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Cranley Wishes #3

A Wish for Wilma

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The hilarious final part of the Cranley Wishes trilogy! Best read in order.

Getting old may not be a bundle of laughs, but Wilma Cooper isn't ready to hang up her slippers yet. Not when she has the arrival of her first great-grandchild to look forward to.

When blast from the past Gus Brown appears on her doorstep, Wilma's over the moon to rekindle their friendship.

But life takes an unexpected turn when she finds herself playing host to a rather peculiar house guest. There's a baby boom in town, but not all babies are created equal.

As Wilma grows closer to Gus, happiness seems on the cards. Until an unexpected caller threatens to throw a spanner in the works.

With a wish up her sleeve and madness in the air, will Wilma find a second chance at love?

Praise for A Wish For 'A magical pick-me-up. Just what the doctor ordered.''Charming, enticing, compelling and joyous.''Guaranteed to make you laugh out loud.'Praise for A Wish For 'The second book in the only romcom series you'll ever need.''If you want a story full of heart, this is the book for you.''This book is such fun … the humour really sparkles.'

280 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 12, 2023

16 people are currently reading
13 people want to read

About the author

Audrey Davis

11 books108 followers
Audrey Davis survived secondary school on the West coast of Scotland. Rubbish at science but not too bad at English, she originally wanted to be an actress but was persuaded that journalism was a safer option. Probably wise. She studied at Napier College in Edinburgh, the only place in Scotland at that time to offer a journalism course.
Her first foray into the hard-nosed newspaper world was as a junior reporter in Dumfriesshire. Duties included interviewing farmers about the prize-winning heifers to reporting on family tragedies. She persuaded her editor to let her launch an entertainment column which meant meeting the odd celebrity – or just the downright odd. From there, she moved to the loftier rank of senior reporter back in her home patch. Slightly more money, fewer farm animals but a higher crime rate. As Taggart would say: 'There's been a murrrrder!'
After a stint in London on a video magazine – yes, she is that old – Audrey moved to Singapore with her fiancé. She tried valiantly to embrace the stinking heat, humidity and lack of jobs, although she did work briefly on a magazine which was banned by the government for 'artistic' use of naked men's bottoms.
Next on her adventures was a land Down Under where her main focus was raising Cost Centre One (aka firstborn) and coming to terms with the imminent arrival of Number Two. Still, she loved the Aussie way of life – BBQs, beaches and bring your own booze to restaurants – so it came as a blow when OH announced a move back to the UK. Not a job between use, the climate a possible deal breaker and an Exorcist-style vomiting infant on the flight home didn't bode well …
Always a survivor, Audrey sought out similar-minded friends (i.e. slightly bonkers), got the children into a good school and thought about taking up writing again. Sadly, thinking about it was as far as she got, unless you count shopping lists. Then, hubby drops another bombshell. Switzerland. As in – it's packing time again. Off to the land of cheese, chocolate, scarily efficient trains and a couple of teeny, tiny issues. Like driving on the 'wrong' side of the road and speaking a foreign language (French). The former was conquered fairly quickly (we'll skip over the wall demolition in week two), the latter remains an ongoing battle of the hopeful against the hopeless. At least she provides amusement for the local workforce.
It wasn't until 2016 that Audrey rediscovered her writing mojo with an on line Writing Fiction course. From there, her first novel – A Clean Sweep – was born, although it took a bit longer than nine months from conception. A short, darker prequel – A Clean Break – followed, and in November 2017 she published the first in a novella trilogy, The Haunting of Hattie Hastings Part One. Parts Two and Three followed, and were combined into a standalone novel in November 2018. Her third romantic comedy A Wish For Jinnie will be published in June 2020.

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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
Profile Image for Elaine - Splashes Into Books.
3,892 reviews136 followers
July 15, 2023
With a great grandbaby on the way
And so is Wilma's eighty-seventh birthday
Is it too late to take a chance
On the possibility of romance?

Add in genies to the mix,
And problems that are needing a fix,
Along with a surprise coming too
What a fun read for me and you!

This is a fun read with loads of family drama
As genies endeavour to thwart karma.
Can everyone work to sort everything out
And what about an ex that's about?

I lighthearted story with plenty of surprises
And dreams for all that no one realises.
A story to make you smile
As you escape into it for a while.

For my complementary copy of this book, I say thank you,
As I share with you this, my honest review.
Profile Image for Anne Williams.
2,214 reviews
July 12, 2023
In the hallway of the home Jinnie now shares with the lovely Sam – still coming to terms with finding out that he’s an all-powerful Djinn – there’s a firmly locked cupboard. And inside, there are two lamps – never ever to be touched again. Until, that is, there’s a bit of a crisis and grandmother Wilma comes to stay – and, left alone and finding the kitchen cupboards don’t need her re-arranging skills, turns her attention (and the silver key she’s unearthed) to that forbidden cupboard, with contents that could really do with a bit of a polish. First time around, they get away with it – but genies Dhassim and Aaliyah (returned to their lamps by Sam, when he discovered his unexpected powers) have unfinished business. And when a much smaller lamp appears in the cupboard, and Sam finds himself doing some unexpected time-travelling when they make their intentions clear, it’s only a matter of time until chaos ensues.

Wilma, rather unexpectedly, has a new man in her life – Gus was a friend of her and her husband, and when he turns up to do some tasks as a handyman, no longer married (and Wilma’s been on her own for a good while now), she finds her heart beating a little faster. As their friendship grows – and the second chance relationship between them is just so perfectly drawn – things become more than a little complicated when she discovers that the occupant of that third lamp is destined to become part of her life. And then she finds that someone else is determined to make sure there won’t be a future for the developing romance between her and Gus…

I’m just so totally delighted that the author chose to tell Wilma’s story – she was a wonderful source of some of the humour in the earlier books, but with a touch of poignancy about her too, and it was an absolute delight to get to know her better. And she’s so very real – her strong opinions, her tea-cup readings and crystals, her battle with the fags, and the real affection she’s held in by her family. And when things become a touch surreal with her unexpected visitor, it’s no real surprise that she takes it entirely in her stride – and Sam and Jinnie, although awaiting a new arrival of their own, are there in support to help her manage the situation and sort out the rest of her life.

The whole book sparkles with humour throughout – I don’t think the author has ever written any better – but the laughter is balanced with those moments of real poignancy that she always handles so beautifully. Wilma herself is just wonderful – entirely real in every way, and I absolutely loved her – but there’s also a perfectly drawn wider cast of characters, already familiar from the earlier books, all getting on with their lives and playing their parts in the story. And one element of the book that I particularly enjoyed was Wilma’s developing relationship with Gus – she entirely captures the particular issues and challenges around second chance romance later in life, and made me completely invested in their future happiness. And then, of course, there’s the magic – I really don’t want to take away the delight of discovering that part of the story, but the new arrival is a quite wonderful character, and the source of such mayhem in all their lives.

There’s such lovely warmth to this book – it’s clear that Wilma has the same special place in the author’s heart as she immediately had in mine. The storytelling is simply perfect – all those delightful small details, the many laugh-out-loud moments and wonderful one-liners, and the more gentle emotional touches. And the story itself is an absolute joy, the perfect escape from reality – the pages turned so quickly that it was such a pleasure to read it from cover to cover in a single sitting, although I really didn’t want it to end. Just wonderful – and this is a book (and series – do read them in order for maximum enjoyment!) that I’d thoroughly recommend to all.
Profile Image for Karen Farrow.
732 reviews12 followers
June 5, 2023
Another fantastic instalment of this series. Although this is the third book it could also be read as a stand-alone however the first two books are fabulous and well worth a read.

The story continues with Jinnie and Sam who are now expecting a baby and the unexpected re appearance of the genies with a big surprise. The wish this time is for Wilma, Jinnie’s 87 year old grandmother who I would love to be my own. She is definitely growing old not only disgracefully but more important, fabulously! What follows is a fantastic book full of humour and love that can lift up your mood. All in all wonderful story.

A must have read
234 reviews3 followers
June 8, 2023
A fantastic 3rd instalment of this lovely little series, having read the 1st two books it was lovely to catch up with all the characters. This time Wilma gets a visitor DJ and he's there to grant her wish. An old friend comes back to Wilmas life and she continues to be a warm loving character with a touch of spark. Will there be a 4th instalment ? Hopefully.
1 review
June 13, 2023
A hilarious and witty third installment. Calamity ensues alongside mayhem. Loved the book and the touching subject of never being too old to find love. With the new addition of DJ and his rapid growth from baby to man it really had me chuckling. Great light hearted read.
Profile Image for Cathy Ryan.
1,272 reviews76 followers
July 13, 2023
A Wish for Wilma is a lovely conclusion to the trilogy which began with Jinnie, carried on with Jo and now it’s Wilma’s turn. Jinnie and Sam are about to become parents and Wilma is looking forward to meeting her first great-grandchild. Searching for something to keep herself occupied, Wilma has tried tea leaf readings and knitting baby stuff, which wasn’t going too well. Scrap that – she’d buy some. Her latest thing was crystals. Little did she know that very soon she would have something totally unexpected to keep her on her toes.

Wilma might be in her mid eighties but she didn’t feel like it when the handyman she was expecting turned out to be an old friend. She and Gus had been two of a group of friends in their younger days but had lost touch when they both married and began new lives.

Although it had been six months since the genies Dhassim and Aaliyah had been ordered back into their lamps, which were now safely locked in a cupboard, Sam was still a little on edge, especially since he’d learned he was a Djinn. It seems Sam was right to be on edge as Wilma unwittingly sets off a chain of events when she was called over to Sam and Jinnie’s house in an emergency. To keep her mind off things Wilma decided to do a little tidying up. Fired up with curiosity when she spied a locked cupboard, she couldn’t resist investigating.

'Torn between shame at her nosiness and rampant curiosity, she nudged the door fully open. Wilma gawped in disbelief at the contents. Two old oil lamps nestled on a ruby red velvet cushion.

Whatever she’d expected to find, this wasn’t it. Why, in the name of the wee man, would Sam and Jinnie keep two lamps locked in a cupboard? A quick scan revealed nothing more than a liberal coating of dust. That she could remedy easily enough.'

A Wish for Wilma was as much fun to read as the previous books. I loved Wilma, and it was refreshing to have a couple of older people discovering you’re never too old, despite someone throwing a spanner in the works. There’s lots of humour, plus engaging and supportive characters in this touching story.
Profile Image for LJ (ljwritesandreviews).
880 reviews41 followers
June 14, 2023
It's so lovely to be back in Cranley for the third and final instalment of this fabulous series!

Wilma is almost eight seven and the only thing she feels like she's got to look forward to is the birth of her great grandchild. What she doesn't bargain for is an old friend Gus popping up again along with being stuck with genie baby DJ! DJ offers her one wish but what will she use it for? A happily ever after for herself or something else?

It's so nice that Wilma got her own book. She was always a bit of a scene stealer in the first two, so it was fun to get to know her a bit better. And I love the fact that a character in their eighties has a romantic story line, something I don't see very often.

I enjoyed the fact we got to catch up with characters from the previous books, Jinnie and Jo, to see that their happily ever afters are still going strong.

I didn't think it was quite as funny as the others in the series, but it was still an enjoyable read.

A Wish For Wilma is a light-hearted summer read, with romance, a dash of the paranormal and plenty of high jinx along the way.
Profile Image for Fee (Ebook Addicts).
1,471 reviews45 followers
July 18, 2023
A genie provides three wishes so it is only fitting that this series ends after three books and that being 'A Wish for Wilma'. I have loved the previous books in the Cranley Wishes series and though I am sad to see it come to an end, I thoroughly enjoyed this final instalment.

Wilma has a wicked sense of humour for her 87 years and I loved the snippets we got of her in the previous books so I was happy to see her get her own story.

When Wilma discovers the genie lamps in Sam and Jinnie’s home she gets more than she bargains for when she takes the smaller one home with her. I don’t think anyone was expecting a baby genie to appear! And of course being a genie little DJ doesn’t stay small for long.

secrets are revealed, hilarity ensues and the birth or Jinnie’s little one as well as romance for Wilma bring this delightful series to end.
Profile Image for Emily Portman.
335 reviews44 followers
June 22, 2023
A Wish For Wilma is the most satisfying end to a flawless, hilarious, feel-good trilogy. It’s the kind of book that you never want to end, but at the same time makes you crave the conclusion to see how your favourite characters will continue their lives!

The book is filled to the brim with uplifting moments of joy, ridiculously clever humour and characters who will stick in your heart long after reading the last page. Wilma is just an adorable ray of sunshine with a rebellious, cheeky side which I absolutely loved, and her romance with Gus is certainly something you don’t see often (new authors, take note!) A beautiful, heartwarming and unforgettable final book. I’ll miss these characters dearly!
Profile Image for Nicola Malloch.
628 reviews9 followers
July 14, 2023
📚review📚106th book finished in 2023

Audrey Davis - A wish for Wilma

Thank you so much Audrey Davis and Rachel’s random resources for gifting me a digital copy of 'A wish for Wilma' in exchange for an honest review.

This is the final book in the Cranley wishes trilogy, having read book 1 and 2 I jumped at the chance to read book 3 and seeing what mischief the genies will conjure up this time. Following octogenarian Wilma as she prepares for the arrival of her first great grand child when a former love interest shows up as well as a genie baby what could possibly go wrong? I really enjoyed this series and I love discovering books with multi generational families and love interests. I think as I dont have that I seek it in books.

#gifted #giftedbook #booktour 
Profile Image for Kamini Mehta.
533 reviews10 followers
June 6, 2023
Maybe not as funny a story as the others, but definitely a light entertaining beach read. Wilma Is helping out Sam and Jinnie, but she discovers their secret and then the chaos begins.
Wilma ends up with an ubusual house guest as well as an old flame back in town. She's definitely not slowing down in her eighties. I hope I have as much energy and fun at her age. The characters are likable and the story moves along at a nice pace.
Profile Image for Helen.
Author 29 books210 followers
June 22, 2023
I love this series, and I'm so pleased the author gave Jinnie's feisty grandma Wilma her own story to finish it off! The genies are back, with a few little surprises along the way, complicating life for Jinnie and Sam as usual.

With plenty of humour and witty one-liners, it's the perfect read for leaving the world behind and delving into some magical realism. I highly recommend the whole series, and can't wait to read more from the author!
Profile Image for Lindsay.
1,367 reviews31 followers
July 10, 2023
Im so sad this is the last book in the series as it always feels like coming home to a good friend when I read these. This time without spoiling anything there’s even more trouble brewing as the troublesome genies have some more wishes to grant and this time Gran is the one who is the lucky recipient. With babies on the way and new relationships forming this book is heartwarming and funny and feels like a warm hug to read. Bye bye old friends.
3 reviews
July 13, 2023
As I read A Wish for Wilma I was loving it as much as the first two! The fabulous wise cracks of the adorable characters had me laughing out loud as I vicariously lived life in a Scottish village! ❤️❤️!

Loved the ending and finding out what happened for everyone in the trilogy! Very satisfying and heart warming! Love celebrating the little and ordinary things of life that bring joy and that’s what these books do!
656 reviews23 followers
June 17, 2023
The 3rd in the series. It was nice to catch up with characters from the previous books. Even though it is a good beach read I didn’t laugh out loud as previously. Still a good read.
52 reviews2 followers
June 19, 2023
It is funny how you dive into a book and remember character from the previous book. Loved it.
Profile Image for Beccy Thompson.
810 reviews17 followers
August 5, 2023
Absolutely loved this whole series and this final book was just the perfect ending!
Excellent characters, brilliant plot just fabulous!
Profile Image for Maddy.
662 reviews18 followers
July 11, 2023
I really enjoyed the first two books in the series, but this one just didn't ring a chord with me. A little too predictable.

When Gran Wilma meets an old flame Gus, sparks fly, but she is severely hampered by a house guest who turns her life upside down.

It's Wilma's turn to make a wish, and until she does her life will not return to normal.
281 reviews8 followers
August 5, 2023
Awwww, I loved this. It’s like slipping into an old pair of slippers. Catching up with the gang was like old times . Highly recommend the whole series. Nice to see the continuation of the story but to hear another perspective, too.
Good fun!
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews

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