Series: Ever After Street #1 (Standalone)
Publication Date: 04th July 2023
Genre: Small Town Romance, Contemporary
4 Stars
One Liner: Heartwarming (with a few minor issues)
Sadie Winters spent most of her life doing as she was told. Even at thirty-five, she is an invisible seamstress in her family shop controlled by her Aunt Ebony. The Cinderella Shop on Ever After Street is still her only home.
When the aunt forbids her to attend the masquerade ball in the castle, Sadie is disappointed and dejected. However, she gets a chance to play Cinderella at the ball. Somehow, Sadie’s dreams of meeting Prince Charming also come true.
Yet, midnight strikes, and she rushes back to her regular life. Sadie is shocked and hurt when her Prince Charming (Witt) doesn’t recognize her the next day when he visits their shop. But as days go on, it’s up to Sadie to decide if she wants to follow orders or make her own decisions.
The story comes in Sadie’s first-person POV.
My Thoughts:
I love the cover and the fairytale-ish setting. The premise is similar to small town-based books and makes for an entertaining read.
Though the book is mainly romance, it focuses on many aspects, such as standing up for one’s self, following your dreams, making the right decisions, and healing from past trauma. The romance is clean, sweet, and cozy.
Though Sadie is 35, her tone is more of someone in their late 20s. However, it suits her character arc. Her growth is gradual and feels realistic. She takes one step at a time and is still insecure about her abilities. She blanks out a little too often (which is annoying), though I blame it on the first-person POV.
Witt’s character is just as good. He is awkward in many ways but without going overboard sounding rude. In fact, he is adorable for most of the book. I’d have loved it if the book had both their POVs (his in the third person).
Scarlet is a cool character, though I wish we had a wee bit more of her. Aunt Ebony reads like a proper fairytale villain. Will she have a redeeming arc? Read and find out. I do wish this was better handled. The first-person POV prevents us from knowing things until they are revealed (which sometimes feels abrupt).
The small town setting, other business owners, the popular progress vs. natural beauty (should the castle be destroyed to build a supermarket?), etc., make up for the other important threads in the plot.
There are quite a lot of fairytale references, and get a tad excessive at times. If that doesn’t bother you, you’ll enjoy the book more.
The pacing is slower than what I prefer for the genre. Also, I’m not fully convinced by Sadie’s idea of happy customers. There ought to be a balance between idealism and practicality. Sadie and Aunt Ebony fall on two extreme ends, and both aren’t helpful in the long run.
There’s a third-act breakup, but the explanation and the climax are well done. And... if you wonder how he didn’t recognize her, trust your gut. There’s enough wordplay to support the reveal and your gut feeling. (Yeah, I was right, as always.)
To summarize, A Midnight Kiss on Ever After Street is a sweet and heartwarming (clean) romance for Hallmark and fairytale lovers. Pick it up when you want something light yet touching. Looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
Thank you, NetGalley and Boldwood Books, for the eARC.
#NetGalley #AMidnightKissonEverAfterStreet
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P.S.: I so wish the book had a couple of illustrations (especially of the gorgeous blue dress).
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