Holiday follows her popular Christmas books—A Princess for Christmas (2020) and Duke, Actually (2021)—set in the tiny, fictitious German-speaking alpine country of Eldovia with the story of the cupid behind those tales.

Full Review: Booklist, Sept 15 issue

Cara Delaney is in Eldovia to do an in-depth analysis of the failing company that rules the tiny country's economy. The one problem? Matteo Benz, the king's right hand man, hates her. Which, fine, she's used to being hated-- she does often have to conduct layoffs as a part of her job. But this time it's different-- she can't figure out, at first, why exactly he hates her. And there's something about him that makes his disapproval sting.
As Cara-- Ms. Delany, to Matte- investigates the company and comes up with a plan to revitalize it, Mr. Benz (always so formal) shows her the beautiful parts of Eldovia.

So This Is Christmas is a sweet, funny book that had me eager to keep reading throughout. Both the main characters are a bit prickly-- for good reason-- but also pretty lovable. Eldovia seems like a charming place, and the descriptions of the Christmassy town they're in really brought the world to life.
The tension between the MCs was lovely, and their mutual refusal to acknowledge feelings at first made perfect sense. The entire progression of their relationship felt very natural, I was rooting for them the whole time, but also delighting in them not being together, because it was written so well.

I hadn't realized just how extensive Jenny Holiday's backlist is, and I'm super excited to dive in.

So This is Christmas
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Genre: Romance
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 10/4/22
Author: Jenny Holiday
Publisher: Avon Books
Pages: 384
GR: 3.19

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Avon Books and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Matteo Benz has spent his life serving at the pleasure of the Eldovian crown. When he is tasked to aid a management consultant who has been flown in to help straighten out the king's affairs, he is instantly disturbed by her brash American manner--as well by an inconvenient attraction to the brainy beauty. Cara Delaney is in Eldovia to help clean up the king's financial affairs, but soon finds herself at odds with the very proper Mr. Benz. As intrigued by his good looks as she is annoyed by his dedication to tradition for its own sake, she slowly begins to see the real man behind the royal throne.

My Thoughts: This is the third book in the A Princess for Christmas Series. This book was a little slower pace than the previous two books in the series. The second half picked up and was just as heartwarming. I did the ebook on this one but I have read that the audiobook was phenomenal. This book can be read as a standalone as the author does an impeccable job at filling the character backstories. The characters were flushed out with depth, witty banter, chemistry and worked well together. The author’s writing style was complex, swoon-worthy, heartwarming, and kept me engaged throughout the story. I loved the fictional kingdom setting, it really gives off the festive holiday feel. The ending just fit the story perfectly, but I do not want to give anything away. This book releases next month and I would recommend preordering.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for an eARC of this title. All opinions are honestly given and are my own.

In So This is Christmas, tension builds during the holiday season as American management consultant Cara and Eldovian equerry Matteo seek to right the Eldovian kingdom’s faltering financial affairs— with confident Cara pushing to innovate and staid Matteo desiring to adhere to tradition. When their professional friction (and secret attraction) turns into personal relationship sparks, they must decide if their relationship will last past the holiday season and if these two workaholics can put aside their careers to build something that lasts.

This was one of my first festive reads of the holiday season, and, overall, I did enjoy it. The pacing didn’t totally work for me— the relationship between Cara and Matteo seemed a bit slow to develop during the initial part of the book and then progressed to declarations of love quite quickly. Also, as both characters are workaholics, their careers get quite a bit of page time, and I do sometimes wish that the focus had been pulled away from the financial crisis and put onto developing Cara and Matteo’s relationship. However, on the whole, it still hit the spot as an enjoyable holiday read, and I think it would make a perfect holiday TV movie. 3.25 stars

It is always a pleasure to return to the Christmas wonderland of Eldovia and Jenny Holiday’s third installment in the Princess for Christmas series, So This is Christmas, is no exception. American management consultant Cara Delaney has shown up to help clean up the country’s financial dilemma but her changes are immediately met with resistance by handsome yet stubborn Royal advisor Matteo Benz. There is such charm in the setting of Eldovia. The small town vibes of the kingdom are so welcoming and fun, and the unique characters are so charming. I really enjoyed the mystery unfolding in the company’s affairs and I loved Cara and Matteo as individuals. I did feel as romantic interests the two lacked a some chemistry to really root for them. But I also really liked their quiet moments together and their progression from enemies to more. There was a self awareness in the parallels they had to Pride & Prejudice and I really enjoyed that aspect. I thought both leads were just charming, both workaholics fighting to figure out what will make them happy. I felt their individual stories felt really relatable. And I did like the romantic gestures in this. It is a very sweet holiday read.

I am so sorry for my star rating. Like, it genuinely pains me to rate this at 2 stars, but I just don't think I can go any higher? I was so excited to read this, Duke, Actually was one of my favorite Christmas reads last year, and I love the setup of this whole series! But this book just didn't have the sparkle that the last two did.

I feel so bad, but I just didn't care? And it's not lost on me that saying it just felt unrealistic given the premise of the series is a little ridiculous, but I just didn't really buy into their relationship, and frankly, I really didn't like either Cara or Matteo. It was a slow burn without the burn. And it felt so much like reading...I don't know, a textbook on business efficiency? It was so much more about the business side of the story that any potential chemistry that there might have been got lost. I wanted this to work for me so badly, but it just didn't. And I'm devastated!

I don't know, maybe some people will really enjoy this? I will absolutely still recommend the first two books in the series, and I'm really excited to see where this goes next! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Imogen and Kai!

Back to Eldovia and I couldn’t be happier! I absolutely loved A Princess for Christmas and Duke, Actually so I was really excited to read Mr. Benz’s story! Overall, I enjoyed it. I loved the vibe of Eldovia at Christmas and all the winter activities. Mr. Benz was delightful as usual and I really enjoyed seeing him at the front of the story this time around. Cara was a really interesting character. She had a lot of quirks to her personality that I found really charming. This one was a VERY slow burn romance. It took a good while for anything steamy to happen, but there was some fun banter and a great enemies to lovers esque vibe. I didn’t quite feel the same way about this one as I did with Princess and Duke, but I still thought it was really sweet and full of great, heartfelt, Christmas-y moments. And I loved the little cameos and mentions of Marie, Leo, Gabby, Max and Daniela! Now, please give us a Kai and Imogen book next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

Grab your coziest blanket, a mug of hot cocoa and cuddle up with this lovely holiday romance. Holiday delivers no only on the winter, holiday feels but writes one heck of a good swoony rivals-to-lovers romance with complex characters who have to learn to deal with their own issues before they can fully be with each other. Oh and if you’re Star Trek fan, you’ll love this book. This is the third in the unnamed Christmas in Eldovia series and can be read as a stand-alone but if you want to start at the beginning read book one, A Princess for Christmas.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager, Avon in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

A light and easy holiday read with an amazing fictional kingdom setting, rich and snarky dialogue, good slow burn chemistry and great supporting characters. I will admit this book was slower paced when compared to the author’s two previous holiday reads, especially because a greater emphasis was placed on the backstory versus the romance, but the second half picked up and the ending brought all the feels. If you listen to audiobooks, the narration was GREAT with the various accents/ cast of characters depicted perfectly!

I really wanted to like this but the main characters just didn't have chemistry and the book was so slow. They took forever to get together and then it seemed like it happened fast once they actually got together. It made no sense that they were in love at the end of the book.

I received an arc through netgalley.

This was my first-holiday read for 2022, and it did not disappoint! While I thought the story started a bit slow, I really liked the storyline. I read many reviews that said they didn't feel the tension between the enemies, but I thought they had good banter, and I liked their relationship. I liked that they didn't play pranks on each other as you see in some enemies to lover stories; they just genuinely had a rough start but slowly found their way. I loved their little moments and found myself really wishing I was in Eldovia with them. I didn't realize this book was a part of a series but felt like it read fine as a standalone.

Super fun! I really enjoyed Duke, Actually, so I'm happy to be back in Eldovia. It feels like a modern Princess Diaries and I'm totally hear for it.

I really enjoy Jenny Holiday books, and after reading the first two books in this standalone romance series, I was excited to try the next. This particular series takes place in the country of Eldovia, and is another of Jenny’s Hallmark with spice type holiday reads.

Although I love the author and will continue to read anything she writes, I’m afraid this particular book just wasn’t for me. I think it had an interesting premise, but I just wasn’t connecting to either of the MCs and the chemistry wasn’t really there for me. This made it hard for me to get into and stay in the story world.

As always I loved the descriptions of the fictional Eldovia - you can visualize it when you read the books, and it makes you wish you could visit.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager For the opportunity to read an early copy.

This book is a delight! I can almost taste the cocoa and feel the cold biting my nose. It’s sweet and sassy and oh so good! Mr. Benz and Ms Delaney are a perfect match. This is a solid feel good read - a definite for your tbr list!

The epitome of a hallmark Christmas! The third in a series that can be read as a stand alone brings us back to Christmas in Eldovia - this time with Cara, a consultant from NYC and Matteo, the equerry to the King. With a snow globe like setting, loveable side characters, and some sassy quips this is a cute and quick seasonal read!

One thing that didn't quite land with me was the romance. With two workaholic main characters, their dedication to careers seemed to overshadow possible sparks. It felt like they were more friends than harboring feelings. Even with so much focus on the work trip back story for Cara, this was still a charming read with all of the holiday magic one would expect at Christmas.

Thank you Netgalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for the ARC in exchange for my review!

This has been getting pretty low ratings, especially compared to the first two books in the series, and I'm not really sure why. It could be just because it's hard to follow up a book that is as *chef's kiss* as Duke Actually was. In this store, Cara Delaney, corporate management consultant, unexpectedly has to go to Eldovia when a colleague breaks his hip. Her company has been working with the Eldovian monarchy, and particularly with the traditional watch-making company that provides most of the country's income, to figure out how to get them out of dire financial straits. As such, Matteo Benz, Eldovian patriot and the King's Equerry, is pre-disposed to dislike her and assume the worst, especially when he finds out she is going to have to recommend layoffs. They have some good banter as enemies that sparks into something more, and there's kind of a mystery element that I found interesting. Maybe Cara is a bit of a stereotype of a workaholic careerwoman married to her job, but her relationship with her family and her extreme competence in her work made her an interesting character for me. Actually, if I'm honest, this is just a book about two people who are extremely competent clashing, becoming friends, and then getting romantically entangled. I guess that's not for everyone, but it worked for me!

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC.

I’ve read other books in this series and enjoyed them but this was a very slow read for me. I didn’t find it as engaging and it didn’t keep my interest as easily. I considered DNF but I kept on going.

Overall I didn’t find either main character interesting and the romance seemed a little forced. This ma6 simply not have been a book for me.

So this is Christmas by Jenny Holiday is the third book in a series about the Hallmarkesque country of Eldovia. Having read the first book in this series (A Princess for Christmas) and having the second in my to read pile, I was so excited about the opportunity to read the newest installment in an ARC. I did like this book (a spicy Hallmark Christmas book), but I didn't LOVE it. I wanted to LOVE it, I felt like it had all the elements I should love. There were moments I did love, but the moments I did love had more to do with the setting than the characters. And then there were moments that fell flat (the epilogue). The characters did grow in likeability as the author gave them more depth, but perhaps that depth should have happened more on the onset so we would want to root more for both characters....and them as a couple. In other words, the second half read better and smoother for me than the first half. Overall, a solid 3.5 stars. Thanks to #NetGalley and Avon Harper Voyager for the ARC.

We love a strong FMC in a Christmasy romance. Unfortunately this kinda fell flat. So slow. The main characters had some nice snark and enemy start but the flip to lovers seemed really abrupt.
Thanks to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an eARC

I adored the first 2 in this series, “A Princess for Christmas” and “Duke, Actually” (which was my favorite Christmas book last year), but “So This Is Christmas” fell flat for me. I think my expectations were too high after reading the prior 2. You don’t have to read the first 2, the characters from both books don’t really play a part in this book, so it can be read as a stand-alone. This was like a Hallmark movie with a dash of spice. Jenny Holiday is a very good writer. The detail and descriptions allowed me to really picture what Eldovia is like. But some of the backstory was just long and boring and didn’t really add much to the story. I wasn't fully invested in the story, or in the characters, and I felt that there was a lack of chemistry between the two main characters that I really wanted them to have. It was such a slow burn, that there wasn’t really a spark. I did really enjoy Matteo’s family, especially his sister and I loved the Christmas village and the fun adventures/activities that the main characters had throughout the story. I still really enjoy Jenny Holiday and will read what she writes next, but this was not one of my favorites. Thanks to Jenny Holiday, Netgalley and Avon for an e-arc in exchange for my thoughts.