Audiobook Review of The Return of Kris Kringle by Caroline Mickelson

 

• By: Caroline Mickelson
• Narrated by: Carly Robins
• Length: 2 hrs and 2 mins
• Unabridged
• Release date: 08-03-15
• Language: English
• Publisher: Caroline Mickelson

After years away from the North Pole, Kris Kringle happily accepts her Uncle Santa’s offer to move back to Christmas Central as head chef. With her young daughter in tow, Kris returns home with two objectives in mind. Goal number one, bring her love of healthy eating and nutritious fare to the North Pole dining service. Goal number two, recover from heartbreak and forget Kyle Masterson, the man who broke her heart. But when Santa hires Kyle as a new co-chef for the holiday season, Kris suddenly realizes that replacing the elves’ beloved sugar cookies with carrots is going to be a piece of cake compared to working alongside her ex-fiancé.

Narration:  The narration was well-done for this audiobook.  The character distinction was clear, for the most part, which made it easy to understand which characters were speaking.  The narrator displayed commendable tonal range.  Male and female characters were easily differentiated.   Younger characters did sound similar to the elves; and I wished Kyle’s voice was a bit more masculine.  He sometimes sounded like one of the elves.   (4.5/5)

Production:  Sound quality was good. The audio was clear and sound levels were consistent.  Pauses between chapters was sufficient. (5/5)

Overall Experience:  Overall this story translated to audio quite well.  I don’t think anything was lost in the translation. I enjoyed listening. (5/5)

 

The Story

Kris is going home.  She’s left her fiancé and her life “below” to head back home to the North Pole.  She’s warmly greeted by the elves, her Uncle Santa and the rest of the family.  Her biggest problem seems to be convincing the North Pole residents that switching to healthy foods will be a good thing.  Until she realises that sneaky Uncle Santa has hired ex-fiancé, Kyle to work with her.  Kyle wants Kris and her daughter back in his life and is willing to work hard to achieve his dream.

This is a super sweet Christmas story and was my first for the season.  It’s a novella and is guaranteed to make you smile.  Although Kris tries to pass off roasted vegetables as the epitome of holiday eating, there are still lots of decadent deserts mentioned to make your mouth water.  My main issue with this story involves the romantic conflict.  It’s explained well and is a reasonable conflict.  The resolution, however, is lacking.

Some things I liked:

• The sweet, family vibe.
• The rambunctious elves.
• Kyle.  He’s dedicated to his mission of winning back Kris.

Some things I did not like:

• I know healthy eating was part of plot but…. it’s Christmas.  Bring out the sugar cookies and can the spinach!
• The resolution of the romantic conflict was not at all well-developed (even for a novella).
• The protagonist’s daughter behaved and spoke more maturely than was realistic for her age.

Although there was a significant hole in the resolution of the story, it was still very enjoyable.  I think it would make a great audio story to play during a family car trip.

Disclaimer: I received this audiobook at no-cost from Audiobookworm Promotions.  This gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

 

Overall: 3.5/5