Review by Veronica

Series Name: Sweet Home, Alaska, # 3 

He did something stupid, really stupid. Maybe it was to counteract how Courtney had come at him. Her kiss had been hard, crass… unpleasant. He took Lolly’s hand and pulled her toward him. For a moment, he gazed into her eyes—her surprised eyes, her familiar eyes, the eyes he’d always gotten lost in—and then he did the unthinkable. He kissed her. Immediately, he was transported back—the electricity buzzing between them, how she’d always taken his breath away, how natural it was to pull her closer, wanting more.

Happily Ever Alaska is a heartwarming small town second chance romance. 

Whenever things get too serious, baker Lolly Crocker knows it’s time to break it off with a guy. Without fail, her gut would tell her that the man she was dating was not Mr. Right.

The one exception is Shaun Montana, her high school sweetheart. With Shaun, life felt complete; but her mother convinced her she was too young to be tied down, and Lolly broke up with him the night before she left for college.

While Lolly keeps every relationship light, Shaun is never less than fully committed—and still somehow his romances have all ended badly. When he comes back to Sweet Home, his attraction to Lolly is as fiery as ever, but he’s determined to keep things casual for once…just when Lolly is finally ready to risk her heart on a second chance with the man she loved so long ago. 

I liked this book, but I would have liked it more if I had read the previous books first. Happily Every Alaska is one of those rare romance series that you should read in order so that you can understand and enjoy the story and its characters. I definitely felt like a fish out of water for the first half of the book. A lot of characters and their side stories come at you hard and fast, and it felt overwhelming because I had no idea who these characters were. But besides that, the book itself is pretty solid for a love story. If you are a fan of small-town second-chance romances, then you will enjoy Lolly and Shaun’s story. This is a clean Christian romance, so if you don’t like books with a religious undertone, you should give this book a pass. I didn’t mind it. I enjoyed Lolly’s growing relationship with God; it fits well with her journey and character growth.  

There are a lot of small-town antics going on in this book. Everyone has a strong opinion about everything, especially whether Shaun and Lolly should rekindle their romance. There was a lot of team Shaun and team Lolly happening, which was adorable at times. It was like being surrounded by a bunch of bossy older aunts who all think they know what’s best for you. I liked the small-town feel that was in this book. I also enjoyed the fact that Patience showed the downside of living in a small-town. The negative gossip that Lolly has to deal with because of her past relationship with Shaun is hard on her, and there are times when she feels unwelcome in town. 

The romance between Lolly and Shaun swings between sweet and angsty. There are strong feelings between these two. Lolly regrets breaking up with Shaun all those years ago and knows she made the biggest mistake of her life. Shaun feels angry and hurt and doesn’t want anything to do with Lolly, which is hard because it’s a small-town, and he knows he is going to bump into her a lot. The interactions between these two go from one extreme to the other. Sometimes, you get those sweet moments when you think they are ready to start something new, and then you get those moments when they (mostly Shaun) lash out and push the other person away. They both have to work on rebuilding that trust and faith in one another before they can start a new relationship. I liked the romance. It did feel a bit too angsty at times for me, and Shaun’s mood swings gave me a whiplash, but the slow rekindling of their romance made it more believable and real. They really had to hash out their past grievances before starting something new. 

Happily Ever Alaska is a great, clean romance with plenty of small-town drama. 

Thank you, Berkley Publishing, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.