Emil is a thief. Trouble is, he's not a very good one! When he ends up violating his parole and being caught yet again his disillusioned parole officer is not surprised. He is surprised when the judge decides that instead of returning to jail, Emil should pay his debt to society working at a care home. Initially Emil thinks this will be a doddle- rich pickings & perhaps the opportunity to escape. He finds security is tighter there than at some jails he's been in; only he's not locked in his room - something he soon regrets!

As soon as he arrives two sisters- dressed as Kings for the Christmas pageant take him under their wing, convinced, because he is black, that he is the missing third King who will help them follow the star.

This book has it all. There are laugh out loud moments as well as ones that leave a lump in the throat. I loved it to bits. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for giving me the perfect Christmas read.

What a charming, heartwarming and delightful tale from P J Tracy. Just what you want to read as Christmas approaches. Emil is given yet another chance to sort himself out after violating his parole when the Judge assigns him to a care facility instead of back to jail. There he meets two sisters who believe they are two of the Magi and that Emil is the third and so begins a journey to put a smile on your face and a story to bring some Christmas cheer.

Rating: 4* Recommended

With thanks to Penguin Books for this eARC in return for an honest opinion via NetGalley.

An interesting story and well worth reading. Would be difficult to anticipate the ending.

Return Of The Magi by P.J. Tracy is a delightful contemporary tale. It is as fun read following two old ladies who try to find The Baby. They conscript a man into their search whom they believe to be the third wise man!
It is a very touching story of hope that also explores the meaning of family and friendship. It is delightful to witness the bond that forms between strangers.
The novel shows the detrimental effect our childhood can have on our choices in adulthood.
Return Of The Magi is a search - not just for the Christmas Baby but a search to belong. We all want a family as our memories will just not keep us warm.
A delightful, witty, touching and charming take on a familiar story.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

Absolutely wonderful! I don't have much more to say than this. Obviously not the typical PJ tracy book! I loved it.

This book is a real contender for my book of the year. An absolutely delightful, funny, enchanting, spellbinding and sometimes sad festive tale that just screams to be put on the screen. Perfect winter read.

I really enjoy this book which is a great Christmas read. It reminded me of my favourite Christmas film of all time ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’.
I loved the two sisters (although all of the Magi were just wonderful characters in their own ways). I also found Tracy’s style of writing really draws you into the story.
Highly recommend this book to read this book for a feel good factor at this time of year.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a very modern twist on the Nativity story. Humorous and heart-warming and with just the right amount of schmaltz for a good seasonal read.

Many thanks to Netgalley for providing me with this ARC, for which I have given a voluntary and unbiased review.

This review is written with thanks to Michael Joseph, an imprint of Penguin UK, and Netgalley for my copy of Return Of The Magi.
Emil Rice has been arrested over twenty times. When he is caught shoplifting on Christmas Eve, the judge decides to give him one last chance. Instead of receiving a jail sentence, Emil is sent to a secure mental health facility to complete community service. It is here where he meets Gloria and Edith, two sisters who believe they are two of the wise men who visited Jesus, and that Emil is the third. They believe Emil must accompany them on their journey to see the Christchild. Can they persuade Emil to go with them?
Whilst Return Of The Magi is clearly fictional, I enjoyed the fact that the plot finds its roots in the Biblical element of Christmas. Tracy mixes the traditional aspects of Christmas with more modern practices very well, and this gives the novella a welcome festive feel.
Despite his criminal record, I found Emil to be a charming and compassionate character. His relationships with the patients at the mental health facility, particularly Gloria and Edith, bring out the best in him and I really enjoyed reading as their relationship developed. There are moments of humour, moments of happiness and moments of sadness, and Tracy's ability to evoke emotion in the reader through this novella is wonderful.
Beneath the humour and warmth in Return Of The Magi, there are some very relevant themes, not least the theme of mental illness. Although the short length of the novella means that the patients in the mental health facility and their illnesses cannot be explored in detail, it is clear that Tracy has researched the issues thoroughly, and this allowed me to reflect on my own understanding of various mental health conditions.
There are moments when elements of the plot seem a little far fetched, but overall, Return Of The Magi is, as it says on the cover, a heartwarming Christmas story.

WOW! WOW! What a wonderful Christmas story. It's magical and so very different. The plot is so crazy that it's hard to describe, think con man, two crazy elderly ladies and the baby Jesus! A must read. Brilliantly thought out!

An interesting retelling of the message of Christmas. It is told with humour , pathos and enlightenment. A departure for the author and well worth reading. Emil is an inveterate thief but instead of spending another Christmas in jail he is given community service in an institution for 5e mentally ill where two ladies see him as their !ong awaited saviour . Delightful characters in a heRt warming tale.

4.5 stars

Seasonal novella of humour and warmth

A long-standing con tries one-too-many-times to stick to his life of crime, just after yet another release from prison. This time, he's being sent somewhere he'll not easily escape from - and one he won't find particularly easy... a mental health facility. A year of community service, with crazy people? Emil doesn't see himself lasting.

He sees a potential way out with two elderly sisters who take a shine to him and appear to think he is part of their 'delusion' that they are two of three Magi (wise men) who must journey to witness the birth of a baby...

Emil is a likeable rogue, he may not be a straight talker but he is a bit of a charmer in his own way. And the story is amusing and does 'warm the cockles', you don't need to have religious leanings to find it all rather sweet.

An enjoyable short read for the festive season, and a good reminder about looking out for our fellow humans and doing good where we can.

With thanks to Netgalley for the advance e-copy.

Emil Rice is a good guy. Really. The fact that he's been arrested for felony twenty two times and was just caught rooting through the nativity scene outside the church... well, that's just a few bad choices, right? He can be a good guy.

Emil certainly behaves as though he believes so: a silver-tongued spindoctor whose eloquence doesn't exactly land him up where he wants, but at least it's not jail. That's got to be better. Right? Right??

To his parole officer's surprise, Emil Rice ends up being posted to do voluntary work at a mental institution. The people seem... sort of normal. Well, maybe not. They have the quirks. None more than Gloria and Edith, who are fascinated by Emil's black skin colour - and he's not really sure they're being racist. They're just plain weird. When he discovers they've been in this institution for the majority of their lives, waiting for a third wiseman to complete their trio, Emil's life takes a turn for the decidedly surreal.

Look, it's not the most brilliant of books written, and not usually a genre I would go for (a little too 'fluffy'), but actually this was a really enjoyable, pacy, non-taxing, festive read. Maybe a little saccharine - but we can let that go, can't we? It's Christmas, after all! The gradual development of Emil's character is fairly believable, surprising as the action takes place over a very short period, and the twist at the end - you knew there was going to be one, just couldn't work out what it was - was lovely.

Not a literary great, but lots of feel-good factor for the Christmas period.

I was given a copy of 'Return of the Magi' from NetGalley and the publisher; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a lovely festive story by PJ Tracy, the pseudonym of mother-daughter writing duo P.J. and Traci Lambrecht. This is a light, humorous, heart warming entertaining book that helps put you in the festive spirit.
Emil Rice is a serial offender and not the brightest of criminals, yet there is something likeable about him. He has been arrested 22 times and each time promised never to offend again, but when he is arrested again Emil realises he may have started more than he bargained for. Sentenced to community service at a secure mental health facility, Emil is unwillingly befriended by two elderly female patients, Edith and Gloria who believe he is the final part of a big cosmic plan that will change their lives forever. The two elderly ladies love Emil and constantly stalk him and want him to be part of their escape plan.
This is a really lovely read and well worth a look at this time of the year especially.
I would like to thank Net Galley and Penguin UK for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

A great book. This is a story focusing on Emil who has been in the foster system growing up after the death of his mother and grandmother. He becomes a thief.
After release from prison he nearly ends straight back in but a judge decides he can do community service instead.
During this time he meets two elderly women Edith and Gloria and take him under their wings.
A moving Christmas read.

An utterly charming Christmas story which fans of Fannie Flagg's A Redbird Christmas will enjoy.

This is my first book by this author and I note that it is not their usual genre. But what a fantastic read!

If you find yourself stumbling a little over the magic of Christmas, then this is the one to read to give you back your sparkle and belief. It's not a saccharine sweet tale, but it is a most fabulous story about life's more unfortunate people and how the most unlikely of candidates can find friendship and compassion. The writing is wonderful, the story is magical and the feeling it leaves you with is one of warmth and wonder.

I really cannot recommend this highly enough, so do yourself a favour and treat yourself - and a friend - to a copy this Christmas. You will smile, giggle and ever shed a tear but you will feel so much better for having read it!

My thanks to Michael Joseph at Penguin UK and NetGalley. This is my honest, original and unbiased review.

A truly heartwarming and magical story! I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish, it was one that warmed your soul and restored your faith in mankind!