Merry is 35 and lives in Holly cottage, in Wetherby, Derbyshire in UK. She has just got engaged to Cole, whom has two olde₩0r children Harley who's 13 yeards old and Fraya who is 8 originally from Canada.
Merry and bright is Mrry's candle shop is described as being her 'pride and joy. In prime position in the centre of Wetherley overlooking the market square". She goes on to say 'I thrived having people around me and feel I have a valuable part to play in the community'.
Fred has retired but has been helping out at the shop but now Merry is 'over-reliant on him'. She needs to fund new staff and quickly.
She even gets given a small spot on a national television shopping channel, this changes the her life forever in more ways than one.


Then we have Emily priority is her father, even before her new job at the local secondary school. 
Ray Meadows has dementia 'but he's deteriorated in the last few months' and in one of his lucid moments says 'he doesn't want to be a burden' so has been moved into a care home for his own safety. This yet again will change Emily's life forever.

There are different POV  every chapter which personally I like a lot, I relished the length of chapters, as it kept the story moving and most  importantly I enjoyed the great characterisation and development of the friendship groups and how they come together ready for the big day.

As you might have noticed I'm a big Cathy Bradley fan but I have not read the first one in the series, so it does stand up as a single novel I am tempted to read the first one to find out more of my favourite character! I do love a good series of  books, so can picture th third one!

Many thanks to Netgally and the publishers for giving me a digital copy of this book in exchange for n honest review. All views expressed are completely my own.

Merrily Ever After

I really feel for Emily who looking after her dad Ray who has deminta is hard enough.

Merry and Emily, two women who are having to deal with different issues.

Merry is Planning her wedding to Cole. Recall on a struggling with his two teenage children

A very emotional and realistic read which many will be able to relate to.
Having been without a family for most of her life, Mellie is very excited to finally have a family of her own through marriage. Along with her Mary's wedding planning and candle business, things are getting better and better, along with the story of Emily and her dementia-stricken father, Ray. Emily has changed jobs and is exhausted trying to protect her father. As the story develops into a very old mystery, it's amazing how the mystery unfolds, given little clues that will change Emily and Merry's lives forever. I love the characters - Nell is so funny and the Coles kids are so real.
I enjoyed reading about each character lives and how they dealt with thier own circumstances.
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#MerrilyEverAfter #NetGalley #seasonal #christmas

A lovely seasonal book, perfect escapism. It has all the essential ingredients for a Christmas novel.

Well what a nice book with unexpected twists and turns! I enjoyed the story although it to me a while to get into it. The two main characters were fun and felt right at home within the narrative change, took awhile to understand why there was switching but an all round feel good book

This engaging story is about Merry and Emily, two women who are having to deal with different issues.
Merry loves Cole, and is about to get married and help to take care of his two children. Emily has had to forget her dream job, as she takes care of her father who has dementia.
The story is told from each woman’s viewpoint. Both are warm and likeable, and their stories are heartwarming and humorous in places, though Merry starts to have niggling doubts about whether Cole’s children will accept her as his wife. She is caring and friendly, and you feel empathy for her as she struggles with her feelings.
Though neither Emily nor Merry know each other, Emily discovers secrets from the past which could make stunning differences to both their lives.
This is a delightful festive story, about relationships, families, and secrets which have changed people’s lives. Skilfully written, well developed, likeable characters and an incredible storyline keep you turning the pages.
Recommended.

Cathy Bramley does it again with her fabulous new book. This book resonated with me as I am in the same position as Emily, and at times I had a tear in my eye. That aside, it is a truly wonderful book.

If this book isn’t a huge hit this winter I’ll be very surprised.
With a truly compelling story, brilliant storytelling and a dose of festivities there’s a lot of entertainment.

I don’t know how Cathy Bramley does it but she writes amazing books, I enjoyed this one so much. Merry is busy with her business, planning a wedding and trying to be a good (almost stepmother) and friend to Harley and Freya. Emily is struggling to hold down a job while managing her fathers dementia, which is rapidly getting worse. She realises the time is approaching when she will have to consider putting him in a home - being an only child the hard decision is hers alone.

The dementia of Ray was beautifully written and there were parts were he made me laugh. This is such a good book full of great characters and with an amazing twist at the end.

This story is a sequel to The Merry Christmas project (published last year) but, can be read as a stand alone read. Although I really enjoyed the first book I think this story is far cleverer and enjoyed it even more. In the first few pages Cole proposes to Merry and then adds another surprise that the registry office is booked for seven weeks time - Christmas Eve. Merry is so excited that she will finally have a family of her own - through marriage as she has been without this for most of her life. Along side the wedding plans and Merry's candle business going from strength to strength.
Along side this is the story of Emily and her father Ray who suffers with dementia. Emily has changed jobs and is exhausted trying to keep her dad safe. Small clues are given as the story unfolds to a very old secret which will change both Emily and Merry's life forever and the way that this secret unfolds is brilliant.
I love the characters - Nell is so funny and the Coles kids are very authentic. I love the Christmas feel throughout the book and would recommend that you make yourself a hot chocolate get comfy and just enjoy the read,

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I absolutely loved reading this book.

The story is set in a small town in Derbyshire, just before Christmas.

Merry is newly engaged, but she’s finding it hard to try and run her business, which is doing really, along with planning her wedding on Christmas Eve wedding, getting used to being a step-mother to Harley and Freya.

Emily, dad has dementia and she knows that it’s getting harder to cope with it, and is thinking of moving him to a home.

The story is written from Merry and Emily’s viewpoints and we find out more about them as slowly their lives become linked.

All the characters and relationships were week written.

I highly recommend this book.

This book is the sequel to The Merry Christmas Project. I reccomend that you read that book first, or there will be spoilers. This book will be more enjoyable if you read the first book before this one.
Cathy Bramley rarely writes sequels, so it feels special to be able to read this book. Merry is such a lovely character, so I am happy that her story was continued. I am also so very pleased that the sequel was also a Christmas book.
I always know that I will love Cathy's books. They are so well written and I don't want to put them down. Her characters stay with me long after I have finished reading the book. I finished this book a couple of days ago and I am still thinking about the story as well as Merry and Emily. It would be wonderful if they had a cameo appearance in another of Cathy's books.
This book has it all, it is so cosy, festive and heartwarming. I absolutely loved The Merry Christmas project, but somehow, I loved this one even more. I definitely recommend it.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for my ARC.

Another read in one sitting from this fantastic author - if you are on the lookout for well written, heartwarming, relatable fiction then this is absolutely the book for you! It made me laugh, it made me cry, I just adored it and will definitely be recommending it as excellent Christmas fiction for this year.

A good storyline told through two characters Emily and Merry, lots of time I was confused as didn`t know which character was speaking and had to back read the chapter.
Emily was looking after her father with dementia and the story was very well done.
Merry`s wedding planning was a bit OTT and hard to believe
If you can skip over the faults it`s a good story.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC

What an absolute treat to return to Wetherley and such a lovely, lovely story, it wouldn't be Christmas without Cathy Bramley and I loved every emotional moment

The second book by the author with "Merry" in it - to my embarrassment I have the first one in my TBR list but haven't read it yet - but it is a standalone book in its own right anyway. Merry is due to marry Cole, but in the back of her mind she is still dreaming of the family of her own that she never had. In the meantime Emily is struggling to look after her father, who is suffering from Alzheimer's and can no longer live on his own. A series events leads to the two meeting on several occasions, is fate helping out here?
A wonderful story, full of Christmas cheer, families and new love. The characters are real and likeable, the worrying thing is that Emily's father is younger than I am with his failing memories, but overall it is a real comforting book to read on an autumnal evening. Definitely recommended and I really must get around to reading the first book......
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.

A charming Christmassy tale! It's hard to give a synopsis without giving away the plot...but it's a great one!

The characters are well formed and likeable, the plot believable - with enough tugs of the heart strings and twists to keep you interested but enough warm fuzzy moments that make this a thoroughly festive read.

It is the second story for the character of 'Merry' from Cathy Bramley however I didn't realise this until I saw the advert at the end so don't be put off by this.

It's left me feeling very ready for the festive season!

Merry is looking forward to Christmas. Her handmade candle business is doing well and she is looking forward to her wedding to Cole. But juggling wedding planning and the busiest time of the year for her business and being sensitive to the feelings of Cole’s two children are leaving her feeling ragged.
Emily is struggling to hold down her job as school secretary with looking after her father Ray. Finally deciding to get Ray into a residential home will help ease the burden on her but it will also uncover long held secrets that will rock more than just Emily’s life.
As Christmas gets closer Merry and Emily will need support from friends and family if they are going to have a festive season to remember.
This brilliantly festive story about family friendship and love will give you a warm glow inside and a leave you with a smile on your face.

I absolutely loved Merrily Ever After. It's festive feel good but with real strong emotions too. Merry is a successful entrepreneur, living her best life with fiance Cole and her new family. But is she taking on too much, with her successful business and planning a whirlwind wedding? Emily is struggling to hold down her job in a school whilst dealing with her dad's dementia and no family support. We follow the lives of the two women as they navigate through the festive season and keep all their plates spinning. There's romance but without being trivial or frothy.

Without giving it away, there's a fantastic twist, which I did not see coming at all, and it made me enjoy the story even more!

Merrily Ever After is a must read, whatever the season!

What a sweet feel-good story!

This was my first experience reading a Cathy Bramley book and even though it’s the second in the “Merry” series, I had a great time even though it’s not my usual type of book.

It has the perfect mix of light and fluffy, with some really hard topics such as parent loss and dementia that gave the story real depth.

We had chapters from the POVs of Merry and Emily, with both characters being very likeable and easy to root for. I definitely want to go back and read the first in the series now.

Another wonderful book from Cathy Bramley! Emily is struggling to look after her father, who has progressive dementia, and hold down a full time job.
Merry is struggling to run a successful and expanding business, while planning her Christmas Eve wedding at short notice.
When Emily discovers a photograph amongst her father's papers, she can't begin to imagine the impact this will have on her life.
I loved this story of family and friendship. It was a refreshing change from the usual focus on romantic relationships, which abound in this genre.