This is book 5 in the Mrs. Claus series. It's Christmas and there is a problem with Santa's sleight.
April Claus is looking forward to relaxing with her hubby, Nick (aka THE Santa Claus), in the week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. But just after Santa departs for his deliveries, an elf pulls into Santaland with three people he found lost in the frozen wilderness. The survivors of a scientific expedition are injured, but their presence endangers the future of Santaland. So, while the strangers recuperate at the infirmary, April convinces Christmastown to pull off its grandest, most impossible, most magical feat yet . . . pretend to be normal!

Posing as a touristy, albeit Christmas-centric, arctic town, the elves cover their ears, snowmen take a vow of silence, and the reindeer keep their hooves on the ground. But as New Year’s Eve draws closer, hiding their true selves becomes harder to do, especially when one of the uninvited guests dies under highly suspicious circumstances. With a murderer in their midst, April sets out to find the uncorked culprit before any auld acquaintances should be forgot . . . or worse.

Santa aka Nick Claus is on the way to deliver happiness to the children of the world, but April is back in Santaland dealing with three humans who have wandered into the farthest frozen reaches and have to be convinced that they are in northern Canada and not the North Pole. All three are exhausted, one loses a toe and another has a reindeer's antler sticking out of his back. Off to the Santaland Hospital they go with lots of sweet snacks and limited exposure to the locals.

This is another adventure into the absurd, with elves wearing clothes from the 80s, walking in shoes without curly tips and talking with a Canadian accent, aye. The reindeer have been grounded, the snowmen are silenced, and the elves are forced to wear retro clothes. Who would have guessed that an elf would have mobility issues wearing shoes without a curly tip? The elves need to party like it's Christmas eve and April needs to catch a killer. The suspect pool is limited much like the amount of time that April has to get this mystery and others solved before Nick makes it back. What other mystery you ask? Well the Dowager Claus is feeling (down) low and has a personal nurse to help her. What exactly are they working on and where did Nurse Coco come from and why doesn't Nurse Cinnamon know who she is???

This Mrs. Claus mystery is like all the others before it, a stand-alone crazy cozy that helps to keep spirits bright! There is plenty of back story but you really should check out the earlier books to get the full picture of Santaland and all the April experiences.

Another year, another murder in Santaland—seriously, at this point, April Claus should be requesting hazard pay. Christmas has barely wrapped up, and April is hoping for a little post-holiday R&R, but instead, she gets a plane crash with three lost adventurers, a town-wide cover-up, and—oh yeah—a fresh murder to solve. With outsiders snooping around, the elves are forced to go incognito (which is as ridiculous as it sounds), and April has to juggle keeping Santaland’s secrets intact while unraveling a mystery that could send the whole operation crashing down faster than a reindeer strike.

Now, I love, love, love this series, but I have to admit—this one wasn’t my favorite. The setup is fun, the town antics are as charming as ever, but the mystery felt a little predictable, and the pacing didn’t quite have the same festive energy as previous books. Don’t get me wrong, I still had a great time in Santaland—April is delightful, the world-building remains top-notch, and there’s plenty of quirky holiday chaos—but compared to the earlier books, this one didn’t shine quite as bright.

I’m giving "Mrs. Claus and the Nightmare Before New Year’s" a solid 4 out of 5 stars. It’s still a fun, cozy mystery, just not the strongest entry in the series. But let’s be real—I’m already counting down the days until the next book. Because even a slightly off holiday in Santaland is still better than no holiday in Santaland!

I do love a good holiday read and this one didn't disappoint. April Claus is looking forward to some relaxing times with Nick between Christmas and New Years but this is not to be! Soon things change when three injured strangers arrive in this secret township. What will April and the elves do? Will the township now become a tourist hotspot?

This is a fun and quirky read, cosy for sure and the mystery of the injured outsiders kept you guessing. This is a book that would lend itself well to a few Christmas recipes at the end. A fun book to read during the holiday season.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Press for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book’s mystery had me guessing until the very end. I loved the aspect of real outsider humans somehow ending up stuck in Santaland and the lengths April Claus (the MC) and her trusty elves and Claus family were hilarious, as they put on a facade to prevent these strangers from finding out about where they truly were.

Again, I wished there were recipes for all the delectable food that is featured in the book and it made me want to grab some ingredients to whip up some festive goodies.

This was an interesting installment in the Mrs. Claus mystery series. I love the idea of outsiders finding Santaland and how the inhabitants would deal with outsiders. Liz Ireland kept me guessing until just before the reveal when all the pieces clicked into place. Looking forward to reading more books in this series.

I really enjoy this series and this was a great addition .
There aren't a lot of cozys around new years so that was a great element

I'd like to thank netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read and review this book

April Claus knew that by marrying the Big Guy, she would live in a magical world of elves and flying reindeer and talking snowmen. As one of the few humans who lives in Santaland, she knows that it was important to keep its existence a secret. She is already worried about Nick who is on his annual journey and has not reported in when three human strangers are rescued from an icy death. Whilst they want to help the injured people, April knows, as they get better, it will be nigh on impossible to keep the secret for long.

She enlists the aid of all the residents to try to act “normal’ but when the most severely injured person is murdered, April needs to discover the killer while continuing to maintain the farce. It is up to her because Nick cannot get home immediately. There are plenty of slips along the way but when one of the victims escapes and goes on walkabout with a talking snowman, she knows the gig is up unless she can find some solution to their problems.

As usual, along with the charming characters trying so hard, there is a good mystery that is only revealed towards the end. And what follows is a Santaland Keystone Kops chase. All ends well and secrecy is maintained. It makes for a fun pre-holiday read. Five purrs and two paws up.

We're back at the North Pole and it's Christmas Eve. Santa is having mechanical problems with the sleigh and hasn't returned. Meanwhile, three half-frozen humans are found and the town decides to pretend they are Canadian while the strangers recuperate at the infirmary. This sets up the madcap shenanigans and near-misses that this series does so very well.

I look forward to the annual installment in the Mrs. Claus series. I'm happy this the fifth book was set during the week between Christmas and New Year's where all the Christmastown residents are fully in their own elements.

Thank you to Kensington Publishing | Kensington Cozies and NetGalley for the advance reader copy. I am required by law to disclose this. #MrsClausandtheNightmareBeforeNewYears #NetGalley.

Mrs. Claus and the Nightmare Before New Year's by Liz Ireland is the fifth book in the series and continues the tale of April Claus and her husband Nick. While Nick is away doing his Santa Claus gig, April is taxed with trying to convince three scientists who have been lost in the wilderness, that they are just in a normal tourist town, not the North Pole. This is a fun read and carries on the story of the real Santa with humor and great characters, both human and animal.

I love this series so much! It is silly and fun to read and the setting of the novels is so much fun! It is one of my favorite comfort series.

I realized after reading this installment that it is set in the time after Christmas Eve and before New Years Day - I originally assumed that it would be New Years related mystery. This was my least favorite of the 5 book series, but it was still fun with all the antics and characters. I love when these books are a bit more silly and was missing some of that vibe throughout this book.

I can't wait for the next installment and am curious as to what will be coming next. (I hope that there is a next installment)

Thank you to NetGalley and Publisher for the early copy in exchange for a review!

I am a sucker for the trope that Santa is a real person he really does live in a secret city at the North Pole, so obviously Liz Ireland's Mrs. Claus mysteries are just my cup of tea, Peppermint tea, that is. This is the fifth annual book in the series which means that I now look forward to a new Mrs. Claus book every fall. Mrs. Claus and the Nightmare Before New Years did not disappoint! Santa has just left on his annual flight around the world and all the elves are celebrating. Their work is done and they are ready to party until the New Year rings in. But April is left worried about Nick. That old sled doesn't even have seatbelts! And then an elf arrives with three injured humans found in the wilderness. One of them has been stabbed with a reindeer antler. Where did they come from and who would have attacked them? And how can they keep them from telling the secrets of Santaland to the world when they return? Things go from bad to worse when the injured person dies - but not from the stab wound he sustained. On top of everything, Nick (Santa) has not returned. April has her hands full once again with Santaland mysteries to solve. Reading a Mrs. Claus mystery every year is a great tradition to start if you haven't already. Nothing like a little merry mayhem to get you into the holiday mood.

April Claus can't wait for hubby Nick to be finished with his deliveries so they can have a little bit of time together and just relax. While Santa is away an elf has found three people in the surrounding wilderness. They are from a scientific expedition but their presence puts Santaland in danger. She must get everyone to act normal so their secret won't become known to the world. When one of the newcomers dies she knows she must figure out who the murderer and get the remaining scientist out of the town. Will she be able to keep their secret as well as find a murderer?

When unexpected guests are brought to Santaland, April Claus must scramble to keep their secrets. Elves and others are told to be normal. As the week progresses though they find it harder and harder to hide. When one of the guests dies under mysterious circumstances, will April be able to solve the murder before the truth is discovered? Who could be a murderer in their community? I really enjoyed this fun read. I received a copy through Netgalley. A review was not required.

“Mrs. Claus and the Nightmare Before New Year's” is the delightful fifth book in Liz Ireland’s Mrs. Claus cozy mystery series. The more I read these books, the more I love them. Having Mrs. Claus as an amateur detective is an inspired idea and I love what Ireland has done with the premise – from Santa, to elves, to reindeer, to talking (and singing) snowmen this series has it all and more. In this book, Santa has just set off to deliver Christmas gifts when three strangers show up in Christmastown – nearly frozen to death. While they are being nursed back to health, April and the rest of the Christmastown citizens try to hide who they really are. As if that isn’t hard enough, April finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery when someone kills one of the strangers. All of this leads to a fun, at times laugh out loud mystery. Figuring out who the killer was wasn’t that hard but I was so wrapped up in the fun of it all that I didn’t really care that I figured it out. I really love Christmastown and the people (including reindeers and snowmen) living there. My one complaint is that I finished the book very quickly and now have to wait for my next visit to Christmastown – I hope it happens soon!

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.

In the newest book of this series, there are strangers in Santaland. April and the villagers all try to keep them from finding out that it is Santaland while investigating the attack of one of them. When that turns into murder the investigation increases. This is such an unusual, fun series far from your normal cozy mysteries. It is enjoyable to read and fast to finish.

When three human strangers are discovered badly injured in the Santaland forest, the residents of Santaland work on transforming their village into "Canada" and obscuring their more elf-like features to preserve their way of life. But Mrs. Claus is more determined to figure out what happened to the travelers--even more so when one of them is murdered while in the hospital, seemingly recovering from his injuries. All while waiting for her husband to return from delivering gifts, which has been taking longer than normal...

Gosh, I love this series so much. It's just such a joy to read. Every book reveals more details about the North Pole that I didn't even know I wanted to know--but I did. Ireland is just so incredibly creative in her world building that I may be even more into that than the mystery. But the mystery is also fantastic. I loved the introduction of these new characters, which is hard to do in a rather closed universe. Everything came together nicely and understandably in the end. I cannot wait for more books in this series! I'm hoping Valentine's Day is next...

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

5 stars - 9/10

Book five in the Mrs. Claus series. Fast paced fun! This can be read as a standalone. April is back trying to solve another mystery. An excellent holiday or anytime cozy. Thanks#Netgalley and #Kensingtin for the eARC in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are mine.

Book #5 in the Mrs Claus series of cozy mysteries. These books are unique, with an original plot of murder that is investigated by a very different kind of detective. They are all fun but still maintain the mystery that will keep you guessing long after the ho ho ho has been explored.

Santaland has just sent Santa off on another year of Christmas Eve deliveries and now it’s time for a week of celebrations. But Santa’s wife April Claus can’t help but worry that something is going to go terribly wrong. And terribly wrong it does! In the midst of the send off revelry, Boots Bayleaf careens into town with three hurt humans in the back of his sleigh. One with a severe wound to his back from a sharpened antler. April and her friends know that strangers to Santaland are a danger to their way of life, but the strangers are all too injured to be moved. So, a plot is hatched. The residents of Christmastown will disguise their village as a small Canadian town until the strangers can be sent away. That means no flying reindeer, no talking snowmen, and no pointy elf ears! But before the plan can even be brought to fruition, one of the strangers is murdered in the Christmastown Hospital. Now April must help Constable Crinkles solve a murder and keep the others from discovering Christmastown’s secrets, all while anxiously awaiting the return of her husband. Will April be able to solve the mystery or will Santaland end up being exposed to the world?

Liz Ireland’s Mrs. Claus and the Nightmare Before New Year’s is a holly, jolly good time. It’s like biting into a warm sugar cookie…cozy, comforting, and sugary sweet! The fifth entry in the Mrs. Claus Mysteries series is just as fun as the first. Ireland gives us neat new additions and peeks into Santaland while layering them on top of old favorites characters, storylines, and settings. Constable Crinkles, Juniper, and the extended Claus family are all back for more wholesome, hilarious hijinks. It was real treat to see Christmastown and its denizens try to disguise themselves as an ordinary Canadian town filled with ordinary Canadian citizens…and fail spectacularly. No trip to Santaland is complete without nosy April Claus and her penchant for mystery solving. Ireland gives us a whole new engaging mystery full of twists, turns, and red herrings. A fast-paced, fun frolic through Santaland!