Happy's Ever After (Cade Creek, #1)

by Stormy Glenn

[Cocktails and Books]

Wow. Just...wow.
I had to do some thinking about this before I sat down to review "Happy's Ever After". The book was great. There's no doubt about that at all. Stormy Glenn always writes an excellent story with well fleshed out characters with real personalities, and Happy O'Brian and Marc Walker are no exceptions.

Here's a quick rundown of the story. Happy and his Mama spent years at the mercy of his overzealously religious grandparents. They were brutally beaten on a daily basis and told that they were the embodiment of sin itself. At the tender age of ten, Happy's grandfather beat him in the head with a brick, leaving him...and here's the thing I'm having trouble with...I don't know what word to use...slow? No doubt, his brain was damaged, especially since they never sought medical help for him. Fast forward to the present, and Happy is a (very large and handsome) man who is rather childlike. I would describe him as innocent. His grandfather is long gone, and he takes care of his Mama at the farm house. He's not had much exposure to the world. One day, Deputy Marc is called to a disturbance. Two men are beating on Happy. New to town, he isn't aware of the situation, but he feels a very intense need to protect this man.

The book takes off from there. We're given a story with tension and fear, but it's also a pure romance. Marc and Happy fall fast, but Marc is tender and doesn't push anything. He's genuinely concerned for his man...and his man's Mama. He includes her in their first "date", and he's more than happy to sit and visit with her when he comes to the farmhouse to be with Happy. I really like that about him. He was like a knight in shining armor, and I fell head over heels in love with him. The sex scenes are very hot, but they're also very sweet. Marc is very careful with Happy even with the overwhelming passion that they feel for each other. Just a perfect balance.

All in all, "Happy's Ever After" was an excellent book. Please don't be put off by Happy's innocence. He's not handicapped. He's just not worldly. By the end of the story, he was already learning about things, and he was looking forward to learning a lot more. I'm very excited for him, and I hope that Stormy Glenn will be able to give me a little bit more of Happy and Marc in future works. I'm VERY highly recommending this one.

Reviewed by Kenna for Cocktails and Books