The Christmas Lights

I loved the unexpected in this story, the little things you think you have guessed which turn out not to be quite right. I twists and turns which keep you glued to the pages and make it such a brilliant read.Set in Norway in December, amongst the snow and ice, I felt I was right there watching the story unfold. By the time I had finished my heart was racing and I had shed a tear or two.It did take me a little while to warm up to Zac, Bo and Lenny. They are free-spirited world travel bloggers, living the dream life and I found them hard to like at first. However, as the story unfolded and their characters and backstories became apparent I became totally engrossed in their tale. As well as Signy's story, which runs throughout the book. The characters were well developed and definitely believable.This is yet another really well written, riveting read from Karen Swan. I loved reading it and found it so hard to actually put down. I would recommend reading this curled up in front of a fire on a winters evening, though anytime is a good time to read such a well-written story.

I have read quite a few Karen Swan's books and have enjoyed them all. This was such a disappointment and I've given up 140 pages in. A novel about social media bloggers is always going to be pretty dull, if that's what their lives revolve around, but this is really poor. I usually like the quirkiness that Karen's books have but I'm afraid this one is just boring, as are all the characters. The dual historical storyline was dreary and I skimmed most of these sections. I read a few of the last pages and I don't think it improved nor did I miss anything.

Karen Swan has done it again. This is a gorgeous, festive Christmas read full of romance but also so much more - an intriguing historical subplot, suspense, escapist glamour, stunning, evocative Norwegian landscapes and a real page-turner of a book. Also, I was really pleased to see that after her last book, A Greek Affair, slightly dialled down on romance, the chemistry between the hero and heroine in this new novel was much more of a focus. Gorgeous!

This was worth reading for the evocation of the Geiranger fjord location alone. I was surprised to read some reviews condemning the superficiality of the bloggers' lifestyle as I thought the artificiality of Bo's life and her growing disenchantment with it was a major theme of the book together with the dangers of a voyeuristic society. A really good read as usual.

Love Karen Swan books. At first I was unsure with this book. But as it progressed tuned into a book of twists and turns. Set in Norway you could just imagine yourself there. Just when you thought you knew who was stalking Bo there would be another twist too the tale. Right to the end it had your heart racing. I couldn't put the book down. An excellent read for those cold winter nights. Can't wait for Karen's next book.