I am delighted to return to catch up with the second in Holly Martin's visits to the Village of Happiness. You can read my review of the predecessor to The Gift of Happiness here: The Little Village of Happiness
The magic of Christmas has arrived in the little village of Happiness, where snow falls and love is in the air.
This
December Ruby Marlowe is relocating her little Christmas shop and
everything she owns to the pretty seaside village of Happiness. With her
best friend Willow already living there, and a heartbreaking past she’d
rather forget, Ruby jumped at the offer of a cosy cottage and a fresh
start on the Cornish coast. But she wasn’t the only one…
The last
person Ruby expects to find in Happiness is her summer fling, the very
gorgeous Jacob Harrington. He’s the only man who has come close to
unlocking her heart, and therefore the one man she knew she could never
see again. But now he’s here in the same village, and the chemistry
between them is more electric than ever.
Falling in love again is something Ruby has vowed never to do. But Jacob is determined to change her mind.
As
the village sparkles with Christmas lights and the snow begins to fall,
can Jacob convince Ruby that love is worth the risk? And will Ruby
accept the gift of happiness that Jacob is offering her before it’s too
late?
A gorgeous,
feel-good love story to snuggle up with this winter. Perfect for fans of
Sarah Morgan, Carole Matthews and Debbie Johnson.
My Thoughts
It was great to return to the village and to meet up with all the familiar characters. The village is still the welcoming, inclusive place it was ( in the most part) and the community is in an optimistic phase. This sequel focusses on Ruby and Jacob who we met in the first story, although briefly. Ruby turns out to have quite a few demons to conquer and the tension between the couple is there for all to see. I enjoyed how whilst on the surface, this is an uplifting and romantic, escapist read, beneath that, there are some more complex issues. Not everyone's life has been easy.
Bursting at the seams with Christmas and festive occasions, the snow sparkles, the candles glint and the baubles shine. You find yourself wishing you could visit! It is one of those books you fly through with a smile on your face. There are some genuinely humorous episodes and I loved the older ladies with their insatiable thirst for harmless gossip. I hope there will be further visits to the village of Happiness - a summer festival would be great.
In short: Tears and joy in equal measure in this festive romance.
About the Author
Holly lives in a little white cottage by the sea. She
studied media at university which led to a very glitzy career as a hotel
receptionist followed by a even more glamorous two years working in a bank. The
moment that one of her colleagues received the much coveted carriage clock for
fifteen years’ service was the moment when she knew she had to escape. She quit
her job and returned to university to train to be a teacher. Three years later,
she emerged wide eyed and terrified that she now had responsibility for the
development of thirty young minds. She taught for four years and then escaped
the classroom to teach history workshops, dressing up as a Viking one day and
an Egyptian High Priestess the next. But the long journeys around the UK and
many hours sat on the M25 gave her a lot of time to plan out her stories and
she now writes full time, doing what she loves.
Holly has been writing for 8 years. She was shortlisted for
the New Talent Award at the Festival of Romance. Her short story won the
Sunlounger competition and was published in the Sunlounger anthology. She won
the Carina Valentine’s competition at the Festival of Romance 2013 with her
novel The Guestbook. She was shortlisted for Best Romantic Read, Best eBook and
Innovation in Romantic Fiction at the Festival of Romance 2014. She is the
bestselling author of 18 books.
Thanks to Holly Martin for a copy of the book and a place on the tour,
Check out the rest of the tour!
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