. I liked Hunter a lot. I didn’t care for Garrick’s daughter much, until she finally stopped acting like a prima donna. There are some good one liners that made me laugh out loud. All in all a fun read.
Fantastic story of love, family, and forgiveness. I have looked forward to Wynn’s story ever since she ended her relationship with Jasper. Wynn is one of those people who always seem to have their life together – organized, successful, a great mom, and a terrific friend. I loved getting to know her better and discovering that it wasn’t always that way. Wynn spent years feeling guilty and punishing herself for something she did and has just begun to forgive herself. One of the benefits of that forgiveness is permitting herself to have a crush on the man next door.
Garrick grew up in Happily Inc., got his high school girlfriend pregnant, and left to go to college. He remained friends with the girlfriend and was an active participant is raising their daughter. He became a cop, married and divorced, and did some undercover work. After his last assignment went wrong, he wanted something a little less intense and returned to Happily Inc. with an eye toward becoming the police chief when the current one retires. His relationship with his daughter is strained, but he jumps at the chance for her to stay with him for a few weeks. She’s very pregnant, and her Marine husband is deployed. Garrick hopes to find a way to repair their relationship. But first, he needs help to get his house ready for her. The first person he thinks of is his next-door neighbor.
I loved the way this book started. Wynn is drooling over her neighbor and trying to figure out how to indicate her interest when Garrick shows up on her doorstep. Her willingness to help him is typical of Happily Inc. residents, but she also looks at it as an opportunity to get to know him. It was great to see how quickly Wynn and Garrick became friends. I loved the mix of humor and seriousness in their interactions as they give each other advice and support. Underneath the easy friendship are sparks of attraction that intensify the more time they spend together. It was fun to see the buildup as family obligations crop up at inconvenient times. It is easy to see the feelings between them grow, but both have past issues that hold them back. I liked Wynn’s honest look at her past, acceptance of her mistakes, and realization that it was okay to forgive herself and move on. What surprised her was what she wanted in her life now. Garrick has a more challenging time of it. He is convinced that he stinks at relationships, that any time he tries commitment, something always goes wrong. Those fears come to the surface when he offers to help Wynn with what she wants. He is so utterly oblivious to what he said/did wrong that I almost felt more sorry for him than mad at him. He earned every bit of his misery. It was great to see Wynn’s son, Hunter, call him out on what he did. The reactions of his friends were even better, and I enjoyed seeing them point out his idiocy. The scene in Wynn’s office was great, and Christmas morning showed the promise for their future.
Besides the romance between Garrick and Wynn, this is also a terrific story about family. In earlier books, we’ve seen the close relationship between Wynn and her son Hunter. It is easy to see the love, respect, and trust between them. It is quite a blow to Wynn when Hunter abuses that trust, and I ached for her and the pain she felt. I loved that Garrick was there for support without trying to fix the problem. I ached for Hunter, too, as he realized how badly he had messed up. I was impressed with how both Wynn and Hunter handled the matter.
Garrick’s family problems are more complicated. He had a terrific relationship with his daughter, Joylyn, until she was fifteen. Then it went wrong, and he has no idea why. I hurt for him and his pain and confusion over her attitude and actions. When the book started, I heartily disliked Joylyn. She acted like a spoiled brat to her mother and brothers, which got her booted to her dad’s for the last month of her pregnancy. She was obnoxious to Garrick when she arrived in Happily Inc. when all he wanted was to make her happy. I liked seeing Wynn call her out on her attitude and how Hunter befriended her while also pointing out how good she has it. I liked how Wynn encouraged Garrick to be patient, but also to confront Joylyn about what had happened. It was a slow process, but I liked seeing the progression. I felt that the whole process was realistically portrayed. I laughed out loud when Garrick volunteered to go to her birthing classes with her. His reactions were priceless.
I ended up liking Joylyn, though her attitude at the beginning irritated me. As more came out about what caused the rift, I understood her feelings. I could see that she also missed her old relationship with Garrick but didn’t know what to do. In addition to her problems with him, Joylyn also felt cut off from her life. She misses her husband intensely and realizes that she made a mistake when she moved home rather than stay on base with her friends and support. As her relationship with Garrick improved, she also got more involved in the Happily Inc. community. I loved how Wynn’s friends included Joylyn in their activities. One of the best parts of the book is when Joylyn asks for their help when her best friend and her fiancé (both Marines) want to get married. The way they all worked together to pull off an amazing event was incredible and heartwarming.
There were many places in the book that made me laugh or cry, but this was one of my favorite parts, about guys liking shopping:
Wynn: “Oh, please. If you did, you’d have more stuff in your house. Most guys don’t like shopping, which I’ve never understood. All you have to do is pretend you’re hunting. You stalk, you pounce, you strap it to the car and take it home. A total win, but men don’t see it that way.”
Garrick: “There are a lot of gross generalizations in those few sentences.”
Wynn: “I’ll admit that’s true, but how many of them are wrong?”
Garrick: “Not as many as I’d like.”
More of a 3.5 stars story
Happily Inc is a small town in California that reinvented itself by becoming a wedding destination. Now it’s Christmas time, a time for renewal and celebrations.
This time the story belongs to Wynn Beauchene and Garrick McCabe.
Wynn is a single Mom and neighbor of Garrick, the local cop. She has a secret crush on him, but it isn’t until he needs her help with his young estranged pregnant daughter that relationships of sorts develop with his daughter and between them.
But the road to good relationships and happiness is a tad rocky. Will the magic of Happily Inc, the town people and the Christmas spirit heal and bring them all happiness?
Though this series nor this story is my favorite written by this author, though not memorable, it was still a sweet romance, perfect for an afternoon of leisure.
I was entrusted a copy of this book by Netgalley and Harlequin. The opinions expressed are solely my own.