Once again Susan weaves a wonde story. As always it is a story that is great.

Susan Mallery starts a new series in a new quirky town, but some things remain the same - her trademark warm characters, who build a life and always pitch in to help each other in their small community. Nick and Pallas are the strong and engaging main characters who find their love story, but the true strength of the novel lies in the many secondary characters who make up their friends and family. I am definitely looking forward to the next entry in this series.

You say it first is the first book in a new series by Susan Mallery. It follows Pallas the owner of weddings in a box and Nick a famous sculptor. Besides the two of them, we also meet a horde of other characters who will hopefully get one day their own books. Like for example Drew and Silver. I want to see Drew making up for hurting Silver. Overall I liked almost all of the secondary characters we met in this book. Only Libby was a sour experience for me. The rest were at least okay for me. Each character has something that makes them stand out from the rest. Like Millie the giraffe for example. How many characters do you know that speak about a giraffe like she is human? Each character has its quirks but in some weird way everything worked out nicely for the book. I could have found it over the top in other circumstances which is why I decided to mention it.

There was one thing that popped into my mind around the 80% mark. I realised that I was invested in the secondary characters and their lives and on the wedding business. I wanted to see how Pallas was going to fix her situation and save the business. I didn't care for her relationship with Nick to be honest. And I don't believe the author cared about that either because Nick and Pallas hardly spend some time alone without doing something that business related. At least this is what it felt like. The romance aspect of the story was nonexistent which is sad considering that I wanted to read a romance novel. Fortunately, everything else in the book managed to hold my attention and I was a somewhat satisfied reader. At least one thing is for sure. I will continue reading the series.

It is a truth universally known that romance readers have a thing for small-town series. RaeAnne Thayne, the author of the Haven Bay series, explored the allure of inter-connected stories and the community-as-family at Heroes and Heartbreakers. A favorite destination of readers is Susan Mallery’s town of Fool’s Gold. After twenty or so (who’s counting?) books, Mallery announced she had a new series and destination in mind—Wedding Inc. In the town of Wedding Inc. are some of the characters from a community we’ve come to love over the years. Break out the champagne because who wants to say goodbye to family and friends?

Sculptor Nick Mitchell recently moved from Fool’s Gold to the premier California destination wedding venue Happily Inc. Nick is one of the five Mitchell boys. Fans of Susan Mallery will remember his egotistical, domineering glass-artist father, Ceallach Mitchell—Nick’s troubled relationship with Ceallach drove him not only to leave Fool’s Gold but also to abandon his original dream of working with glass.

Because while he’d grown up working with glass, in the past decade he’d fallen for wood. Glass was cold and mercurial, but wood was alive. Wood had a soul.

Atsuko, Nick’s agent, mentions a part-time carpenter’s job at Pallas Saunder’s Wedding in a Box shop. Why not thinks Nick, while he’s waiting to hear about a huge hotel lobby commission in Dubai. Remember the Mastercard commercial that went viral? Specifically the phrase, “That’s not how any of this works.” Welcome to Nick’s job interview with Pallas.

“Don’t take this wrong, but I really need you to take off your shirt.”

Pallas Saunders winced as she said the words—this was so not how she usually conducted an interview. But desperate times and all that.

Nick Mitchell raised his eyebrows. “Excuse me?”

Pallas’s off-hand comment that it’s an emergency is not enough to get him to start disrobing. Tick tock lady.

“I have a wedding in less than an hour and I’m one Roman soldier short. J.T. ran off to LA because his agent called about an audition. Note to self. No not hire actors during pilot season. Anyway, I need a Roman soldier. You’re about the same height as the other guys and you’re here because you need a job, so take your shirt off, please. If you look halfway decent, I’ll sponge tan you and you’ll carry a very skinny girl in on a palanquin.”

“On what?”

“One of those sedan chair things. I swear, she probably doesn’t even weigh a hundred pounds. I don’t think she’d eaten in three months. You look strong. You’ll do great. Please? There’s a check at the end.” Not a very big one, but money was money. And Nick Mitchell had answered her ad for a part-time carpenter, so he must be at least a little desperate for money. A feeling Pallas could so relate to.

Nick tells her she’s weird but off comes the shirt. Pallas tells Nick to prepare for her “to rock your world,” and starts anointing him with fake tan cream. Even in the midst of her consternation, Pallas notices that Nick has big hands.

Big hands? Seriously, because she had time for that in her life?”

Nick’s a big hit as a Roman soldier and he gets the carpentry job. Suddenly, it’s a job he’s desperate to take because it turns out Pallas some old carved wood panels that are “exquisite works of art” with “incredible” carving.

He looked more closely and saw the panels were dinged, dry and in need of some serious TLC. Was this the job Pallas wanted a carpenter for?

Susan Mallery’s wedding destination town is filled with creative types, most of whom are struggling to make ends meet. Readers will fall for Pallas’s girl posse—a group of fabulous ladies who always have her back. Nick and Pallas have a lot in common: her mother is a stone-cold bitch who is never going to forgive Pallas for not working at the family bank. Nick can relate to a judgmental, larger-than-life parent.

But before they start to see each other, Mallery shares a few of Pallas’s burgeoning fantasies about Nick (in his Roman soldier role).

She wondered how wrong it would be to ask him to work shirtless. Because he’d made a fine Roman soldier.

Maybe one of her brides would want a Garden of Eden wedding where the attendants would be naked. Nick could be an extra. A fantasy to brighten her day, she thought as she returned to her office. One she would be sure to remember.

Hey, a girl can dream. You Say It First is a sweet, funny, sizzling story and a great introduction to Susan Mallery’s new Happily Inc. series.

Sweet! I love this story! This is the second book in the Happily Inc series, but can be read as a stand alone. It took me a little while to like Mathias, but in the end I love him! Carol was easier to love right away - I just wanted to hug her and tell her everything would work out! There is a second love story too! Bonus! Violet and Ulrich have their own problems, but I love them too! This is a very sweet story and another great book from Susan Mallery!

This is the first of a new Susan Mallery's series about a wonderful little town, Happilly, Inc. It is the number one wedding town in California, a town devoted to make every wedding perfect and unforgettable.

Pallas Saunders is the unexpected owner of Weddings in a Box and despite her overbearing mother's wish she takes a chance in this business in exchange of pursuing a career in the banking family business.

Nick Mitchell is an artist between commissions and waiting for an opportunity in Dubai, in the meantime he applies for a part-time carpenter and slowly begin to fall in love with the town and Pallas.

Pallas and Nick has crazy, overwhelming families that makes them very skittish of relationships but they are good together, they understand each other. Pallas brings a little crazy to Nick's protective shelve.

This is a great start for this new series and Susan Mallery never fails to deliver a sweet, romantic story with so many great characters.

Sweet, heartwarming, and romantic are just a few words to explain You Say It First.

I have been a Susan Mallery fan for years. I've read just about every book she has written and You Say It First is definitely among my favorite books by her.

Her books are always so sweet and filled with awesome characters. I was excited to get my hands on this one, and I devoured it.

I have been a fan fir a long time, and with books like this that gives me all of the happy feels, I'll be one for even longer.

This was my first Susan Mallery and I can totally see why she's such a favorite in the romance world! Even though You Say It First is part of a broader series, it read just fine as a standalone, but it did pique my interest in the whole series. It was such a sweet romance - Nick and Pallas had such opposite views on love that it made them perfect for each other - sort of like two sides of the same coin. The secondary characters were fantastic too and I can't wait for the series to continue and watch the next couples fall in love. I loved the different weddings! And the animal :) I give the book 3.75 out of wine glasses.

I have read many of Ms. Mallery's work previously and always look forward to new titles by her. Happly inc is her new series which is a takeoff from some of the characters from her previous fool's gold series. Nick has moved to Happly inc to be closer to his brothers after revelations of his family drama. He is currently waiting to hear from Dubai about a job they may be proposing to him for two years. As he is waiting he decided to apply for a carpentry job at a place called wedding in a box where he meets the owner Pallas. Pallas too has to deal with family issue a mother who is never happy with anything she does and dealing with her own demons of whether or not she wants to continue owning the wedding establishment. Pallas eventually hires Nick and eventually they start a romantic relationship though he has told their time together will be short due to his Dubai job pending. Theare are many cast of characters Pallas friends and Nick two other brothers who are still dealing with their family issues.I love when a book has secondary characters that you feel invested in and you get more than the main couple. I personally felt though Pallas job as the wedding consultant felt was too detailed about this and put me off a bit. Overall as said previously you cannot go wrong with Ms. Mallery books. Reviews are on amazon and goodreads.

4 Stars

I was pulled right into this story. The story has laughs, pain, and heartbreak.

This is Pallas and Nick’s story. Pallas needs to make weddings in a box a success or her mother is going to force her to work at the family’s bank. She does not want to be stuck behind a desk all day every day. So, she will try her hardest to turn around the floundering business. Nick is working as a carpenter to help her build a special wedding for a bride. The chemistry flows but Nick does not believe in long term as his father taught him the passion leads to only pain. Nick is not looking for a relationship and neither is Pallas but will they both want for more from each other? Can they change their mind about a better and brighter future?

I felt I could connect with the characters and the story was a great read.


I recommend this book.

I wasn't sure what was next on my list of books to read so decided to start this one. Let's just say I couldn't put it down and avoided doing anything else as much as I could until I finished the story.

It has been awhile since I read any of the Fool's Gold series by Susan Mallery so I don't remember a whole lot about the characters in the books, but it looks like some of the Mitchell brothers have found a new home in this new series.

The characters were fun, the story engaging, the family drama oh so familiar (or might be to the reader) and the love connection topped it all. Of course this doesn't even cover the wedding business that Pallas owns. I also liked that Pallas stood up to her mother and all of the horrible treatment she has had over the past years for things that most of us find crazy! And of course the romance between Pallas and Nick is not perfect and not without some issues, but if it was perfect it wouldn't be a delightful story to read.

I can't wait to pick up the next book.

OMG!!!! Just when I thought she could not get any better, Susan made my heart flutter!! I love her books but this book by far is my Favorite!!! I am going to buy when it comes out g=for sure!!

I was given a chance to read this for a honest review from netgalley.com

So if your a huge fan of Susan Mallery's Fool's Gold series then you will love this new series Happily Inc. This book is the first and the series and I loved both the first one and the second one. This story pick up where the last Fools Gold one left off with the Mitchell brothers.

This is Nick Mitchell story and how he found true love when it was the last thing that he was looking for. Hired to be a humble carpenter at a theme wedding venue he meets Pallas the owner who is struggling with her own family drama to say the least. As time goes by the two both feels the sparks flying and cave into the feelings until one Nick gets freaked out because he is worried that he will be like his parents. I do not want to ruin the story for you but this is a must read for any Susan Mallery fan! I can not wait for the next book in the series

After the ending of Fool's Gold, I wasn't sure what to expect from this new series. Ms. Mallery starts off with a bang! Pallas and Nick were absolutely perfect, and I can tell I'm going to enjoy reading this new series. Pallas' views on love are a bit skewed (no thanks to Libby) and it's interesting to see her changing and developing business plans with her changing view of love and passion. Nick's belief that passion is dangerous, however well-founded, makes it fun to see him give in to the passion between himself and Pallas.

I am a new fan to Susan Mallery’s stories and have enjoyed each of her books that I have read. You Say it First is no exception. It is the first book in a new series Happily Inc. Susan has a trade mark for creating interesting female characters that also have a great friendship base. Pallas owns Weddings in a Box which led to some hilarious scenes. She has an extremely overbearing mother that led to some heartbreaking scenes. Pallas’ friends each have a business that supports the weddings. Her friends each have some quirks about them so I am interested to learn more about their back stories in the following books. Nick is a famous sculptor who is working as a carpenter for Pallas as he waits on a commission job. Nick is a good sport and a likable character.
I am assuming Nick’s creative brothers will get their own books and I am looking forward to that.
One of the secondary characters is a gay man but it is very low key in the story. I don’t think it will be offensive to anyone.
Sexual content - there are some chemistry scenes leading up to physical scenes
Alcohol - there is alcohol at the weddings, and the girls get together for drinks,
Language - if i recall correctly there was some minor profanity

I stopped reading Susan Mallery when the Fool's Gold series wouldn't end. It was so repetitive and uninteresting. I had hoped that a new series was what she needed to break out of that mold, but it appears I was wrong. You Say it First was every bit as repetitive and cookie cutter and stereotypical as the last Fools Gold were. It's like she has a checklist of characters and traits and by god she's gonna fit them all in. I am officially done with Susan Mallery.

Happily Inc sounds like a pretty cute place to live - especially if you're Pallas, the owner of a wedding planning company. Brides from all over go to Happy Inc to get married - and I bet some of them will want to stay. Even Nick the sculptor, son of a famous artist, walked into town, got a job, and felt the pull... or maybe it was the pull of Pallas and her love for her work.

I liked Nick's touchy family dynamics, especially because Mallery referenced Fool's Gold characters I was familiar with. Pallas had some strong family interactions as well - that tends to happen with an overbearing mother and a strong willed daughter.

In the end, everyone figured out what was best for themselves. For some, that meant some sacrifice. For others, it meant swallowing some pride. Either way, I got a view of real love in all its messy forms.

ahhhhhhhhhh, it was so good to read a Susan Mallery book again. It's been a while for me because, life .... so this was a real treat! It has Susan's signature all over it. It was sweet and romantic and funny and flirty! EXCELLENT start to a new series that is sorta, kinda, in a very thin way, a spin-off from her ridiculously heartwarming Fool's Gold series.

I am really looking forward to seeing what new and crazy spins Susan has in store for Happily, Inc. This woman never disappoints with the outlandish yet very realistic. GAH, it just warms my heart every time I pick up one of her books!

Copy provided for blog tour review

Susan Mallery has the uncanny ability to write amazing small towns that you fall in love with. The characters are fun, each have their own personality and you grow to know and love each of the townspeople.

Pallas is now owner of Weddings in a Box, a small but great wedding company that runs on the very thin line between a profit and a loss. She is trying to think up ways to increase profits but still be competitive in the wedding market since there are other wedding companies in Happily Inc. Because who doesn't want to get married in a town called Happily Inc??

Nick is just killing time in Happily Inc while he's between commissions. His brothers are there and now there is a fascinating restoration he would kill to work at while being able to flirt and chat up Pallas. And try to help her succeed with her new business.

An amazing start to a new series that I can't wait to read more of!!

You Say it First is the first book in a new series set in the fictional town of Happily, Inc. It's a spin off series from Ms. Mallery's Fool's Gold series. This is Nick and Pallas's story. Pallas is the newest owner of Weddings in a Box, one stop place for your dream wedding. It's barely scraping by and Pallas is trying to decide if she wants to sell or not. Nick is an artist between commissions who takes a job restoring wood panels at the wedding place. Both are at a crossroads and struggling with family issues.

I wanted to really love this book, but in the end it was just OK for me. I did like the characters. Pallas and Nick were good together, but I found their romance a little lackluster. I just didn't feel the heat or attraction between them. As for the rest of the story, I did like the secondary characters who will probably be featured in later books. However, I didn't feel the cohesiveness of the community like I have seen in her other series. The one thing I did love about the book was the wedding themes, especially Nova and Joel's I would love to see what the dress looked like!

I do recommend giving this one a shot and I do look forward to reading the next one which is Mathias and Carol's story.