The Good Ones (Happily Ever After)

Our Review

THE GOOD ONES is the first book in the Happily Ever After series, and I cannot wait for more!  A contemporary romance and romantic comedy rolled into one, THE GOOD ONES had me laughing out loud one moment and crying the next. 

The premise of the book is wonderful for anyone who loves any genre of romance books. Maisy inherited her great-aunt’s Victorian house, along with all her romance books that seem to cover every available surface, including along the stairways and even the floor. The Happily Ever Bookstore is created out of despair when Maisy quits her job as an English professor but has to reinvent herself to figure out how to make a living. From there it’s all things romance, including the mention of favorite authors, series and books along with lots of discussions of books.

Ryder is the cowboy architect who is going to convert the home into the bookstore, and things heat up quickly whenever he’s around. He and Maisy have immediate chemistry but fight it all they can, especially since he has plans to move away from the area once the renovations are complete. There are so many characters who play a major role, including Ryder’s fourteen-year-old daughter, Perry, and Maisy’s best friend, Savannah.  The characters all had a depth to them. We learn about them a little at a time as they are woven into the story. The rescue kitten, King George, is adorable and wins over everyone. I love how the Victorian has an unknown secret room, which Perry found, and how it played into the story.

The story has a wonderful flow to it but there are always surprises just around the corner. The twists and turns take us from happy to sad, from elation to despair. There are so many stories going on that seamlessly mesh and had me turning the pages far into the night to read just one more chapter! There are unexpected happily ever afters but enough loose ends to bring us to the next books in the series. I for one can’t wait to return to Fairdale, North Carolina over and over again.

Ms. McKinlay is a fairly new-to-me author since I’ve only read two of the three books in the BLUFF POINT series. I’ve added more of her books to my always growing TBR pile. I love her writing and how she makes her characters and stories come to life

A RECOMMENDED READ!