Time-Traveling adventurers Simon and Elizabeth Cross return in an all-new Christmas novella!
Along with their young daughter, Charlotte, the Crosses travel back to 1937 New York City to visit an old friend, Charlie Blue. But Charlie's in trouble -- holiday-sized trouble -- and their plans for a pleasant little Christmas vacation soon fly out the window.
Christmas in New York is the fast-paced and heartwarming tale of the true meaning of Christmas -- and the importance of the people we share it with.
Monique was born in Houston, Texas, but her family soon moved to Southern California. She grew up on both coasts, living in Connecticut and California. She currently resides in Southern California with her naughty Siamese cat, Monkey.
Monique attended the University of Southern California's Film School where she earned a BFA from the Filmic Writing department. Monique worked in television for several years before joining the family business. She now works full-time as a freelance writer and novelist. Her novels Out of Time, When the Walls Fell, Fragments & The Devil's Due are the first three books in the Out of Time series.
She's currently working on an adaptation of one of her screenplays, her father's memoirs about his time in the Air Force's Air Rescue Service and the next book in the Out of Time series.
I enjoyed this Out of Time novella. I don't recommend reading it unless you're familiar with the series. Having read all the books thus far (except one) I was able to pick up with the characters easily and understand why they were so determined to help Charlie. I enjoyed the time period and teared up more than once at scenes with the orphans. Nice to read around Christmas time...
Its been several years since I last read any of this authors books. So I thought I might ease myself back into her paranormal (time travelling) series with a novella. And since we have just had Xmas, a Xmas story was definitely very relevant.
This is the story of Simon and Elizabeth Cross (the main protagonists of the series) returning to NYC in 1937 to help out the man who first helped Simon and Elizabeth when they (previously) first landed in NYC in 1929 before they even knew how they had time travelled. (Book 1 of the main series).
Now they had come back in time, as a Xmas present for their daughter Charlotte because she wanted to know what happened to Charlie. And yes, Charlotte had been named after Charlie.
However being in NYC in 1937, was perhaps not the best time to have travelled to. While Prohibition had ended, the Mafia had moved in and City hall was rife with larceny and protection rackets.
Charlie was down on his luck when they first arrived, but over the next few days, Simon, Elizabeth and Charlotte manage to help Charlie have a great Xmas, get a new family and make a new start to his life.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
and I’m not sure where that puts it in the order of the series full novels. I’m also not sure it matters, as long as you’ve read the first one,at least. Charlotte is determined to visit her namesake, Charlie Blue, in Depression Era New York City, where Elizabeth and Simon accidentally traveled to and fell in love 🩷. Of course, they stumble into a mess and who better to clean it up than all of the the Crosses working together?
I love this series and the way the writes. I have read all her books and always wait in anticipation for the next. This Christmas novella was okay but not the exciting storyline I come to expect from this author. I see this as laying the ground work for a new story series involving Charlotte. I recommend reading.
I thoroughly enjoyed this personal Cross family adventure. A classic Christmas tale. I'm looking forward to the next full length historical adventure! Hopefully, soon!
Simon and Elizabeth always have the best adventures and Ms. Martin writes in a way that makes you want the book to go on and on. I think you will like this book a lot.
I love every adventure with Simon and Elizabeth Cross! I wish the adventure could have been longer though! Hopefully Monique’s next book will be a novel instead of a novella!
A sweet novella which jumps ahead and back in time. Elizabeth & Simon take Charlotte back to Christmas 1937 to meet Charlie from book one. But something is all wrong, as usual, and they all three work to make things right again and have a merry ole time!
An engaging novella in which Elizabeth and Simon return to an earlier New York as a Cjristmas treat for their daughter Charlotte - who wishes to meet Charlie, who her parents met when they stumbled on the secret of the time-travelling watch... However, all is not well in 1937 New York.
Finished this book in just two days. The world is dark right now with the virus scare. This book was a light in the dark. It is full of hope, courage, perseverance and love of fellow man. Thank you Monique and God bless us everyone!
I'm such a fan of Monique Martin books of time travel. This is good Christmas book. Elizabeth and Simon take their daughter, Charlotte, to England to meet Charlie (her namesake).
I’ve loved Monique Martin’s books since I first downloaded Out Of Time onto my Kindle. And then I had to purchase them all in paperback where I could. I have not yet read the spin off series with Jack, but I do love these Christmas-themed novellas. There is another, called In Time For Christmas, if you’re looking for anything to read this festive season.
This was for me, slower and not as engaging as the previous books. I found myself continuously distracted by other things while reading and it didn’t hold my attention.
The author revisited New York and Charlie Blue, a character from one of the earlier books, who has become rather down on his luck since the last time we saw him. And there’s also a bunch of orphans, who obviously need good homes for Christmas.
It’s s very feel good story, and whisked me away to New York and totally sucked me in. I wanted to be sitting in a hotel room in New York, with a hot chocolate (or a hot man like Simon), watching the snow fall outside, while reading this.
It was nice to revisit Charlie but it all seemed a little too convenient and a couple of times, I lost track of the storyline. The side storyline, with the Cross’s daughter, Charlotte, getting mixed up with an orphan called Henry, also seemed a little strange, particularly as I struggled with what age Henry was meant to be. Either he was older, in which case, why was he hanging around with an eight year old, or he was simply acting older.
I preferred In Time For Christmas and the main books, to this one, for me, it’s the weakest in the series, and seems hastily written. But you may as well read it, if you’ve read the rest of the series, and see more of Charlotte.
I love this series and have come to think of Elizabeth and Simon as friends. In this installment, our intrepid time travelers go back to New York to check on a friend from the first book. The Great Depression has mostly passed but many people, including their friend Charlie, still aren't doing well. Add in government corruption and it may be more than time travelers can set right.