This was a story of sorrow and joy, it told the tale of a family that had gone through hardship and were forced to come together with a tragedy. It was an enjoyable read with perfectly paced writing.

This book was a brilliant read and one that is perfect to escape for a few hours and loose yourself.
Characters that fall out of the pages of the book and make you fell apart of the story, the setting is lovely and captured well with words.
A great read. that I would highly recommend.

Karen Swan does not disappoint. It covers issues such as death, near death, loss and love.. swan writes in such a way that you can tangible imagine everything. Filled with a smart wit and heart she is an author who wins the heart of her readers. Have suggested this book as a fabulous read to all the book group ladies.

3.5 stars
A feel good, light and entertaining read. You can always rely on Karen Swan to deliver a good quality chick-lit.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan publishers for the ARC.

A fun, easy read following three sisters as they all come to terms with the sudden death of their father. A lovely, Christmassy adult fairy tale.

I found this book very readable. The three sisters all coped differently with the sudden death of their father which triggered rivalries and jealousies to emerge. As she coped with unexpectedly inheriting the castle and estate instead of her elder sisters, Willow discovers answers to the painful sense of rejection that she was running away from when she fled to the city.
There is love and longing, fear and risk; there are secrets and lies exposed - and the tensions of life and death. It's a page turner and perfect escapism for long, dark winter evenings.

This is a very pleasant read which I would recommend for those who would like something light and not too challenging. Not to say that it is frivolous, more a fun holiday read. So unrealistic, more like a modern day adult fairytale!

This is another compelling read from Karen Swan. The characters are likeable and you care what happens to them. There are no surprises regarding which two of the main protagonists end up together - as usual it is well signaled - but the journey that takes them there is full of delicious twists and turns.

Set in a crumbling country estate on the south coast of Ireland The Christmas Party is a little gem of a book. Declan Lorne is the last Knight in Ireland. A title that ceases to be when he dies suddenly with three female heirs. His estate is passed to his three daughters. Ottie and Pip inherit the businesses that they had been running but estranged youngest daughter Willow gets the castle and its contents.

When Willow quickly announces that the castle has been sold the rest of the family can’t believe what is happening. Unable to understand why she is rushing into a sale and to Connor Shaye no less – the businessman who had tried to renege on a deal with their father to buy the estate.

This is a tale of complicated family relationships and despite the affluent lifestyle that you assume at the beginning it is a story of a more simple country life. The castle is a beautiful setting and Swan has created some interesting and relatable characters.

As I finished this lovely Winter read I found myself looking up Karen Swan and was surprised to see that she has sixteen books in print. Each year there is a Summer book and a Winter book without fail! Searching through my kindle I actually found three other Karen Swan books that I’d downloaded and not got around to reading yet. I’ll have to rectify that soon.

Supplied by Net Galley and Pan Macmillan in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book from the first first chapter. I have Irish parents who are from Cork - so the minute the Wild Atlantic way was mentioned I knew this book was for me as I spent many summer holidays roaming deserted beaches on the west coast of Ireland - however I never stayed in a castle.

The twists and turns of the story are enthralling and just when you think you know where things are going - the story take you up a completely different path!

Absolutely adored this book

This was such a lovely book. It is set in Ireland and you could just imagine yourself at the castle with its own beach and the surrounding areas. The characters are wonderful. Three daughters are shocked when they lose their dad, the last Knight of Ireland. When Willow fails to reach her family home in time to say goodbye to her dad, you feel her pain. The family have many secrets bubbling below the surface and you are left to wonder why Willow has left the family to strike out on her own.
The will gives out a poisoned chalice. Willow is left the castle, but as it needs such a lot of work, the only option seems to be selling up. This also sends out shockwaves amongst the family.

There are so many strands running through, revealing more about each girls life and secrets that she is keeping. The Castle is a character in her own right and I would have loved the chance to explore and curl up in the library.

I was totally immersed in the story, not sure where it would be leading us and whether the castle was safe!

I always look forward to the latest Karen Swan book in my Christmas stocking. The covers are always so enticing and the stories are just wonderful

A really enjoyable book about the sisters who are the daughters of the last knight in Ireland. It follows the path each leads following the death of their father. Secrets and twists and turns are revealed as the three sisters deal with their bequests and find love In unexpected places.

I have loved Karen Swan's previous novels as they are always so readable so was looking forward to starting this one. I wasn't disappointed this was a lovely story which I really enjoyed.

A fantastic story set in a castle in Ireland. I enjoyed the cast of characters who I engaged with and could easily empathise with. Fabulous location - who doesn't love a castle. Well paced with perfect twists and turns along the way. This is a story of grief, loss, life, forgiveness, family, relationships, duty, community and romance.

This book could be read at any time of year as it is not overly Christmassy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

Fun, interesting read for christmas. A real page turner, nice quick read. Perfect for that winter read we all need to dive into.

The last knight in Ireland dies suddenly, and leaves the castle to his youngest daughter (Willow), his eldest daughter (Ottie) gets a camp site and her cottage, and his middle daughter (Pip) gets the stables that she loves, and his wife (Serena) gets the dower house.

Willow has a hard decision to make as she can't afford to do the repairs that the castle so desperately needs, and so decides to sell the castle, which none of her sisters or mother likes, if only for the fact that they don't understand why Willow has inherited it, and not Serena, or Ottie.

Everyone has secrets in this book, and they are all going to come out at the Christmas party which is to be held at the castle.

I enjoyed the book, and found some of the secrets obvious, and others a surprise. It did set the scene well, with the castle feeling like another character in the book!

The Christmas Party was published on 31st October 2019, and is available to buy on Amazon and on Waterstones. I've found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!

You can follow Karen Swan on Twitter.

If you're interested in family drama books, then here's some others I've reviewed:

The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley 🌟🌟🌟🌟

The Butterfly Room by Lucinda Riley 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Those Who Are Loved by Victoria Hislop 🌟🌟🌟🌟

The Confession by Jessie Burton 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

The Perfect Dress by Louisa Leaman 🌟🌟🌟

Rachel's Pudding Pantry by Caroline Roberts 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Christmas at Rachel's Pudding Pantry by Caroline Roberts 🌟🌟🌟🌟

I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Pan Macmillan (the publishers) for this book.

Check out my GoodReads profile to see more reviews!

First Karen Swan book I’ve read and couldn’t put it down, hen it started in the Lorne Castle I wondered if it would be for me, but I loved it. The story centres around Lorne Castle in Ireland where the last knight who only has daughters is at the helm of Lorne. Shock events follow the 3 sisters as their lives go in different paths but can they come back together again. It was like reading 3 stories in one.
Can’t wait to read more from this author.

A contemporary, complex family drama set in a wonderfully atmospheric Ireland. A tale of three sisters, who life has driven apart, despite their closeness in growing up. The untimely death of their father has profound effect on all of them. Not just in terms of grief, but the enforced change in lifestyle, due to financial straits, and the gradual unraveling of the secrets they hide.

This is a slow paced emotional story. The three woman are hard to empathise, but they are believable and relatable. The world building is detailed and may not appeal. Seasonal rather than festive, the Christmas Party is used to draw the story to a dramatic conclusion.

Deep and often dark, this is a story of legacy,love and life.

I received a copy of this book from Pan Macmillan via Netgalley in return for an honest review.

Sisters Willow, Pip and Ottie reunite a few months before Christmas when their father, the last knight of Ireland, dies suddenly. The girls end up being shocked when youngest daughter Willow is left in control of their father's failing estate and given the tough decision to sell the land or not. Each woman deals with their grief and new happenings in their life, as Christmas gets closer and a prospective new owner decides to throw a Christmas party in their childhood home.

First off, this isn't really a Christmas book so if you haven't got to this book yet and think you need to wait till festive season again, you don't have to - the cover and title make it seem like this is just a seasonal read but the story and the majority of it takes place in the months leading up to Christmas and Christmas isn't really a big deal in the story at all.

This is probably one of my favourite books from Karen Swan I've read so far - I think the story was written really well, and each character was given enough time so I didn't feel like one character was left behind. It took me a while to warm up to the sisters - I wouldn't say they are the most likeable characters I've ever read. Ottie is in a relationship with a married man, Pip is honestly just really weirdly rude to a really nice guy over a stupid slight from when they were teenagers and Willow is juts difficult.

But I did, by the end, end up liking each of the characters and admiring different things in each. There's nothing surprising in this book, you can pretty much predict everything that's going to happen if you read enough contemporary but I didn't mind that. I like knowing what will happen and just seeing how we'll get there.

A great read, light and lovely. Would read again. It's so good 5******************* if your looking for a easy holiday read this is it

This is another of Karen Swan's great Christmas/Winter themed reads. Although this contains elements of romance within the story, the main plot does not solely revolve around this, and so is not just some Christmas romance, but has a story line which contains many events that leave you wanting to know more. The novel is set in the Irish village of Lorne. Lorne castle has been inhabited by the Lorne family for over 700 years, when suddenly the last Lorne Knight dies, leaving no male family member to become the heir of this title. Instead he leaves three daughters, Ottie, Pip and Willow fatherless and his wife a widow, to inherit parts of the Lorne estate. However, it is the youngest member of the family, Willow who inherits the castle itself. When the will is read and the family learn of their inheritance, they also learn that there is no money left to continue the maintenance of the castle and so Willow - who is now the owner of the castle - discovers there are no options left but to sell the castle; not only have the family lost their dear father and husband, but also now their home. This situation places pressure on the relationship between the three sisters and their mother, as Willow tries to make the decision she feels she must do. As the plot unfolds however, we find it is not just the relationships of the girls that is under pressure, but relationships with potential partners and secret lovers. The book keeps you intrigued as a reader, not only wanting to know more about these characters, but wanting to know how events will develop as further misfortune hits the family at points in the text. The story culminates at party held at the castle, where secrets that have been hidden for many years are revealed. I very much enjoyed this book, with a series of events which kept me wanting to know more about the characters and what was going to happen to them, whilst being based around the the time leading up to Christmas. This is not just a Christmas read, but is also a great book to curl up and enjoy by the fire on a winter's day. My thanks go out to netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this.