The Secret Christmas Library by Jenny Colgan ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

Mirren Sutherland stumbled into a career as an antiquarian book hunter after finding a priceless antique book in her great aunt’s attic. Now, as Christmas approaches, she’s been hired by Jamie McPherson, the surprisingly young and handsome laird of a Highland clan whose ancestral holdings include a vast crumbling castle. Family lore suggests that the McPherson family’s collection includes a rare book so valuable that it could save the entire estate—if they only knew where it was. Jamie needs Mirren to help him track down this treasure, which he believes is hidden in his own home.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

October 2025; William Morrow; 978-0063455443
audio, ebook, print (320 pages); women's fiction

Susan has reviewed several of Jenny Colgan's books. I have only read one of her novels. I also read the Christmas short story that is an Amazon Original (Prime members can read it for free!). The Christmas Book Hunt is a prequel to The Secret Christmas Library, but you don't have to have read it to enjoy this new novel. I only remember a little about the story and any relevant details are refreshed in this book.

I'm having unseasonably warm temperatures for the holidays, so I have gravitated to snowy stories. The spectacular snowy landscape of Scotland is gloriously detailed in the book, and I could feel the cold. 

I loved the mystery aspect of this book. There's no crime and definitely no dead bodies - though Mirren did have a way of stumbling upon potentially deadly situations. It is like a treasure hunt - they start with a poem that leads them to a clue that they then have to decipher. The clues aren't provided fully to the reader so you can't quite play along, but it is still fun seeing the characters figure out the clues.

The characters are great together. Mirren and Theo are there as the book experts, and then Jamie's sister shows up just as the only road to the estate is closed. Bonnie, the housekeeper, is there as well. 

I was absolutely loving this book - all the way until the detailed sex scene. There was flirting between the characters, but the book did not feel like a romance novel at all, and then suddenly there is this sex scene. I thought it kind of came out of the blue and felt like it would have fit in with a raunchy romance novel. It felt odd, and it didn't feel like it fit with the rest of the novel. 

I'm not sure about the title either. I was expecting them to find a secret Christmas library. Like, there was a hidden room somewhere in the castle that Jamie, Esme, and Bonnie never discovered in their years growing up on the estate. But that wasn't the case.

It's not a super Christmasy book. Christmas is mentioned a few times, mostly in reference to the fact that Mirren and Theo are going to miss their family Christmases (though they aren't too disappointed by that fact). 

Overall, it is a great book. I think it would be fun to read when you are actually snowed in. 

Whether you have snow or wish you had snow, you should get this book.

Buy The Secret Christmas Library at Amazon

Donna Huber is an avid reader and natural encourager. She is the founder of Girl Who Reads and the author of how-to marketing book Secrets to a Successful Blog Tour.

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