Title: Happily Ever After
Author: Jane Lovering
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Rating: ★★★★★
Source: Rachel’s Random Resources
Blurb: Andi Glover loves nothing more than a good book.
Any book in fact because when you’re raised by unconventional parents who think school’s for squares, alongside a deeply conventional sister who escapes home as soon as she can, fiction is eminently preferable to reality.
The only problem is that fiction isn’t the best way to learn about the real world. When Andi starts her new live-in job at Templewood Hall for the eccentric Lady Dawe and her enigmatic son Hugo, it’s tempting to think she’s fallen into the pages of one of her favourite gothic novels.
But the plot twists at Templewood Hall are stranger than fiction and it’s not long before Andi questions if she’s living in a romance novel or a whodunnit. Bumps in the night, a missing heir, ghostly apparitions and secrets that have been kept for generations – the mysteries mount up. Then there’s the inscrutable gardener who seems to appear when needed – is Andi right to hope for a happily-ever-after end to her story?
Review: Lovering goes slightly Gothic with this slow-burn romance, with a story that also has a mystery to solve and a sister to reconcile with. There are also laugh-out-loud moments to break the tension. In short, this is one heck of a read.
I adored the main character, Andi, though she is a little rough at the start. However, her free-spiritedness and love of books endeared me to her. And she has a fabulous arc – in taking life by the horns, she learns lessons and develops so sweetly.
Then there is the cat. As a Whovian, I was always going to love something called The Master. This stinky side-kick is so funny, and is often Andi’s furry emotional support.
The twists and turns of Happily Ever After keep the story going at a steady pace. It’s never slow nor too fast, and I admire Lovering’s writing ability. There is romance, though slightly more of a side-plot than I tend to like. But it worked here. And there is a happy ending – obviously!
Heartwarming, entertaining, and suspenseful by turns, this story will appeal to fans of romantic mysteries and those who love a book with a touch of magic and mystery. An easy five stars.
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