Holiday Romance Recommendations

I’m excited to share some holiday romance recommendations, including my own book, My Secret Snowflake. I am looking forward to a vacation sitting by my Christmas tree with the lights on and a good book. But I’ll let a reviewer speak for my book:

One of my favorite authors and one of my favorite holiday romance books: Christmas Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella.

’Tis the season for change and Becky Brandon (née Bloomwood) is embracing it, returning from the States to live in the charming village of Letherby and working with her best friend, Suze, in the gift shop of Suze’s stately home. Life is good, especially now that Becky takes time every day for mindfulness—even if that only means listening to a meditation tape while hunting down online bargains.

But Becky still adores the traditions of Christmas: Her parents hosting, carols playing on repeat, her mother pretending she made the Christmas pudding, and the neighbors coming ’round for sherry in their terrible holiday sweaters. Things are looking cheerier than ever, until Becky’s parents announce they’re moving to ultra-trendy Shoreditch—unable to resist the draw of craft beer and smashed avocados—and ask Becky if she’ll host this year. What could possibly go wrong?

Becky’s sister demands a vegan turkey, her husband insists that he just wants aftershave (again), and little Minnie needs a very specific picnic hamper: Surely Becky can manage all this, as well as the surprise appearance of an old boyfriend–turned–rock star and his pushy new girlfriend, whose motives are far from clear. But as the countdown to Christmas begins and her bighearted plans take an unexpected turn toward disaster, Becky wonders if chaos will ensue, or if she’ll manage to bring comfort and joy to Christmas after all.

My review: I love Sophie Kinsella, and this is the best Christmas book. It’s both laugh-out-loud funny, capturing all the joy and stress of Christmas, and also conveys the absolute heart of Christmas. Highly recommend.

Sebastian: I admit I’m attracted to my co-worker Iris—after that glimpse of glowing cat paw underwear. But even though she’s breached my first line of defense, I’m set in my Grinch ways. I need to prove myself—and dating my co-worker is definitely forbidden.

Iris: No more naughty heartthrobs for me. Catching my rock star ex cheating cured me. All I want from Santa is my work bonus and a nice guy. And that’s my Secret Snowflake recipient, Ernest. My plan: Befriend Sebastian, Ernest’s colleague, to figure out the perfect gift for Ernest to spark his interest. But now our company has been hacked, and secrets abound. I’m determined to figure out who and why—with our aloof, but oh-so-attractive company counsel, Sebastian—before I get a stocking filled with coal for the holidays. But then I get blamed. I know I can trust Sebastian to help me. It’s trusting my heart that’s the problem.

When things are definitely not what they seem, sometimes it takes the light of the holidays to reveal the clues to love.

Tara’s review:

Is a fake boyfriend really just for Christmas?

One fake romance. One magical Christmas. One chance to fall in love.

Laura was all set for a quiet solo Christmas – just her, a bottle of wine, and flat-sitting for a stranger. But when the stranger’s parents mistake her for his mystery girlfriend, she’s swept off to the snowy Scottish Highlands with Callum and his whole family.

Between the cosy sleeper train, charming pubs and breathtaking views, this could be the no-strings-attached Christmas of Laura’s dreams.

But stranger Callum is hot, hilarious and their ‘fake’ chemistry is off the charts.

So is this just a Christmas fling? Or the start of something more?

My review: A fun, fake dating holiday romance!

Mirren Sutherland stumbled into a career as an antiquarian book hunter after finding a priceless antique book in her great aunt’s attic. Now, as Christmas approaches, she’s been hired by Jamie McKinnon, the surprisingly young and handsome laird of a Highland clan whose ancestral holdings include a vast crumbling castle. Family lore suggests that the McKinnon family’s collection includes a rare book so valuable that it could save the entire estate—if they only knew where it was. Jamie needs Mirren to help him track down this treasure, which he believes is hidden in his own home.

But on the train to the Highlands, Mirren runs into rival book hunter Theo Palliser, and instantly knows that it’s not a chance meeting. She’s all too familiar with Theo’s good looks and smooth talk, and his uncanny ability to appear whenever there’s a treasure that needs locating.

Almost as soon as Mirren and Theo arrive at the castle, a deep snow blankets the Highlands, cutting off the outside world. Stuck inside, the three of them plot their search as the wind whistles outside. Mirren knows that Jamie’s grandfather, the castle’s most recent laird, had been a book collector, a hoarder, and a great lover of treasure hunts. Now they must unpuzzle his clues, discovering the secrets of the house—forming and breaking alliances in a race against time.

A treat for booklovers and treasure hunters alike, The Secret Christmas Library serves up a delicious mystery with a hint of romance, and plenty of holiday spirit!

My review: I had such a happy feeling reading this book and I was sorry when it ended because I was really enjoying being snowbound in a castle in Scotland (while toasty warm at home). The romance is a slowly simmering one with twists and turns.

Tis the season to lie to your parents…

No?

Just Lark Wellington?

Well, it seems like the best idea Lark could come up with when his holiday-loving parents surprise him with a holly jolly visit he actively tried to avoid.

The lie?

He’s engaged to his best female friend, Da’Nika Martin – after all she’s the only person willing to go in on the crazy, last-minute scheme.

And now that we’re talking about the snowflake white lie? It just may cost him a lot more than coal in his stocking if he isn’t careful…

Sleigh Bride is a short, sweet, laugh-out-loud romantic comedy that’s jam packed with all new characters, all the cheer, and all the Christmas cookies you need to put a smile on your face this holiday season!

My review: Love a friends-to-lovers and this one was done so well! Their shared humor and banter made their relationship come alive and had you rooting for them from the first page to see that they were meant to be together. And the Keebler parents! Lol.

And some more Holiday Romance Recommendations

She knocked down his Christmas tree. He knocked down her defenses.Vivian Sterling needs five days in small-town Vermont to secure her VP promotion. Instead, she destroys the town Christmas tree and gets stuck working with frustrated single dad Gabriel Brooks to fix it.

Gabriel doesn’t have time for polished executives who remind him of his ex-wife. But watching Vivian charm his twin daughters and discover the magic of Christmas, his guarded heart doesn’t stand a chance—even though she’s leaving in three days.

When Vivian’s boss cuts her trip short, she must the promotion she’s worked eight years for, or the man and town that showed her what she’s been missing.

My review: If you’re looking for a Hallmark movie romance to read, this is it. Vivian Sterling hates Christmas but needs to location scout a town in Vermont known as “America’s Most Magical Christmas Town” for 5 days to secure her VP promotion. Unfortunately, things get off to a rocky start when she knocks down the town Christmas tree! But that may not be all that is knocked down, as two people, who have built walls after being dumped for not being enough, start to care for each other. The twins were especially adorable.

Can these exes rekindle their love this Hanukkah?

Evelyn Schwartz has the perfect Hanukkah planned: eight jam-packed days producing the live-action televised musical of A Christmas Carol. Who needs family when you’ve got long hours, impossible deadlines, and your dream job? That is, until an accident on set lands her in the medical bay with one of her chronic migraines, and she’s shocked to find her ex-husband, David Adler, filling in for the usual studio doctor.

It’s been two years since David walked away from Evelyn and their life in Manhattan, and his ex-wife is still the same workaholic who puts her career before everything else—especially her health. But when Evelyn begins hallucinating “ghosts” tied to her past heartbreaks, and every single one leads to David, he finds himself spending much more time with her than he anticipated. And denying the still-smoldering chemistry between them becomes impossible.

As Evelyn revisits her ghosts of Hanukkah past, she and David both begin to wonder if they can have a Hanukkah future. But with a high-stakes production ramping up the pressure on Evelyn, and troublesome spirits forcing them both to confront their most difficult shared memories, it might just take a Hanukkah miracle for these two exes to light the flame on their second-chance at love.

My review: Even though it is called the eight heartbreaks of Hanukkah, I did not expect this to be such a sad book, but it is dealing with a lot of heavy topics. I thought it was well done, and we really worked through Evelyn’s character development. There were some hilarious moments as well. I would have liked to have seen more of her and David working through their issues. I really appreciated the author’s note at the end.

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What books do you recommend?