Christmas Past

Please give my Amazon review a helpful vote - https://www.amazon.com/gp/review/R2VSPYMD0XX9RT?ref_=glimp_1rv_cl

My rating reflects more on me than on the book.

This is the first of the St. Mary's books that I've read, so I came into this with no introduction to the characters or knowledge about their backstory. This story presupposes that knowledge, although it makes a fair effort to explain some of the high points of this “story universe.” So, we get an idea about the “pods” that do the time traveling and some of the features of St. Mary's. We get an introduction to Max, her husband, Leon, and their son, Matthew, who we learn was stolen and abandoned in Dickensian London.

On the other hand, there were a lot of inside jokes about characters who were obviously trotted out in order to fulfill fan expectations. I did not know who these people were or what their interactions were supposed to mean, so that part went over my head.

The story is rather simple. Young Matthew wants to visit the squalid Dickensian home where his adopted brothers are kept to give them a bit of Christmas cheer. One thing leads to another and there is a bit of an adventure.

It is a fine story, but slight, and I'm sure that I would have enjoyed it more with background.

My recommendation - which I intend to follow - is to begin at the beginning.