As I browse the aisles of my favorite book store, my attention is naturally drawn to book covers featuring photos of beautiful dogs. It’s a win-win when the book has a plot that piques my curiosity, and that’s exactly what happened with Lucy Dillon’s The Secret of Happy Ever After.
The story centers around Michelle and Anna, two women in very different places in life. Michelle is recently divorced and starting over, and Anna is learning to live with her new husband, step-children, and a hyperactive Dalmation named Pongo (isn’t that the name of the dog in 101 Dalmations, too?).
The one thing the girls have in common is the old neglected bookshop that Michelle has taken over, and she hires Anna to manage it. Anna brings a love for the classics that transforms the old shop with stories of love, adventure, and lost dogs.
But when secrets from Michelle’s past threaten her new life, and Anna’s household encounters its own set of problems, can the magic of those bookshop stories help these girls find their own happy ever after? Well, I’ll let you read the book to find out.
I enjoyed the book a lot, and I found the characters to be real and likable. The dog, Pongo, didn’t play a major role in the story, but it’s clear from her writing that author Lucy Dillon loves dogs. This is the only one of her books I’ve read, but I did notice that many of her other book covers feature dogs as well. You can bet I’ll be looking for them in my bookstore soon.
If you enjoy fictional stories about the lives of modern day women, and you like adding a dog to the mix, I recommend The Secret of Happy Ever After for your reading pleasure!
Have you read this, or any of Lucy Dillon’s other books?
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I’ve been looking at this book but haven’t made the purchase yet, looks like I need to. I read Lost Dogs and Lonely Hearts by her and loved it, I recommend you try that one too!
Thanks for the recommendation, Emily – I will definitely look for it! I contact Lucy Dillon via FB, and she said all of her books do feature a dog and usually some form of adoption or rescue! Nice to find a writer who “gets it”! 🙂