I was lucky enough to get a place on Tandem Collective UK’s readalong for the new book from the pen of Amanda Prowse – including being gifted a copy of the new book. I was incredibly excited by this opportunity as I was lucky enough to meet Amanda earlier this year at ‘The Book Taster Live’, and she was an absolute joy.
‘Ever After’ was an absolute joy to read. Enya is dealing with the loss of her husband Jonathan, the clear love of her life, when her son throws a curve ball and sends his life down a path that nobody was expecting. This leads to quite some fallout for Enya for a number of reasons, and there is another shock in store for all involved. Alongside this, Enya has met Dominic, but this causes some conflict for Enya as she deeply loved Jonathan and she soon finds out that who Dominic is may not be quite as a straightforward as she thought. I know this may all seem a little secretive as a summary, but I do not want to spoil this book for anyone; we all know I do not read blurbs and, for me, that added to the enjoyment of this book because it meant that every moment and event was a surprise for me – there was even an audible gasp at a couple of points.
I have to give a special mention to Enya: I think she is one of the most wonderful characters I have ever read and she reminded me of Amanda Prowse herself. Enya is such a kind and wise soul, who has so much love for her friends and family – especially her family. But, what really struck me was her quiet strength – and what a role model she would be for anyone who knew her. I just adored her and think she is one of my favourite characters that I have met on the pages of a book.
I have noticed that creating characters is something that is so special in Amanda Prowse’s books. She really seems to see people, their hopes and dreams, their fears and worries and from this she creates such genuine and believable characters. This works alongside the relationships that her characters form, too; they are always so accurate and reflect relationships that many of us may have encountered in our lives. Such a skill for a writer.
Athough I only discovered the books of Amanda Prowse this year, I feel so lucky that I have done, because there is such a backlist of books for me to enjoy, I do not think I will be running out of reading material any time soon – which always makes for a happy bookworm. Alongside this, Amanda’s engagement and support during this readalong has made every one of us feel very special, and added to the joy of being part of this experience.
So, in conclusion, I absolutely adored this book. It was just such an enjoyable read and I loved every moment of it; I could not wait each day to read the pages for the day and see how the story was going to unfold. I will be recommending this to so many people, because I think it is a book that needs to be shared.