Series Name: The Ever After Street, # 4
One arm goes around me and his hand rubs my back, and his other hand cups my head, holding me against his chest, surrounding me with his aftershave and the solid strength of his warm body as he squeezes me so tightly. ‘It’s okay, I’ve got you.’
They’re probably the nicest words anyone’s ever said to me, and they make me cry even harder, because for the first time in a really long time, I feel like someone truly cares, and for the moments, it doesn’t matter that it’s him of all people.
Christmas Ever After proves that Jaimie Admans is the queen of Christmas romances.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, but Franca Andrews has never felt more miserable. With business far from bustling, she needs a Christmas miracle to keep her beloved nutcracker shop open… But there’s one man standing in her way – expert snow globe maker Raff Dardenne.
Dardenne Snow Globes have a magical reputation for bringing lovers together, a myth Raff continues to exploit. But this Christmas their shops are pitted against each other and only one gets to stay on Ever After Street. Franca doesn’t know how her handmade nutcrackers are ever going to compete with Raff’s snow globes, especially at the most magical time of the year!
As these two enemies get to know each other, Franca discovers another side to Raff – kind, caring and funny. But unless she can prove that his magical snow globes can’t really match true lovers together, she’s going to lose everything…
It’s no secret that I am a huge fan of Jaimie’s books. I always recommend one of her books if someone is looking for a charming pick-me-up read. However, I have to say that Jaimie’s Christmas romance stories are on another level of swooniness. Her Christmas books are probably my favourite books in the subgenre. I cannot begin to describe the happiness and magical Christmas feelings her stories give me. Christmas Ever After was everything I hoped it would be. You will devour this book if you love Jaimie’s The Little Christmas Shop on Nutcracker Lane. There are definitely some similar vibes between these two books. This story bursts with Christmas charm and magic, a cinnamon roll hero, rivalry between the two MCs, and so many sweet moments.
This story follows Franca, who has lost her Christmas spirit and really, her spark in life. She feels alone in the world and doesn’t know how to fix the rut she is in. The one thing she does know is that she does not like Raff (fellow shop owner) and thinks his magical match-making snow globes are a sham. They have a heated rivalry that has progressed to the point that the Ever After Business Council has stated that one of them will have to go at the end of the Christmas season. Things become worse for Franca when she finds herself injured and unable to make Nutcrackers anymore. She thinks that everything in her life is over, that is, until Raff comes in to help her make and run her shop. Gosh, I love a good rivalries-to-lovers story; it creates such great chemistry between the two MCs.
What I loved about this book was this reversal of that grumpy sunshine trope that you typically get in Jaimie’s books. In this book, our hero is sunshine, a cinnamon roll character who believes in Christmas magic. Franca is prickly and wants nothing to do with the holiday season she used to adore. Watching as Raff tries to bring back joy and happiness in Franca’s life was so cute and heartwarming. That man had me smiling and my heart pitter-pattering faster. What made Raff’s character more real and relatable was his insecurities about running his family’s business. Raff loves making snow globes but doesn’t like the magical match-making element tied to it. His grandfather had the gift of matching couples, but Raff doesn’t. You can tell he feels tremendous pressure and doesn’t want to disappoint his family. This vulnerability made me fall in love with his character even more. I adored Franca, which is unusual because I don’t always click with prickly female MCs. But I think Franca’s loneliness made her so endearing to me. She’s not a terrible person, but events in her past have made her see the world in a more jaded light. Her family life is full of hostility, and she is filled with this sense of hopelessness. My heart really did go out to her. I loved watching her grow in this book. It is always so heartwarming to watch a character fall back in love with their passion and also fall in love with a gorgeous man.
The romance has all that typical sweet charm that I have come to expect from Jaimie’s books. You really cannot help but smile when you watch these two characters fall in love with each other. I lost count of the number of moments that had those butterflies fluttering in my stomach. This is a slow-burn love story. Franca and Raff fall in love over the course of the Christmas holiday season. I love the fun and cheeky banter between these two. And as much as the third-act break-up ripped my heart out, I knew the moment when these two finally got back together would be memorable and oozing with swoony goodness.
Christmas Ever After is bursting with Christmas charm, and within its pages is a love story that is sure to put a smile on your face.
Thank you, Boldwood Books and Rachel Random Resources, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
