This is the second book I have read by Jenny Holiday and I swear, if it was real, I would book a trip to Eldovia this holiday season!

While I do not believe you need to read “Duke, Actually” before reading “So This is Christmas”, it does give you a small idea of who some of the characters are that are mentioned in the story. If you read this first and decide to go back and read “Duke, Actually” (GREAT story by the way) – you will just have a lot of “Ah, ok” moments and one particular secondary story will be spoiled.

The best way to describe the pace and intensity of this book is to imagine an ice cube that has been left out. Initially, it takes a bit before it begins to melt (setting the layout of the story, the interactions between Mr. Benz and Ms. Delaney, and the state of Morneau and its impact on Eldovia). Eventually, you start to see drips fall (stolen moments, unexpected reactions, the development of trust and alliances), signs that the room temperature is combating the temperature of the ice. Finally, the room temperature overtakes the ice – increasing the speed until it has completely melted (jealousy, proposition, and declarations.)

What I liked about the story: I enjoyed how Jenny Holiday alludes to the idea that while we all have many sides to ourselves, we choose which one to present to the world and protect the others. Mr. Benz was equerry to the King. Despite being a son, a brother, a military officer, his role first and foremost was to the throne and his country. That was all people knew, that is how he chose to be seen. Ms. Delaney was an achiever, digging herself up and pushing through each achievement in life – she was climbing each rung of the ladder until she made it to the top, and nothing was getting in her way. She chose to be seen as logical, professional, determined, and tough. To watch the two of them come together and suddenly feel exposed, to have someone else see another side they had worked so hard to hide/protect – it just fueled the story in an incredible way.

What I didn’t like about the story: Going back to the ice analogy, the story did move very slowly at the beginning. I mean snail pace kind of slow when Cara was initially dealing with Morneau (to the point that I did yawn and made the “move it along” hand gesture).

All in all, Jenny Holiday may start off slow but when the story gets going, hold on tight! When Mr. Benz kissed Ms. Delaney (unexpectedly) – I actually sat up and said “Whoa!” She had me so settled in how the story was going that she shocked me back into full attention and kept it until the last page.