There’s nothing I love more than a good book (just like our main character: Andi) and Happily Ever After delivers a delightful mix of mystery, humor, and slow-burn romance.

Andi Glover, a lifelong bookworm raised by unconventional parents, finds herself in what feels like the pages of a classic gothic novel when she takes a job at Templewood Hall. With eerie happenings, family secrets, and a missing heir, the story unfolds like a whodunnit with a touch of romance.

Jane Lovering’s writing is witty and engaging, and I adored the atmospheric setting of Templewood Hall. The slow-burn romance between Andi and the enigmatic gardener adds warmth to the novel, picking up pace toward the end in a satisfying way. While the mystery elements take center stage for much of the book, the blend of humor and heart makes it a pretty enjoyable read.

Thank you, NetGalley and Boldwood Books, for the early copy in exchange for an honest review!

I love this author and I don't think she could ever write a book I didn't like. I can definitely see how this may be a Marmite book, but thankfully, once again I loved it.

If you're looking for totally every day relatable characters, you're not going to find that here, in my opinion. The characters appear like "stock" characters from a Jane Austen style novel with the attractive, rich hero character and the lonely, desperate heroine, as well as the strange lady of the manor and the mysterious gardener. However, once I stopped trying to understand or believe in the characters and just enjoy that the author may be poking fun at the romance genre and ultimately it is a book and it doesn't have to BE believable, I leaned into it and I had a lot of fun reading it.

Jane Lovering's style of writing is just something you can't teach. Whatever she writes, and whichever characters she creates, she manages to turn it into a page turning and intriguing novel.

There were some discussion of, or nod towards, serious themes to the book including dysfunctional families, gender identity and sensory impairment, alongside the mysterious elements which raise a lot of questions, but ultimately this is a light hearted and easy read from a fantastically talented author. I really enjoyed it!

Great premise but the writing is lacking in so many ways that it made the book a struggle to finish.

Lovering’s signature wit and warmth shine through in Happily Ever After. The novel’s blend of humor, heart, and suspense is engaging from start to finish. Andi is a relatable and endearing protagonist, with her bookish nature serving as both a strength and a weakness. Her journey from fiction-obsessed dreamer to someone willing to confront the complexities of real life is as satisfying as it is entertaining.

The supporting characters are equally well-drawn, from the eccentric Lady Dawe to the enigmatic Hugo and the mysterious yet oddly dependable gardener. Each character adds depth to the story and keeps readers guessing about their true motives and roles in the unfolding drama!

At its core, Happily Ever After is about stepping out of your comfort zone and embracing the unpredictable messiness of life. Lovering cleverly contrasts the escapist allure of fiction with the challenges of reality, showing that while life may not always follow a tidy narrative arc, it’s still worth living—and loving.

The gothic elements—creaky halls, family secrets, ghostly sightings—are handled with just the right touch of drama and humor, ensuring the story remains engaging without becoming overly dark. And of course, the slow-burn romance adds a delightful layer to the story!

Gothic mystery with a tad bit of romance is how I would describe this book. Andi’s imagination and whimsy was fun to read and I liked her and Hugo together. I do wish though that they had a bit more chemistry written in though as they took some warming up to!

This is a true escapism book where you just go with the flow, don’t take anything too seriously and enjoy.
Andi Glover knows her parents love her but they are caught up with travelling/living in their bus and making YouTube videos. Andi resents her sister who managed to escape living with them and go to boarding school. Hence due to Andi’s childhood in the bus she read constantly and now believes life can work out like those romances she read.
Taking the live in position of curator to the personal library of eccentric Lady Dawe, she has high hopes of falling in love with the son Hugo but life isn’t always like the novels she devoured.
With strange sounds in the night, a gardener who just seems to appear, a cat called The Master (my favourite character) this is a quirky, quick read.
For me it was an entertaining and light.
Thankyou to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to read.

Andi gets a job in a stately home as a record keeper of the books, but Lady Tanith has other ideas, she’s wants to find missing diary’s of her deceased husband and hopefully a wife for her son Hugo. It’s a quirky read that has period features, but it’s set in the present day. I loved Masters the cat and thought it very fitting, he really is the boss of the house. It’s a quick read with nods to older books read by Andi throughout her childhood, A 4 star read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

Andi Glover, raised by unconventional parents who eschewed formal education, finds solace in books. However, fiction hasn't prepared Andi for real life. Her new live-in position at the eccentric Lady Dawe's Templewood Hall, with her mysterious son Hugo, feels like a gothic novel come to life. But the reality of Templewood Hall is far stranger than any fiction. The novel is a blend of romance and mystery, complete with unexplained noises, a missing heir, possible ghosts, and long-held family secrets.

I'm not sure what I was reading here, but I will say it was enjoyable. I went into it expecting some sort of mystery. And while I can't say this matched my expectations, I did have a fun time reading about the various quirky characters. A special shoutout to The Master, who stole the show for me everytime he deigned to grace us with his presence.

There's a part in this book where the fmc concludes that life isn't like books - books have an arc from adversity into a happy ever after, but in real life you just take what is given and make the best of it (paraphrasing). And this book is very much about real life and reads that way, but there is a joy in just being on the journey and getting to know the characters and understand their challenges.

While I thought that the story started off a bit slow, I enjoyed the characters, the development, and the ending. It was a cute story and I would recommend it as an easy quick read!

Not for me. Andi was completely dense and seemed to just be searching for anyone she could trap into marriage so she didn’t have to work. The whole thing was uncomfortable due to this. She needed to grow up, go to school, and get a proper job.

A wonderful lighthearted read ,full of undiscovered surprises along the way ,i really enjoyed his book .

First can I just say love the cover it’s so sweet and pretty
I enjoyed this. The character really made it for me they were so unique and quirky
Loved the mysterious story I was constantly trying to guess what was happening
Will be reading more from Jane

It was OK, definitely not one of my favorites by the author. I usually love Jane Lovering's books and always look forward to reading them. Unfortunately, this one fell flat for me and I wasn't really invested in any of the characters. The Master was my favorite. He was fat, smelled like sardines and just happened to be an adorable kitty. Everyone else was just there or probably should have been committed. That would be Lady Tanith. She was simply DELUSIONAL!!! Did any of these people know how to function in the real world. Andi blamed her parents and sister for the life she has. Really she's jealous of Judith. Judith spoke and told her parents she wanted to go to school and not live in a bus. Plus, she knew how to change her name into something less stupid. Andi had the same opportunity as her sister but she never spoke up. She just buried her nose in a book and believed she would find some rich guy who would fall madly in love with her. She even took the job with crazy Lady Tanith in hopes her and Hugo would go riding off in the sunset. Unfortunately, she didn't know how much Hugo loved Chanel and so many more designers. Nothing really happened throughout the book. Andi searched the library, moved books around, inputted books into a spread sheet and repeated over and over. I also came to the same conclusion as Andi did about Jay. The book just ends and doesn't feel like there was any conclusion and seemed a bit anticlimactic.

Definitely recommend giving the book a try, it just wasn't for me. I didn't hate the story, just didn't enjoy it like the previous books. Look forward to reading more books by the author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Boldwood Books, through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Another great offering from Jane Lovering. A cast of quirky characters rolled up in a storyline of mystery, romance and humour. I devoured every page right to the end.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Jane Lovering’s books are always a pleasure to read and this is no exception. A quirky, mysterious story that has kept me guessing where it was headed all the way to the ( thankfully happy) ending. Her superb writing style and characterisations will keep you entertained and very happy. She’s one of the best novelists around and I definitely recommend it.
Thank you to Boldwood Books, the author and NetGalley for an early copy.

“Happily Ever After”, by Jane Lovering, is an entertaining story with apparently ordinary people as leads, some secondary characters with secrets and surprises and a particularly charming and independent cat as a lovely addition.
The unortodox heroine, with her unconventional upbringing and uncontrolable imagination, and the low profile hero are great characters.
I loved how slowly the hero revealed himself – as the hero and as a character – and the slow burn romance, too.
I also liked his pragmatic attitude towards his condition and the realistic way the author handled it. The lack of melodrama is admirable.
Embarassement, inadequacy, shyness – these are things the characters experience and Lovering writes so well about, and always with sense of humor, too.
Although the romance is a bit mild, the story, the setting and the characters are engaging. I loved the cat and the relationship with Andi; I felt the author wrote wonderfully cat’s maneirisms and personalities, and how independent, affectionate and intelligent these creatures are.
So, the end felt abrupt: I would have liked an epilogue to know about The Master’s futur.

A really enjoyable read for a first time reader of Jane Lovering, and I’m sure it won’t be the last of her novels that I read. A slightly different ,and ,intriguing storyline with a few twists and turns plus an interesting , if somewhat quirky, cast of characters. Recommended.

I normally absolutely love Jane Lovering’s books. I mean - totally adore!
However I found this very disappointing and not up to her usual high standards.
Sorry, it’s just not my cup of tea. I found the characters rather unbelievable and unengaging, the pacing was weird and I wanted a much better ending.

Sorry, I didn’t enjoy it but it won’t stop me reading her books.