A lavish party. An isolated mansion. Two hosts who will do anything to protect their secrets.

When husband and wife Henry and Claudine organise their firm’s Christmas party in a remote mansion, they expect it to be a night to remember.

But the festive mood quickly turns sour when a sinister gift is unwrapped in the Secret Santa gift exchange.

As heavy snow traps the guests inside the mountainside lodge it quickly becomes clear that one of the party is out for revenge.

It’s no longer just about enduring the evening. It’s about making sure you get out alive.

What better time to read this thrilling book? At Christmas time. The book is set at a grand house, where the main characters have a secret, but not the Secret Santa type. They however still want to exchange gifts this time, with a side order of murder. Book was gripping, and I couldn't wait to see how it all worked out.

Unfortunately I didn't enjoy this book as much as I had hoped. I found myself skim reading quite often, and the twist at the end proved a little too unbelievable for me. I also found the hopping between timelines often clunky and overdone.

This book felt very much like a shot of alcohol: super fast and surprisingly intense, you’re finishing it before you even know it and it gives you no time to get bored or lose your interest.

Yes, the story doesn’t go super deep and it might feel more like a short story or novella instead of a full length novel despite the decent number of pages. However, it definitely doesn’t feel rushed or incomplete. Perhaps it’s not offering a lot when it comes to people’ motivations or complex descriptions, but it brings a clear view of the actions happening and colorful enough portraits of the main characters. And by colorful I believe it is the best way to describe the individuals that we’re encountering in The Secret Santa. Nobody could argue that their personalities are the most genuine, but in the same time, they’re not annoyingly unbelievable also. It feels like the author took some very normal features and just exaggerated them enough to make a statement, but not to the point where the characters turn to caricatures. I encountered this technique before with other authors and always loved it. It’s like the characters themselves become the definition of certain traits: ambition, platitude, stubbornness, revenge, etc. But in the same time, they are portrayed with enough colors to give them full personalities. Frankly, you’ll never meet in real life such unidirectional personalities but for sure you won’t mind loving them or hating them when you’re reading about them.

As long as you don’t start the book expecting a deep dive, but instead, a light and catchy story, I’m sure you’ll be enjoying it a lot and find very little things to judge or to dislike.

A quick read - and one that was a little over the top but was still good. I love that this story was told from multiple POV. It really gave a good movement for the plot and also a lot of answers before all the others in the story had them.

I loved the idea of this competitive Secret Santa gifts from co-workers. There need to have the best, be the best, just cracked me up. Their fight over the presents were interesting. I like the star also adding a bit of fun to the story.

But the bad guy was a little over the top, almost mustache twirling and cackling. But I liked the way it was all pulled together. Fun mystery, interesting story.

I had high hopes for this book but I couldn't get into it for a long time. I felt it did pick up a bit towards the end but I was tempted to stop reading before that point. I ploughed on because it was a fairly short book but had it been longer, I may have given up. I found it very slow and the secret Santa element was a long time being introduced.

I couldn't finish this book 160 pages in and no secret santa element, the writing was pretty bad too nothing worse than a book about rich people doing rich people things

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

Did not enjoy this book. It was fairly short so I pushed myself to finish it, but it was dull, silly and the big ‘twist’ could be seen coming a mile away. Not for me at all.

Festive Mood Sours....
Festive mood of partygoers quickly sours in this atmospheric, tongue in cheek mystery set in a remote but luxurious mansion when a secret Santa gift causes consternation and the wholly unlikeable guests realise that they are cut off from the outside world. Overall a fun, entertaining read.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

The Secret Santa was truly a page-turner. It did take me a few chapters to get into this book, but once I did, I couldn't put it down. The storyline was different... a bit slow at times, but ultimately, I was a fan

I enjoyed this page turning book. It was well written. Glad that I read it. Will be checking other books by this author.

Glitz, glamour, money, Christmas party and murder this book has it all and they all add up to a fabulously easy read. The plot centres around Claudine and Henry and their realtor business , a business in trouble but a good sale will save them. Unfortunately the sale is from a house that hides deadly secrets, secrets best left buried. Greed and the need to be the best will be the undoing of the pair as things go wrong on the night that a pop sensation visits the home in the hope of purchasing it. A deadly game of cat and mouse over the seemingly harmless tradition of the Secret Santa sees Claudine facing her darkest fear. The gifts are laid out but wait a minute there’s an extra one , what is it ? Where did it come from ? Who knows the truth about what happened all those years ago ? Questions we see answered as the tension mounts and what should have been harmless frivolity reveals the ruthlessness behind it all. As the night progresses we are drawn in to the fear that builds within Claudine as she comes to realise what happened is not a secret any more. The way the tension ratchets up keeps you enthralled and when the ending does come its with a sense of satisfaction. That the truth prevailed and you have spent the hours reading the book cocooned in wonderfully enchanting murderous bliss. A perfect accompaniment to a dark night wrapped on the sofa with hot mulled wine, or buy the book wrap it in glitzy paper and gives as a gift.

I love Christmas and I love reading thrillers. So I was really excited to read this as a Christmas book away from the festive holiday reads that are usually in the format of chick lit

I started reading this and found that it did not grip me and I found myself skim reading it just to get to the end of it

I am so sorry but this book lacked a lot for me and I did not enjoy it

The Secret Santa by Trish Harnetiaux is a fun take on a Secret Santa gift exchange. The story revolves around married real estate firm owners Henry and Claudine. Henry, a brilliant architect, is haunted by his past. Claudine is a cold-hearted woman obsessed with getting what she wants and doesn't care about who she hurts in the process.

Each year, the firm holds a Secret Santa gift exchange with the employees trying to outdo each other with the most lavish, expertly-wrapped gifts. This time, the firm is holding the party at a mansion for sale and superstar singer Zara will be attending the event under the guise of house hunting. Zara and her rock star boyfriend recently broke up, and Claudine will do anything to make the sale.

Zara has an ulterior motive for visiting the mansion and attending the party. Claudine's staff members despise her, and a former coworker she scorned shows up uninvited. When one of the secret gifts causes the hostess to drop a glass of wine, freak out, and demand to know who brought it, the mood changes from festive to frightening.

Though the snowstorm preventing anyone from leaving the mansion was a bit predictable, I do love a good locked room mystery. The book is a quick read that seemed much shorter than its 304 pages. Everyone in the story had secrets to protect, and Claudine made a fantastic gold-digging bitch.

When Claudine and Henry decide to throw their lavish white elephant party at Montague house, they expect the night to be a smashing success and sell a house in the process. However, someone has decided to crash the party. With their unexpected gift comes shocking revelations about Montague house’s dark past and the sinister secrets of the party guests. Will the festive cheer prevail or will the night end in murder?

Overall, I was gripped by this book. I love Christmas, but usually associate Christmas novels with some romance and fun, not a thriller so when I saw this, I was immediately onboard. However, I did have some issues. The back and forth timeline kept me on my toes, but at points, was overdone. My head was spinning and I wish I could have followed the story more. My main problem came with the ending. Not only was it rushed, but it was also random. The story felt like it was going in one direction and made a complete 180, which took me out of the story.

This book was provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Secret Santa is an atmospheric, intriguing read which is perfect for anyone wanting an unusual Christmas read.

The story is told from the point of view of Claudia and Henry, a husband and wife team who run an upmarket estate agents, Zara who is a rather spoiled celebrity and a mysterious person who the reader is lead to believe is involved with what was going to happen. I liked how the author had managed to give each of them their own voice so it was easy to follow each of their stories individually and not get confused between them. My favourite character was Henry as I felt very sorry for him over how he had been treated my Claudia. I also really liked the way he described things which made me, like Zara, hang off his every word. Claudia was someone I loved to hate and really didn’t warm to. She’s very calculated and likes things how she likes them, and wow betide anyone who thinks different. She’s willing to do anything to get ahead and I actually found myself hoping she’d get taken during a peg or two.

The setting of this book in Aspen is brilliant and I enjoyed learning more about the posh lifestyles people live there. The author does a great job of describing the snowy beauty of the place so I felt I could really imagine it in my mind. It sounds like a fun, beautiful place and one I’d love to visit in the future.

The actual murder mystery part of the story was very interesting as there aren’t many suspects to choose from. Throughout the story we slowly learn more about the characters, their relationships with each other and the secrets they are hiding which made for intriguing reading. I found it incredibly fun trying to work out who the mysterious narrator was and who was responsible for the murder.

Overall I thought this was an enjoyable murder mystery which will make a great book to curl up with and escape from the relatives this Christmas. I felt it was similar in style to The Hunting Party so if you liked that book I think you’ll enjoy this one too.

Huge thanks to Rachel from Arrow publishers for sending me a link to this book via Netgalley.

Great novel. Kept the suspense throughout. Liked the way the story unfolded through a number of different viewpoints

When Henry and Claudine arrange a Xmas party they don’t expect it to turn out the way it did. Someone wants to kill and it’s a fight to stay alive.

This looked so promising but soon went downhill and bored me to tears. Some will love it and others won’t!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

A little creepy, but seeing Christmas horror stories more and more. Not sure if I am a fan of the genre, but thought I would give it a try. Overall, not a bad book, full of revenge and angst. Seemed to stretch the scenes a bit long for my taste, and wish it would have been a bit more condensed. Wasn't a favorite, but interested enough to read to see how it ends. Would recommend if you like this genre.