It took Arthur 40 years to propose marriage. Now, Constance is expecting the wedding of her dreams. But when villagers spot a suspicious tartan-clad stranger in the middle of the night lurking at her son’s grave, in front of her bookshop and Arthur’s house, she must confront a secret past. Her lifelong friends in the Connecticut village of Stones End wrap Constance in a protective cocoon. They see a different demon. Only Constance knows what to make of the threat. A million questions plague her, but only one causes sleepless nights. Will the wedding take place if her past is revealed? The latest in the irresistibly charming three-book Stones End series. A richly woven tale brimming with mysterious twists and turns, fierce love and the never-ending hijinks of Stones End residents.
Native New Yorker Ceil Warren builds on a long family line of storytellers and characters faced with life’s impossible challenges. Born into a close-knit family of eight children, she grew up with amazing tales and people from Newfoundland to Belarus. Stories of survival: from Manhattan tenements in the 1920s to an exploding ship in World War II. Living 17 miles north of Manhattan in Westchester County, Ceil takes full advantage of Broadway theater, museums, ballet and opera. All nourish her creative passion for storytelling, characters and drama. Ceil shattered the glass ceiling for business women and corporate leaders in the 1970s, when women were just beginning to advance into higher-level management and corporate positions. She self-taught her way to a successful career in finance, becoming CFO of a sales operation for a Fortune 500 company at the age of 34. In her second career in writing, Ceil gladly trades building business plans, telling company stories and crunching numbers for weaving remarkable tales about people against all odds and places you want to visit or even make your home. The reader will begin their journey into this first-in-a-series book, Turning Toward the Sun, in the imaginary village of Stones End, Connecticut. The story reveals the secrets, fears, passions and challenges of many of the quirky residents and provides a witty, poignant and delicious escape from the real world.
Jane Austen meets Agatha Christie. A charming tale with a riveting plot—fierce friendships, petty rivalries, doomed love affairs and a good dose of mystery thrown in.
As residents of the tight-knit, fictional village of Stones End prepare for a wedding, an unexpected love triangle blooms, and a sinister stranger threatens the festivities.
Author Ceil Warren draws all her quirky characters with compassion and humor. The dialogue crackles with sarcasm and wit. With an energetic pace, she plots them through their jealousies, conflicts, and fears—over a bedrock of communal love. When Only Happily Ever After Will Do immerses readers in a world of people who have their pasts and have their differences but always have each other’s back.
Third in this series and the best yet! Can’t wait for book four.
Merged review:
A delightful Andy and Mayberry story set in a Connecticut river village where friendships are forever, roots burrow deep and most newcomers are welcome. Except for a tartan-clad stranger who limps and lurks around the village. How will he threaten the wedding of the decade featuring Arthur and Constance? Third in this Stones End series. Can't wait for book four!