My Most-Anticipated Holiday Books this Season
My Most-Anticipated Holiday Books this Season
Imagine this: As the snowflakes fall gently outside, you snuggle up in your favorite armchair with your warmest blanket and a good book. The fire in the fireplace crackles and pops, casting a warm glow throughout the room. The scent of freshly brewed cocoa fills your nostrils, adding to the cozy atmosphere.
You wrap your hands around your mug, savoring the warmth it provides as you lose yourself in the pages of your book. The world outside may be cold and bleak, but within the confines of your cozy little reading nook, you are content. The only sounds you hear are the occasional gusts of wind outside and the turning of pages.
As you read, you feel yourself becoming more and more immersed in the story, the characters becoming real to you. Time seems to stand still as you lose yourself in the pages of your book. You are grateful for this moment of peace and comfort, and you know that it is a memory you will cherish for years to come.
But what book are you reading? Scroll down to find out...
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Along Came Holly by Codi Hall
Holly Winters is not about to let her grumpy neighbor Declan steal her holiday joy…even if he does look rather handsome under the mistletoe.
Holly Winters owns the jolliest holiday shop on Main Street and this season is shaping up to be the best yet. The only pit in her figgy pudding? Declan Gallagher, the owner of the hardware store next door. He's the scroogiest man in all of Mistletoe, Idaho. Then Holly's revenge prank escalates into an all-out war with her Grinchy neighbor, and the situation turns sticky when she realizes she needs his help.
Declan can't believe the nerve of his oh-so-cheerful neighbor hiring him to set up her holiday lights display, but the money is too good to pass up. Despite his utter loathing of excessive decorations, he throws himself into getting the job done, only to encounter sabotage at every turn. To his astonishment, Declan finds himself championing the very woman who used to get under his skin. Then one rooftop kiss has him thinking maybe the season's traditions aren't as heinous as he believed. Declan's heart has grown three sizes since Holly came along, but how can he admit he's falling for the one woman he shouldn't want?
The Trouble with Tinsel by Juliet and Keith Giglio
What could be more magical than a Hollywood Christmas?
A few years after they broke up professionally and personally, the ex-screenwriting team of Kerri Williams and Jon Romano find their lives turned upside down when an old script is green-lit and they have to write together again. Now, for the month of December, Kerri must leave behind her life as a teacher in Brooklyn to return to sunny Hollywood and work with the man she used to love.
Jon and Kerri just want to finish the film and get this awkward reunion over with. But Amari Rivers, the star of their movie, thinks they're engaged and wants them on set for moral support and love advice. Wanting to keep the star happy, Kerri and Jon pretend to love each other, bringing back all the old feelings they've been trying so hard to forget. Could this be the Christmas they finally get their own happy ending?
This fun and festive holiday romantic comedy is perfect for readers of Jenny Bayliss, Maggie Knox, and Codi Hall.
Holiday Mix-Up by Ginny Baird
While You Were Sleeping meets The Wedding Date with a fun Puerto Rican holiday twist in NYT and USA Today bestselling author Ginny Baird's latest romance, in which a diner waitress agrees to be her patron's fake date...only for him to land in a coma and her to be stuck playing his sweetheart with his family all week long.
Lonely-hearted waitress Katie Smith has nowhere to go for Christmas, and a huge crush on her gorgeous diner patron Juan Martinez. So when Juan asks Katie to pose as his girlfriend for holiday festivities at his family's winery, Katie leaps at the chance…that is, until an accident lands Juan in a coma right after giving his folks the "news." Katie knows she should tell the Martinezes the truth, but when they immediately embrace her, Katie is reluctant to let her fantasy of a family holiday go. And then there's Juan's brother, Mateo, whose smile tugs at her heartstrings just right―and who tells her perfect Juan might not be everything he seems.
Second son Mateo Martinez loves his brother, but Juan's plan to "rebrand and expand" Los Cielos Cellars has cost their family too much and put its entire tradition in jeopardy. Katie seems to understand, but she's still committed to Juan…even when Mateo starts to wish her gentle heart and beautiful smile were committed to him instead. With the winery at stake, secrets on all sides, and Juan due to wake up any day, can Katie and Mateo follow their hearts to a Christmas miracle, or will this mix-up ruin their chances?
A Cowboy Country Christmas by Jennie Marts
There's no better time than Christmas to open your heart
Holt Callahan used to love the holidays, but getting dumped on Christmas Eve would turn anyone into a Grinch. Now he hates Christmas and all the holly jolly shenanigans that go with it. When he moves back to his cousin's ranch in Creedence, Colorado, the last thing he expects is to come face to face with the one who got away and all of her holiday cheer.
Lainey McBride is all about Christmas, and despite running her family's ranch festivities while her grandfather is in rehab, she hasn't lost her holiday spirit, no matter how many things don't go according to plan. But the holidays have their own way of healing, and a Christmas in Creedence just might be the merry magic that brings these two broken hearts back together again.
Paradise for Christmas by Carolyn Brown
Southern sass and spirit make every Christmas bright!
The oldest of seven sisters, Ursula Simmons has followed in her mother's footsteps as a novelist. With a bad case of writer's block, she brings her notebooks and computer home to the old brothel called Paradise where they all grew up, in the hope that being home for the holidays will inspire her―and since it's Christmas, all her sisters will be there too.
The sisters take the holidays very seriously, and as soon as they've celebrated Thanksgiving, it's on to decorating for Christmas. As all pitch in to make the spirits bright, younger sister Endora is dismayed to find some of the handsome men who've come to help doing more flirting than anything else. She's determined to show her sisters that no relationship is worth the heartbreak. But it might be Ursula who reminds the family that Christmas is a magical time, and finding new love is always a gift.
Her Wolf for the Holidays by Terry Spear
Thrilling adventure and sexy holiday fun in the Scottish Highlands.
When a new she-wolf moves in next door, only one alpha wolf can give her everything she wants for Christmas and more.
Edeen Campbell has heard many wild stories about the MacQuarrie clan living in the castle next door to her new home. She is determined that not even Lachlan MacQuarrie, the pack leader's brother, can ruin her holidays, no matter how hard he may try or how intrigued she is by him. But as Lachlan proves to her over and over that he is a wolf to be trusted, Edeen begins to change her mind about the pack and the very handsome wolf dedicated to making her first Highland Christmas a special one.
Second Chances in New Port Stephen by TJ Alexander
A trans man returns to his Florida hometown for Christmas after his career goes up in flames, only to cross paths with his high school ex in this charming rom-com about family and second chances from the author of the “delectable” (Time) Chef’s Kiss.
Christmas at the Shelter Inn by RaeAnne Thayne
Come home to Shelter Springs this Christmas, where hearts are warm and hopes are bright…
Growing up at the Shelter Inn hotel, Natalie Shepherd envied guests who could come and go as they pleased. So when it was time to finally leave for college and put the lush green mountains around Shelter Springs—along with the cloud of loss that seemed to follow her family—behind her, she swore she’d never come back. But now her sister McKenna needs a favor. On pregnancy bed rest at doctor’s orders, McKenna needs a helping hand with her twins and someone to take over the inn during the hectic holiday season, and Nat can’t refuse. And just when things can’t get worse, she runs into her late brother’s best friend, Griffin Taylor…
Griff has mixed feelings about Natalie’s return. She’s just as beautiful and full of life as he remembered, but there’s a secret he’s carried for years about her brother—and the guilt is eating away at him. Still, Christmas in this small town is filled with treasured traditions and new adventures that hold the promise of something sweet and lasting. From matchmaking seniors to rambunctious nieces, it seems everyone is hoping Nat and Griff will put loss behind them and find a happy new beginning…
The Ex-Mas Holidays by Zoe Allison
Maya Bashir is dreading her drive home for Christmas and having to explain that she's just left her high-paying job and a long-term relationship, so a brief detour to her friend’s festive party doesn’t seem like such a bad idea. Until Maya walks in to find the last person she wants to see: Sam, the boy who broke her heart eight years ago. And he’s serving drinks. Naked.
Sam Holland is working an extra job on the sly to help his friend get by. But little did he expect Maya Bashir to come barreling back into his life, learning about his secret side hustle and taking back her old job alongside him at his daytime role as a ski instructor on the slopes of the Scottish Highlands.
As both Sam and Maya realize that the reason for their heartbreak so many years ago wasn’t entirely as it seemed, they must learn to stand up for what they want the most . . . or else miss their second chance at love.
Love, Holly by Emily Stone
Ever since a car accident tore her family apart, Holly has been part of a lonely-hearts holiday letter–writing club. Each December, she writes to a stranger who is also spending Christmas alone, and receives a letter from another lonely person in return.
Usually, the letters go unanswered. That’s the point—the letters are anonymous, and the senders write whatever is in their heart. But this year, the letter Holly receives is different; not only is the letter full of a grief she knows all too well, but its writer, Emma, mentions a place that Holly has visited. When she realizes that she might actually be able to find the letter’s author, Holly becomes determined to reunite Emma with the estranged grandson, Jack, with whom Emma is desperate to reconnect.
When Holly finally tracks him down, she remembers that she’s met Jack once before . . . and the connection was electric. The spark between the two of them is still there—until a misunderstanding risks their burgeoning romance and his strained relationship with Emma, too. But Holly is determined; if she can fix Emma’s family, she might also be able to fix her own. Though as it turns out, Holly might have less time to put things right than she thought.
Snow Place Like Home by Lacey Baker
On a rare trip home for the holidays, Ella may have finally uncovered the secret to a joy-filled future by getting lost in her past.
Ella Wilson has avoided home and the holidays for nearly a decade. For her, the season is plagued by a jinx that’s brought nothing but painful memories: her mother’s death nearly two decades ago, her fiancé’s abandonment last year, and now the loss of her job as an art curator. But without work to occupy her, home is exactly where Ella has ended up. And somehow, she’s also been roped into planning the town’s Christmas tree auction—side by side with her first love.
Seth Hamil knows that home is where the heart is, and for him, it’s always been the sleepy community of Bellepoint, Pennsylvania . . . and for a while in high school that included Ella Wilson. Since then, he’s been married and widowed and has spent the year throwing himself into his career as a music teacher and trying to keep his wife’s memory alive, starting with the church fundraiser she launched to support local kids. So, despite their history, Seth isn’t about to let his wife’s vision for the event be easily dismissed by Ella’s temporary presence and big-city ideas.
To find a way to work together, the two strike a deal: Ella can incorporate her splashy ideas into the auction if she will allow Seth to show her why Christmas is about more than decorations. Soon both begin to wonder whether fate has brought them together for a fresh start—and if Christmas wishes really can come true.
Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan
Your most delightful holiday read: the sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller The Christmas Bookshop, from beloved Scottish author Jenny Colgan.
Christmas comes early—far too early—to McCredie’s little Old Town bookshop in Edinburgh. It’s summer, but an American production company has decided that McCredie’s is the perfect location to film a very cheesy Christmas movie. After all, who can resist the charmingly narrow historic street with its Victorian grey stone buildings and warmly lit shop windows?
Carmen Hogan, the bookshop’s manager, is amused and a bit horrified by the goings-on, but the money the studio is paying is too good to pass up. She uses the little windfall from filming to create new displays and fend off a buyout offer from an obnoxious millionaire who wants to turn McCredie’s into a souvenir shop selling kilts made in China and plastic Nessies. Still reeling slightly from a breakup, Carmen’s not particularly looking forward to the holidays. But just as snow begins to fall and the lights of Christmas blink on, all sorts of lovely new possibilities present themselves…for McCredie’s bookstore, and for Carmen herself.
A Cape May Christmas Story by Suzanne Simonetti
Rita Abernathy’s lifelong dream has come true: She and her husband Charles are the proud owners of a one-hundred-and-fifty-year-old Victorian home in the historic district of Cape May. For years, they made treasured family memories in the quaint coastal town, spending time at the beach during the summer and experiencing true Christmas magic during the holiday season. Rita believes the Cape May magic has returned to their lives at just the right time.
But, things aren’t as cheery as they seem in the Abernathy’s magnificently decorated Victorian home…
Rita’s grown sons are two years apart in age and vastly different men. Chase is a single, online travel blogger with a following worthy of his larger-than-life personality. Paul is a disgruntled family man, worried about losing his job. With the help of her daughter-in-law and sassy six-year-old granddaughter, Rita vows to bring her estranged sons together again.
Patti Kelley is a local pastry chef, widely known for her succulent croissants. Chase lends Patti a hand the night of the Christmas parade and falls in love with the sights and tastes of the seaside paradise. Soon, Patti’s fancy coffee isn’t the only thing brewing inside that bakery…
Will the magic of Cape May be enough to heal this fractured family in time for Christmas?
Christmas at Corgi Cove by Annie England Noblin
If you’re looking for the perfect feel-good Christmas novel, then look no further than Annie England Noblin’s newest novel. This book will absolutely delight any reader looking for a sweet and sassy read—and not to mention enchant the fans of Annie’s signature canine characters. Perfect for fans of Jill Shalvis, Sarah Morgan, Lori Wilde, and Susan Mallery.
Rosie Reynolds had come to lakeside Corgi Cove as a lost, lonely girl abandoned by her own mother, but there she discovered a true place to call home. She loves her Corgis, Bonnie and Clyde; loves the lakeside life; and loves her aunt and uncle most of all. But when she discovers their struggling inn is about to be bought out by some big city chain, she hatches a plan: to win a contest naming theirs the best Christmas-themed inn in the USA. It's a long shot, but she knows if the whole town pulls together that they can do it.
But she didn’t count on Everett St Claire, who emerged from his gleaming, black BMW, straightening his tie and asking himself how did a big-city guy like him find himself in a speck on the map like Corgi Cove? And how fast could he get back to the city? After all, it couldn’t be that difficult to convince one elderly couple to take the money to retire.
He didn’t count on getting sucked into life on the lake. Sure, the people might be…eccentric, and Rosie might seem like a pain in the backside, but there is something alluring about the place. And with the holidays nearing, and the deadline looming, Rosie and Everett are about to discover the magic of a Christmas at Corgi Cove.
Emergency Contact by Lauren Layne and Anthony Ledonne
From New York Times bestselling author Lauren Layne—and her real life husband and high school sweetheart, Anthony LeDonne—comes a new holiday rom-com that is sure to warm even the coldest heart.
When Katherine, an ambitious NYC attorney, is sent to the emergency room and diagnosed with a concussion following a taxi accident, she soon realizes she neglected to update her emergency contact when her ex-husband, Tom, appears at her bedside. When the doctor orders she be supervised, Katherine reluctantly agrees to travel to Chicago with Tom for the holidays—until a series of unfortunate events turns what should have been a quick plane ride into an overnight misadventure that stirs up old feelings, even as Tom prepares to propose to his girlfriend on Christmas Eve. From New York Times bestselling author Lauren Layne—and her real-life husband and high school sweetheart, Anthony LeDonne—this delightful holiday rom-com is the perfect meet-cute between The Hating Game and Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.
Mom Com by Adriana Mather
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of How to Hang a Witch Adriana Mather comes a heartwarming second chance romance baked to perfection.
After a catastrophic breakdown on reality TV, Maddi DeLuca comes home for the holidays with her nine-year-old son in tow to help deal with an urgent matter concerning her father’s nostalgia-filled bakery. Ten years ago, all Maddi dreamt of was running the family's beloved bakery in their tiny coastal town of Haverberry Cove, MA. Her best friend, Wilder, had his own dream—a life with Maddi. And for one brilliant moment when they were seventeen, those dreams collided. But like a fallen soufflé, their relationship imploded, taking their lifelong friendship with it. When the bakery brings them back together unexpectedly, Maddi is forced to make an impossible decision: give up her father’s bakery and her lifelong dream, or find a way to coexist with Wilder without murdering him with a cookie cutter.
Faking Christmas by Kerry Winfrey
Laurel Grant works as the social media manager for Buckeye State of Mind, an Ohio tourism magazine and website. She most definitely does not run a farm . . . but one tiny misunderstanding leads her boss, Gilbert, to think she owns her twin sister Holly’s farm just outside of Columbus. Laurel only handles the social media for the farm, but she’s happy to keep her little white lie going if it means not getting fired—she cannot be jobless again.
And keep it going she must when Gilbert, recently dumped by his wife, invites himself over for the farm’s big Christmas Eve Eve dinner (as advertised on Meadow Rise Farm’s Instagram, thanks to Laurel herself). Laurel immediately goes into panic mode to figure out how she can trick Gilbert into thinking she’s basically the Martha Stewart of rural Ohio and keep her job in the process.
Laurel and Holly come up with the perfect plan—all Laurel has to do is pretend to own the farm for one dinner. But Laurel shows up at the farm to find an unwelcome guest is waiting: Max Beckett, her nemesis since Holly’s wedding. The annoyingly attractive man she hates will be posing as Laurel’s husband just for the evening, but when a snowstorm traps them all for the entire weekend, Laurel is going to have to figure out how to survive with her job and dignity intact. Whatever the case, this promises to be the most eventful Christmas in ages. . . .
The Wake-Up Call by Beth O'Leary
Two hotel receptionists—and archrivals—find a collection of old wedding rings and compete to return them to their owners, discovering their own love story along the way.
It’s the busiest season of the year, and Forest Manor Hotel is quite literally falling apart. So when Izzy and Lucas are given the same shift on the hotel’s front desk, they have no choice but to put their differences aside and see it through.
The hotel won't stay afloat beyond Christmas without some sort of miracle. But when Izzy returns a guest’s lost wedding ring, the reward convinces management that this might be the way to fix everything. With four rings still sitting in the lost and found, the race is on for Izzy and Lucas to save their beloved hotel—and their jobs.
As their bitter rivalry turns into something much more complicated, Izzy and Lucas begin to wonder if there's more at stake here than the hotel's future. Can the two of them make it through the season with their hearts intact?
One Christmas Morning by Rachel Greenlaw
For fans of The Midnight Library and One Day in December who love a dash of Dickensian magic, One Christmas Morning is a heartwarming debut novel about a woman’s self-discovery, the strength found in friendship, and the promise of second chances.
Eva has spent the past three years burying herself in her work, trying to forget the heartbreaking events of the Christmas that ripped her world apart. This year, the last thing she wants is to attend her friend’s weekend-long Christmas party. But at her husband James’ insistence, here they are.
When Eva—overwhelmed by bittersweet memories—tries to sneak back to London in the middle of the night, she is visited by the ghost of her beloved grandmother. Gran tells Eva that if she doesn’t face her fears head-on and stop shutting out her loved ones, she risks losing them all forever.
When Eva wakes on Christmas morning, she finds herself living not her own life, but that of her hardworking assistant, Diana, whose overflowing inbox isn’t the only secret she’s been keeping. The next day, she wakes on Christmas morning again, this time in the body of her best friend’s little sister. As Eva lives the same day again and again through the perspectives of her friends, she is offered a glimpse into the lives of those she has been pushing away. With each Christmas Day comes a new lesson—and an insight into the secrets and struggles her loved ones have been hiding. To move forward, Eva must let go of the past. But is it too late to fix her future?
A Winter in New York by Josie Silver
A young chef stumbles on a secret family recipe that might lead her to the love—and life—she’s been looking for in this stunning novel from the New York Times bestselling author of One Day in December.
When Iris decides to move to New York to restart her life, she realizes she underestimated how big the Big Apple really is—all the nostalgic movies set in New York she’d watched with her mom while eating their special secret-recipe gelato didn’t quite do it justice.
But Bobby, Iris’s best friend, isn’t about to let her hide away. He drags her to a famous autumn street fair in Little Italy, and as they walk through the food stalls, a little family-run gelateria catches her eye—could it be the same shop that’s in an old photo of her mother’s?
Curious, Iris returns the next day and meets the handsome Gio, who tells her that the shop is in danger of closing. His uncle, sole keeper of their family’s gelato recipe, is recovering from a stroke and can no longer remember it, so they can’t make more. When Iris samples the last remaining batch, she realizes that their gelato and her gelato are one and the same. But how can she tell them she knows their secret recipe when she’s not sure why Gio’s uncle gave it to her mother in the first place?
Iris offers her services as a chef to help them re-create the flavor and finds herself falling for Gio and his family. But when Gio’s uncle finally wakes up, all of the secrets Iris has been keeping threaten to ruin the new life—and new love—she’s been building all winter long.
