A single dad of an adorable little boy.The beautiful woman next door who’s done with love.A second-chance romance to capture your heart…Juliet isn’t looking for love. She has enough to think about right now – with a flower shop to run, a daughter to raise and a nasty divorce from her cheating ex to navigate. Life is complicated enough – why make it worse?But when a sexy single-dad moves in next … make it worse?
But when a sexy single-dad moves in next door everything changes. Ryan is gorgeous, talented and as attractive as heck, and from the first time they meet Juliet can’t help sneaking glances at him.
Ryan’s only back in town to settle a few scores, and has no time to be distracted by the beautiful woman next door. But every time he sees her he can’t help but want her. As the leaves begin to scatter in their small Chesapeake town, the only question is; can Ryan and Juliet stop themselves from falling too?
more
I have to admit something upfront. Although, I’ve been purchasing the books of the Shakespeare Sisters series, I hadn’t settled down long enough to read the first two installments. But when Absent in the Spring was released earlier this year, there was just something about the third book that begged me to pause and give it my full attention. I love it so much that when By Virtue Fall was set for release, I didn’t hesitate to seek this novel out immediately.
This book focuses on the story of Juliet Shakespeare, the second eldest of the 4 Shakespeare sisters. Having married an American after a whirlwind university romance, Juliet has been living in Maryland for the past seven years. When the book begins, Juliet is running her own florist shop, raising her five-year old daughter, Poppy, and carefully extricating herself from a broken marriage.
When Juliet is called to Poppy’s prestigious school to discuss an altercation with another student, she meets Ryan Sutherland, the father of the other child involved in the incident. Ryan has recently returned to Maryland to enroll his son, Charlie, in school. Having roamed the world as a freelance photographer, Ryan is looking to establish a small bit of stability for his young child, although his hometown of Shaw Haven is intended as a temporary residence.
Despite their rocky introduction, Poppy and Charlie become fast friends, and their friendship strengthens when they realize they live next door to one another. As single parents, Juliet and Ryan often find their paths crossing, and the more time they spend together a mutual attraction grows. They are both artistic, they both understand the high society pressures of life in Shaw Haven, and they both have an appreciation of the world beyond the small harbor town’s boundaries. Juliet and Ryan are a perfect match in so many ways, but Juliet’s soon-to-be-ex-husband does his best to thwart her evolving independence and blossoming romance with Ryan.
Although this is the final book in the series, it can be easily read as a stand alone and Carrie Elks fills in other essential details of the bigger picture effortlessly. I never felt confused or left scrambling to piece together information I may have missed in the earlier books.
I am a true and solid fan of this series. Since finishing By Virtue Fall, I’ve also read the second book, A Winter’s Tale, and am eager to read the very first novel, Summer’s Lease. These books are heavy with romance and the unconditional love of sisterhood, and there is no doubt that The Shakespeare Sisters will be one of my favorite reads of 2018.
A great series and final book of the Shakespeare sisters. Ryan and Juliet are neighbours, and can’t deny their chemical attraction to one another. What will happen when chemical reaction starts to involve feelings? How does one ignore their hearts desire? A great ending to this series!!
Favorite Quotes:
Miss Mason had been a Kindergarten teacher for more than twenty years. Everything in her classroom was ruled by bathroom breaks.
The denim clung to him like it couldn’t bear to let go.
Funny how she’d bristled at that nickname when he’d first used it. Now she loved it. It was like a little secret only the two of them knew. She wanted to cover it in bubble wrap and keep it safe, protect it from the harsh winds of the outside world. Because right then everything felt fragile. Like a wisp of smoke blowing on the wind.
…there’s nothing worse than running away, only to find your troubles bought a ticket and decided to travel right along with you.
My Review:
This was my first exposure to Carrie Elks and I am greatly disappointed in myself, how have I not noticed this deftly gifted wordsmith before now? Snap! Reading her entertaining arrangements of words was a total pleasure. Her storylines were relatable, insightful, amusing, vibrantly detailed, and populated with lovable and clever characters. By Virtue Fall was book four of a series featuring a family known as the Shakespeare Sisters, yet it was quite capable of standing on its own as it possessed strong tango dancing legs. However, there is nothing else in this world I would rather read right now than the previous three installments as well as every other book, novella, and short story on her backlist. Carrie Elks has a new fangirl.
Juliet and Ryan were soooo good together. Ryan and Thomas were complete opposites on how the 1% views the world and their place it in. This is the second book of the series that I have read and really enjoyed both of them. I’ll have to catch up with the first two at some point.
I received an ARC and this is my honest, voluntary review.
This was such an enjoyable read. Loved the interplay between the main characters, Juliet and Ryan, and getting to know more of their stories as the book went along. Plus the chemistry between them is certainly hot. It’s sad this series is over but I look forward to reading more books by this author.
This was a wonderful addition to the series. It was a beautiful and heartwarming story. I adored Ryan and Juliet. I would definitely recommend this book.
Loved the characters and the small town setting. The main characters are likable and loving parents who meet through their children and then can’t get enough of each other. Some good villains, including the hero’s father and the heroine’s almost ex. The kids are delightful. Very atmospheric and a great way to ease into the delights of fall.
I have previously read and loved each of the other three books in this series and I am more than a little sad that here we are at the end with By Virtue Fall the final book. I have become so attached to the four Shakespeare sisters and will miss catching up with all that is going on in their lives, like I did through each of their books. It has been a joy to read about all the love and happiness that each of them have found with men that will look after them and protect them, especially after they have all lived with being the only ones to look out for each other in the past.
Juliet and Ryan’s story is about moving forward and of starting a new life after they have both had a bad start. Ryan is estranged from his family and Juliet is getting through a bad divorce as best as she can from a man that cheated on her but tries to blame her for all his misgivings. Juliet and Ryan become neighbours and a mutual attraction becomes apparent between them that neither of them can stop from happening.
This is a beautifully written story and Carrie writes with such deep heartfelt emotion, she manages to capture the mood of her characters so well on paper that you start to feel everything that they feel right along with them. This book has romance in abundance and a storyline that had me gripped so much that I just couldn’t put this book down even though I didn’t want it to end. Her narrative and attention to detail gets your imagination running wild, so that you can see everything in your head as the story plays out. I absolutely loved this book, it was an absolute pleasure to read and will be sure to read more from this author in the future.
5 wonderful stars!
I enjoyed this story. I loved Juliet and Ryan. They are so good for each other.
5 Stars!
I love it when a book has all the right elements for my overall enjoyment –
1. Great hero and heroine
2. Realistic backstories, conflict, and overall storyline
3. Angst w/o dramatics
4. Enjoyable secondary characters, whether vindictive or loving
5. Above all, excellent writing and wonderfully detailed.
By Virtue Fall is a standout among many in Women’s Fic/Family Saga Romance. I’ll miss the Shakespeare family, but whole-heartedly look forward to what this author is bringing next.
I received an ARC of this book and this is my voluntarily, honest review of it.
‘By virtue fall’ is the fourth and last book of the ‘Shakespeare sisters’ series.
(I think you can read this book without reading the other books first but I also think that you will miss little details without reading them first.) After reading and liking the other three stories of this series, I was looking forward to reading Juliet’s story. One of the thing that make this story different than the other three stories is the fact that Juliet was in the middle of a divorce and that she has a child. So it’s not only a story about finding new love, it’s also one about saying goodbye to ‘old’ love. It’s about finding a balance between the past and the future. Something that isn’t always easy to do.
Juliet and Ryan didn’t meet in the perfect circumstances but luckily their second encounter was better. And then they discover that they are neighbours. That’s a big surprise for both. Both aren’t looking for love, Ryan because he will only be in Shaw Haven for a few months and Juliet because she’s in the middle of a difficult divorce but they will soon learn that love never wait for the perfect time. No! Love just want two hearts to meet and fall in love with each other. But both Ryan and Juliet have emotional scars and uncertainties, things that can destroy their romance even before it started. Can love really make everything all right in life?
The story is told from both POV’s.
Both Juliet and Ryan have known emotional pain and sadness in their childhood, something that they have in common and they will both do everything for their child. All these things make that they find comfort and understanding with each other.
I was very pleased by the man character, Ryan is an easygoing, confident, strong and caring man. He is also a single father who has the custody of his son. I can totally understand why Juliet would fall for him so soon after the failing of her marriage. Ryan is just a great guy, friend and neighbour.
I was very happy to see that Juliet didn’t became bitter after what happened in her marriage. She found the courage to follow a new pad. I liked that!
The fact that there were children involved gave the story that something more, I think. I certainly enjoy the interaction between them.
‘By virtue fall’ is a sweet and lovely story and I especially loved the fact that at the end, we saw all the Shakespeare sisters together. I really loved that. It is always a little bit sad when a series comes to an end but it’s also really joyful to know that all the sisters have found their soulmate and are happy.
(A little warning though, if you’re a lover of steamy love scenes, then I wouldn’t recommend this book to you. Because you will not find them here. I didn’t mind that there weren’t any hot sex scenes in the book but I know that some people love them and want them in their books.)
Juliets story book four in the Shakespeare sisters trilogy I could not put this book down