Silver and Drew had a past and when he went off to school she make sure they had a clean break by breaking up with him. He's back and works as a banker and shes in need of help from the bank to get a loan to fund a business she wants to start. Drew knowing she needs the help and hes looking to help local business so makes a proposal to work together with her to build this business. Silver has secrets and knows getting close to Drew can make things complicated but will take up his offer, thing is it looks like their old feelings hasn't went away and its gonna be hard to keep secrets when the person shes keeping them from is constantly around her.

I'm such a fan of Susan Mallery's books and this book is no different, I've been following along her Fool's Gold series and now the Happily Inc. I have to say it must be challenge to write unique and enjoyable books when there is so many to these series and every story has new and different set of characters and careers.

Anyways, I enjoyed this book it was sweet and enjoyable. I liked the characters with the dual perspective of Drew and Silver which make them all that more likeable because you can get a side to them that their partner doesn't see getting the inside scoop of secrets that are being hidden, getting their true intentions. I liked the romance that was forming between Drew and Silver and it was interesting seeing how they handled certain problems that came their way. Overall this was a pretty great book.

I really had trouble getting into the book initially and getting caught up in the emotions of the characters. The storyline was good, but it just didn’t stand out in my mind amongst other books in the genre. The blurb was great, but overall the book just fell flat for me.

This isn’t exactly a second chance at love romance. It’s more like an “unfinished business” romance. Well, it’s also a second chance at love romance, it’s just that it feels more like they picked up where they left off because they just never got it out of their systems the first time. As the title implies, Silver and Drew never got over each other.

All the way back in high school, Silver and Drew were head over heels for each other. For three whole months. One glorious summer. The summer before Drew left for college. And when he left town, Silver let him go.

I don’t mean let him go to college, her permission was not required. I mean let him go as in broke up with him. She knew that time and distance was going to do that anyway, and that it was better to make a clean break.

When she discovered she was pregnant, that option almost went off the table. But again, Silver made the mature decision. She did go to tell him about the baby, and when his reaction was to offer to marry her, but seemingly not out of love, she handed him the paperwork for her to give the baby up for adoption. And he signed.

Twelve years later Silver is still in Happily and Drew has been back for almost a decade, an officer in his family’s bank. A bank that has just turned Silver down for a business loan to expand her AlcoHaul business.

The town of Happily is a destination wedding town, and Silver’s burgeoning business creates signature drinks for the many (many, many) themed weddings and brings her customized trailer filled with drinks and a full bar to venues all over town. Hence the catch name, AlcoHaul. Because that’s what she does, haul alcohol all over Happily.

Silver is also part of the “brain trust” that helps Pallas design and put together her “Weddings Out of the Box”. The details of how that came about are in the first book in this series, You Say It First.

Drew has seen Silver’s business plan, and he wants to help. Yes, he does have hopes of getting back together, but he’s also a savvy businessman with a heart. First, her plan is solid, and so is her business. She’s a good investment. Second, he believes the bank should be using its resources to help the town, and one way to do that is to help local businesses. He’s not a bleeding heart, he just wants the local bank to invest in the town that supports it for the betterment of both.

His family, or at least his aunt Libby, currently has a hate-on for Silver, for no reason that is ever made clear, and makes sure Silver’s loan application is turned down. It’s fairly obvious that Libby just wanted to watch Silver jump through the hoops so she could shoot her down at the end.

So Drew offers to buy a minority share of Silver’s business so that she can expand. But their unfinished business with each other makes her wary of accepting his help. It takes a few days for her to come to the conclusion that it is good business for both of them, whatever else happens.

What happens, of course, is that working together leads them right back to where they were all those years ago – but with a bit more maturity and a lot more baggage. The spark is certainly still there, and blazes back into life all too easily.

But all the factors that pushed them apart in the past are still unresolved in the present. They may be older and a bit wiser, but Silver is still from the wrong side of the tracks and Drew is the scion of one of Happily’s most prominent families. A family that has plans for him that definitely don’t include a woman who owns a bar. Or even three bars.

The first time around, Silver and Drew were too young to fight for each other. It would be easy to give up again. Neither of them has any experience fighting for what they want when it comes to matters of the heart.

They’ll have to learn this time – and fast.

Escape Rating B-: On the one hand, I liked the relationship between Silver and Drew, because they were both really neat people. Silver was right back in high school. They did need to break up – not because they didn’t love each other, but because they weren’t mature enough to deal with a long-distance relationship. Silver knew that she wanted to stay in Happily, and Drew needed to leave – at least long enough to appreciate what he’d left behind.

It was also great that they weren’t angsty about both living in town. They didn’t interact, but they didn’t seem to go out of their way to avoid each other. They’d had what they’d had, and it was over. At least it was mostly over.

Drew wants to try again – even if he isn’t quite ready to admit that to himself at the beginning – but Silver is afraid to trust him. She’s also afraid to trust herself, which is much more the crux of her journey in this story. She’s so afraid of being like her mother that she almost succeeds in turning herself off completely – and gets a bit too over the top angst when she finally realizes that Drew is already back inside her defenses. She’s afraid to fall in love again, only to eventually figure out that she never fell out of love with Drew in the first place – and to have several panic attacks about it.

The difficult part of this story for me, and the reason why it’s only a B- story, is the involvement of Drew’s family – or at least the involvement of two particular members of it. The two villains of this piece, and they definitely are villains, are Drew’s Aunt Libby and his mother Irene. The rest of his family is pretty terrific, especially his Grandpa Frank, but his mother and her sister are a pair of Cruella de Villes.

And we’re never sure why.

Libby was also the villain in the first book, You Say It First. She’s Pallas’ mother, and the woman never, ever, ever has a decent thing to say about her daughter. She spends that entire book cutting Pallas down at every single turn, and Pallas just takes it for entirely too much of the story.

Libby continues her evil ways in Not Quite Over You, blocking Silver’s loan application, undermining Drew at the bank, and generally attempting to score off against her sister Irene at every turn using Drew as a proxy.

Drew’s mother Irene is just as bad, in her own way. Irene, along with Drew’s father, left Happily to open a high-powered lobbying firm in Washington DC. She has determined what Drew’s life course will be and simply doesn’t listen to anything he says about what he wants. He wants to stay in Happily and eventually run the bank. He does not want to come to DC and join the family firm. Her inability to accept that Drew has plans of his own for his life – after all, he’s pushing 30 and his plans are quite good plans – gets to the point where she is not merely manipulative to the max, but also lying to Drew’s father and everyone else as well as using Drew’s phone to get Silver into places where she can lie to her and cut her down as well.

It’s not well-meaning parenting gone astray, it’s vicious and cruel and needs to be both explained and then resolved. She’s so evil that she, along with her sister Libby, need to get some just desserts delivered and it doesn’t happen, which left me feeling like the story isn’t done. Call it a bit of unfinished business. Hopefully both Libby and Irene get what’s coming to them in a future book in the series.

NOT QUITE OVER YOU
(Happily Inc: #4)
Written by Susan Mallery
(Narrated by Tanya Eby)
2018; HQN Books (352 Pages)
(Audio length: 8 hours and 12 minutes)
Genre: fiction, series, romance, contemporary, small town, weddings

Rating: 3 STARS

I was looking forward to Silver and Drew's story of being high school sweethearts, but this turned out to be my least favourite in the series. The chemistry was so-so and the storyline seem to force conflict that wasn't there and things turned out okay too easily. I did like that it tied up some other storylines.

***I received an eARC from NETGALLEY***

Thank you for the opportunity but Not Quite Over You isn't holding my attention, at all. I'm sorry to say that I'm so bored with Silver and Drew that I keep drifting off to sleep. I'm 25% in and it just doesn't seem to get better. I don't really care what happens to them or if they can move past their issues and history.

Happily, Inc. is the spin off series of Fool's Gold - both by Susan Mallery. Silver is a character we know from previous books where she's always been a bit of a mystery. In Not Quite Over You, the reader gets the back story on Silver and her previous love interest, Drew. This story has it all, heartache, deceit, funny moments, and of course the love story. All extremely well told by Mallery, as usual.

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

Oh Susan! You have done it again!

Susan Mallery is *THE* author that I always turn to when I want to read a contemporary romance. Happily Inc is a branch off of Fool’s Gold and this is the 4th in the series. Fool’s Gold was always my dream (novel) vacation spot. And Happily Inc is really starting to be where I want to visit after Fool’s Gold.

Mallery is great at drawing you in with the very first few pages. We have met Ronan in the first two of this series and not it is his turn at love. This is Drew’s story and we have known all along this would be the story of the Mitchell brother we all wanted to read. Worth the wait!

Never a disappointment!

The fourth instalment in the Happily Inc. series finally gave the full scoop on a romance that had been hinted on from book one. I enjoyed Silver and Drew's story, which contained a pretty good twist (which, again had been hinted at) and enjoyed the novel as a whole. As always, the weddings taking place in the background are always fun to read about plus the set up for the Wynn / Japer romance is very intriguing (possibly fleshed out more in the next book? please?). Looking forward to the next instalment! This is definitely becoming one of my go-to reading series if I'm looking for some light, romantic, escapism fiction.

This is the 4th book in a wonderful series by Susan Mallery. She is so refreshing and I enjoy the characters. Thank you for allowing me to read

I love all Susan Mallery's stories and am loving Happily Inc. as much as Fool's Gold. Silver and Drew finally come together, eventually talk through their past, and though it was a hard road decide in the end to fight for each other. I loved visiting with familiar characters and knowing all is well. Looking forward to the next book!

Love me some Susan Mallery! Her romances are so captivating!! Which is why I own almost all her books!

~Reviewed by Evelyn~~

NOT QUITE OVER YOU, the fourth installment of the Happily, Inc. series by best-selling author Susan Mallory, is another heartwarming visit to the quirky little town that bears the same name as the series. Filled with even quirkier characters, it won’t take the readers long to get involved with their lives and loves.

This story belongs to Silver Tesdal, the feisty young woman with a questionable reputation. Most of the town of Happily, Inc. is built around the wedding business. Silver has found her niche with her own business, Alcohaul, which consists of a bar built into an old Airstream trailer that she can move from event to event. When she wants to expand her business by buying two more trailers, she is turned down by the town fuddy-duddy at the bank. She runs into former high school sweetheart Drew who is an officer of the bank which is owned by his family. He wants to help her, not only for old time’s sake but because he still has feelings for her. He offers to loan her the money for the trailers from his personal funds and he also offers to become a working shareholder in her business. Silver reluctantly agrees because she sees no other way to buy the trailers, but she’s not sure it’s such a good idea. She’s worried because not only is she still in love with Drew but also because she has been hiding a huge secret from him for years. Where do they go from here? Stay tuned!

Silver is a great heroine. She’s feisty, independent and determined to make her business a success. There is a vulnerability about her, too, especially when it comes to Drew. Drew, on the other hand, while a success at what he does, comes from a very privileged background and he has largely been shaped by his parents and what they want for him. His investment in Silver and her business is a symbolic declaration of independence from his family and their expectations.

The cast of secondary characters, many of whom have appeared in earlier books in the series, add considerable depth and warmth to the story. The complex, well-written story keeps you involved from start to finish, and leaves you holding your breath for the next installment.

NOT QUITE OVER YOU can be easily read as a standalone novel, but after reading this wonderful story, you are going to want to go back to read the other books in the series. Susan Mallery, you have another hit!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.

Not Quite Over You is a heartwarming emotional story of a second chance romance of Drew and Silver. They were high school sweethearts but Silver gave him up when he went off to college only to find out she was carrying his child. Now years later her life is going so well, then Drew steps back into the scene and things are going to get a little tricky. This is an awesome read and I had a lot of fun getting to know the characters and what a great job Ms Mallery did of creating a warm and inviting setting with so many interesting friends. Great Stroy!

3 1/2 stars

I’ve enjoyed all of the installments I’ve read of Susan Mallery’s Happily Inc., series with the exception of the novella that somehow passed me by. Throughout, I’ve enjoyed Silver’s character because she has been strong, spunky, and confident, which is why I was very much looking forward to reading her story. Unfortunately, Not Quite Over You ends up having an indecisive Silver (who took over her body? We want the real Silver!) and an unfortunate sub-plot.

From the previous novels, I believed that if Silver was given an obstacle, she’d climb it after logical consideration. She built herself up from nothing and pretty much defied odds. The obstacle in Not Quite Over You is something that Silver, the one from the other novels, would have taken in stride, but in this novel she’s indecisive and procrastinates on facing the situation until it’s almost taken out of her hands, which I found very frustrating. Where did the spunky Silver go?

Drew is a nice guy. We are led to believe that as a teenager, he was more self-involved, which I guess is the definition of teenager. However, now, he is all about the community and being involved and doing the right thing.

Ultimately, this makes a very nice romance, with emphasis on “nice.” Silver is nice and Drew is nice, but Silver’s feistiness that might have made this a different, more fun, novel isn’t in place. There’s spark missing from this second chance at love romance.

Which leads me to the subplot that seems to just fall from the sky and land haphazardly in a strange place in Not Quite Over You. The subplot involves Jasper, a writer and former soldier, and Wynn, a printer and single mother, who have been involved throughout the series. In the last book it seemed to become public knowledge, despite Wynn’s desire that no one know, which is difficult to accomplish in a small town. The unintended consequence, I believe, of its supposed resolution is that I came away disliking Wynn, a character I had liked previously. So, if the next novel is going to be involving her, Mallery is going to have to go the extra mile to explain away Wynn’s hard-ass, take no prisoners, selfish decisions–and by selfish, I mean this. You can do all you can to protect yourself, but as a single mother you also have to consider your child and what is good for him, what he needs in his life, and realize that sometimes you can’t be his sun, moon, and stars. That other people might be needed to help him grow. While we don’t know Wynn’s background, the implication is that whatever hurt her is major…but what could justify, seriously, her behavior? Meh, maybe I’m overreacting because I also really liked Jasper and didn’t like the way he was treated. We’ll see what happens.

All in all, this is a good story with a lot of fun involving weddings and bachelorette parties. And, if you’re a person who loves seeing wicked women behave extremely badly, you’re in for a treat because Drew is related to two of them, and they show just how unpleasant they can be.

Who will like this? Susan Mallery fans who have been reading the series throughout; even though you may be disappointed with Silver’s characterization, you probably don’t want to miss this. I don’t believe that this can be read as a standalone and make a completely satisfying story because of the cast of thousands and their interrelated stories. However, if you do read it as a standalone you won’t be disappointed by Silver, because you’ll just be meeting her.

I received an ARC from Harlequin and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Silver and Drew have a history but both were to young to make a go of their romance. Now both are older and that history is standing in the way. I really liked how both Silver and Drew have grown and changed. Silver has become her own woman. Drew knows where he wants to stay but faces pressure from his family to leave. Add the secret that is coming to light and you get an interesting story with romance, tension and more romance.

I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.

Not Quite Over You is the fourth book in the Happily Inc series. This is Silver and Drew's story. I have to admit, that overall, I have been pretty underwhelmed with this series so far; this latest installment included. The main reason has been the main couple in each book. Like Silver and Drew, I have just not felt the attraction or any heat between them to make their HEAs believable.

In this book, Silver and Drew were in love the summer before he went off to college. Silver broke up with him so he would leave and be able to spread his wings. With this being a second chance romance, you would think there would be more emotion and at least attraction. But that really wasn't any. To me, they were probably to most boring couple out of the four we have read about so far.

The story also felt unfocused as we don't spend most of our time with the main couple. Instead, there is a lot of time spent focusing on Bethany and Cade and their "royal"shower and wedding problem. I didn't read their novella, but I found Bethany's whining about her royal family a bit over the top. I also could have done without the Wynn/Jasper storyline. It really added nothing to the book. Wynn's story has been hinted at over the past 3 books now. It would have been nice to get some closure on it here, but instead, we just get more of the same teaser.

Overall, this was just an OK read for me again. The HEA was cute, so it had that going for it. I still am a big fan of this author and her other books. I just wish I clicked more with this series.

I'll admit, when I started reading this book, I did not realize it was by a well-known author. Maybe it's because it's an "ARC" copy from Netgalley (thank you), there are errors that are usually fixed before publication...but to me, it read almost amateur. I don't claim to be some professional, but I do read a lot from many spectrums...just not what I had expected from a seasoned author. In some ways it gave me hope; everyone is human, and even esteemed authors have errors. So thankful for editors and proofreaders! Now, about the book...

WONDERFUL, easy, and sweet read. I had my hang-ups with each character individually, but everything came together as a whole. This is the first Happily Inc. book I've read so the mingling of multiple characters with backstories of their own gives me a reason to go back and find out the details...especially, Wynn and Jasper. While I felt their blurbs between the drama of Silver and Drew were a little off-putting and out of place, I know that's how these series usually roll so I used it as a positive in pulling me toward where their story takes them...

But, Silver and Drew? Now, that's some fire right there...the fear of unrequited love is real and I felt that...deep in my soul. Mallery nailed both of their fears of failure and shortcomings in a way that made them relatable. A hardworking entrepreneur and the sexy businessman...one sassy, the other a sweetheart. Great combination.

I do wish, however, their communication was better. They were business partners and lovers...I also wished to see a little more from Grandpa Frank. He was my favorite supporting character, for sure! But overall, the flow was good, the story was solid, and the outcome...well, you'll just have to read and find out.

**4 AlcoHaul, Stars**

Susan Mallery novels are always a delight and captivating. She has a certain flair for probing the why’s of a relationship: why they once failed; why they would not work or work again; why are these two people butting heads when love is right there waiting for them.
In Not Quite Over You, the reader sees the complexity of the past and present for Silver Tesdal and Drew Lovato. Their teen love was abandoned when he went to college and the seemingly dead flame was not quite thoroughly extinguished. Twelve years later and a dilemma for Silver cause them both to look at the future and all its unknowns in their relationship and see if there is something called love waiting for them.

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This was a typical Susan Mallery book. Followed the same formula. But it was a nice, fluffy book to read on a cross country flight.

So, I have read all the previous Happily Inc books and I must say this one was a bit of a let down. I was pretty excited to get to Silver's story, but I was a little let down. I guess I had hoped for a faster paced romance, but this one was kind of boring. They have a long and complicated back story, and I almost wish that the story started there and ended there, because it was so much better than the future story.

Also another thing that bothered me was the competing story lines. This is a common theme in Mallery series novels, and honestly the reason why I stopped reading Fool's Gold. It's just too much to deal with for me.

With all that being said, I still believe that Mallery is a brilliant writer and will continue to read her books, should the blurb intrigue me.

***I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.***