After really enjoying the first book, I was delighted to receive a copy of this and couldn't wait to get stuck in.
I loved the dual stories and how they came together so seamlessly.
The festive spirit is captured perfectly in amongst the storylines that keep you gripped.
I loved the introduction of Emily, she slotted into the story and family beautifully and I'm so pleased Merry has begun this new adventure with her.
I really hope there will be another book for these characters, I'm so invested in these, I would love to know what happens next!

Another heart warming read from Cathy!

I couldn’t stop smiling, a completely cosy read to cuddle up with a hot chocolate next to the fire.

This festive and heart-warming cute read was everything (apart from some of the main characters decisions).

The novel alternates between Merry and Emily.

These two women keep meeting each other randomly. Before they soon realise they have a lot more in common than they think.

Merry has never really had a family. Going from foster home to another. Cole asked her to marry him. With his two children she feels she is finally apart of a family. She also runs her own candle business (how cool is that?) with only one staff member (Cole’s retired dad) she really should have had more members taken on / pushed for it more as it’s not really fair on the dad.
Apart from that characteristic in Merry, she is a bubbly character.

Emily, is a teacher currently as she had to give up her other job to help take care of her dad (which did get out of hand when she was supposed to be working, the least she could have done was to get help as this would have helped with her mentally). I understand she feels she owes her dad everything but she has no time for herself at all. At the end of the day your own mental health and wellbeing and self care comes first. That is how you actually are able to take care of others. There is a reason why things such as airplanes and emergencies say to put the air items on yourself first before you help anyone else including children and so forth.

Both of these characters have the best intentions they are basically twins! It was so adorable to see their lives blossom as they make decisions as well as when their lives enter-twined. I really enjoyed this novel so much, I kept dragging it out because it really did make me smile so much my face hurts.

Perfect cosy read with love, family and new friendships.

100% recommend this!

Yet another great book by Cathy Bramley. There is a wonderful feel good factor and great characters. Highly recommended

I am a big fan of Cathy Bramley and this book is what I have come to expect from her. It's the 2nd in a series although can be read as a stand alone book. It isn't overwhelming this Christmas but it is definitely heartwarming and has feelgood vibes.

Some of the subject matter was personally difficult as I can empathise with Emily and her situation. Dementia is a cruel and heartbreaking illness but Cathy handled the subject matter with sensitivity, for which I thank her.

I hope there are further books focusing on some of the other characters while allowing us to catch up with the main ones in this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Orion Publishing Group for the ARC.

This is a gentle, feel good read for the winter months. Although Christmas is in the title, it’s not the overwhelming theme which is all about relationships.

If you have read and enjoyed Cathy Bromley’s previous books, you will love this.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc and the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my review.

Cathy does it again. Another wonderful book. Full to the brim with warmth, joy, sparkle, love, family and Christmas spirit. Chock a block with wonderful characters and a storyline that will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy inside. Don't miss this one for the festive time of year.

Every now and then I really enjoy a "Feel Good" read and this by Cathy Bramley is certainly one of those. I hadn't come across this author before and thanks to Net Galley and the sound of this story it won't be my last. Family, Friendships and Love are the main ingredients and the story is a good mix.

Merry has been alone since her mum died but is about to get married to Cole and gain 2 step children, she is the owner of a successful handmade candle business and has even appeared on a shopping channel a few times
Emily has been looking after her dad Ray who has got dementia but has had to make the heartbreaking decision to put him in to a care home as it isn't safe for him to be left on his own any more
While unpacking Rays things Emily comes across a photo of Ray with a little girl, at first she believes it's her but later finds out it isnt and Ray starts talking about his daughter being on the TV !
I won't say any more but you can probably guess where it might be heading
Loved it

Cathy Bramley never disappoints and this one was great just want we need for this season. Enjoyed the revisiting of certain characters and the new ones too!

I could read a Cathy Bramley book every day of the year and never get bored- they are the epitome of a warm, wholesome hug in book form. And this one was no different!

I loved the main characters, Emily and Merry, but also the secondary characters that build up their lives and their stories, making it so much more than just a normal book (as is Bramley’s style!).

Join Emily and Merry as they navigate life and it’s ups and down, including the sensitive topics of dementia, love and loss and everything inbetween. Sprinkle in a little bit of Christmas magic and this is the perfect book to curl up with.

On a side note, I didn’t realise that there was a book before this one, set a year previously, based on Merry. Despite this, I was able to read Merrily Ever After as a stand-alone (although I am disappointed I won’t get to experience Merry’s life twice!).

Overall, a fantastic book with so much depth to it. Certainly more than just ‘chick-lit’ but still light enough to bring pure enjoyment.

The perfect enjoyable Christmas book to curl up with to escape the chaos and mayhem. Heartwarming and comforting with well-developed characters making this a delightful tale for the festive period. Told from the point of view of the two main characters, Merry in the first person and Emily in the third. The story bounces between the two as the reader is, firstly, kept wondering how their two lives interconnect and, although a little predictable, how they eventually meet

A story about two woman, Merry and Emily and how through chance meetings they realise they are related.
Emily is a headteacher’s secretary so she can help her father who has dementia. Her boyfriend Gavin is jealous of the time she spends with her dad and finishes his relationship with her. After a few health scares she decides to find him a home as he can no longer live independently and she feels very alone. The move though brings Emily new friends.
Merry has her own business making candles and is busy arranging her wedding to her fiancé Cole. It’s a second marriage for Cole but first for Merry. Merry is sad that her mother died when she was young and she never knew her father and has no siblings. She was brought up in foster homes.
The two women’s paths meet when Merry is looking for a wedding dress and again at an event at Emily’s dad’s care home where she is selling candles.
It’s a light, frothy, Christmas story and is easy reading.

October is a little early for the festive reads but this one is more about the characters' stories, with a hint of mistletoe and  a waft cinnamon to get us in the Christmas spirit!

We revisit candle shop owner Merry Shaw whose relationship with builder Cole has progressed since they met last Christmas and they are looking to take things further. She is also getting on well with his children Harley and Freya and is good friends with his ex-wife Lydia. Having grown up in foster care it looks as though she will finally have the family she craves. However stepfamilies can be complicated and, when the children indicate that they are feeling unhappy, Merry wonders whether her relationship with Cole is meant to be.

Emily lives in the same town and works as a secretary in the local high school. Her job isn't exactly her dream career but she has had to work around caring for her father Ray, who has dementia. When her boyfriend Gavin dumps her because she isn't able to give him enough attention everything looks bleak. As caring  for her father gets harder she looks into moving him into to a residential home. Little does she know that this decision will bring new friends and opportunities to her!

This story is a a little predictable, but a good  heart-warming fluffy read for Christmas! This is the second book in a series but cam be read as a standalone as the previous story is revisited. I hope we hear more of Merry and Emilys' stories!

Cathy Bramley's characters are believable and people that you feel could become friends. Merrily Ever After is another feel good read from this author. Merry runs her own business making and selling candles. Having spent years in the care system she longs for stability and her own family. She thinks she has found this with Cole, a divorced father of two, but will things run smoothly?
Emily is an only child whose parents never married. She has a strong relationship with her mum but her dad, Ray, was often absent from her life. Now he.is back but his dementia is causing problems and Emily has to deal with it in her own.
The two women bump into each other in a couple of occasions but it is a photograph from Ray's past being them closer?
A heart warming seasonal story of love, family and relationships.

Thoroughly enjoyed this heartwarming captivating story it was such a cosy entertaining easy read.
Apparently it follows on from last years Christmas story but can definitely be read as a stand alone.
Wonderful characters with emotional highs & lows it will keep you entertained from beginning to end.
Merry’s dream of a family Christmas looks as though it might just come true this year.
After being alone for so long she is finally going to be married to Cole who has two children from his first marriage.
She is busy juggling wedding plans along with her business that is really taking off & leaving her with no spare time.
Emily is desperate for a fresh start after always doing the best for her family she wants time for herself.
She has just had the emotional upheaval of moving her father who has dementia into a residential home.
She happens upon a photograph in his belongings & the outcome of that could change everything she has ever known.
Emotional heartwarming story that draws you in I didn’t want to put it down.
Interesting storyline with well developed characters it will keep you engrossed up to the very last page.

This was a delightful story of finding your roots, meeting the love of your life and having a great Christmas. This had a lovely cast of characters and a feel good factor to bring some joy to your life.

Like Christmas movies, a Christmas book gets you in the mood for the festive season and this one did that and with a wedding at the centre of it all.
The links and threads which joined the characters together became apparent as the book unfolded and was so lovely.

Lovely, lovely, lovely! What a wonderfully festive, heart-warming read! It is a follow up book to The Merry Christmas Project, but it can easily be read as a standalone book. Merry is starting a new life with Cole and his two children, but with a Christmas wedding on the horizon, things aren’t going as smoothly as they should be. We also meet Emily, a school secretary who’s caring for her dad who has dementia. Merry and Emily’s stories unfold as the book moves on, with their paths crossing on more than one occasion!

I loved this book; it was such an easy-to-read story which captures you right from the beginning. I loved Merry’s character and could relate to her easily! I also loved Emily’s character equally and found her relationship with her dad, Ray moving and emotional. Their storylines move along at a good pace, alternating the chapters between Merry and Emily’s perspectives and we get to know the characters really well as the book continues.

I did wonder as I read how Merry and Emily’s storylines would connect, as it was obvious they were going to! I didn’t guess how though, and thought it was a wonderful twist to their storylines and read with bated breath whilst their secrets unfolded. There were plenty of emotional moments in their stories and Ray’s storyline did bring tears to my eyes. As the book is set on the run up to Christmas, it really is the perfect way to get into the festive spirit! Full of love, family and friendships, with each one sprinkled with a little bit of Christmas sparkles! Wonderful!! Would recommend!!

I love a Cathy Bramley book yet somehow missed there was a book preceding this. It was still a great read but i hate reading a book knowing I’ve missed one. Emily is struggling with her father who has dementia and needs help, when she finds out a secret is this the answer to her prayers? Merry is very busy with work and is now planning a wedding . Can Emily and Merry get their happily ever after. A great festive read

A really feel good book following on from the first book, although it can be read as a standalone read. Merry is finally getting all the things she wished for although will they all make her happy. Emily the other main character needs a fresh start. As their lives collide in the book, some difficult topics are addressed. Still plenty of Christmas cheer to enjoy. In my opinion, better than the first book.