There’s something about the holidays that makes us want to fall in love over and over again. Maybe it’s the warm fire, maybe it’s the twinkling lights, or maybe it’s the exciting potential of being snowed in with a partner. The way we see it, the only thing that makes the most wonderful time of the year even better is happily ever after (or HEA, for those in the know). Even though December is a few months away, we’re getting the holidays started early this year with a list of ten stories that will make you believe in the power of true love and Christmas magic. Below you’ll find five romances you can request now on NetGalley, and five that you can pick up from your favorite bookstore.
Request these while you can:
In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren
For years the Jones and Hollis families have spent their Christmases in neighboring cabins in Park City, Utah. But 26-year-old Mae leaves the celebrations heartbroken to learn that her family is selling the cabin and embarrassed at the eggnog-fueled kiss she planted on Theo Hollis, brother to her longtime crush Andrew. When Mae throws a wish out into the universe, it sends her into a Groundhog Day-scenario of repeating the holiday festivities over and over again and attempting to find love and happiness along the way.
A Little Country Christmas by Carolyn Brown, Rochelle Alers, A.J. Pine, and Hope Ramsay
This collection features four stories about falling in love during the most wonderful time of the year. Carolyn Brown’s “The Perfect Christmas” finds a cowboy in search of a miracle to make the holiday season special for a single mom and her daughter. Hope Ramsay’s “Joy to the World” follows a music teacher who lost her holiday spirit and the man who wants to help her connect with the magic of the season. Rochelle Alers’ “Home for the Holidays” transports readers to Cavanaugh Island, where a pastry chef finds love that could last a lifetime. In A.J. Pine’s “Cowboy Christmas at Heart,” the battle over a local light parade brings together a grinch and a holiday-loving local.
Sweet on You by Carla de Guzman
What’s Christmas without a little friendly rivalry? Café owner Sari Tomas looks forward to the holiday season every year, and she isn’t about to let the new foodie next door ruin her plans. Gabriel Capras needs his new bakery to be a success to prove his father’s assumptions wrong. When he and Sari get off on the wrong foot, a prank war ensues that catches the attention of the entire community. But as their interactions turn more and more flirtatious, both find it hard to deny the chemistry between them.
Mistletoe and Mr. Right by Sarah Morgenthaler
Love is in the air in Moose Springs, Alaska. Socialite Lana Montgomery receives a chilly welcome from the community, who don’t approve of her plans to build a luxury complex in town. The only one who seems to be giving her a chance is Rick Harding, but that was before she accidentally tranquilized him while attempting to track an elusive havoc-causing moose. Holiday hijinks ensue, and along the way, Lana learns that there’s more to Moose Springs—and Rick—than she first thought.
A Princess for Christmas by Jenny Holiday
If you’re already longing for a Hallmark movie marathon (but with a little more heat), you’re in luck! Jenny Holiday’s latest follows Leo Ricci, who dropped out of college after his parents passed to raise his 11-year-old sister. Princess Marie of Eldovia is in New York City on diplomatic business for the holiday, and after Marie hails down Leo’s cab, she asks if he’ll be her personal driver while she’s in town. As the avenues fly by, the two grow closer, until Marie can’t imagine spending Christmas without Leo and his sister.
Read these to get into the holiday spirit early:
Wrapped by Rebekah Weatherspoon
The best part of Christmas is unwrapping a present to uncover what surprise is inside—don’t you think? In this holiday novella, Shae Kenney receives the surprise of her life when her fling turns out to be so much more. Shae matches with Aidan Meyer on a dating app and can’t resist going out with the former co-worker she used to crush on. This divorced pastry chef assumes they’ll have a single fun night, but now that Aidan has her, he doesn’t want to let her go.
A Wedding One Christmas by Therese Beharrie
Angie Roux is dreading going home to South Africa for the holidays. She makes a pit stop to steel her nerves but is accidentally mistaken for a bridesmaid in a local wedding. To avoid getting dragged into the festivities, she ropes in an attractive stranger to help her. Professor Ezra Johnson is more than happy to step in to assist Angie, and before he knows what hit him, he finds himself just as willing to give her his whole heart.
Stocking Stuffers by Erin McLellan
Erin McLellan’s So Over the Holidays trilogy follows three siblings who each find their HEA on a different holiday. This first installment takes place at the Winterberry Inn, where Sasha Holiday is hosting a sex toy party for a romance book club. When she’s snowed in and stranded at the inn, she gets to know club member Perry Winters. Perry is the elf to Sasha’s grinch, and he’s determined to show her that the holidays contain more magic than she thinks.
Merry Inkmas by Talia Hibbert
Merry Inkmas explores the growing attraction between barista Bailey Cooper and tattoo artist Cash Evans. Their past experiences with love prevent them from being truly open and vulnerable with each other, but along the way they slowly let their walls down. The later part of the book takes place at Cash’s family home, and Hibbert does a fantastic job of showing how people transform when they’re in a safe place surrounded by people who love and support them.
Better Not Pout by Annabeth Albert
Sergeant Major Nicholas Nowicki is a grinch. At least that’s what Teddy MacNally thinks when the two meet. Nick is playing Santa Claus at an event hosted by Teddy’s charity, but he’s anything but jolly. He only agreed to help because his commanding officer asked him for the favor. But Teddy, who happens to be cast as Santa’s elf for the event, believes he can get this Scrooge into the Christmas spirit. When a snowstorm hits and traps them together, things go from nice to naughty (in the very best of ways). But can this festive fling last through the new year?
