Reviewed by Valerie
TITLE: Heppel Ever After
SERIES: Learning to Love #5
AUTHOR: Con Riley
PUBLISHER: Figment Ink
RELEASE DATE: August 31, 2022
BLURB:
Because every epic romance deserves an epic happy ending…
All Charles Heppel wants is a wedding. It’s not much to ask now that he’s set his playboy days aside for his almost-ordained fiancé. He can’t wait for a lovely, lazy beach honeymoon with His Holy Hotness to continue Hugo’s education in the bedroom.
Surely this third wedding date will be the charm and won’t get cancelled, will it? After all, Hugo’s followed his calling almost to the end of his path to ordination. Nothing should keep him from gaining his own parish with Charles as his husband.
Hugo’s calling thinks differently, demanding he leaves for the remote island of Kara-Enys without Charles.
That news should be shattering, but if Charles Heppel has one thing going for him, it’s that he’s relentlessly optimistic. And romantic. Most islands have beaches, don’t they? He’ll join Hugo to have the honeymoon first on their own version of Love Island. They can get married later!
All he needs to do is find him…
This conclusion to the Learning to Love series features a host of heartfelt cameos, an embarrassment of romance, and in no way should be used as a guide to the ordination process, which likely involves much less kissing.
REVIEW:
“You’re the only person I’ve loved, full stop.”
This book is glorious! Is there any couple in all of MM romance more precious than Charles Heppel and His Holy Hotness, Hugo? (That’s a rhetorical question, btw.) What could be better than a book devoted to their nuptials? Heppel Ever After, Con Riley’s last installment *sobbing* in her Learning to Love series, is so much more than wedding preparations and a ceremony, though.
I was expecting the book to be light and fluffy, but as with every book in the series, there’s deeper meaning, but of course it has all the sweetness and humor we now expect from this lovely Charles and HHH.
Hugo continues his quest to become ordained by interviewing with one parish after another, to no avail. Unfortunately, Charles has to be interviewed also to determine his suitability as a vicar’s spouse. Knowing Charles as we do, we can expect some hilarity from this process and maybe, just maybe, his responses aren’t what the bishop is anticipating. But Hugo encourages him to speak his truth, and boy does he ever. OMG, Charles, quit mentioning prostates!
“I’ll ask you again, what are your thoughts on sex before marriage?”
“On the whole, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it.”
Charles is worried he’s costing Hugo every position he interviews for because of his bad performance. It gets to the point he’s ready to sacrifice his joy of working at Glynn Harber for Hugo’s happiness. He worries that if Hugo can’t find a close enough parish they would have to live separately. Noooo! How could they continue working through Charles’ sex alphabet?? His insecurities have him wanting to get married soon before Hugo finds someone smarter and more appropriate for the role of a vicar’s husband. Poor Charles!
The bishop sends Hugo to the island of Kara-Enys for a few weeks to help his godson break through the allegorical walls (and actual drawbridge) his grandfather, the duke of the island, has erected to shut himself off. The grandson just happens to be Charles’, um, former bed made, Heligan, whom we met in Austin. We all know about Charles’ obsession with Love Island. (Hugo is probably restraining himself from rolling his eyes as Charles rehashes yet another episode of his beloved show. That’s the definition of true love.) Well, when Charles follows Hugo to the island, he gets a pre-wedding honeymoon on his very own Love Island. Kara-Enys, literally means love island in Cornish! Importantly, while stuck on the island (there are only certain times the ferry operates), the lovebirds have nothing but time to listen to each other and plan a future in which their goals hold equal value. They make plans for how to find a solution without sacrificing their wants and needs and brings them both happiness and fulfillment.
I love being reminded of Glynn Harber’s ethos, and that of all the staff. Charles continues to use child-led learning and play therapy to encourage the children to feel their emotions, to help them avoid being overwhelmed. It empowers the children to lend help to their friends during difficult times. Charles models the behavior in everything he does. Because of the hands-on, learning, we see adorable Tor naturally assisting Hadi and even comforting Charles. This ethos – one of my favorite things about the Learning to Love series – is becoming part of the children. The children also learn the important difference between flotsam and jetsam and Riley utilizes the word’s meanings to create an interesting metaphor.
In his heart, Charles needs the children of Glynn Harber and could never leave them. They are his life’s blood. But he won’t put anything – even the children – above Hugo’s happiness.
Heppel Ever After was my most anticipated book of the year and it is delightful. Charles and Hugo get married and earn their Heppely Ever After. This series would not be complete without them tying the knot and without the hilarity of Charles and his Charles-isms. They brighten my life.
“I’m pretty sure ‘thou shalt not fuck thine way through London’ wasn’t one of the ten commandments.”
This book is a must-read for fans of this extraordinary series. Of course, you must first, at a minimum, read Charles – one of my favorite books of 2021. A big, heartfelt thanks to Con Riley for sharing her outstanding writing talents with us. Move this book to the top of your TBR pile right now!
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By the way, did anyone notice the initialism of the book title is HEA? It took me an embarrassingly long time to realize that.
RATING: 
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