Christmas Ever After by Karen Schaler: Book Review

Christmas Ever After is one of my favourite holiday books.  Why you ask? Have you ever heard of a Christmas Camp? It’s a total immersion into the holiday season for guests enrolled in the “camp” (it’s usually a warm inviting Inn). Having written two previous books in the Christmas camp series, Karen Schaler brings us to a new holiday destination full of all the Christmas joy we’ve come to expect.

Riley Reynolds is a journalist turned romance writer. She’s had success with several books already and has quite a fan base. Unfortunately, her last romance novel was lacking the romance – likely indicative of a challenged love life. Now she is faced with a task of writing a Christmas novel: a very difficult challenge given that she has not celebrated the holiday since she was eight years due to the death of her father. As a publicity stunt, Riley has been instructed to host a Christmas Camp at the Inn run by her publicist’s friend Luke who needs the media attention in order to sell the Inn. The guests of the camp are there because they are fans of her books. Riley reluctantly agrees – she really has no choice since her publisher demands it. What she doesn’t know is that three of her longer term boyfriends will also be there, each trying to charm Riley back into their lives. Will Riley find the inspiration for her new book at Christmas Camp?

I really enjoyed this book. It’s full of Christmas goodness with all the hot chocolate, cookies, and romance one comes to expect from a holiday book. Riley’s character is well-developed and it’s wonderful to watch her grow from a woman trying to ignore the holiday due to personal loss, to someone embracing it and ready to make new memories. I loved all the Christmas activities and the fact the author highlights green initiatives and community good will in this book. As one would expect, the book is somewhat predictable but I’m perfectly fine with this. In this world full of chaos, at least I can count on the predictability of a great holiday book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Hawktale Publishing for the ARC of this book in exchange for the honest review provided here. Christmas Ever After publishes on September 29.

My rating: ? ? ? ?/5.

I hope you have a great day!