Not much more to say other then it was absolutely everything I hoped for. I was in need of an escape and this latest Willoughby Close book was just that.
A wonderfully crafted escape from real life. Surrounded with characters I've grown to know and love over the previous 4 books and new characters that I fell in love with too.
Wonderful book all around.

One of the sweetest Beauty & the Beast stories I have read, " Marry Me at Willoughby Close" is a fitting finale to the series about the Cotswolds. Author Kate Hewitt really did herself proud creating the series, writing about unforgettable characters and most of introducing the enchanting Cotswolds to her readers.

If you have been following the series, then you have met Henry Trent. He is not Prince Charming. He is actually The Beast to Alice James's Beauty. Don't get me wrong, he is actually very good looking. What makes Henry beastly is his attitude.

This is his story and we discover why he is like that. Hewitt, instead of making Henry Trent apologetic for his behavior actually made him own up to his shortcomings. Because of this, Alice and Henry truly earned their happily ever after.

If you like this book, then you will enjoy the whole Willoughby Close Series.

" Marry Me at Willoughby Close" is Rated T for Teens. There are no sex scenes in this book.

The fifth book set in Willoughby Close ends the series on a bittersweet and heartfelt note. Marry Me at Willoughby Close centers around Alice and Henry. It is, like the previous books, deals with real life events, heartaches, hopes, and dreams but always with a lighthearted tone. Alice James, who readers previously met in the last book, has now been hired as Lady Stokely's caregiver but Henry Trent, the aforementioned's nephew begged to differ. As Henry and Alice get closer together, they realize that they both had things in common but a lot of things that set them apart. Marry Me at Willoughby Close gives a great series a good ending.

Alice James has drifted all her life, from one foster home to another, with no real roots anywhere. After having to leave the last place because she aged out of the system, Alice befriends Ava and ends up in Wychwood-on-Lea—but she still has no roots and continues to be listless and drifting. Finally, with Ava’s help, she lands a job as a companion to Lady Stokeley, and older woman dying of terminal cancer, who see no reason to continue any treatments for her illness and who just wants to end things peacefully at home. Alice is intimidated by the job and household, but figures this is one place she may be able to get her life on track and establish some roots, so determines to give it her best effort. Lady Stokeley is a wonderful older woman, nice as can be, who demands very little of Alice. However, she has a nephew, Henry, who thinks he can make all his aunt’s decisions and who is very demanding an employer, not to mention being gruff and brisk. However, Alice is not intimidated by him. Together, they work out a plan for her to continue on at the manor, despite an uncomfortable attraction between them that leaves Alice as confused as ever and Henry torn between what he feels is his duty and right and where he sees himself going.

This is a romance with a little bit different a twist. The two main characters, Alice and Henry, are about as unlike as any two can be and they come from very different backgrounds and lives. Still, the author has managed to bring them together in an absolutely magnificent way. Each as a past they need to accept, complete with experiences, lessons and secrets, some of which get in the way. Still, they manage to work through things. The book is a fairly good testament to how love can exist and flourish between two persons, even if all signs point to it being something impossible. I particularly enjoyed the character Lady Stokeley, since I found her to be a genuinely wonderful person, graceful even in death. The characters blend in quite well in the story. I have not read the other books in the series, but they will be on my shelf after reading this one. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.

What a beautiful ending to the Willoughby Close series! As usual, Kate Hewitt knocks it out of the ballpark. I so don't want this series to end! Each and every story has been a treasure.

Lovely series!

The fifth and final Willoughby Close book closes the whole series out in style. Like the other books, it features a heroine who has been through a lot and who finds strength, friendship and even love within the small but increasingly tight-knit community of the close. We also finally get to know Lady Stokely’s mysterious nephew and learn a little bit more about Lady Stokely’s own feelings.

I really enjoyed this. Alice is a great character. She might only be twenty-two, but she’s been through a lot in her short life and had to fight for everything she has. I loved how she grew in strength throughout the story, starting off pretty meek and mild, but gaining confidence as everything progressed. She’s kind and caring and incredibly forgiving, but that doesn’t mean she’s a doormat. I think I loved the relationship she builds with Lady Stokely/Dorothy even more than the one with Henry.

Not that I didn’t like Henry, but he’s quite stiff and very proper and hard to read. For Alice, anyway. It’s fairly obvious at times that he feels something for her – even if she doesn’t realise it – but he’s also constrained by the large age gap between them and other social restrictions. He changes too as the book progresses, and I did wish at times we had some of his POV to see what was really going on inside his head.

The romance itself is very slow going and sweet. There’s a lot going on in this book – emotionally – so there isn’t always time for Alice and Henry to explore their feelings. But the romance is there, subtly, and given the huge differences between the two of them, I liked that it took time to grow and progress.

But beyond the romance, and almost more important than it, is Lady Stokely. Dorothy’s presence has been steadily increasing through the previous books and she plays an important and prominent part in this one. I loved how she and Alice came to an understanding, not to mention the return of her fairy godmother role. It is all rather tinged with melancholy, thanks to Dorothy’s illness, but it was great to see she still had her spirit and independence. She’s a wonderful character and it was lovely to finally know her better.

In all, this was a fine and fitting end to this series of love, friendship and life-changing moments. I’ll be interested to see what the author comes up with next.

Although this book is fairly predictable it's a good read. Book 5 in the Willoughby Close series it is easily a stand alone story. Set in England with carry over stuffy peerage, Alice becomes companion to Lady Stokeley during her last months fighting cancer. Lady Stokeley's nephew Henry is very proper and takes his linage very properly and lets Alice know that their attraction just isn't acceptable. Even thought this book is set in today's time frame, it could very easily be set in the early 1900's. The village life is always amazing.

It took me a while to finally accept Lady Stokeley’s fate and Henry Trent’s turn over a new leaf, but nothing prepared me with the tears that run down my eyes after reading this book. Yes, I think this is the final book in the Willoughby Close series. And it was really good.

I met Alice on the Ava’s story in Kiss Me at Willoughby Close and had grown to like her and her simplicity. I was quite angered at Henry Trent though for coming off annoying and brusque and obnoxious. But in this last book, I finally understood his aloofness, his stiff personality and his awkwardness with other people. My heart was also heavy because of the cancer that was eating up Lady Stokeleys. Brings me back to my memories of my father who also suffered cancer and I enveloped in sadness and pain when he died.

Among the five books in this series, I think I loved this last story best. Alice was such an affectionate and warm-hearted individual who was also forgiving even after everything that she’d been through. Fostered from one family to another during her childhood, Alice grew up without a real family to hold on to, except for a grandmother who died in her care. She’s been devoted, caring and tough even at the most trying times. Henry was her exact opposite. He couldn’t show his affections, he tend to overanalyze things and talk in complicated tones, making look boring, conventional and snobbish person. Born in wealth but lacked in familial comfort, he became rigid, angsty, always in control. Then he could also be so strong yet so fragile.

Their story was quite slow and a tad stagnant because these two opposing characters couldn’t get along just fine. But along the way, the other characters like Lady Stokeley and Ava and the other residents of Willoughby Close also made everything transition smoothly. The book was everything I hoped for and provided so much more. It has been quite an emotional and heartwarming read. I fell in love with this series and wish I could read more of Kate Hewitt’s writing. Definitely a must read!

This is the BEST of the Willoughby Close novels — light, fun, witty, believable. Loved Alice’s story, including her realistic fears about feeling settled after being a drifter for so long, and her reactions to handsome-but-snobby Henry. Alice was the perfect companion to elderly and frail Lady Stokely, unobtrusive and kind. I liked the cameos by the Willoughby Close neighbors from previous books in the series, and Hewitt did a fabulous job having them stay true to themselves — as did Alice, even when she fell in love. This is one of my favorite summer British chick lit reads, but you might want to prep by reading book 1 first.

Alice James has become a caregiver for Lady Dorothy Stokley. Lady Stokley has terminal cancer and her nephew, Henry Trent, believes that she must no longer live alone.
Alice is a former foster child whose young life has been colored by a lack of family and friends. She has survived and thrived in her life by sheer will. When she first goes into the Manor house, she is intimidated by Lady Stokley. But, eventually they come to an understanding. Lady Stokley's bark is worse than her bite and she is basically a lovely woman facing a terrible time in her life.
Henry on the other hand is not such a nice guy. He is a snob who automatically looks at everything through a filter of “I am always right”. He has had a life with no family and few friends. His privileged parents have never had an interest in Henry. So, Henry has grown into a man who does not show emotions nor does he have much of a connection to his fellow man.
This is the final chapter in a series that I have just loved.
Willoughby Close is a place where people have come and found out who they are. It has been nearly a magical group of homes. Individuals and families have found a warm and welcoming place and the time to find solutions to problems. If I were the kind of person who believed in such things, I would say that Lady Stokley's good heart has provided the atmosphere for such a place.
Alice looks around the Manor and sees a place that has been neglected for a long time. She cannot allow that to continue so she starts cleaning and caring for the house. At the same time, she shows Lady Stokley that she is cared for too. Letting light into a grey place can do wonders for that place.
The longer Henry sees Alice, the more he is drawn to her goodness and her caring nature. But, it is very difficult for him to figure out how to relate to those qualities. He does not even recognize the feelings he is having for her.
Ms Hewitt has created a wonderful series. She writes of people who are actual human beings with flaws as well as perfections. She has created a location filled with a generosity of spirit and a sense of love. There is romantic love, love of family and love of others who need it.
I have enjoyed this series very much. Each story has provided me with a wonderful reading experience. Thank you Ms Hewitt.
I received the book from the publisher through NetGalley. I am voluntarily writing this review and all opinions are my own.

A sweet, romantic, easy read. It was perfect for my weekend of non-stop rain. Quick to read, lovable characters, fairly predictable plot, but sometimes you need a book like that in between heavier or more challenging reads. Overall I enjoyed it quite a bit and would definitely consider other books by Hewitt in the future for fun and quirky mindless reading.

I didn''t realize until after I had finished the book that it was a part of a series; I don't feel as though I missed out on anything by reading them out of order, but I am now a bit curious to learn more about Alice's neighbors in Willoughby Close.

An awesome read. The latest book in the series stands out the most. Even though the death of Lady Stokely is expected from the earlier books, this story really rips apart the heart of the reader. A must read.

This is about how two from opposite sides can somehow become one... and the object of their focus of love is a woman who has a very little time left- sweet and dear read

A nice continuation of of the Willoughby Close series. I really liked the fact the ladies all banded together to make Alice a part of their family. Alice has found a home and love by the end of the book which is quite satisfying even though there is a death.in the community. The work she did to bring the manor back to life was most impressive - I wonder if Alice would like to spend a few days at my house?

Alice has led a difficult life - in and out of care homes for most of her childhood she has always been desperate for somewhere of her own - and so when the job as companion to Lady Stokely comes up she jumps at the chance - especially when she gets her own little house on Willoughby Close.

There is one fly in the ointment however, Henry Trent, Lady Stokely's nephew - he seems determined to cause trouble form the minute he meets her........so can she win him over and get to the bottom of his own insecurities!

Great to be back with all of the old friends in Willoughby Close and sad that this is the final one - great characters again - I really love Lady Stokely - and a lovely light hearted read

This is a very depressing book. Not sure I would call it a romance.

Kate Hewitt puts her heart on full display with every character she creates and each tale she writes. The pain is real, the emotions are humanizing and the journey is cathartic. Alice is finding her way after years of uncertainty. She's searching for a place to belong. Will she find it at Willoughby Manor?

The covers in the Willoughby Close series make them seem as if they will be light reads, but they are very misleading. This book includes a romance, but there are plenty of sad moments, too, given that the story revolves around a woman dying from cancer.

Alice is a very sympathetic main character. She’s kind and good-hearted, even though she’s had a rough life in and out of foster homes as a child, as well as having nursed her grandmother through her final illness. She desperately wants to feel like she has a home and connections to other people. As she cares for the dying Lady Stokely, Alice slowly finds everything she’s been looking for—a place that feels like home, friends, and even a man she loves.

Her love interest, Henry, Lady Stokely’s nephew, is less likeable at first. He seems snobbish, rude, and demanding. The reader eventually learns, though, that Henry’s emotional growth has been stunted by his parents’ neglect. Reading about him slowly realizing his true feelings for Alice was just as satisfying as the emotional arc of Alice’s journey.

One especially good aspect of the book was the way Lady Stokely’s illness and death were treated. Lady Stokely is a well-rounded character, and the reader learns enough about her to make her death moving. Her illness isn’t just a plot point to bring the two main characters together.

Readers looking for a romance who don’t mind a story that touches on some darker themes should give this book a try.

An ARC of this novel was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

no review unfortunately as this would not download properly for me. i also realised it is a series, so i'll check the first one out before i come back to this one.