Happy After All

A Novel

By: Maisey Yates

Narrated by: Stephanie Rose

When a romance author meets a mysterious stranger, love is the last thing she expects to find in a funny and heartfelt novel about second chances by a New York Times bestselling author.

A city girl leaves her life behind in LA to start over in a small town…

It’s a cliché, but it’s also Amelia Taylor’s life. And her new life as a romance novelist and motelier is going great—until Nathan Hart checks in.

Of course he’s disastrously handsome, thoroughly disagreeable, and seems to be set against Amelia on sight. Of course there’s smoldering tension between them that can’t be ignored. They’d make the perfect enemies to lovers story. It’s one of Amelia’s favorite tropes.

But the man in room 32 seems genuinely broken, and it’s going to take more than romance tropes and wishful thinking to get past his wounds. As a tentative friendship grows into a deeper connection, Amelia and Nathan both realize that facing each other’s painful secrets takes courage. Do they dare take the risk and hope it ends happily after all?

©2025 by Maisey Yates. (P)2024 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Yates’s protagonists turn out to be perfectly matched as they help each other get over past heartbreak. Readers will have no trouble rooting for these two.”—Publishers Weekly

Relatable Story of Loss and Love

When I lost my daughter, Alexandra, I was devastated. I was attached the moment I found out that I was pregnant with her. I had a supportive husband. The main character had no support system. The father of her baby was a piece of work.
The development of this story is slow and steady. I love the build-up. It's a great story, and it does get steamy. Maybe my title should be Slow, Steady, and Steamy.☺️

Grief Magnets ❤️‍🩹

Such a great journey for these two and their grief and their writing. I loved the expository chapter titles and how they all played out. Also, shout out to women authors!

The self-aware protagonist

I love how the author telegraphs each story element while maintaining the emotional believability of the tale.
You’d be hard pressed to find another romance with the gourmet embellishments of fiery natural disaster, Christmas decorations, and flamingo pink,
It all works together to make a sparkling new twist on a beloved genre.

Better than a Hallmark Any Day!

I laughed and cried at so many occasions throughout the story. Real life experiences described that touched me deeply leaving sobbing openly. Beautiful ending.

Beautiful story but drawn out

The story is absolutely beautiful and the narration is spot on - especially when Amelia finally reveals her tragedy. Unfortunately, it is about 1 to 2 hours too long due to the author's obsession with self reflection. I found my attention waining from time to time, but I wanted to know their secrets and how their romance would play out. For that reason, I would still give it 3.7 stars, but I have to round up on Audible.


Note that this book needs serious trigger warnings: miscarriage, loss of spouse, natural disaster, life after a natural disaster, cheating, emotionally unavailable parents, childhood trauma, grief, drinking, etc