The Christmas Escape by Sarah Morgan is one of those books that is destined to become an instant Christmas classic, at least in my house. Emotionally complex, thought-provoking, uplifting, and flawless in its execution, it spoke to me in a myriad of ways. I found the characters, and their circumstances, to be realistic and relatable. The depth of emotion tugged at my heartstrings (and evoked more than a few tears) but I was also delighted by the sprinkling of humor throughout. Little four-year-old Holly was a delight and - speaking from experience - very realistically depicted. Morgan's skill for creating immersive settings in her books is also on display here. By the time I turned the final page of the book, I was ready to immediately book a trip to Lapland. I don't know if she's actually been there but she brought this region to life as clearly and vibrantly as the Aurora Borealis that graces its winter sky.

This book is women's fiction and while the journeys of the three lead women are the primary focus, romance readers should be aware that there are also strong romantic threads with happy endings.


*ARC received for fair and unbiased review

A wonderful Christmas story about friendship, family and love. Set in Lapland, the home of the Aurora Borealis and Santa. We have lifelong girlfriends, an Aunt that has been estranged for a couple of decades and a delightful child to keep us fully entertained. I was sorry when it ended.

This is a duplicate of the same book I already downloaded from HQN (rather than Harlequin HQN). I will leave a review on the other listing.

This wonderful story centers around four people: a troubled married couple with a child, and a "frenemies" twosome who are thrown together by circumstances. It's Christmastime, and all four travel to Swedish Lapland to spend the holiday at a luxurious resort owned by the estranged aunt of one of the main characters. These realistic characters work through their issues, both with themselves and their relationships with one another, all while enjoying a storybook Christmas in an amazing Arctic setting. A truly enjoyable holiday-themed read!

I normally love all books by this author but this one was not my favorite. This book had lots of characters so there was a lot of background info about each character. And, I just could not get into the story or the characters

In The Christmas Escape, Sarah Morgan attempts to tell the love stories of three interconnected couples. Unfortunately, the story is dry and unmoving. The writing tends toward short and choppy, with repetition frequently preventing the story from moving along. It takes 70 pages just to introduce all of the main characters, all of whom feel rather two-dimensional. At the 50% mark, the author is still setting up the stories and background for each of the couples and has provided no reason for the reader to care about the characters. It's the epitome of melba toast syndrome.