HAPPY PLACE is a standalone contemporary romance by L.P.
Maxa. In HAPPY PLACE, L.P. Maxa successfully utilizes
several popular romances tropes such as "secret baby", "friends
to lovers", and "pretend engagement that turns real". The
main characters in HAPPY PLACE all have oodles of money
and are from high society. Declan Preston and Cassie
Huntington have secretly yearned for each other for a
long time and baby Wyllie acts as a catalyst to drive
them toward a happily ever after.
The prologue of HAPPY PLACE details Cassie and Declan's
night of passion that led to a baby, and I like how
Cassie reveals Wyllie's parentage fairly on in the story,
rather than dragging things out. One of the things that I
normally dislike in "secret baby" stories is the level of
hostility that often arises over any overt deception or
lies of omission by the baby's mother. After a certain
amount of toxicity and harsh words are exchanged, I find
it difficult to believe in the survival of any love or
warmth between the mother and father. Thankfully for
readers, L.P. Maxa keeps things on a positive note while
telling a stirring romance about two people who are crazy
for each other. No matter how confused their emotions
get, Cassie and Declan treat each other with respect
throughout HAPPY PLACE. Given Declan's feelings for
Cassie and the intensity of their erotic encounter years
ago, it can be a little difficult trying to understand
his reason for not staying and seeing how their
relationship might develop. Although slightly
frustrating, Declan's reasoning makes some sense and I
like that he has a bit of self-awareness.
Grandparents play well-intentioned meddling cupids in
HAPPY PLACE, but it doesn't take much to throw Declan and
Cassie together and get spicy results. Better
communication between the hero and heroine would have
eliminated most of the conflicts in HAPPY PLACE, but
their failure to see the obvious make Cassie and Declan
seem very human. It's amusing, and sometimes
heartbreaking, having friends and family push the two
together as they struggle to come to grips with their
true feelings. The red-hot trysts between Cassie and
Declan are balanced out by the often-clownish antics by
Cassie's rakish brother Brice.
HAPPY PLACE features a heroine torn between the demands
of her heart and the doubts in her head. L.P. Maxa tells
a compelling story of true love set amid high society,
and keeps things interesting with a great mix of sex and
humor. I look forward to reading future books in this
setting, and reading about Cassie's brother getting knocked
down by love.
Two years after spending one blissful night with her
lifelong crush, Cassie Huntington meets Declan Preston
again during the Christmas season, and secrets and lies
turn into a fake wedding that just might save their love.
OH, WHAT A NIGHT
Cassie Huntington and Declan Preston began crushing on
each other when they were kids. For years, neither acted
on their feelings. Then, on one fantastic, reckless night
in Seaside, Florida, just before Cassie was to marry
another man and Declan was to leave for London, they
shared everything they ever wanted. Then Declan left.
After the best sex of his life, Declan knew he’d return
to reclaim his first love when his two-year stint in
London ended. But when he learns Cassie has been hiding
life-altering secrets, he realizes he doesn’t know the
woman he'd left behind. Worse, just when he thinks one
deception is cleared up, she lays another whopper on him—
a fake holiday wedding. Yet what starts as lies will end
as a truth that could never be denied: Declan and Cassie
are meant to be together. Forever.
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