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

I am so sorry to say that I was unable to finish this book. The plot sounded so wonderful and something I could just get lost in, However, I could not. I wish the author, and publisher, much success upon the book's release..

A chance meeting during the wild London VE celebration has 20 somethings Jack Devereux and Olive Carter having eyes for each other. Alas, fate intervenes and they both connect with others in their group. Flash forward to 1953 and things have really changed with a tragedy and a deep secret now haunting the two would-be lovers. In step with Jack and Olive is Queen Elizabeth’s ascension to the throne as her self-doubts follow Jack’s and Olive’s search to find themselves and each other. By coincidence they both find themselves employed at the Queen’s Christmas home, Jack as a chef and Olive as a BBC correspondent. The book follows a five-year quest of girl meets guy, loses guy and struggles to get him back storyline. But Olive’s secret adds intrigue plus juicy insight into the royal family would make a delightful Hallmark movie.

4.5⭐️

Told over several years and from the alternating perspectives of Olive and Jack, with pop ins from a young Queen Elizabeth II, Christmas with the Queen is a heartwarming right person, wrong time second chance story. After meeting on VE Day, Olive and Jack form a flirtatious friendship but eventually go their separate ways. Olive attempts to climb the ladder of the male dominated BBC while Jacks picks up the pieces of his life after a gutting personal loss. Circumstance, or fate, finds them at the Queen’s Sandringham estate in the lead up to Christmas and the reunion brings long held secrets to the surface.

This book was such a joy to read that I was genuinely disappointed when it was over. This was a near perfect blend of post WWII historical fiction and contemporary romance.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

It is 1952 and the Young Queen Elizabeth must do her first Christmas Day broadcast, as her father would of done annually. But she must find the right words to say to her country's people. She spends Christmas at Sandringham House in Norfolk for the Christmas season. There are two young people who meet up at Sandringham who knew each other years earlier. Jack Devereux is a chef from the United States and is recently widow. Losing his young wife to a tragic accident. Olive Carter is in the typing pool at the BBC. She is a single mother with a young daughter and they live with her parents.

Olive has a chance to go to Sandringham for the BBC as one of its reporters. She did not know she would have the opportunity to meet the Queen in person. Jack is given an opportunity to work in the kitchen at Sandringham, much to his surprise he would run into Olive while he was there. They met at Sandringham for several Christmas Seasons. Olive had many opportunities to meet with the Queen, at the Queen's request.

I wanted to read the book, as I love the novels when Queen Elizabeth is in the novels. I found the story line very heart warming. What a difficult time it was putting the book down each night, as I wanted to know what was next to take place. Thank you to Net Galley, Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb for giving me the opportunity to read this before publishing

I loved Last Christmas in Paris by this author duo, so I was hoping to love this one as well. Unfortunately, that was not the case as I had a hard time connecting with the two main characters that the perspective was alternating between. It was a second-chance romance, but I was let down by the rekindling of the relationship as many years past with no progress forward and no conversations had. I couldn't agree with a major decision one of the characters made about hiding a big secret - it just didn't make sense.

The big positive for me was the atmosphere and sense of place around Christmas time in London.

I still hope to read more from this author duo!

Author duo Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb's new book is described as "The Crown meets When Harry Met Sally and Bridget Jones’s Diary" so I had to read it. It was wonderfully festive, beautiful and warm. Part classic second chance love story and part historical fiction. I loved spending time with a young Queen Elizabeth during her first Christmas broadcast at Sandringham in 1945.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Jack didn’t anticipate running into Olive again, especially right now. His wife died a few weeks ago and he’s taken a job in the Royal Household because, well, what else was he supposed to do? Olive didn’t anticipate being in Sandringham either, but the BBC reporter on the royal beat was sick and she’d lobbied to take his place. Olive and Jack hadn’t seen each other in nearly 8 years when they bumped into each other in the library at Sandringham during preparations for Queen Elizabeth II’s first Christmas as monarch. Will their spark reignite as they get to know each other again, or will the secrets of their past come back to haunt them under the watchful eye of the Royal Household?

Christmas with the Queen is the latest historical fiction release from the powerhouse partnership of Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb. Following up on successes like Last Christmas in Paris, this novel showcases their talents of dual timelines and multiple main characters while pulling back the curtain on life in the Royal Household throughout the first few years of the Queen’s reign. While ripe with historical facts and beautifully written scenes that make you feel as though you’ve traveled back in time, this novel also provides a beautiful romance between Olive and Jack. This is a book about overcoming the odds to achieve your dreams.

I give Christmas with the Queen 5 out of 5 stars. Readers may be familiar with the early years of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign through recent documentaries and the Netflix series The Crown, but this novel delves into the lives of the hired help and background characters to the public life of the Queen. I appreciated the inclusion of so many historical moments from this period to set the scenes for this storyline. I also appreciate the excerpts from the Queen’s Christmas addresses at the beginning of each new year – it helps to delineate the time jumps and prepare the reader for the next adventure for our main characters.

If you loved The Crown, Young Victoria, or The Cook of Castamar on the small screen, you will enjoy this book! I would also recommend this book to readers who appreciate historical fiction set in the 1940’s and 50’s who are looking for something with a little romance and lots of history. With minimal physical romance and no other abrasive subjects, I would direct this novel to readers as young as 13.

I first heard about Christmas with the Queen at an author event with Heather Webb for her latest solo release The Queens of London earlier this year and was immediately drawn to this story. I was very excited to see it available through Netgalley and to have the opportunity to read it early! This is a beautiful story and I can’t wait to share it with my friends!

3.5 stars rounded up. I am a big fan of both Hazel Gaynor & Heather Webb. I’ve read, and loved, many of the historical fiction books they a have written separately as well as co-written, including their other Christmas time book, Last Christmas in Paris. If you are picking this book up, go in with the mindset that it will be a little (but not a lot!) about Queen Elizabeth and her early days as she addressed the public with her annual Christmas Day speeches. You’ll hear a little about the goings on with the staff as they prepare Christmas meals for the Royal family at the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, where they spent the holiday season. However, the book is mainly focused on the relationship of two friends who have reunited. Jack, a transplant from New Orleans, and Olive, a young woman who works for the BBC and who is determined to make something of herself. Jack has recently lost his wife and is working as a chef for the Royal family when Olive goes to cover the Queen’s Christmas speech for the BBC. They are old friends who once shared feelings for each other and the story is highly based around their reunion and how they feel about each other all these years as well as a big secret that Olive has been harboring. It’s told from both Jack and Olive’s points of view which I enjoyed more than I probably would have if it was only one sided. I love Christmas but I think it felt less Christmasy than I wanted it to, perhaps because I read it in the Fall. Towards the end of the book when the Auld Lang Syne song was mentioned, it started going through my head and it finally got me into that season!
Overall, it was a cute, light story, good for Christmas time when it’s nice to read that kind of book. I had expected a bit more about the Royal family, but in the end it was a good read despite that.
Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

Christmas With the Queen is a delightful cozy holiday read following Olive and Jack as they are reunited at Sandringham after a hiatus of many years. Jack, recently widowed and trying to start over, takes a job as a temporary chef to the royal family. Olive is a vivacious reporter for the BBC who has a daughter from a one night stand years prior. When the usual palace reporter takes ill, Olive finds herself fortunate to be sent to Sandringham as his stand in for the Christmas report and while there, she runs into an old friend: Jack Deveroux.

This story was a feel good and easy read. I found myself cheering for the couple and love after loss. I especially enjoyed how the royal family anchored the love story throughout, though the first person perspective from Queen Elizabeth was a bit distracting to me.

I would like to thank William Morrow and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A slow start but quickly became an 'unputdownable' page turning novel. Christmas with the Queen by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb wasn't what I expected but far surpassed my expectations. Riveting suspense on whether relationships will be restored and secrets revealed.

Releases Nov. 19th. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Christmas with the Queen is a heartwarming historical fiction set primarily in the 1950s at the very opening of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign. It follows Olive Carter and Jack Devereux, two old friends who reunite unexpectedly around the royal Christmas and spend years floating in each other’s orbit while single-mother Olive tries to build a career at the BBC and widower Jack tries to find himself in his work as a chef.

The characters are sweet as they keep their cards frustratingly close to the vest. I cheered for the couple the whole time, and while the middle dragged a bit to me, the end was lovely. The authors capture the emotions caught up in love and loss well. It’s a great story, the first that I’ve read from these authors, and I look forward to reading more.

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Is British monarchy fanfic a thing? That's one of the pleasures of this novel! Ambitious journalist Olive helps a young Queen Elizabeth polish her broadcast scripts. Olive also crosses paths with Jack, a former flame who now works in the royal kitchens—but has much bigger plans. Best read with a pot of tea and some scrummy scones.

Thanks to @NetGalley and William Morrow | William Morrow Paperbacks for the advance reader copy.