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State v. Claus: A Tale of Lawyers, Reindeer, Love, and Magic
As a partner in a small Connecticut law firm, Meg Riley assesses her clients' cases based on logic, reason, and hard evidence. But Meg's rational approach is tested when she is appointed to represent an attractive man who was arrested on Christmas Eve for criminal trespass. His explanation for being in a stranger's house in the middle of the night? He was delivering presents to a little boy-because he, Ralph Claus, is the son of Santa Claus. Or so he claims.
From the courtroom to Santa's workshop and back again, Meg's efforts to win Ralph's case are complicated by a variety of people with competing agendas. The little boy's mother is determined to see Ralph convicted, a quest supported by a state senator who is running for governor. Ralph's mother is more concerned about protecting the secrets of Santa than the niceties of the legal system. Meg's law partners are becoming concerned about her ability to balance Ralph's case with her obligations to bigger clients-and they don't even know about Meg's romantic feelings for Ralph.
After trial, an unexpected bombshell jeopardizes Meg's career. Faced with the potential loss of both Ralph and her profession, Meg must decide once and for all what she truly believes-and what she is willing to sacrifice for that belief.
P. Jo Anne Burgh has woven a luminous tale of love and friendship, laced with drama, humor, joy, romance-and more than a touch of magic.
From the courtroom to Santa's workshop and back again, Meg's efforts to win Ralph's case are complicated by a variety of people with competing agendas. The little boy's mother is determined to see Ralph convicted, a quest supported by a state senator who is running for governor. Ralph's mother is more concerned about protecting the secrets of Santa than the niceties of the legal system. Meg's law partners are becoming concerned about her ability to balance Ralph's case with her obligations to bigger clients-and they don't even know about Meg's romantic feelings for Ralph.
After trial, an unexpected bombshell jeopardizes Meg's career. Faced with the potential loss of both Ralph and her profession, Meg must decide once and for all what she truly believes-and what she is willing to sacrifice for that belief.
P. Jo Anne Burgh has woven a luminous tale of love and friendship, laced with drama, humor, joy, romance-and more than a touch of magic.
- GenresRomance
391 pages, Paperback
Published November 7, 2020
8 people are currently reading
35 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 23, 2020
P. Jo Anne Burgh has woven a truly delightful Christmas romance (with a little bit of physical sizzle as well) out of her own familiarity with the legal system and the question of Santa Claus’ seeming immortality. This is a fun read (that I can easily see as a television movie – Netflix, are you listening?) that I hope will make it onto holiday-romance fans’ radar.
The main characters, Meg and Ralph, are endearing and frustrating in equal measure. I paused several times to say out loud (to the probable consternation of my upstairs neighbors) “NO MEG THAT’S A BAD DECISION” or “OH MY GOD RALPH COULD YOU BE ANY CUTER?” And vice versa; I don’t want to make it sound like Meg isn’t capable of being adorable or that Ralph doesn’t make bad decisions (in fact, it is a major bad decision on Ralph’s part that heightens the stakes of the story and propels the action of the second half). As someone who reads relatively little romance overall, and even less straight romance than gay romance, I count this in the book’s favor. Feeling that involved in the characters’ personalities and choices is a good thing.
I’m also not a big reader of legal fiction. I do know that television and movies often make it seem like the court system moves at a swift pace with cases investigated and resolved in just a few days. I appreciated that Burgh allows the action of the book to play out in what would be appropriate real time with a court case that starts out simple but quickly becomes complicated (and then even more complicated). Even a case involving Santa Claus is not necessarily going to move to the top of the court’s docket without good cause, and the acquisition of evidence and witnesses on top of courtroom scheduling can make even simple cases drag out. Burgh uses the real-life delays and setbacks to heighten the drama of the story and to tease out the romantic tension of the two leads.
The romance is neither delayed nor rushed. While the mutual attraction between Meg and Ralph is evident early on, the romance is a bit of a slow burn, taking a back seat in places to the complexities of Ralph’s case, and of course the Ralph-less trip to Santa’s workshop that Meg and her friend Holly take. The roadblocks in their way to a Happily-Ever-After (or at least a Happily-For-Now) ending are key to both the romantic and legal portions of the tale, and don’t just come from the other end of the courtroom; Ralph’s family and Meg’s co-workers have opinions and create problems as well. I also appreciated that neither Meg nor Ralph is a “give everything up for love” type of character. Not that they don’t consider it. But each truly wants to balance romance and work. For Ralph, it seems like this is the first time romance has threatened to interfere with his role in the family hierarchy, while Meg despite trying hasn’t found the right way to balance or the right guy to balance with. (I don’t know if Burgh is planning a sequel, but I can think of one way that Meg’s work and romantic life can come together peacefully and equally.)
There’s plenty of comedy in the book as well, including some well-delivered teenage snark from Ralph’s younger brother Mitch and an extremely cute case of “unrealized identity” that the reader catches on to long before Meg does. There are also cute animals: Meg’s office cat Lulu and a couple of reindeer.
The main supporting cast is well-developed. There are a few sub-plots I wish had gotten slightly more screen time (more of the friendship between Meg and Michael for instance), and two characters mentioned in the back-cover copy that I thought would be more important (the state senator running for governor and the bigger client Meg doesn’t lavish enough attention on) but who never really dovetail back into the main plot. But there’s only so much one can fit in a book of this length; the scenes we do get between Meg and Michael illustrate a loving friendship, and the state senator and rich jerk fulfill their functions as bumps in the road well enough.
I highly recommend State v. Claus … and you don’t have to wait until next Christmas to read and enjoy it, since most of the action takes place between holidays!
The main characters, Meg and Ralph, are endearing and frustrating in equal measure. I paused several times to say out loud (to the probable consternation of my upstairs neighbors) “NO MEG THAT’S A BAD DECISION” or “OH MY GOD RALPH COULD YOU BE ANY CUTER?” And vice versa; I don’t want to make it sound like Meg isn’t capable of being adorable or that Ralph doesn’t make bad decisions (in fact, it is a major bad decision on Ralph’s part that heightens the stakes of the story and propels the action of the second half). As someone who reads relatively little romance overall, and even less straight romance than gay romance, I count this in the book’s favor. Feeling that involved in the characters’ personalities and choices is a good thing.
I’m also not a big reader of legal fiction. I do know that television and movies often make it seem like the court system moves at a swift pace with cases investigated and resolved in just a few days. I appreciated that Burgh allows the action of the book to play out in what would be appropriate real time with a court case that starts out simple but quickly becomes complicated (and then even more complicated). Even a case involving Santa Claus is not necessarily going to move to the top of the court’s docket without good cause, and the acquisition of evidence and witnesses on top of courtroom scheduling can make even simple cases drag out. Burgh uses the real-life delays and setbacks to heighten the drama of the story and to tease out the romantic tension of the two leads.
The romance is neither delayed nor rushed. While the mutual attraction between Meg and Ralph is evident early on, the romance is a bit of a slow burn, taking a back seat in places to the complexities of Ralph’s case, and of course the Ralph-less trip to Santa’s workshop that Meg and her friend Holly take. The roadblocks in their way to a Happily-Ever-After (or at least a Happily-For-Now) ending are key to both the romantic and legal portions of the tale, and don’t just come from the other end of the courtroom; Ralph’s family and Meg’s co-workers have opinions and create problems as well. I also appreciated that neither Meg nor Ralph is a “give everything up for love” type of character. Not that they don’t consider it. But each truly wants to balance romance and work. For Ralph, it seems like this is the first time romance has threatened to interfere with his role in the family hierarchy, while Meg despite trying hasn’t found the right way to balance or the right guy to balance with. (I don’t know if Burgh is planning a sequel, but I can think of one way that Meg’s work and romantic life can come together peacefully and equally.)
There’s plenty of comedy in the book as well, including some well-delivered teenage snark from Ralph’s younger brother Mitch and an extremely cute case of “unrealized identity” that the reader catches on to long before Meg does. There are also cute animals: Meg’s office cat Lulu and a couple of reindeer.
The main supporting cast is well-developed. There are a few sub-plots I wish had gotten slightly more screen time (more of the friendship between Meg and Michael for instance), and two characters mentioned in the back-cover copy that I thought would be more important (the state senator running for governor and the bigger client Meg doesn’t lavish enough attention on) but who never really dovetail back into the main plot. But there’s only so much one can fit in a book of this length; the scenes we do get between Meg and Michael illustrate a loving friendship, and the state senator and rich jerk fulfill their functions as bumps in the road well enough.
I highly recommend State v. Claus … and you don’t have to wait until next Christmas to read and enjoy it, since most of the action takes place between holidays!
December 24, 2022
Excellent story with flaws (don’t we all have them?)
I met this author at a convention and her summary of this story had me sold! I decided to buy the Kindle version and within the first few chapters noticed the book would benefit from an editor. I thoroughly and joyed the overall story of Attorney Riley and Ralph Claus. An editor would have been able to correct some of the grammatical errors and make the overall book more concise. Some portions dragged on and went on a few unnecessary tangents that detracted from an otherwise outstanding story.
Worth reading! However be prepared to overlook a few errors and some side stories that are not relevant to the overall novel. In the end it was a perfect holiday novel.
I met this author at a convention and her summary of this story had me sold! I decided to buy the Kindle version and within the first few chapters noticed the book would benefit from an editor. I thoroughly and joyed the overall story of Attorney Riley and Ralph Claus. An editor would have been able to correct some of the grammatical errors and make the overall book more concise. Some portions dragged on and went on a few unnecessary tangents that detracted from an otherwise outstanding story.
Worth reading! However be prepared to overlook a few errors and some side stories that are not relevant to the overall novel. In the end it was a perfect holiday novel.
January 21, 2023
Delightful story for the holidays. (Even though I read it in January!) A down-to-earth Connecticut lawyer is asked to defend an alleged burglar doing in someone’s house. He claims he’s the son of Santa Claus, and was there to deliver gifts. But he’s also tall dark and handsome…
The author does a wonderful job of persuading us that Santa and his family do in fact exist. And after many trials and tribulations we reach the kind of happy ending that I hope leaves room for a sequel. The writing is vivid and the pacing keeps the story moving right along.
A perfect read on a cold evening in December to get you in the spirit of the season.
The author does a wonderful job of persuading us that Santa and his family do in fact exist. And after many trials and tribulations we reach the kind of happy ending that I hope leaves room for a sequel. The writing is vivid and the pacing keeps the story moving right along.
A perfect read on a cold evening in December to get you in the spirit of the season.
January 5, 2024
Me midway thru the book: This sounds like a Hallmark movie waiting to happen.
Me at the end of the book: Huh? Quick, call Hallmark and cancel.
I'm splitting the stars 50/50 (approximately, since GR doesn't allow 1/2 stars). The setting was fine. The plot was fine. The courtroom scenes were interesting. The characters were mostly satisfactory -- there were stereotypes but mostly in the fringes. Unfortunately, Meg left me with the impression that it must be pretty easy to pass the bar exam.
Me at the end of the book: Huh? Quick, call Hallmark and cancel.
I'm splitting the stars 50/50 (approximately, since GR doesn't allow 1/2 stars). The setting was fine. The plot was fine. The courtroom scenes were interesting. The characters were mostly satisfactory -- there were stereotypes but mostly in the fringes. Unfortunately, Meg left me with the impression that it must be pretty easy to pass the bar exam.
December 14, 2025
Another not cheesy Christmas novel!
When reality meets magic.
A case to believe in Santa set in a courtroom drama.
Set in CT it was fun to see mentions of towns and places I was familiar with.
"to Believe is a choice"
When reality meets magic.
A case to believe in Santa set in a courtroom drama.
Set in CT it was fun to see mentions of towns and places I was familiar with.
"to Believe is a choice"
September 28, 2025
Such a cute book! And it has really good suspense for what I thought might just be a cute holiday book. I’m dieing to read the next one but I think I might save it for the Christmas season
February 26, 2024
I adored this book and couldn’t put it down. I read the second one first, but no matter because both were page turners. I sure hope the author keeps writing, because I want more! It seemed like it could almost be true! I’ll never look at Santa the same way again!
January 11, 2022
A very cute story and enjoyable read. The author could have a future in romance novels ahead of her. Who woulda thunk Santa Claus could be so sexy?
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews