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.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!

This was such a good book. I really enjoyed it. More than I thought I would. I loved the writing style. This book had me hooked from page one. This is a first for me by this author but will not be my last!!

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.