Christmas Ever After - Jaimie Admans

 

Christmas Ever After

A picture-perfect way - expert snow globe maker Raff Dardenne.

Dardenne Snow Globes have a magical reputation for bringing lovers together, a myth that Raff continues to exploit, much to Franca’s annoyance! 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 magical snow globes, especially at the most magical time of the year!

Franca’s determined to prove Raff’s business is built on lies. But when disaster strikes, and she’s left unable to make anything, she needs help. It’s just very frustrating that the only person offering is her gorgeous, annoying, nemesis himself!

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…

town, a place where dreams come true. Welcome to Ever After Street...

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

But maybe it's not too late for them to put aside their differences and find some Christmas magic of their own?

Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/christmasaftersocial

My Review:

What a wonderful return visit to the enchanting ‘Ever After Street.’ I adore this magical community. Although part of a wonderful series, this festive book can be read as a standalone. I’m such a fan of Jaimie Admans’ books that I couldn’t resist Christmas in September!

I love an good enemies to lovers trope and this fits the bill perfectly. Our leading characters don’t seem to be able to co-exist as shopkeepers on the same street, this leads to a competition by the local council – only one can stay and each character has a challenge to complete. The reasons for their “enemy” status seems more one sided to me, and pretty petty but paves the way for a fun and cosy rom-com.

Franca runs the nutcracker store, she was a ballerina until injury put her on a very different path. She loves that the street she works on but is not a fan of Raf, the guy running the snow globe shop. She blames his store (inherited from his Grandfather) for the divorce of her parents.

As the festive season begins Franca is injured because of a mistake by Raf. She cannot possibly continue with making the nutcrackers for the festive market and the customer orders she has. Raf is instantly sorry for what happened and sets about doing all he can to make things right – no matter what it may cost him.

Great characters – Raf just sounds incredible and unfairly judged by Franca. Franca had a difficult childhood following her parents divorce. Her parents hate each other and she has  barely any relationship with either. Raf was surrounded by family, his grandfather build a great business that encouraged romance and played matchmaker for many couples. Raf doesn’t really want to continue this legacy, he just wants to build beautiful snow globes.

A story of both characters following their hearts, doing what they want and feeling supported doing so by those who love them.

A gorgeous, cosy, festive read - Jaimie Admans never fails for me. I highly recommend Christmas Ever After and I cannot wait to go back! 

Author Bio:

Jaimie Admans is the bestselling author of several romantic comedies – including The Little Christmas Shop on Nutcracker Lane and The Chateau of Happily-Ever-Afters. Her new series for Boldwood, The Ever After Street Series, is based on the magical world of fairytales.

 

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Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jaimie-admans

 

An Enchanted Moment on Ever After Street - Jaimie Admans

 

A picture-perfect town, a place where dreams come true. Welcome to Ever After Street...

A tale as old as time…

Since her mum’s death, Marnie Platt has shut herself away from everyone who cares about her. Worse, her beloved bookshop on Ever After Street is suffering too. With sales down and the shop’s garden falling into disrepair, Marnie risks losing the very last thing she loves. Until a chance encounter with her surly and reclusive neighbour….

Dark and brooding, Darcy O'Connell likes to keep himself to himself. But when he hears Marnie needs help, he can’t turn his back on her. Soon they are spending most evenings together in her enchanted garden and a friendship starts to bloom…

With the help of old and new friends on Ever After Street, Marnie's bookshop begins to thrive again, and with Darcy's kindness, she starts to get her sparkle back too. She just can't understand why Darcy continues to shut himself away - especially from her. Can she convince him it isn't too late to embrace life, and maybe love, again?

Because every story, even theirs, deserves a happy ending….

My review:

Magical and heart warming, for Beauty and the Beast fans everywhere. A story of romance, overcoming insecurities and being true to who you are, no matter what.

A second book in the Ever After Street series, and a glorious, fairytale that had me hooked from start to finish.

Marnie, grieving her Mum, runs bookshops – A Tale As Old As Time. They ran the shop together, so her Mums loss has impacted in massive ways. When the bookshop is put at risk, she is devastated and determined to make changes, with or without the input from her grumpy neighbour Darcy. She’s never seen him, nobody has, but a chance encounter from either side of the wall leads to a very unique and unexpected friendship.

As the story unfolds, both Marnie and Darcy open up, they help heal each other in many ways and form a bond that is special. When we discover the trauma in Darcys history we can understand why he has been the way he has, it was emotional and made his development throughout the story so much more special.

I loved the characters, I think they complemented each other and brought the best out of one another. I was so glad this book was set in a bookshop (a book lovers dream!) yet again I felt the sense of community within this story; with great characters we have previously met popping up and meeting those that may take a main role in future books.

A gorgeous read, great writing, engaging characters and I am already looking forward to the next in the series. 

Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/everaftersocial

Author Bio:

Jaimie Admans is the bestselling author of several romantic comedies – including The Little Christmas Shop on Nutcracker Lane and The Chateau of Happily-Ever-Afters. She lives in South Wales and was previously published by HQ Digital. Her new work for Boldwood, The Ever After Street Series, is based on the magical world of fairytales, the first title of which will be released in Spring 2023.

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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jaimie.admans

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Bookbub profile: Jaimie Admans Books - BookBub

The Gingerbread House in Mistletoe Gardens -

 

The Gingerbread House in Mistletoe Gardens

The perfect cosy and uplifting romance to curl up with this winter!

In Mistletoe Gardens a legend exists: anyone who kisses underneath the mistletoe will be guaranteed another year of love…

When local baker Essie Browne discovers that Mistletoe Gardens is to be demolished in January, she’s determined to save the place she loves so much. So Essie proposes building a life size gingerbread house to bring in the crowds…just how hard can it be?

Well, quite hard actually. Essie can bake gingerbread blindfolded, but she hasn’t got a clue how to build an actual house with it! She needs help - and fast!

Enter local builder, Joss Hallissey. Essie is convinced that with Joss’s help they can pull this off. There’s just one tiny problem: Joss hates Christmas, gingerbread, and… well, just about everything else too.

Joss the Grinch makes it clear that her idea is ludicrous and pointless, but he reluctantly agrees to help with her plan.

Will the gingerbread house be enough to save Mistletoe Gardens? Or will Essie's chance for a magical kiss under the mistletoe be lost forever?

Perfect for fans of Holly Martin, Kat French and Caroline Roberts!

Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/Gingerbreadhousesocial

My Review:

As a long time fan of Jaimie Admans’ I was anticipating a charming, heart warming story with sweet characters, wonderful, enchanting locations and a sprinkling of magic, of course I was not disappointed.

A festive story that filled me with that cosy, warm feeling, where my heart was full and fuzzy with love and festive spirit. A story of hope, determination, a resolve to make changes and also to find the best of everyone and of course, to embrace tradition and celebrate love.

Essie, local baker extraordinaire, loves where she lives, the people, the place and has vowed to never leave. Mistletoe Gardens is a special place to all who live there and when to discover upcoming plans to demolish this much-loved place she sets her sights on making a stand, saving Mistletoe Gardens. Her plan, outrageously, is to build a life size gingerbread house, but whilst she can bake, she has no idea on how to build and needs help.

Joss hates Christmas, and pretty much most things. He wants to be away from the place that holds painful memories and definitely has no real intention on getting involved in anything community spirited. He has a few loose ends to finish up and then he plans to go.

My first “festive” read of the season and I think it will take a lot to top this one. I adored it, felt like I was there with Essie in Mistletoe Gardens. She is a spirited young lady and knows what she wants, lacking in the ability to speak up for herself after being hurt in the past. Mistletoe Gardens sounds like such a festive, special place – I’d love to take a trip there myself.

With a cast of very unique characters, you will laugh, you will feel emotional but you will remember that magical feel we can forget as we get older. This story will reignite that sense of wonder and will have you ready for the season! Fantastic read that will be a favourite!

Author Bio:

Jaimie Admans is the bestselling author of several romantic comedies – including The Little Christmas Shop on Nutcracker Lane and The Chateau of Happily-Ever-Afters. She lives in South Wales and was previously published by HQ Digital.

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The Beekeeper at Elderflower Grove -Jaimie Admans

 

Her new start is about to bee-gin!

Having moved into her mum’s spare room after a disastrous break-up, Kayleigh Harwood is desperate for a fresh start. When she sees an opening for a new beekeeper at the old manor house at Elderflower Grove she jumps at the chance – despite not knowing a thing about bees…

 The abandoned house holds a mystery of its own – the previous owner vanished years ago – and locals have been inventing stories about the manor ever since. Unable to resist the urge to look around, Kayleigh is shocked to find drop-dead-gorgeous gardener Carey living inside!

 Carey explains that the house and surrounding land is at risk of being demolished, endangering the bees, and he has been staying there to protect it.

 Convinced the secret of the house holds the key to saving Elderflower Grove’s bees, Kayleigh is prepared to do everything she can to help. But is she ready to find her own happy-ever-after too…?

Purchase Links:

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09Z757JFW

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B09Z757JFW

My review:

Wonderful summer read, instant sunshine and happiness in a book. This is down to Jaimie’s unique style and interesting storylines. As a fully fledged fan of all Jaimie’s books, I knew to expect some crazy antics, mysterious shenanigans and things that just can’t be explained. 

Great characters, a setting that is so descriptive you feel you are right there, and a lot of information about bees and beekeeping I never knew before. I loved Kayleigh, she has a great attitude and a character I wanted to see do well. Carey grew on me, I had doubts and couldn’t believe he was for real. Elderflower Grove just sounds magnificent, also a little mysterious as Kayleigh and Carey discover.

If you suspend your sensible head and go with your imagination, this book will leave you make you smile from start to finish.

As always, great writing, interesting themes and a smashing summer read. 

Author Bio:

Jaimie is a 36-year-old English-sounding Welsh girl with an awkward-to-spell name. She lives in South Wales and enjoys writing, gardening, watching horror movies, and drinking tea, although she’s seriously considering marrying her coffee machine. She loves autumn and winter, and singing songs from musicals despite the fact she’s got the voice of a dying hyena. She hates spiders, hot weather, and cheese & onion crisps. She spends far too much time on Twitter and owns too many pairs of boots. She will never have time to read all the books she wants to read.

She is the author of several romantic comedies for HarperCollins - The Chateau of Happily Ever Afters, The Little Wedding Island, It's a Wonderful Night, The Little Vintage Carousel by the Sea, Snowflakes at the Little Christmas Tree Farm, The Little Bookshop of Love Stories, The Wishing Tree Beside the Shore, The Little Christmas Shop on Nutcracker Lane, The Post Box at the North Pole, and The Beekeeper at Elderflower Grove.

Social Media Links – 

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/be_the_spark

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jaimieadmansbooks 

The Post Box at the North Pole - Jaimie Admans

 

Dear Santa,

I wish I could believe in magic again.

From, Sasha.

Sasha Hansley hates Christmas. As a child, it was her favourite time of year, but ever since the tragic death of her mother, it has completely lost its magic.

But when she gets an unexpected phone call from her eccentric estranged father, she’s forced to dust off her snow boots.

He has been running a Lapland-style Christmas village in Norway and after suffering a heart attack, he is on strict doctor’s orders to slow down. Eager to reconnect with her dad, Sasha books the next flight out there. Only she has never actually been on a plane before, let alone to the Arctic Circle.

 Met at the runway by drop-dead-gorgeous Taavi Salvesen, they sleigh ride through the snow with the Northern Lights guiding their way.

 When Sasha uncovers sacks of unopened Santa mail – letters that children and adults from all over the world write to Santa every year – she realises that she can send a little bit of magic out into the world by replying to some of them.

 With Taavi on hand to help, will Sasha rediscover her own excitement for Christmas and find love among the letters?

The Post Box at the North Pole is like one big romantic mug of hot chocolate with extra whipped cream and a splash of Christmas magic! Fans of Holly Martin, Sarah Morgan and Heidi Swain will love this novel!

My Review:
Seasonal frolics and Christmas galore in this magical, cosy treat of a read. I couldn’t put this down as I’d mentally whisked myself away to Norway’s North Pole Forest! It’s festive, it’s keeping the magic well and truly alive for all ages; if you need a bit of festive happiness this year, this book will firmly work wonders!

The oldest, most cynical amongst you are sure to feel the festive spirit after this book, and in my opinion it’s the best yet from Jaimie Admans.

Sasha isn’t that fond of Christmas anymore, the magic died a long time ago for her. Her father is always off exploring the world or doing something daring so she hasn’t got anyone to make this season special. Out of the blue her Dad calls and asks her to visit as he has had a heart attack and he needs her help. Sash jets off to Norway, to go support him and convince him that it’s time to come home.

With a surprise journey awaiting her once she arrives, she meets Taavi who both frustrates and amazes her in equal measure. As the next few days pass, Sash learns more about her Dad, the business and also about Taavi. She also starts reading the letters delivered to Santa and her heart thaws, her sense of wonder slowly starts to return and starts to remember to true magic of Christmas. Feeling like she can do more, Sash sets to work in responding to the letters and providing help where she can.

There is so much to the story; romance, fun, pain, drama, upset and a bit of magical intrigue. It’s wonderful.

I could see this play out as a film, you can picture workshops, festive villages etc. An absolute joy to read and I can’t recommend this highly enough this Christmas.

Purchase Links

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09DFHFNW3

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B09DFHFNW3

Author Bio:

Jaimie is a 36-year-old English-sounding Welsh girl with an awkward-to-spell name. She lives in South Wales and enjoys writing, gardening, watching horror movies, and drinking tea, although she’s seriously considering marrying her coffee machine. She loves autumn and winter, and singing songs from musicals despite the fact she’s got the voice of a dying hyena. She hates spiders, hot weather, and cheese & onion crisps. She spends far too much time on Twitter and owns too many pairs of boots.
She will never have time to read all the books she wants to read.

She is the author of several romantic comedies for HarperCollins - The Chateau of Happily Ever Afters, The Little Wedding Island, It's a Wonderful Night, The Little Vintage Carousel by the Sea, Snowflakes at the Little Christmas Tree Farm, The Little Bookshop of Love Stories, The Wishing Tree Beside the Shore, The Little Christmas Shop on Nutcracker Lane, and The Post Box at the North Pole.

Social Media Links:

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/be_the_spark

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jaimieadmansbooks

Q&A with Jaimie Admans

 Welcome to The Comfy Chair Blog.... Jaimie Admans, author of 'The Little Christmas Shop on Nutcracker Lane.'

Jaimie is a 35-year-old English-sounding Welsh girl with an awkward-to-spell name. She lives in South Wales and enjoys writing, gardening, watching horror movies, and drinking tea, although she’s seriously considering marrying her coffee machine. She loves autumn and winter, and singing songs from musicals despite the fact she’s got the voice of a dying hyena. She hates spiders, hot weather, and cheese & onion crisps. She spends far too much time on Twitter and owns too many pairs of boots. She will never have time to read all the books she wants to read.

1.      What was your favourite childhood book/author? 

Judy Blume, no question! I don’t know how old I was when I read my first book by her, but I’d guess around eight or nine, probably a bit young to be reading them, but I found that her books really spoke to me and talked about issues that I had and didn’t realise that other people had them too! My absolute favourite book of hers is Tiger Eyes, which found me at a tough time when I was around twelve, and that was the first time I really connected to a character and felt like the book was written about me.

 

2.      What inspired you to start writing and how long has it taken you to get to this point? 

I have no idea what inspired me to start. I grew up wanting to tell stories and was always playing around with words and starting stories in different genres, but I think things changed when I started reading romantic comedies and realised that I loved them and that was the kind of thing I wanted to write. As for time, I wrote my first whole novel in 2006 (it was beyond dreadful!) and had no aspirations to get published, I was just doing it because I loved it. I self-published a few books in 2012, and then got my first ‘proper’ publishing deal with a novella in an anthology in 2015, and then my first book deal in 2016, and now I’ve got seven books out and two more scheduled for next year!

 

3.      Describe your writing space - neat and ordered or creative chaos? 

I actually have two – one is an exercise bike desk in the bedroom, it’s literally an exercise bike with a desk for a laptop instead of handlebars, and when I’m feeling lazy (most of the time, to be fair!) I sit in an armchair in the living room with my little netbook on my lap!

 

4.      What is the easiest and hardest part of the writing process? 

Easiest is planning a book when all the ideas come at once and unexpected things slot together and it all feels fresh and exciting, quickly followed by the first draft, which is the main thing I absolutely love – just getting to escape into another world and live a different life for a while. The hardest part is definitely revisions, when my editor has read the first draft and sends me a letter detailing everything that’s wrong with it, and gives me a few weeks to fix it! I don’t mind them in the sense that I know they make the book better overall, and having someone else look at it and tell you what works and what doesn’t is invaluable, but the process of having to pull apart a book, add things and take things away, and then re-stitch it back together in a way that somehow still makes sense is so daunting for me!

 

5.      Which other authors are you influenced by?

All the other incredible authors who write in my genre, some of whom I’ve been lucky enough to get to know through social media. To see people struggling through first drafts and plodding through revisions, and still produce amazing book after amazing book is inspirational and reminds me that no matter how challenging something is, I can get there too!

 

6.      What does literary success “look” like to you?

That’s a good one because I think the goalposts move as you move on in your career, if that makes sense? When I started out, all I wanted was a book in paperback, when I got that, I wanted the paperback to be in a shop, and then another paperback in another shop, and so on. Once you get one thing, you always want more. Amazon Top 100 for one book, but then you want it for the next book as well. Generally, I think the ultimate success is just finding readers who love your books, who talk about your books, who wait for your new releases, who really ‘get’ what you’re trying to say and love your characters as much as you do!

 

7.      How do you select the names of your characters?

Baby name websites are brilliant! Sometimes characters appear in my head with their names in tow and I know what their names will be before anything else, but more often than not, I end up trawling baby name websites trying to find something that fits (and that I haven’t used before!) Also, whenever I hear a name I like, I write it down in the hopes that it will fit a character at some point in the future!

 

8.      Do you hide any secret ‘messages’ in your book that only a few people will understand? 

I do! There are a couple of certain phrases that I try to sneak into each book in one way or another, and I also try to shoehorn in references to my previous books, usually in the most vague way possible, but I love knowing readers who’ve read them both will get the references!

 

9.      If your book was to be made into a film/TV programme, which actors would play which role? 

James is easy because I pictured an actor while I was writing, and that’s Peter Porte – he’s a gorgeous actor who does the Hallmark-type made-for-TV movies, and Nia’s a bit more difficult because I pictured a real person when I was writing, but I’d like Nia to be played by someone a bit quirky, I think Zooey Deschanel would be the perfect fit for her!

 

10.  What do you hope your readers take away from your book?

That you’re never too old to believe in the magic of Christmas! And that nutcrackers are awesome and everyone should have one!

 

Lastly, Jenn (The Comfy Chair) likes to enjoy a good read snuggled up with a cup of tea and piece of cake... what cake or sweet treat would you suggest to accompany your book? 

Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate! I’m going to say Peppermint Bark seeing as it’s mentioned a lot in the book, and I made a lot of batches of it while writing for ‘research purposes’!

The Little Christmas Shop on Nutcracker Lane

Ebook is out now, paperback released on10th December

After making a wish to finally find Prince Charming, Nia accidentally knocks over and breaks a human-sized nutcracker and runs away. When she returns to pay for the damage, she stumbles across a man in exactly the spot where she left the broken nutcracker. A very gorgeous, very charming man. But he couldn't actually be the nutcracker... Could he?

Available HERE

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jaimieadmans.com

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