Christmas Romances

Thanksgiving is over, and December 1 is 2 days away. And if you like a good festive read (or three), then that means it is time to start queuing up those Christmas romances (if you celebrate Christmas, which I do so that’s why this is Christmas, however I would love suggestions for other holiday romances!)

I’m compiled a list of Christmas romances for you. Some I have read, some I am planning to read this year, and some I am hoping to read if I get off my library audio hold list (looking at you A Merry Little Meet Cute and Kiss Her Once for Me).

THE WAKEUP CALL

I read this a few weeks ago (review coming) and I absolutely LOVED it!! It is so much fun. I didn’t realize it was a Christmas book when I started it, and it isn’t SO Christmasy that you can’t read it any other time but it definitely has holiday vibes.

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 & 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?

JUST LIKE MAGIC

I read this last year (see review) and it is one of my favorite holiday books EVER. SO SO FUNNY. In fact, I am hoping to re-read it this year if I have time.

Bettie Hughes once knew the comfort of luxury, flaunting a collection of designer purses and an enviable dream home in Hawaii. That was before she lost all her money. Long obsessed with her public image, Bettie boasts an extravagant lifestyle on social media. But the reality is Bettie is broke and squatting in Colorado, and her family has no idea.

Christmas, with its pressure to meet familial expectations, is looming when Bettie plays a vinyl record of “All I Want for Christmas Is You” backward and accidentally conjures up Hall, the Holiday Spirit, in the form of a charming and handsome (if offbeat) man. Once the shock wears off, Bettie knows she’s stumbled upon the greatest gift: a chance to make all her holiday wishes come true, plus a ready-made fiancé.

But as some of Bettie’s wishes lose their charm, she finds herself thrown off-kilter by Hall’s sweet nature. Suddenly, grumpy Bettie is finding her heart merry and light. But the happier she gets, the shorter Hall’s time on earth grows. Can Bettie channel the Christmas spirit and learn to live with goodwill toward all men? Or will her selfish ways return as soon as the holidays are over?

FAKING CHRISTMAS

This is one on my list to read this year, and I am SO excited! Kerry is one of my favorite authors, and I think my copy should be here this weekend.

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. . . .

LOVELIGHT FARMS

This is another one I am reading this year. I saw so many people posting about it last year, and silly me thought I could listen to my library’s audiobook but there is like a 26 week wait, so I just bought it.

A pasture of dead trees. A hostile takeover of the Santa barn by a family of raccoons. And shipments that have mysteriously gone missing. Lovelight Farms is not the magical winter wonderland of Stella Bloom’s dreams.

In an effort to save the Christmas tree farm she’s loved since she was a kid, Stella enters a contest with Instagram-famous influencer Evelyn St. James. With the added publicity and the $100,000 cash prize, Stella might just be able to save the farm from its financial woes. There’s just one problem. To make the farm seem like a romantic destination for the holidays, she lied on her application and said she owns Lovelight Farms with her boyfriend. Only…there is no boyfriend.

Enter best friend Luka Peters. He just stopped by for some hot chocolate and somehow got a farm and a serious girlfriend in the process. But fake dating his best friend might be the best Christmas present he’s ever received.

IN A HOLIDAZE

I read this one a few years ago, and I thought it was fun!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…but not for Maelyn Jones. She’s living with her parents, hates her going-nowhere job, and has just made a romantic error of epic proportions.

But perhaps worst of all, this is the last Christmas Mae will be at her favorite place in the world—the snowy Utah cabin where she and her family have spent every holiday since she was born, along with two other beloved families. Mentally melting down as she drives away from the cabin for the final time, Mae throws out what she thinks is a simple plea to the universe: Please. Show me what will make me happy.

The next thing she knows, tires screech and metal collides, everything goes black. But when Mae gasps awake…she’s on an airplane bound for Utah, where she begins the same holiday all over again. With one hilarious disaster after another sending her back to the plane, Mae must figure out how to break free of the strange time loop—and finally get her true love under the mistletoe.

Jam-packed with yuletide cheer, an unforgettable cast of characters, and Christina Lauren’s trademark “downright hilarious” (Helen Hoang, author of The Bride Test) hijinks, this swoon-worthy romantic read will make you believe in the power of wishes and the magic of the holidays.

A RISK WORTH TAKING

This novelette is also on my to read list for this year! (Considering sometimes I only read like 1 book a month, I will be reading Christmas books in February but thats ok!) Also very excited about this one!

Claire Ashford has always led a careful life—her family didn’t nickname her Claireful for nothing. But after ending a relationship that was equal parts safe and unfulfilling, she recognizes just how much her caution has cost her and dedicates herself to leaving her Claireful ways behind. Her first chance to take a risk comes with a job opportunity in San Francisco. It’s a fresh start she can’t—and doesn’t want to—refuse.

Her second chance? That appears on her last night in Portland in the form of a gorgeous attendee at the holiday party where she’s bartending. Lingering glances turn into a chemistry-filled exchange, and by the end of the night Claire knows exactly what she wants: one night and no strings with Connor Stella. It’ll be one last hot memory to close her chapter in this city.

But the weather has other plans: a winter storm grounds all flights for the weekend, Claire’s included, and suddenly one night turns into an entire weekend. It would be a true inconvenience if Claire and Connor weren’t already forging an electric connection. Instead, three nights cooped up in Connor’s apartment together is the gift that keeps on giving. The only real inconvenience is that she’s starting to get attached to the gorgeous stranger who feels more familiar than anyone she’s ever met.

Claire’s new adventure is on the other side of PDX’s de-iced runways, but her biggest—and most worth—risk might be opening her heart up to the man she’s leaving behind.

So there are a few suggestions for your December reading list! I’d love to hear what you are planning to read this holiday season.