Death Comes at Christmas edited by Marie O'Regan

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Titan Books in exchange for an honest review.

I haven't always had the best luck with anthologies but I am pleased to report that Death Comes at Christmas is nothing but a good time. This is a delightful mix of short stories focused on crime at Christmas time, taking place over a wide range of time periods and settings. There was a good amount of variety and surprisingly for an anthology, there were no stories I disliked particularly.

Some of my favourites were:

• How to Commit Murder in a Bookshop-A bookshop event turns sinister
• The Red Angel-A true crime podcaster crashes in the snow and ends up at a creepy house with his girlfriend
• Christmas Lights-A surprisingly touching story of grief with a somewhat sinister tone
• The Naughty List-Vigilante justice turns festive

All in all, this is a great festive read and a welcome addition to the world of Christmas thrillers. If you want something to dip in and out of on Christmas day where the stories are all of comparable quality, then this is definitely worth checking out

Overall Rating:

The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett

 I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Serpent's Tail / Viper / Profile Books in exchange for an honest review.

I am a huge fan of The Appeal and I think it's a book which stands up on a reread, so I was pretty excited when I heard about a sequel coming out. The Christmas Appeal continues the antics of the Fairway Players as they put on a production of Jack and the Beanstalk at Christmas time. As with the first, this book is told entirely through emails, texts and other forms of communication.

For full disclosure, I have actually read this book twice now and my opinion on it has changed slightly. The first time I read it, I was incredibly disappointed. While this book mimics many of the qualities of the first one, it lacks any real ingenuity to the murder case. There is little opportunity to solve anything and no real additional elements once the incident is revealed, which for me is the main appeal of the first one. The whole thing just falls a little flat and doesn't seem to add much as a result.

Having said that, I reread this book this Christmas and I had a bit of a better time. I still stand by the opinions above but I was able to see a bit more of the fun in it, and it certainly fills a good role as a book to read around Christmas which doesn't require too much attention. The characters are enjoyable, it's very readable and it has a decent enough atmosphere.

Overall, I think this book is worth checking out but perhaps lower your expectations if you're a big fan of the first one. Whether it's due to the shorter length or just the 'Christmas tone', this book isn't a great example of the murder mystery genre but it can be a lot of fun and is certainly better than some other Christmas-themed thrillers I've read.

Overall Rating:

The Christmas Murder Game by Alexandra Benedict

 

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Bonnier Books UK, Zaffre in exchange for an honest review.

I could not be more in love with this book if I tried.

The Christmas Murder Game is the story of Lily, a girl whose aunt has just died but has left behind one last puzzle. The owner of a large manor house, her aunt was responsible for designing cryptic Christmas games for them to play as children. Now she has designed one last game for her relatives to play. The prize? Inheriting the entire estate. Lily herself isn't interested until she is told that solving the game will also help give her additional information about her own mother's death many years prior.

This book is an absolute blast to read. It's perfect for fans of old school murder mysteries and there are plenty of staples of the genre to be found here (large house, bickering relatives, cryptic riddles). There is also plenty to keep it fresh and interesting. I think a book like this can live or die by its characters, and every single one of these felt like real and interesting people. This really helps the book be a nod to classic murder mysteries without feeling tired or cliché.

Another delightful bonus is the puzzles woven throughout the text for the reader to spot. The framing of the novel is the 12 days of Christmas, and fittingly there are anagrams of each of the lines of the song hidden throughout. There are also the names of murder mystery novels set in old houses hidden throughout as well. I did find these interfered somewhat with my immersion, but ultimately it was a very fun idea and I did get a delightful sense of smugness whenever I managed to spot one.

Overall, if you like the idea of this book then you will not be disappointed. It is rare to find a modern murder mystery which captures the atmosphere and intrigue of a classic one, and especially for a seasonal thriller I haven't read anything which comes close. It's an absolute must read for fans of the genre.

Overall Rating:

Twelve Dates of Christmas by Jenny Bayliss

 

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Pan Macmillan in exchange for an honest review.

It is no secret by this point that I like my romance setups as ridiculous and as needlessly convoluted as possible. I adored the idea of someone going on 12 dates over the festive period having been matched up with people on an app, and on that front this book didn't really disappoint. I also quite liked the protagonist and thought she was both relatable and likeable. It was refreshing to see her having quite open and relaxed romantic attitudes towards dating several people (well, for a romance book anyway) and I like that she didn't get punished by the narrative for these views.

Sadly, that's most of the praise I can give this book. From the start, it is painfully obvious what direction this book is going to go. Even with the attempts at misdirection, I knew almost instantly who the protagonist would end up with and I was right. This takes away a lot of the fun and potential suspense from the dates and the story as a result. There is a lot of good Christmas imagery and events which happen here, but the dates themselves take a backseat to the other things going on in the main character's life and that was a shame.

My other main criticism was the writing. It did settle down but initially every character is described in semi-flowery detail and it really bothered me. Love interests should absolutely be described in an attractive or interesting way, but it was extended to every person she met pretty much, at least in the initial quarter or so. It did decrease which helped but it almost made me put the book down which is not a good sign.

Overall, there isn't anything major wrong with this book but I didn't enjoy it anywhere near as much as I'd hoped to. The predictable plot and subsequent lack of tension just made me switch off whilst reading it. Romance books don't need suspense to keep me interested but then I want time devoted to the actual romance, rather than a last-minute obvious hookup. If you want a light Christmas read then this won't do any harm but there are also better ones out there.

Overall Rating:

.5

Make the Yuletide Gay by Ivy L. James

 

 I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher NineStar Press, LLC in exchange for an honest review.

Oh boy, this was 100% the fluffy queer festive story I was hoping for! Make the Yuletide Gay is the story of Grace Taylor and her boss Nicola who end up spending Christmas together when a literary conference is scheduled over the holiday season. The hitch? Both Grace and Nicola have secret crushes on each other. Things get more heated when they are forced to share a room (an oldie but a goodie) and you can pretty much guess where things go from here.

I really loved this book. It's very short and hits a lot of typical romance beats, but this is by no means a bad thing. I liked both Grace and Nicola and found them interesting and developed enough for the length of the story. The Christmas backdrop was great and led to a lot of cute conversations and lovely Christmas imagery.

There are some triggers warnings for abuse at the start of the book and this is related to Nicola's past, but it is discussed in minor detail and isn't too intense for the kind of feel-good read this is. Do be aware that it is brought up though. There are also graphic sex scenes, and a slight power imbalance/age difference (boss/assistant, 8 years) although both main characters are in their 30s and are consenting adults. It didn't bother me at all but it's worth mentioning in case you're not into that.

Overall, I wanted a cute holiday romance about lesbians and that is exactly what I got. There is real heart here though and it was the perfect queer read to get me in the mood for Christmas. If you want a nice cheerful romance then I definitely recommend giving this a try.

Overall Rating:

In the Winter Woods by Isabelle Adler

 I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher NineStar Press, LLC in exchange for an honest review.

This is definitely on the cosier side of cosy mystery. In the Winter Woods is the story of Declan, a mystery writer who gets caught up in a real murder investigation when he goes to a wintery cabin in an attempt to write a new book. Soon he also starts to fall for the local commissioner but must clear his own name before they can date.

This book was a very easy and quick read, with some nice winter scenes and some good characters. I think its main flaw is that it commits to neither the mystery aspect nor the romance aspect. I would not mind at all if one ended up being neglected for the other, but unfortunately in this case neither is really developed and the book suffers for it. I never really had a sense of fear or tension, nor did I swoon over the characters getting to know each other. It's a shame because this has such potential and I loved the idea of it. But it was hard for me to see why the characters were actually falling for each other at all beyond initial attraction.

Having said that, if you're looking for some easy-going and queer to read over the holidays, this isn't a bad option. I would love to see more books like this and I did enjoy reading it, even if it might not stay in my mind for very long.

Overall Rating:

Christmas Evil by Mark L'Estrange

 

Pretty disappointed with this on the whole. It wasn't awful but there were three key things which stopped me enjoying it as much as I could:

1. Too many exclamation marks! Writers should use these very rarely and it felt like every story had at least five. They were unnecessary and became very annoying to me

2. The stories followed a pattern of 'x goes somewhere, encounters weird people, weird people or x end up being a secret monster'. This wasn't every story but it was a huge chunk of them and it became very repetitive

3. Finally, one of the stories had a weird scene where some lesbians pretend to be straight to make a guy buy them expensive champagne, then mock him and make out in front of him. This added nothing to the story and just alienated me as a reader because it was presented as such a typical thing to happen and like, people don't do that?? The sexual content wasn't huge in this horror collection and certainly not compared to some others I've read, but sometimes it cropped up in weird ways (like a young boy looking up the skirt of a young girl, again for no reason) and it was always distracting when it did. I have nothing against sexual content but it has to add something and not just be a confusing aside

Overall, there are far worse horror collections out there but I still feel this needed a good editor to clean it up.

Overall Rating:

Secret Santa by Andrew Shaffer

 

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Quirk Books in exchange for an honest review.

I love a good themed horror book. The sound of a Christmas horror set in an 80s office was too good to resist. Alas, Secret Santa feels very mismarketed to me. This isn't really a horror book, at least not in the way it's implied to be. Secret Santa tells the story of Lussi, a woman who gets a job at a publishing office after the boss dies. Soon after, she receives a cursed object in the company's secret santa exchange. The blurb says that 'Suddenly, her coworkers begin falling victim to a series of horrific accidents akin to a George Romero movie,' but that simply doesn't happen. One coworker dies quite gruesomely but it's not really a slew of slasher kills. Instead we get a weird cult plot and a lot of scenes of Lussi going around, trying to get clues.

I will say, I did really like Lussi as a protagonist. She was smart, interesting and I cared about her life. She was probably my favourite part of the book and I wish she'd been put in a more interesting plot. I also liked the elements of the publishing world and I thought these created potential for a good story. Sadly the book also moves away from the office atmosphere a fair bit, and I never really felt like her coworkers mattered much in the grand scheme of things.

If this book had been marketed as a crime noir or something similar, I think it would have better luck reaching an audience who might appreciate it. As it is, I lost interest as soon as I realised this wasn't going to be the kind of book I thought I was going to get based off the cover and blurb. I don't tend to judge books based off my expectations but in this case, it does feel like I was deliberately misled. I will say the author has huge potential though and if you like how this book does sound from my description, then definitely check it out. Just make sure you know what kind of book you will be reading.

Overall Rating:

How Love Actually Ruined Christmas by Gary Raymond

 

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Parthian Books in exchange for an honest review.

I have no strong attachment to Love Actually. I saw it for the first time two years ago and found it pretty ridiculous but one of the better Christmas movies (honestly there are few Christmas movies I actually like, which in itself is a kind of crime). The second I saw this book though, I was excited. I love sarcastic takedowns of romcoms and honestly, one of the things I love about the genre is how insane the plots can get and how unrealistic they are. I was not disappointed with this book!

This review will be short because honestly, the cover tells you everything you want to know. I was worried this book would be bitter, an adult man cheerlessly tearing apart a movie aimed at women with no awareness of his lack of a place in doing that. Thankfully this book was extremely funny and one of the reasons the author dislikes the movie is the misogyny contained in the film so there was no trace of 'girl hate'. The best way to describe this book is imagine you're watching the movie along with a funny friend who hates it. It is framed as a scene-by-scene recap with comments inserted about the film/plot/production. No deeper analysis is offered particularly (except for a brief intro dissecting the cultural impact of the film) but it isn't needed. This is clearly a book written for entertainment rather than academic merit.

Overall, if you want a fun nonfiction Christmas book to entertain you while the TV shows Love Actually for the fourth time this year, then you can't go wrong with this. I loved the light, humorous style and I think the author did a fantastic job of getting the balance right between hatred and entertainment.

Overall Rating:

All About Us by Tom Ellen

 

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher HQ in exchange for an honest review.

What a joy this book was! All About Us is the story of Ben, a man concerned that his relationship with his wife is falling apart. One Christmas Eve, he gains a watch from a mysterious man in a pub and finds himself thrust back in time to various important dates in his life (and his relationship). The blurb is a little misleading because it implies he will go back in time and reverse the initial decision of which girl he picks, but actually the book is not focused on that almost at all. It isn't a question of which girl is better, rather whether he wants to pursue Daphne at all knowing that they might inevitably drift apart. There is also a focus on how he has generally messed up his life outside of the romance, particularly his relationship with his mum and estranged dad.

Firstly, I have read this author's previous book which was co-authored and I'm pleased to find that I definitely loved this author's writing. The characters are brilliant and I was particularly impressed with the protagonist. It would have been easy to make him a stereotype who was bored of his wife and wanted a shiny new partner, but Ben has depth and a lot of heart. He clearly adores Daphne throughout and he was incredibly likeable. I wanted him to work things out and do well, and I was never rolling my eyes at his behaviour. Daphne was similarly great and I loved all the characters and felt connected to them.

The plot is unoriginal on paper but the execution is perfect. I couldn't really tell where it was going even though I should have been able to, and the Christmas elements are also really well done. The book starts on Christmas Eve and a few of the important dates take place on Christmas, but apart from some lovely imagery it isn't super Christmassy. I didn't feel out of place reading this in October and I was concerned I would, so that was a great balance hit.

Overall, I would strongly recommend this book. It's perfect if you want a well-written, interesting romance that you can actually root for. It avoids all of the pitfalls romance books can fall into, and it has convinced me to check out this author's entire backlog now. I am so so glad to find a good romance book written by a male author with a male protagonist that didn't alienate me as a female reader, and to find a book with a lot of heart and charm is always a treat.

Overall Rating:

.5

Midwinter Mysteries by Assorted Authors

I received an ARC of this book thanks to Net Galley and publisher Sapere Books in exchange for an honest review.

I really really love the idea behind this anthology. As far as I can tell, the publishing house behind this book has gotten a bunch of mystery/crime authors to write some short stories showcasing their characters in order to promote the series they write. This is a very cool idea and I think it's a great way to potentially find a new series you might really enjoy. Sadly most of these stories ended up not being for me.

I would say loosely that almost all of these are either a) police procedurals, b) historical mysteries or a c) a combination of both. With the exception of the very first story, I probably enjoyed the historical ones slightly more since I tend to lean towards historical crime fiction (unlike thrillers where I like modern day). My main problem with these is they were all incredibly short. This made it very difficult to get into the stories and also to get a taste of what the authors' true styles were. It felt like a story was just getting going and then it would end abruptly, sometimes without a sense that there had been an actual mystery involved.

Perhaps because of these stories using pre-established characters, there was also a lack of introduction of most of the cast and/or plot elements surrounding the stories themselves. This didn't help with getting into the stories either (again, the first story actually did introduce people fairly well and was one of my favourites for this reason).

Overall, this is a decent but all too brief collection of stories. They all fall a little short in various ways but the anthology was still moderately enjoyable and I do really like the idea behind it. I just wish everything was a little bit longer.

Overall Rating:

.5

The Secret Santa by Trish Harnetiaux

I received an ARC of this book thanks to Net Galley and publisher Random House UK, Cornerstone in exchange for an honest review.

Tis the season for grizzly murder! Christmas-themed thrillers are becoming increasingly prevalent it seems and this is definitely a trend I support. I love reading seasonal books and while the odd contemporary romance is enjoyable, if I can read holiday books in the genres I love then it's even better. I was very excited when I got my e-ARC of The Secret Santa because the premise sounded great. At a Christmas party, the guests have a White Elephant exchange and someone gets more than they bargained for when a gift relating to someone's dark past is unwrapped.

Sadly this book ended up being a huge disappointment. The writing style itself is pretty good. It flows well and the important characters are set up nicely. My only problem with that is that there are three POV characters and two of them are told in the third person and one is told in the first which is a bit of an odd choice.

The HUGE problem with this book is that characters are still unwrapping their presents 80% of the way through. The sinister gift from the blurb is only revealed at this point and then the ending is incredibly pedestrian following that event since there are very few pages left to deal with the fallout. I feel this would have been a much stronger story if the present opening had happened earlier and we really got a sense of tension and paranoia building between characters. Instead it all falls a bit flat which is such a shame.

Overall, I can't really recommend this book beyond a short read to kill some time around the holiday season. I would actually potentially pick up more by this author because there are some really good elements here but the plot is lacking almost entirely and that is too big an issue to overlook.

Overall Rating:

.5