The new Mrs. Claus is about to celebrate her second Christmas at the North Pole. This year she's invited a friend from the Oregon city where she spends the "off-season." But once again, life does not run smoothly in the land of year round Christmas. This hilarious book is a like a Hallmark Christmas movie with a dash of sarcasm and a heap of mystery folded in. I've enjoyed all three books in the series and look forward to the next one.

I just love this Mrs. Claus series! The third novel in the series, Mrs. Clause and the Evil Elves finds April (Claus) joined by her best friend from Oregon, Claire who is visiting for the holidays. This was a nice added touch because you get to know more about April’s life outside of Santaland. I actually wished there were a bit more character driven parts but I have to say this is one of those rare series where I enjoy the predominantly plot-driven storyline.

This whimsical world was once again greatly described and I just love love love all the Elf names. I thought the pun names on some of the new inventions that were some of causes surrounding the mystery of the murder were so fun, such as “drone-deer” and the story had me cracking up.

Overall, this was such an adorable cozy mystery that is comfy, whimsical and funny.

Thank you Kensington for the arc. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Mrs. Claus and the Evil Elves is book #3 in the Mrs. Claus Mystery series by Liz Ireland.

It was fun seeing the Santaland from April’s friend Claire’s perspective. AprIl trying to clear her friend, Juniper, who is accused of murder while also fulfilling her duties as Mrs. Claus is very entertaining. Glitchy robotic helpers and mobile snowmen might be too much of a change for the North Pole. I guessed who was guilty but enjoyed April getting there.

Thank you to the author, Kensington Books, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Utterly ridiculous and a sheer delight to read. This series is such fun and makes me wish it was Christmas already. Or at least cooler weather. The mystery was fun and easy to figure out, the cast of characters always fun, and a few unexpected events to keep me surprised.

This is the third instalment in Liz Ireland's Mrs Claus mystery series. The reader soon meets the star of the show, April Claus, who runs a B&B in Oregon. In this novel, April's friend, Claire, is visiting from Oregon and she is thrilled. Married to Nick, April discovers that besides showing Claire the town's delights, she has a lot to juggle. the reindeer are on strike and someone is frightening people with drone-deer towing banners with threatening messages. Then an elf is murdered and another friend of April's, Juniper is in the frame...

I thought this was a highly entertaining, really solid continuation of the series. I reconfirmed my enjoyment of Liz Ireland's admirable characterisation of April who, rather unsurprisingly given what she contends with, is a little scatterbrained. April steps in to do some investigating aiding Detective Jake Frost.

I was totally engaged in this magical tale for its entirety. With no let-up in the fast-paced plot, the author masterfully interwove intoxicating descriptions of the setting. This was so expertly done that I could readily imagine and sense all that protagonist April did, completely bringing the setting to life. There was Christmassy chaos and shenanigans all around with oodles of humour, puns and wit. Liz Ireland's writing once again captured my complete attention and I didn't put this one down. The book was such a fun read and all in all, Mrs. Claus and the Evil Elves is a top-notch novel. I will certainly be returning to see what April is getting herself into next! Very highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Kensington Books via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

I'm always fascinated by the complex world building of this series, a great reimagining of Christmas land.
An entertaining and well plotted addition to this series, I had fun and the solid mystery kept me guessing.
Glad to catch up with the fleshed out characters.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This is a Cozy Mystery, and this is the third book in the Mrs. Claus series. I have read the second book in this series before picking up this book, but I do think you can read this book as a standalone without any problems. I find this book to be a cute and fun read. The characters are cute and fun. I love the Christmas setting in this book, and I love the main character Mrs. Claus. The mystery in this book was fun and kept me guessing, but the main thing I love about this book is the characters and the setting. The ending was so great, and I loved it so much. This is a great cozy mystery series. The only thing I did not love about this book is that the murder did not happen until almost at the half way point of the book. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Kensington Cozies) or author (Liz Ireland) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

This was a cute, cozy mystery. It was one of the slower moving cozy mysteries I have read this year but I would give another one of the books in this series a chance. I do hope Claire sticks around, as I like the wonderment she brings to the North Pole.

Cozy murder mystery at the North Pole. Mrs. Claus is enjoying her second Christmas at the North Pole with her friend who is visiting for the holiday. Then the reindeer go on strike and then on top of that a murder. Cute, quirky mystery.

April Claus is very excited to be able to bring her best friend from Oregon, Claire Emerson, up to Santaland to see what her new hometown has to offer in the lead up to Christmas, their most important holiday. Claire originally figured that April had just relocated to a town that really, really cares about its seasonal festivities, till April and her husband Nick (yes, <i>the</i> Santa Claus himself) show up at the Fairbanks, Alaska airport to whisk her off even further north in a flying reindeer sleigh.

Now Claire is slowly adjusting to the idea of Santaland being real, with lots of help from April herself, who reminds her:

QUOTE
[“]When faced with evidence, you can’t not believe. <i>You’ve</i> seen the elves now, and the talking reindeer.”

“Yup.” [Claire] burrowed down in her seat, still looking unsettled. “What am I supposed to swallow next? The Tooth Fairy? Will the Easter Bunny show up at this all-herd meeting tonight?”

I scoffed. “No one in their right mind believes the Easter Bunny is real.”

“I don’t know what to believe anymore. I’m not even sure if I’m in my right mind.”

“Of course you are. You’re as sane as I am.”

She arched a brow at me, and we burst out laughing.
END QUOTE

The camaraderie between the besties certainly helps a lot, as April introduces Claire to her new friends and family up in the wintry north. Besides the human Claus family, Santaland is filled with elves and talking reindeer, the latter of whom are mostly on strike despite it being their busiest season. Several enterprising elves have come up with the idea of using drones to replace reindeer, an idea that has not gone over well at all with the town’s hoofed denizens. In response, the reindeer have not only shut down all their labor (barring emergency services) but have also canceled their annual games to boot.

The Clauses are attempting to mediate an agreement, seeking to find the right balance between the elves’ industriousness and the reindeer’s rights as workers. The politics has spread even to the annual ice sculpture contest, which April is attending with Claire and a close elf friend, Juniper Greenleaf. April is pleased to see how the prize-giving setup clearly flatters the reindeer:

QUOTE
The exquisite artistry had amazed Juniper and me, too. Considering how long ice statues lasted her in the frozen north, Blitzen the First would be gazing across Peppermint Pond for decades to come. And from a coldly calculating standpoint, given the situation with the reindeer strike, it was just good politics to award the grand prize to a statue honoring one of the most famous of Santa’s original team. It was probably no coincidence that the dais had been set up right next to the Blitzen sculpture.
END QUOTE

Juniper, on the other hand, is more concerned with the absence of her new boyfriend, Blinky Brightlow, from the festivities. April secretly thinks that it’s probably for the best that he isn’t in attendance, given the fact that his company is the one behind the controversial drone marketing. But when a disastrous accident involving a rogue drone mars the competition, April can’t help but wonder whether Juniper is right to worry.

Inquiring about the drone in her capacity as Mrs Claus leads to April asking around at Brightlow Brothers Enterprises as to Blinky’s whereabouts as well. While April is happy to shake things up a bit with her questioning, she doesn’t expect for her efforts to lead to the untimely death of the company’s accountant Virgil. When all the evidence points to Juniper as his murderer, April realizes her friend must have been framed. But why, and who would want a humble accountant dead in the first place? April must juggle investigating Virgil’s death with showing Claire around and presiding over her pre-Christmastime duties as Mrs Claus. What will she do, however, when a murderer decides that she’s next on their naughty list?

This is definitely the mystery series for readers who love a North American Christmastime, as our spunky heroine effortlessly incorporates the magic of the season into her sleuthing. The contrast of adding real world issues into the fantasy setting really grounds the goings-on further in the entertainingly plausible. The cast is almost entirely charming, with April herself leading the way in being one of the people (and elves, and reindeer) that readers will be happy to spend time with. Mrs Claus And The Evil Elves is the coziest of cozy mystery series, and well-worth a read for anyone wanting an extra touch of whimsy, seasonal or otherwise, with their whodunnits.

Happy Publication Week to Mrs. Claus and the Evil Elves, the third book in the Mrs. Claus series by Liz Ireland. Thank you to @kensingtonbooks and @netgalley for letting me read an eARC.

This series just keeps getting better and better. The second book in the series was one of my favorite cozy reads of 2021, and now this book will be one of my favorite cozies of 2022!

I’m realizing that I like cozy mysteries that are action-packed to the point of being almost madcap. Cozy mysteries require us to suspend disbelief, so why not have fun with it? And Liz Ireland certainly has fun. She creates an irresistible Christmasy ambiance in her depiction of Santaland. The world comes to life vividly with holiday cheer, colorful characters, and lots of delicious-sounding sweets.

But things aren’t always holly-jolly in the North Pole! April is still adjusting to her life in her second Christmas as Mrs. Claus while also hosting her friend Claire for the holiday season. The plot starts with a bang and is non-stop action to the very end. The murder doesn’t happen until 40% in, but I didn’t even care. I was distracted by ice sculpture decapitations, reindeer strikes, dessert fights, and snowman traffic accidents.

This book was so fun to read. I love seeing the author’s creativity; she continues to find new North Pole experiences to explore. The humor and high stakes kept me turning pages, and I enjoyed every moment!

Another great installment in this whimsical cozy mystery series! Ireland works a fantastic premise--Mrs. Claus solving mysteries in Santaland--into another fabulous cozy mystery that, indeed kept me guessing. While this one verges on the dystopian, it's full of our standard cozy charm and Christmas cheer. In this book, we see technology take Santaland by storm, with the introduction of deer-drones, Snowmaneuvers (similar to Segways for snow), and robot helpers. But when the inventor of these devices goes missing and another elf is murdered, Mrs. Claus' friend is a suspect! Of course, Mrs. Claus must investigate...

My favorite part of this story is the introduction of Mrs. Claus' BFF from back home, Claire into the scene. Similar to the first novel in this series, where we jump into Mrs. Claus' current life and skip her discovery her fiance is Santa Claus, we skip much of Claire's initial shock at visiting the North Pole. It's an interesting stylistic choice, and I go back and forth on whether I'd rather see more of that initial discovery. Hopefully Claire stays and we see more of her in future books!

Thanks to Kensington for my ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars- 9/10

If you like cozies, fantasy, humor and Santa this series is a must read. It's one of the best to read when you just can't take the world situation anymore and adulting is the last thing you want to do. Enter the world of the North Pole with April and her new husband, Nick aka Santa Claus.
April met Nick when he was on vacation in a small coastal town in Oregon where April managed a hotel. Romance bloomed and she became Mrs. Claus. Then she went to SantaLand and found out that reindeer can talk, and fly and elves are real and so is Santa. Talk about mind blowing with one heck of a learning curve to boot. Now imagine you are a long-time friend of April and you have been invited to spend a month, in Winter, in Santaland. Meeting talking reindeer and traveling two hours in a flying sleigh was just the beginning. The reindeer are on strike, a missing engineer has developed a drone reindeer and the flesh and blood ones are really ticked off about it. Then there is the matter of murder and you know you are going to have one heck of a great reading escape. Time to join April while she tries to keep the Winter festivities from becoming a disaster, find Blinky the missing engineer and yes, track down a killer. Meanwhile Nick is concerned that, if the reindeer don't end their strike soon they will get too chunky to fly and POOF there goes Christmas?
The combination of great world building, humor, a solid mystery and fun cast of characters makes this one series not to be missed.
My thanks to the publisher Kensington and to NetGalley for giving me an advance in exchange for my honest review.

A whole new twist on the legend of Santa Claus and how he is able to make Christmas magic each year. This book focuses more on April and her friend Claire, a first-time visitor to Santaland. All is not well as the reindeer are on strike due to the invention of drone deer by Blinky Brightlow. During the annual ice sculpture contest, a drone deer suddenly appears and crashes into the winning sculpture. Then Blinky disappears, and his girlfriend, Juniper, is the prime suspect. As Christmas nears, more incidents occur and the reindeer strike shows no signs of resolution, Santaland is not jolly and bright. When a murder victim is discovered, April has her hands full in finding the murderer and making sure that the Christmas festivities go off without a hitch.

I had fun reading this new twist on Santa and the assorted characters that are involved in making Christmas happen. While there is a lot a whimsy, there is also a darker side to the story. I felt that the author was making a point about the perils of automation and understanding the balance between efficiency and creativity. This is the third book in this series and I had no problem in getting into the story without reading the prior books. In fact, it made me more interested in the other books as I want to find out more about how April and Nick (Santa) met.


Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Mrs. Claus and the evil elves was such a fun read. I have read the previous two books in the series and I absolutely love the characters. Picking up this third book in the series was just like picking up where I left off and hanging out with my best friends. Among the chaos that ensues there is great friendship, a developing romance and lots of holiday feelings, festive cheer, and a fun mystery. This is a great holiday cozy mystery that I would recommend to anyone.

Claire's come to visit Santaland! April is excited to host her friend, who has been skeptical about April's life (flying reindeer? elves? Snowmen?) but her plans go wonky when a reindeer drone attacks an ice sculpture of a reindeer at the festival and the inventor goes missing. And then there's a murder. This is very much a buy the premise sort of read but as with the earlier books in the series, it's a hoot, combining a cozy mystery with a fun premise in- let's face it- a unique setting. April has made a lot of progress in the 18 months since she married Nick- Santa Claus- but she's still learning, especially about the politics of reindeer and the rest. It's the little things that are charming (ear gloves for elves! Quasar!). This installment goes a bit deeper and twistier than the earlier books but it's fun. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. This should be fine as a standalone and new readers will, like me, find themselves looking forward to the next installment.

April Claus can't catch a break. Reindeer on strike. Drones disrupting an ice sculpture contest. A missing elf. And to top it off, a ghastly murder. Could things get any worse? Thankfully, April has her close friend Claire visiting to help her face each challenge along with a certain Jake Frost that may have caught her friend's eye.

Ireland strikes again with another charming win! April has her hands full dealing with all the obstacles, responsibilities, and weight that comes with being THE Mrs. Claus. First, Santaland slays shakes up her cheery little world then a Halloween homicide disrupts April's attempts at bringing a new holiday to the North Pole. Now, she's facing evil elves. Being the third book in a series it brings, even more, laughs, originality, mystery, and festive themes. The world of Santa and his elves will never be the same after taking a trip to Ireland's original take with a joyful world filled to the brim with delightful nods from the themed elf names (Juniper Greenleaf; Bella Sparkletree) to the unique inventions (selfy; "self" "elf").

Ireland's writing is a true delight with catchy and festive phrases such as "pop-eyed expression," "reindeer-in-the-headlights panic," and "puffin-hearted weaklings." She has a truly original way of writing this story that is humorous, clever, and entirely Christmas-themed while feeling like the type of story that can be read at any time of the year. The way the North Pole is set up creates an entirely different aesthetic than what you typically think of when you envision Saint Nick and his cheery helpers. The various shops fit into this festive world setting up this permanent Christmas village that feels like a genuine community with heart, friendship, and the occasional acts of mayhem and murder. Despite being the third book, it feels like it's the first time as you get to see it for the first time through Claire's eyes as she's taking in her best friend's new life. Highly recommended for anyone that enjoys Christmas, mysteries, humor, and charm.

Favorite Quotes:
"Robots don't get jitters." - Ireland
"Is this Blinky an absentminded inventor, a heartless Lothario, and a reindeer statue destroyer, - or an elfnapping victim?" - Ireland

Mrs. Claus is hoping to introduce her best friend from Oregon to her new life as Santa's wife.
This visiting vacation is one never to forget.
With witty phrases and references to classic crime dramas (and more) this tale has more twists, slides and diversions than a snow rollercoaster.

Is this over the top? Yes. Am I here for it? Also yes! So fun, this is the third book in the highly imaginative Mrs. Claus mystery series. A well-written mash-up of genres that includes cozy mystery, fantasy, and holiday reads. The series has been described as Jessica Fletcher meets Tim Burton, but I also pick up The Santa Claus movie vibes a bit. The world-building is fantastic and full of clever details, big and small. I read this series as much to enjoy this creative Santaland world the author has built as I do for the mystery. The characters are quirky, and there's a witty sense of humor across dialogue and scenes. I get so caught up in the fun of Santaland and the entertaining characters that I forget to pay attention to clues! But the mystery is well-plotted and paced, and this one has quite a few threads to be unraveled.

April Claus is a bit of a fish out of water at the North Pole, as she's somewhat newly married to Santa (who is a hunk) so her BFF coming for a visit is an exciting proposition for her. But unfortunately, her friend is about to see a dark side to Santaland, including scheming and murderous elves, issues with the reindeer, and her friend April taking on the dangerous role of investigator to get to the truth.

If you're looking for a bit of escapism around the holidays and enjoy a good mystery, give this book a try! While this works just fine as a stand-alone, I have thoroughly enjoyed this entire series and look forward to book four!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to review this ARC. I really enjoyed it!

Fast paced, thrilling, mysterious, suspenseful and quaint story that keeps you turning pages with bits of humor thrown in for good measure.