Rating: 3.5/5
Warnings: Difficult family dynamics
Steam: 2.5/5

I finally read So This Is Christmas! I was very behind on this book but thank you to Avon and NetGalley for access to this ARC...it is out and has been for awhile.

My thoughts on this book are mixed...overall, I did enjoy it. It did feel separate to thefirst two books and this one was very long, with one too many story lines. The slow pace of the story led me to be distracted while reading it.

I love some of the little moments between Matteo and Cara, but I also didn't buy into their romance. They spent much time being opposites to be in love by the end. I hesitate to recommend this one when the first two in the series are so much better IMO.

This was cute but unfortunately it was so slow for me, it took forever for me to get through.

I loved that it was holiday themed and I found it quite charming that both characters were grumpy but I just needed more.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I have loved reading the previous books in this series, and have been eagerly looking forward to the third installment. This was a SLOOOOOOOOOWWWW burn, but it was worth it! I do wish we had more spice, but I just loved Cara and Matteo so much!

I like So This is Christmas even though I have not read the previous books in the series. Parts of the story was slow, but the nostalgia of Christmas touched my heart. The sweetness of the characters warmed me like the hot chocolate they enjoyed in the book. I do plan on reading the previous stories in the series. Thank you for the advance copy Netgalley and Libro.fm

I'm a sucker for a royal romance (especially at Christmas) so I have enjoyed reading this series for the past three years. And while this was probably my least favorite of the three, it's always fun to see the starchy, royal aide find love. Matteo and Cara get off to a rocky start, but with the help of some Eldovian Christmas magic, they begin to build a connection stronger than either of them could ever imagine. A worthy addition to your Christmas reading list! (Heads up for some open-door scenes).

Thanks to the publisher for an early copy of this book. All thoughts are my own!

3.5⭐️

I’ve really enjoyed the Christmas in Eldovia series, but this third installment fell a little flat for me. It feels like nothing really happens for the first 60% of the book- drives across the country, business meetings, and dinners at the pub. Repeat. That said, I absolutely love Matteo’s character. This whole time I’ve been wondering about the elusive Mr. Benz and what makes him tick. He really is just THAT thoughtful and truly happy to serve others, but in this book he learns that somewhere along the way he’s become very lonely. For this, I’m so happy that he finds love and companionship in Cara. I just never saw what he sees in her. While her hard work and dedication to her job is very admirable and she’s had a rough upbringing, I feel like she is way too hard on Matteo and pushes him away for the sake of pushing him away. I never felt like she gives him the same affection he shows her. All that said, if you liked the first books in the series I would absolutely recommend reading this one. Getting to know Mr. Benz is exactly what I needed!

Thank you to Avon, Harper Voyager, and Netgalley for the gifted book in exchange for my honest review!

Matteo Benz has spent his life serving at the pleasure of the Eldovian crown. When he is tasked to aid a management consultant, Cara Delaney who has been flown in to help straighten out the king's affairs, he is instantly unsure of how Cara can fix things without layoffs and changing with tradition which Matteo is against. As they work together to return Eldovia to its former glory during the country's magical Christmas season, Matteo discovers he is falling hopelessly in love with the unconventional American. But a man who has devoted his life to tradition doesn't change easily. Can he become the man Cara needs, or will their love be another sacrifice to the crown?

I was so excited to see another Christmas book by Jenny Holiday. I absolutely loved Duke Actually and automatically went to request it without even reading the description. While this book was cute, and enjoyable for a Christmas book, I didn't love it as much as her previous book in the series.

What I Enjoyed:
•Matteo is so wholesome. He's so loyal and loves his town. His investment in keeping the town going and his kindness towards other people in his upbringing was just so enjoyable.
•I loved the mystery sub-plot about 2/3 of the way through. It made the story more interesting and brought them together bonding them.

What I Didn't Like:
• The way Cara was written didn't feel very American. If anything her and Matteo were the cut from the same cloth. They were both these rigid characters on the outside, with a more interesting center that they were trying to hide.
• The SA plot line. It seemed really unnecessary to the main story and kind of just thrown in there to hit a check mark on inclusivity. We already had a lot of characteristics, military, low income, mysoginy in the workplace, it just felt a little excessive.

Overall I'd rate this 3.5 stars. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.

this one … wasn’t it for me, and I’m so upset about it!!!

this was one of my first christmas romances of the season, and I figured I’d LOVE it after being completely obsessed with DUKE ACTUALLY last year! sadly, it missed the mark 😭😭😭

what I loved about the prior two books in this series was the characterization and the connection I felt with all of the characters! the two MCs in this one could not have felt more two-dimensional if they tried 🥴 I kept trying to find things I liked about their traits and couldn’t come up with a single thing

okay harshness aside, I’m a sucker for enemies to lovers and the winter setting just added to it all ❄️🥰

I just wished the characters were more likable and didn’t have to turn to their cold bitter selves just because they have *sigh* ✨ bad communication skills ✨

this definitely put me in the christmas spirit though! thank you to netgalley and the publisher for sending me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

rating: 2.5 stars
wine pairing: niagara-on-the-lake pinot noir

This was my first by this author and I love her writing! I really enjoyed the way she writes and her descriptions were vivid. However, I really wanted more of a holiday romance and I felt like this was overly clouded with her work and her stubbornness. It was hard to want to pick up this story when I was looking for a holiday read, heavy on the holiday.

Things I loved:
-witty banter
-the chemistry
-the setting was beautiful
-Matteo

I think I will pick up the other books in the series for more of that holiday feel but this was a great winter read!

Thank you Netgalley & the publisher for this advanced copy!

4.25 stars

LIKES:
📝 quirky, witty, intellectual writing
🧭 lots of plot (maybe too much for some)
👥 dual-POV (Cara & Matteo)
👩🏻‍💼 cara is a serious, dedicated consultant
💼 business/consulting vibes (which I liked!)
🧔🏼‍♂️ Matteo is a loyal, caring royal advisor
🏔️ set in the (fake) country of Eldovia
❄️ + wintry energy
🎄 + Christmas vibes
👑 + a touch of royalty
🤺 (light) enemies to lovers (2/5 steam)
🧵 + no strings attached
🫂 + forced proximity
🦢 + birds of a feather flock together
🔥 + slow-burn
😊 lots of cute moments
🎧 good on audio - might suggest that over reading for this one as it livens it up!
•
DISCLAIMERS:
⚠️ dm me for TW (see below)
🧐 some interesting comments about the MCs experience with a past trauma - personally didn’t upset me but could be tough for someone who has experienced it
💼 maybe too much business plot for some
🥴 awkward characters (I found it endearing but could verge on too much)
•
VERDICT: a witty, quirky slower-burn forced proximity (light) enemies to lovers romance w/ small-town & royal vibes LOTS of plot beyond the romance BUT if business/consulting or intellectual word play isn’t interesting to you, it can read as dry (highly recommend the audio to liven it up!)

Snowy adorableness. Also using this as a place to show my support for the Harper Collins union. Thank you to Harper for the gifted ARC my honest review.

I wish I loved this more. It was okay, but not my favorite of the series. There was took much Star Wars/Star Trek talk for my personal taste. I did like the chemistry between the leads but definitely not the top of the series for me. I will miss this charming country now that the series is over and I look forward to what Jenny has in store next.

Unfortunately this book was a miss for me, which makes me sad because I love Jenny Holiday. It was not at all a romance for me, so much more focused on work. I felt like the entire first half of the book was 100% work talk. By that time I was over this book and completely not interested in the characters or situation.

Thank you to @netgalley and @avonbooks for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

So This is Christmas is a cute holiday romance. It is book three in a series by Jenny Holiday. This installment follows Matteo Benz, the man “behind the throne”. Cara, an American consultant, is brought in to help improve the country of Eldovia’s financial situation. Naturally, these two are instantly at odds. Between Star Wars and Star Trek quips…can they find common ground?

I enjoyed the characters in this book and their banter. The chemistry didn’t seem there either for how fast they fell in love. I still liked the book and would recommend it for someone looking for any easy and enjoyable read.

3 stars

#books #bookishlife #booklover #readingisfun #iowabookstagrammers #iowabookstagram #netgalley #avonbooks #goodreads #ltbreaderteam #sothisischristmas

I feel guilty for rating this book so low, especially considering how much I ADORED Jenny Holiday's last book, Duke, Actually. That one was a five star home run, whereas this one is very mid, especially in direct comparison. I think my issue was that Duke Actually had gripping, fun characters right off the bat that many women could relate to. So This is Christmas really lacks in this department, as I didn't find myself caring much for either Cara or Matteo. They didn't have the chemistry I wanted and honestly, as someone who has no interest in Star Wars or Star Trek, I felt there were way too many references to them. I have no issue with people liking them! But the fact that liking those series is one of the few character traits I can remember about our main love interests post reading is not a good sign. This was a hallmark movie of a book; fine in the moment but forgot everything about it the minute I finished.

Such a cute Christmas read. I loved the concept of this one and was obsessed with the snowy town of Eldovia. I loved the dual point of views and thoroughly enjoyed watching these two fall in love. I think there could have been a little less back and forth between them and it would have been perfect, but it all worked out in the end. Side note if you’re a Star Wars or Star Trek fan, you will love all of the references. As someone who only knows Baby Yoda, the references didn’t really add to the story for me.

This review has been added to Goodreads, Literal and Storygraph, as well as Barnes & Noble and Amazon. This will be posted to my instagram (@busywithmybooks_) and hive within the week.

Thank you for allowing me to listen to this story!!

This is book 3 in the Royal Christmas Series. This time around Matteo Benz finds love. Matteo’s life is spent serving the crown and when the King tasks him with helping the American who came to help sort out the King’s financial affairs he is unhappy to say the least.
.
Cara and Matteo are immediately at odds but the attraction is most definitely there. This was a cute one and I loved their bonding over Star Wars and Star Trek. Duke Actually is my favorite of the series but I love revisiting Eldovia at Christmas time!
.
Thank you @harperaudio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review .

So This is Christmas is a cute romance with a royal flair. Although neither of the characters are royalty, the are royal adjacent and much of the story takes place in a palace, not a castle as I now know the difference. The characters were cute and this was a little enemies to lovers in nature, although the real star was the country and the Christmas spirit that oozed out of every description of the festivals and traditions.

Cara Delaney has worked hard to get to where she is in life and is striving to become partner at her management consultant agency. Her constant reliability and determination leads her to Eldovia in the Christmas season. It is there that she meets Matteo Benz, equerry to the King and a thorn in Cara’s side. While they work together to improve the country’s financial situation, they are forced to get to know each other more. As feelings start to grow, their situation becomes more complicated. Can they find a way to balance for each other or will they sacrifice their love for their work?

I enjoyed the characters in this book so much! Their banter was top tier. However, the pacing was weird for me and I felt like we went from nothing to love in two seconds. I wanted more chemistry and more Christmas. Outside of this, I still enjoyed the book and would recommend it for a light, winter time read!

I wanted to love this book but sadly I just didn't.
I loved Duke Actually when I read it last year and was so excited to get an advanced copy of this book. But it just really let me down. I thought both characters were boring and hard to root for, they fell in love too fast, and the royal aspect which was a cute background in Duke Actually just felt like a bad fairytale retelling.