Mrs. Claus and the Nightmare Before New Year's is the fifth installment in Liz Ireland's Mrs. Claus series and can be read and enjoyed as a standalone.
It's a cozy murder mystery, where April Claus finds herself caught up in solving a murder mystery in Santa's absence.
This book is cute and fun, probably a little too cozy and fluffy for my liking, but would definitely appeal to the right audience.
Thank you NetGalley, Kensington Publishing, and Liz Ireland for this ARC!

Really enjoy this fun series.
Santa is on his yearly trip and Mrs Claus has to contain a murder and chaos that develops with 3 strangers and trying to keep Santaland a secret form the strangers.
Really good fun story.
Great fun characters ,reindeers that talk, snowmen that sings and all the different elves..
A good Christmas fun story.
Voluntarily reviewed.

This is the fifth book in the Mrs. Claus mystery series by Liz Ireland. I enjoy reading this series due to its characters, humor, and zaniness. I can always count on a great escape to Santaland. It brings a spring to my step whenever I can escape the craziness of the political ads running most of this summer.

This installment deals with an injured group of searchers looking for Santaland. These individuals want to make millions off of developing the area into a major tourist attraction. They are found close to death after their plane crashes in the mountainous area not far from the town and transported to the small hospital in town.

Unfortunately, out of the blue, one of them dies. Let the well-plotted mystery begin.


I applaud the town’s cooperation in trying to make the strangers believe it is an ordinary town in the Artic Circle. It made me laugh many times.
Another concern for April and the town is the delay in Santa and the team’s return from delivering Christmas presents around the world.

This story had plenty to keep you interested and the twist and turns were as much fun as a rollercoaster.

The book is a standalone story but I would read them from the start in order to get a better understanding of the recurring characters.

I received an advanced readers e-copy of the book and am not required to leave a positive review. This series always moves to the top of my read pile.

Mrs. Claus and the Nightmare Before New Year's is book #5 in the Mrs. Claus Mystery series by Liz Ireland.

April Claus is watching the festivities after her husband, Nick aka Santa Claus, takes off to deliver Christmas gifts when chaos erupts. Three badly injured people were found and brought to Santaland for medical help. People finding out about Santaland would be disastrous. I love this series. Flying reindeer, elves, talking snowman, and the Claus family make an interesting cast of characters. Things never go quite as planned, often leading to humorous situations. This was an entertaining story as they try to keep the reality a secret and investigate a mysterious death.

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.

This is one of my favorite cozy mystery series. I always look forward to a new installment of this unique and festive series, and this one did not disappoint!

These escapist and whimsical books, set in Santaland, feature Santa's wife, April Claus, as the amateur sleuth. The world-building is fantastic, with many imaginative touches. I love the author's attention to detail with everything in Santaland, which is all so cleverly done and delightfully on theme. In this one, the elves rescue and care for three injured scientists who absolutely cannot know they have stumbled upon Santaland. So the residents try hiding everything, from singing snowmen to their elf ears, and their shenanigans deliver many humorous moments. But when one of the visitors dies suspiciously, the plot thickens, and Mrs. Claus must uncover the culprit.

In addition to the festive and super cozy setting, the book is full of charming characters. The elves, reindeer, and Santa's extended family are vibrant and memorable, and I enjoy spending time with them. April is a bright, likable sleuth. Her investigative skills have sharpened, and she has a great group around her to help. The mystery was well-plotted and kept me guessing. This book is a treat and a true comfort read with delightfully festive and fiendish fun!

Thank you to Kensington Books and Netgalley for the gifted review copy!

I read this while travelling recently and it was the perfect plane book - both light and funny - it incentivised me to read rather than just watch movies.

In April Claus's latest adventure at the North Pole three people are found in the wilderness and brought back to Santaland. When one later dies one of the Claus's becomes a suspect.

But it's not just murder keeping April busy, the two other visitors refuse to stay the the hospital and April has to help the elves and her relatives turn Santaland into 'Canada'.

On top of that her husband Nick has also not come home from delivering the presents and may have to be rescued.

Mrs Claus may just be glad when Christmas is over.

Great book and looking forward to the next one.

Santa has barely taken off for delivery when 3 strangers show up in Santaland. They were found in the wild and are suffering from the cold, hunger, and various injuries. They say they were in a plane crash and they are the only survivors. As they are taken to the hospital, Santaland rushes to find a way to keep their secret and treat the strangers. Elves need to hide their ears and feet, reindeer and snowmen need to keep their silence around the strangers, yet the town still wants to celebrate. This is a good Christmas mystery. I highly recommend.

Thank you, Kensington Books and Net Galley, for my copy of Mrs. Claus and the Nightmare Before New Year's!!

This book was so cozy and magical, can it be December already?! The author did an amazing job immersing the reader in the world-building and characters. I loved every single character. You couldn't pay me to hate Santaland and its citizens. THEY'RE TOO PURE AND WHOLESOME. Except when they wished for the strangers to fall off the face of the earth, but who doesn't love complex characters?

The mystery was all right, but I guessed who the murderer was right away. I hoped to be wrong, but I was never led astray to believe otherwise. April's thought process and recollection of memory when it came to the killer was so weird to me because it didn't add up. It was so painfully obvious, but April literally forgot an important encounter when she was going over evidence that I wanted to scream at my screen because it was RIGHT THERE.

I was surprised that Nick was MIA in this book. I don't how active he is in the rest of the series (I haven't read them yet, though I plan to), but I thought he was going to have a bigger presence.

The ending was good after the reveal of the killer, and I was thrown for a loop when it was discovered how said killer escaped and the chase it ensued.

I'm a fan of this series where you've got to buy the premise- Santaland, elves, talking reindeer and snowmen-but know that this installment, like the ones before it, will be most appreciated by readers who are familiar with the delightful characters. This time out, Santaland is threatened by the arrival on Christmas Eve of three humans, one of whom has been stabbed with an antler. April has been worried about Nick, off on his annual trip around the world, doesn't have seatbelts in the sleigh but now there's a big issue. Can she, Jingles, and the rest pull the wool over the eyes of a photographer and a scientist and make them think they are in Canada? It's the small details (the vanity of a reindeer, the baked goods and eggnog) that always make me smile but it's the characters and the clever mysteries that bring me back. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A fun read.

I just love this series by Liz Ireland, and 'Mrs. Claus and the Nightmare Before New Year's' just upped it a notch! April Claus is worried about Nick who has set off on Christmas Eve for his around the world trek. Trouble comes in the form of three strangers, one who is critically injured. The characters are so richly drawn, and one can feel as if they are all as normal of a family and community as there could be--but they are elves, talking snowmen, witches, and the Claus family. It is riotously hilarious, yet with a great touch of 'reality' in family relationships. There is special drama in this offering as Nick doesn't return as expected, and it's left to April to keep everything together. I so highly recommend this entire series. It is so fun!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

April Claus is worried that something will go wrong as her husband Nick is delivering presents on Christmas Eve and constantly being reassured that Santa always comes back isn't helping. While Nick is away, three people are found in a pile of snow and brought to the hospital in Santaland. While April and the other residents want to help those in need, they worry that these strangers will tell other people about the secrets of Santaland. When one of the visitors dies under suspicious circumstances, April tries to get to the truth of what really happened. At the same time, everyone is trying to disguise the elves, keep the snowmen from talking, and the reindeer from flying in front of their unexpected guests.

This is a cute story and the only downside to the plot is Nick and April are apart for most of the book because I love their scenes together. This cozy mystery does a great job of immersing the reader into a whole other world and is a pleasure to read.

I received an advance copy of this ebook at no cost from NetGalley, Kensington Books, and Kensington Cozies. My review is voluntary and unbiased.

Full of shenanigans and laugh-out-loud moments - like Santaland’s attempts to be Canadian - this is another winner in a creative and fun cozy mystery series.

This is one of the series that I look forward to every holiday season! A visit to Santaland is a must. But it’s April Claus that reels me in.

Mrs. Claus alwaýs seems to find herself involved in any murder mystery that comes to Santaland. It’s a good thing that she has skills of deduction and a posse of friends and confidants that help her follow the clues. Each and every entry is not only charming, but well written with a solid mystery that will have you following the clues along with April and the gang up until the final review. Grab a cup of something warm and cherry and settle in for a great read.

I found this book fun reading. . The mystery kept me guessing. I like the characters and the setting - who wouldn't want to live in Santa's town.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I recently read Mrs. Claus and the Nightmare Before New Year's by Liz Ireland. This is the story of April Claus, who is Santa's wife. Santa is out delivering gifts when three strangers are found outside of Santaland. They are lost in the frozen wilderness after being stranded during a scientific expedition. One of the strangers is murdered while staying in Santaland. The reader is along for the ride as Mrs. Claus and cast solve the mystery. The story is complicated as the Santaland residents don't want their existence to be discovered. Everyone; elves, reindeer and talking snowmen, must pretend to be part of a normal Canadian town, hiding their true identities.

This book was lots of fun. Loaded with charming characters and an easy to picture location, it is super creative. This would make a great holiday read, definitely taking your stress level down while increasing your holiday spirit. A win all the way around.

Many thanks to NetGalley and, the always kind and generous, Kensington Publishing for the advanced copy. I'll never look at Santa the same way.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Publishing Corp. for a copy of "Mrs. Claus and the Nightmare Before New Year's" in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is the fifth book in the Mrs. Claus series. Everything about the series is engaging from the great artwork on the covers to the storylines which draw you in from the first sentence and keep you reading until the last word. I look forward to the next Mrs. Claus book before I even finish the current one.

This story has April worried about her husband - Santa Claus - because he's off on his round the world ride to deliver toys to all the children. When he's late getting back, that really doesn't help matters. This story also has an element of danger to the way of life in Santaland when Boots Bayleaf brings 3 unconscious strangers into town. 2 men and 1 woman that he found and one of them has an antler sticking out of him.

How will they keep Christmastown a secret? It could be a disaster if they told anyone and it became a tourist destination. They have no idea who these people are, all they found in their pockets were 42 American dollars and a business card for a photographer/video maker.

Butterbean decides that they will turn the town into somewhere in the middle of Canada and he pipes Anne Murray, Gordon Lightfoot and Joni Mitchell music everywhere, not realizing that it would be normal to play Christmas music in December in Canada. The snowmen and reindeer are forbidden to speak, the elves are covering their ears and wearing clothes that went out of style in the 70s. When one of the strangers dies, April ends up inviting them to stay at the Kringle Hotel so she can keep an eye on them.

How they end up getting the strangers to leave and to protect the secret of Santaland makes for great reading. As always there is a lot of great adventure and suspense. Sadly Santa being away for his big ride means that he's not featured in most of the book. The conclusion of the story is quite surprising as the culprit is not someone that would have been suspected.

I loved Santaland and it’s the only thing that saved this from being a DNF for me. Talking snowmen, adorable elves and chubby reindeer. I would’ve loved more of that.

The story became a drag. Cut 20% out and it’d be a better book.

The reveal of the murder was very anticlimactic. The whole story is centered around it and the reveal is so quick, blink and you’ll miss it.

I received a free copy of, Mrs. Claus and the Nightmare Before New Year's, by Liz Ireland, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is book 5 of 5 in The Mrs. Claus Mysteries Series. All April wants to do is relax with Santa and enjoy the new year, but when they find 3 strangers in Santaland, and then a murder, April is way busier then she wanted to be, This was a nice coy mystery, I loved Mrs. Claus and the elves.

"Mrs. Claus and the Nightmare Before New Year's (Mrs. Claus Mystery #5)" by Liz Ireland takes place over Christmas week. Nick, aka Current Santa, has just taken off on his Christmas journey around the world. April is extra worried for him since weather has been bad and there's some upgrades to the safety level of the sleigh they fought about that didn't happen. On top of that worry, three humans are brought to the Christmas Town hospital after they'd been found out in the snow. One of them seriously injured. While at the hospital the seriously injured one dies.

To keep herself distracted and the strangers from figuring out where they are. April takes least in figuring out what happened to the one guy and distracting the other two people. This proves harder and harder, but in the end it wrapped up right where I thought it might. However, I wouldn't say there were a lot of clues that pointed to that ending. Just a couple of well placed ones that had me thinking, well why bother mentioning that unless it's important now or later?

Liz Ireland has done it again! I thoroughly enjoy these cozy mysteries with April Claus, and this book was no exception. When 3 scientists turn up injured in Santaland, April has to use her wits to figure out what they're really up to- and how to hide the North Pole's true identity from outsiders. I love the small-town, winter fantasy setting of Santaland and April's can-do attitude. Now if only we could find true love for Juniper...