The Holidays are a great time to curl up with a book by the fire. If you are looking for a Christmas book to read then I recommend reading So This Is Christmas by Jenny Holiday. Keep reading for a spoiler-free review on this book.
Synopsis
Matteo Benz has spent his life serving at the pleasure of the Eldovian crown. His work is his life and his life, well…he doesn’t have much of one. When he is tasked to aid a management consultant who has been flown in to help straighten out the king’s affairs, he is instantly disturbed by her brash American manner—as well by an inconvenient attraction to the brainy beauty.
Cara Delaney is in Eldovia to help clean up the king’s financial affairs, but soon finds herself at odds with the very proper Mr. Benz. As intrigued by his good looks as she is annoyed by his dedication to tradition for its own sake, she slowly begins to see the real man behind the royal throne.
As they work together to return Eldovia to its former glory during the country’s magical Christmas season, Matteo discovers he is falling hopelessly in love with the unconventional American. But a man who has devoted his life to tradition doesn’t change easily. Can he become the man Cara needs, or will their love be another sacrifice to the crown?
Review
Going into this book, I was hoping for a Hallmark movie put in between the pages of a book and this book did exactly that. It was funny, sweet, and had all the Christmas magic.
I loved Cara as the main character. She is a powerful business woman and a little bit of a workaholic. She also has her fun side and made me laugh multiple times. Matteo is caring, extremely kind, and a bit of a workaholic himself. Cara and Matteo have strong chemistry and they make a good team.
Matteo is a Star Wars fan and Cara loves Star Trek although they both love either or. There are so many references to both worlds so if you are a Star Wars fan, a Star Trek fan, or both you should read this book just for all of those moments.
I loved the little town in Eldovia where the book takes place. It was super cozy and all about Christmas. Even though we didn’t get much description, in my head, the palace was gorgeous and I would have loved to visit the library.
This is an enemies to lovers trope so there was lots of tension in the beginning. They weren’t literal enemies but they both hated each other in the beginning. It was fun watching the tension slowly disapate.
One of my favorite scenes was when they got snowed in and Matteo and Cara had a snow day together. They both started softening up that day and told each other things that they’ve never told anyone.
The ending was predictable, just like any Hallmark movie, but I still enjoyed it. They had a little Cinderella moment and it was really sweet. I also liked how the business part worked out too. It was exactly what the country needed.
I do just want to say that there are mentions of sexual abuse in this book so be aware of that before diving into this book.
Overall I had a great time reading this book and I would consider reading it again. Jenny Holiday has 2 other books that are similar to this one that I might check out since I liked this book. They are called A Princess for Christmas“>A Princess for Christmas and both are about Eldovia as well.