[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Kensington in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Summary
April Claus is newly married to the big man himself. Nick inherited the job when his older brother died. Some day, Christopher, Chris’ son, will take over the job, but for now, Nick is holding down the holiday fort.
Less than 10 days before Christmas, Nick and the elves have plenty to do. But when an angry elf is found dead, everything is in an uproar.
Giblet had been angry about his second place finish in the ice sculpture contest. As he stormed off, he accused Nick of being a murderer. Now that Giblet is dead, his family thinks Santa killed him. Rumors are swirling around the North Pole.
As things start to look worse and worse for Nick, April feels like she has to look into things for herself. She has to find the evidence to clear her new husband’s name before Christmas is ruined for everyone.
Review
This was a delight from the very first page! The world-building for this North Pole mystery was excellent. The author had her work cut out for her. She had to craft and convey the Christmas setting while also building a mystery. And she does an fantastic job with both! (This reminds me of the Wishcraft Mysteries with the cozy mystery and the fantasy setting.)
I loved April. The whole Claus family is fascinating, really. I wanted more from April and Nick. For newlyweds, there was no chemistry between them. To be honest, though, they hardly had any scenes together thanks to the mystery and the Christmas rush. It works out well to make April wrestle with the rumors and her questions about Nick on her own, amping up the tension of the book.
The mystery was terrific. The culprit was on my radar, but not my only suspect. I needed April to put all the pieces together to be certain. I loved watching the whole thing come together.
The author has set this series up to be able to set stories both at the North Pole and in Oregon at April’s home. I can’t wait to see how the stories develop in these two distinct places, and where the overlaps come into play.
Cozy lovers and Christmas book fans should not miss this one. It was fantastic! A keeper for sure.
Rating: ♥♥♥♥½*
*♥♥♥♥½=Loved it! Would read again.