Of course Alix says yes. But she is quite concerned. How is she going to enterain a little girl? What about her need for a getaway? And will Christy and her husband be all right? Then factor in Zac who is there in Lapland and Alix soon finds herself involved in a romance that just might end up becoming more than a fling.

Alix was raised by career minded parents, careless and neglectful, so that she never felt loved by them. She didn’t know what it felt to be in a loving family until she met Christy and was taken in as a sister and daughter. Alix loves Christy and wants the best for her which is why she spoke up at the wedding, and even though Christy says all is forgiven, things haven’t quite been the same since. However, their lifelong dream of spending Christmas at Lapland should allow them to mend fences. Nevermind Seb’s best friend Zac, Alix’s nemesis being thrown into the mix! For a while, I was beginning to wonder if Robyn’s thread would ever fully develop, but once she had the floor, I was blown away.

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There’s nothing Alix won’t do for Christy, but Christy’s plan to save Christmas is testing their friendship. Especially as Alix and Zac have a difficult history of their own. Sarah Morgan is one of my very favorite contemporary fiction writers, these days, but I missed out on her holiday offerings in 2020, so I wanted to be sure to add her latest Christmas book to my list this year. Alix and Christy have been friends forever. Alix was vehemently opposed to Christy’s choice to marry Seb. Seb’s best friend, Zac, was the only thing standing in the way of her stopping the wedding. For five years Alix has been waiting for the other shoe to drop and now it looks like her predictions may be coming true…

From dog sledding to the Northern Lights, from estranged long lost aunts to a fractured friendship, this book has it all and more and is well worth reading if you enjoy a fabulous story.It’s fair to say Christmas 2020 was not what most of us expected. It’s a time most of us would rather forget – cancelled plans, wasted Turkeys and present opening on Zoom. Thank goodness we get a chance to do it all over again! Christy and Seb married after she learned of her pregnancy. They hadn’t been seeing each other very long, but they were ready to give marriage a try. Now things aren’t going so well. Seb has been ‘working late’, their cottage needs costly repairs, and Christy is second guessing her choice to leave the city. Challenge your family and friends’ creative thinking with Christmas scattergories. In this game, players are presented with a list of holiday-themed categories. And they must come up with words that start with a specific letter and fit into those categories. Alix and Zac have a history. They met at Christy's wedding but have long since gone their separate ways. Will their time together in a veritable winter wonderland give the two a chance to revive feelings that did not get a chance to take off before? And, what of Christy. Will her marriage survive, as well as her friendship with Alex? This is an ambitious story, with three threads, three couples, a child, dogs, and the holidays to navigate, but Morgan manages to make it look easy.

This Christmas, be whisked away by USA Today bestselling author Sarah Morgan in this uplifting novel of friendship, the festive season, and risking everything for the biggest gift of all... Share your Christmas with elephants on a tour of northern Thailand, where a visit to the Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai includes feeding and bathing sessions. Itineraries combine the park with time exploring Bangkok before escaping to the remote hills for hiking through jungle and paddy fields, cycling tours and river rafting. Instead of turkey and Christmas pudding, feast on noodle soups, spicy curries and grilled meat skewers.It was supposed to be Christy Sullivan’s perfect Christmas getaway—a trip to Lapland with her family and best friend, Alix. But facing a make-or-break marriage crisis, Christy desperately needs time alone with her husband. Her solution? Alix can take Christy’s little daughter to Lapland, and they will reunite there for Christmas Day. It’s a big ask, but what else are friends for?

I hate rating books low, but this just did not work for me. It was a sweet enough story and I liked the fun, snowy Arctic setting, but, oh, this book could have been so much shorter and enjoyable. The repetition is intense, to the point I found myself skimming sections. We are constantly bombarded by everyone's thoughts and issues. Did you know Alix has commitment issues? Oh you will. Christy struggles with perfection? The overwhelming focus on the characters' tropes and the rehashing and pontificating on thoughts and feelings was incredibly frustrating. It was very slow moving with far more telling than showing. I was not that invested in Alix and Zac's relationship. The Christmas Escape was magical! The descriptions, even of the rundown country cottage sounded so lovely! Spending Christmas in the Swedish retreat north of the Artic Circle where the Northern Lights sweep by regularly, ensconced in rustic cabins that invite nature in with large windows and natural materials throughout sounded dreamy! Robyn has carved out a solid life in Lapland with husband, but a call from her niece, Christy, opens painful reminders of her past. Christy wants to bring her daughter, Holly, to meet Robyn and spend the holidays in Lapland. Robyn is thrilled, but also very nervous. What would Christy think about Robyn if she knew the truth about her… What a sweet and engaging story. Not only did I enjoy the developing stories with the primary protagonists, I enjoyed meeting Robyn, Christy's aunt and loved her parts in this story.Life moves on, and people change and grow, relationships wax and wane and take on new dimensions and the friendship between Christy and Alix showcases the need to accept those changes, but also the importance of communication and empathy. Christy’s role, though, may have been the most important of all, as she is finally able to break the chain of unhealthy family tendencies, to live a more balanced life and set a great example for her children. I couldn't get enough of this book, and already gutted that I'll have to wait ages for the next Sarah Morgan release, as I love her books so much. It has become a bit of a tradition with me to read a Sarah Morgan festive offering, though not always in August!!! She weaves a good yarn although I don’t find this one draws you in as immediately as previous books but once we’re in Lapland we’re off! The setting is the best part of the novel, it’s just wonderful as it evokes everything that makes Christmas magical. The snow spa is wonderful and enticing - when can I book??!! You have everything you associate such as dog sleds, the hot chocolate, the Aurora, the snow and cold, the hot chocolate, the food and obviously the hot chocolate! I really enjoy the inclusion and information about the traditions such as Falu Rödfärg, Falun Red the colour of houses in the far north of Sweden. Christy Sullivan and her best friend Alix have spent Christmas together since they were children. This year they are planning to go to Lapland, a snowy wonderland. The trip will include Christy's husband and their young daughter, Holly. But when Christy faces trouble with her marriage, she asks Alix to take Holly to Lapland without her. She'll be joined by their family friend, Zac--whom Alix has been avoiding ever since Christy's wedding. But as Alix, Zac, and Holly enjoy their time in Lapland, Alix realizes she may have made a mistake in avoiding him. Meanwhile, Christy starts to wonder if her friendship with Alix and marriage will survive the holidays.