In Alison Sherlock’s The Village of Happy Ever Afters, the 4th installment in the Riverside Lane romcom series, this endearing contemporary romance is heart-warming and a tear-jerking. Molly Hopkins works for her community hub and wished she had what her friends had: finding their soul mate and happily ever after. But she hasn't found the right one yet. When her best friend Amber encouraged her to make a wedding cake for her wedding, she wasn’t too sure and confident she could do it, though everybody loved her cake. That’s when she dreamed of having her own tea garden. She also wanted her mother to find happiness again since she lost her job. But when she encouraged her mother to garden at the community garden, she had gotten her happiness and her groove back. When Logan Armstrong arrived in Cranbridge, he wasn’t looking for romance since he had been burned by a failed marriage that made sensational news in London. All he wanted to do was to be alone and work on his furniture pieces, including honoring his grandfather’s dream to restore the watermill like in the olden days. But when he met Molly, they complimented each other to go for their dreams and to be confident to make it right in a small town village like Cranbridge. With a couple of hilarious bumps along the way, they’ve found out they were made for each other and became successful in their dreams with help from a couple of friends.

This heart-warming romcom was moving and inspirational, when it dealt a tiny bit with mental health. I cared for Molly and her mother Rachel, on how they dealt with some harrowing hardships and rough patches in their lives. I also adored Logan, who was lost and later found happiness where he was needed and belonged. Keith the Dog was a hoot too. The location of Cranbridge was mesmerizing and wonderful for the scenic settings. The dual themes of the story are it’s never too late to ask for help and nature heals all wounds.

This sweet romcom is the perfect book to cheer you up if you’re blue. I rated this book, four out of five stars, because for no reason. If you love heart-stopping and heart-warming romcoms with plenty of romantic and dramatic action, and a bundle of feel-good-nature laughs, check out The Village of Happy Ever Afters. This book is recommended for fans of delightful romcom movies and Hallmark Channel movies, and Lilac Mills’ The Tanglewood Tea Shoppe and Holly Martin’s Sunrise Over Sapphire Bay.

Read it today and you will not regret it. These are the kind of books that you are hooked and will want to read any or all of them. Get it today.

I am struggling to put down on paper, how happy I am to be returning to the village of Cranbridge, to catch up with some former friends and hopefully meet some new, equally charismatic characters in this wonderful world, where covid doesn’t exist and we do not have to discuss wars of any kind.
When we first meet Molly, she is wearing an itchy bunny costume, for an Easter Egg hunt. Volunteering to do this sums up to an extent, the kindness of Molly and she immediately endeared herself to me, by the way that she checked that there were no small children around, before she removed her hot, prickly bunny head and threw it into the road. what a shame she didn’t think to look out for vehicles though!

Molly loves Cranbridge and it seems as though she wouldn’t ever want to live anywhere else – but I get the impression that she is missing something in her life – be it on a professional level or on a more personal front. Although she enjoys her job, she would rather be baking cakes, and her love life is lacking somewhat. She also feels that her friends have somewhat taken her over in The Game of Life; all either married or at least settled with a partner and all in seemingly dream jobs. It’s not without reason that Molly has started to feel the odd one in her group of friends.

Logan seems an interesting chap; a potential love interest for Molly? But what is it about his past that he doesn’t like others talking about? It all adds a bit of mystery to the book. It seems that Molly is the only person (apart from us readers), oblivious to Logan’s woes, but her new ’friend’ isn’t going to start filling her in on his misfortune. I felt sad that Logan prefers his own company to that of others and even sadder that he doesn’t really trust anybody. He knows he isn’t going to let himself down! Olivia adds another element of mystery to proceedings. Is Molly being too soft, giving her a chance? Is Molly too trusting, compared to Logan’s lack of trust? Is there a happy medium?

I liked the humour in the book – for example When Amber is teasing Molly about bridesmaids dresses. This book is very cleverly written – the way that Molly’s group of friends seem so down to earth. The writing almost makes them pop out of the book at you, and personally I started to feel part of it – as though I actually knew them, and was party to the group’s inner secrets. ’Dodgy Del’ always made me laugh too, although I think he was well intentioned – for the most part, at least!

A friendly face did appear, in Geoff, a former school teacher of Molly’s. I did find myself wondering if he could possibly hold the key to dragging Molly’s Mum out of the dark pit into which she had fallen? It certainly felt as though Stanley and Geoff might join forces to try and bring Rachel, Molly’s Mum out of herself a little.

I loved that Molly’s group of friends were so strongly behind her creating a tea garden for a month, in the hope of realising her ultimate dream of opening the eatery on a more permanent basis. The plans gradually start to come to life, but with far more of a community slant, which feels so much more appropriate for such a close-knit village.

If nothing else came out of this story than to encourage people to stand up for themselves and to believe in themselves, like Molly, then it is an assured success. Indeed it felt to me as though Molly saw a little of a reflection of herself in Olivia, which must surely count as a success in itself, as she encouraged the younger woman to be more confident.

The initial opening of the tea garden was less than satisfactory, but can Molly turn this situation around? Molly has such amazing friends and neighbours, that if anyone can help guide Molly to her happy ever -afters – on a professional level, as well as on a personal level, they can, although particular mention should be made of Logan (who of course has no romantic interest in Molly at all!) and Ben and Adam, Molly’s dear twin Brothers.

Eventually, as is par for the course, everything is actually on track to do well. What could possibly go wrong…..

You will of course need to read on for yourself to find out how these particular rabbits are pulled from the hat.

Adorable story! Such an idyllic setting. This book is part four of a series but can easily be read as a stand alone. Heart warming and thoroughly enjoyable. I do love a story where all the loose ends are tied up. Feel good from the start with a sense of community and people pulling together for the greater good. Loved following these women through this stories and this was was a fantastic conclusion.

Thank you Netgalley

What an adorable story! I am so happy I have read this book! Yes everything in this book is adorable and sweet. The characters, the settings, the romance and the tea garden! Oh I would love to manage a tea garden too in such a lovely settings! The story is very well written and there are a lot going on in this book, there is not time to be bored which I love! I am giving this book a 4 stars out of 5! If you need a cozy book this is the perfect one for you!

It’s such a treat to return back to Cranbridge with Alison Sherlock’s delightful new novel about following your heart, pursuing your dreams and falling in love: The Village of Happy Ever Afters.

Molly Hopkins has decided that the time has come for her to make something out of her passion for baking. All of her friends on Riverside Lane have made their goals a reality and it’s high time she did the same, so she decides to open a tea garden in the village of Cranbridge hoping to give the local community a place to enjoy their summer while sampling delicious bakes and drinking uplifting beverages. Molly will do whatever it takes to make the tea garden a roaring success – providing that she doesn’t get distracted by newcomer Logan Armstrong.

With the acrimonious end of his last relationship, Logan wants to lie low to lick his wounds in peace. Cranbridge looks like the ideal place for Logan to be at the moment and he is determined to keep everyone at bay during this most delicate time. Romance is certainly not on the cards for Logan who intends to keep his heart firmly under lock and key – until he meets Molly Hopkins and he begins to feel emotions he never thought he would experience ever again.

Determined to make his beloved grandfather’s wish of seeing the old watermill working again, Logan finds himself becoming a part of the community as he begins to ask the villagers for their help and assistance. The more time Logan spends with Molly, the more he finds himself falling for her. Will Molly help to mend his broken heart? Or will his fears and doubts put paid to the possibility of a future with the tea shop owner?

Will Molly manage to make a success of her tea garden? Or will she let her lack of confidence sabotage her business? This summer in Cranbridge is going to be one to remember as everybody’s hopes and dreams for the future look set to come true. However, life in this charming village is far from predictable and who knows what further surprises are in store for Logan and Molly this summer…

Alison Sherlock’s Cranbridge books never fail to hit the spot and The Village of Happy Ever Afters is a lovely, warm-hearted page-turner that is absolutely enchanting. Molly and Logan’s love story shimmers with wit, humour and pathos and these two wonderful characters are so meant to be together that readers will be in their corner cheering them on every single step of the way.

As always, the village of Cranbridge is so exquisitely described and the people so warm, kind and generous that it’s made me want to pack my bags and move in permantently.

A feel-good romantic read that ticks all the right boxes and will leave readers feeling uplifted, Alison Sherlock is at her captivating best with her wonderful new novel, The Village of Happy Ever Afters.

I have been a fan of Alison’s work for a little while now. I haven’t quite caught up with everything that she has written but I am getting there. I have a particular fondness for the ‘Riverside Lane’ series. I read and loved the first three books in the series and I couldn’t wait to read the fourth book in the series. Well ladies and gents the wait is over because the fourth book in the series is called ‘The Village Of Happy Ever Afters’ and it was released on 31st March 2022. It��s another cracker of a read and then some. I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘The Village Of Happy Ever Afters’ but more about that in a bit.
It didn’t take me long at all to get into ‘The Village Of Happy Ever Afters’. In fact as soon as I started reading, I knew that I wouldn’t be able to put the book down for very long at all. My Kindle wasn’t exactly glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it travelled everywhere with me. I couldn’t bear to miss a single second of the story. I warmed to the two lead characters Molly and Logan from the start and they both began to feel like friends of mine. Both have been hurt in the past and they are trying to build new lives for themselves whilst at the same time trying to heal. I had my own suspicions as to what was going to happen and I had to keep reading to see if I was on the right track or if I had wandered down the wrong path entirely. I would pick the book up only intending to read a chapter or two but I would become so wrapped up in the story and in the lives of the characters, that I would still be sat there reading over several chapters and an hour later. I seemed to race through the story. I found ‘The Village Of Happy Ever Afters’ to be a joy to read.
‘The Village Of Happy Ever Afters’ is superbly written but then I have come to expect nothing less from Alison Sherlock. Alison has one of those writing styles that is easy to get used to and easy to get along with. In fact reading one of her books feels more like a chat between friends rather than reading a book. I hope that makes sense. Alison creates adorable characters who are impossible to dislike. Alison cares about her characters and this shines through in the very vivid and realistic way in which she describes them. She describes them so vividly and so realistically that the characters seem just as real as you and I. I love the way in which Alison makes the reader feel as though they are part of the story and at the heart of the action. I enjoyed reading this book so much that I was all set to pack a suitcase reading to move to ‘Riverside Lane’ as the whole place and the characters within it seemed so lovely. This book certainly made me chuckle and did more to cheer me up in one afternoon than anything else could have done.
In short, I adored reading ‘The Village Of Happily Ever Afters’ and I would recommend it to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Alison’s work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*

I have really loved this series, set in the village of Cranfield and relished meeting up again with some familiar faces. This fourth novel is centred around Molly, who turns out to be totally likeable. She has some insecurities as she likes to please everyone and, in some ways, this story shows you how she begins to mature and put her wishes and ambitions to the fore. I could absolutely picture the village as each of the houses on the riverfront are smartened up and the watermill at the end makes the whole scene quite idyllic.

Logan has learnt to keep himself to himself as a form of self defence and it takes quite a bit to bring him out of his shell. Both Logan and Molly are kind and concerned for others with a strong sense of family loyalty. They seem to pick up a few waifs and strays as they go along and really give people a second chance without judgement. An uplifting story, this makes for a delightful read.

In short: Delightful storytelling
#blogtour

This title was not for me. I felt like I was missing background on the characters and had no interest in their stories - like being the new person at a table with a group of friends with intimate history and inside jokes. I wanted to like it, but was bored because there was no connection. The pacing felt a little slow and drawn out. I am very much a mood reader so I completely acknowledge that it's entirely possible that this just wasn't the right book at the right time. My thanks for the complimentary copy.

I really enjoyed this book, filled with interesting and fully-formed characters and following a lovely storyline. I enjoyed reading the ups & downs in the lives of the two main characters and was rooting for them together, and individually as they established their businesses in the wonderful sounding village - I want to visit!
I don’t think I have read anything by this author before but I really enjoyed the book & will be looking out for others as I really like her style of writing.

I think this is my favorite book in the series, in which even the things I complained in the previous volume did not appear here. The romance happens with few external influences, in which both friends are only willing to give the push they needed to talk about their feelings, without interfering as much as in the previous book.

I started reading with the certainty that it would be about fixing a business at Riverside Lane (which was the exact starting point of the three previous books) and I loved that I got a small change about it: the watermill that will be fixed and each one has to deal with their own business side by side - rather than being only one business on the verge of chaos - in which the romance begins as a friendship with the two supporting, and then becoming A loving relationship.

The growth of the protagonist's confidence I compare with that of the first book, in which both growths was very clear and nice to see, and the book has great subplots for some secondary characters, I liked how the author gave relevant stories for the other members of Molly's family, she added a lot to the book to her mother's social phobia and the search for her brother's professional vocation.

So there is this section at my local library called ‘warm literary hugs’ and I’d like to place this book there. This book is the last is a series, but I picked up the gist quickly, and didn’t feel like I was missing anything. Am I going to go back and read the rest? Heck yes. Sometimes I find romance or women's fiction type books want to take me on a big journey and break my heart, for what? This book is light fun and just what I needed for a little late winter pick me up.

Loved returning to the village and meeting new and familiar characters. A great read. . .

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily.
This is the first book I have read by this author although it is the fourth book in the series, but there are explanations of previous events throughout the book so new readers are able to catch up. The novel is a clean romance, based in a pretty village giving a nice idea of life in a small rural community. Each character is described well and their development over the length of the story is clear, although there were quite a few who had 'low moods' whose 'mental health' required improvement. The narrative style is simple with short sentences and chapters, and repetition of thoughts, speech or events making it an easy read although I found it too slow and predictable. Repetition of some parts was irritating (if Keith the dog was the animal's name it would be written as Keith The Dog so we don't need it this way almost every time) and some things didn't make sense e.g. Molly had lived in the village all her life and worked in communication but didn't know when her old teacher had retired!
This is a pleasant, undemanding novel that avid readers are likely to find too simplistic, as I did.

I really enjoyed this, as I have most the books by Alison Sherlock, I think this was one of my favourites, I loved the characters, charm of the village, returning to cranbridge, I love the sense of comfort and community these characters and stories give me. I absolutely adore them and can not wait for another return visit.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

So good to visit the community at Cranbridge again
To share in the laughter, worries and pain.
There are two empty shops left on Riverside Lane
And the garden alongside needs work to reclaim.
The old flour mill is in need of serious repairs
But Stanley is sure to find someone else who cares!

Molly is the quiet but happy, smiling big sister
But is feeling left out as her friends have all found a mister.
She's unsure what her future holds and what she should do
Until she's encouraged to make one of her dreams come true!
She a fantastic baker and decides to take the plunge so
Will see if opening a Tea Garden is something she can make a go.

Meanwhile Logan has come to the village to escape fame
After his ex-wife their marriage end did very publicly proclaim.
He'd spent time in the village with his grandparents before
So returning to visit his Grandad and stay is something he'll adore.
However, he needs to keep on working and Grandad's sorted that out
And has a dream Logan can help come true whilst he's about!

Settling into his new home, Logan wants to keep aloof
But the villagers and his Grandad won't let him, that's the truth!
Get ready for disasters and problems to be overcome
And friendships that develop, helping some.
A lovely summer story, in which a broken heart
Along with other broken places are given a fresh start!

For my complementary copy of this book, I say thank you,
A gorgeous read and this is my honest review.

Thank you #netgalley and #boldwoodbooks for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed this uncomplicated and easy to follow romance novel set in Cranbridge.
We meet Keith the Dog, Molly dressed as an Easter Bunny, Amber who is planning her wedding, Logan who moves to Cranbridge after splitting with his ex wife. Stanley, Logan's grandfather and a former headteacher and more.
Is there life after love? New beginnings are on the horizon for both Molly and Logan in life and love.
Rebuilding your life is a daunting task, Molly had spent her youth helping her mum raise her twin brothers after her father walked out on the family. I recommend this book if you are looking for friendship, drama, love, family and feel good chuckles.

Oh how I loved every minute of this story. I smiled a lot! 😊 This story is heartwarming and uplifting. It is a perfect example of the type of books Boldwood Books is known for!
In short... Molly is so sweet and happy, wearing rose tinted glasses but with little confidence. Logan is only in Cranbridge for the summer and although gorgeous, he is ever so cynical and wants to just stay far away from everyone. Can these two bring out the best in each other and can they have a future together?

- the community in Cranbridge
- catching up with characters from the previous books in this series: The Riverside Lane
- friendships are front & center
- Keith the 🐕
- lots 🍰 & a tea garden
- a community garden
- a wedding
- renovation of a watermill
- romance

The Village of Happy Ever Afters is the fourth book in the Riverside Lane series. It would work as a standalone but I would honestly recommend reading the series in the correct order to get the absolute best of this wonderful series and the development of the location, the idyllic fictional village of Cranbridge.

In this book we get Molly’s story, as she falls for Logan who moves to the village to escape from the scandal of his wife running away with a tv presenter. Molly is such a selfless character, who always puts the needs of everyone before herself, at the expense of what she might want to do. When the opportunity to turn her hobby of baking into a business, and with the encouragement of her friends and Logan, Molly finally starts to put herself first, and in doing so, finds herself again, and rebuilds her confidence.

Logan is damaged by his past, and vows to never let his heart be broken again, which makes him reluctant to move forward with his feelings for Molly. As their friendship blossoms, they bring out the best in one another, and it was a pleasure to read. As a romance, they are the perfect combination with them both having strengths that counteract the other person’s weaknesses.

I loved seeing the old familiar characters from the series, the friendship group, Grandma Tilly, Stanley and of course Dodgy Del, who never fails to live up to his name, even it his actions come from the best of intentions.

As fictional locations go, Cranbridge will always be one of my absolute favourites, and I love the way in which in every book, changes are made to make Riverside Lane to improve the location, and make it more of a draw to people who might want to pass through. The way the watermill was developed in this story filled my heart with joy!

This wonderful book is filled with friendship, community, love and the encouragement to follow your dreams!

I’ve read the previous 3 books in this series and loved them all. Cranbridge is a lovely, welcoming village that makes you wish it were real so you could move there, or at least that’s what it does for me. Having seen here friends find their happiness Molly despairs at ever finding her own, but with an desire to do more with her life and a new resident in the village, it looks like things might be about to change.

Much as you could read this book as a stand alone, for once I wouldn’t recommend it. While we spend a lot more time with Molly in this book, she has been present in the previous ones and events in those explain her lack of confidence in herself, which is clear in the beginning of this book too. I like Molly as a character. As someone who hasn’t always had bags of confidence, and still struggles sometimes, it was lovely to see this accurately reflected in how Molly reacted to thoughts and suggestions. However, it was also lovely to watch her character develop through the course of the book. She’s such a realistic character, that it was a joy to follow her story.

As well as following Molly’s progress we also get to follow the story of Logan, and the neglected and unused part of the village. This is where this village demonstrates why it’s somewhere I’d want to live. Everyone is supportive and welcoming. They rally round in times of crisis but also celebrate the joyful occasions. There’s a real sense of community here which is something that’s not easily found these days.

As with the other books in this series, this one is full of comfort and warmth. Even in the parts where the characters are struggling the warmth just radiates off the page (or screen in my case). This series of books is such a joy to read and I’m glad I’ve been able to experience the ups and downs of life in Cranbridge. As far as I know this is that last book in the series and if that’s the case then this is a very sad piece of information. There is one thing that can bring some joy after this sadness, and that’s that I can re-read the books. Happily books, unlike real life, are something we can revisit whenever we want, and this means that the village and its residents will be waiting for me whenever I choose to return.