Unfortunately, I can't say this was as good as the rest in the series. In my opinion, it should have been part of its own little series because it doesn't really have anything to do with a Disney themed shop. I know its not technically Ever After Street, its Christmas Ever After but I read the series for the retellings of Disney movies, not an original story. It wasn't bad by any means, I just felt like there was a bit to be improved on. I felt that the characters instantly started being nice to each other, there wasn't enough bickering or fighting to make me believe that they even disliked each other in the first place. It all felt very rushed from the character development to the rest of the plot. I felt that the plot wasn't really as exciting as the other books and felt that there was nothing really to lose and no thrill like the first three. The main character seemed extremely immature for a 38 year old and if I had to read her say "aww" one more time I was going to lose my mind. It just completely took any affection completely out for me. If you're wanting to read this because of the other books, I can't recommend going out of your way to do so but if you're just wanting a nice Christmas story and you haven't read the others in the series, go right ahead.

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read Christmas Ever After by Jaimie Admans. A new Christmas story by Jaimie Admans is always a good reason to celebrate!

This is a cute enemy to lovers story even if the enemy seemed to be one-sided. Franca runs a Nutcracker shop and Raff runs the snow globe shop at Christmas Ever After. The snow globes supposedly have matchmaking magic. Franca's parents met with a snow globe and are now divorced so she blames Raff's family, which honestly just seemed so childish to me. After a freak accident, Franca can't make her nutcrackers so Raff steps in to help. He definitely is one of the good ones. As things go in these books, they do fall in love but whose shop will be forced to shut down?

It was a cute little story and it will give you the holiday feels.

Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for a copy for review.

I found myself falling into a reading slump so I knew that I immediately had to dive into Jaimie's new Christmas book as she never fails and I was absolutely correct in believing that she could bring me out of my slump! I will never not absolutely love returning to this series and this gorgeous, magical world. Jaimie has created something so special with this series and I couldn't wait for a little Christmas magic to be included! I absolutely adored Franca and Raff, their love story is absolutely one to swoon over. It was a delight to see so many familiar faces be woven into the lives of our main characters, as well as be introduced to so many more darling ones. This was a really wholesome and magical read for the Christmas period, allowing us adults to believe in the magic of Christmas and romance.

I seriously need to find this place because I want to move to Ever After Street!, this magical place I’ve been reading about. 😍I love this series, love the ambiance, the small town setting, the unique shops and every tradition they have.
Franca owner of the Nutcraker Shop wants a kiss under the mistletoe, a kiss from Jorge, the baker at the year round bakery at the corner of Ever After Street.
It’s December 1st when the first mistletoe of the season is hang in the Christmas Archway, making the official opening of the Christmas Season. Every year the names of every shopkeeper go into a barrel and the winner gets the first kiss and the face of the Christmas Ever After photos.
This year Jorge and Franca are picked out, she is very excited because she will have the opportunity to kiss her crush! Her dream will become true.
When the moment arrives the unexpected happens: her Prince Charming is not what she’s been imagining. She refused to kiss him because of bad breath so Mitch finds a passerby substitute: Ralph, the owner of the
snow globe shop Love Is All A-Round. He claims that their snow globes magically move if you hold one with your soulmate.
Bad to worse and the camera will start to stream immediately with five hundred viewers ready to watch the event, so she suggests hanging the mistletoe by herself in solidarity with single people everywhere.
Franca and Ralph’s feud begun when they complain to each other to the council meeting so, fed up with the constant bickering the Herefordshire Council set a challenge to resolve the issue: one of them has to go by January. Ralph has to help five couples find love with his magical snow globes and Franca has to prove that nutcrackers are still popular by getting five posts on social media.
Who would succeed? Let’s find out in this fun tale in an enchantment setting.

Enemies to lovers in town of Christmas Ever After. The owners of the snow globe and nutcrackers shops are competing to stay there. A mishap at the official opening of the Christmas season turns into a viral moment with broken bones included. Felt the beginning was a little cringy, but I began to care for the characters and their community. Closed door and sweet.

A cute holiday romance with a backdrop that seems to come right out of a Hallmark Christmas movie. It's festive but the stakes are not riveting. Nice to get into the Christmas spirit though.

A sweet standalone in the Ever After Street series. Christmassy vibes, loveable lead characters, enemies-to-friends-to-lovers. Somewhat slow in tempo and not much conflict, but the emotions in the story trivialise the shortcomings. A heartwarming read for Christmas time.

Ever After Street is a special place, with fairy tale themed shops and a community looking out for each other. And just off Ever After is Christmas Ever After, where it’s Christmas year-round, and where Franca Andrews sells her nutcrackers. But with Christmas approaching, Franca knows she needs to pull out all the stops to keep her shop and remain in the street, especially as she’s been pitted against her arch-nemesis, Raff Dardenne. Dardenne Snow Globes have a reputation – Raff’s grandfather built his business by pairing couples using magical snow globes, but Franca knows it’s a con, and just wishes others would see it. Until she’s left in a predicament that means she can’t do much for herself, including creating her nutcrackers, and in steps Raff to save the day.

Something I really liked and I think Admans does really well at is that we’re not spoon-fed anything, and it quickly becomes apparent that despite the way Franca – our POV character – feels towards Raff, that the way she sees him is very different to the person he actually is. The way he’s introduced you almost expect something, I think, a lot of romance readers are used to – a gruff, arrogant MMC who turns out to have a heart of gold. Instead, we get this sweet, instantly loveable man who made a mistake and is now doing all he can to rectify it.

Franca is a fun FMC, too. It’s clear she’s someone who is struggling, and there’s signs of burn out when we meet her at the start of the novel. But the events that kick things off not only allow her to rest, but like the best Christmas book, allow her to rediscover that magical, Christmas spark.

The book is adorable, great for Christmas, and I fell head over heels for The Ever After Street, immediately picking up the first book in the series as soon as I finished this. I cannot wait to revisit!

What a joy to be back on ever after street! This time we learn more about the owners of the nutcracker shop and Dardenne’s snow globes aka love is all around.

A brilliant tale that I loved from start to finish. Franca and Raff have been warring for years and she is determined to find out the secret behind the match making snowglobes.

In trying to save their shops they are forced to spend more time together, will Franca get her wish? Will she banish Raff from ever after street?

Christmassy, funny, heart warming, and full of joy. I loved the Dardenne family.

Another brilliant tale.

I love a Jaimie Admans novel, whether it’s one of her Christmas ones or not. So I was delighted to be approved to read this novel via @netgalley.

This is a lovely heartwarming festive tale about two shop owners (a snow globe maker and a nutcracker maker) who don’t get on but a series of events thrust them together and a spark grows. I loved all the references to The Nutcracker in this novel. It’s actually part of Jaimie’s ‘Ever After’ series, but you could absolutely read this as a stand alone.

This wasn’t my favourite Christmas novel from Jaimie, as she written some absolute magical festive crackers in the past and this one was more of a standard rom com, but I still thoroughly enjoyed this novel and 100% recommend it.

A delightful festive instalment to the Ever After series, this time we see Admans base the story on the Nutcracker. Whilst it is not my most favourite of Christmas stories, this read is perfectly gorgeous and a great way to get you in the mood for Christmas.

The novel opens with a dramatic disaster. Franca finally has the opportunity to kiss her forever-crush, Jorge, as part of the festive promotional video for Ever After Street. However, disaster strikes, she has a run in with her arch-nemesis, Raphael, and an accident sees her with broken fingers and a live stream that hits views in the thousands! Being a woodworker making traditional nutcracker figures, broken fingers means Franca is out of action. And as the council are so fed up with her and Raphael’s bickering, she has to prove her shop is worthwhile over Raphael’s snow globe business, otherwise she is leaving Ever After Street for good.

This is a classic enemies to lovers story but I liked how Admans doesn’t spend too long on the bickering between Franca and Raff. Instead, Raff feels incredibly guilty about the accident and wants to do everything possible to help his neighbour out. I swooned over his chivalrous behaviour and even Franca cannot refuse to admit that Raff is being genuinely helpful. Over time, feelings develop but Franca cannot forget that Raff’s grandfather matched her now-divorced parents together, creating a tumultuous and strained childhood that Franca can never forget.

Not only do we see Franca change, but I loved the growing relationship between her and Raff. Raff is so pleasant and welcomes Franca into his family without hesitation. It is like Franca needs to thaw out and come alive again at Christmas – very similar to her nutcracker figures.

There is a touch of magic within this story with how Raff’s snow globes have the ability to create love matches. At the same time, I really enjoyed the descriptions of Franca’s shop, especially when she realises there is scope for producing more than just Christmas figures. Seeing both business owners reenergised about their work was a pleasure to witness, but readers know that the council are only prepared to let one shop stay at Ever After Street. Who will be the victor?

This was so perfectly festive and I loved every chapter. Such a strong series from Admans, I am pleased that another one is due to be released next year. You don’t need to have read the other books to enjoy this one but if you loved it, definitely don’t ignore the others! A great story, lovable characters and lashings of hot chocolate make this an idea Christmas Eve read. Highly recommended.

With thanks to Boldwood books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An absolutely adorable Christmas novel. I loved the setting and writing style. It felt so magical and full of Christmas spirit.

In "Christmas Ever After" by Jaimie Admans, Franca Andrews is struggling to keep her nutcracker shop open during the holiday season. Her business is threatened by Raff Dardenne, the owner of a snow globe shop with a magical reputation for bringing lovers together. As their shops compete for survival on Ever After Street, Franca is determined to expose Raff's business as a fraud. However, when disaster strikes and Franca is left unable to work, Raff steps in to help. As they spend more time together, Franca discovers a kinder, more caring side to Raff. Despite their rivalry, they begin to find common ground and perhaps even a bit of Christmas magic.

"Christmas Ever After" by Jaimie Admans is an absolutely delightful Christmas romance. The story of Franca and Raff, two rival shop owners on Ever After Street, is filled with charm, humor, and heart. Admans masterfully weaves a tale of enemies-to-lovers, with a festive backdrop that adds to the magic of the season. The characters are well-developed and relatable, and their journey from rivalry to romance is both heartwarming and believable. The festive setting and the detailed descriptions of nutcrackers and snow globes add an extra layer of holiday cheer. This book is a perfect read for anyone looking to get into the Christmas spirit. Highly recommended for fans of holiday romances and feel-good stories!

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely love the Ever After Street series by @jaimieadmans1 and loved getting to see the Christmas side of it in Christmas Ever After. These can all be read as standalones but I totally wish I could visit this community in real life and meet all my fictional friends. This one was such a cute enemies to lovers story with magical snow globes, tons of nutcrackers, and finding long-forgotten Christmas spirit. Raff was such a teddy bear and I loved seeing Franca learn that it's ok to lean on friends sometimes. If you only listen to one recommendation from me this year, pick up any one of this author's books! You won't regret it!

This was a darling romance! I loved the banter between Franca and Raff! Franca was so bitter towards Raff at the beginning but her feelings started changing when Raff offered help after her mistletoe kiss mishap. Raff was my favorite character because he was so charming and kind. His family was wonderful as well. The chapters were long and the middle of the story dragged but the story picked back up at the end. The ending was romantic and tender when Raff showed Franca how much he loves her. It was worth reading the end!
FYI- You can make a Christmas playlist from all the songs mentioned in the story!

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I hated this book...every other page mentioned how our main character had put on weight and used to be a super thing ballet dancer and after breaking her leg had gone up 4 dress sizes, her large stomach and stretch marks....couldn't read it anymore.

I am absolutely loving the ever after street series and this one did not disappoint- definitely my new favourite story and couple on the street!

4 CEA This is such a cute Christmas romance, and it’s perfect for this time of year! Two shop owners (a snow globe maker and a Christmas nutcracker maker) are arch nemeses and fighting for one lease. Raff accidentally knocks Franca off a ladder and she breaks her fingers, which means she can’t make nutcrackers (and therefore can’t save her store), so he decides to learn how to make nutcrackers to help her. Romance and hilarity ensue! I really liked this one, and I loved how Raff and Franca were able to not only find their love for each other but also rediscover their joy in their careers. The chapters were a little long, but it was the perfect way to start off the Christmas reading season!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read before pub day! ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. CHRISTMAS EVER AFTER is out now!

This was a cute read, set in a shopping village that is Christmas-themed year round. With this premise the author easily could have fallen into cheesy, Hallmark territory where everyone is excited about Christmas all the time, to the point that it’ll make your teeth rot from the sweetness of it all, but that’s not what happens. I appreciated that while Christmas was obviously a central part of the story, it wasn’t annoyingly overdone. We start the story after the challenge has been presented to the MCs & not the events that led to it, which I think was a wise choice- Franca & Raff have been at each others throats for a while, when the committee has had enough, they each have to fulfill a task to prove that they deserve to keep their storefront. Franca runs a shop specializing in nutcrackers, while Raff is carrying on his grandfather’s snow globe business. I think if we had witnessed all the sniping that led to the current events then we would have had a hard time sympathizing with the MCs; they would have come off as whiny & childish.
Franca was super awkward & I found that very relatable, she has some body image issues*. There’s an accident in the beginning, forcing the MCs into closer proximity than either had ever dreaded would happen, but this is what allows the MC’s friendship to evolve, which was sweet and felt organic. Each of our characters learn something about themselves on their journey to proving themselves, making it not just about keeping their stores, but their personal journeys, as well. Raff’s relationship with his family was incredibly close & endearing. I do think Franca’s character would have benefited highly from some therapy; Franca’s vendetta to learn the ‘secret’ to Raff’s family’s snow globes and her pent up, misdirected anger did wear on me after a while. Overall though, it was a good read and I’d say probably around 3.75⭐️
*warning that there is some fat shaming