“All’s Fair in Love and Christmas” is much as it sounds.  A play on the phrase “all’s fair in love and war,” the title is quite fitting, as we are presented with two workplace rivals, going head to head for a promotion, and the much-needed pay raise that goes along with it.  

If you enjoy sweet, gentle Christmas movies, this book will give you the novelized version of just such a film.  I enjoyed how there was a bit of faith sprinkled in, although I would have liked more for a book set in this holy season.  Still, it was nice to see moments of prayer, and learning to trust in God’s plan, rather than our own.

A very prominent theme I was not expecting was that of mental health and social anxiety.  For me, it was a theme I haven’t encountered too often in a novel, and I really like how it was portrayed as a part of the storyline and character growth in our heroine, Mackenzie.  And even though Mackenzie wasn’t “cured” by the end of the story, the small baby steps she takes are encouraging to us as readers. 

One of the biggest things I enjoyed about this novel was the “Christmas around the world” tradition, and learning how different countries and cultures celebrate Christmas.  I’ve always enjoyed learning those sorts of things, and having it as a part of this novel was super fun.

All in all, I enjoyed this novel.  My one downfall to it would be some surprisingly suggestive comments that were uncomfortable and didn’t seem to fit with the sweet, innocent nature of the rest of the book.  But, as a whole, those parts were small, and the rest of the book was a gentle and sweet Christmastime story. 

“Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.”