Valerie S. (VolunteerVal) - reviewed on 8/16/2023 + 605 more book reviews

I'm really enjoying the Cape Cod Creamery series by Suzanne Woods Fisher. I read The Sweet Life, the first book, last year and it was fun to spend time with the characters in The Secret to Happiness, the second novel.

The series features Dawn, her mom Marnie, and Dawn's fiancé Kevin, who all relocated to Cape Cod a year ago to begin a new chapter of life which is going well. Dawn and Marnie are busy operating their gourmet ice cream shop, and Dawn and Kevin are planning their wedding. Then Callie, their cousin/niece, lands on their doorstep after a soul-shattering career crisis, a shell of her once-exuberant self. In her determination to "fix" Callie, Dawn encourages her to attend a series of classes on the topic of the secret to happiness, which have a profound impact in more ways than one.

I appreciate these characters, especially the secondary ones like six-year-old Leo the Cowboy. The plot feels believable and includes real-world conflicts and challenges, and the faith elements are woven authentically in the story. The quotes about ice cream at the beginning of each chapter are fun, and the insights into ice cream making and catering were interesting. I anticipated the 'big reveals' at the end, but that didn't make them any less sweet.

I hope there will be a third novel in this series, but this story has a happy ending for the primary characters so it's possible this may be a duology.

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