I have mixed feelings about this book. I wanted so badly to love this as it was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. I was so excited that we finally get Mateo Benz’s story! Unfortunately I found the pacing quite slow and then I’m the end it felt very rushed. For about 60% of the book it mostly focuses on Cara and Mateo bickering with each other and not seeing or eye to eye. It also features a lot of Cara trying to do her job and help out the country. Then suddenly bam, it quickly turns to Cara and Mateo find each other attractive. And then from agreeing to have a casual relationship it turns to the two of them realizing they’re in love. I wished it could have been a little bit better transition between them not liking each other to wanting to be with one another. What I did love was the whole winter vibes I got from this romance. I really felt like I was in a small winter town! This book made me want to grab a cozy blanket and some hot cocoa! I also loved all the side characters! I really liked Mateo’s family. We get to see them for a few scenes and it was nice to see that side of him. I also loved Kai and Imogen! I was more invested in their story than Cara and Mateo’s! 🙈 I really hope we get their story next!

Read if you like:
3rd person dual POVs
Winter romance
Grumpy hero
Reverse age gap
Enemies to lovers
Open door romance
Forced proximity

I really enjoyed the first two books in the series but this one just didn’t work for me. I gave it 20% because I kept thinking it would pick up but I’m bored and not feeling any chemistry at all between the characters. This one was a miss for me. Thank you to Avon and Netgalley for the advance reading copy.

The latest in Jenny Holiday’s Christmas romance books set in Eldovia is out! This time we get Matteo’s love story.

Matteo Benz is an equerry for the King of Eldovia and he’s a total type-A, ex-military man with a secret soft spot for helping others. He’s upset that Cara Delaney has been set to restructure the watch factory that’s Eldovia’s main source of income because it means she may have to lay off some employees.

As they clash over the future of the factory and the country, the sparks fly. They go from enemies to friends to lovers in this charming story set in the most magical winter wonderland kingdom.

I continue to enjoy this series. These are fun romances that like to make you think of a hallmark movie but making fun of them at the same time. Can't wait for the next book.

I love Jenny Holiday, and this book was no different. We get a sense of who Matteo is throughout the books, and I’ve always loved how not everything is how it seems with him. Cara is his match. He’s overbearing in a way I found very sexy, but she can keep up, and their dynamic and rapport is delicious! As is the spice and a romance that will ultimately have you flying through the pages of this enemies to lovers story. I highly recommend— we have banter, iron wills, and steam here all wrapped up with a satisfying ending!

I want to spend Christmas in Eldovia! This series is a great way to kick off the holiday season. Really enjoyed this latest installment and hopethat next year I'll be reading about Kai and Imogen. Or perhaps new love for the King?

No better way to get into the holiday spirit. I LOVE holiday themed books and this hit the nail on the head! It is bound to be a classic, Christmas and otherwise!

DNF at 50%. These main characters could not possibly be more boring. On top of that, they are both know it alls that think they're better than everyone else. Especially Cara who literally spends so much time explaining what things mean. I"m halfway through and the plot is practically nonexistent other than them trying to out bore each out. I just couldn't anymore.

I absolutely love this series by Jenny Holiday! Although I enjoyed this (and the narration was fantastic!) I’m not sure anyone can top Max and Dani for me. (And I would’ve loved to see more of them in this book!) I did really enjoy Princess Marie and Leo’s mentions.
I could see both Matteo and Cara’s prospective as far as their factories and Eldovia are concerned. I loved getting to see more of Eldovia. I loved how the ending! I would definitely read more of this series!

So This is Christmas by Jenny Holiday is part of a series but can be read as a standalone. This was a really cute story. I loved the workaholic characters finding a way to slow down together and really loved the description of Eldovia. Great story and a perfect Christmas read!

I was a huge fan of the other two books in this series, so I was excited to return to Eldovia for Matteo's love story.

This was a fun and incredibly sweet enemies-to-lovers story with dual POV. It is definitely more of a slow burn than the two previous two books, but to me that made it more grounded. Jenny does such a great job creating conflict and back story for her characters. That really comes through with Matteo and Cara. You can't help but sympathize with both of these characters and root for them to fall in love.

My only compliant, which isn't really a compliant, is that I wished we saw the characters from the previous books more. That's just because I loved them so much. I did love hearing about them though. This book also solidifies my wish for the King to have his own love story. I'm still holding out hope that it happens one day.

Also, I really think this entire series would make great spicy Holiday movies. Someone please write them!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

I was so excited to go back to the world of Eldovia. I have really enjoyed this companion series. 

In this third installment, Mr. Benz gets his shot at a Christmas romance. Either I failed to notice, or it wasn't detailed by the author in the two previous books, but I honestly thought Mr. Benz was a burly old man. Oops. 

While I enjoyed getting to know Mr. Benz more, this installment was missing some of the magic the first two books had. For me, I think a big part of it was that both Benz and Cara, the female love interest, had the same personality. They spent so much time bumping heads that I never believed their love story. I don't know that I ever connected with Cara. 

I am hoping Imogen and Kai get the next book because I was more interested in them throughout the book. 

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for the opportunity to review this book. All the opinions above are my own.

This was a really cute story. I loved the workaholic characters finding a way to slow down together and really loved the description of Eldovia. Great story and a perfect Christmas read!

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read an ARC of "So This Is Christmas", written by Jenny Holiday. It was released on October 4th, 2022!

Overall, I rated this novel 3/5 stars!

I would recommend reading this book if you enjoy:

*opposites attract
*dual POV,
*enemies to lovers,
*relationship of convenience
*snarky dialogue/banter
*royal romance

I did not realize that this book was part of a series, and may have rated it higher had I read them in order.

I will start with the disclaimer that I haven't read the other books in the series. I was really looking forward to this holiday romance and expecting the same level of festive cuteness as Netflix's "Princess Switch." Unfortunately this opposites attract romance wasn't very Hallmark-esque. I didn't feel any chemistry between Matteo and Cara. Both of them seemed to love their jobs more than each other. I'm a sucker for a slow burn, but this burn just kind of fizzled out without much steam. I've read high praise for the others in the series, so maybe I'll check those out this winter.

So poorly written that is was a struggle to get through. I can’t, in good conscience recommend this book. Save your money

Love and duty, do they mix? Can serving a royal really be a 24/7 job?
Cara and Matteo discover each other in Eldovia as the holiday season looms large. They irritate each other, but it’s just a front formthe sexual tension they feel.
It’s a good story with some baited breath moments of will it happen or not?
I loved all the Star Wars references.

In her acknowledgements, Jennie Holiday says that her team understood her goal of "Hallmark but make it spicy!" This perfectly describes her holiday book, So This is Christmas!

The story is about two workaholics brought together because she is there to rework a major source of his country's economy and he is to be her guide. Despite their cold and formal start, Mateo and Cara call truces with one another spurring them to let down their guards as they share about their families and pasts allowing affection to sneak in.

Without giving away the plot, I highly recommend this adorably festive, very sweet with a small side dish of spice book to usher in the holiday spirit!

Over All Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Emotional Rating: 😍
Would Recommend to Mom:
Heat Rating: Hallmark but make it spicy! {There was just a side, nothing too crazy.}

Thank you NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager and Jennie Holiday for the advanced reader copy.

This is the third in A Princess For Christmas series, Duke Actually was the last book. We see the characters from both prior books included in this story. This was a small town type romance where the American businesswoman comes to help evaluate a company that the King and the country are invested in. The romance is between her and the Kings equerry. I kind of love how they start off at odds and he starts catching feels first even though he fired the first shot. 

Thank you avonbooks and netgalley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

I was really looking forward to this book, having enjoyed the others in this series and especially Duke Actually. But I didn’t love this one unfortunately. The book was long and the romantic element didn’t really kick in until about 70% of the way through and even then it felt a bit forced.

The setting of Eldovia is really charming and I did enjoy the scenes where Cara and Matteo were together outside of the work environment. I work in consulting so my favorite part of the book was how Holiday depicts Cara’s experience in that world - what it feels like to always be “on”, how women can be treated, the pressure to rise in the ranks.

Content warnings: reference to a main character’s sexual assault in the past, absentee parents, gambling addiction described in the past

Thanks to Avon and NetGalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.