The Happiness Books in Order

The Happiness books are set in a crumbling but charming seaside village on the Cornish coast with an irresistible name: Happiness. Once a thriving resort town, it has fallen on hard times, with boarded up shops and weather beaten cottages. Holly Martin uses this backdrop to explore how one or two determined people can breathe life back into a place, and find love in the process.

In The Little Village of Happiness Willow McKay answers an advert offering free homes to people willing to move to Happiness and help revive it. Nursing a bruised ego after a break up, she sees the village as a chance to start over somewhere nobody knows her. What she finds is a community that needs far more than a lick of paint, and an estate manager, Andrew Harrington, who is desperate to restore the village to its former glory.

Willow and Andrew begin as allies with a shared project. Together they dream up a secret society to bring cheer back to Happiness, from repainting shopfronts to organising events that coax visitors and locals into the streets again. As they work side by side, their partnership deepens into something more complicated, especially when Willow realises Andrew is keeping his own worries hidden behind a calm smile.

The Gift of Happiness returns to the village at Christmas, when snow, fairy lights and a bustling festive market make even its shabby corners feel magical. This time the focus is on Ruby Marlowe, who moves her beloved Christmas shop – and her whole life – to Happiness for a fresh start near her best friend Willow. The last person she expects to find there is Jacob Harrington, the man she once knew as a summer fling and never quite forgot.

Ruby has sworn off love after heartbreak, while Jacob is determined to show her that risking her heart again might be worth it. As they decorate windows, share late night hot chocolates and help plan seasonal celebrations, the village slowly transforms around them too, echoing Ruby’s own journey toward trusting in happiness again.

Both novels are steeped in community spirit. Side characters, from grumpy shopkeepers to enthusiastic newcomers, add humour and heart as they rally around shared goals. The idea that joy can be rebuilt, brick by brick and small kindness by small kindness, runs through the series.

Readers who like their romance intertwined with village regeneration, strong female friendships and a generous dose of seasonal warmth will find The Happiness books a satisfying, feel good escape.