Blurb:
Where dreams come true…?
Wendy Clayton stopped believing in fairy tales a long time ago. Instead, she has a ‘nice’ life. Nice job. Nice flat. Absolutely no men. Until her life is turned upside-down when her elderly neighbour, Eulalie, passes away and leaves her the Château of Happily Ever Afters!
But there’s a catch: she must share the sprawling French castle with Eulalie’s long-lost nephew, Julian. And no matter how gorgeous he is, or how easily she finds herself falling head over heels, Wendy needs to find a way to get rid of him…
Because surely happily ever afters don’t happen in real life?
Escape to beautiful France this summer with this uplifting romantic comedy. Perfect for fans of Kat French, Caroline Roberts, and Holly Martin.
Review: What can I say, I loved this book. It’s as bright and breezy as the cover suggests and the two main characters, Wendy and Julian, while irritating at times are a good combination. Both have their own problems which they bring with them when they visit the Chateau they have inherited and through the course of the story we learn more about them and why they act the way they do. This is very much a summery book which draws you in and keeps you reading just to find out what happens next. While ideal for a summer read it will probably also work really well in the winter as a bit of escapism from the miserable weather. The UK in winter tends to be wet, windy and grey so summer in France would be perfect to counteract it.
Both Wendy and Julian go to the Chateau to try and find its hidden ‘treasure’ which is mentioned in the will but no one knows what it is or if it even exists. Over the weeks they are there they find out about the history of the Chateau and its surroundings and each other and you begin to wonder if the treasure is perhaps not tangible but something in the walls or the air that cannot be seen or felt but is there to be found at the right time and by the right person/people.
There is something a little magical about the Chateau and the story itself, you could be forgiven for thinking this is one of those romance stories that is like a recipe (there’s a lot of baking in the book), add two people who don’t get on, mix in a new location, sprinkle with past secrets and stir until the expected ending is reached. However, this story isn’t that straightforward, yes the first few steps are there but the ‘stir until expected ending’ step is not the same as in some, almost formulaic books. While you’ll probably expect early on that Wendy and Julian will get together by the end of the book (and I’ll be honest, that’s what I thought when I started reading), whether they do or not will become irrelevant as you continue reading. This is one of those books that you keep reading because you’re enjoying it, you stop caring whether the character get together or not because watching them grow and develop is fun and interesting and moving, at times. This is one of those stories where it’s not all about the destination but the journey itself and that’s why I loved it.
Giveaway:
French-themed stationery goodie bag.
1 x Paperchase Paris notebook and pen
1 x The Chateau of Happily Ever Afters notebook
1 x little Eiffel Tower model
1 x Eiffel Tower bookmark
1 x The Chateau of Happily Ever Afters magnet
1 x Signed postcard
Click on this link to enter http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/bf633057119/?
Author Bio: Jaimie is a 32-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 chick-lit romantic comedies The Chateau of Happily Ever Afters and Kismetology, and she has also written young-adult romantic comedies Afterlife Academy, Not Pretty Enough, and North Pole Reform School.
Author links:
http://www.jaimieadmans.com
http://twitter.com/be_the_spark
http://facebook.com/jaimieadmansbooks
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