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CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN: How to Slay at Christmas by Sarah Bonner


Jessica Williams loves Christmas: the food, the drink, the fairy lights, the opportunities to take out all the miserable people who ruin the festive season for others. And what better cover for her murderous intentions than taking a job as Mrs Claus at the Ellsbury Christmas Market grotto? After all, who would possibly think Mrs Claus could stab a man through the eye with a Phillips-head screwdriver?

Fearne Dixon hates Christmas. As the long-suffering wife of the Ellsbury Christmas Market’s manager, she’s sick to the back teeth of it and it’s still only November. But then the bodies start piling up, an old rival arrives back in her life, and Fearne reaches breaking point.

"When someone is writing a list of people they think could be guilty of garrotting a man with a strand of Christmas lights, they are not going to think of Santa's wife, are they? And trust me. No one ever figured out it was me."

Well this slayed (Sleighed?) - but that's exactly what I've come to expect from Sarah Bonner so it truly felt like all my Christmas's came at once when I saw she was dropping a festive edition to the How To Slay line.

Meet Jessica - she loves twinkly lights, killing bad men and finding the perfect Christmassy job over the winter. I was obsessed with her within minutes - her easy, friendly narration style that made it so easy to read with her little hilarious, witty quips and of course, the way she casually drops the trail of men she's killed into conversation within the first few pages.

And then, Meet Fearne; who absolutely hates Christmas. She lives on eggshells, too tired to fight with her judgy, clueless husband and his stupid Christmas market. 

Both leading ladies share telling the story, letting us into their private lives first and keeping the story zipping along with short, sharp chapters and so much energy. I loved watching these two women come into each others orbit with no idea how their lives were going to change, seeing a friendship form that will shape their stories. As Jessica starts her new Mrs Claus role, a mysterious narrator starts to get on the trail but she's too busy adding bad men to her own naughty list, making sure her targets are deserving of their spot and meticulously planning their deaths. 

Honestly, the angry woman in me went absolutely feral as she expertly dispatched a line of abusive, violent, misogynistic men with a vigilante, bloody justice. Is Jessica a bad person? Eh, kind of yeah, killing people isn't great. But she's also a good friend, kind, supportive, selfless - I can't do anything but support her because she's the perfect embodiment of the desire to fight back against bad men and the fantasy of doing more than just getting equal - getting even instead.

On top of a chaotic murder story, the festive vibes were killer. Sometimes I forgot what kind of book I was reading because I was so swept up in the magic of the Christmas market, a potential blossoming romance and the sparkling festive setting.

A delightful dark revenge fantasy with a very lovable murderess, newfound friendships and lots of festive fun. 


⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


  • I received a reviewers copy of this title.


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