Happily This Christmas

Written by Susan Mallery

Narrated by Tanya Eby

'A delightful Christmas visit to Happily Inc full of warmth, fun and community spirit.’
Bella Osborne, author or One Family Christmas

It’s the season of love, forgiveness… and tidings of trouble!

Wynn Beauchene is exactly where she wants to be: a successful business owner and single mum. Lately, however, something feels like it's missing. Even worse is Wynn's attraction to the gorgeous policeman next door.

With his pregnant daughter coming to stay, Garrick McCabe has one last chance to repair their strained relationship. Except his daughter seems to have turned into the Grinch, and now Garrick needs Wynn's help to turn this festive fiasco around… before it's too late.

For Garrick and Wynn, a little chaos is the perfect gift for revealing what—and who—matters most…

Fall in love with Susan Mallery
‘Warm, witty and romantic. The perfect feel-good read’ – Sunday Times Bestselling author Sarah Morgan

‘Heartwarming and hilarious’ – Rebecca Raisin

‘Susan Mallery is one of my favourites.’
#1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Release date: Sep 29, 2020
• ISBN: 9780263281699

Susan Mallery

#1 NYT bestselling author Susan Mallery writes heartwarming, humorous novels about the relationships that define our lives—family, friendship, romance. She's known for putting nuanced characters in emotional situations that surprise readers to laughter. Beloved by millions, her books have been translated into 28 languages.Susan lives in Washington with her husband, two cats, and a small poodle with delusions of grandeur. Visit her at SusanMallery.com.

Reviews for Happily This Christmas

[maydacat_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Romance may finally be in air but it’s not all smooth sailing. Wynn and Garrick finally begin a friendship when he asks her help in getting his house ready for his very pregnant daughter. Unfortunately, the unhappy daughter, missing her military husband, is consistently in a foul mood. They are going to need an extra dose of Christmas cheer to make everyone merry this year. This tale may be a romance, but there is some grit to it, and a lesson or two for some people to learn along the way.

[bookchickdi · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In the newest novel, Happily This Christmas, single mom Wynn has a terrific thirteen year-old son and owns her own thriving printing business. She has lots of good friends, but no man in her life. When her handsome police officer neighbor Garrick comes over and asks for assistance decorating his home for the arrival of his pregnant 21 year-old daughter, Wynn thinks this might be her way to get to know him better.Both Wynn and Garrick had their children when they were young. Wynn was on her own with her son, and Garrick is divorced from his wife, who remarried and now has three young sons with her new husband. Garrick's daughter Joylyn is not happy coming to see her father, they have been somewhat estranged, much to Garrick's dismay. Joylyn's husband is away overseas on active military duty, not due home until close to the baby's due date right after Christmas. She also feels that her own mother is abandoning her.Wynn takes a reluctant Joylyn under her wing, introducing her to the women in her ladies' weekly lunch group, and Wynn's son likes having someone closer to his own age like Joylyn around. Garrick wants to take this chance to get to reconnect with his daughter, to be as close they used to be when she was just a liitle girl.I really enjoyed my visit back to Happily, Inc. and watching Wynn and Garrick's relationship move in an exciting new direction. The Christmas setting is wonderful, and this being a wedding destination town, there is a wedding to plan. After reading the last two books in the series, I immediately ordered the first two books so I could get to know all of the characters from the beginning. Reading this series is like catching up with old friends, and if you are a fan of Hallmark's Christmas movies, the Happily, Inc. books are for you. I highly recommend Happily This Christmas to help get you in the holiday spirit, and don't we all need that now? (And the cover looks so festive you could use it as holiday decoration.) Thanks to Harlequin for putting me on their Harlequin Holiday Blog Tour.

[cherylk_44 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It is not too early to read Christmas books. Thus Susan Mallery's newest, Happily This Christmas is the perfect stocking stuffer read!I just loved everything about this book. Garrick and Wynn may have been the adults in the story but they kind of acted like over struck teenagers. Ahh...love. Which speaking of love, Garrick's love for his daughter, Joylyn was sweet. It was nice to see that despite Joylyn's frosty attitude towards him in the beginning, he never gave up on her. I have read all the books in this series. The more I visit Happily, Inc. it makes me "happy". It is kind of like Robyn Carr's Virgin River series. Which I loved that series. Pick up a copy of this book today.

[asheley-627878 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Garrick's 21-year-old pregnant daughter is coming to stay with him while her husband is deployed. He asks his next-door neighbor Wynn to help make his house comfortable for Joylyn's stay. Garrick and Wynn become friends and then move into an easy, slow romance. At the same time, Wynn befriends Joylyn and helps her through the later parts of her pregnancy since she does not have any friends in town and her husband is away.I always marvel at how well Ms. Mallery writes the interactions between her characters and this story is another good example of this. These two neighboring households grow closer over the course of the holiday season. As with pretty much every book I've read by Susan Mallery, I felt invested in these characters' lives. Happily This Christmas is set over the Thanksgiving and Christmas season, and I enjoyed the meals and decorations that were written into the story.I read this book in its entirety in one sitting while the rest of my family was out of the house. This is actually the sixth in the Happily, Inc. series, but worked really well as a starting point for me since I haven't read any of the previous books. I liked the supporting characters in this story, so I'm eager to go back and start this series from the beginning.Thank you to Harlequin Books for sending me a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

[cathygeha · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Happily This Christmas by Susan MalleryHappily Inc #6Wynn is daydreaming as she gazes her front window while thinking about and doing a teen-like crush on Garrick. Garrick moved in about a year ago, is moving his way up to being at the top of the Happily Inc police department. Wynn was smitten by Garrick’s chest as seen without a shirt during his bouts mowing the yard and has had steamy thoughts more than a time or two since. At this point I felt a bit like Wynn sounded more teen than adult with a teenage son and when Garrick came knocking at her door her reaction was a bit teen-ish, too. That soon changed as the two began working to prep his house for his daughter’s arrival and I saw her interacting with her son and others. In the end I came away with a feel good holiday romance that was a fun way to spend the day. What I liked: * The small-town setting * Wynn: Excellent mother, good friend, community minded, ready to let go of something from her past, and perhaps ready for more in her life* Garrick: excellent with his colleagues, capable, a good man, not the best at relationships, hoping to find out what went wrong with his daughter and perhaps ready for more in his life* Hunter: a 14-year-old mature beyond his years. I liked the way her related to his mother and to others* The Jolynn story line – I did not like Jolynn at first, but she grew and in so doing she grew on me* The Holly/Rex story line – a fairytale story fitting for the season * The love that showed in so many relationships within the story* The HEA for more than one in the storyWhat I did not like: * Nothing really to dislike…an easy read with a holiday happy endingDid I like this book? YesThank you to Edelweiss+ and Harper Collins for the ARC – This is my honest review. 4 Stars

[cclpad · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It's been a while since I posted a book review. Not because I haven't been reading, but after reading quite a few books for review, I took a break and read for myself. I did read some great books that I will review in the next few weeks, but I'm starting with a Christmas book. Of course. Since it's officially Fall, there are only twelve weekends between now and Christmas. That's twelve chances to curl up with some hot chocolate, or a latte, or tea, and this endearing book. Susan Mallery takes us back to Happily Inc, the wedding destination town in the California desert. This is Wynn's story. We've met Wynn in the other Happily Inc stories. She runs the graphic design and printing shop and she's a single mom of a young teenage boy. Wynn has kept her heart to herself and refused to consider a long-term relationship. Until the good-looking police officer, Garrick, moves in next door. They wave greetings occasionally and she watches him mow his lawn, but that's it. Until he asks her to help him get his home ready for his adult daughter, Joylyn, to come stay. She's pregnant and her husband is deployed. They've been estranged for several years and he has no idea why or what happened. He's hoping this means they can heal the past and restore the loving relationship they used to have. Of course, it's not that easy. I really enjoyed this one a lot. Of course, we all know I'm a huge Susan Mallery fan. And a huge fan of Christmas stories with Happily Ever After endings. Wynn and Garrick had believable chemistry and they were cognizant that they both had their children living with them, so they didn't tumble into bed at the first spark, disregarding that fact. Joylyn was a pill at first, but she softened and became likable. Some of our previous Happily Inc protagonists had cameos and walk-on parts, so we got to catch up with Renee and Jasper, Bethany and Cade, Carol and Matthias, and the others. This was a fun addition to the Happily Inc library and I highly recommend it!I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, but it did not induce me to review it, either favorably or not.

[cats57_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This was a super sweet 'next-door-neighbors with older kids', romance. I have never seen two such perfect parents, one perfect or nearly so 14-year-old and one unlikeable to the point of hating 21-year old that eventually grows and becomes likable.This was a fun and steamy read, but the many issues I had with it took away a lot of my enjoyment.*ARC supplied by the publisher.

[scoutmomskf · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fantastic story of love, family, and forgiveness. I have looked forward to Wynn's story ever since she ended her relationship with Jasper. Wynn is one of those people who always seem to have their life together - organized, successful, a great mom, and a terrific friend. I loved getting to know her better and discovering that it wasn't always that way. Wynn spent years feeling guilty and punishing herself for something she did and has just begun to forgive herself. One of the benefits of that forgiveness is permitting herself to have a crush on the man next door.Garrick grew up in Happily Inc., got his high school girlfriend pregnant, and left to go to college. He remained friends with the girlfriend and was an active participant is raising their daughter. He became a cop, married and divorced, and did some undercover work. After his last assignment went wrong, he wanted something a little less intense and returned to Happily Inc. with an eye toward becoming the police chief when the current one retires. His relationship with his daughter is strained, but he jumps at the chance for her to stay with him for a few weeks. She's very pregnant, and her Marine husband is deployed. Garrick hopes to find a way to repair their relationship. But first, he needs help to get his house ready for her. The first person he thinks of is his next-door neighbor.I loved the way this book started. Wynn is drooling over her neighbor and trying to figure out how to indicate her interest when Garrick shows up on her doorstep. Her willingness to help him is typical of Happily Inc. residents, but she also looks at it as an opportunity to get to know him. It was great to see how quickly Wynn and Garrick became friends. I loved the mix of humor and seriousness in their interactions as they give each other advice and support. Underneath the easy friendship are sparks of attraction that intensify the more time they spend together. It was fun to see the buildup as family obligations crop up at inconvenient times. It is easy to see the feelings between them grow, but both have past issues that hold them back. I liked Wynn's honest look at her past, acceptance of her mistakes, and realization that it was okay to forgive herself and move on. What surprised her was what she wanted in her life now. Garrick has a more challenging time of it. He is convinced that he stinks at relationships, that any time he tries commitment, something always goes wrong. Those fears come to the surface when he offers to help Wynn with what she wants. He is so utterly oblivious to what he said/did wrong that I almost felt more sorry for him than mad at him. He earned every bit of his misery. It was great to see Wynn's son, Hunter, call him out on what he did. The reactions of his friends were even better, and I enjoyed seeing them point out his idiocy. The scene in Wynn's office was great, and Christmas morning showed the promise for their future.Besides the romance between Garrick and Wynn, this is also a terrific story about family. In earlier books, we've seen the close relationship between Wynn and her son Hunter. It is easy to see the love, respect, and trust between them. It is quite a blow to Wynn when Hunter abuses that trust, and I ached for her and the pain she felt. I loved that Garrick was there for support without trying to fix the problem. I ached for Hunter, too, as he realized how badly he had messed up. I was impressed with how both Wynn and Hunter handled the matter.Garrick's family problems are more complicated. He had a terrific relationship with his daughter, Joylyn, until she was fifteen. Then it went wrong, and he has no idea why. I hurt for him and his pain and confusion over her attitude and actions. When the book started, I heartily disliked Joylyn. She acted like a spoiled brat to her mother and brothers, which got her booted to her dad's for the last month of her pregnancy. She was obnoxious to Garrick when she arrived in Happily Inc. when all he wanted was to make her happy. I liked seeing Wynn call her out on her attitude and how Hunter befriended her while also pointing out how good she has it. I liked how Wynn encouraged Garrick to be patient, but also to confront Joylyn about what had happened. It was a slow process, but I liked seeing the progression. I felt that the whole process was realistically portrayed. I laughed out loud when Garrick volunteered to go to her birthing classes with her. His reactions were priceless.I ended up liking Joylyn, though her attitude at the beginning irritated me. As more came out about what caused the rift, I understood her feelings. I could see that she also missed her old relationship with Garrick but didn't know what to do. In addition to her problems with him, Joylyn also felt cut off from her life. She misses her husband intensely and realizes that she made a mistake when she moved home rather than stay on base with her friends and support. As her relationship with Garrick improved, she also got more involved in the Happily Inc. community. I loved how Wynn's friends included Joylyn in their activities. One of the best parts of the book is when Joylyn asks for their help when her best friend and her fiancé (both Marines) want to get married. The way they all worked together to pull off an amazing event was incredible and heartwarming.There were many places in the book that made me laugh or cry, but this was one of my favorite parts, about guys liking shopping:Wynn: "Oh, please. If you did, you'd have more stuff in your house. Most guys don't like shopping, which I've never understood. All you have to do is pretend you're hunting. You stalk, you pounce, you strap it to the car and take it home. A total win, but men don't see it that way."Garrick: "There are a lot of gross generalizations in those few sentences."Wynn: "I'll admit that's true, but how many of them are wrong?"Garrick: "Not as many as I'd like."