Karen Swan books are always a joy to read and this was no different.

It centres around three daughters and the last Knight in Ireland, a title that could only be passed down to a male heir. When their father dies and the will is read it contains shocks for all the family, the youngest daughter, inherits their home which is a castle with a big repair bill, she's not thrilled by this as she left the family home some years before under a bit of a cloud. It takes some time for us to find out why which I found quite intriguing. The middle sister is very strong minded and gets herself hospitalised more than once while trying to move her trekking stable business forward. However the oldest daughter, a talented artist who helped her father run the estate and who everyone thought would inherit the castle. Their mother is to be moved to the Dowager House.

the book then unfolds leaving the reader curious to find out the full story of the 3 sisters and why their father left everything to his youngest daughter, there is a love interest as well, not terribly christmassy however it does end with a big Christmas party where all the loose ends tie up nicely leaving you with a smile on your face and a little sad the story has finished.

Thank you to Pan Macmillan and Netgallery for an advance copy in return for an unbiased review

This is the story of three sisters, Ottie, Pip and Willow whose father, Declan Lorne owns Lorne Castle in Kilmally, Ireland and is the last knight in Ireland. Following a big party to celebrate his thirtieth wedding anniversary Declan dies suddenly. He has no son to inherit the title and no money to care for the castle.

The reading of the will brings some shocks as Declan has not left the castle his wife, Serena, or eldest daughter but to the only daughter who had fled the nest and is living away in Dublin. The rest of the book is about relationship problems with potential romance as the family try to find a way of saving the castle from being sold. There are secrets from the past which emerge as the plot moves on....slowly.

Christmas finally finds it way into the book as the final chapter is leading up to a Christmas party. Other than that, do not expect Christmas scenes with warm cosy interiors and beautiful decorations and mulled wine aromas to visualise.

The story was okay but I didn’t relate to any of the character and it not being a Christmas book just irked me.

With thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book. It was a bit slow to begin with but I’m glad I persevered as the pace turned into a sprint. The breadth of characters was fab, from those in the castle to the town, from the loveable to ones to detest.

Each sister was completely different and loved seeing the different perspectives of the estate. Their loves and relationships were really spicy and evolved to a great conclusion.

The story’s conclusion was perfect and loved the treasure hunt at the end.

Sit down with a hot chocolate in front of the fire and enjoy - and ignore the Irish chill from the story.

At first I thought this would be a typical family saga but it is much more than that. The storytelling is exquisite with twists and turns which keep you gripped until the final page. I could not put this book down and I was in tears by the end.

Chick lit at it’s absolute best! Yes, predictable but beautifully written, warm and emotional. A proper story with characters to care about. A wonderful Christmas holiday read.

This was brilliant. I laughed and gasped and overall enjoyed this story. This is a great Christmas story and perfect for this time of year. A highly recommended read.

What a brilliant story. Three sisters and all very different. Set in a castle in Ireland...
It's well written and my favourite of her books.
Theres love, troubles festivities and lots of fun.
I could not put it down

Thank you to the author and publishers for the arc of The Christmas Party.
I have always enjoyed Karen Swans books and this one did not disappoint.
Three sisters, all very different and leading their own lives, then their dad dies and throws their worlds into a spin.
I liked the characters and the story lines that intertwined throughout and also the little surprise twist at the end.
I didn't feel it was particularly christmassy though and could have been anytime of the year and any type of party.
Overall a thoroughly enjoyable and easy read.

As usual, I will not reiterate the plot details - there are plenty of other reviews out there if that's what you are looking for.

This book was chosen as an antidote to some of the heavier novels I've tried to tackle recently.

I quite enjoyed it! The characters were not all sweetness and light (far from it in some cases!) and the plot was quite predictable at times. However that's exactly what you want sometimes - a light read, perfect for a wintry afternoon or a journey.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC.

PS: I wonder if the author will write a follow-up - there's still plenty of material to delve into...

Within just the first third of this book there are near death experiences, death itself, a broken family, an unexpected set of results from a will reading, and clearly all members of the hiding secrets but at that stage you have no idea just what they are.

To say just that first perhaps third of the story is eventful would be an understatement and doesn't even scratch the surface of everything that happens in this book, and the story of the Lorne sisters, who are no longer as close as they once were.

I did find this a bit tricky to get into, only because I was trying to get all the characters straight in my mind, but then suddenly around that 30% mark or so, everything just clicked in my mind. and I was utterly hooked and couldn't get enough of this story.

There isn't really a quiet or dull moment in this incredibly tightly written and plotted story, everything seems to move the story along, and although its all takes place over a relatively short space of time,

I loved the three sister's completely distinct and different personalities, Pip, the horse mad one, Ottie who runs a camping site and has a secret that will upset many people when it comes out, and Willow who had been living in Dublin away from the family a hadn't been home for a few years until a critical phone call drags her back to the family home.

Karen Swan is fabulous at writing Christmas books and this is probably me second favourite of them, to only Christmas Under the Stars. An utterly brilliant book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading.

Thank you to Pan and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

I loved this book! It took me a little bit to get into and to get warmed up to the characters but then I couldn’t put it down. The Christmas party follows the story of three sisters after the sudden death of their father. His will isn’t what anyone expects and the fallout from that and how they cope with their grief as well as romances is not straightforward. I really enjoyed this book and the ending was perfect along with a few tears!
A fantastic read

Willow has a huge life changing shock when her father dies suddenly, and she finds that she is the heir to the castle which has been home to her and her two sisters. They have not been close for a while as Willow has 'escaped' the nest for all sorts of emotional reasons. She decides that the only thing she can do is to sell the house, which leaves her sisters reeling. Ottie who loves the beach, Pip whose life is tied up with her horses, and her mother , who as yet hasn't been told of the sale.
It is quite a complex story, with a large number of characters to get to know. Connor, the buyer of the castle is a much maligned man, who actually one rather likes.
The ending is touching.
I enjoyed the book very much, though found that every now and then I had to remind myself as to who was who.
Thanks to NetGalley for a review copy.

This is a charming, very well written story following three sisters in the run up to Christmas Day 2019. I really devoured this enjoyable tale which has many likeable characters which are perfectly described to allow the reader to picture them - including the lovely Irish setting! The book leads the reader on a feel good journey and has some of everything - humour, sadness, fear, tension and of course love. There is, as always, a serious message held within the lightheartedness. Whilst the book does have the ever-predictable ending this knowledge does not spoil the enjoyment of reading a book based around Christmas - after all those of us who read Christmas novels do so for this very reason. The perfect Christmas fairytale!

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for an advanced readers copy of ‘The Christmas Party’ by Karen Swan. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway.

"The Christmas party" was a lovely romance with lots of surprises and twists. Unlike many books of this genre, I wasn't really able to predict what would happen towards the end.

It started with everyone having a party, celebrating the parents' 30th Anniversary, apart from the youngest daughter, Willow who was partying in her own way somewhere in Dublin. All of a sudden, their world turns upside down and they are faced with revelation after revelation. With all the twists and turns in the book, the real party came afterwards, unlocking lots of emotions.

It was a great read.

A nice enough read. Certainly not about a Christmas party as the title would suggest so don't read it if you want enveloped in festive atmosphere as really it just happens to be set around Christmas.
A story of a family of 3 daughters trying to come to terms with the death of their father and the reading of his will. This brings along with it 3 not unexpected romantic tales.
An pleasant enough read but I wasn't blown away

I really enjoyed this. Families, relationships and secrets - what could be a better combination at Christmas time! I loved the stories of the three sisters and the challenges they’re all facing; a great read!

If you are looking for a book with strong female characters and a story that is steeped with family heritage then you will not be disappointed with this tale. Set in Lorne, Ireland its 700 hundred year old castle and its inhabitants is the centre of this story. When it’s last Knight of Ireland dies suddenly a whole host of secrets are uncovered with ramifications and difficult decisions for Ottie, Pip, Willow and their Mother Serena.

The will reveals some shocks too as the castle along with all its problems, is left to Willow the youngest who quickly decides that selling is the only option as she severed ties with it 3 years ago leaving for a new life in Dublin. Pip inherits the stables and her beloved horses and Ottie the eldest gets the campsite on Lorne land.

I enjoyed this story but was disappointed that Christmas was not featured more as it is called The Christmas Party.

My thanks to Net Galley for the digital ARC.

Oh, I loved this story of family secrets and intrigue. Karen Swan always knows how to capture my interest and get me thinking about the possible outcomes. This book is well written with an exciting, rich storyline, set in Ireland it has lots of drama which kept my attention right to the end.

The characters are really interesting, the three sisters, daughters of the last Lord of the estate, are all so different. I loved their varied personalities, they have their secrets too which makes them at odds with each other at times and events add to this too. I liked all of them and the male leads in the story, I so wanted to see where it all led that I found it hard ot put the book down at times.

This is the perfect story for a Christmas read. Grab a glass of wine and curl up with this one, you won't be disappointed.

I loved this book. It has depth as it follow three sisters each with their own problems and dreams as they deal with the depth of their father and a falling down castle. It has a subtle Christmas theme rather than a novel which oozes the festive season which makes a refreshing change.

This is the tale of three Irish sisters - Ottie, Pip and Willow - dealing with family tragedy and romantic disappointments in the run up to Christmas. I do love a Christmas novel and have previously enjoyed Karen Swan's Christmas at.Tiffany's so I was optimistic about this one but sadly it left me feeling very bah humbug. It's overlong and poorly plotted - all of the plot twists are visible so far in advance that they could be dressed in fairy lights. There are inconsistencies in the narrative- the remote family castle for example, which is at least an hour's travel time for all the guests at the party which opens the novel - is later just a short drive from the nearest ICU. Perhaps a minor detail but these things irritate me as they are disrespectful to the reader. Poor editing showed up in a way which set my teeth on edge throughout the novel, and that was the way that every character repeatedly said "jeesht" to express shock/ surprise/ anger. On Every. Single. Page. Is it even a word? Half my family are Irish and I've never heard any of them say "jeesht". This one thing alone killed my Christmas spirit because playing "spot the jeesht" on every page drove me slightly crazy. The Cork setting is nice and some the minor characters were quite colourful and well drawn but overall this was a Christmas turkey for me.