**Book Review**


I always love reading Christmas books in December and there is no shortage of cutesy romance novels during the holidays but I never thought to pick up a Christmas themed Historical Fiction. So I think those may be my go to over the next holiday seasons. There was still no shortage of romance in this novel in the form of a second chance romance and it was one of my favorite parts of the novel. However, I absolutely loved the historical aspect of it with the royal family and Christmas time in England. I may just put Christmas in England on my lifetime bucket list. It was thoroughly an enjoyable change of pace when it comes to holiday themed novels available year after year. I recommend this one to those looking for something other than cheesy romance novels, not to say there's anything wrong with them, there's just more of them than anything else when it comes to holiday novels. Loved this one!

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an ebook copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

#netgalley #ChristmasWithTheQueen #HazelGaynor

In this brilliant new historical fiction novel, readers follow the young Queen Elizabeth over several Christmas Day addresses through the eyes of Olive, a single mother and aspiring BBC reporter whose eagerness to cover the Christmas speech at the palace brings her in contact with the Queen, and Jack, a recently widowed chef from American looking to make it big. As they pursue their goals of owning a restaurant and taking on bigger reporting pieces, readers follow Jack, Olive, and the queen as their paths cross over five important Christmases in the 1950s. The characters are the absolute star of this novel, and the different perspectives really allow them all to grow and develop over the course of the novel. Jack and Olive’s relationship is particularly interesting and complex, as readers will discover, and the fantastic flashbacks and historical and personal details only enhance the story and its characters. Entertaining, emotional, and perfectly Christmassy, readers will love Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb’s new book, as their writing styles perfectly complement each other to build this beautiful historical setting. Emotional, immersive, and absolutely fascinating, readers will love this new collaboration between two incredible historical fiction novels because the characters draw the reader into the story so well.

Queen Elizabeth II reigned large my entire life, but I rarely considered what it must have been like for her in the early years following her coronation. In the historical fiction novel Christmas with the Queen by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb, readers get an eye-witness look into the queen’s life through Olive and Jack. Olive is a single mother and aspiring reporter for the BBC. She finds herself in the right place at the right time, earning her an accidental encounter with the young queen just prior to her first Christmas on the throne. While at Sandringham House, the royal country home, Olive becomes reacquainted with Jack, an old friend she has not seen in many years. He is an American chef who has taken a job in the kitchen on the Queen’s staff.

Over the course of five years, Jack, Olive, and the Royal Family continue to overlap. History buffs will appreciate the interwoven facts about the Queen which bring the story to life. The authors have done their research to make the character on the page multi-dimensional. Additionally, through Jack’s narrative, readers learn more about Prince Philip’s personality. Though I have never been much into following royalty, I was enthralled with their personal stories of growing into their new roles in the monarchy.

The dual POV storytelling works well for this tale. While not strictly a romance, it’s obvious from the beginning certain elements are pushing these two characters into a relationship. Yet, Olive is keeping a secret from Jack. For his part, he is still mourning the relatively recent loss of his beloved wife, who was a member of their friend group after the war. Christmas with the Queen is a joy to read for history buffs, romance fans, and readers of women’s fiction. I highly recommend the audiobook as well, which is well performed by Fiona Hardingham, Gary Furlong, and Esther Wane.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

It's December 1952 and Queen Elizabeth II finds herself the new monarch. As Christmas preparations begin at Sandringham House, the paths of Olive and Jack cross once again and continue to do so over the next 5 Christmases. As they grow more and more fond of each other, Olive is hiding a secret and when it comes to light, will they be able to overcome it?
The authors did an amazing job with the descriptions of people and places. I loved the history and the glimpse into the Royal Family at such a historic time.
The love story of Olive and Jack is beautiful and takes its time. I truly felt like I was in the 1950's right along with them.
Such a great book and I definitely recommend!

There is never a point that Gaynor and Webb can't team up and make history come alive in a new way. I love it and it's what keeps me coming back.
Set in the forefront of Christmas holidays around the first few years of the Queen's Christmas addresses is the story of a BBC writer trying desperately to break into a male dominated field and show that she has worth while raising her daughter and caring for her parents, as well as a chef in the Queen's kitchen that is mourning the loss of his wife and trying to get his feet back under him as he figures out what comes next. As they reunite over the Queen's first Christmas address, they rekindle a friendship that had started years before at the end of the war though their friend group fell apart years prior. With flashbacks to their original friendship and what broke the friendship apart, and the leaps to their meetings each year, watching the stories unfold from Olive and Jack, to Duke Philip and Queen Elizabeth, to the friends that support them along the way is entertaining and enlightening.

#arc
#netgalley
#Christmaswiththequeen

~~~ I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ~~~

This is a lovely and festive Christmas book! I adored the characters and the duo timeline set up. This is the story of Jack (a chef) and Olive (a BBC reporter), who meet at VE Day celebrations and reunite years later while both serving the Queen during Christmas. Time passes, yet they keep meeting each other unexpectedly, until they finally realize what is meant to be. This is a great historical fiction and festive read, perfect for snuggling up with on a cold winter's night. This is the first novel I've read by either author, and hopefully won't be the last. I truly enjoyed their writing and this novel. Highly recommend!

As with their previous Christmas book, these two authors’ writing style drew me in and I fell headfirst into the story.
It didn’t hurt that I’m a sucker for books about the royals.
Christmas with the Queen has a heartwarming and magical ending — perfect for the holiday season.

My first book to finish in 2025!
Thank you netgalley William Morrow Books, Hazel Gaynor, and Heather Webb for this amazing holiday-time ARC 😍 I loved this book. Typically war-era reads are downright sad and depressing (in the best way of course 😉) but this book was heartwarming and sweet with the amazing historical setting still. I can’t help but think I loved this book even more because the main character is Olive which is my dogs name. I can’t help but feel for Olive Carter in this story as she fights to break into a male-dominated field (although wasn’t every field male dominated in the 50’s , am I right? lol) and keeps a heavy secret so that she won’t be shamed by the judgmental society that was that era. The love story between her & Jack is so sweet! But even sweeter is the story of Olive and Lilibet’s trusting relationship. It gives humanity to Queen Elizabeth and makes me want to read more about the royal family! I pray she was as sweet in real life as this book has portrayed her. Although I didn’t end up finishing this read before Christmas, it was the perfect holiday historical fiction / romance and I’d recommend to everyone!

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for an ARC of Christmas with the Queen by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb.
This book was a sweet, cozy story focusing on Olive Carter, an aspiring reporter, and Jack Deveraux, an American living in England who becomes a chef for the royal family. This story has three POVs: Olive, Jack, and the Queen and begins in 1952 just as the Queen has ascended to the throne. It was a heartwarming story that gives you a glimpse of royal life. It focuses on the importance of family, friends, and healing after a tragedy. I would definitely recommend this book to someone looking for a sweet Christmas story with a little side of Cajun cooking descriptions. The ending was perfect, and I enjoyed it.

I didn't love this as much as I expected to. The writing itself was great and engaging, but I felt like the plot was drawn out over way too many years.

Thank you NetGalley, Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb, and William Morrow for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! I really enjoyed this one, as I always do with these author’s books. This one is set in the 1950’s and features young Queen Elizabeth II and two people whose lives intersect with hers.

This one primarily follows Jack Devereux and Olive Carter. They both visit Sandringham House to work and meet up after many years. Jack is a recently widowed chef, and Olive a single mother and aspiring reporter at the BBC, and I really enjoyed learning about both characters. It takes place primarily around Christmas time over the years as the Queen becomes more confident and eventually does her first televised Christmas speech in 1957.

There are characters from their previous books in this one as well, which was a treat! I really enjoyed this one overall, and also tried the audiobook for a bit, which was great and really enhanced the story, especially with the Queen’s parts. If you like the royals, historical romances, or just want a sweet Christmas-themed book, be sure to pick this one up!

If there is such a thing as a cozy romance, this is probably it. The main characters are Jack and Olive. Jack is a recent widower and chef who dreams of opening his own restaurant. Olive is an aspiring reporter for the BBC and a single mother. Jack and Olive knew each other before the war who lost touch with each other. They meet again when Jack is working in the kitchens at Balmoral and Olive is sent to cover the preparations for Christmas for the new queen. Over a span of five years, we follow along as Jack and Olive reconnect. Through flashbacks, we learn how they met and why they lost touch.

This is a very predictable story and I could see some of the twists in the romance coming. Despite that though it was a good Christmastime story. While it centers around Jack and Olive, you do get bits of the struggles that a young queen faced and she tries to juggle her many roles, long before she thought she would need to.

Set every Christmas starting in 1952, this book tells the story of Jack Deveraux (a chef) and Olive Carter (an aspiring BBC reporter). Old friends from the wartime days, Jack and Olive are reunited at Balmoral for Christmas where Jack is working in the kitchens and Olive is taking notes for an upcoming broadcast.

As their paths cross over various Christmases, the spark between them grows. But Olive is holding back a secret that could change Jack’s life forever.

Why Kirsten likes it
I loved the premise of this story, but a few of the Christmases seemed a little unnecessary. It was pleasant to check in on the friends – and the Queen – each year, but some of the years were filler because of the layout. Still, I liked how their love story progressed in a realistic timeline – I just wish Olive had been more communicative sooner.

Christmas With the Queen is a historical novel set in the 1950s, spanning several of Queen Elizabeth's early years on the throne. The storyline follows her annual Christmas speech on the radio. There are two other characters who readers get to know over the featured years: Olive Carter, a single mother who is a reporter for the BBC and who wants to be taken seriously in a male-dominated field, and Jack Devereaux, a royal chef who lost his wife during the London fog. Olive and Carter were close years ago and become reacquainted at Sandringham over the holidays.

I wanted to read this novel because I love historical fiction and have always been interested in the life of Queen Elizabeth. A light note: I loved the glimpse of Susan and the queen's other Corgis in this novel!

This is such a lovely book and a wonderful way to start a new reading year! I loved all three intertwining storylines. I found Olive and Jack's friendship and tentative romance so moving. I was pulling for them so much as they moved one step forward, two steps back during the span of this novel.

I highly recommend Christmas with the Queen for fans of historical fiction, and especially for anyone interested in the royal family and the life of Queen Elizabeth.

I loved the characters and the whole premise of the book. It was unique and so enjoyable! These authors together have such talent and perfected storytelling! I always enjoying reading anything by Heather & Hazel!

I've always enjoyed reading the books that the two authors co-author and this book was no different. While a bit predictable with the love story of Olive and Jack, I liked the aspect of having the royal family interspersed throughout the story and the little peeks behind the castle curtains.

The story is structured around Christmas time over a number of years. We get to see how the young Queen grows into her role through her yearly Christmas messages. Olive becomes her confidante and helps her to express herself that is relatable to all people.

Jack works in the royal kitchens, and I found this part of the story very interesting. It was easy to picture how busy the kitchens were and all the specialties that were demanded of the staff.

I enjoyed Olive and Jack's story and was happy they were able to finally find their way to each other.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me this review copy.

Perfect atmospheric holiday read! I loved the setting and the slow build up of the romance. I didn’t love the secret that Olive was keeping from Jack and felt it dragged on for a bit too long. The chapters about Queen Elizabeth II were so beautifully written.

Disclaimer: Thank you William Morrow and NetGalley for the free copy of the book. All opinions are my own.

Ranking and Thoughts:
Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Pacing: 5/5
Writing: 4/5
Spice Level: 2/5
Enjoyment: Medium
Overall: 4/5

- Set in the 1950s plus the mid-1940s. Awesome! I like vintage things.
- When Jack prepares food. All the delicious food makes me hungry.
- I like most of the characters.
- Christmas! I would say a good holiday read.
- I assume this is based on true events. Including the late Queen Elizabeth II and her family.

Extra thoughts:
The downsides are one scene that is somewhat rushed and few scenes I read makes me disappointed.

Verdict:
I enjoyed it, in spite of a few flaws.

I ended up listening to the audio of Christmas With the Queen and I highly recommend that format. For fans of the Royal family and The Crown, Christmas With the Queen will grab your attention and you will be rooting for the main characters.

I really enjoyed Last Christmas in Paris by this duo, so I when I saw they had written another holiday historical novel, I knew I had to read it. I started with the audio while I prepared a holiday dinner for my family. What a great accompaniment! I found it absolutely delightful. The audiobook is narrated by Fiona Hardingham, Gary Furlong, and Ester Wane. They gave great voice to the characters in this story. I switched to the ebook later in the evening to finish.

The story follows Jack and Olive in first person interspersed with Queen Elizabeth II as they embark on their individual duties or jobs for Christmas in 1952 and follows the characters through the holiday in subsequent years leading up to 1957. Olive is a typist and aspiring reporter with the BBC and is ready to take on more responsibility, namely covering the Queen as she prepares her Christmas address. Olive is juggling her job with raising a young daughter with the assistance of her bickering parents. Jack is a grieving widower and chef from New Orleans who has a second chance at an opportunity to work in the royal kitchens for the holiday. He aspires to own his own restaurant and cook cuisine inspired by his grandfather.

I loved the characters in this story. I was a little nervous about reading this one because I guessed that it had a trope that I’m not particularly fond of in books, but the characters were so delightful that I enjoyed the story so much regardless. I enjoyed reading about Olive’s perspectives into what it was like as a woman to pursue a career during this time period and for Jack to work through his grief and reach for his dreams.

Recommended to historical fiction lovers for a different type of holiday read.

Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow for a copy provided for an honest review.