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.

This book had me hooked early on. I loved seeing how the relationship between the sisters and mother changed throughout the book. The ending was very good, a lot of books have a weak ending but this was not the case with this one.

In the beginning the Christmas party seems a misnomer as you are plummeted straight into sadness, loss, financial strife and family tensions!
However the sheer beauty of the descriptions of the rugged coastline, the verging-on -derelict castle and the little sanctuaries that Ottie and Pip have carved out of the estate soon bring you right onto the page.
The gradual reveal of why Willow left and what she plans to do now she is back create a level of anticipation that is not disappointed as the truth comes out and the juxtaposition of hating Connor for wanting the castle and loving Connor because- well because there has to be a handsome fella to fall for in a Christmas romance.
A book with plenty of drama, intrigue, misguided ideas and eventual triumph!

This enjoyable tale features the women of the Lorne family in Ireland after the death of the patriarch. Each of the women has different issues to deal with and receives sometimes surprising bequests. The story revolves around how they handle their inheritance and make new lives for themselves. This book was complex enough to be interesting but still very readable. There are some great characters and inventive storylines. Recommended.

Unable to give feedback as issues with this and several other titles and unable to download another copy

What a glorious book to read.
The story of Lorne Castle its last knight, his wife and his three daughters
It started sadly with the last knight dying and leaving his will which no one had expected to reveal what it did
Willow the baby ends up the major stakehold the castle itself is that a good thing or a bad thing ?
Willow has her own life in Dublin she left the castle 3 years ago and vowed never to return until the death of her father
Now she is in a very tricky situation
Her sisters Pip and Ottie are well provided for as far as they concerned
But their mother has been left a house she hates and she flees to her best friends
All separated on their own how on earth will they be together for the upcoming Christmas ?

What a fabulous book! I started reading expecting a cutesy little Christmas book but boy was I wrong! This is a blockbuster of a book full of richly fleshed characters each with their own backstory. The book revolves around 3 sisters, daughters of the last knight in Ireland who leaves behind some bombshells on his death. Nobody is who they seem to be ; each playing their designated part but each sitting on their own secrets , hopes and dreams. Karen Swan takes us on a fantastic journey through the lives of the sisters, their parents, their friends and their community, which revolves around Lorne Castle , a much loved home and heritage sadly in need of repair and a great deal of money , to survive. A handsome stranger is prepared to buy the castle but he has been thwarted once -will he succeed this time? I found myself totally invested in the lives and loves of this complex, mercurial, spirited and lovable family . I hated finishing this book as I didn't want to say goodbye to these characters who had woven their magical spell around me. I think there is material for a sequel here....please....

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story. Based in Southern Ireland and involving the end of a fictitious 700year old dynasty and the effects of this on the family. There was a interesting and varied cast of characters which all seemed very realistic. Such a feel good conclusion.

This was a very unique story for me. I loved how it told the stories of each of the daughters lives as well as their mother and fathers, often which crops up following the cash of one parent as in this case. I loved how the village pub was always busy despite pubs closing down so much these days. What a way to bring a castle into the 21st century!

This book was definitely more of a family drama than a lighthearted Christmas story, and I was hoping for the latter when I picked it up. Whilst eventually I did find myself getting quite into all the different plots of the three sisters, it took a while for this book to really get going for me. I think I would’ve preferred this book if it had just been from Willow’s perspective and I’d have been able to really connect to one main character, as opposed to all three sisters. (Mostly because I really didn’t like Ottie or Pip) I also found that the narrative skipped around a lot with only a break in paragraph to signify this, I have one single brain cell and would get confused by who I was reading about fairly regularly.
The last 30% of this book or so I thoroughly enjoyed, the Christmas party the book is titled about actually happened (and also wasn’t even mentioned for most of the book?) and everything came together quite nicely, it just took too long for it all to happen for me. This book definitely could’ve been a lot shorter, and could’ve done a lot more to reveal the ‘family secrets’ throughout to keep interest rather than happening in the space of about five pages.

I have only read one other Karen Swan novel “the Christmas lights” and very much enjoyed it, an interesting idea about bloggers combined with good writing. However, this storyline really left me disinterested. It felt too predictable, too chic lit, too everything! I read through to the predictable end as I had been given the opportunity to read it by Netgalley for an unbiased review and felt obligated to finish it, hoping that it may be something less obvious! It wasn’t. Karen Swan is a very successful story writer and it may just be me.

A great festive read, but quite different to what I expected based on the description of the book.

The book is told from the points of view of the three sisters, and you learn more about their past and what they want from the future.

Some eunexpected twists in the story, and overall a great christmas read.

After the sudden death of her estranged father, the 29th and last Knight of Loren, Willow returns to Loren Castle and her two sisters Ottie and PIP. At the reading of the will each member of the family is shocked and surprised by the contents. They must all learn to live with new commitments and with old secrets being exposed.
It was interesting to watch characters develop and mature under the gaze of the villagers.
This is an enjoyable read but one which took longer than usual to capture my full attention.

This was a beautifully written book by Karen Swan. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It held me captive from beginning to end. I enjoyed following the different characters and their lives so sadly changed by the death of a husband and father. I loved the twists and turns as the story was told. This was one book I never wanted to end. Brilliant.

Normally with a romantic novel you get one girl meets boy and the complications of their relationship. With this book you get three such stories!
This is another success for Karen Swann. The story is about three sisters, the loss of their father and the problems caused by the lack of a male for the last knight of Ireland.

This book definitely got me into the festive mood!

It follows the 3 Lorne sisters who have to deal with their fathers legacy when he dies, he is the last knight in Ireland and lives in a castle.

There are mounting debts that their father was unable to sort before he died, so the only choice seems to be to sell the castle,

In the midst of the issues with the legacy, each sister, Ottie, pip and Willow have their own trials and tribulations to work through....what drove Willow to leave home three years ago.....What keeps Ottie almost imprisoned to the estate and why does pip seem hell bent on risking her life to follow her dream.

A few little surprises in the tale, but largely it ended as I expected especially once the inventory revealed something was missing from the castle,

A great little festive read, perfect for these cold days and dark evenings.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book, this is my honest opinion.

Having read previous Karen Swan books, I was looking forward to this one and it doesn’t disappoint.

Ottie, Pip and Willow are left devastated when their father and last knight of Ireland, Declan Lorne, suddenly dies. Declan’s family are shocked to discover that he has left the estate to his youngest daughter Willow, but with it comes the news that they are in dire financial straits. Having been estranged from her family for the past 3 years, Willow has to decide whether to sell the estate and run for the hills or face up to her demons and stay.

An entertaining story with good characters, it was a quick and easy read.

I've not read anything by Karen Swan before but I was attracted by the lovely Christmasy cover and I'm addicted to Christmas books at the moment. However, I was so glad I downloaded The Christmas Party because it is a lovely romantic story, with brilliant characters that leap off the page. If you're looking for the perfect book to read in the run-up to Christmas, this is it.

When Declan Lorne (the last remaining knight in Ireland) dies unexpectedly, his ancient title dies with him. But his ramshackle estate, including a decrepit castle, is to be divided between his three daughters - and that doesn't go quite the way everyone expects either. The story is told from the point of view of the three sisters, Ottie, Pip and Willow, who now have to make some tough decisions. Will letting go of the past be the only way to secure their future?

What I loved most about this book was the characters. I found it refreshing that these women are not perfect and throughout the book they seemed to take it turns to behave badly (especially Pip!). I was left thinking 'Why did you DO that?!!' But it just made me love them more - especially Pip! I loved the big old castle that was falling down around their ears and the pressure on poor Willow to sell or not to sell. I especially loved the idea of throwing a fabulous Christmas party in a kind of 'out with the old, in with the new' kind of way. And there were a couple of terrific twists towards the end.

The Christmas Party is one of my favourite reads this year. I've just bought another Karen Swan book and I shall be starting it very soon!


Thank you to Karen Swan and Pan for my copy of this book, which I requested via NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

I always enjoy Karen Swan books and this was an excellent book about a family in Ireland. 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 the youngest daughter, Willow, inherits their home which is a castle with a big repair bill. Pip is very strong minded and gets herself hospitalised more than once while trying to move her trekking stable business forward. Ottie is 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.

I found the beginning a bit slow but once the story took off and I became curious about how their lives would unfold I didn't want to stop reading. Would Willow be able to find a way to keep the castle and do the repairs? It wasn't what I would call a Christmas book and shouldn't be marketed as such. This could be enjoyed at any time of year

This book is not really a Christmas book. It’s only the final few chapters that mention Christmas

This is the story of three sisters in Ireland who are left shocked after the sudden death of their father and the reading of his will

The book was written very well but apart from a couple of twists it was very predictable.
This was an ok read but nothing special.