Thanks to Harlequin and NetGalley for an advanced copy of Happily This Christmas in exchange for my review,

I love Susan Mallery books and this holiday book for the Happily Inc series was just as wonderful as the earlier books in the series. Wynn who owns a graphic design company has been secretly crushing on her police officer neighbor. When he asks for her help to make his house more of a home for his pregnant daughter, Joylyn who is coming to stay with him, it sparks a little love in their lives.

I love that all of your favorite characters from previous books appear and that they all help to provide a great wedding for one of Joylyn's friends. And I love that all of the names of the best men in the wedding are the marines who in real life read a few of Susan Mallery's books while overseas and wrote to her about how much they enjoyed her and her books!(https://www.facebook.com/SusanMallery/posts/for-veterans-day-i-want-to-give-a-very-special-shout-out-to-the-marines-of-alpha/10157617860847156/it)

It's a fun, cute, holiday romance by one of my favorite romance authors!

Local cop Garrick McGabe needs a “woman’s touch” to turn his bachelor house into a comfy home for his estranged pregnant daughter who is soon to be staying with him. He recruits neighbor Wynn Beauchene to help him. Both have been eyeing each other from afar and this gives them the perfect excuse to spend time together.

Wynn is a single mom who thinks she is finally ready to forgive herself for a past regret and be open to a relationship that has a future.

Garrick has been hurt by a bad divorce and past undercover work. He wants to start anew and get back the years he’s lost with his daughter.

The holiday spirit helps heal old wounds and bring the whole town together to help with a last minute baby shower, a surprise wedding and more holiday magic.

I enjoy reading all the Happily Inc. books and catching up with all the other characters from this series who make appearances in Happily This Christmas.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for the ARC

Let me preface this by saying normally I can read a minimum of a book a day. This one took me almost a week.

Nothing is wrong with the story, exactly. It's just that nothing really happens either. Wynn's guilt seems misplaced and overly dramatic. Joylyn is spoiled and obnoxious at the beginning. Garrick is a decent enough character for the most part, but I never saw him come to the realisation that although he thought he'd never marry again, the idea is no longer unfathomable.

I loved Wynn's son, Hunter. He was a great kid and very much like my own son at that age. (Possibly the most believably written teenage boy I've ever read.) And I think Wynn handled the situation with him in the perfect way.

I've not read the other books in this series, but didn't feel like I was missing anything when the other characters were around. So that was a plus.

Overall the writing is good, the pacing is a little slow, but a nice story in general. I just think I may have outgrown Mallery's storytelling style.

We're back in Happily Inc, in time for the holidays and Wynn's up. Her friends are thriving in their relationships and growing families and even though Wynn is content with her graphics business and her wonderful relationship with her teenage son she's yearning for a bit of personal touch and togetherness. Could her handsome neighbor and police chief Garrick fit the bill?
Apparently he has a pregnant daughter who's coming home to spend a bit of time with him while her husband finishes off an overseas assignment and her mother gets a bit of relief from a grumpy pregnant daughter who's missing said husband. Garrick loves his daughter even though he's had a difficult relationship with her since her teens.
Soon Wynn is teaming up with Garrick helping him transform his place into a welcoming home especially setting up things for his daughter. They're popping in an out of each other's homes and she's a mediator to the unhappy mother to be. Just when things seems to be turning around Garrick steps his big foot into it. Good god, men a re so insensitive and so determined to protect their heart.
Will it all come up roses? or should I say holly since it's Christmas after all. These books are quick light reads and we all need a bit of an escape these days.

What a lovely holiday story. This charming story was a light, feel good read. It was another fun book in this series. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC copy!

I love this series, and it’s always fun to check in on characters from previous books and see how they are doing (so many babies!). I am so happy that Wynn finally got her story. I’m not sure that we really met Garrick in previous books, so it was also nice to get to know him. Neither Garrick nor Wynn were looking for a relationship, so this was a reluctant relationship trope. They are next door neighbors. Garrick’s pregnant (and slightly estranged) daughter is coming to live with him, and he needs help getting g ready for her. He asks his next door neighbor, Wynn. As his daughter settles in unhappily, Garrick relies more on Wynn to help him figure out how to reconnect with his daughter. He and Wynn also end up connecting. The magic of the holiday season is evident. The dialogue and characters are wonderful. It was a fun holiday read with the promised HEA!

I loved this one! It was festive, feel good, and so charming! This was everything you are looking for in a Christmas romance. The characters are so likable and I found myself smiling throughout. It’s heartwarming and absolutely lovely. It’s brimming with Christmas cheer and will absolutely put you in the holiday spirit. My thanks to the publisher for the advance reader in exchange for my honest review!

This is a great book with characters you want to get to know. Wynn has been eyeing her neighbor Garrick for some time. She would like to get to know him and suddenly he appears at her door needing help to make his home cozier for his pregnant daughter, Joylyn. Joylyn’s Marine husband is deployed, and her mother is tired of Joylyn ‘s attitude so she sends her to Garrick. Wynn jumps at the chance to get to know him and to help. The house is ready but Joylyn’s attitude leaves a lot to be desired. Wynn’s friends in Happily Inc band together to make Joylyn feel at home along with Wynn’s son, Hunter. Garrick used to be close with his daughter but something happened and he hopes having her with him will mend their strained relationship. Garrick and Wynn work through parenting issues that just need a little patience and compassion once feelings are out in the open. Perception drives relationships until communication sorts it out.

Happily this Christmas by Susan Mallery takes us back to Happily Inc. I love this series so much. Admittedly Wynn was not my favorite character and even in this book she is still not my favorite.
Wynn has a crush on the cop next door, Garrick. She helps him as his married pregnant daughter, Joylyn, comes to stay with him for a few weeks. I enjoyed their shopping scenes and there was some good dialogue there. Garrick was a good character and was trying to do the right thing. He appeared human when dealing with the craziness in his life.

Hunter, Wynn’s 15 year old son was my favorite character. Which may be why I thought Wynn totally overreacted on him which made me continue to not like her as much. Hunter was a wonderful teenager and had great scenes with both Garrick and Joylyn.

There were several scenes with characters from other books in the series. If you havent read the series you may think they are not needed but for those of us who have enjoyed the entire series it was like visiting old friends. I love that both the men and women have good friendships that they cultivate.

Sexual content – 4
Language
Alcohol – some drinking by adults and irresponsible college age kids

I love Susan Mallery’s writing and her Happily Inc series is a book I look forward to reading each time a new one comes out.
Happily This Christmas made for a beautiful Christmas read. Certainly made me think of the holiday season coming up. I needed this story in my life right now.
Family love is the most heartwarming and prevalent aspect in Susan Mallery’s series.
Definitely pick this book up if you are in the mood for a sweet, holiday romance. Though I would recommend reading the other books in the series. Many of the past characters play a part in each book.
Thank you to NetGallery, Harlequin Books and author, Susan Mallery, for the opportunity to read and give my honest review about this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
Publish date: September 29, 2020

A sweet read. Love this series and so glad everyone in town is back. Relationships ring true and are powerful. More, please.

Thank you to Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book. I have read every book in the Happily Inc. Series and this one was great. I loved the story between Wynn and Gabe. It was so touching to read Gabe's story with his daughter and how he wanted so desparately to repair his relationship with her. Wynn's attraction to Gabe was wonderful and it was interesting to watch the two of them move closer as the book went on. I love holiday happy ever after books and this book did not disappoint! Another great book within a very entertaining series. Pick a copy up for a great holiday read.

I’d love to be able to tell you that Susan Mallery’s Happily This Christmas is a wonderful start to the holidays and a fun installment to the Happily Inc series, but I can’t. Happily This Christmas didn’t work for me very well. Amusingly enough, I looked back at my gripes at the first book in the series, the only one I didn’t give four butterflies to, and several of the same issues existed in that one. So I’m nothing, if not consistent.

Wynn Beauchene has been a recurring character in the Happily Inc series and probably my least favorite character after what she did to Jasper–but that is literally another story. After reading the first few chapters my ill-will toward her disappeared. She acknowledged that she hadn’t been the nicest person (understatement); there’s a lot to be said for self-acknowledgement, although, admittedly, there were still times in Happily This Christmas where I didn’t like her. However, I think that inconsistency is Mallery’s fault. Allowing a character like Wynn to have multiple meltdowns out of insecurity (the situation did not warrant it) or a misguided feeling of betrayal, or a misunderstanding, felt wrong. Being one of the strongest characters in this series, should have afforded Wynn with more substance.

Garrick is a new to me character. (I didn’t read the previous book in the series, so it’s possible he could have been introduced there.) I very much liked Garrick. He seemed like a guy who was always trying to do the right thing, even if it was inadvertently the wrong thing. Shouldn’t we give a nod for making the attempt?

In addition to the main characters, we have Garrick’s visiting, estranged, very pregnant daughter, Joylyn who fulfills the role of super-annoying character for a good bit of the beginning of the novel. Fortunately that is turned around. Wynn’s excellent son, Hunter, is probably my favorite character–a nice kid with a sense of humor and loyalty.

While Happily This Christmas might be read as a standalone, it reinforced my gripe from the first novel: The multitude of characters drifting across its pages. The strange thing is that I knew most of the characters since I’ve read the books but still felt most of them didn’t add anything to the action of this story. In fact, there was a lot of detail that didn’t further this novel and bored me; why did we need all of the detail about Joylyn’s friend’s wedding venue or the dress or the flowers or the cake when we were barely allowed to be part of that scene? There were conversations that mystified me with their presence, which also led me to notice that the dialogue just wasn’t stellar in this book. Except for a phrase that came out of nowhere, “get off of me,” said by Joylyn and Hunter in difference instances, but only once, and which I presumed was a nod toward slang, there was no differentiation in the dialogue among characters.

Again, like the first novel, Happily This Christmas had so much needless repetition of thoughts. Reiterating a thought or replaying a scene in dialogue simply sucks up space and becomes more than a little annoying for this reader at any rate.

As for the romance, the book never felt romantic to me. Wynn and Garrick felt like friendly next-door neighbors with benefits who also played confidants to each other.

No, I didn’t hate the novel. What I did love about Happily This Christmas were the secondary relationships. The regaining of trust between Garrick and Joylyn. Hunter’s frank interaction with Joylyn. The humorous relationship between Wynn and Hunter. Some of the dialogue was even funny.

Lastly, I wish the reader could have enjoyed Christmas in this novel a little bit more. I would have liked to have felt it, watched it mean something. If there was ever a year we needed it, it would be this one.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wynn and Garrick have been neighbors for a long time with just passing hello's between the two. That changes when Garrick's daughter come to stay. Lots of drama, some humor, great main and side characters, and of course a romance. Add a wedding to the mix and Garrick really messing up and you have a great book. Loved seeing the previous characters as well.

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

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wynn and Garrick both have a child from a teen relationship that didn’t work out, but they worked hard to be the best parent they could. Now it’s their time, but will they be able to put aside old hurts and trust each other?

A cute romance that will brighten your day.

Another great story in the Happily Inc series. Gerrick and Wynn are neighbors, and although attracted to each other have never acted on the feelings. As they work together to welcome Gerrick's daughter, their feelings grow and they overcome past mistakes to realize they might have a future.

It's always fun to be reintroduced to characters from earlier stories in the series. That being said, although part of a series this story can be read as a standalone story. Whether you've read others in the series or not, this is a great Christmas story to add to your "to be read lst"!

I received a free ARC eBook from Net Galley and the publisher in exchange for my honest opinions.

Susan Mallery is the Queen of her romance. Happily This Christmas was sweet, romantic, and charming.

This is the sixth book in this series. I enjoyed visiting with characters from older books in this series. This is not my favorite series by Susan Mallery and it did contain more sex than I expected from this author. I did like the characters as the women are strong and do not depend on a man to take care of them

A 3.5 stars story
Happily Inc is a small town in California that reinvented itself by becoming a wedding destination. Now it’s Christmas time, a time for renewal and celebrations.
This time the story belongs to Wynn Beauchene and Garrick McCabe.
Wynn is a single Mom and neighbor of Garrick, the local cop. She has a secret crush on him, but it isn’t until he needs her help with his young estranged pregnant daughter that relationships of sorts develop with his daughter and between them.
But the road to good relationships and happiness is a tad rocky. Will the magic of Happily Inc, the town people and the Christmas spirit heal and bring them all happiness?
Though this series nor this story is my favorite written by this author, though not memorable, it was still a sweet romance, perfect for an afternoon of leisure.
I was entrusted a copy of this book by Netgalley and Harlequin. The opinions expressed are solely my own.

"Love heals. Love makes us better than we ever thought we could be. Loving someone, the act of loving is a generous gift. True love is our greatest calling. Not just romantic love, but all love."

Susan Mallery pens a holiday tale that readers will happily read this Christmas. Curl up under the covers, uncork a bottle of wine and settle in for a story that unleashes the best of the season.

Things are heating up for Wynn as she fancies her new neighbor. While debating how to introduce herself, she's greeted by man in question. Garrick requests her help getting a room ready for his pregnant daughter. It's a win-win situation as Wynn gets to spend time with her handsome neighbor while endearing herself to his wayward daughter. Will she succeed in turning Joylyn from a Ms. Grinch to enjoying the holidays?

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for the early read of #HappilyThisChristmas in exchange for an honest review. It was a sweet story especially Wynn and her son, Hunter's relationship. That being said,
I feel Mallery published stronger storylines. Rating 3.5