The Greatest Christmas Gift of All

by Karine Saint Jacques

What a difference One Christmas makes…

All Irene wants is to have a peaceful celebration with family and the new man in her life at her annual Christmas Eve dinner. But the appearance of her arrogant ex-husband, Dean, dashes her hopes as he seeks a second chance.

Meanwhile, Irene’s adult children, Anthony, Gloria, and Jake, as well as her nephew, Christopher, are all caught in their own webs of romance and heartache.

Anthony yearns to warm the lonely heart of Ava, a barista in his mother’s coffee shop. Only she’s completely sworn off romance.

Gloria is determined to bring holiday cheer to her brooding neighbor, Lucas, and convinces him to be her fake boyfriend so she can make him see the light.

Jake thinks he’s found a woman he could finally commit to and works hard to gain the trust of her guarded young daughter, Josephine. Only he’s taken by surprise by a secret admirer.

As for Christopher, he tries to fight the attraction he feels to Jake’s girlfriend, Morgan, a woman he let slip away years ago.

Everyone’s set to meet at Irene’s traditional Christmas Eve dinner, where sparks are sure to fly. But with a little bit of the season’s magic, this Christmas might become one they will never forget.

***This is a standalone***
***Previously titled The Greatest Christmas Gift of All***

Genres: Holiday Romance, Contemporary Romance, Second Chance Romance, Interracial Romance, Forbidden Love, Romance, Holiday

290 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 19, 2018

About the author

Author Karine Saint Jacques pens Contemporary Romance where emotionally wounded characters venture into romantic, obstacle-filled, and often forbidden territories that challenge them to fight for true love.

Reviews

[BigGirl BigBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

IT is hot and sunny as I write this review and I can not help it....my soul aches for the colder weather and Christmas. This is a fantastic "movie" that plays out page after page. Has Hallmark grabbed it up yet for the holiday season??
There is no one front and center love story instead it is a family drama that plays out leading up the annual Christmas Eve dinner. The only obvious trope is Grown up Child, Gloria and her fake romance to avoid all of the why aren't you married questions. Matriarch of the bunch Irene will have plenty of questions thrown her way as she deals with ex-husband and her new beau all while their three grown children and one nephew have their own romantic landmines to navigate during Holiday everyone feels pressured into enjoying.
But what is this Christmas all goes exactly the way everyone hopes for?
Told through Multi-points of view, starting with Irene.
Very satisfying contemporary romance to get you looking forward to the Holidays.
If you love tv shows such as "brothers & Sisters" and "Parenthood" you will LOVE this novel.

[Cranky - The Book Curmudgeon · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Cranky Stars


Well talk about a twisted web we weave!!! This book is full of emotions and twists. Each chapter seems to be about a different character or pair of and I found this a bit confusing until I worked out who was who. Basically it's about a mother looking out for her children in the rollercoaster ride of LOVE!!


She herself has been very hurt by her ex who now wants her back. Everybody seems to have a skeleton in their cupboard, that seems to appear at just the wrong moment to ruin that budding relationship. It's also written on the countdown to Christmas. The book finishes on Christmas Eve at Irene's (mother) traditional family meal. What a mess, will some be lucky in love or are some too damaged????

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I seldom read sappy Christmas tales but . . .

Before you begin this book, grab a big box of tissues.
The characters are people you know and care about from the first words you read. Their stories touch your heart. So much love and so much pain mixed with the spirit of the season and many tears make this the perfect bok for a cozy read with your favorite beverage.
I highly recommend Greatest Christmas Gift, it is worth a re-read.

[Nati · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christmas ‘s magic will bring joy, happiness and love to Ava, Anthony, Lucas, Gloria, Jake, Emily and all the people’s life mingled in this tender and tough story. A story about second chances, forgiviness and true love.

[Spunky N Sassy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spunky N Sassy Rating: 4.0

~~~~~~~~~~Lindsey's ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review~~~~~~~~~~

This is a heartwarming holiday read that I think everyone who loves romance should read.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read

[LisaMarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love a good romance this is a book for you! Can’t say you won’t shed a tear but it is worth it!

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

I honestly wasn’t sure about this book when I first started reading it. The book opens up seven days before Christmas to Irene’s (mother/aunt) date being crashed by her ex-husband. Let’s just say that Dean came off as a selfish immature man baby and my opinion of him is still the same after finishing the book. The man honestly doesn’t deserve to be in the same room as his ex-wife let alone be given a second chance. I kept saying to myself kick his butt to the curb, slam the door in his face and tell him you’ll call the cops if he doesn’t get off your property. This dropped several stars off my rating initially. The book gained them back with the kid’s stories. They were much more enjoyable. I will put this out here that this family definitely has its fair share of disfunction. The book bounces between Irene, her children (Anthony, Gloria, and Jake) and her nephew Christopher. I figured it out fairly quickly and the author does give you a run-down of who is who before the story starts. This type of writing doesn’t bother me as long as the changes are clearly marked, and it’s done smoothly. I think this book did a good job of that but it’s something that does irritate some people so I thought that should be put out there. This is a fairly angsty, emotional read so if you’re looking for lighthearted fun filled Christmas read this won’t be for you because it does take your emotions on a bit of a roller coaster ride. I recommend it if you like emotional reads and don’t mind the bouncing to the different characters.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Molly Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

“It was crazy how one moment, one action could take your life on a path you had never considered, a path that would lead you to your greatest achievements, your greatest joys.”
Life is hard, and complicated, especially when it comes to true love. Who we love and how we love is unique, but finding the who and how can be messy. Through the points of view of Ava, Christopher, Lucas, Josephine, Irene, Jake, and Anthony, Karin Saint Jacques writes a tale of second chances and forbidden love during the holiday season, reminiscent of Love Actually.
Overall, I found this novel to be quite adorable and heartwarming, but it wasn't until the last few chapters that I was able to relax into these feelings. As is probably already evident, there are many characters and storylines to keep track of while reading. This made it difficult to enjoy. I think if each of the chapters had been longer, in order for the reader to become more familiar with each storyline before moving on, it would cement the individuals into the reader's memory. Cutting down on the seven different points of view could also help with this issue.
The dialogue was especially enjoyable for me, though, and I very much liked the important themes and morals addressed. The various characters and their individual emotional baggage allowed for diverse experiences. I'm delighted to have read this book and recommend it to readers who enjoy meaningful romance stories set during Christmastime.
**I won this book through a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review.**

[Jenna Whalen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this Christmas story told from the viewpoint of multiple people who ended up being connected in some way. At first, it was a little confusing trying to keep track of who was who, but after a few chapters I easily got it. The ending was cute and everyone got their "happily ever after."
A couple things I didn't like as well - every character in this book could benefit from therapy. I'm not saying there's something wrong with needing therapy... but these characters acted like a relationship was going to "fix" all their problems and i was like oh no sir, what you need is a therapist, not a girlfriend.
This was also one of those stories where characters kept showing up and pushing for relationships form people who had already said no for various reasons. I know the author was trying to show that these characters weren't giving up on their true love, but to me it just showed that these characters didn't listen or understand consent.
Overall, a cute and light Christmas story, but I do wish the characters had been a bit more likeable.

[Jamie Bee · Rating 1 out of 5]

One Confusing Christmas

You know a book is going to have a lot going on if the author not only provides a character list showing the multiple interrelationships between them, but that list has 20 characters to follow! I found this book far too busy with too many characters to keep track of. Something interesting would happen in one person's storyline, but we wouldn't get back to that for several chapters. And, of course, that kept happening over and over. The relationships explored seemed too similar. With so many characters, I would have loved to have seen a variety of types of romances, but they all seemed to share too many commonalities. Some characters I certainly didn't like, including ones that other characters eventually got together with. I'm not a fan of seeing bad heroes get the woman. All in all, I did not like this book.

I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.

[Aisling Cooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed on Behalf of 3 Degrees of Fiction Book Blogs

This book is full of twists and turns and a gives you a full range of emotions. Every chapter is feels like it’s about someone different and I did find it a bit confusing as I couldn’t work out which character we were focusing on.

Irene has been hurt by her ex who now what’s her back but everyone has a past and they all appear ready to ruin the relationship,

The book is written on the countdown to Christmas and finishes on Christmas Eve at a traditional family but with the mess on the countdown to Christmas some are lucky in love and others are too damaged to form relationship

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the idea of this book. However, I found it difficult to keep up with the all the characters and the plot line for each story. I found myself flipping back and forth to the character page or looking at the picture on my phone to remind me of who each person was in the story. It was really interesting how all the characters lives intertwined with each other. There's a little something for everyone in this story: second chance romance, holiday romance, family restoration...it's got it all.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Anonymous 5 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first time reading something by this author and it definitely won't be my last. It was a heartwarming story of five couples and their emotional journey to find true love. The story was heartfelt and touching and left me with a nice warm feeling afterwards. Don't forget the tissues when you read this because it will surely take you on an emotional roller coaster ride. The author does a great nice job of bringing the characters and story to life and I liked how everything was tied together nicely at the end. If you're looking for a feel-good book this is one I would definitely recommend.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Emily Pennington · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Book 1 in The Celebrations Series of standalone books. The story gives us five couples yearning for love and facing significant romantic obstacles over the Christmas season. It can be a kind of roller coaster at times with emotions. It is not what I had been expecting, which was something lighthearted, fun-filled, joyous Christmas type read. The reader must also pay attention to the characters to avoid getting lost in the story. It wasn’t a bad read, just not what I look for when diving into the Christmas spirit.

[Judy Gittleson Hendrickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A family full of issues and romance during the holidays. Over a week, we meet the mother who has to deal with an ex I would like to strangle, children who each have a connection to make and a nephew who wants an ex girlfriend back. Lots of drama and fun times as well as this group navigates the upcoming holiday and all their intense feelings. You will not be able to put this book down and the ending is worth it. What a wonderful mini vacation into this world.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Lu Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love and heart-breaks are in the air as young and old find out they aren't with the ppl who really love them for who they really are. The ones they are with in the beginning of the story just brings the other person down but later after heartaches and heart breaks and all the emotional confusion with the side of stressful debates and situations they risk it all. This is a drama filled Christmas romance more than what im used to but in the end it was a pretty good book.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got this as a goodreads giveaway, and while I liked the idea of the story, the execution left a bit to be desired. The story bounced around between characters rather quickly, which at first was pretty confusing. By the middle of the story I had a handle on everyone only to find the characters unlikable, with everything happening too quickly to be believable. But, because I'm a sucker for happily ever after stories set at Christmas, it won me over.

[Denise Levendoski · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to Karine Saint Jaques and Goodreads.com I won this book in a Giveaway.

I'm sorry to say that I really didn't enjoy this book, not only were there were too many characters they also were weaved into each other lives. The characters were not likable and very whiny. I loved the thought of the book, it just was not executed to my liking.

[Hildegart · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is written in first person from several different POVs. For me, there were too many POVs for me to keep track of. It was like, how is this person related to that person? POVs: Ava, Lucas, Christopher, Irene, Anthony, Josephine, and Jake. Then you have all the characters in each of their POVs.

[Laure · Rating 2 out of 5]

A short read about love troubles of a family members in Christmas time and because it's Christmas everything get's resolved in about a week or so. *spoiler* I kind of liked the book since I was looking for one with a happy ending, but the story was simple and the characters were not developed.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first book in The Celebrations Series a well written story of one woman the trouble her family has with the woman they love, and hers with her ex-husband. I enjoyed seeing this story come together. This is a new Author to me. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Rhonda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love a book based around Christmas! Makes for fun reading. Entertaining and charming story with witty dialogue. Great characters you will love to follow. Fun following the journey full of twists and turns. Imaginative and fun to read. Good read!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Steve Bender · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a hard time following all the characters, there must have been about 6 or more couples involved in romances. Most of them from two families. The love stories were convoluted and full of doubt and up and down.

[Teresa Mauder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow

It took me a while to get into this book. It jumped from person to person I had trouble remembering all the characters and their stories, but once I figured it out I couldn't wait to see what happened with each couple!

[Anita Fuhrmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely and heart-warming! This is my first time reading anything by this author and I am so glad that I picked this book to be the beginning of a hopefully long relationship with her books!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Elvira · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved each of the couples in this book there storylines are engaging and well written. The characters are engaging and well developed with plenty of chemistry throughout the pages.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit confusing at times but once you get the gist of who's who its kind of interesting how the author pulls all the intertwining stories together,

[Kathleen Conrad · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was a nice drama, confusing at first but then all came together.

[Shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. Enjoyed all her Christmas books.