Christmas Books
Christmas With the Queen
Christmas with the Queen (audiobook) by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb
This was an intriguing love story!
Jack Devereaux has a history with Olive Carter. They were once friends, a lifetime ago. For Christmas 1952, the two find their paths crossing in the midst of the young Queen Elizabeth II.
Jack, an aspiring chef lands in the kitchen at the Queen’s residence, Sandringham. Olive is an aspiring writer working with the BBC as a trainee reporter. Both are thrown in their current position by chance.
Over several years the two cross paths repeatedly and end up spending Christmas with the Queen, over and over.
Jack realizes that he has important things that he left unsaid and Olive is carrying a big secret. Can the friendship survive if they come clean with one another?
I thought this was a creative story of love, resilience, forgiveness, and chance.
I really enjoyed it!
The narrators did a wonderful job, although I did find the male voice for Jack a little rushed and clipped, it affected my perception of the character.
For content I would give this one a 4/5⭐️ and for narration a 3/5⭐️
The Christmas Tree Farm
Coming Soon
One Big Happy Family
Coming Soon
The Christmas Swap
The Christmas Swap by Melody Carlson
This was a sweet winter romance.
Emma, a substitute teacher and songwriter, tags along with her friend Jillian and family on a house swap adventure for Christmas. Jillian’s snooty family wants to trade their pool side sunshine for snow and skiing.
Tyler”West” Prescott, a famed musician/ song writer did not choose to invite strangers into his home, but he’ll do anything to make his mom happy.
From the start sparks fly and trouble steps in with this unlikely bunch, then things get very interesting.
The title is a bit of a misnomer in that”Christmas” was not really involved in the plot. “Winter” would have been a better word choice in the title. The characters were not really concerned with Christmas.
Overall I really enjoyed this book! It is a good clean romance. 4/5⭐️
The Christmas Dog Sitters
The Christmas Dog Sitters by Lucy Mitchell
This was a heartwarming story with laughs, tears, and self discovery.
Rachel has a crappy apartment with a leaky roof, she loses her job, and she constantly gets dumped on by her family. Her life is in shambles. Her sister talks her into dog sitting her spaniel, Humphrey. One of the perks, she gets to stay in the fancy manor house for free, what choice does she have.
Then her family dumps her grandfather on her for the holidays.
The unlikely pair have some hysterical adventures. Rachel allows her grandpa to live a little and he encourages her to be herself.
Rachel finds hope in helping those around her. Even Humphrey is an unsung hero in the community, but labeled as an escape artist. As family drama builds and secrets erupt, Rachel finds friends.
This was a sweet story with romance, heartache, and some huge secrets. I loved the endearing funny characters and their interactions. I got so frustrated with Rachel at times, she made me crazy and mad. I loved the story! 4/5⭐️
I'll Be Home for Mischief
I’ll Be Home for Mischief (audiobook) by Jacqueline Frost
Holly White is an amateur sleuth in the town of Mistletoe, Maine. As an innkeeper she plays a significant role in the activities surrounding the Christmas season. This year is her first wedding anniversary with her husband Evan Gray, the sheriff. Holly is preoccupied with several things. She needs the perfect anniversary gift for Evan, the town is celebrating 150 years, and her mother is attempting a world record to put the town on the map with the largest gingerbread man.
Those plans for world fame are dashed when a body is found in the batter. Holly can’t help but get involved to support a long time family friend, even when she is threatened. Things get a little too close for comfort when someone breaks in her office and she has to decide if it’s worth it to continue to ask questions.
This is #5 in the Christmas Tree Farm Mystery series, it works great as a stand alone cozy mystery. The characters are delightful and the story is cozy, perfect for the Christmas season! I really enjoyed the quirky characters and the wintery Christmas setting. The plot had an easy flow with a smooth writing style that just welcomed you into the story. Allyson Ryan did an excellent job with the narration and made it easy to connect with the char@caters as the reader listened.
I would like to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to review the audiobook.
4/5⭐️
The Christmas Dress
The Christmas Dress by Courtney Cole
Meg Juilliard, an aspiring designer, leaves her career to manage a building that she’s inherited after the death of her father. Although the building is “home” she finds herself way out of her element with tenants, a decrepit building, and a handsome handyman. As she struggles to get a hold on how things are done, she meets Ellie Wade, a long term resident. Ellie is inspiring in many ways and they become fast friends.
Ellie gifts Meg a beautiful enchanting Christmas dress that has a history. It helps inspire Meg to follow her dreams and save the crumbling building at the same time.
The magic of the dress and the inspiration that comes from Christmas will lift your spirits in this warm, cozy story of friendship. I really loved this one! 4/5⭐️
Last Christmas in Paris
Last Christmas in Paris by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb
What an enchanted tale told through correspondence between 1914-1918!
This was a really unique way of telling a love story. Two people, Evie Elliot and Thomas Harding spend the Great War corresponding from a distance. They both deal with grief and loss. Evie becomes a voice for women as a reporter, and Thomas goes to war to escape his legacy in the newspaper business.
Their romantic anticipation of meeting up in Paris after a short stint in the war falls short of the reality they both endure.
This was a tear jerker but a wonderful story that took place during WWI.
I really enjoyed the way it was told and how the letters let the reader connect intimately with the characters and their story. 4/5⭐️
The December Market
The December Market by RaeAnne Thayne
This was Awesome!
Amanda Taylor pours herself into her community, always lifting others up. She helps care for her beloved grandmother, Birdie, who lives in a retirement community. Birdie has found new love and Amanda isn’t sure about the situation. Amanda is burdened with scars from her past and is skeptical of love. She is not a big fan of Christmas. She’s had great loss and is wary of trusting, even the handsome paramedic, Rafe, whose son stole her heart.
Rafe has experienced great loss as well and they find a kinship in their loss.
This was a beautiful Christmas story where the warm spirit of Christmas seeps in and takes hold of frozen hearts. It is a warm and cozy novel with romance, pain, and inspiration.
The story is so well developed and the characters just come to life and connect with the reader. I loved the charming setting and the found family in the community. 4/5⭐️
Mrs. Miracle
Mrs. Miracle by Debbie Macomber
This was sweet but not without tears. The true meaning of Christmas and life are the people that make us happy, that fill our lives with meaning and memories. This was a multigenerational love story, with finding love that is new and love that was forgotten.
While I did enjoy the heartfelt story I did not like the abrupt ending. It was like dismissing all the struggles of the book that kept the pages turning. I wanted the characters to share the resolution of their struggles since they were all witnesses to one another’s struggles. It jumped from one resolution to another and then the Christmas play with little depth. 3/5⭐️
The Christmas Pact
The Christmas Pact by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward
This was an entertaining Rom-com!
Riley Kennedy is frustrated because her emails are constantly crossed with those of her co-worker, Kennedy Riley. He never just forwards them, he offers unwanted commentary and advice that makes her boil with defeat.
They finally meet face to face at the company Christmas party, where he coaxed her to let loose on the dance floor. At the end of the night they make a plan to join forces during Christmas week, both have family obligations, and neither is excited to make appearances.
This is a funny, engaging story that will have you laughing out loud! Enjoy this one and heat of your holiday! 4/5⭐️
A Redbird Christmas
A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg
This was charming Christmas story full of faith and hope!
Lost River, Alabama, is a small Southern community where everyone gets taken care of and is part of the “family” of the community. Oswald gets bad news from his doctor and is directed south from Chicago for the health of his lungs. As Lost River’s newest resident, he is adopted into an inspiring unique group. There’s a mailman that delivers by boat, a store owner that is looking to heal a broken heart, and a secret group of women that enjoy just doing good things for people.
The little redbird “Jack” steals the heart of everyone that encounters him. This is a beautiful Southern classic Christmas story with miracles and wonder.
I really enjoyed this one, it made me laugh and cry! The characters were loveable and relatable. 4/5⭐️
The Christmas Book Hunt
The Christmas Book Hunt by Jenny Colgan
This is a heartwarming short story!
Mirren is given a special mission after visiting her great-aunt Violet. Violet has one last Christmas wish, she wants to hold a beloved book that she enjoyed as a child. It’s rare and one of a kind, a legend.
As Mirren goes on her quest, she steps into the wonderful world of bookshops and the hidden treasures of rare books. She meets Theo who is chasing the same book and the two join forces in the quest for Violet’s Christmas miracle. They find a kinship in their love of books.
This was a pleasure to read and encounter a favorite character from The Christmas Bookshop. I enjoyed it! 3.5/5⭐️
25 Days ‘Till Christmas
25 Days ‘Till Christmas by Poppy Alexander
This was so good! It’s a heartwarming story that takes you through the Christmas season with Kate Potter who is struggling to find her Christmas spirit. She lost hope when her husband left to serve in the Army and never came home, leaving her with a young child.
Kate has always taken care of her family even when there wasn’t enough of her to go around. She vowed to have a memorable Christmas when her son humbly asked for an Advent calendar. In the story she is at rock bottom and everyday brings new challenges.
She noticed Daniel before and now it seems he’s noticed her. Daniel has suffered loss and would like to find love. They have loss drawing them together .
This is not a happy Halmark type story, but it is outstanding! Sometimes there are miracles in places that you can’t anticipate. There are layers to this story that go beyond a Christmas story, you will find more.
I really loved this story, it was different, but I was already a fan of Poppy Alexander and this one did not disappoint! 5/5⭐️
Cruel Winter With You
Cruel Winter with You by Ali Hazelwood
This was a short Christmas novella. The author did a wonderful job of packing a full story in a short book. I liked everything about it until the end. The overly descriptive sex scene in the last 5-8 minutes was unnecessarily too descriptive for placement at the end. If you go through the whole story without it, why drop it in at the end?
Resting Scrooge Face
Resting Scrooge Face by Meghan Quinn
This was a really cute story!
I really enjoyed the story and the characters. It was well written and pleasant.
A trope of one that got away, two friends find their way back after many years and broken hearts. They communicate with letters.
4/5⭐️
To Mimi’s House We Go
Wonderful Christmas book for children with grandparents!
This was a sweet read, perfect for read-a-loud time! The rhyme is sweet and catching, and the illustrations are wonderful!
Holiday Hideaway
Holiday Hideaway by Mary Kay Andrews
Tilly Farriday is at a crossroads and in need of a place to stay. She’s recently divorced and broke. Squatting in a vacant rental property wasn’t her best decision. When the new owner shows up unannounced, she ends up hiding in the attic risking everything.
George, the new owner, isn’t sure what to think when things go missing and suspicious noises surround him. He’s sure it isn’t a ghost but then who or what? He’s not sure where life is headed and finds more than he expected in this inherited cabin.
This is a warm and cozy Christmas short story. Mary Kay Andrews does not disappoint, and leaves you wanting more! I loved this one! Grab a warm seat and enjoy it!
5/5⭐️
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