Guest Review - Secret Santa by Scarlett Bailey

Guest Review by Sarah Pritchard 

What They Say:

A self-confessed Christmas queen, Sue Montaigne prides herself on organising the annual nativity pageant in her small Cornish village of Poldore.

But this year, what with having to deal with the repairs on Castle House after it was wrecked by a terrible storm, training a new – and frankly flighty – Virgin Mary and managing a Joseph who is allergic to sheep, she is distinctly lacking a little bit of ‘me time’.

And then there are the auditions for the new Santa. But nothing prepares her for the beautiful man who turns up, a twinkle in his eye and a promise to make her Christmas dreams come true… 

What Sarah Says:

It is a delightful, uplifting festive read.  It has kept me in the festive mood and I feel like I have a much brighter outlook after reading it.  I didn’t want the story to end; I want to find out what happens in the rest of Sue’s life.  When I wasn’t reading it I was thinking about it and didn’t want to put it down.  If I didn’t have to work I would easily have read it in one sitting as it isn’t a very long book.

I loved this story it was based around Sue the main character who was in charge of running the local community Christmas pageant and rallying the community together whilst still having her own woes and worries.  The story reflected the true spirit of Christmas and brought it to life as well as capturing the close knit community feeling.  

I connected with Sue the main character like I was part of her.  I felt for her facing the struggles that she had and really wanted to help fix them for her.  I love how I was engaged by the whole story and felt like I was a part of the community.  I wish it was real life so I could live there and be a part of their world.  It gives a sense of community that I think is lacking in a lot of real places now but used to be around years ago.

This is one of the best Christmas themed books that I have read over the Christmas period and I would definitely put it in my top 3 festive reads.  It is the ideal book to read if you feel a bit down about the festive period or not quite in the festive mood.

About The Author

A lover of Christmas, romance and old movies Scarlett wrote her first Christmas romance 'The Night Before Christmas' in 2011. Her second novel 'Married by Christmas' and a digital novella 'Santa Maybe' are out now.

Thanks for your fab review Sarah!