Brothers of the Vine
Forever Evermore
Women of W.A.R.
With the release of the hotly-anticipated A Christmas Prince 3 just around the corner, we thought it would be fun to re-watch the first film in this *saga*. We got one of our favourite authors Lauren K. McKellar to watch the movie and give us her thoughts…
Is it too soon to start getting in the Christmas spirit? I say never! While I might not endorse decking the halls as we’re clearing hot cross buns from the shelves, October is just a hop, skip and jump away from mistletoe season, and given my penchant for kissing books, I couldn’t be more excited.
This season, I can’t wait to sink my teeth into a host of Christmas novels and of course revisit some holiday movies, including A Christmas Prince.
I’ve seen this movie before and found it a good way to get into the spirit without having to work too hard. It’s fun and light, and it ticks almost every Christmas story trope there is. Hard heart turns good? Check. Family life not perfect but heart is full by movie’s end? Check. Love conquers all? Check, check, check.
It tells the story of American journalist Amber who travels to the foreign nation of Aldovia to try to crack a story on the bad boy Prince Richard who—spoiler alert—isn’t quite as ‘bad boy’ as the press have been led to believe.
The scenery is the real hero in this story for me. Castles, snow and stunningly decorated Christmas trees all get the tick.
The leads in this film have a nice amount of chemistry, but for me, the standout performances are Honor Kneafsey, who plays a handicapped princess, and Alice Krige, who is a suitably dignified and elegant queen.
**mostly**
This is a great way to dip your toes into the season in warm-up for all the great Christmas releases coming up. It’s perfect to enjoy with a glass of sparkling wine, some sweet shortbread and, of course, your best holiday spirit.
Lauren K McKellar
One promotion, two dedicated employees, one very inconvenient attraction…
Claire Roberts wants one thing this Christmas: to land the big promotion at work and finally shake free of the office gossip that haunts her. What she doesn’t need is more competition, especially from a man who is nothing but trouble.
Hamish Christianson’s Christmas wish is to get that same promotion so he can support those he loves. What he doesn’t need is for his ‘nice guy’ personality to get in the way, or even worse, to fall for his biggest rival.
With everything on the line, will Hamish and Claire discover what it truly means to win? Or will their naughty games ruin everything?
A delightful holiday novella from our favourite Australian storyteller Lauren K McKellar.