Cute second chance romance set in the halls of Buckingham Palace and Sandringham with the Queen. The cameos by Queen Elizabeth II were touching and heartwarming, both for the message sent and received by Her Majesty. I would have loved more with her but Jack and Olive take center stage in this one, with their busy jobs and their missed opportunities. A nice, light romance perfect for the holiday season.

I received a copy from #NetGalley and #williammorrowbooks for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow Books and the authors for the gifted e-arc!

I absolutely LOVE this writing duo! When these two put their pens together, magic happens! Last Christmas in Paris is one of my all time favorite Christmas books, ever!!! … and will always be at the top of my list for a holiday rec! Soooo pure joy & excitement doesn’t even begin to describe my feelings when I found out they were bringing us another Christmas offering! Gah.

This one combines Jack & Olive’s fictional second chance love & life journey with the real life peek into 5 Royal Christmases with the highlight each year being Queen Elizabeth’s Christmas speeches to her adoring nation. Perfection! It made for the perfect cozy, feel good holiday story!

I also really loved that there were some Easter eggs from Last Christmas In Paris! That just made my heart smile so big!

The flow of this book as it travels between timelines was so well done & all the characters, events & settings really captured the spirit of the story, making me feel like I was right there! All the stars for another favorite Christmas read!

Sweet and simple. Like a Hallmark movie. Wish it had more perspectives from The Queen. Well written and easy to read. Perfect mood booster during the holiday season. Would recommend to anyone looking for a sweet easy read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read Christmas with the Queen by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb. What a wonderfully perfect holiday novel! I cried through the ending and will now seek out more books by both authors.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read Christmas with the Queen by Hazel Gaynor. This book was an enjoyable and lighthearted read, perfect for the holiday season. It had a charming, cozy feel reminiscent of a Hallmark movie, with a festive atmosphere that truly captures the spirit of Christmas.

While the secret/lack-of-communication trope is not my personal favorite, the delightful setting made it easy to keep reading. Fans of The Crown will especially appreciate this story, as it beautifully complements that series' feel.

Overall, Christmas with the Queen is a lovely read for those seeking warmth and royal holiday cheer.

I absolutely adored this charming historical fiction novel! I loved all the main characters, despite their flaws. The inclusion of Queen Elizabeth as a main character and woman with worries and aspirations and not just a queen made me see her in a whole new light. The way the author describes the royal residences really took me to a different place, and the Christmas setting makes this a delightful holiday read!

I enjoy all the books this author pair write! This one was really good, as I’m also fascinated with all things royal. I liked the transition time period they set the book in, post war and at the start of her reign. Excellent backdrop for the story of Jack the chef and Live, the aspiring journalist at the BBC trying to make it in a male dominated industry. Puts me in the Christmas spirit!

Another amazing read from Heather Webb and Hazel Gaynor.

Told from the perspective of Olive, Jack and the Queen this is a delightful story that I enjoyed thoroughly and could not stop reading.

I will read anything these two ladies write!!!

I enjoyed reading this story, and if you’re a fan of the British royal family, this would be a fun book. Well written and well researched historical fiction! The authors’ note reveals that the two authors wished to tell a story that involved a young Queen Elizabeth, and a romance that involved two people who had a reason to be near the royal family, and I think they accomplished that.

Following the years from Queen Elizabeth’s first Christmas radio broadcast to her first televised one (1952-1957), the book follows Jack, a grieving widower who works as a chef in the royal kitchens, and Olive Carter, an aspiring journalist at the BBC. These two old friends reconnect and meet up over the space of five years, until they finally fall in love. But will Olive’s big secret tear them apart?

I enjoyed the love story between Jack and Olive, but I wish it had been more condensed, rather than taking place over multiple years. Or that the book was simply about them so their romance could have had the main stage.

I enjoyed the bits of the story that were about the queen, and I wish there could have been more. Perhaps the entire story could have centered around her?

Basically, I understand the authors’ intent, and I also think I would have enjoyed the story more if the romance and the queen could have been two separate stories, rather than entwined into one. There were so many interesting parts to both the historical story and the romance that I felt weren’t delved into enough!

I was a bit annoyed with Olive for taking so long to discuss her secret with Jack—if I were Jack, I would have been mad too! I almost felt that the writers didn’t make him mad enough!

There is also an accidental pregnancy storyline (it happens before the story begins) which isn’t my favorite in a book.

The authors’ first book written together is Last Christmas in Paris, which is phenomenal and has become a favorite of mine. I do think it’s hard to write two historical fiction Christmas books and have them both be slam-dunks! Clearly I have many thoughts about this book, but despite my criticisms, I did enjoy it and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction and the royal family. The writing of these authors is fantastic and I will be reading more of their books!

Any book that gives me a lot to think and to say is obviously a book worth recommending!

Queen Elizabeth II continues her family tradition of a Christmas Day broadcast. This book is set in the years between 1952-1957 and is set around these broadcasts. At the beginning of each year, we find out what is happening with the Queen and King.

But the nucleus of the book is Olive and Jack. These two young people are trying to make a name for themselves in their respective fields. Olive in broadcasting and Jack in the culinary world. Both of these characters have phenomenal backstories which carry us into their interactions each holiday season.

I would read this book any day of the year. I loved the history, the romance, the drama, and the food descriptions.

I simply love this author duo and the British royal family has always been a topic of fascination for me.

This book really helped me get into the holiday spirit. I could really imagine myself being in England at Christmastime - maybe even in a castle all decked out to the nines.

This book is a fusion of historical fiction and romance. It follows the newly coronated Queen and the book starts right before her first Christmas broadcast.

The book also follows Jack, a chef starting out in the Royal kitchens, and Olive, a BBC reporter trying to make a name for herself. Jack and Olive know each other from the past and they share a secret - but only one of them knows it.

Will the secret be revealed? And how will the Queen fair during her first few years on the throne? - told in multiple POVs during Christmastime only (jumping from one year to the next), this book is fantastic. Some history, a little bit of romance, and a sprinkle of holiday spirit on top! The perfect read.

A cozy Christmas story. Predictable, but sweet. An easy, fairly fast paced read. A couple characters are a little frustrating, but it works out in the end. I enjoyed the look into the royal family at Christmas and imagining if that’s really what it was like. Glad I read it even though it’s not my kind of story

What a charming novel! There are really two stories here-one about Queen Elizabeth II, her family, and the early Christmases of her reign, and the other about Olive Carter, a budding reporter for the BBC, and her friend Jack Devereux, chef for the royal family.

We are privileged to see what life in England was like back then, starting at the end of World War II. The story really begins on the day the war ended and takes well into the beginning of the 1950s. Some great food is described here, as Jack is from New Orleans and was trained by his grandfather.

It’s a really lovely story! Four stars!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Well, we are officially in holiday season now and I am kicking it off with historical fiction - Christmas with the Queen. It is the delightful story of two old friends whose jobs surrounding Queen Elizabeth II bring them together every year at the holidays. Jack is a chef grieving the death of his wife and Olive is a single mom reporting on the Queen for the BBC. There are so many wonderful aspects about this story. I loved the historical component learning about the Queen’s early days of her reign and the pressure she felt to address the country as a young woman. I loved Olive’s incredible strength and determination as not only a single mom but a working mom trying to prove herself in a man’s job in the 1950s when that was unheard of. I loved Jack finding his way out of grief. I loved the food descriptions that made me hungry. And I loved Jack and Olive’s relationship and the way they interact. It was a charming holiday book with real depth but also so heartwarming and inspiring.

Christmas With the Queen includes royal family interactions, second-chance romance, and dreams realized.

In December of 1952 as the royal family prepares to spend Christmas at Sandringham House, a young Queen Elizabeth struggles to find the right words for her Christmas Day radio broadcast. Meanwhile, Olive, a single mother and aspiring journalist, receives an unexpected opportunity to cover the Royal Family’s Christmas holiday. Elsewhere, Jack, a grieving widow and chef, accepts an invitation to fill in as a cook in the royal kitchen for the Christmas events. Olive and Jack are surprised to see each other as they share a brief romantic history. They grow closer as they reunite over the next few years and interact with and serve the royal family. Sparks fly, but Olive is keeping a big secret.

The royal family Christmas gathering at Sandringham House sets the scene year after year. We gain glimpses into the preparation and festivities and are treated to brief interactions with the young Queen. However, this is Olive and Jack’s story, so we share their limited behind-the-scenes perspectives.

Olive and Jack have a complicated relationship that develops over five Christmas seasons. Olive is keeping a big secret and Jack is grieving the death of his wife. Plus, they must reconcile their brief romantic history. Miscommunication is frustrating for readers (like me) who don’t list this as a favorite trope! I totally understand Jack’s anger at the third-act breakup!

Sweet second-chance romance saves the day once miscommunication is resolved and the carefully-guarded secret is revealed. A satisfying conclusion awaits a patient reader.

Content Consideration: unplanned pregnancy, grief

I recommend Christmas With the Queen for fans of historical fiction, second-chance romance, and the Gaynor/Webb writing team. Readers looking for a story with a Christmas setting will want this on their December TBR.

Thanks #NetGalley @WilliamMorrow for a complimentary e ARC of #ChristmasWithTheQueen upon my request. All opinions are my own.

Just finished Christmas with the Queen. I liked it a great deal, but if you as a reader are looking for a true glimpse into what it might be like to have Christmas at Sandringham, even down to just decorations or food, you will be disappointed. It was a great love story, and the main characters, Jack and Olive, were well fleshed out. However, I knew more about Jack's New Orleans background and his relationship with his grandfather and about Olive's parents poor relationship and her poor cooking than I ever found out about the Queen's Christmas.

I really enjoyed reading this. As with all of the Gaynor books I have read, her characters feel so real to me. I also enjoyed the passage of time throughout the years that the plot followed. At times the book felt too long, as if it dragged, but for the most part I thoroughly enjoyed my experience with Christmas with the Queen.

In 1952, a young Queen Elizabeth II has recently become the Queen, and is trying to find her footing on a path she feels she must make her own while honoring her father’s legacy. When an opportunity arises for Olive Carter, an employee in the typing pool at the BBC with aspirations of becoming a reporter, to stay at Sandringham and report on the royal family’s Christmas, she jumps at the chance. While there she has a chance encounter with the Queen, and offers to listen to her speech and give advice on how to improve and make it make her style. She also encounters Jack Devereux, who is recently widowed and has taken a job in the kitchens at Sandringham. Friends from right after the War, they share a history, but haven’t seen each other in several years. As the royal family and Olive and Jack run into each other over the years at Sandringham and on royal tours, a new friendship forms and past secrets must be revealed for them to have a chance at a future.

Told alternately from the point of view of the Queen, Jack, and Olive, this is a sweet story of second chances, and how if things are meant to be, they will eventually turn out that way. There is enough description of events with the Queen to be believable, but the royals just provide the backdrop for the story of Jack and Olive and their meetings throughout the years.. These authors are auto-buys for me, and when they collaborate on a novel it’s extra special. Fans of The Crown will love this one -pick it up to get you in the holiday mood!

Cozy Christmas novel perfect for fans of The Crown. Glad I saved this one until right after Thanksgiving - perfect timing to get me into the holiday spirit.

An appealing and charming story, with the background of Christmas at Sandringham adding an interesting setting. As the Queen prepares for her annual speech, a young woman, Olive, determined to make it in the BBC, fills in for the regular correspondent for the speech. Olive has a young daughter, Lucy. Jack is a chef from New Orleans, who ended up in London after the war, and cooks for the Queen. The relationship between Olive and Jack has some history to it, while they circle each other without admitting their feelings. I enjoyed the story, particularly the chapters with the Queen. Recommended for a light, holiday romance with some history thrown in. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.