It’s an absolute delight today to be joining the blog tour for the latest book from Jaimie Admans, A Wonderland Wish on Ever After Street, the third in her gorgeous new series, and sharing my review. Published on 24th May, it’s now available as an e-book (free via Kindle Unlimited), in paperback and as an audiobook. My thanks to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for the invitation and support, and to the publishers for my advance reading ecopy (provided via netgalley).
I’ve become a tremendous fan of Jaimie’s writing – my first was The Beekeeper at Elderflower Grove (a perfect summer read, should you be looking for one!) that made it onto my 2022 Books of the Year list (you’ll find my review here), and then there was The Gingerbread House in Mistletoe Gardens (review here) that was a Book of the Year in 2023. But this series has been something particularly special, starting with A Midnight Kiss on Ever After Street – the Cinderella story so cleverly given a modern twist, and with a romance at its centre that was absolute perfection (you can read my review again here). And then came “a tale as old as time”, the Beauty and the Beast story of An Enchanted Moment on Ever After Street – with a story I adored, the most wonderful couple at the heart of the story who I grew to love beyond measure, and the warm community of Ever After Street offering their friendship and support as always (you’ll find my review of that one here). So I couldn’t have been more thrilled to return for a third visit to this magical world of the author’s creation…
A picture-perfect town, a place where dreams come true. Welcome to Ever After Street…
There’s always time for tea… unless you’ve lost your teapot…
Cleo Jordan has only ever wished for one thing – to open her own teashop in memory of her lovely gran. So when she accidentally fools the interview board into thinking she’s a brilliant baker and is offered a prime spot on Ever After Street, she knows her dream is about to come true!
Stepping into The Wonderland Teapot is like falling down the rabbit hole – magical! But there’s a catch: Cleo has completely lost her love of baking! With her little white lie ticking in her ear, it seems her dream is over before it’s begun.
Until she meets her very own Mad Hatter. Loved by everyone on Ever After Street, magician Bram brings an energy to the teashop that lifts everyone, and slowly, with his encouragement, Cleo is getting back to doing what she loves best.
But with Bram hiding secrets of his own, Cleo isn’t sure she can put all her faith in him. And when things start going wrong at the teashop, Cleo wonders if the culprit sabotaging her dream is someone closer than she thinks?
If Cleo wants her wish to work, she has to learn to trust again before she loses her head and heart completely…although it might already be far too late for that…
Perfect for fans of Holly Martin, Kat French and Caroline Roberts!
An empty cafe on Ever After Street gives Cleo the opportunity she’s been waiting for – the chance to open an Alice in Wonderland themed tea room, as a tribute to her late gran. Not being able to bake might pose a bit of a problem – she lost her ability with the rough time she’s been having recently – and there’s no kitchen either in her ramshackle caravan or her new premises. But shop bought cakes got her through the interview – to her considerable shame – and the supermarket’s always there, adding a few touches to her purchases to reflect her theme until she gets up and running.
But she’s on borrowed time, and the council won’t extend her lease unless her enterprise is a success – and they also send along a “helper”, the wonderful Bram, fully embracing the role of her Mad Hatter. He’s just what she needs – a sparkling personality, a natural entertainer, a talented magician, and a supportive friend – and he also has a swish kitchen of his own, and is more than happy to spend time helping Cleo rediscover her love for baking. It’s an uphill struggle, but they do grow closer in the process – while discovering that they’re both damaged and vulnerable, and that he has some significant secrets that might just drive a wedge between them. But that’s not their only issue – someone is sabotaging their efforts, and just when Cleo needs to meet her biggest challenge or face losing her teashop for ever.
This is just the loveliest read, with the most wonderful characters – and the supportive community of Ever After Street stepping up and pulling together when it looks as if everything may be lost. I loved Cleo from the very beginning – her ideas for the decoration of the teashop were fantastic, and her bravery in the face of her issues and shortcomings only made me love her more. Bram, you might find, is a little more of an acquired taste – but there’s someone infinitely more loveable behind his relentless punning and rather manic Mad Hatter persona. And the developing romance between them? Well, that’s simply perfect – with more obstacles than many relationships, but theirs is a story that really just has to have a happy ending.
The author’s storytelling is as wonderful as ever – this was a book I happily read in a single sitting, heart in mouth at times, moving between tears and laughter, and a world of real everyday fairytale magic that I really didn’t want to leave behind. Just gorgeous – and I’m already looking forward to the next book in this amazing series.
About the author
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 was released in Spring 2023.
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