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Happily Ever Single
Still in my twenties, I have it all. I am young, happy, and healthy, despite my wine and pizza addictions. I am a successful business owner who lives a life I love, free from any romantic commitments. To me, my life is perfect right now, except for just one small problem… My mother. She will tell you I am missing something in my life, that I should be married with kids and have a house with a white picket fence, even though I cannot think of anything worse. Ignoring my constant protests, she manages to set me up on a series of horrendous blind dates. To pacify my mother and avoid being set up with another friend’s son, I am driven to do something I never thought I would. I begin arranging dates through an agency. This idea seems to work well, until my arranged date falls sick right before a family event. With no other options, I am forced to attend with the agency owner’s brother-in-law as my stand-in date. At this point, my perfect life suddenly becomes … complicated. Ollie is sexy, fun, and intense. There is an instant connection between us, but is it strong enough to risk my perfect life plan? I am single, free, and content. I don’t need a man. However, Ollie is persistent, despite my reluctance, and now I am left wondering if it is possible that he may be the perfect match for me. Can Ollie be the one man to finally accept me for me, or does he think he can change who I am and my opinions? Does my story end with me happily-ever-single or with a happily-ever-after? Or can there be room for both?
426 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2015
About the author
Jessica Frances
29 books403 followersReader. Author. Book Hoarder. I’m asexual. I believe in human rights. That means BIPOC and LGBT+ people matter and deserve respect and protection. Trans people exist and they deserve every right given to cis people. I believe Palestine should be free and that what is happening to them is genocide. Books are political and if you don’t like hearing that, then you’re likely on the wrong side of history. Sit in your discomfort. Banning books is barbaric and pointless. Strict gun laws save lives. Amplify important and minority voices. Keep reading. Keep learning. Keep trying to do better.
I only have facebook (which I rarely use) and instagram (which I use only slightly more). Any other social media platforms with me on them are impostors.
I only have facebook (which I rarely use) and instagram (which I use only slightly more). Any other social media platforms with me on them are impostors.
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July 9, 2015
Happily Ever Single by Jessica Frances is her first dip into the contemporary romance genre. This is a story of a successful, self-confident woman who bucks society’s rules and is perfectly happy on her own. But you never know when “the one” might walk into your life. And when he does, will you be willing to let him in?
Lucy is in her late twenties, has a very successful clothing boutique, and loves her life as a single woman. She just doesn’t feel the need to tie herself to someone. She likes spending time with her family and her best friend and her store keeps her very busy. Her mother, though, has other ideas. At every family event of which there are many, she continually fixes Lucy up with one disastrous blind date after another.
“Why is it that my worth is judged on whether or not I’m married? Why do I have to be in love to be whole? I’m perfectly happy and content by myself.”
To get her mother off her back, Lucy decides to hire a plus one to attend all her family events with and to introduce him as her boyfriend. No more blind dates arranged by her mother, no ties or commitments. It’s a perfect arrangement until at the last minute, a date to an event becomes ill. So the agency’s owner sends her brother as a substitute.
Ollie is an architect and is getting over recently finding his girlfriend cheating on him. But when his sister calls and frantically needs him to be her client’s plus one, he can’t say no. He’s a nervous wreck but as soon as he sees Lucy, he’s interested in getting to know this woman better. How can he convince her to take this further than this one date?
Lucy’s family falls in love with Ollie and her mother gets to work playing matchmaker. As much as Lucy tells herself she doesn’t want this to go any further, she can’t deny she is attracted to Ollie. The chemistry between these two is definitely hot.
As Lucy and Ollie begin to spend time together, it’s obvious that they want different things. At least that’s the way Lucy sees it. She does not want to get married or have children. Ollie keeps telling her he’s fine with this but she’s convinced that he will eventually try to change her.
“I love the life I have and don’t want to lose who I am and what I want just because I’m in a relationship, even if the relationship is custom made for me.”
So when you add together Lucy’s brothers and crazy Mom, Ollie’s angry, hateful Mom, one very emotional best friend, what do you have…disaster? Or not? This is a very cute and very real story of how Lucy refuses to bend to everyone’s expectations of how she should be living her life and stays true to herself. Sometimes, though, the heart wants what it wants. The question is, can she let Ollie in to her heart without losing everything she feels is important?
Lucy is in her late twenties, has a very successful clothing boutique, and loves her life as a single woman. She just doesn’t feel the need to tie herself to someone. She likes spending time with her family and her best friend and her store keeps her very busy. Her mother, though, has other ideas. At every family event of which there are many, she continually fixes Lucy up with one disastrous blind date after another.
“Why is it that my worth is judged on whether or not I’m married? Why do I have to be in love to be whole? I’m perfectly happy and content by myself.”
To get her mother off her back, Lucy decides to hire a plus one to attend all her family events with and to introduce him as her boyfriend. No more blind dates arranged by her mother, no ties or commitments. It’s a perfect arrangement until at the last minute, a date to an event becomes ill. So the agency’s owner sends her brother as a substitute.
Ollie is an architect and is getting over recently finding his girlfriend cheating on him. But when his sister calls and frantically needs him to be her client’s plus one, he can’t say no. He’s a nervous wreck but as soon as he sees Lucy, he’s interested in getting to know this woman better. How can he convince her to take this further than this one date?
Lucy’s family falls in love with Ollie and her mother gets to work playing matchmaker. As much as Lucy tells herself she doesn’t want this to go any further, she can’t deny she is attracted to Ollie. The chemistry between these two is definitely hot.
As Lucy and Ollie begin to spend time together, it’s obvious that they want different things. At least that’s the way Lucy sees it. She does not want to get married or have children. Ollie keeps telling her he’s fine with this but she’s convinced that he will eventually try to change her.
“I love the life I have and don’t want to lose who I am and what I want just because I’m in a relationship, even if the relationship is custom made for me.”
So when you add together Lucy’s brothers and crazy Mom, Ollie’s angry, hateful Mom, one very emotional best friend, what do you have…disaster? Or not? This is a very cute and very real story of how Lucy refuses to bend to everyone’s expectations of how she should be living her life and stays true to herself. Sometimes, though, the heart wants what it wants. The question is, can she let Ollie in to her heart without losing everything she feels is important?
July 16, 2015
This book is brave and quite heartfelt. I'm sure a lot of women AND MEN would be able to relate with the characters in this book. :)
I must admit.. It took me awhile to create a review for this book. I just couldn't organize my thoughts as fast as I normally do. I think it's because the premise of this book isn't really one that we are used to. To talk about that first, I'm used to alpha guys in romance. I'm used to them demanding that they be together forever yada yada. What we romance readers don't read about everyday is the other side of the story.
What if the woman doesn't really want to be tied down?
As in the woman repulse the thought of marriage...?
What about that huh?
Don't go telling me that it's not possible in real life because I know for a fact that it is.
This book is all about that.
An empowered woman, successful in every aspect.. just not in love and relationships.
What happens when she eventually meets her match?
I'll try to describe the characters for y'all first..
LUCY -> This is the empowered, really darn successful woman that I'm talking about. She's independent and very strong minded. She has a pretty big family, so you think that because of that, she'd feel like she needs a big one too. However, nope. I think it's partly because of her mom. You see, her mom's like a momzilla.. She wants her daughter to date so she gives her a person to date. It frustrates the hell out of Lucy and in turn, frustrates me as a single woman too.
That's the reason why she had to use drastic measures...
To avoid the judgment and them questioning her at every turn.
Enter Ollie..
She's the man she never would have met.
But she did...
With a weird timing.
Ollie is the man who makes the effort. He's humorous, understanding and very attentive to her. He's all in all a nice guy. He's polite, very careful with hurting Lucy's feelings. He accepts what she wants and doesn't want. I think the only downside is his mom. I'll let you figure that out by yourselves. Just know that his mom is one of the moms that I hate in my entire fiction world.
I think the biggest conflict in this book is their clash of beliefs. The things that they stand for and the things they truly want in life.
I love how things unfolded between the two of them. Things felt light and fun. :)
Now if you ask me how I feel about Lucy's beliefs... It feels weird that even if I disagree with some of her inner musings, she also makes a lot of sense! A lot of things that she said in this book are true for a lot of people. I guess even though I disagree with some of her views, I can't discount that she's also quite right.
The ending of this book is quite satisfying. It's leaves a lot for the readers to think about. :)
Soooo there..
Read this if you want a lighthearted, heartfelt, unique - plus hot read!
I must admit.. It took me awhile to create a review for this book. I just couldn't organize my thoughts as fast as I normally do. I think it's because the premise of this book isn't really one that we are used to. To talk about that first, I'm used to alpha guys in romance. I'm used to them demanding that they be together forever yada yada. What we romance readers don't read about everyday is the other side of the story.
What if the woman doesn't really want to be tied down?
As in the woman repulse the thought of marriage...?
What about that huh?
Don't go telling me that it's not possible in real life because I know for a fact that it is.
This book is all about that.
An empowered woman, successful in every aspect.. just not in love and relationships.
What happens when she eventually meets her match?
I'll try to describe the characters for y'all first..
LUCY -> This is the empowered, really darn successful woman that I'm talking about. She's independent and very strong minded. She has a pretty big family, so you think that because of that, she'd feel like she needs a big one too. However, nope. I think it's partly because of her mom. You see, her mom's like a momzilla.. She wants her daughter to date so she gives her a person to date. It frustrates the hell out of Lucy and in turn, frustrates me as a single woman too.
That's the reason why she had to use drastic measures...
To avoid the judgment and them questioning her at every turn.
Enter Ollie..
She's the man she never would have met.
But she did...
With a weird timing.
Ollie is the man who makes the effort. He's humorous, understanding and very attentive to her. He's all in all a nice guy. He's polite, very careful with hurting Lucy's feelings. He accepts what she wants and doesn't want. I think the only downside is his mom. I'll let you figure that out by yourselves. Just know that his mom is one of the moms that I hate in my entire fiction world.
I think the biggest conflict in this book is their clash of beliefs. The things that they stand for and the things they truly want in life.
I love how things unfolded between the two of them. Things felt light and fun. :)
Now if you ask me how I feel about Lucy's beliefs... It feels weird that even if I disagree with some of her inner musings, she also makes a lot of sense! A lot of things that she said in this book are true for a lot of people. I guess even though I disagree with some of her views, I can't discount that she's also quite right.
The ending of this book is quite satisfying. It's leaves a lot for the readers to think about. :)
Soooo there..
Read this if you want a lighthearted, heartfelt, unique - plus hot read!
Want to Read
January 8, 2019🎁 FREE on iBooks today (1/8/2019)! 🎁
May 20, 2015
I'm convinced. Jessica can do it all! She's given us paranormal suspense, paranormal cry-your-eyes-out-a-sobbing-mess, and now she gives us OMG-you-can't-stop-laughing-and-almost-in-tears-because-of-it!
More to come. :)
More to come. :)
June 4, 2015
Absolutely wonderful, just like everything I've read from Jessica Frances! I loved the characters and the story, and I couldn't stop laughing throughout the book.
January 6, 2021
This is the 4th Book I have read by Jessica Frances and she has become one of my Top Authors, this was a Lovely Book, quite funny, I really Enjoyed it and would highly recommend. I do like to give any spoilers.
July 29, 2015
Lucy is single and happy. She has set very high standards for herself and she is not going to settle for a man who can't make her happier than she already is. Unfortunately, her mother does not feel the same way and is constantly setting up blind dates that are total fails. It’s not until her brother is going to get married that she needs to find her own date for all the functions that go along with getting married, just so her mom won’t set her up with another loser. When Lucy’s best friend, Jules, casually mentions maybe utilizing an escort service might be an option is when the fun begins. The games she and her ‘dates’ play as payback to make her family uncomfortable were hilarious and I found myself cracking up with each and every one of them. So much fun!
For two years Lucy uses the escort service for her dates involving family and everything always went off without a hitch – until the night of her father’s retirement dinner. The man that was supposed to take her got sick and there were no other men to take his place – except one – Ollie. Ollie is a friend of the owner of the agency and Ollie is quite the fish out of water when it comes to the whole escort business. But one thing he is quite sure of is that Lucy is one lady he would like to continue getting to know better. Too bad Lucy is so hard-headed and bound and determined to stick to her no relationship, no marriage, no children rule.
The chemistry between Lucy and Ollie is undeniable, but with Lucy’s lack of wanting a committed relationship, Ollie comes up with the perfect solution. The two of them can be exclusively single together (how cute is that?!?!). You're probably asking yourself, “What the heck does ‘exclusively single together’ mean and how does that work?” Well, my dear reader, you will need to read this terrific and adorable story to find out!
Lucy and Ollie are super cute together, yet no relationship is perfect and this one does have its ups and downs. Between Lucy’s adorable, meddling mother cheering the couple on and Ollie’s mean and overbearing mother doing her best to alienate the happiness that her son has found, and of course the other hiccups that come and go, this couple will have a lot to deal with in order to make it work. Will there be a happily ever after for Ollie and Lucy or will Lucy remain happily ever single?
Jessica Frances has proven yet again how versatile she can be in her writing skills. Happily Ever Single is quite a bit different than her previous works, but it is every bit as good and I like it – a lot! It's unique and totally different than anything I have read before. It is quite an enjoyable and delightful read and has every ingredient I love in a romance. From wittiness to snarky humor to scorching hot romance, this book will indeed appeal to all lovers of New Adult Romance. There were a couple of times I was wondering how this story was going to end due to some twists I didn’t see coming, but all in all I was really happy with the ending and it left me with a huge smile. This one is another must read from Jessica Frances and I would highly recommend it to anyone.
- See more at: The Avid Book Collector
For two years Lucy uses the escort service for her dates involving family and everything always went off without a hitch – until the night of her father’s retirement dinner. The man that was supposed to take her got sick and there were no other men to take his place – except one – Ollie. Ollie is a friend of the owner of the agency and Ollie is quite the fish out of water when it comes to the whole escort business. But one thing he is quite sure of is that Lucy is one lady he would like to continue getting to know better. Too bad Lucy is so hard-headed and bound and determined to stick to her no relationship, no marriage, no children rule.
The chemistry between Lucy and Ollie is undeniable, but with Lucy’s lack of wanting a committed relationship, Ollie comes up with the perfect solution. The two of them can be exclusively single together (how cute is that?!?!). You're probably asking yourself, “What the heck does ‘exclusively single together’ mean and how does that work?” Well, my dear reader, you will need to read this terrific and adorable story to find out!
Lucy and Ollie are super cute together, yet no relationship is perfect and this one does have its ups and downs. Between Lucy’s adorable, meddling mother cheering the couple on and Ollie’s mean and overbearing mother doing her best to alienate the happiness that her son has found, and of course the other hiccups that come and go, this couple will have a lot to deal with in order to make it work. Will there be a happily ever after for Ollie and Lucy or will Lucy remain happily ever single?
Jessica Frances has proven yet again how versatile she can be in her writing skills. Happily Ever Single is quite a bit different than her previous works, but it is every bit as good and I like it – a lot! It's unique and totally different than anything I have read before. It is quite an enjoyable and delightful read and has every ingredient I love in a romance. From wittiness to snarky humor to scorching hot romance, this book will indeed appeal to all lovers of New Adult Romance. There were a couple of times I was wondering how this story was going to end due to some twists I didn’t see coming, but all in all I was really happy with the ending and it left me with a huge smile. This one is another must read from Jessica Frances and I would highly recommend it to anyone.
“Whether we live happily ever after together or happily ever single together, what is important to me is that we’re together.”
- See more at: The Avid Book Collector
May 16, 2017
Lucy was sick and tired of her mom setting her with blind dates. It was really embarrassing her. She specifically wanted to stay single and childless forever, because she didn’t want the complexities being married and a mom would entail. But her family was adamant in seeing her hitched, one way or another.
So she sought dating agencies and they soon found her a match who would pretend as her boyfriend and come with her in every family gathering.
Until her date became unavailable and a replacement was sent. Ollie. Broken-hearted and still reeling with pain, he went out and helped Lucy out. Next thing they know, their lives changed, new emotions were felt, a budding romance started and before they know it, their own families got entangled.
Aww… This was a light-hearted read for of feels! I was smiling all throughout the book, I felt my jaw cringing after grinning for so long, even on those parts where the characters were fighting and arguing and almost maiming each other.
Lucy was understandably wary of relationships, but when The One had finally arrived, I knew she’d find herself doubting her decisions in life. Ollie was a great catch, his perfect imperfections made him more attractive, at least to me. Author Jessica Frances wrote a wonderful story that had me laughing and crying at the same time. Highly recommended for hopeless romantics! Who knows, you might as well find yourselves happily single forever, single together with your The One, that is.
So she sought dating agencies and they soon found her a match who would pretend as her boyfriend and come with her in every family gathering.
Until her date became unavailable and a replacement was sent. Ollie. Broken-hearted and still reeling with pain, he went out and helped Lucy out. Next thing they know, their lives changed, new emotions were felt, a budding romance started and before they know it, their own families got entangled.
Aww… This was a light-hearted read for of feels! I was smiling all throughout the book, I felt my jaw cringing after grinning for so long, even on those parts where the characters were fighting and arguing and almost maiming each other.
Lucy was understandably wary of relationships, but when The One had finally arrived, I knew she’d find herself doubting her decisions in life. Ollie was a great catch, his perfect imperfections made him more attractive, at least to me. Author Jessica Frances wrote a wonderful story that had me laughing and crying at the same time. Highly recommended for hopeless romantics! Who knows, you might as well find yourselves happily single forever, single together with your The One, that is.
July 18, 2015
This book was very entertaining. Lucy plans on be single and childless forever, she likes being single except for the fact her Mom will not stop fixing her up with bad blind dates, so she starts hiring dates for family functions. I loved the games Lucy and her dates played with her family, hilarious. Then she meets Ollie and he doesn't want to give up. Great Read!
November 10, 2023
This book was OK, but I did not enjoy repeatedly reading how the two older women treated the younger women. I felt there was a plot hole, in that a medical condition that may have been influencing behaviour, was not mentioned in that context.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews