We Three Kings

It’s that time of year again when the holiday fun begins. People are buying their costumes, decorating their houses and getting their Halloween treats ready, and I’m sitting here thinking about … 

Christmas? 

Yes!! Welcome to the yearly tug-of-war between my desire for spooky reads that will scare me out of my wits and all those enticing feel-good holiday stories that publishers just LOVE to release this time of year. Sorry Halloween … Christmas just makes me feel better! 

Speaking of feelings - not since Catherine Walsh’s Holiday Romance has a holiday-themed romance so COMPLETELY charmed me, and that one’s the standard I judge most of these against. Kristen Bailey is new to me, but you can bet I’ll be searching her backlist immediately. I read this on my Kindle while listening to the audiobook, and narrator Harrie Dobby only elevated my experience with her lovely voice that nailed all the accents, genders and ages perfectly.

Maggie Field is the manager of the IT department at a large London corporation. Tucked away by the company in a geeked-out basement office away from the gleaming ones upstairs, she shares the space with her three co-workers and now closest friends Frank, Jasper and Leo. For those who've seen the hilarious British TV series the IT Crowd which I LOVE, I had to wonder if Bailey was inspired by it - in the best way possible! If you haven't watched it, do yourself a favor and track it down. This set-up very much reminds me of it. Frank is your awkward never-been-kissed, heart-of-gold type with mommy issues, Jasper is posh, bitingly funny, blunt and only half out of the closet with his family, and Leo is the smart, kind, thoughtful scruffy one who seems to be saying and doing all the right things in Maggie’s eyes lately. Why didn’t she notice him this way before? 

When HR informs her right before the holidays that they’re making staff cuts and she needs to choose one of her team to be made redundant, she’s faced with an impossible choice. How can she say goodbye to any of them? One thing’s for certain, she can’t possibly tell them about it right now. She’ll have a few days to figure it out, as the boys have devised a plan for her to spend a couple days with each of their families so she won’t be alone for Christmas.

From fake girlfriend/accidental bridesmaid snafus with Frank’s dysfunctional family, helping Jasper thwart his entitled half brother’s fox hunt, and learning all of Leo’s most embarrassing secrets from his tight-knit family, Maggie experiences a week she won’t forget while the clock ticks down to decision time. As she and Leo grow closer, will their time be up when it’s just gotten started?

As can be predicted with this genre, there is a third act conflict, but I consider it more of a hiccup. It’s low drama and pretty clean with flirty banter, a little sexual tension and a couple mildly spicy moments, but no truly open doors. Ironically, if I had to make any complaint at all about this book, I might’ve turned that thermostat up just a TINY bit more, but I’m very happy regardless. The pervasive feel good holiday vibes have me ready to break out the hot cocoa and jingle bells before I’ve even brought the pumpkins in!

If you want a charming, funny Christmas romance with a winning quartet of MCs and fabulous side characters, this may be just the right one for you. It’s as much a love story to close friends and family as it is about finding “the one”, and it’s an easy addition to my all-time holiday favorites list!

★★★★★ ❤

Thanks to Storm Publishing, NetGalley and author Kristen Bailey for the digital ARC and to Dreamscape Select for the ALC to honestly review. Both formats are available now!