Genre: Historical, Romance, Holiday

A perfectly delightful holiday, historical read. Christmas with the Queen by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb hits all the right notes. Olive, a single mother, wishes to be taken seriously as the royal correspondent for the BBC. She fights the battle of many women of the 50s to be taken seriously in her career - in her case a journalist. Jack dreams of being the head chef in his own restaurant. When the novel begins, he takes a job with the royal palace kitchen in an effort to distract himself from grief at the loss of his young wife. A young Queen Elizabeth is learning to be queen after the devastating loss of her father. The paths of these three meet in Sandringham at Christmas in 1952, and we get to follow them for several years. It turns out Jack and Olive met at the end of the great war and have a history of sorts. So mixed in with their present we get flashbacks to the past.

Historically speaking, the Queen gets her own narrative. Her voice seems very much like the footage I’ve heard. I really enjoy the insight into her early life. I am not obsessed with the royals, but I am interested enough. I’ve seen “The Crown” and done some reading. Though fictionalized, the authors’ research really helped to flesh out some of what I already knew. They humanize her and Philip, making her accessible to the reader. The fifties in London is a fascinating setting. The impact of World War II is certainly felt. The experiences change the approach of many people to life. It seems they are infinitely more practical and take little for granted. Jack’s and Olive’s narratives work well too. A fairly big secret (no spoilers!) is at the heart of the story. The alternating narratives help to build suspense while gradually revealing their history. I really enjoyed how the time was consistently marked by Christmas. I liked the pause to consider how the characters grew and changed over the course of a year.

Once again, a gentle reminder of how women’s rights have changed over time. (or not changed?) Olive had to disappear when she was pregnant out of wedlock and lie about being a war widow. She is treated lesser than at the BBC, and has to work awfully hard to earn the right to write the stories she wished for. While I am left wondering about change, I am grateful for the women who paved the way for me. Those are heavy thoughts, but If you like your Christmas books with some pretty cool history and a bit of mystery and romance thrown in, Gaynor and Webb’s Christmas with the Queen is just right! Give yourself the gift of reading it this Christmas. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.