Unending Joy

The Virtues #5

by Elizabeth Johns

A humorous friends-to-lovers tale with a hoyden, a Corinthian, and lots of kittens!

The youngest of five beautiful sisters, Joy Whitford lacks both their femininity and sophistication. To she is a hoyden. In fact, when trying to perform circus tricks on a horse, she suffered a brutal accident that left her vision impaired. Now it is time for her Season, and as each of her sisters have made brilliant marriages the same is expected of her. However, the last thing she wants is a husband, being the most ill-suited person imaginable to be a wife. She needs nothing more than her animals and good stories.

Freddy Cunningham enjoys his life. The heir to a viscountcy, he has excellent friends, plenty of money and is never wanting for good sport. When his parents demand he either wed or face the consequences, it is enough to overturn even his most amiable nature.

Joy and Freddy make a pact to help each other find suitable mates so they can remain friends, only to discover what they are looking for is right in front of them all along!

Genres: Regency, Historical Romance

230 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 30, 2025

About the author

Like many writers, Elizabeth Johns was first an avid reader, though she was a reluctant convert. It was Jane Austen's clever wit and unique turn of phrase that hooked Johns when she was "forced" to read Pride and Prejudice for a school assignment. She began writing when she ran out of her favorite author’s books and decided to try her hand at crafting a Regency romance novel. Her journey into publishing began with the release of Surrender the Past, book one of the Loring-Abbott Series. Johns makes no pretensions to Austen’s wit but hopes readers will perhaps laugh and find some enjoyment in her writing.
Johns attributes much of her inspiration to her mother, a retired English teacher. During their last summer together, Johns would sit on the porch swing and read her stories to her mother, who encouraged her to continue writing. Busy with multiple careers, including a professional job in the medical field, author and mother of small children, Johns squeezes in time for reading whenever possible.

Reviews

[Cynthia Houser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unending Joy

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It was so much fun although there were serious issues. I am sorry to be at the end of this series. The characters are interesting and entertaining

[Dora · Rating 3 out of 5]

For some reason, this one was slow to get into, surprising since the pairing was the first to manifest in book one! Joy and Freddy are the truest of friends, and their story is the most relatable. It was a very sweet end to the series.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unending Joy by Elizabeth Johns
The Virtues Series Book Five
Freddy Cunningham loved life and lived it to the fullest. His closest friends were now married, but he still had his best friend, Joy. Then everything came crashing down around him. His parents were giving him six months to find a bride and take over one of their holdings.
Joy Whitford was unconventional. The youngest of five sisters, she’d rather be found talking to the stable boys about horses than being comfortable in Society. It was her first Season, and she hated it. At least she had Freddy.
When Freddy told her about his dilemma, they set off to find a partner for the other one so that they could stay friends. They didn’t expect it to be as challenging as it was to see the other in the courting ritual.
I’m sad to see this series come to an end. Serious, romantic, and humorous. Wonderful human characters and four-legged ones, too.
https://justjudysjumbles.blogspot.com...

[Ann Gonzalez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unending Joy is friendship, loyalty, love, and cat antics. The Virtues series has seen Joy grow up, and her friendship with Freddy is as strong as ever. Their antics throughout the other books made it clear they belonged together. I was excited about this story and was not disappointed. Freddy and Joy still had their close friendship and were set on marrying friends so they could always be friends, but that didn't seem to be working out since they preferred one another to everyone else. This book is a slow, sweet friendship that lacks a romantic burn, yet it is such a good book.
I think, as always, the cats stole the show in some parts of the book. It is clear that Elizabeth Johns has a great imagination and is well versed on the antics of cats.
I highly recommend this book, this series, and other books by this author.

[Luci Jamison · Rating 5 out of 5]

clean romance

I have enjoyed this whole “Virtues” series and I am glad to see that Joy has her HEA.
I enjoyed the friends to more theme of this story. The hero is an easily likable character who finds enjoyment and laughter in many aspects. He sees the beauty of his friend the heroine with her spark for life.
The heroine is full of life, daring and adventure which doesn’t fit the perception of what a lady in society should be.
Both the heroine and hero are faced with challenges that seem daunting but find them less so with their friendship.
I love the message of accepting someone for themselves and seeing the good.
There is plenty of humor, some danger and a lot of friendship and family love.
I recommend this book, series and author whole heartedly!

[Karen D. Heberling · Rating 5 out of 5]

The last Whiford sister marries.

I’m especially happy that Joy’s extended family figure largely in this novel. I only wish I’d read the previous books in this series more recently. It would have made this book more enjoyable to remember the personalities of each of the sisters’ husbands. I recommend rereading those before reading this one. Still, as usual, Elizabeth Johns delivers a delightful read, with humor, some intrigue, and lots of great banter! A clean Regency romance (very light on the romance) appropriate for any age reader. Not as much history as in the previous books of the series.

[Eunice Crabtree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joy and Freddy’s story began in the first book of this series and continued until this book which is the final of The Virtues. This is an excellent series, but this one is special because Joy is a free spirit with a love for animals and nearly died in the first book. Elizabeth Johns writes a series which shows the deep devotion these sisters have for each other in each of the books, and it’s sad to see it end. This is an unusually well-written series showcasing a special sisters’ bond that most similar stories written by other authors can’t compare.

[Nancy Baker-krofft · Rating 5 out of 5]

Friendship and Romance and Kiittens!

Joy, the last sister to find a match, and her long time friend Freddy who care for kittens together, try to court others, which leads to them realizing how much they would miss each other if they were to marry. I loved the characters non-compliance with Society rules and the struggle Joy has to use her eyes after an earllier injury. Oh, and the 7 kittens!

[Barbara Shuman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast Fun Summer Read

I really like Elizabeth Johns writing. Her books are all great reads. This books for Joy is a suspense, family and of course love. If you are looking for a good summer read this book is for you.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thus finishes the series as Joy finally finds her hea with Freddy, her dearest friend. They find happiness despite some obstacles they must deal with together. There is a lovely epilogue five years later about all the sisters and their families

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my least likeable of the series. Although it was a sweet story, there was not much of romance as there was friendship. I'm not against cats in general but this story gave too much emphasis on animals that really added nothing to the story for me. In summary, this book just didn't meet my expectations compared to the previous books in the series.

[Veena Soujanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Rating: 3.5 Stars

[Naomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had a nice sweet ending to the series