Mirrigold: Mutterings & Musings

Wonderland by Rachel Ember

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another gorgeous entry in the latest series of expanded World of True North books.

Here we get a second chance romance between two likable young men who had a falling out eight years earlier and who are brought back together under somewhat strained circumstances.

We’ve briefly met Peter in Aaron’s book, but we only got a glimpse of the man he was projecting – Harvard graduate lawyer, assured and direct.

But that’s not even remotely close to the truth and Rachel Ember slowly peels back the insecurities and fears that are shaping Peter’s edges as the book goes on.

Riley Meadows is a beautifully crafted character, he’s been running away from most things his whole life apart from the summers he spent with his grandfather and a younger Peter as they explored the magical ruins of the old amusement park which belongs to the Meadows family.

The setting is as much a part of this romance as the relationship between the two men as they carefully navigate their way through the challenges of Riley’s grandfather’s eccentric behaviour, fears about the future of the park, and the feelings that never went away.

I could picture the crumbling and faded grandeur of this once bustling amusement park so clearly, the giant tortoise Lemon was a wonderful addition to the story, his personality created in few words but incredibly vivid.

Gene, Riley’s grandfather, is a wonderful man, a bit prickly, a bit sad at the sad state of the park, a bit stubborn and very definitely eccentric, so much so that he’s buried his $2m lottery winnings somewhere in the grounds but can’t remember where!

As the narrative follows Riley and Peter’s search for the money, the reader also gets to follow them on a journey of reconnection, of hard truths, of love and, ultimately, of a new future together.

#ARC kindly received from the author via Sarina Bowen’s Heart Eyes Press in return for an honest and unbiased review.

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