Heartwarming, festive, beautifully researched and well crafted! I loved this fictional yet informative and intelligent glimpse into the lives of Queen Elizabeth II and her family at the holidays. I also truly enjoyed reading about the trials and tribulations of single mom reporter Olive and widower chef Jack and their respective families, whose characters were well developed and relatable. Gaynor and Webb are a dynamic duo, and I look forward to each of their collaborations.

This would be a great stocking stuffer / gift for fellow historical fiction and/or royal watching readers.

Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morris for the privilege of an electronic ARC. Opinions are my own.

I just recently finished watching the entire series of The Crown on Netflix, and I was SO bummed when I got to the end. Christmas with the Queen made me feel like I was watching it again while I was reading! I really enjoyed that the main characters were not members of the Royal Family but had quite a bit of interaction with them, and I loved getting the brief interludes from Queen Elizabeth. It was an interesting concept to visit the characters each Christmas for several years in a row rather than focusing on one specific Christmas. The one thing I did struggle with was Jack's character and his seeming indecision between Olive and Andrea. It felt difficult for me to tell which woman he truly felt was his first choice and then also made it a bit hard to believe he would all of a sudden be in love with Olive.

Christmas with the Queen is another wonderful collaboration between authors Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb. Be sure to read the authors’ notes at the end to learn more about their research and inspiration. This story follows the lives of Olive and Jack as they intersect with the Queen and Prince Phillip over a series of Christmases. Hazel and Jack are old friends from the end of the war, but we soon learn they have an even more important connection. While Olive struggles against the man’s world of the BBC, Jack works his way up through the kitchen’s of the royal family. A great holiday read or for anytime of the year.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy via NetGalley.

Courtesy of Netgalley, I received the ARC of Christmas with the Queen by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb. I loved learning about Queen Elizabeth's Christmas radio broadcasts from 1952 through the introduction of the annual television broadcast in 1957...such an interesting perspective! Romantic relationships occupy a primary role in both the Royal Family and the fictional characters of Olive and Jack and their families and friends, beginning with VE Day. Missed opportunities and difficulties with communication take center stage! The news events of throughout the years were informative in providing background information.. Highly recommend!

Christmas with the Queen is a historical fiction read set after WWII and follows the dual narratives of 3 people; two commoners and the Queen. I absolutely loved how the thoughts of the queen were added into this book and woven into the stories of the main characters! Olive, a single mother and aspiring journalist. Jack, a heartbroken chef and recent widower. Olive and Jack find themselves through circumstances coming together after years of a lost friendship, but can they find what might have been between the two of them?

This book has all of the makings of a good holiday kick off romance. I enjoyed that it is set in a timeline of history that is often not written about in favor of 1940s WWII era. Both Olive and Jack were enjoyable characters with enough development of their personalities to keep you invested. While there are no plot twists, and the ending is predictable I absolutely did not find fault in this. It offers everything a cozy holiday read should.

The one thing that I was missing - to the point that I kept desperately trying to turn the page- Where are the recipes?! This is a book that does a fantastic job talking about working in palace kitchens, opening an inventive concept restaurant and describing fantastic food. It would benefit from a recipe for Olive's Tomato Soup, or Po Boys, or anything!

Goodreads Review Link: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199531640-christmas-with-the-queen" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Christmas with the Queen" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1717773456l/199531640._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199531640-christmas-with-the-queen">Christmas with the Queen</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5774172.Hazel_Gaynor">Hazel Gaynor</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6824844518">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Christmas with the Queen is a historical fiction read set after WWII and follows the dual narratives of 3 people; two commoners and the Queen. I absolutely loved how the thoughts of the queen were added into this book and woven into the stories of the main characters! Olive, a single mother and aspiring journalist. Jack, a heartbroken chef and recent widower. Olive and Jack find themselves through circumstances coming together after years of a lost friendship, but can they find what might have been between the two of them?<br /><br />This book has all of the makings of a good holiday kick off romance. I enjoyed that it is set in a timeline of history that is often not written about in favor of 1940s WWII era. Both Olive and Jack were enjoyable characters with enough development of their personalities to keep you invested. While there are no plot twists, and the ending is predictable I absolutely did not find fault in this. It offers everything a cozy holiday read should. <br /><br />The one thing that I was missing - to the point that I kept desperately trying to turn the page- Where are the recipes?! This is a book that does a fantastic job talking about working in palace kitchens, opening an inventive concept restaurant and describing fantastic food. It would benefit from a recipe for Olive's Tomato Soup, or Po Boys, or anything!
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/6905170-aftan">View all my reviews</a>

What an absolutely lovely book! If you love English History and Christmas, then this book was made for you! I really enjoyed how it was told from different perspectives but it all tied together so perfectly. A wonderful group of characters as well. Perfect holiday read.

Sweet and uplifting, and yes, a little predictable, this is a charming story perfect for the holiday season. The authors have done a tremendous job with their research and they incorporate historical details into the narrative in a seamless way; in other words, the research never gets in the way of the story. Speaking of the story, the storylines of both the royal family and the primary love story are such fun reads! I think readers of historical fiction will fall in love. The second chance romance angle really keeps the pages turning. I look forward to more from this talented pair of authors.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance e-galley; all opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This work of historical fiction set in post WW2 London interwoven with the royal family over the course of several years has all the ingredients for an incredible story, but has so many missed opportunities, that it ends up falling shy of the mark. I have so many thoughts for how this story could have been tweaked to improve it. There's no real sense of connection between Jack and his first wife, which makes his grief over her loss feel heavy-handed. The notion of Jack and Olive's lives crossing paths over the Christmas season each year loses the plot when one year is completely ignored and never alluded to, even in retrospect. I wanted to love this with my whole heart. It makes me sad that I didn't.

This is the second book by this pair of authors I have read. This one does not disappoint. Part love story, part historical fiction, this Christmas story has a little something for everyone. Olive is covering a story for the BBC on the royal family’s Christmas when she bumps into an old friend. Jack is working at Sandringham as temporary help in the kitchens for the holiday rush. As they begin to realize their feelings for each other, they face many ups and downs along the way and over the years.

This delightful tale highlights loss and love, hopes and dreams, adventures and disappointments, tradition and new, second chances and happy ever afters. This is one you will want to reread each holiday season.

Based on the true events of Queen Elizabeth's first Christmas broadcast at Sandringham, I absolutely loved all scenes with the royal family displaying their strengths and foibles. Unfortunately, the remaining story of the years-long ups and downs between the two main characters was incredibly tedious. I wanted to like this so much more as the writing is lovely, but as the years went on I was just annoyed at their lack of communication when much more than themselves was at stake. I wish the writers had based the entire story of the royals and left Jack and Olive in the far background.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

No-one expected young Elizabeth to be the monarch so soon. But when her beloved father King George VI unexpectedly passes away, she becomes a 25 year old queen of seven independent Commonwealth countries. With Philip by her side she raises four children and lifts England out of the ashes of war. Her father’s famous Christmas Day speech must be given and the normally calm, assured Queen is a bundle of nerves. Christmas at Sandringham House is decorated to the nines and a few privileged journalists are invited to report on the royal holidays. Young Olive Carter has the opportunity of a lifetime. Her long standing nemesis has fallen ill and she will cover the events at the palace. Ready to make a name for herself and become more journalist than a secretary, Olive’s gregarious persona and a little luck set her directly in the Queen’s path. Meanwhile, the royal chefs are busy preparing a feast when Olive stumbles upon handsome Jack. Even though many years have passed these old friends still carry undeniable chemistry. Both in the middle of their own personal difficulties, Olive and Jack slowly rekindle their friendship while Olive remains tortured by the burning secret she carries. As these two worlds collide Olive and Jack consider their flourishing careers and discover new hope for the future. Absolutely recommend this perfect holiday treat!

Christmas with the Queen by Hazel Gaynor; Heather Webb is a wonderful and festive historical fiction that warmed my heart.

I lived this HF. I have begun to be extremely picky of my selection of books within this genre after reading so many for so many years, and I am glad that I read this one.

Taking place mainly in England during the early years of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, it did have a few flashbacks to 1945. Alternating between Jack and Olive (and yes The Queen herself), this book gives the reader a wonderful and heartwarming story if a romance and family meant to be and the Christmas seasons surrounding it.

I knew what would happen all along, but that didn’t matter. It was relaxing, positive, and left me with a festive and uplifted spirit. I really liked it.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG William Morrow | William Morrow Paperbacks for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 11/19/24.

One can never go wrong when picking up a Hazel Gaynor + Heather Webb duo book, so I knew I was in for a great read - but even I was blown away by how good this was! Unputdownable and lovely are the two words I would use to describe this!. Fantastic and utterly addictive would also suffice :) Either way, you are in for a treat!

I am a huge fan of Heather Webb. Her latest book is Christmas with the Queen. It was a great read! Don’t miss!

One of my favorite NetGalley reads in many months - I was not disappointed. The story was realistic enough to keep me engaged and the non-royal characters made relatable decisions. I appreciated the rather unique structure of the chapters where from year to year each section, so to speak, started near the Christmas season. I initially made an assumption about Lucy's father which was relatively quickly dispelled - loved that!

In 1952, Queen Elizabeth is the new monarch. Oliver Carter is a single mother trying to work her way up in the BBC, no easy task in a world where men don’t take you seriously. But maybe she’ll get a chance when her older male colleague falls ill, and she goes to Sandringham House in Norfolk. There, she bumps into an old friend, Jack, who has just started working as chef for the queen. Olive learns that he just recently lost his bride.

Over the course of several Christmases, they continue to bump into each other. Their friendship deepens, but Olive has a secret that could destroy everything.

It was fun reading about this time in history from the perspective of these two characters. I never watched The Crown, but I suspect if you were a fan of that you’d enjoy this.

NetGalley provided an advance copy of this novel, which RELEASES NOVEMBER 19, 2024.

Wow!
Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity of reading an ARC of Christmas with the queen
I absolutely loved this book
What a great job writing this and bringing the story to life
I felt like I was there in olives shoes

It was a great story of finding love, loosing love, and finding love again
Going through difficult life decisions
I enjoying the story of the queen and how she felt having to give her first address

I absolutely loved Christmas with the Queen by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb. This is the 4th book in collaboration by these two incredibly gifted authors.
During the great smog in London, December 1952, we meet Olive who is working at the BBC in London and wants to prove her worth and ability. She's given the opportunity of a lifetime to travel to Sandringham right before the very first Christmas message given by the newly crowned Queen Elizabeth II. What an absolute treat this was to read about.
We also meet Jack who is an up and coming chef with dreams and aspirations of his own. It's very possible that Olive and Jack may have a past!! No spoilers here.
This book is a historical look at the 'way of the crown' with all their "formalities and traditions" and I really loved how the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh are described in this story. I learned so much. I know these authors do impeccable research to make sure their historical fiction novels are portrayed with accuracy.
Fans of The Last Christmas in Paris by these two authors are in for real treat with a mention of Genevieve Wren! Brilliant!!
Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow publishing for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

The second I saw this, I requested it and I will admit that the first reason I wanted to reaI this was because of the late Queen. I’m the person who, the second I see a new royal or royal adjacent historical fiction book, I want to read it. Regardless of the secondary voice/story, if we’re talking the adjacent novels.

I was fortunate enough to have the wonderful souls over at William Morrow Paperbacks approve my request for this, and I literally squealed in delight when I got the approval email. But… I didn’t read it right away. Why, you may ask? Well, I’ve been reading a lot, and I’ve had a lot of stories that, though I enjoyed, I wasn’t feeling excited about. So, I didn’t want to start this when reading wasn’t as soul satisfying / life affirmingly amazing and awesome as it usually is (I hope you understand what I mean by that).

After finishing a debut historical romance that was super enjoyable and really put me back into being able to really get into a new book, I started this. And can I tell you, that by the end of Queen Elizabeth’s pre-chapter 1 section, I was hooked.

By the time I finished Jack’s first chapter, I was even more invested.

Olive’s chapter, even more.

And a second chance romance? Squee! It just keeps getting better!

I loved this one. Absolutely loved it. This is one I’ll get for my own audiobook collection.

Recommended!



Thank you to William Morrow Paperbacks and NetGalley for the DRC

I don’t know why but I also feel like Christmas is a fantasy land and full of wishes and happiness. I know this isn’t true for everyone but this book is that exactly. I love second chance romance books and ml the fact that you got to peak into a royal Christmas was so much fun. I can’t wait for the holidays I will be re reading this at that time.