I love Sarah Morgan's Christmas Novels as they are usually about family and reconciliation. In this book, Christy Sullivan is ready for the perfect Christmas. She, her husband and daughter are heading to a resort in Lapland for a winter wonderland. It is also owned by her aunt and her husband, an aunt that Christy hadn't seen since she was a toddler. When her husband has a last minute work situation, she convinces her friend Alix to go ahead with her daughter and they will join them as soon as possible. Alix would do anything for her friend and she loves Christy's daughter, so she agrees. She is sure there is something amiss between Christy and Seb, but she doesn't know what. When Alix and Holly arrive at the snow spa, they find out that Zac, Seb's best friend is also there waiting to take care of Holly and spend the vacation with the family. There are a lot of relationships that need mending and the isolated setting is the perfect place to do it.

We have four relationships in this one that need healing: Robyn & Christie, Christie & Seb, Christie and Alix and Alix and Zac. Each of them have secrets, grudges, expectations and misunderstandings that need to be revealed and sorted in order to move forward. Holly is the sweetest little girl, although a bit spoiled. I love the honesty of children, they speak their mind and that is a good example to the adults in this one. It sounds like it is overly angsty, but that is not the case. The story starts a bit slow, but once they arrive in Lapland, I was hooked. Sara Morgan does an amazing job describing the setting and the activities. I love the setting of Swedish Lapland, and would love to spend time there. I enjoyed hearing about all the winter/Christmas activities that I associate with a resort in the far north in winter: dog sleds, delicious hot chocolate, the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis), the snow and the activities that go with that, and the food. This story is a mix of family, friendship, secrets, need for honest communication, winter fun and reconciliation. I definitely recommend it to those who enjoy uplifting Christmas stories.

Thank you to Net Galley for the advanced copy of this book. I look forward to all of Sarah Morgan's new releases. This book certainly did not let me down. After reading this book, I would love to visit Lapland. Her descriptions of the area and the northern lights would make any reader anxious to go. I enjoyed the main story plus all of the back stories that encompassed this book. As usual Ms. Morgan writes about a somewhat dysfunctional family who find their way back to each other during the Christmas season. I enjoyed this book from the very first page until the end. It is a great holiday read which has the ever present holiday happy ending.

The last two years I’ve read and adored the authors holidays releases, so I’ve definitely been eagerly awaiting her newest and I know I’m guaranteed a cozy and festive read. She has a magical way of creating the best Christmassy settings and her books always leave me with a sense of hope and warmth.

One of the best things about a SM book is you’re getting a mix of romance and female relationships and this time it’s a friendship between Christy and Alix as well as Christy and Seb’s marriage and Alix’s new potential romance with Zac. There’s also Robyn, Christy’s estranged aunt so there’s complicated family dynamics everywhere. Definitely a lot going on and plenty to keep you engaged, and of course there is also Christmas cheer in a beautiful setting. Rose Robinson is a delightful narrator and has a beautiful and melodic voice, she really swept me away and made the story that much more perfect. Add to your holiday TBR for sure!

It got off to a slow start but I recommend continuing to read because it does get better. It's a story of friends, family, and how we adjust to change as love enters our lives.

It examines the relationship between husband and wife, niece and aunt, and best friends. The author examines how relationships change as we navigate through life. Fun story that's worth reading.

I received a Free Arc ebook from Net Galley and the publisher in exchange for my honest opinions.

A perfectly whimsical Christmas vacation turns into so much more in Sarah Morgan's THE CHRISTMAS ESCAPE. The story revolves around a holiday trip that Christy planned to go on with her husband and young daughter as well as her best friend Alix . Throw her husband's best friend into the mix who Alix has a bit of a history with just as things are spinning out of control at home and drama, romance and reconnections are surely guaranteed! I enjoyed this magical Christmas reunion.

Christy is overly tedious about planning out life's every movement, but she has a heart of gold and wants to delight her 4 year old with a memorable Christmas while reconnecting with family and friends.

Alix is a real go-getter who buries herself in work in order to fill the empty space that family left inside her years ago. She adores Christy who has been like a sister to her since she was just a child and will do anything for her.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants an emotional story mixed with holiday ambiance and a sweet happily ever after.

Christy is a super regimented planner and her best friend Alix is a free spirit. A true case of opposites attract. When Christy does something wild for omce, it has a lasting effect on both their lives and changes the nature of their friendship. Years later, they’re dealing with life together but apart when they decide to plan a special Christmas trip for Christy’s daughter Holly and hope to reconnect with some of Christy’s estranged family so they go visit them in beautiful Lapland, where the holidays are magical and have the possibility of healing the wounds if the past for them all.
Cute story. Wish it had a little more holiday and a little less drama, but it was a nice escape for the evening.
Thanks to HQN and Netgalley for this Arc in exchange for my review.

Another lovely, heartwarming and riveting Christmas story by this author. It's festive but it also deals with some issue like miscommunication and how hard family relationship can be.
It's a bit slow at the beginning but it grew on me and I enjoyed it.
My only note is that there are some repetitions.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This is a Christmas Women's Fiction/Romance. This is about two friends learning be open up, and they learn change is good. This book was one that I had trouble getting into, but it slowly grow on me. There was some twist I did not see coming. I loved the last part of this book, and the little girl in this book was so cute. I love the things that little said, and it made me remember when my daughter was little. This book had a lot of Christmas vibes in it. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Harlequin) or author (Sarah Morgan) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

The Christmas Escape by Sarah Morgan is a magical holiday romance that will get you in the holiday spirit. I was pulled in from the first few pages and could really picture everything that was happening very vividly. I can't wait to read more from Sarah Morgan.

**3.5 Stars**

I got a little more from this story besides a Christmas romance story. It was more complex with issues like friendship, marriage and family being touched on.

Christy and her family are supposed to go to Lapland which is this winter, and secluded destination in Sweden. Christy has always loved Christmas and in Lapland she is looking forward to a winter wonderland and to meet her estranged aunt. But nothing goes as planned when problems arise with Christy and her husband, Seb, before the trip. She asks her best friend Alix to take her daughter, Holly on schedule and Christy and her husband will meet up with her. Sounds simple but it isn’t because Alix doesn’t know much about babysitting and to make things worst, Seb’s best friend Zac is going to go ahead with Alix. Alix has been avoiding him since Christy’s marriage to Seb! And that isn’t the only drama, Christy’s aunt has some issues she has to work out with Christy as well…so there is a lot going on.

I loved the setting of Lapland which is really a winter wonderland. For Holly, the child, in this story, it really is a dream come true.

A lot of things do get resolved in this story: Christy and Seb’s marriage problems, Alix and Christy’s friendship, Christy and her aunt’s relationship and the romance part of the story…Alix and Zac are the star of the book with their banter and attraction. I like that all the problems between these people are real and relatable. Obviously communication was the key in fixing a lot of the problems and it works out in the end.

The romance between Alix and Zac is fun because they are opposites who are quite attracted to one another. The romance between Christy and Seb is one about finding the lost spark between them that got lost along the way of having a child, moving and other life challenges. But they all do that in the winter beauty that is Lapland.

Random Notes:
I was expecting a light read but this isn’t because of all the issues taking place with the characters.

It took awhile in the beginning to introduce the characters, their problems, and their back stories – the story got better when they were in Lapland.

FINAL THOUGHTS~~
Why you should read it:

*Christmassy vibes especially when they are in Lapland – beautiful setting
*relatable problems in marriage, friendship and communication
*a happy ending

Why you might not want to read it:

*too much drama between everyone going on
*slow beginning

My Thoughts:

The setting of Lapland with all the winter activities like dog sledding, snow shoeing, and seeing the Aurora Borealis, sounded divine. I would love to spend Christmas like that. The story was slow in some parts because the characters have backstories and history together that needs to be told. Also I did gravitate more towards Alix and Zac’s story. Despite all the drama going on with everyone in the book, it was an uplifting story about marriage, friendship and family.

Included as a top pick in bimonthly October New Releases post, which highlights and promotes upcoming releases of the month (link attached)

The Christmas Escape a delightful reminder the best Christmas gift is friendship and family. Sarah Mogan crafts a beautiful tale of loss, grief, friendship and some holiday magic. Christy is desperate for a perfect Christmas trip to save her family and friendship. She's been looking forward to it for months but suddenly she needs to alone with her husband to work on their marriage. She decides to asked her best friend Alix to take her daughter to Lapland and they will meet her there for Christmas. There's nothing Alix won't do to help her friend out but she's very stressed about taking her daughter alone on a trip. Christy arranges for Zac to help Alix on their trip. The problem is Zac is Alix's nemesis and they have history together. I love reading about these different relationships and how they grew as the book went on. This was a different type of Christmas romance which I loved. It was more about family, and friendship than just romantic love. The Christmas Escape is full of secrets, love and little Christmas magic.

Love all of her Christmas books!! This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

DNF at 51%

I’ve enjoyed Morgan’s work in the past, but this fell very flat for me. I had to suspend my disbelief too many times. I had to bottle my rage at characters too many times.

Seb doesn’t tell his wife that he lost his job. She thinks he’s having an affair. When she realizes her mistake, she apologizes! She is not in the wrong and I’m so tired of women apologizing for things that aren’t their fault. Also, he throws her planner away because she needs to “lighten up.” This is terrible. She’s doing all this emotional labor and keeping their household and family running, doing things that are important to her, and he just throws her planner away. How am I supposed to root for this guy?

And why and how would a couple ever convince two friends (who don’t know each other) to take their daughter to another country for the holidays. I love forced proximity but this makes zero sense. Was there no other way to get the characters to spend time together?

The child is written terribly, but honestly most books ever written fail at this so it’s not a huge deal.

There are not enough dialogue tags. I constantly had to go back and remember who was speaking as they converse.

Also, I know that this is an ARC but there were so many typos. So many. It was exhausting. This whole book felt rushed.

This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review…it is a cozy Christmas story written by a gifted author…the characters are intriguing and to be remembered…maybe a sequel?.. enjoy this one…

Nobody writes family drama better than Ms. Morgan. It was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime for Christy but suddenly everything seems to be going wrong. Is her marriage in trouble? Well yes but not quite in the way she imagines. Determined to focus on fixing the relationship with a husband she loves and who loves he she sends her precious daughter to Lapland with her best friend Alix and her husband's best friend Zac.
Clearly there is history between Alix and Zac that comes to the fore during their time in Lapland forced into close proximity but there's also family drama between Christ and her aunt who is their host in Lapland.
Between a precocious, adorable little girl, an idyllic Christmas scenario complete with sleighs and reindeer the family drama plays itself out to a happy conclusion.
Another winner from Ms. Morgan.

Would It Be Christmas Without Family Drama? This book has a LOT going on, and yes, it does in fact more blend the women's fiction and romance genres than play strictly by either one. (Though it *does* meet all of the "qualifications" for either even according to the strictest interpretations of the "rules" I am aware of, for those that care about such trivialities.) Your *basic* plot threads are these: married couple with problems working to reconcile, forced proximity romance, best friend issues between the two women in the aforementioned couples, long lost family/ traumatic secrets. Which in 350 ish pages is a LOT to work through, but Morgan does it well and never drags too much at any given point. The Lapland scenery is described beautifully (at least as I've seen the region on such shows as The World's Most Amazing Vacation Rentals on Netflix, this American has never been further North than New Hampshire), and the cold and isolation provide some amazing (and "traditionally" - for northerners) "Christmassy" vibes. This story is a bit more serious and complex than a usual Hallmark Christmas movie, and doesn't rely as heavily on "Christmas Magic", but instead serves as a more realistic take on a Christmas Romance - which is needed in the overly saturated market. Very much recommended.

Will appear in Nov on the Romance Reviews Today website: http://romrevtoday.com/

THE CHRISTMAS ESCAPE – Sarah Morgan

HQN

ISBN: 978-1-335-46281-7

October 26, 2021

Contemporary Romance



England & Lapland – Present Day



Christy Sullivan is married to Seb, and they have a rambunctious little girl named Holly. Christmas is a week away and they plan to spend it in Lapland with Alix, Christy’s best friend, and Zac, Seb’s best friend. They will be staying at the resort belonging to Christy’s aunt—someone Christy has never met. But as she waits for Seb to return home late from work one night, she accidentally spots an email that he sent—to another woman. Feeling like her marriage is unraveling, she calls Alix and begs her to take Holly to Lapland as planned, and she and Seb will follow a few days later. While confused by the request (Christy didn’t tell her the reason why), Alix agrees. Christy knows that she will need to mend her marriage before Christmas. That is, if it can be saved.



Arriving at the Sullivan cottage the night before she is to head to Lapland with Holly, Alix is stunned to find her old nemesis, Zac, there. They met five years ago at Christy and Seb’s wedding, but things didn’t go too well for them. It then went south during the wedding after she told everyone in the room that Christy shouldn’t marry Seb. To Alix’s horror, she learns that Zac will be accompanying her to Lapland with Holly. They hate each other, so how will they stand being around one another? But hate is as strong an emotion as love…



Everyone in THE CHRISTMAS ESCAPE is looking for a bit of escape from reality as they prepare for Christmas. For Christy, she has to look back on her marriage and realize that the sparks aren’t there anymore. She learns after confronting Seb that it isn’t another woman in his life—he lost his job and was too embarrassed to tell her. He’s looking for work and has a job interview a couple of days before Christmas. Christy plans to stay and support him, giving them a chance to talk with no child around to interrupt them. Will they save their marriage? What about the role Alix played in giving her doubts about Seb’s fidelity?



Even with Holly around, Christy and Zac have some alone time. At first, things are uncomfortable between them. Zac’s loyalty five years ago was to Seb, and having Alix blurt out in a roomful of people that she didn’t think Seb was trustworthy certainly put a damper on any friendship between them since then. Yet, there is a spark of desire between them. After Holly catches them kissing, she is ready for them to march down the wedding aisle. Once Christy and Seb arrive in Lapland, Alix and Zac are placed together in their own cabin. Not that they care anymore if people think—or don’t think—they are a couple.



Meanwhile, Christy has that long overdue chat with her aunt, Robyn. For some reason, Christy’s mother broke off all contact with Robyn. Christy wants to know why. They sit down and talk. What she learns changes how she sees the people around her, including Seb and Alix. By the end of THE CHRISTMAS ESCAPE, how will everyone’s relationships and friendships change?



An emotional and warmhearted tale set during the Christmas holiday, grab a warm drink and settle in for an enjoyable read. Don’t miss THE CHRISTMAS ESCAPE.



Patti Fischer
Romance Reviews Today

The Christmas Escape by Sarah Morgan is one of those books that is destined to become an instant Christmas classic, at least in my house. Emotionally complex, thought-provoking, uplifting, and flawless in its execution, it spoke to me in a myriad of ways. I found the characters, and their circumstances, to be realistic and relatable. The depth of emotion tugged at my heartstrings (and evoked more than a few tears) but I was also delighted by the sprinkling of humor throughout. Little four-year-old Holly was a delight and - speaking from experience - very realistically depicted. Morgan's skill for creating immersive settings in her books is also on display here. By the time I turned the final page of the book, I was ready to immediately book a trip to Lapland. I don't know if she's actually been there but she brought this region to life as clearly and vibrantly as the Aurora Borealis that graces its winter sky.

This book is women's fiction and while the journeys of the three lead women are the primary focus, romance readers should be aware that there are also strong romantic threads with happy endings.


*ARC received for fair and unbiased review

A wonderful Christmas story about friendship, family and love. Set in Lapland, the home of the Aurora Borealis and Santa. We have lifelong girlfriends, an Aunt that has been estranged for a couple of decades and a delightful child to keep us fully entertained. I was sorry when it ended.