The Village of Happy Ever Afters – Alison Sherlock

Published By: Boldwood
Pages: 349
Released On: 31/03/2022

Molly Hopkins has happily watched all of her friends’ dreams come true on Riverside Lane. Deciding to follow her passion for baking, Molly with the help of her friends takes the plunge and opens a Tea Garden in the village hoping to make it a summer to remember!

Meanwhile, after a rather public end of his marriage, Logan Armstrong trusts no one but his beloved Grandad. He just wants his brief stay in Cranbridge to be as quiet as possible. But his Grandad has other ideas; he dreams of seeing the old watermill working again which might just mean Logan has to ask the village for help.

Can Molly finally overcome her lack of confidence and believe in her abilities to make the tea garden a success? Will Logan discover that Molly might just be the one to mend his broken heart? And will both of them realise that life is for living and loving?

Over a long hot summer in Cranbridge, perhaps everyone’s dreams of a happy-ever-after can finally come true.

*****

Thanks to Boldwood for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.

I’ve only recently come to Alison’s book, with last year’s “The Village Inn of Secret Dreams”, which was utterly perfect, so I was very excited to read this one.

I recognise myself so much in Molly in that I took would love to bake full-time, but no matter how good I might be at it, I do not believe I am suited to run an at-home business, especially as I’d probably ear all the profits. What really resonated was Molly being asked to make her friend’s wedding cake – which I have also been asked to do! The description of the wedding is also so beautiful, it’s like my perfect day.

The description of baked goods is so inviting. I even had to pause reading at one point as all the talk of summer days got me craving something so I had to go and bake a batch of scones to eat as I continued reading.

There are an array of characters, a full spectrum of personalities, some more likeable than others.

Beneath this warm, cosy, joyful story, there are some serious topics such as abandonment, single parenting, depression, divorce, and self-belief. This makes the story more human, more relatable.

It is a beautiful community with a beautiful heart, and I loved it. All I need to do now is figure out a way of living in an Alison Sherlock book – or at the very least, buying all of her past books so I can continue in her world for a little bit. This book is the very definition of a happy-ever-after.