A review by srivalli
Christmas Ever After by Jaimie Admans

emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

4.0

 4 Stars

One Liner: A sweet Christmassy romance 

We are back on the Ever After Street for Christmas. This time, it’s a competition between Franca Andrews (a ballet dancer turned nutcracker maker) and Raphael Dardenne (the owner of magical snow globes). Fran hates Raff and his late grandfather as she thinks their snow globes are fraud and there’s no such thing as finding true love with it. She is determined to expose him and get the shop closed. No way would she let her nutcracker business be evicted from Ever After Street. 

However, presumptions can be incorrect. Franc has some major realization when she needs help, and Raff is the one to provide it. With Christmas magic at work, maybe the two of them will find common ground and something more. 

The story comes in Franc’s first-person POV. 

 My Thoughts:  

The fourth book in the series can be read as a standalone. It has an enemies-to-lovers trope where two business owners and artisans fight to retain their spot on Ever After Street. 

As always, the characters are layered and flawed, making it easy to empathize with them or want to cheer for them. They are in their late 30s, with enough issues in the past. 

I love how the author creates such perfect book boyfriends. Raff is warm, kind-hearted, compassionate, talented, and cheerful. His relationship with his family is beautiful but not perfect. He has an unwanted burden on his shoulders and doesn’t know how to deal with it. 

Franc is a disillusioned and cynical character who slowly reconnects with her soft side. Her argument does feel immature but not unrealistic (it makes sense given her childhood). She is a good person and willing to admit her mistakes. Her arc is encouraging and reassuring. 

The ‘enmity’ doesn’t last long. Things start to thaw rather early in the book but I like it since we see the natural progress of their relationship (something the author excels in writing). I absolutely love how their interactions change both of them for the better but gradually. 

Do I have to repeat how the author writes the best hugs? Makes me go awww every single time! 

There is a sort of third-act breakup but more of a resigned move than due to miscommunication or a fight). Think of it as a short lull where they take a deep breath and resume the story. The ending is, of course, hopeful and heartwarming. 

We also get the background details about the processing of making a wooden nutcracker. The details are woven into the plot and presented in different scenes to enhance the narrative. The ideas for future projects (nutcrackers and snowglobes) are so cool! 

Ever After Street is a magical place, but with some ‘strict’ owners who tend to cause some or other issues for the shop owners. Well, we need conflict and some of their concerns are legit, so no complaints. 

The side characters this time are mainly Raff’s family and a couple of shop owners. Sofia (7yo) is such a doll! Adorable. 

To summarize, Christmas Ever After is a heartwarming and festive addition to the series. The pacing is slow (there’s some repetition in the first half). Settle down with the book and a cup of hot chocolate to enjoy the story of finding love and rediscovering the magic of Christmas. 

Thank you, Rachel's Random Resources and Boldwood Books, for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. 


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