I loved this book it was a delightful tale with wonderful characters and settings. I received a review copy from NetGalley but the views and opinions expressed herein are my own.

His is a good book. The book is about four friends Frankie, Nina, Amy and Rachel. For the past couple of years they plan a trip together. This year the week of Christmas and New Years they will go to Italy. All of them feel like they are family. This trip is about them being together and enjoying life. It is about love.

These girls need to keep meeting. I love this series, and it is great that they can keep up we each other every year.

Pack your bags and grab your panettone—Santa’s Secret by Fern Michaels takes you on a festive trip to Italy with friendship, laughter, and just a sprinkle of holiday romance. Francesca (aka Frankie) and her besties, Amy, Nina, and Rachael, decide to ditch their usual Christmas plans for a European adventure. They’re off to spend the holidays with Frankie’s boyfriend, Giovanni, and his family, whose famous panettone recipe comes with a mysterious ingredient hilariously called "Santa’s Secret." Add in lost luggage, unexpected makeovers, and a few romantic mishaps, and you’ve got yourself a cozy Christmas read!

Each of the women has her own adventure, from Amy swooning over art in Florence to Rachael trying her luck with Italian men. The banter between friends is fun, though the story takes its time getting off the ground. Once they land in Italy, the vibe shifts into full-on holiday charm mode with enough quirky moments to keep you smiling. Sure, the plot wraps up a little predictably, but isn’t that what we love about festive reads? It’s light, sweet, and sprinkled with just the right amount of holiday sparkle.

I’m giving Santa’s Secret 3.5 stars out of 5! It’s not going to change your life, but it’s the kind of feel-good, seasonal read that makes you want to pour a glass of wine and dream of a Tuscan Christmas. If you’re into stories about friendship, love, and holiday magic with a side of Italian flair, this one is a cozy, charming escape.

Four highschool friends, now in their 30’s, have stayed in touch and try to get together annually to travel. This year they are off to Italy! The friends Francesca, Amy, Rachael, and Nina are heading to Italy for the holidays to stay with Frankie's boyfriend Giovanni and his family. Each of them has something they want to accomplish on the trip, but can one trip satisfy all their wishes?

I loved how Frankie helps Giovanni’s mother and aunt realize they can have happiness. Giovanni’s generosity was lovely. I had a hard time with how Giovanni seemed to have endless money and trying to keep up with all of the storylines. I think I would have rather focused on one main story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for an advance copy.

This is the 3rd book where we meet up with Francesca and her high school friends Amy, Rachael, and Nina as well as their close friends or significant others. Each year they plan a trip together around the holidays, and this year they are off to Italy to spend time with Frankie’s boyfriend, Giovanni, and his family. Each of the women have their own plans before meeting up for New Year's Eve. Frankie is going over to actually spend Christmas with Giovani, his mother, aunt, brother and other relatives in Salerno. Visits to a scientific installment in Brussels, time in Pompeii, Rome and other places in Italy all give us that armchair travel experience. Of course things don't always go smoothly for this group of friends.

I will be honest and say it took me awhile to finish this book and I finally ended up skimming parts of it. I honestly felt that I was reading a travelogue at times. I did enjoy all the festive activities with Giovani and his family, especially the makeovers Frankie did for his mother and aunt. There is a lot of talk of food and wine as well. I'm not sure why I didn't connect with this one. I think the relationships seem forced and unreal at times to me. I didn't really find this a Christmas story per se, as most was about the time after Christmas. It was a light story, with some humorous situations, but overall, it was just okay for me.

I wait every year for Fern Michaels Christmas stories!
This one is the continuing adventures of Frankie, Amy Rachael and Nita. The friends get together every New Years. This year they are all meeting in Italy where Frankie’s boyfriend Giovanni’s family lives. Frankie and Giovanni go over for Christmas and stay with his Aunt and his mother Rosevita. The friends all meet up for New Years and as always there are plenty of surprises and drama! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read an ARC for an honest review.

Frankie and Giovanni are travelling to his hometown for the Festive season with an assortment of friends and family in tow. Gio's secret is to get his mothers Panettone recipe so he can replicate it. Amongst the chaos, they enjoy some down time in Italy and change the lives of others. A good read

A huge family and friends celebration in Italy, what could be better!
I have honestly never felt so hungry reading this book, the food porn is off the scale and I'm a sucker for a good Pannatone too.
Thank you NetGalley, Fern Michaels and Kensington Publishing for this ARC, all opinions expressed are my own.

Four friends are off to Italy for the holiday! Bellissimo!
It was fun to read what each lady did and the reactions.
I liked the descriptions of Pompeii and the Roman attractions because those are the ones I’m most interested in.
I did have to keep sorting out who was with whom in the first few chapters.
I wish a bit more advancement had been made in the relationships like Gio and Frankie.
It’s a fun holiday read——in Italy/

If you are a fan of Fern Michaels and liked her other books then you might enjoy this one.

I had not read any of the other books and found the frequent references to previous books in this series repetitive and, quite frankly, annoying. I also did not appreciate all the references to money. How much the apartment cost, what they paid for plane tickets, host gifts, etc.

Not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this story but I wouldn’t exactly call it Christmasy. You get a delightful story and lovely descriptions of Italy. There are lots of characters to keep track of and I belittle is best to read the previous stories first. I would recommend this book.

"Give them time to un-lag-a the jet." Said by a man raised in America. Offensive and annoying.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the characters and the imagery in this novel. Although, I have not visited Italy I feel as though I have been there…just wish I could taste the food that was described!

Thank you Net Galley, Fern Michaels and Kensington Publishing for the opportunity to preview this title. The opinions shared are my own.
This book is now available for your holiday reading.

The four friends, Frankie, Amy, Rachel and Nina are planning theri 3rd holiday excursion. This year's destination is Italy. Frankie's beau wants them all (significant others, best friends and some family are included) to visit his family home on the Amalfi coast. A delightful holiday for all, with good food, missing luggage and missing guests.

Santas’s Secret brings the group of friends back together for an adventure. Frankie, Amy, Rachael, and Nina this year are off to Italy to spend with Frankies boyfriend Giovanni’s family.
Spending time in Italy for the holidays and to follow them on this adventure really a smile on my face and gave me a warm hug. The friends have such a wonderful friendship and gave the story the bond so many needs in their lives.
Fern Michaels is one of my favorite authors and I always enjoy what she has written for her fans.
Santa’s Secret is book three in the Santa's Crew series. I highly recommend this entire series.
Thank you Netgalley, Fern Michaels and Kensington Publishing for the copy of Santa’s Secret. This is my personal review.

The secret to panettone...

The secret to panettone just may be the secret to life. Well, Ciao Bella.
Frankie and her three gf's Amy, Rachel and Nina set off to Italy with Frabkie's BF, who wants the secret to his mama's panettone.
Christmas, Italy and all the things these people are searching for....

A holiday adventure in Italy for four long time friends and their partners and family. They got to sites in Italy and have some adventures along the way that most travelers have. To me, it wasn't much of a holiday read, but still was a good read.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and the Publisher and leaving a review by my own choice.

Third in this fun series. The crew are all here and this year they head to Italy. Fun hijinks while hearing about the sites and history of the region. Very enjoyable book to read. Fast and lighthearted.

Third in Santa’s Crew series by Fern Michaels. The series is about four high school friends in their 30s that have been getting together at Christmas since they met up at their 15 year class reunion. In the book series the group, Amy, Frankie, Rachel and Nina, have gone on a singles cruise and to a ski lodge with at least someone finding romance. In this book the group is off to Italy to spend Christmas with Friankie's boyfriend Giovanni, and his family. It is a celebration of love and friendship.

These are cute, fluffy stories and an easy escape during the holiday season. There are a lot of characters to keep track of so it does help if you’ve read the other books in the series to keep them straight. There are adventures in Italy and lots of Italian food. I’ve enjoyed touring Italy so that added to my enjoyment of the book. There is an added bonus of recipes at the end of the book. (3.5 Stars)