I'm working on a roundup review of Christmas mysteries but won't be reviewing this one. Frankly, it's terrible.

Thank you Joffe Books and Netgalley for my ARC. This was my first novel by McGarvey Black. I give it 4.5 solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. What I loved was how easy it was to quickly get into the story. The author captured my attention right from page 1. Until the very last page.
On Christmas Eve, Rose Grandon cuts through Harbor Park trying to shave a few minutes off her walk time to get home. She’s viciously attacked and raped. Before she loses consciousness, she hears her attacker singing “Silent Night”.
Rose learns from Detectives her attacker (The Kringle Killer) has been brutally raping and attacking women on Christmas Eve and Christmas for years. Rose becomes pregnant from the rape and decides to keep her baby. The police and FBI have no leads as the attacks continue on the Christmas holiday.
Nobody ever consider what may happen once the man named “The Kringle Killer” would do once he found out he had a daughter with one of his victims.
This was a roller coaster ride of a book.
#Twiceonchristmas
#NetGalley

Thank you for this ARC. I enjoyed the book. Plenty of twists, with red herrings put in as to who is the killer! Not sure about ending but maybe there will be a follow up.?

This is the first book I've read by this author. I received a copy from Joffe books via Netgalley. It came out on the 12th of October.

Two attacks each Christmas, one in Christmas Eve and one on Christmas morning. One victim lives, but one victim dies. It also happened to Rose who was attacked on Christmas evening and she came out pregnant from that attack. She decided to keep the baby and raise it on her own. But will she be able to forget the past or at least to live with the past so she can raise a daughter and continue with her life?

I have chosen this book because of the cover and the description. However, after the prologue I just couldn't get into it. The characters were a bit flat, the jumps in time were extreme and it all sounded like a constant repetition. The ending was also rather predictable even though there were some twists. Somehow the last few chapters were written differently from the rest and those chapters I really liked. But unfortunately, that was only at the end. This was a miss for me.

2/5 ⭐

I could not put this one down. I NEEDED to know what was going to happen. This really is a nail-biter, with a twisted plot. Can't wait to get my hands on more from McGarvey Black!!!

After choir practice for midnight mass, college sophomore Rose Grandon takes a short-cut through Harbor Park. Grabbed from behind, she is violently assaulted, beaten and left for dead.
The last thing she hears is a tenor voice singing Silent Night.
Several hours later, the police find Rose lying in a ditch. Badly beaten — but alive.
As she recovers in hospital, Rose is told she’s pregnant. She has a terrible choice to make. She decides to keep the baby.
Nine months later, she gives birth to a beautiful baby girl. She names her Mary.
Rose lives quietly in her small Connecticut hometown raising her daughter — the one good thing to come out of her horrible ordeal. She begins to get her old self back.
But her evil attacker has never been caught. He strikes twice a year. Once on Christmas Eve, once on Christmas Day.
And until he’s behind bars, Rose and her baby can never be safe.
But now he’s found out he has a daughter. And that changes everything . . .

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

"Twice on Christmas" is an absolute masterpiece. McGarvey Black has woven a tale that is as haunting as it is heart-rending, keeping me on the edge of my seat from start to finish.

Right from the prologue, I was captivated by Rose's harrowing experience and the shadows that the event casts on her life. Her resilience and decision to embrace the silver lining amidst such darkness - her daughter, Mary - is nothing short of awe-inspiring. The nuances of their relationship, framed against the chilling backdrop of a relentless attacker, make for a compelling narrative.

The book’s pacing is immaculate. Just when the moments of calm lulled me into a sense of security, the sudden twists and turns jolted me, making it impossible to put the book down. The ominous presence of the attacker, especially with his new-found revelation, intensifies the story's suspense, pushing the boundaries of psychological thrillers.

Black's portrayal of a small Connecticut town, with its close-knit community and underlying secrets, adds a layer of depth and realism to the plot. The setting itself becomes a character, playing a crucial role in the unfolding drama.

I've read my fair share of thrillers, but "Twice on Christmas" stands out with its perfect blend of raw emotion and spine-tingling suspense. It's a testament to the power of love, resilience, and the human spirit.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone seeking a gripping story that will linger in your mind long after the final page. McGarvey Black has truly outdone himself.

This book was an amazing page turner. It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time.
Rose becomes pregnant from an assault on Christmas Eve.
This book tracks her life as she lives on after that event for around a decade. It tracks mainly the men she meets and as the title suggests, Twice on Christmas. IYKYK.
I recommend this book if you want a quick thriller to get you out of a slump or just a quick read in general!

In this murder mystery there are a lot of suspects to choose from. I have no problem with that it's just that they leave so many questions unanswered .
Spoiler Alert ......
Why did Mary decide it was ok to kill the Father, Why did the Priest take such a interest in Mary?
Choose two example that weren't answer.
Thanks NetGally for advance copy

Thank you @netgalley and @joffebooks for the advanced ebook. A great combo of two of my favorite things….a good thriller and Christmas! This book is fast-paced and held my interest from start to finish. Loved the Christmas feels sprinkled in. DID NOT see this ending coming!! Highly recommend! A great holiday read!

A serial killer who strikes on Christmas brutalizes a woman, Rose. She finds out she is pregnant and decides to keep the baby. Now though, the killer has discovered he has a daughter and Rose must fight to keep her safe.

I liked the plot here, but didn’t like the way the characters were written, especially the female ones. If you can get past that, some decent twists and turns.

Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for the opportunity to read the ARC of Twice On Christmas! This book was really good, a perfect thriller to read at Christmas time. I will be recommending it to my friends this holiday season. I loved Rose and this book had me until the end, I thought I knew what was going to happen and I was wrong. This book grabbed me from page one and the ending lived up to my expectations. I would love to see this book as a movie. I will definitely be reading more from McGarvey Black.

Happy Pub Day McGarvey Black!

If you can combine my two favorite things, Christmas and thrillers, you will steal my little heart. I just knew I was going to love this book before even beginning.

And I was right...

I absolutely loved it!!

Talk about twisted! McGarvey Black knows what she is doing!!! I chewed my fingers straight down to the skin, my heart was in my throat the entire time and on occasion I might have tinkled myself a bit (sorry!!! TMI!!)

This book is straight up creepy and will have you crying for your mama in the middle of the night.

Don't say I didn't warn you...

Check out this teaser :


After choir practice for midnight mass, college sophomore Rose Grandon takes a short-cut through Harbor Park. Grabbed from behind, she is violently assaulted, beaten and left for dead.

The last thing she hears is someone singing Silent Night.

Several hours later, the police find Rose lying in a ditch. Badly beaten — but alive.

As she recovers in hospital, Rose is told she’s pregnant. She has a terrible choice to make. She decides to keep the baby.

Nine months later, she gives birth to a beautiful baby girl. She names her Mary.

Rose lives quietly in her small Connecticut hometown raising her daughter — the one good thing to come out of her horrible ordeal. She begins to get her old self back.

But her evil attacker has never been caught. He strikes twice a year. Once on Christmas Eve, once on Christmas Day.

And until he’s behind bars, Rose and her baby can never be safe.

But now he’s found out he has a daughter. And that changes everything . . .

This is my first novel by McGarvey Black and it will NOT be my last. This is the thriller that I have been wanting to read to get me out of this slump. You will be on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. Go ahead and save the date for this one!

I enjoyed this book - I love a thriller set around the festive period!
The way the story is written I felt like I knew who the characters were quite well - I enjoyed the way the
tension of the story kept building even though I guessed who the culprit was this did not take away from the enjoyment of the book.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #JoffeBooks for the ARC #TwiceOnChristmas by #McGarveyBlack. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It had murder, abuse and drama but I loved the book and would highly recommend it.

Pretty good Christmas-y thriller!

There were things I really enjoyed about this, but the writing style was definitely not for me. I liked that there were many characters that could have been suspects, although I was able to guess about halfway through who the culprit was.

I disliked the large leaps in the timeline, although in some ways it made sense for the purposes of the storyline. The style of writing was a little bit staccato for my tastes, but it still managed to be engaging enough to want to know what happened.

Rose is taking a short cut home after church choir practice, and is brutally attacked and sexually assaulted. The last thing she hears before passing out is her attacker singing "Silent Night".
Rose survives, but has many injuries which take time to heal, and also discovers she is pregnant. With the support of her family, and after much soul searching, Rose decides to keep the baby, she has a daughter and names her Mary.
The person who attacked Rose was not found, but the police link the attack on Rose to other attacks on women. He usually attacks twice a year, once on Christmas Eve, once on Christmas Day, but some of the women do not survive. All the victims who are able to, say the same thing, the attacker sings "Silent Night".
The police stay in contact with Rose, as she tries to live her life and care for her daughter, but the attacks carry on over years, and frustration builds as the attacker is not found. The police are concerned that the attacker could be checking on his victims who survived, and he may know he has a daughter. Until the police find him, Rose and Mary could be in great danger.
I stayed up late, and read this book in one sitting, just could not put it down. The tension builds with each twist of the plot, and I did not see the ending coming.

This book did not disappoint! From the very beginning to end I couldn’t stop reading. It was a page turner! My first Christmas thriller and it was a fast fun read. Will definitely be adding more books by this author to my TBR!

I received a free copy of, Twice on Christmas, by McGarvey Black, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. On a cold winter night Rose was brutally attacked and left for dead, but she survived, and kept her baby girl Mary. Rose grows up and meets David, and they fall in love. wow what a story, the twists and turns kept me engaged throughout the story.

Twice on Christmas' by @mcgarveyblack1 @joffebooks is a great thriller full of many twists and turns. I was gripped from the beginning,

Readers: please be aware this book contains several references to sexual assault that some may not wish to read or find distressing.

Synopsis: Rose is sexually assaulted one Christmas Eve and fighting for her life. Upon her recovery she learns that she is pregnant and decides she wants to keep her baby. The killer is still at large and hasn't been captured. Year on year the assaults and killings continue; no one can catch the killer, no one knows who he is and Rose wants closure. But could the killer be someone close to Rose, someone she knows.