Book Review: The Little Village Of Happiness.

In a bid to make the end of summer a bit less miserable, I saved myself a treat – the first book in a new series by one of my favourites, Holly Martin

With her last book (or perhaps I mean her last hero, Thor) still stuck in my mind (swoon), when The Little Village Of Happiness was published earlier this year, I was eager to dive in but with the school holidays frighteningly close I decided to hold off until I had the time to really enjoy it.

It was well worth the wait because it features a whole new set of likeable, memorable characters (how does she do it?) and yet another fictional place I would like to move to.

Here’s the blurb:

Willow McKay needs a fresh start. Her recent break-up may not have left her heartbroken, but it’s certainly wounded her pride. Desperate for a change, an advert offering free homes in a picturesque village on the Cornish coast sounds like just what she needs. Without thinking twice Willow packs up her life and heads to the village of Happiness.

But when Willow arrives, she finds ramshackle cottages, shops lying empty and villagers that seem in need of cheer themselves. It’s nothing like the pretty picture the advert had boasted. It seems Happiness was too good to be true. That is until she meets the handsome estate manager Andrew Harrington.

His passion for restoring the village to its former glory is contagious and soon they are working together, forming a secret society to bring happiness back to Happiness. And as sparks fly between them Willow can feel herself falling. But Andrew is holding something back.

Will they succeed in transforming the old village to its original beauty before it’s too late? Can the gift of happiness really save a village, and can it save Willow herself?

This is such a positive, uplifting story and it’s nice (without any spoilers) to see a realistic hero portrayed in such an inspiring way.

The chemistry between Willow and Andrew was so well written (I’d say scorching) that it didn’t seem to matter that they hadn’t know each other for very long.

Their growing relationship was believable as were the twists and turns in the story.

With a delightful supporting cast, Holly has once again come up with a well-written tale full of light and laughter and a happy ending guaranteed.

The second book in the series is out next month and I definitely won’t be waiting this time.

Format: Kindle.

Price: £1.99.

My rating: Five stars.

For a first look at the cover of the second book in this series, The Gift Of Happiness, keep your eyes on my social media tomorrow.