London Ever After by Clare Lydon is a contemporary romance set in London. It is the last in a series of standalone stories, and what a beautiful story to end this fabulous series on.
Hannah Driver is newly single, has just lost her job, and is looking for a flatmate. In her late twenties, she is trying to figure out her place in the world. After meeting a drag king she thinks that this just may be the thing she has been looking for.
Cordy Sterling seems to have it all together, she has a job she loves and a family she shares her life with. She has recently moved to London and is currently living with her two Gran’s, but she wants to move out and stand on her own two feet.
After a somewhat unconventional first meeting, Hannah and Cordy meet again when Cordy answers her ad for a flatmate. Together they start a journey of self-discovery, helping each other to be proud of the person they want to be. But with family expectations, a case of self-doubt, and learning to communicate, the journey has a few bumps in the road.
Writing
London Ever After is the final instalment in the London Romance Series. As with the previous books, it is full of wit, humour, misunderstandings, and a cast of quirky characters.
Lydon has a talent for drawing a reader in, and this book was no exception. She has given readers a beautiful finale filled with characters old and new, who all get the send-off they deserve.
Pros And My Favourite Parts
London Ever After is a book I’ve been anticipating for a while, and it didn’t disappoint.
If you’ve read this series then you’ll know this is the much-anticipated final instalment, and this time we get Cordy’s story. Cordy is the granddaughter of Eunice who we first hear about in book 6 – Hot London Nights, and then we get hers and Joan’s story in book 7- Big London Dreams.
I loved getting to know Cordy, she is a lovely character with a big heart. Her first meeting with Hannah shows this and while it is incredibly funny it is also very sweet.
Cordy and Hannah start as flatmates but very quickly become friends. I got the impression from the start that they would just ‘gel’ well, and they really do. They have different outlooks on life but as the saying goes, opposites attract, and the key for this pair is that they share the same great sense of humour. They complement each other perfectly and are the type of people who build others up and take pleasure in other success.
I loved the romance in this book, watching Cordy and Hannah fall in love was a delight and also very hot. The sexual chemistry this pair has is off-the-charts and there is more than one scene that are definitely not suitable for work.
Heads Up
There is a scene involving a dildo, if that’s not for you then it’s easy to skip it. The author gives a heads-up in the form of Hannah mentioning she has bought a new toy.
The Conclusion
London Ever After is the final book in Clare Lydon’s London Romance Series so if like me you’ve read them all then you absolutely must read this. If you haven’t read them, then they are all standalone novels so you can pick one that appeals and start there. Although I guarantee that once you read one you will want to read them all.
Cordy and Hannah’s story is a beautiful one, filled with love, compassion, the building of trust, and learning to live life as your authentic self. It explores the notion that not everyone is perfect, families can be complicated, and putting yourself out there is scary. Cordy and Hannah work through some deep-rooted self-doubt and show each other that it’s okay to not have life figured out. Hannah especially has a wonderful journey of self-discovery and a realisation that not everything is always as it seems.
This is a sweet romance full of wit and humor, it had me giggling and aww-ing throughout and I was satisfied by the lovely ending, knowing that all the London gang are moving forward and happy in life. It’s a feel-good romance with just the right amount of heat, and enough love, romance, and friendship to leave me with a big, silly, happy, smile on my face.
Excerpt from London Ever After by Clare Lydon
It had been a rugged, arm-wrestle of a day. Hannah Driver flung herself into her flat, closed the door, and sucked in a huge breath. Bad move. All she could smell was orange-tinged baby vomit. It wasn’t a fragrance she planned to bottle anytime soon. In fact, she wanted to get rid of it, pronto.
She walked into her bathroom, tipped the oranges into the bath, then ran the cold water. She rinsed, adding hot water when her fingers couldn’t take the temperature anymore, then stood with her hands on her hips, eyeing the fruit. There had to be at least 60, maybe more. What was she going to do with them?
She hadn’t thought that part through before she’d stolen the fruit on the last day of her job at Fruity Tooty Juice Bar. The theft was a statement. A two-finger salute to her ex-employers. She couldn’t possibly have foreseen how impossible oranges were to transport. She did now.
Thank goodness for the kind woman with the dyed red hair and the clickbait green gaze. Hannah was pretty sure she’d come over as ungrateful and gruff. But that was her survival mechanism kicking in. She couldn’t accept the woman’s help with grace. Somebody being so nice to her would have tipped her over the edge, made her fall apart.
Leaving the oranges to enjoy their bath, she threw her keys in the bowl by the front door, put her coat and bag on the hook, then finally allowed herself to relax as she walked down the hallway to her lounge. Soon to be her bedroom. On the wall was a photo of her and Lauren, grinning like idiots in front of the Eiffel Tower. Every time she passed it, it took her back and a spark of happiness ignited. Until she remembered.
Lauren had ended things just after Halloween, saying they were on “different paths”. She’d disappeared from the flat the next day, and then from Hannah’s life altogether. Eighteen months of togetherness, and then, boom! Hannah was surplus to requirements. A little like she had been in her job. This had not been a stellar few months.
She stared at the photo. Who pays for a trip to Paris, and then leaves three months later? It still made no sense at all. She’d thought they were destined. She reached out a hand and took the photo down. Then she walked through to the small kitchen the size of a postage stamp, and dropped the photo frame in the bin.
“What are you doing? At least save the frame, you might want it later!” Hannah’s mum’s voice echoed in her ears. She was very much about living life carefully. About doing the right thing. About living up to expectations. Which is where she and Hannah clashed a lot when it came to Hannah’s career (or lack thereof), along with Hannah’s sexuality.
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Series: London Romance Series
London Ever After
Bits and Bobs
ISBN number: 978-1912019472
Publisher: Indie Author
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