I’m a major Christmas season aficionado and greatly anticipate putting up twinkle lights and listening to classical Christmas songs and reading lots of holiday romances. But this season I’ve been slightly uninspired by the slew of new releases at the bookstore. So I thought I’d compile some of my favourite December/Holiday Season reads from years past. Let me know what’s on your list!
A Wallflower Christmas
Written by Lisa Kleypas
Published by St. Martin’s Press
If you’re a fan of Bridgerton (the concept of, if not the execution) and enjoy Evie Dunmore’s A League of Extraordinary Women series, you have to read this wonderful Victorian Christmas romance that predates them all! It was my first Lisa Kleypas novel that launched my obsession with her as a romance writer.
You can find it here: Bookshop.org
Christmas Sisters
Written by Sarah Morgan
Published by Harlequin
Sarah typically releases a Christmas novel every year and while they are all excellent, this one is my favourite. Maybe it’s the snowy small town setting, family drama dynamics, or the ever important “little cafe”, but Christmas Sisters is a stand out. To me it is the perfect blend of romance, engaging plot (unlike a lot of vapid holiday romances), family, and classic Christmas elements.
You can find it here: Bookshop.org
Christmas by the Book
Written by Anne Marie Ryan
Published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons
A recent read but an underrated one that I think will appeal to so many readers – I mean, it takes place in a small bookshop in a storybook English village! While their bookstore is struggling to make ends meet, owners Nora and Simon ask the community to nominate someone in need of an act of kindness and deliver six books to six local residents chosen at random. It is a story of community, the importance of independent book stores, and is a true holiday gem for those looking for a story outside standard holiday romance fare.
You can find it here: Bookshop.org
Midnight in the Snow
Written by Karen Swan
Published by Pan Publishing
I listened to this as an audiobook last year and it was the perfect listen while I went about my Christmas activities – that perfect book that I could put down and know right where I was when I picked it up again. Another great choice for those looking for a bit more to their holiday romance than boy girl meet, make cookies, and fall in love. When her recent film centring around a devastating accident in the sport of competitive surfing wins an Oscar, documentary film maker Clover Phillips wants to go further with the story and interview the man responsible for the accident. Kit Foley has left the sport of surfing and is trying to launch his career anew as a snowboarder. As a PR push, his agent has arranged for Clover’s team, against Kit’s wishes, to come spend the winter holidays at his Australian Alps resort. As a film maker herself, Clover should know firsthand there is always more to the story …
You can find it here: Bookshop.org
Mr. Dickens and His Carol
Written by Samantha Silva
Published by Flatiron Books
It’s not Christmas without this classic Dickens story, but it can get a wee bit … tiresome? I really enjoyed following along Silva’s imagining of Charles Dickens’ life as he wrote his infamous story and how that may have played out. It’s a great pick when you need something festive and fast and can’t stand one more romance!
You can find it here: Bookshop.org
Winterhouse
Written by Ben Guterson
Published by Square Fish
Wouldn’t be a book list from me if it didn’t feature some middle grade! Winterhouse is one of my very favourites and has everything I’m looking for – a wintery grande hotel location, a mystery that is solved one riddle at a time, some ghostly business, a great friendship, and of course, a magnificent library! Highly recommend!
You can find it here: Bookshop.org
Snow Angel Cove
Written by RaeAnne Thayne
Published by Harlequin
When you just want a good ole holiday romance primed for a Hallmark Movie (and have read every main romance release by Christina Lauren and Maggie Knox etc) try venturing to Haven Point! Single mom Eliza isn’t feeling the Christmas spirit as she finds herself jobless before the holidays. Now stuck in a small, unfamiliar town she takes a job with local tech genius, Aidan Cane, to renovate his guest lodge … I think you see where things are headed …
You can find it here: Bookshop.org
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