USA Today Bestselling Author, Elena Aitken invites you to celebrate happily ever after in her brand new, sexy-sweet series that will make you say, “I do!” Sarah Lewis lost her husband tragically leaving her to raise their baby alone. Years later, she finds herself falling once more, this time for new in town—sexy chef Brody Morris. In order to love again, Sarah must be willing to be vulnerable … to be vulnerable and open her heart to the possibility. But opening up, means risking the hurt that threatened to consume her once before. Only this time it’s not just her heart on the line…but her daughter’s as well.
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Wanting Happily Ever After by Elena Aitken, book three in her Ever After series, is an amazing story featuring the widowed single mom Sarah, and newcomer, sexy chef Brody. Sarah has focused on raising her six-year daughter and protecting her heart; she feared getting hurt again by love. Getting his new restaurant off the ground isn’t the only thing keeping Brody occupied; he is interested in a determined, single mom who has become his best friend. Sarah becomes frightened when she recognizes the chemistry and attraction she shares with Brody as she’s been there, done that before. Brody needs to convince her that he is not like her dead husband and that he not just cares about her, but also her daughter. Sarah has to forgive herself for her part in the lost of her husband before she can freely give her heart to Brody.
Ms. Aitken wrote a wonderful and amazing story, filled with sizzling chemistry, fun dialogue, and endearing characters that is not to be missed. I totally enjoyed and highly recommend Wanting Happily Ever After to other readers and look forward to the next book in the series.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
There were several things I really liked about this book. First, the “friends to lovers” aspect. Second, how Sarah had to deal with some very hard issues from her past, and was finally able to overcome them. Third, the love and relationship between Brody and Rory. Fourth, Nicole and Amy. And finally, it was a nice surprise that this book didn’t really end the same way as the others in the series so far 😉
I can’t wait to finally read Faith and Logan’s story!!!
Wanting Happily Ever After is a book about expectations & reality. Sarah was a young widow feeling a lot of guilt. Brody was interested in her from the time he moved to town but has become “friend zoned”. Their friends all see the attraction & interest they show in each other but Sarah is determined not to cave in.
I really enjoyed this story. Sarah needed something to snap her out of her misplaced feelings of guilt about her husband’s death so that she could move on. She also needed to realize that her feelings were more important than what everyone else thought about them. Brody has to decide if his feelings were strong enough to wait for Sarah & if he could take on her baggage. I loved the way Rory, Sarah’s daughter, was such a major part of the story instead of just background. I can’t wait for Faith & Logan’s story. The sparks that come off the two of them are intense!
Brody was a character that grabbed me from the beginning. He’s that guy who is ready to go all-in, but doesn’t have the confidence to push his friend Sarah for more. I can only try to imagine how hard it is for Sarah, a widow, to move on with her life. Which is why I am probably giving her more of a break than I would a heroine without that tragedy in her backstory. The back and forth and hurtful words she throws at Brody make me want to be done with her, but that nugget of sympathy. But above it all, they were a great friends to lovers example.
As I’ve read the other books in the series and have mentioned when reviewing those, I really enjoy the other couples that the author sprinkles into these stories. Many times, parallel storylines can be a distraction, but not in this case, because they enhance the main couple. I love Amy and Nicole and there’s a line in the book that shows that even in 2020, there’s more work to be done in accepting lifestyles of all people. It was topical and important.
But I’m not gonna lie…I’m still all about Logan and Faith and am waiting, not very patiently, for their story! Especially with the interesting tidbit shared about Faith and her disbelief in happily ever after.
We return to Glacier Falls for this friends to lovers story centered around Brody and Sarah. Sarah lost her husband, Josh, five years ago and has been raising her daughter, Rory. Brody moves to town and is the owner of the Birchwood restaurant. He becomes the coach of the girl’s soccer team, which Rory plays on. He wants to be more than friends with Sarah, but she still feels guilty about her husband’s death and doesn’t think she’ll ever be ready for more. Besides their story, we also get to meet other residents that are fighting their attraction to each other, so hopefully, we’ll get their stories in the future. No spoilers, so grab your copy and see what happens with Sarah and Brody.
Once again this talented author gives us a story about characters that are not only likable but also complex and imperfect , making them very real.
Sarah Lewis , a widow for 5 years and mom to Rory, carries a great deal of guilt . Not only about her deceased husband’s death but also about her relationship with him.
Brody Morris, a recent resident in town and owner of the new restaurant, has been taken by Sarah from the moment they met. He’s the girls’ soccer team coach and loved by everyone.
But Sarah has created a wall around her heart and fears of getting close to anyone and losing them in the end keeps her from taking a step toward romance and happiness.
In this engaging plot , we are reminded that love comes in a variety of ways. That life is full of ups and downs and how we react to them, will either encourage us to embrace life or be fearful of the future.
Will Sarah and Brody take a chance on love? Will fears keep Sarah from giving her heart?
This is another well written , touching , at times heartbreaking but also heartwarming story in this series.
Looking forward to the next book in Ever After.
I was entrusted a copy of this book. The opinions expressed are solely my own.
I was given an ARC of this book from the author via Booksprout in exchange for an honest review.
I am an avid reader of Elena’s books, but I was not able to give this a 5 star review because I was so frustrated with the female character. The main story was about Brody and Sarah, but it took a major wake up call to let go of all of her “attitude” and let herself be loved. Not sure a non-fictitious guy would stick around for her whirlwind of emotions.
This story gives major insight into the relationship between Amy and Nicole. There was a lot of build up to the next book in the series – the “will they or won’t they” relationship of Faith and Logan. They’ve made appearances in each book but can’t seem to make it happen.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Third in this series. Excellent story, I confess, I did get a little frustrated with the main female character. For the most part, this is a good read. There is a good amount of angst, romance, steam with the requisite HEA. A great vacation, beach read. Add to your TBR list.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is the third book in Elena Aitken’s Ever After series. This is about Sarah, a widower, and Brody, the town’s restaurant owner and girls soccer coach. Sarah and Brody are good friends but each cares more than they want to admit. Sarah has a lot of guilt from her previous relationship and does not want anything more with Brody, or does she? Some of the characters we met in the previous books make appearances which I love. I’m really looking forward to reading the next book in this series as it will be Faith’s and Luke’s story. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This story was mostly about Sarah and Brody. They had known each other for awhile, but Brody was stuck in the friend zone with her. After her husband’s death, she concentrated on raising her daughter. The book had a couple side stories that have promise in future books. The chemistry between these two has pretty intense and Sarah’s little girl was very sweet. There were a couple intense moments in the book too. I think the interaction betwee Faith and Logan is hilarious. You know their coming together is going to be explosive
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.