As a book which wasted absolutely no time in throwing the reader straight into the drama, The Chateau of Happily Ever Afters was a truly beautiful and magical read. From the moment I picked it up I had a feeling that it would be the book for me and I was proved to be correct. Having never previously read anything by Jaimie Admans, I’m so glad I gave this book a chance - it exceeded my expectations and didn’t leave me disappointed.
We first meet Wendy as she awkwardly sits in a sweltering office with a solicitor and a man she’s never met before to hear the news that she has been left a French chateau in the will of her old neighbour and friend, Eulalie. Whilst this should be exciting news, Wendy doesn’t feel entirely happy by it particularly as she learns that she will be expected to share it with Eulalie’s great nephew, Julian, despite the fact that he has never met his great aunt. Keen to see the chateau, Wendy quickly decides to head over to France and see it for herself but is devastated to see that Julian has also had the same idea. With emotions running high, just what will the outcome be when they are forced to endure eachother’s company and who is the chateau destined to belong to?
I have to be honest and say that at first I struggled to warm towards Wendy and found that she was quite immature and hurtful towards Julian with some of her comments when he’d done nothing to deserve them. However, my opinion of her soon changed as I learned more about her and the things she had experienced in her life. In fact, by the end of the novel, I really quite liked her and loved reading of the character’s antics and the dynamic that Jaimie had created between the two of them.
As I read this book, I found that there was something enchanting and captivating about Jaimie’s style of writing - it really was impossible not to love and I adored everything about the reading experience. There was a real fairy-tale like quality to the book that I found was so easy to become immersed in. I loved the sense of mystery and magic that surrounded the chateau that really captured my imagination and left me desperately turning the pages.
With characters that you will be sad to say goodbye to and so much beauty packed within its pages, I certainly fell head over heels in love with this book. With the summer months still to come, The Chateau of Happily Ever Afters would make for perfect holiday reading. For me, it was a fabulous introduction to Jaimie’s writing and I’m thoroughly looking forward to reading more of her books in the future.
Giveaway
Enter the giveaway below, for your chance to win an amazing prize, a French themed goodie bag as pictured, which includes the following:
- 1x Paperchase Paris notebook and pen
- 1x The Chateau of Happily Ever Afters notebook
-1x Little Eiffel Tower model
-1x Eiffel Tower bookmark
-1x The Chateau of Happily Ever Afters magnet
-1x Signed bookmark
Good luck!
