Happily This Christmas by Susan Mallery

Happily This Christmas by Susan Mallery

Published by Harlequin ISBN 9781335448958

Hardcover,  $28.99, 352 pages

I was introduced last year to Susan Mallery's delightful new series, Happily, Inc. in Meant to Be Yours. The books are set in the wedding destination town of Happily, Inc., California where we meet the various citizens of the town, many of whom work in the wedding business.

In the newest novel, Happily This Christmas, single mom Wynn has a terrific thirteen year-old son and owns her own thriving printing business. She has lots of good friends, but no man in her life. When her handsome police officer neighbor Garrick comes over and asks for assistance decorating his home for the arrival of his pregnant 21 year-old daughter, Wynn thinks this might be her way to get to know him better.

Both Wynn and Garrick had their children when they were young. Wynn was on her own with her son, and Garrick is divorced from his wife, who remarried and now has three young sons with her new husband. 

Garrick's daughter Joylyn is not happy coming to see her father, they have been somewhat estranged, much to Garrick's dismay. Joylyn's husband is away overseas on active military duty, not due home until close to the baby's due date right after Christmas. She also feels that her own mother is abandoning her.

Wynn takes a reluctant Joylyn under her wing, introducing her to the women in her ladies' weekly lunch group, and Wynn's son likes having someone closer to his own age like Joylyn around. Garrick wants to take this chance to get to reconnect with his daughter, to be as close they used to be when she was just a liitle girl.

I really enjoyed my visit back to Happily, Inc. and watching Wynn and Garrick's relationship move in an exciting new direction. The Christmas setting is wonderful, and this being a wedding destination town, there is a wedding to plan. 

After reading the last two books in the series, I immediately ordered the first two books so I could get to know all of the characters from the beginning. Reading this series is like catching up with old friends, and if you are a fan of Hallmark's Christmas movies, the Happily, Inc. books are for you. I highly recommend Happily This Christmas to help get you in the holiday spirit, and don't we all need that now? (And the cover looks so festive you could use it as holiday decoration.)

My review of Meant To Be Yours is here. 

Thanks to Harlequin for putting me on their Harlequin Holiday Blog Tour.