THE CHRISTMAS EXPRESS – Isla Gordon
Avon
ISBN: 978-0063463004
September 2, 2025
Contemporary Romance

Canada – Present Day

Bryn moved from England to the far reaches of Canada on Vancouver Island, where she made a new life and found love with Ruby. She will be marrying Ruby on December 27th and hopes to have her friends from England present. Alas, her group of six friends who were once close are now barely speaking to each other. But Bryn has the idea of having the six ride the train from Toronto to Vancouver. She isn’t going to tell them about the train ride and will surprise them upon arrival in Toronto. Now they will be traveling together and hopefully repair their friendships. 

Joe and Joss are typical siblings. Always fighting, and now they have to be together on this trip. Will they survive without getting even madder at each other? Cali and Luke were friends at first, but years ago, they became lovers for one week. But that change in their relationship didn’t go over well with the small group of friends, and their affair ended. Will the fact that they are still attracted to each other play a part in reuniting them? Sara has a secret. Will she tell the others what it is? Then, finally, we have Ember. She and Bryn were romantically involved, and Ember wasn’t invited to the wedding, but she is determined to see Bryn before she marries because she suspects their feelings for each other aren’t over. 

THE CHRISTMAS EXPRESS has many characters, and at times I found it hard to keep up with who is who and how they are connected. This tale is told from everyone’s point of view and is narrated in the first person, so keeping track of who was speaking and expressing their views made this a challenging read at times. It’s not clear if any, except maybe for Bryn, who we rarely see, is the main protagonist in this tale. But if I had to guess, it was Ember because a lot happened to her. She is undecided about how Bryn will react when she shows up unannounced. Along the way, she meets other travelers, including Alex. Will a new romance develop between the two women? Will she become friends with the other passengers to the wedding?

Cali doesn’t want Luke to see that he still means a lot to her, so she tells everyone she has a boyfriend. Turns out Luke has a girlfriend, too, so that means they are off limits to each other, right? Despite this complication, they dance around each other with looks and chat together. Will they finally get together? Joe and Joss still fight, but by the end of the train trip, will they have figured out their unresolved problems and guilt? Oh, and the train stops in places so that these six people can get out and see the area, such as in Jasper National Park. 

Will Ember get a chance to talk to Bryn? Will Cali and Luke find a way to get back together? THE CHRISTMAS EXPRESS is like a convoluted tale where you need a scorecard to keep track. But in the end, it is about love, naturally. 

Patti Fischer