The Secret Life of Mrs. Claus

by Carly Alexander

For three very different women trying to get what they want, it is a Christmas where miracles happen, love is magical, and changing their lives is as simple as changing their outfits. Reprint.

Genres: Christmas, Romance, Holiday, Chick Lit, Adult Fiction, Ebooks, Contemporary

382 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I only gave this two stars. I thought the premise was good. A story of three different women who each where the Mrs. Claus suit and experience a magical transformation in their beliefs of Christmas.

The book is broken down into 4 years time for each wearer of the Mrs. Claus suit. The first book was very good. The second was good...but the third story seemed like the author was reaching to create a story line and had run out of ideas.

Towards the end, I kept counting pages to see how many I had left to go, as the book started to get long.

[Veronika · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read it pretty quickly, I was surprised! Last year I watched the movie on Hallmark and I really liked it, so I decide it's time for the book. I didn't expect it, but I definitely liked the movie more than the book and that's why I rated it 3 stars. I was surprised that there were 3 stories in the book and maybe that's why things went a little confusing. However, I liked the book.

[Darlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mash up of 3 stories that connect at the end. This isn't my favorite Christmas book it just wasn't Christmassy enough and not what I look for when reading a Christmas book.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was ok, not really as good as I had hoped it would be. I picked it up looking for a cute Xmas book to get me in the holiday spirit and it didn't really do that. It was more like 3 short stories that briefly come together at the end, but just barely. The stories got better as you went along, but even the last one wasn't incredible. It was just an ok book, but I don't plan on reading this author again.

[Ruth · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was kind of one of the worst books I have ever read yet I felt compelled to read it to the end. It was some strange combination of sex in the city meets the mommy diaries. Plus I was super annoyed that the women all were totally incapable of breaking away from obviously poisonous relationships - seriously these stupid women make me crazy. Anyway i wouldn't recommend this book but somehow I rated it okay.

[Rosemary Paladini · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was just okay, the premise was interesting....a beautiful hand made Mrs. Claus suit handed down through generations at Rossman's Dept store and said to have magic for those who wear it. However the 3 story lines were boring and very easy to guess within the first few pages.

[Edie Ramer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The more I read this 3-novella book, the more I enjoyed it. Three different women in different years play Mrs. Claus at a Rossman's department store, wearing the same Mrs. Clause suit, and their lives change profoundly. The book was light yet serious. It's a feel-good book with substance.

[Anita · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was crude and had too many sexual referances. I had to stop reading.

[Wendy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I stopped reading a few chapters in. It didn't match the description I read at all, and wasn't interesting to me at all.

[Sharon Buxton · Rating 1 out of 5]

D. contemporary fiction; Christmas

[Jennifer Gingerich · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall, the connection of the Mrs. Claus costume and the chain of the department store was a fun idea. The writing and editing were sub-average. Many things felt forced to me, especially in Part 1. I am surprised to see people saying this wasn’t Christmas-y enough. I disagree, I felt the Christmas was laid on rather thick.

Part 1 of the book was my least favorite, as it really dragged on for me. It felt repetitive and the characters bored me. I felt I was forcing myself to power through it. Also, Baltimore was the closest city to me growing up, so I would expect a Baltimore setting to excite me. But, truthfully it was one of my least favorite parts. The setting wasn’t believable.

Parts 2 and 3 I actually didn’t mind and boosted the overall book rating for me. I appreciated that they moved through the plot quickly. Their pacing felt like a Hallmark/Lifetime movie, which was kind of what I was looking for in the first place when I picked up this book.

In the end, I’m not entirely mad I read it, but I am ready to put this book in a free little library and forget about it. On to 2025!

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Underwhelming in the extreme. The first story was decent, the second one was awful, and the third one wasn’t as well developed.

The Nutcracker - 3 stars

I liked this story the best. Of the three women, Olivia was the most likable. Her storyline was the best too, dealing with her ex who created a TV show based around a caricature of herself, and a supportive friend group.


Christmas Mouse - 1 star

Cassie was a horrible mother.


Miracle on the Magnificent Mile - 2 stars

Not as well flushed out and I’m not sure I understand what even happened in this one. Why did he have “silver” hair? I kept picturing an old man, but apparently he was like 30.


These really weren’t what I was looking for when I pick up a Christmas story.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three stories of a magical Mrs. Claus dress and the three women whose life it changes.

[Nicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was way too long for a Xmas novel. It is actually three quite long novellas about 3 different women, the linking detail being that they all work playing Mother Christmas in department stores. Goodreads info has it at around 300 pages, but the digital copy I borrowed has it closer to 800.
I read the entire first story. It was cute and surprisingly detailed for a throw away Xmas book. I liked rather than loved it, but I would have been very happy for the novel to end there.
I read part of the second story, skimmed quite a bit, got bored halfway through, quit the whole book.
I would recommend it to regular romance readers, which I’m not. I do like to read a few festive books this time of year and more often than not, they are romances, but it’s not indicative of my regular taste and I like it in short doses.

[Karysa Faire · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like it because the movie was adorable. However, this is a case of the movie being better than the book. I admit I didn't read the whole thing--I gave it until the completion of the first love couple which was 50% through the book (according to Kindle). However, the chemistry between the couple wasn't obvious (they only had one kiss scene which was blah), there were random internal conflicts thrown in half way through, and I didn't get that gooey, happy feeling at the end. It definitely had potential, but it just didn't pull through for me.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an anthology of three women who wear an amazing Mrs Claus suit during the Christmas season at different branches of a large department store chain over a three year period. I loved the description of the Mrs Claus suit. It would have made a fabulous cover. Sadly, I didn't really care for any of the women, except the mom. I understand it was to mark the dramatic change in their lives brought about by the suit. The only thing I really liked was the suit, the gentlemen in each of the stories, and the way the book ended. The ending wrapped things up nicely.

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I decided to try a few Christmas books this year, and this one sounded cute. It wasn't funny so much as sweet, but I did enjoy the 3 tied together stories of women in Baltimore, San Francisco, and Chicago playing a department store Mrs. Claus and finding the true meaning of Christmas, yadda yadda yadda. Of course a little more sweet than my usual fare, but enjoyable. Ladies looking for a light Christmas read can't really go wrong here.

[Lexie Stoneking · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a decent read, but by far was not something that blew me away. It's a cute read that would be perfect for something mindless around the Holiday season. I don't like the set up of having three completely different stories with the only tie being the Mrs. Claus suit. It made the book seem very choppy. I also thought the ending was thrown together and seemed very unrealistic. I was left slightly dissapointed. Overall, it wasn't bad, but I probably won't be reading it again.

[Cari Schaeffer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having read one other book by this author (which I didn't like), I decided to read just one more to be sure about my own opinions regarding this author's work.

It was no better. The writing style, etc. is quality, but the content is not. All of her characters are women with no moral center beyond instinctual desire fulfillment similar to the behavior that one would expect from a dog. Very, very off-putting.

I'm done with this author's work.

[Sonya Steele · Rating 5 out of 5]

The magic of Mrs. Claus unites three stories

This book contains three stories of three women who each play Mrs. Claus for a department store at pivotal times in their lives. Could the vintage costume they wear in turn be the magical good luck charm they need to to finally find the joy their lives are missing. I enjoyed this book full of heartbreak and hope. This is a great romance book for the Christmas season. I highly recommend it!

[Reeds · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the Hallmark movie of this book so I decided to read the book. This is an instance of the movie being better than the book. The actors played the rolls much warmer and friendlier than they are written in this book. Also 3/4ths of this book is about two side characters that didn't grab my interest. The two people featured on the front of the book don't show up until page 295.

[Charity · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Alexander book told in semi-short story form from the perspectives of three different heroines, Olivia, Cassie, and Meredith. All three women are connected by a Mrs. Claus suit that helps them discover the magic of Christmas. Wonderful holiday read.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book. It actually consisted of 3 novellas, in the time space of 3-4 years, all surrounded around a handmade, heirloom Mrs. Claus outfit, and how the 3 women who wore it took control of their lives.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

good fun Christmas read

[Tara Rugg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story about 3 women who play Mrs Claus for the same department store chain...

[casey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a cute book. I read Eggnogg Cronicals a long time ago and I really enjoyed that book. I hope this author comes out with new books soon.

[Melinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok

[Ali · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cutsey Christmas stories, not bad if that's what you're in the mood for.

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three cute christmas romance stories all surrounding working in Santa Land and wearing a Mrs Claus suit.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three cute novellas centering around a Mrs. Claus costume. I enjoyed the stories even though the plots were pretty predictable.