This series has had its highs and low for me. I took forever to finish this and I feel like that is probably a sign of the book. I admit my reading slump has been strong so every book I’ve read has had a lower reading than usual but the fact it took me years (years!) to get around to starting says it all.

I like Carrie Elks, she has written some nice stories but maybe that’s the issue, they’re nice but haven’t knocked my socks off. This one at least had a little meat with Juliet leaving her husband after his infidelity and having to work to provide for herself and her daughter. I liked that aspect because I love a strong woman and Juliet definitely delivered in that front. Maybe it was just the romance not giving me all the fire I might have wanted. That is a personal opinion because I know plenty of people loved Ryan. I guess I’m cool being a black sheep but there was something missing and since I know Juliet was a bad ass that’s the only thing I can attribute it to.

If you want a romance with a strong female protagonist that is delivered here. I just with I could figure out where it went wrong so that I could have enjoyed this book more. That has been a constant refrain for me though so maybe it really is me.

I should have known this was going to be an excellent read after reading book 2 in the series and loving it. As it stands I was not prepared for the sheer heartwarming vibes and lovely storyline. Would recommend!

This was the last book in the Shakespeare Sisters series, this time finally featuring Juliet

She had been my least favourite sister going into this book, which may account for why it took me a while to get into the swing of things.

In fact the rest of the sisters barely feature at all which was a shame, and they were sorely missed by me.

It was though a new friendship turning into something deeper and more meaningful, at the same as Juliet is trying to get a divorce settlement from her ex-husband.

It was good to finally read about the last sister, and its another good book in the series, just not my favourite.

Thank you to Netgalley and Piatkus for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Juliet has left her controlling husband and is starting again with her daughter and the last thing on her mind is romance but her neighbour Ryan is rather irresistable! Ryan is a single dad and is only going to be around for a few months and so the last thing he wants is to start something that he can't finish but Juliet could be everything he wants in a woman. Can these two overcome their difficulties and find love?

Great to be back with the Shakespeare sisters I have loved the series and am sad that this is the last one but it finished on a good note....I particularly loved the character of Ryan and although it can be read as a standalone it is worth going back and reading the others first

*Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

I was very excited the start the forth book of the Shakespeare Sisters series, because I absolutely adored all the book and of course wanted to know what happens to Juliet.

Juliet has basically given up on love. Her marriage has no chance of surviving and her ex is being really difficult, especially when it comes to their daughter Poppy. He somehow also can’t let go and wants to control everything Juliet does.

Her neighbour Ryan is a single dad too and the two of them have instant chemistry. Their banter is fun and sweet. It’s not the best time for them to be together, but one thing leads to another. Drama and misunderstandings add some excitement to the storyline as well. I feel like they both got a second chance to find happiness, they just had to be true to themselves and deal with their past.

The children add a lot of charm as well, as does the detailed, vivid and passionate writing. Carrie Elks really understands how to create a unique atmosphere and exciting plot.

I loved catching up with the other Shakespeare sisters. It’s great to see what changed in their lives. I’m sad the series is over, especially after reading the adorable and wonderful epilogue.

A fabulous romance book, which offers so much more as well!

Heartwarming romance of two single parents Ryan and Juliet coming together. Great end to the series.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the eARC

Another absolutely wonderful book by Carrie Elks. I followed the series all the way through and it ended perfectly. I’ll miss this series and can’t wait for another from this author.

Loved this - started reading and then discovered a massive spoiler for book #3, which I’d missed! So I read that and then straight into this book.. I loved it!! Great characters that come to life and each with a different story to tell. I really enjoyed the writing style, particularly the links with Shakespearean quotes.

I have loved reading this series as I fell in love with all the individual Shakespeare sisters. This one, I think, is my favourite of the series.

Juliet Shakespeare has had a different life to the rest of her sisters. She is estranged from her husband who wasn’t the nicest of people, and she has a young daughter to take care of. As she attempts to restart her life she meets a young dad who quickly becomes a friend. As Juliet begins to live again she finds that it may not be nearly as easy as she believed.

The scenes where the sisters are together are brilliantly done. I am sad that the series has come to an end as I have been a fan of the series since book one.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy.

By Virtue Fall, Carrie Elks

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: General Fiction (Adult)

I love Carrie Elks stories, have read almost all of them now, and she writes in a way that's perfect for me.
In fact looking through the ones I've read I've just decided of a reread of Love in London 2, Broken Chords. Fix you is another favourite that's been reread a few times...so I was eager to get into this.

I loved (five star loved) the first two in this series, somehow missed book three, and expected this to be another five star read. And yet...it wasn't. Its got Carrie's perfect pacing and story line, some great characters and some you love to hate. All things that make a book perfect for me and yet somehow it just didn't pull me in, keep me gripped.

I'm not sure why, I loved Juliet (London!) and Ryan, the kids were perfect and brought some wonderful levity, the school mothers, oh haven't we all met those types? There's one scene with Ryan and Juliet and The Mothers that I just loved!
The way they both are attracted right from the start yet hold off, Juliet because she's still dealing with divorce issues, the betrayal from her husbands affair, and doesn't feel ready, and Ryan because he knows he's only here a few months, that he'll be off again soon, and he too isn't looking for love. Yet it has a way of sneaking up on us slowly, catching us out.
Love never waits for the perfect time – life just isn't that neat, rarely do Life events and Perfect Time meet up!

Its really well written, finishes off the series neatly, (Cesca, she's still my favourite and I had a little lump in my throat picturing her in That Dress). For many readers I'm sure it will be exactly what they want, but for me it just didn't have that magic of the first two, of almost all Carrie's other stories I've loved. That happens, you can't please all of the people all of the time and all that..

Stars: Three, a well written story that fits the series but didn't quite hook me in as Carrie's stories usually do.

ARC supplied by Netgalley and Publishers

The previous book I read in this series was a 5* read - and a pretty high standard to match.

The question is whether this series went out with a bang, or a whimper.  

Well.  I can tell you that it is most definitely the former.  

I don't really think that I can highlight one particular element of the tale which stands out.  Each element fits together seamlessly to deliver a wonderful example of the contemporary romance genre.

I'm saddened to see this series end.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.

I have loved the Shakespeare Sisters series from the very beginning and devoured every book. So when the fourth book in the series ‘By Virtue Fall’ was offered as a review book on Carrie Elks Reader’s Group Facebook page I immediately requested a copy. You can imagine my excitement when I received an email from the Little, Brown Book Group only a view days later also with the request to read this book. I was super excited and started reading as soon as I could.

In ‘By Virtue Fall’ we meet Juliet Shakespeare. Juliet left England and her sisters years ago when she got pregnant and married a rich American who seemed to be perfect at the time. Unfortunately her marriage soon started to fall apart. Now Juliet is in the middle of a divorce and she has a young daughter to protect. And this isn’t easy with an ‘ex’ husband who seems to like making it hard on her. But Juliet is determined to make sure her daughter still gets the best life possible. And the last thing she wants is another guy in her life. But when she meets her handsome neighbor Ryan she just doesn’t seem to be able to stay away from him.

We read little bits about Juliet in the previous books, and she always seemed so unhappy and far away from her family. So I was super excited to finally be able to read more about Juliet and find out who she really was. And let me tell you, I loved Juliet’s story. Juliet married young and moved away from her family and now finds herself in a rough situation. And I loved everything about Juliet. I loved how strong she was and how hard she worked for everything. And Juliet was just a great mom. The moments between Juliet and her daughter were so fun to read about.

Ryan’s character was definitely one of my favorite man in the Shakespeare sister series. I loved that he was a father and reading about how he was with his son was just so good. And the way he took his time with Juliet and really wanted to take care of her.. Wow! I loved that. The romance between Juliet and Ryan took some time to develop and it was really good. I loved everything about this couple.

In ‘By Virtue Fall’ you can really see how good a writer Carrie Elks is. Not only was the romance amazing, it really gives you all those romantic butterfly feels, but Carrie is also able to make you really like or dislike different characters. And boy did I dislike one of the characters in this book. I definitely wanted to scream sometimes.

This book was another great one and I’m honestly sad that this book is the end of the series. I loved getting to know the Shakespeare sisters and I definitely fell in love with Carrie Elks writing.

4.5 "Where have you been all my life..?" Stars!

Carrie Elks brings the Shakespeare Sisters series to a close with By Virtue Fall. This Is Juliet’s story, and if you have read the previous books in the series, you know it’s going to be a bit of a rollercoaster from the offset.

She was beginning to see a lot of things differently since she’d left Thomas… it was beginning to look breathtakingly beautiful…

There is a lot going on in this book, two single parents coming together trying to negotiate a new relationship around their children’s wants and needs, their responsibilities as adults, and in Juliet’s case her (almost) ex-husbands unreasonable demands.

If her marriage to Thomas had taught her anything, it was that she threw herself into love too quickly, and paid the price later… This Time she needed to guard her heart…

Full of ups, downs, sweet moments, frustrating expectations, a lot of cute kids and a really likeable couple at the fore, the author ended the series in enjoyable fashion. Can’t say I am ever going to be a huge fan of ex-drama but everything else playing out around it just about kept it on the side of bearable.

"You can’t keep a Shakespeare girl down forever… Not matter how hard you try."

Great epilogue, it wrapped up the series perfectly, while giving us updates on the rest of the family at the same time.

The first thing that grabbed me was the cover! Wow, how perfect is this image and so fitting for the time of year too. I’m a total sucker for a great image and of course the blurb won me over too. Having enjoyed Carrie’s books before I couldn’t wait to dive in! Be aware these books are part of a series however, they can all be read as standalones.

This final book in the series focuses on Juliet who resides over the pond in Maryland, US. She’s currently going through a very messy divorce, running a new business and doing her upmost to raise her daughter, Poppy. I loved her! She’s so hardworking, independent and way braver than she thinks she is. Juliet has been left bruised but by no means broken. Her ex happens to come from a prominent family in the town but tends to use that against her, yeah he’s a real loser! I found myself willing her on and hoping against hope she would find her voice and win the battles he brought to her door.

“Do you want to kiss me again?”
“Yeah, I want to kiss you.”
“So why don’t you?”
“Because I want you to kiss me first.”

In steps Ryan her new neighbour. He’s also a single parent to an adorable little boy, Charlie, and comes to Shaw Haven to start afresh. He’s not alone with complicated family issues either but he’s adamant he will give his son everything he missed out on as a child. Their kids seem to adore each other too so it seems only fitting the parents get along. Some of the sweetest scenes came from Poppy and Charlie. They really gave their parents a run for their money with their antics. The dialogue with the kids and adults was fantastic and brought me some of those warm fuzzy feelings I love with a second chance romance.

Because of Juliet’s situation she doesn’t want to rock the boat and tries to keep Ryan at a safe distance even though it’s apparent the attraction between them is strong. The last thing she needs is a complication with her divorce pending but sometimes chemistry cannot be ignored. Where her previous husband tore Juliet down, Ryan helped build her confidence back up and made her believe she could do anything. You couldn’t help but root for this couple and they seemed so well matched. After all they’d been through I thought they both deserved a happy settled life.

‘She was like a flower slowly unfurling from a closed-up bud and it was going to be beautiful when she finally bloomed.’

Overall, I enjoyed the story however, the writing differed somewhat from the previous books. From the other two books in the series I have read the relationship between the other couples was explored to the point where their intense chemistry steamed up my Kindle but just when you got the point where Ryan and Juliet were about to ‘get it on’ the story faded to black and I was left wanting!! Don’t get me wrong the writing itself was faultless but I just felt cheated when it came to the bedroom scenes. Compared to the other books I just didn’t get the intense physical relationship Ryan and Juliet experienced. Maybe it was a marketing decision to make this book more sweet than sexy however, for me I was left feeling a little cheated.

This is a first for me by this author.
I didn't realise this was part of a series but will be looking for the first 3 books in the series.

As the new owner of a flower shop in a small coastal town, Juliet’s trying her best to balance work & being a good mom to her young daughter Poppy.
She’s recently had the ideal life as a stay-at-home mom, but that is all turned upside down by her husband’s infidelity.
With a broken marriage behind her, Juliet is just about ready to give up on love.
She's living in a ramshackle bungalow in Shaw Haven and is desperately trying to build a new life with her daughter. But try as she might, the one thing she can't ignore is the man next door...

Ryan is a single dad who has returned to the hometown he fled as a teenager, to start his son Charlie in school.
As their kids become friends and favourite playmates, Juliet & Ryan discover they are pretty good together, too.
With lots of ups and downs, the unhappy soon-to-be-ex husband & Ryan’s dysfunctional family there are definitely bumps in the road.
As often the case is, their spark-filled path to happy isn’t smooth.
Will she end up with the handsome, charming, nomadic photographer?

I liked how the story is told from both Juliet and Ryan's point of view.

A thoroughly enjoyable read!!

Thank-You Netgalley for my ARC.

A great read - the final one of the Shakespear sister books.

This is the story of Juliet, who is a single mother in the process of getting a divorce, and devoting all her energy to looking after her daughter and her floristry business. But then Ryan moves in next door.

I liked how the story is told from both Juliet and Ryans point of view, and also throughout the story you get to catch up on what has happend with her three sisters, who were featured in the previous books.

Curl up in a comfy armchair and be prepared to be there along time- another really enjoyable, hard to put down novel by Carrie Elks. Believable characters, sad and happy. wonderful reading.