What a wonderful story to read for the holiday season. Christmas with the Queen is an interesting story from a dynamic author duo. I have read all of their previous collaboration and have enjoyed them all. This story starts with Queen Elizabeth's first holiday radio broadcast in 1952 and continues through subsequent years. The main story of the interactions between Olive and Jack from 1945 on had me hooked from the beginning. This is definitely a feel-good tale and I highly recommend it.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher and Netgalley - thank you! All thoughts and opinions in this review are entirely my own.

It just did not capture me to be honest and I DNF-ed the book. I don't doubt that it has a lot of potential but it just wasn't for me. It felt like the beginning was very slow roll bambi and I didn't feel excitement to sit down and continue to read it.

****Publishing November 19, 2024****

The story begins at Christmas time soon after Queen Elizabeth has become Queen. It’s the first Christmas without her father. She is nervous about her new role. Each chapter mostly alternates between two professionals whose job took them to the Sandringham Estate at Christmas time. From the Queen herself, to a royal chef, Jack, to a reporter trainee, Olive, for the BBC. This gave different prescriptive on what it was like at this busy time of year through out the years. This reunites Jack and Olive a friendship they made during the VE Day celebrations. Both had career boosting opportunity at the Sandringham Estate, will they be successful? Will they reconnect?

A well researched, well thought out, and well written book that is fascinating to read. It keeps your attention from the beginning to the end! The different perspectives give the story more insight and viewpoints surrounding the Christmas Holidays. I especially enjoyed the chapters written from the viewpoint of Queen Elizabeth. A heartfelt and entertaining book. If you are a fan of The Crown, then you will enjoy this book! A great book to give as a gift!

Thanks to William Morrow (William Morrow Paperbacks), I was provided an ARC of Christmas with the Queen by Hazel Gaynor; Heather Webb via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A beautifully entertaining story set at Christmas.

This story brings two old friends, Jack and Hazel together at the palace for the Christmas holidays. Hazel is an aspiring journalist hoping for a big story to make her name. Jack is a grieving widow chef that takes a position in the royal kitchens to help move on in his life. The storyline is so hopeful and the characters are so enjoyable. It's a wonderful, historical holiday story.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

When Olive is given the opportunity to replace another reporter who is having health problems, her life changes. Suddenly she’s thrust into another life, and when the Queen requests her help with some speeches she plans to make as the holiday approaches, Olive is eager to help and to prove her worth.

When Olive realizes that a man that was important in her life is a chef who was somewhat recently added to the staff, she is cordial, but while she could share her story with him, she is reluctant to do so. She knows that his wife passed away recently, but she is not ready to delve into the past.

This is largely shared from Olive’s perspective, as well as Queen Elizabeth, in conversations regarding her speeches, as well as Jack, whose story evolves slowly, but ends perfectly.


Pub Date: 19 Nov 2024


Many thanks for the ARC provided by William Morrow / William Morrow Paperbacks

Heather Webb and Hazel Gaynor wrote stories that go together like one author is writing. Thjs story was sweet, informative and full of Christmas cheer. I loved it. I smiled all the way through

I absolutely loved this book and I will recommend it to everyone. Anything with the queen I will always read and enjoy. I loved how aaccurenate everyting was, and the female writer. The ending was my favorite.

Christmas with the Queen is a delightful and heartwarming story that sees Jack and Olive’s pasts collide and their futures unravel - all amidst several Christmas times spent at the royal Sandringham Estate - the writing of which was very descriptive and rich in detail. The reader is able to really glimpse into the festive setting of Sandringham.

The portrayal of Queen Elizabeth is perfect - her grace, her dedication, her compassion and also her sense of fun really come across in this book. The authors have also beautifully captured the essence of Prince Philip - his personality and the love and humour he shared with the Queen.
Another excellent collaboration from these authors.

I am grateful to the publisher, William Morrow, via NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Two ordinary people, meet, date, part, then reconnect under the watchful eye of Queen Elizabeth, fresh to the crown herself. The cover is what drew me, plus the idea of getting an inside look at Christmas for the young, as yet untried, Queen. Although still in mourning for her late father, who died of lung cancer, Queen Elizabeth is determined to carry on his tradition of giving a Christmas greetings radio speech on Christmas Day. Elizabeth and Philip, however, are really minor characters in the story. Instead, the focus is on Jack, who is working in the royal kitchens of Sandringham, and gutsy Olive, who with a bit of luck and pluck, earns the BBC job of covering the speech. They have a past. Needless to say, they meet again.

I won't detail the plot. It covers five years of Christmas meetings and slowly coming to realize that there are still feelings there. As the book opens, Jack has just lost his wife in the London fog storm, I guess you'd call it, of 1952, and Olive is a single mother. She has a secret although, quite frankly, if I were a betting woman, I'd say you'll figure out what it is pretty easily and quickly. That said, it remains her secret for years as they meet and separate. In the process, Olive forms an unexpected bond of sorts with the Queen as both are young mothers, while Prince Philip offers advice to Jack. It was a delight to imagine the royals as "real people", you know, just like us, even if it took awhile for Jack and Olive to ultimately come together. Oh, come on. This is a holiday romance. You know there will be a happily ever after. It's the getting there that will alternately charm and frustrate readers as slow build romance meets its true match here. You'll like the characters, however, and learn quite a bit of history and human spirit, so to speak, as you follow them through those years.

Bottom line, despite finding it slow at times, I thoroughly enjoyed this charming historical love story. Be sure you read the authors' notes at the end, too! It was beautifully written with multiple themes. ranging from the expected second chance at love, to love and loss, aspirations and dreams, of somehow maintaining traditions while beginning new traditions as well, themes as applicable to the Queen and her Prince as Jack and Olive, I might note, and doing one's duty through it all, never letting your dreams of the future slip through your fingers. Yes, a bit of a cliche, but it works. My thanks to #WilliamMorrow for giving me an early peek behind the scenes of Sandringham, so to speak. Despite the setting, the authors created a cozy feeling with characters you'll enjoy spending time with. It also made me wish I'd "known" Queen Elizabeth in her younger days. I admired her greatly as a Queen but the woman behind that throne, you know, the one who in more modern times than related here made a appearances with both James Bond and Paddington Bear, made her relatable to us "commoners".

Christmas with the Queen by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb is a wonderful Christmas story written about the Queen of England and the love story of Olive and Jack.

Any book by these two authors is exquisite and this one was absolutely perfect! It’s a lovely holiday story that transports the reader to Christmas in London and introduces us to characters you want to root for. Add this book to your Christmas list this year!

I jumped on the chance to read this when I saw that it was by the authors (Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb) of Last Christmas in Paris, which I enjoyed very much. Christmas with the Queen is a much different kind of story. I have started doing seasonal reading and this makes a nice holiday read especially if you’re looking for a love story with a holiday theme and a historical tie in.

It starts in 1952 early in Queen Elizabeth’s reign. It’s told from the perspective of Olive (a young BBC aspiring reporter), Jack (a young chef with New Orleans roots), and a young Queen Elizabeth (though we hear much less from her).

Jack and Olive had first met on VE Day with a group of friends. There are flashbacks to this period throughout the story. But the story marches forward in time. I would make a terrible romance writer, as I really just want to get them together quickly! But as in any good romance, things unfold gradually. So naturally, as an impatient romantic, I got a little frustrated. But the authors did a good job with this story as they built the basis for romance. I liked how they brought these characters together and the tie in with the Queen was well thought out and believable, as fiction goes. There is some sadness early on, some bumps in the road, and a secret. But you know things are going to work out in the end, so there’s no additional stress for your holiday reading (or anytime). So just sit back and enjoy the ride.

#ChristmaswiththeQueen #netgalley

This story takes place from 1952 to 1956. Up and coming BBC correspondent Olive gets a shot at covering the Christmas preparations at Sandringham. While there she has a chance encounter with the young Queen as well as an old friend, Jack. Jack, recently widowed, is a chef who has just begun to work in the palace kitchens. The two continue to encounter each other initially due to their royal connections. We follow their relationship with some flashbacks. Oh, there is a big secret as well.

I really enjoyed this story, which starts with Queen Elizabeth's inauguration. Jack and Olive meeting and so much more, it's a historical, it's a friend's to lovers, story and so much more. Thank you to Net Galley, the authors and publishers for the chance to read this ARC.

3.5 stars, rounded up. Christmas with the Queen is a sweet, heartwarming historical romance set over a series of Christmas seasons. Each new section starts with a short chapter from Queen Elizabeth II's POV, which is charming, and then the story alternates between Olive, a single mother and journalist ambitious to get on the Royals beat for the BBC, and Jack, a chef from New Orleans, who loses his beloved wife in a terrible accident and goes on to join the royal cooking staff. There is a complicated backstory between Olive and Jack, but a HEA felt assured from the start. This has a very Hallmark movie feel to it, and if you're looking for a light, feel-good Christmasy read, give this a try. Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for a digital review copy.

This book definitely includes tidbits of Christmas during Queen Elizabeth’s early days as Queen, but the main focus is a second chance romance between Jack and Olive. It’s not as simple as it looks and this was a sweet story.. Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Christmas with the Queen by co-authors Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb is a lovely story about two friends who haven't seen each other since post-war times but whose lives manage to intertwine in the early to mid-1950s in a surprising way. Louisiana native Jack is a chef who finds himself taking a temporary position in the kitchens at Sandringham, British royalty's country retreat, part of the team preparing food for the newly promoted Queen Elizabeth II, her family, and their guests during the Christmas holidays. Olive, a single mother who has realized her dream of working for the BBC but is still very much under the thumb of the men in her department, suddenly gets to sub for her ailing boss to document the Royal Family's Christmas preparations and events at Sandringham.

An instant romance? Not even close. Jack is mourning the unexpected loss of his young wife, and Olive has an off-and-on relationship with another of their friends, while sharing the care of her daughter with her parents. Jack dreams of opening up his own restaurant someday, while Olive can't seem to get the big assignments that could further her career. Chapters focus on each of the two alternately, and the Queen even has a few chapters of her own.

The story is told in a straightforward way and is a quick read (I finished it in a day). I thoroughly enjoyed the interactions between the protagonists and the Royals (and each other) and the insight into what life might be like for a fledging queen in a position recently vacated by her deceased father. Delightful and satisfying.

My thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

Thank you to @netgalley and @WilliamMorrow for this ARC. 1952 and it is the Queen's first Christmas in office. Jack was offered a chef's position for the season at Sandringham. With his wife's recent passing, he almost said no but decided this was the best way to grieve. Olive, a junior reporter for the BBC found an unlikely chance to go to Sandringham and write a Christmas article. Being long lost friends, neither knew the other would be there but with their connected past, did they still make the right choice to spend Christmas with the Queen? Sweet read!!! #ChristmaswiththeQueen #HazelGaynor #HeatherWebb #WilliamMorrow #Nov2024

England - 1950s

It's December 1952 and the new Queen Elizabeth is nervous about giving her first Christmas Day speech over the radio. First of all, there is the grief over the loss of her father, and then suddenly being thrust into the spotlight as the new monarch. As she struggles over what to say to the people of Great Britain and the Commonwealth nations, the young queen hopes she can get some encouragement from someone.

Single mother Olive Carter, a typist at the BBC but with dreams of being a reporter, is thrilled to be assigned at the last minute to travel to Sandringham House to cover the royal family's Christmas celebrations. While it's only for the day, Olive is stunned when she accidentally meets the queen. And adding to that, as she interviews the kitchen staff, Olive runs into an old friend, American Jack Devereux who has been temporarily hired to help in the royal kitchen.

Jack, a former U. S. Navy cook, is from New Orleans, but at the end of the European war, he stayed on in London to work in a local restaurant. At one point he and Olive flirted and had a brief date before he saw that another man was interested in her, and he backed off. Then he met their mutual friend, Andrea, and they eventually married. During a dangerous fog in London, however, Andrea was run down and killed on a London street. At odds with his life, Jack hoped that this temporary position with the royals will work out.

Olive and Jack see each other at intervals throughout the year, but their lives seem to be moving in opposite directions. While they both are attracted to each other, their lives are far from static. Olive is again assigned to Sandringham House the next Christmas, and, to her shock, is asked to assist the queen with her Christmas speech. She and Jack meet again, but all too briefly. For Jack, his unexpected chat with the Duke of Edinburgh gives him much to ponder.

For the next few years, Olive continues to attend Christmas time at Sandringham, and she and Jack continue their on-again, off-again encounters, but each one proves to them that there is a real attraction between them. How can they make it more permanent? And what will happen if the secret in Olive's life is revealed to Jack?

CHRISTMAS WITH THE QUEEN is a peek into the lives of the royal family behind the scenes, but also shows the people around them as they lead their own personal lives. Olive and Jack may be old friends, but life is never easy when grief and secrets affect their relationship.

CHRISTMAS WITH THE QUEEN is a sweet and poignant reunion for Olive and Jack, as well as their private encounters with two members of the royal family.

Spectacular literary duo, Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb, have delivered yet another wonderful and charming story. This time it's about the early years of Queen Elizabeth II's reign (1952 - 1957), and how by extension two young lives are reconnected in serendipitous ways. That reconnection, at times, was equally frustrating.

Olive Carter, an aspiring BBC correspondent and single mum, seizes the opportunity to make her way in newscasting by asserting herself into the reporting on Christmas preparations of and for the Royals. Jack Devereux just happens to have signed on as holiday help in the Sandringham royal kitchen. Olive and Jack's paths cross and are soon again separated. This happens again and again across the years until finally all comes to a dramatic climax.

In this reader's opinion, the best parts of the story are Olive's interaction with Elizabeth - two mothers of young children, doing their duties in previously male held posts. Seeing the young monarch as she steps into her father's shoes was insightful and heartwarming. I had only ever seen her as a confident and commanding monarch, well ensconced in her duties. To see an uncertain Elizabeth was a new side of the monarch I had yet to experience. Olive too, is bright, plucky, and driven. Yet, she too exhibits her own uncertainties.

The writing of this story is solid and beautifully crafted. The two authors have done an excellent job of providing a well researched and evenly rendered story. The descriptions of Sandringham and the delectable food offerings are delightful in and of themselves. I only wish that the recipes could have been included, as well.

All in all, this was a lovely heartwarming holiday story. If a British Christmas with Elizabeth and few of her subjects tickles your fancy, then this may be the perfect Yuletide read for you.

I am grateful to publisher William Morrow for having provided a complimentary copy of this book through NetGally. Their generosity, however, has not influenced this review - the words of which are mine alone.


Publisher: ‎ William Morrow
Publication Date: November 19, 2024
Number of Pages: ‎384
ISBN:‎ 978-0063276215