Christmas is mere hours away, with people baking cookies and cakes, preparing gifts and lighting their trees and houses. But readers have one more thing on their holiday’s to-do list – that’s reading books, of course. And what better time thanChristmas to read holiday romance?
These come under a specific type of romance where the main characters meet and fall in love during Christmas. Such books just seem to be extra romantic, a bit cosier, and a lot livelier!So, whether you are a Grinch or not during the holidays, these novels will help you get in the Christmas mood. Or at least make you appreciate these festive love stories!
You Make it Feel Like Christmas – Toni Shiloh
Published: September 5, 2023.
Toni Shiloh’s You Make it Feel Like Christmas is a feel-good romance that will actually warm you up in the holidays! It features Starr, a 20-something woman without a job or a boyfriend. She’s miserable enough to return to her home for Christmas and lands right in the middle of family drama. Her sister, Angel, is the source of said drama; she is getting married to Starr’s ex-boyfriend.
Realizing being home is also adding to her miserable self – that is until her brother’s best friend joins them for Thanksgiving. Waylon Emmerson, the man in question, quickly becomes her saviour, taking her on holiday adventures to distract her. She, in turn, helps him keep his deceased mother’s Christmas shop up and running. Love soonblooms under the holiday lights, but not without bringing up questions about Starr and Waylon’s own future.
The story is much sweeter than Hallmark Holiday movies, and those are usually so cheesy! The couple is adorable, helping each other through their sadness and grief to make the perfect concoction of chocolaty romance. The sister – and Starr’sclose-knit family, indirectly – come across as unlikeable and rude, but all is well by the end. The book’s not overly religious, but the couple show their faith throughout, whichjust makes it feel like Christmas!
The Wake-Up Call – Beth O’Leary
Published: September 26, 2023.
In The Wake-Up Call, Beth O’Leary paints the prettiest festive romance, but this story comes with a hotel twist! The setting is the beautiful Forest Manor Hotel, where two receptionists are busy being arch-rivals due to a past misunderstanding. In a bigger picture, the hotel is busy surviving amidst zero business for months after the COVID lockdown and severe roof replacement. All they need is a Christmas miracle to set things straight. And that miracle comes when Izzy finds a box of wedding and engagement rings.
When returning one of the rings reaps them an amazing reward, the management tasks the arch-rivals to return them all. This holiday adventure is full of complications, but the biggest hurdle is their hatred for each other. The two spend the time arguing and lusting after each other while letting the rings meet their rightful owners. But thanks to the Christmas spirit, the two are nudged to solve their misunderstandingsand progress from enemies to lovers!
Izzy and Lucas have that grumpy-sunshine dynamic nailed to the T but are much more than just the stock characters. Thetwo are hilarious, witty, flawed in a relatable way and, more importantly, clearly in love with each other. They make this book a fluffy holiday read filled with laughter, banter, and heartfelt moments.
Bright Lights, Big Christmas – Mary Kay Andrews
Published: September 26, 2023.
Kerry Tolliver and her family live in western North Carolina, owning and looking after a Christmas tree farm. Now that Christmas is a few weeks away, she finds herself accompanying her brother and their dog to Manhattan. Why? To sell their fresh trees, of course! Kerry bonds with the neighbours living near their tree stand, including Patrick and his adorable son, Austin. But Kerry’s attention is pulled when a neighbour goes missing and the competitor starts to tank their business. Will Kerry be able to bring back the neighbour, flush out her competition and figure out her relationship with Patrick?
The answers to all these questions lie in Mary Kay Andrews’ Bright Lights, Big Christmas. As most holiday romance goes, Kerry and Patrick share an instalove. But it’s the kind of love that is sweet and heartwarming, punctuated by the cutest presence of Austin. And yet, the main character has to be in that little neighbourhood. It is filled with kind and smiling people who help Kerry every step of the way. They make the urban experience for the village girl absolutely magical and that, in itself, is more impressive than anything.
If you love books with lovable characters (and dogs), New York in holidays, and Christmas trees, pick this festive romance right now!
A Winter in New York – Josie Silver
Published: October 3, 2023.
Romance books can have any catalysts to make the protagonist fall for the love interest. Josie Silver’s A Winter in New York features gelato. Wait, there’s more to it! After her mother’s death and getting out of an abusive relationship, chef Iris decides to start fresh. She moves to New York with her suitcase and gelato maker but soon realizes how big the city is. Iris explores the city and eventually stumbles across a familiar gelateria. Curious as to why the shop looks the same as the one in her mother’s photos, she visits it the next day.
She meets Gio, who reveals the shop is going to close without his uncle’s – who’s in a coma – secret gelato recipe. After tasting the remaining batch, Iris realizes that it’s exactly her mother’s recipe. Instead of telling Gio that he has their family’s secret recipe, she offers to recreate it through testing sessions. Iris gets deeply entangled with Gio’s family while the two fall for each other. But Iris’ secrets and lies are waiting right by the corner to blow everything up.
Though there’s no explicit mention of Christmas, you can feel that spirit in the wintry background of Iris and Gio’s gelato-making romance! The two fit together like two puzzle pieces – their chemistry is instant yet cute. Iris helps him with the gelato shop and dealing with being a widower. In turn, Gio gives her a sense of family in this new city and forgives her for her lies. Their swoon-worthy romance will definitely have you smiling on Christmas!
Emergency Contact – Lauren Layne, Anthony LeDonne
Published: October 24, 2023.
Lauren Layne and her husband, Anthony LeDonne, bring a second-chance holiday romance in their novel Emergency Contact. Readers peek into the life of Katherine, an attorney, who gets injured two days before Christmas. Unfortunately, she never came around to changing her emergency contact, which is her ex-husband, Tom. It’s no surprise, then, that the hospital calls Tom and warns him not to leave her concussedself for 48 hours.
And so, Katherine reluctantly accompanies Tom on his way home for Christmas. The journey is full of mishaps, starting with flying in a blizzard to travelling in a rig truck. But the journey lets them lay everything out on the table, exploring what went wrong with their relationship. Doing so brings their long-buried feelings to the forefront, but there’s just one tiny issue. Tom is proposing to Lolo, his girlfriend, who’s waiting for him at the destination, on Christmas!
The story takes place over a mere two days, but it feels like a lifetime has passed for the protagonists. And that’s because the characters are well-fleshed out, their emotional depths visible even through their jokes and witty banter. Though the slight emotional cheating from Tom with Lolo is a tad difficult to swallow, the book ends on a happy note. Because all Katherine and Tom needed was the holiday spirit to make them realize their lingering feelings and eagerness to be together!
Snowed In – Catherine Walsh
Published: November 1, 2023.
Do you know what happens when you bring the village pariah and the village bad boy together? The answer lies in the novel Snowed In, written by Catherine Walsh. Here, you meet Megan, the one who left the golden boy Isaac at the altar to run away. She is contemplating going back to the village, especially when her ex-fiancé is engaged again, and she gets dumped… again.
The solution comes to her in the form of Christian, who is in a somewhat similar predicament. You see, he is actually happy to go back home for the holidays. But he loathes how everyone sits with their partners while fixing him with pity-filled eyes as he exists by himself. The two come up with a contract – pretending to date for the holidays and then return to their lives after. But they fall in love, something their pact never mentioned!
Megan is practical and independent yet non-confrontational when it comes to her past. While Christian is strong and happy yet relatable in his sadness. Together, they lift each other up, solving their issues while staying true to each other. And tying everything together with a nice festive bow are the spicy scenes, hotter than you’d expect in a slow-burn holiday romance!
Claus and Effect – Piper Rayne
Published: November 14, 2023.
Nothing beats an enemies-to-lovers trope in a romance – it has the right amount of tension, trust, and protective love! That’s the trope Piper Rayne uses in their novel Claus and Effect. Tessa – the protagonist – is a baker who lost her last living relative right before the holidays. She ends up boarding the plane across the country after a visit to a psychic reveals she’s destined to be alone otherwise. In the air, she meets Tres, the grumpy stranger, who she instantly declares to be her enemy. However, the two are forced to share to go on a road trip. And that’s owing to the emergency landing of their plane and only one rental car in sight!
The road trip is full of banter – Tre suggests stopping only for food and gas, while Tessa wants to explore everything. Their personalities clash as they take detours to life-sized gingerbread houses, play Santa and Mrs Claus, and bond over eggnog. As they cover the wintry distance, the Christmas magic succeeds in making them fall in love.
Admittedly, Tres and Tessa share an instalove – but even that is hashed out adorably. The grumpy sunshine trope is evident in their dynamics, shown through their banters and tender moments. There is a little twist at the end – though it gets solved fairly quickly. And to top it off, Piper Rayne adds a splash of smut to please all the readers!
Final Words
Whether or not Christmas is your favourite holiday, these novels will surround you with festive vibes almost immediately. From spicy enemies to lovers to emotional second-chance romances, they are packed with everything you need to enjoy these times. And if you add blankets, hot chocolate and winter outside in the mix, you have the perfect recipe to enjoy Christmas!
