Reviewed by Emma Crowley
In a picturesque town in Derbyshire, Merry has always wanted a family to spend Christmas with, and this year her dream comes true as she says 'I do' to father-of-two Cole. But as she juggles worries about her business, last-minute wedding planning and the two new children in her life, Merry is stretched to breaking point.
Meanwhile, only a few miles away, Emily is desperately waiting for the New Year to begin. Her father Ray's dementia is worsening, and she's struggling to care for him alone while holding down a job. When Ray moves into a residential home, she discovers a photograph in his belongings that has the potential to change everything.
As shocking secrets from Ray's past finally come to light, will this Christmas make or break Emily and Merry?
Many thanks to Orion via NetGalley for my copy of Merrily Ever After to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
It’s gotten to the stage where I don’t even glance at the blurb before beginning a Cathy Bramley book because I just know that I am going to adore the story. Her covers alone always make me want to read her wonderful, feel good escapist stories and I’m delighted that lately she seems to be publishing two books a year because I just can’t get enough of her writing. No doubt about it she is up there in my top five authors and she just continues to go from strength to strength. So to say when I discovered that her Christmas book for this year, Merrily Ever After, was a follow up story to The Merry Christmas Project that was published last year, that I was excited would be an understatement. I had always felt that there was more to be told in the story of Merry and thankfully Cathy felt the same way. Yes, this new book can be read as a standalone but really I urge you to read the previous book beforehand and then delve straight into this one as you’ll become completely immersed in a wonderful Christmas story in a setting where you instantly feel at home and with characters you come to truly care about. All this is wrapped up in a wonderful sense of all things Christmas that Cathy is so brilliant at.
It felt so good to be back reading about a familiar setting and characters with some new faces introduced as well. Merry is living at Holly Cottage with her partner Cole and his two children Harley and Freya. Her handmade candle making business Merry and Bright is going from strength to strength and some might say its success has become just that little bit too much for her. Cole’s Dad Fred has been helping out but he can’t work as many hours as Merry and he does need a break especially as he would love to spend more time with his partner Astrid who is a good friend of Merry’s. Don’t get me wrong Merry is very happy with her life and has grown and blossomed since we first met her but maybe she needs to find more of a balance between work and family. The sadness she feels from the loss of her mother is still there for the reader to see and not knowing who her Dad was eats away at her. She is not lonely by any means as Cole has brought such love and happiness into her life but still no one will ever take her mum’s place. All she has ever dreamed of is to be married with a family and home of her own and this makes perfect sense considering her family past.
Merry is an avid Christmas Fan and as the busy time of year approaches her business goes from strength to strength. I loved all the little details regarding Merry’s business and the mentions of Christmas stalls, lights, frost, trees, music, mulled wine, candles, hot chocolate and lots more. It really made me feel excited for Christmas and all that it brings but for Merry there is even more of a reason for happiness as Cole proposes and she accepts. They want to get married as soon as possible and set the date for Christmas Eve. With only a few weeks to prepare will Merry pull off the wedding of her dreams? Not to mention there is a very unexpected surprise that is heading in her direction. Merry knows family is the best gift of all and by marrying Cole he is giving her the one thing she had been searching for in her life. She now feels as if she belongs somewhere and she has become a firm part of the community.But with the demands of the business and now a wedding to organise is it time for Merry to take on some else to help out? Can she relinquish just a small bit and let someone in to ease the load a little?
To be honest, I thought the sole focus of this book would be on Merry and her preparing for the wedding and yes this does feature but to a lesser extent than I had anticipated. I did love the exploration of how both children deal with Merry becoming a permanent fixture in their life and how Harley is dealing with his own issues. This was all developed so well with a lovely relaxed pace to it. But soon I discovered there was another character, Emily, a new face who was to bring a different slant to the story. Initially, when I read about her, I was ever so slightly disappointed because I wanted it to be all about Merry but soon I felt foolish for thinking this way as Cathy had a beautiful written story in store for us and Emily was the perfect addition and made the book as a whole come circle from the first time we meet Merry in The Merry Christmas Project.
Emily is a secretary in a secondary school and trying to balance work with keeping an eye on her Dad, Ray, who has dementia. Emily is trying her best but she needs support and can’t cope. Not knowing what each day will bring when it comes to Ray and his illness brings stress and pressure on Emily. Will the police ring today saying Ray has been found wandering somewhere? Will Ray have some lucid moments or will he forget who Emily is? The straw that breaks the camels back is when Emily’s boyfriend Gavin dumps her after she fails to turn up for a night out. She knows things are getting on top of her but her Dad needs looking after and what daughter wouldn’t do anything for her father? But at the same time her own life is starting to suffer. Something has to give because Ray will end up seriously hurting himself or worse and Emily would never cope with that. I felt desperately sorry for Emily as I could see the stress and strain she was under and I could identify with her. She is torn between a rock and a hard place - continue going on with the way things were or else try and get Ray into some sort of home/assisted living facility where she knew his needs would be looked after?
Emily was brave to make the decision for Ray to move into a home but this in turn allowed for some romance to develop when a new character is introduced and at the same time a very unexpected revelation comes out into the open. One which throws Emily into turmoil not knowing whether she can believe it or not. Shocking past secrets come to light and she doesn’t know whether she should be pursue what she has discovered? Emily undergoes a journey that will change her life forever and as things unfold the reader is constantly wondering how will Merry and Emily meet and connect? Both Emily and Merry are fabulously written characters. For a good while, I was wondering how would they come together and meet and connect? Each woman was just so fabulously written and you are there with them every step of the way as they navigate the run up to the wedding and at the same time sensitive and emotional subjects are being tackled and all with a dash of romance and festive cheer and antics thrown in for good measure too and I was there living for and loving each moment.
Cathy Bramley never lets her readers down and time and time again she provides us with stories infused with warmth, humour, human understanding and romance. I mean what more could you ask for in a book? Added to that, the fact that Merrily Ever After was Christmas themed and featured one of my all time favourite characters from this author well this book gave me everything I wanted and much more. Cathy is an author whose books I love more than anything and this story provided me with a wide range of emotions as two women navigate through some difficult times but the sense of friendship, comradery and something just that little bit deeper has you rooting for a positive and fulfilling outcome for all involved. Some difficult subjects are tackled most notably that of Ray and his dementia which I think at one time or another we can all identify with how Emily was feeling. But despite this the book never became too heavy and the more serious moments were perfectly balanced with lots of humour, warmth and Christmas fun and frolics and I loved every minute of it.
Love, friendship, hope and family are all strong themes throughout and readers will identify an awful lot with the characters. If you’ve never read a Cathy Bramley book before then what are you waiting for, get on it right now and discover an author who writes great stories with characters that walk off the page to meet you. I’ve already spotted Cathy’s next book, The Sunrise Sisterhood will be published in May. You can guarantee I’ll be there ready and waiting to get my hands on it.
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