Mini Reviews: Holiday + Historical Fiction

 

You guys know I really love a good historical novel, so when we combine holidays + historical fiction, I am always intrigued. Last Christmas in Paris is one of my favorites, so I had high hopes for Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb's latest novel. I also love a good holiday audio book to listen to during boring chores or driving around, and I found the perfect one for the holidays.

Christmas with the Queen by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb

Pages: 384

Genre: Holiday/Historical Fiction

Pub. Date: November 19, 2024

Publisher: William Morrow

Source: Publisher for Review 

Other Books By Author: Meet Me in Monaco, 

and Last Christmas in Paris

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Goodreads says, "December 1952. While the young Queen Elizabeth II finds her feet as the new monarch, she must also find the right words to continue in the tradition of her late father and grandfather’s beloved Christmas Day radio broadcast. But even traditions must move with the times, and the Queen faces a postwar Britain hungry for change. 

As preparations begin for the royal Christmas at Sandringham House in Norfolk, two old friends—Jack Devereux and Olive Carter—find themselves reunited for the festivities. A single mother, typist at the BBC, and aspiring reporter, Olive leaps at the opportunity to cover the holiday celebration, despite self-doubts. When a chance encounter with the Queen presents an exciting opportunity, Olive begins to believe her luck might change. 

Jack, a grief-stricken widowed chef originally from New Orleans, accepts a last-minute chance to cook in the royal kitchens at Sandringham. When he bumps into a long-lost friend, an old spark is reignited.

Despite personal and professional heartache, Jack and Olive’s paths continue to cross over the following five Christmas seasons and they find themselves growing ever closer. Yet Olive carries the burden of a heavy secret. 

Christmas Day, December 1957. As the nation eagerly awaits the Queen’s first televised Christmas speech, Olive decides to reveal the shocking truth of her secret, which threatens to tear her and Jack apart forever. Unless Christmas has one last gift to deliver…

The year is 1952 and Queen Elizabeth is a new queen and faced with the important task of the Christmas Day broadcast. She has big shoes to fill and a lot of expectations. Meanwhile, the Royal household is preparing for the holidays at Sandringham House. The kitchen is the center of preparations with Jack Devereux, a new chef, onboard for the holiday season, but he hopes to stay much longer. Jack is newly widowed and needs a big shakeup in his life as the grief has been difficult. This job is just what he needs to get his mind off things and start a new chapter in his life. While at  Sandringham, he runs into Olive Carter, a former friend from many years ago during the war. Olive is at Sandringham on a job with the BBC, as she is an aspiring reporter. She is reporting on the Queen's Christmas and hopes to make her mark at the BBC. Olive and Jack have a complicated past, but this recent run-in with each other, has them thinking about "what if." The novel is also interspersed with narration from the Queen itself which is a nice touch for fans of The Crown. Historical fiction fans won't want to miss Christmas with the Queen by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb this holiday season.

The novel is told through some flashbacks to wartime so we can get to know Jack and how he met Olive as well as how he ended up married to their mutual friend, Andrea. Olive also has been dealt a difficult hand in the novel, so the flashbacks are important to explain how she ended up in her situation. When the story jumps to 1952, Jack and Olive are in a much different place both physically and emotionally, but they are still drawn to each other. Whether that is to be good friends or more is something they slowly figure out. If you enjoy a good "will they, won't they" story line, Gaynor and Webb do it well in Christmas with the Queen. I also really enjoyed all the holiday details, the chapters narrated by the Queen, the descriptions of the Royal Christmas, and of course the delicious food. Fans of The Crown will devour that portion of the novel. Christmas with the Queen is a holiday winner for sure!

 

 

An Irish Country Christmas by Patrick Taylor

Pages: 489

Genre: Historical Fiction/Holiday/Audio

Pub. Date: October 28, 2008

Publisher: Tor

Source: Personal Copy 

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Goodreads says, "Barry Laverty, M.B., is looking forward to his first Christmas in the cozy village of Ballybucklebo, at least until he learns that his sweetheart, Patricia, might not be coming home for the holidays. That unhappy prospect dampens his spirits somewhat, but Barry has little time to dwell on his romantic disappointments. Christmas may be drawing nigh, but there is little peace to be found on earth, especially for a young doctor plying his trade in the emerald hills and glens of rural Ireland. Along with his senior partner, Doctor Fingal Flahertie O'Reilly, Barry has his hands full dealing with seasonal coughs and colds, as well as the occasional medical emergency. To add to the doctors' worries, competition arrives in the form of a patient-poaching new physician whose quackery threatens the health and well-being of the good people of Ballybucklebo. Can one territory support three hungry doctors? Barry has his doubts. But the wintry days and nights are not without a few tidings of comfort and joy. Between their hectic medical practice, Rugby Club parties, and the kiddies' Christmas Pageant, the two doctors still find time to play Santa Claus to a struggling single mother with a sick child and not enough money in the bank. Snow is rare in Ulster, and so are miracles, but that doesn't mean they never happen. . . ."

Fingal O'Reilly and Barry Laverty are country doctors in rural Ballybucklebo, a small Irish town in Ulster. Christmas is approaching which means you have patients with the usual ailments, but the bustle of the holidays is mixing in. Barry is hoping his girlfriend comes home for the holidays from school, but, much to his dismay, it's looking less likely every time he talks to her. Fingal is showing some interest in Kitty O'Halloran despite his heartbreak many years prior. However, things won't be simple this holiday season as there is a new doctor in town who is not only poaching clients but also providing wacky herbal cures that seem to be doing more harm than anything. This, of course, enrages Fingal as he knows this new doctor from medical school. If you are looking for a cozy audiobook reminiscent of All Creatures Great and Small, look no further than An Irish Country Christmas by Patrick Taylor. I was so pleasantly surprised by this audiobook; I can't wait to dive into the other books in the series.

I adore All Creatures Great and Small and the vibes in An Irish Country Christmas are extremely similar. I thoroughly enjoyed the small town of Ballybucklebo, its quirky inhabitants, their patients, and all the cozy holiday details. It made me want to pour myself a hot Irish, start a roaring fire, and curl up with the novel all night long. I did listen to the audio version and I am so glad I did as John Keating, the narrator, is phenomenal! He nailed the Ulster accents and in turn, truly brought the story to life. I plan on listening to the other novels in the Irish Country series as it was the perfect balm to my stress - who doesn't want to wake up in a small Irish town, meander over to the pub for a pint, and people-watch all the quirky villagers? Sign me up! An Irish Country Christmas warmed my heart and you don't need to have read the other books in the series to enjoy this one. I highly recommend it to fans of cozy holiday tales.

 

Let me know what you think in the comments below. Are any of these novels on your holiday TBR list?