I’m delighted today to be joining the blog tour and sharing my review for Happy Ever After for the Cornish Midwife by Jo Bartlett: the eighth (and, for now, final… sob!) book in her fantastic Cornish Midwife series, published on 5th July by Boldwood Books, now available as an ebook (free via Kindle Unlimited), in paperback, and as an audiobook. Many thanks, as ever, to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for the invitation and support, and to the publishers for my advance reading e-copy (provided via netgalley).
This really has been the most wonderful series, and I’m really going to miss the midwives of Port Agnes – but I’m sure we won’t be losing touch entirely with some of my favourite people when Jo’s new series set in the Country Hospital launches in November. Have you stayed with the series the whole way through? You’ll find the Amazon page for the books here , and if you pop the author’s name into my search bar on the right hand side, you’ll find reviews of all the but one of the others – and although any one of them can easily be picked up as a standalone, I’d recommend treating yourself by going back and starting at the very beginning. And with every book, the series has just got better and better. The last book, A Change of Heart, might just have been my favourite yet… heartbreaking at times, but doing so much to highlight the realities of facing a life-changing diagnosis, and the importance of living your best life whatever the barriers. And I’ve been so looking forward to the series finale – despite that bittersweet feeling that I really don’t want it to end…
The emotional finale to the bestselling Cornish Midwife series! Get your tissues ready!
Midwife Jess is so used to helping other mums achieve their dreams that she’s put her own hopes of motherhood firmly on hold. After having her heart broken once before, Jess is determined to focus all she has on her small family and stepson Riley and make sure he feels safe, happy and loved.
But when Jess is asked to care for a tiny baby and new mum in need of support, she’s torn. Jess wants to help, but she isn’t sure her battered heart could cope with saying goodbye to another baby she’s fallen in love with.
Jess knows this could be the happy ever after she’s always dreamed of, but what if it costs her more heartache along the way? Is she brave enough to take one last chance at motherhood?
I was really delighted to see Jess at the centre of this story – while every single member of the community midwifery team of Port Agnes feels like a friend by now, I’ve particularly enjoyed watching her find happiness with her ready-made family of the lovely Dexter and his son Riley. But she’s still desperate for a child of her own, and having a particularly difficult and frustrating journey – which drives her towards other options, with another measure of possible heartbreak along the way. But this book is also Meg’s story – moving on from bereavement, facing major changes in her life with the support of her partner Johnny, but also struggling with her relationship with adult daughter Tilly.
Both stories are, as always, just beautifully handled – the author really is the most wonderful storyteller, with the perfect emotional touch. Jess’s situation – the unavoidable baby cuddles only making her repeated failures to conceive all the more painful – really touches the heart, easy to identify with and feel deeply. And I very much enjoyed following her alternative route – an option I wasn’t aware of before, and I was very much engaged in the steps along the way, really hoping her involvement wouldn’t end in yet another disappointment. And Meg’s story was every bit as involving – her relationship with Tilly very real and painful at times – and escalating towards a moment of particular drama that was quite wonderfully written and really had my heart in my mouth.
But this is the series end, and there’s also a tying up of the stories of the other characters – no, not characters, they’re real people – I’ve grown to love. The irrepressible Gwen is taking retirement, with unusual plans for her future that came as no real surprise – she’s the source of much of the book’s laughter (yes, there’s plenty of that too…), but also very much has a place in my heart. And it was so lovely to see how the lives of all the others have changed and moved on, every one of them appearing in cameo at various points in the story. The strong and supportive links between them really lift your heart – strong women, perhaps dealing with their own private issues, but pulling together in sisterhood to support their community. And running through it all, as always, are the small daily dramas and moments of joy – every one so sensitively handled – that have been the unit’s reason for being.
This really was the perfect conclusion to a series I’ve so enjoyed. Do read it as a standalone if you’d like to – but you will enjoy it all the more if you read the series in order, and really get to know the remarkable women whose lives I’ve so enjoyed being part of. It’s always sad to say goodbye – but this series has brought such joy along the way, and I’ll look forward to whatever comes next…
About the author
Jo Bartlett is the bestselling author of over nineteen women’s fiction titles. She fits her writing in between her two day jobs as an educational consultant and university lecturer and lives with her family and three dogs on the Kent coast. Boldwood published the first title in The Cornish Midwife Series – part of a twelve-book deal – in April 2021.
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I loved this series so much, and this book I think I found the most moving and I know will stay with me a long time x