Happily Ever After by Elizabeth Maxwell

March 18th, 2014 Kimberly Review 86 Comments

18th Mar
Happily Ever After by Elizabeth Maxwell
Happily Ever After
by Elizabeth Maxwell
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon *affiliate
Goodreads
Rating: One StarOne StarOne StarHalf a Star

In this witty, sexy tale, an erotic novelist meets the fictional hero of her most recent book in real life, and must decide whether she wants to get him back between the pages—or between her sheets.At forty-six, Sadie Fuller’s life isn’t exactly romantic. A divorced, overweight, somewhat sexually frustrated mother of an eleven-year-old, she lives in the suburbs, shops the big box stores, makes small talk with her small-minded neighbors, and generally leads a quiet life. But while her daughter is at school, or when Sadie is up late at night, she writes erotic fiction under the name KT Briggs. Then, during a routine shopping trip, Sadie runs into someone familiar…too familiar, in fact. She encounters an incredibly handsome man exactly like the one in her imagination—and her latest novel. Is Aidan Hathaway really one of her characters? And if so, what is he doing in Target? As Sadie tries to negotiate this strange new world, her eyes begin to open to romantic possibilities in places she never dreamed of looking... places where Happily Ever After might not be so far-fetched after all.

Happily Ever After by Elizabeth Maxwell is a fun, quirky, contemporary romance with a twist of magic. Sadie Fuller is a middle-aged, divorced, mother who writes erotic fiction at night. When a character from her latest book suddenly appears in this world, things get, well, complicated. Mini review: humor, a little romance, and some self-discovery make this quirky tale memorable.

Sadie Fuller is a pudgy, successful, divorced, mini-van driving Mom.  She wakes one morning to find that the word count on her newest manuscript has increased. Not only that but the story has taken a new direction and she cannot remember writing it. A trip to Target goes wonky when she stumbles upon a disoriented man who looks vaguely familiar.  She suddenly finds her little piece of the universe turned upside down and anything but dull as she aids this man.  The tale that unfolds is cute, funny and unique.

The characters in Happily Ever After are very realistic, aside from those in her novel. Maxwell does a wonderful job of fleshing out Sadie, and I think most woman will identify with aspects of her character. I found myself laughing aloud at her thoughts and actions. Her characters resemble the ones she has written but suddenly they are taking on their own characteristics and creating their own memories. Ooo and there is one pissed off witch.  Sadie’s Friday “lunch date” was an interesting thread, and I liked how the relationship developed. The romance was real, awkward, sweet and genuine.

Happily Ever After was a story within a story, as we followed both Sadie and her characters. We get tidbits of the erotic novel that Sadie is writing, and it steamed up the pages but then the story shifts to Sadie’s life, and it was refreshingly realistic. Well aside from her characters running around.  Maxwell gives us a raw and up-close look at the life of a middle age single Mom from dating to sex. Sadie’s snarky attitude just made me giggle. From dealing with noisy neighbors to spandex support Maxwell is blunt and hilarious. One cannot help but feel sorry for Sadie as we see how her life has unfolded. It was delightful watching Sadie find herself as she worked to help her characters. While it is necessary to suspend belief regarding the “character element”  Maxwell kept me entertained. 

If you are looking for a unique, quirky and humorous romance, Happily Ever After may be for you.

 

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About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram

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86 Responses to “Happily Ever After by Elizabeth Maxwell”

  1. Dani

    I have come across this one and am kind of on the fence about it. I may just add it to the ever growing pile of books I want to read.

  3. Lindy

    This story sounds like such a funny and light read! I think I would love Sadie and the fact that she’s snarky, blunt, and relatable!

  4. Candace

    That cover is ADORABLE! I love it! And the story sounds really good too. I like that touch of magic. And this sounds like a character I might be able to relate to. Wonderful review!

  5. Cyn

    This sound pretty cute, I do love genuine, awkward, quirky romances haha. This kind of reminds me of Kasey Michael’s Maggie Needs an Alibi, where her fictional hero comes to life, too! I’m loving the trend of contemporaries with a magic twist (: Lovely review Kim!

    • kimbacaffeinate

      Ooo I will check that one. I enjoyed that this was different and the non-magic elements were so realistic.

  8. Christy

    This sounds like so much fun! How great would that be if our favorite book boyfriends came to life… for US. *sigh* I’m definitely interested in this book.

    • kimbacaffeinate

      Hmm, it would be fantastic until my hubby found it. Hehe. Keep in mind she helps the characters but doesn’t have a “relationship” with them. I think you will like her snark.

  9. Pamela D

    This sounds like a cute read. It reminds me a bit of Romancing the Stone. I think I just like stories about writers. 🙂

  11. Felicia S (The Geeky Blogger)

    Normally I am not the biggest fan of contemporary romance (I think I have like 5 go to authors) but if there is snark–I have to try it. I might even like it slightly more than you. I get the smart asses LOL

  16. Melissa (Books and Things)

    Oh this sounds like a fun romance. The characters start writing themselves and then interacting with the author? Right there you know will bring some giggles. Yep, this one is for me!

    • kimbacaffeinate

      This was fun an unique, thanks Debbie and enjoy 🙂

  18. Ana

    I’m interesting in reading from the POV of an older protagonist, and the premise sounds pretty funny and cute. I’ll keep my eyes out for this one! 🙂

  19. Tanja

    This book is new to me but this kind of stories with addition of a bit of magic are always interesting to me. Realistic characters are always great to meet. Great review, Kim 🙂

  20. Amir

    Wow, this book is certainly different! I love that the protagonist is middle aged, there aren’t a lot of heroines in that age bracket so this is definitely refreshing. This sounds like a great contemporary read with just a hint of magic. I will def check it out…awesome review 🙂

  21. Melliane

    Oh the cover is really cute. And it’s nice to have a tale like that. it’s nice to have a book like that to change. Thanks for the discovery.

    • kimbacaffeinate

      thanks Melliane, I love that is was different 🙂

  22. Lauren

    This sounds like a wonderful premise, I’m sure many authors have wondered what would happen if their characters leapt off the pages. What a cute idea for a story, I’m glad Sadie was honest and relatable. Thanks for your lovely review, this sounds like a story I’d have a lot of fun with!

  24. Heidi

    I think a lot of us would end up relating to Sadie. This sounds like a fun escape type read that is perfect when you need something light and fun. I think I am going to add this to the old TBR. I need a read like this to make me laugh.

    • kimbacaffeinate

      It was funny and light, Heidi. At times embarrassing and awkward but realistic and quirky enough that it made me smile

  25. Lupdilup

    Sounds like a good premise, in fact, this is probably something I could enjoy one afternoon at the beach, although with this whether it seems like a long time before I get to do that 🙁

    Thanks Kimba.

  27. aurian

    This does sound fun Kimba, normally not something I would pick up, but now I want to read it. I like the description of Sadie.

  30. Nick

    This sounds hilarious, Kim! Wouldn’t we all love it if fictional boys could turn out to be real? 😉
    I haven’t heard of this one before, but I’m curious!
    Lovely review!

    • kimbacaffeinate

      Yes, but just to be clear there is no romance with the swoon-worthy character..but he was debonair.

  31. Michelle

    This book looks like a lot of fun. It’s a new one to me too, which I always love.

    Great review Kimba. I’m glad to hear that the characters are fleshed out.

    • kimbacaffeinate

      thanks Michelle and thanks again for hosting a challenge. 🙂

  32. Jenny

    Oh good, I’m so glad you enjoyed this one Kim! I have it on my review pile and I was looking forward to it, so I was hoping it would get a solid rating from you. I think I’m definitely going to be a fan of Sadie and her snarky attitude:) Fantastic review!

    • kimbacaffeinate

      Enjoy Jenny, it was different and Sadie was very real.

    • kimbacaffeinate

      thanks Chene it was hilarious at times but also showed growth as well.

    • kimbacaffeinate

      It was a fun read and different which is always refreshing 🙂

  35. kindlemom1

    This sounds like a really cute read with just a little but of something extra (paranormal element) to make it really fun.

    Great review Kim!

  37. Jenea

    I love the plot idea in this, sounds like a fun read. Sadie sounds like someone that I would definitely like to be around. Us snarky people seem to stick together. lol… Great review.

  38. Maja (The Nocturnal Library)

    What an original idea! I like this concept so much, and both stories sound like a lot of fun.
    I doubt I’d find t hard to relate to Sadie… in many ways, she sounds a lot like me.
    Lovely review and thanks for bringing this to my attention.

    • kimbacaffeinate

      thanks Maja, the magical aspect was interesting, but I liked Sadie 🙂

  39. Amy

    It’s great that the characters are reaslitc. I find that in contemporary romance the characters can often become cliches, so it’s always refreshing when they are more down to earth. Sounds like a sweet and quirky story!

    • kimbacaffeinate

      Exactly, nope these characters were realistic, heck they could be your neighbor.

  40. RedIza

    I appreciate that the heroin, for once, is not young, thin and beautiful 🙂 I bet we would all love to meet one of our book boyfriends into real life !

    • kimbacaffeinate

      Agreed, in fact I have a list of them I’d like to meet 🙂

  41. Faye

    With a premise like that, I am fairly wondering how the hell I didn’t hear of this one before! I like it when a novel has layers and layers of complexity in them, and this one sounds like it would satisfy that craving of mine. Awesome review!

    • kimbacaffeinate

      Don’t we all, but I like that it was the regular Joe she is involved with and not the book hottie.