The month of December is rife with holidays. The biggies are Christmas, Hanukkah, Boxing Day, Kwanzaa, and New Year’s but if I’ve missed one that matters to you, let me know.
We love holiday romances at AAR. The tag holiday romance has 287 entries and I’m sure there are many we’ve missed. (If you see one, tell me!)
My family celebrates Christmas so my favorite holiday stories are connected to that holiday. Here are a few I love:
Courtney Milan has been at the top of my Christmas romance list for over a decade. I can never decide which I like better: A Kiss for Midwinter or This Wicked Gift. The former is classic Milan–there’s a feminist heroine, a beta(ish) hero who is AWESOME, and messaging about both abortion and birth control. It’s a perfect novella–Milan is the queen of such. I am, however, always shocked that Milan is the author of This Wicked Gift. The hero blackmails the heroine in a way that, at first, is truly hard to take–it’s a setup I can’t see Milan embracing today. That said, she makes it work and the love story is lucious. I reread both tales every December.
Juliana Stone’s The Christmas He Loved Her is an angsty, smart story with slightly older leads. This is a story about connecting with those you’re estranged from in some way–the relationships in this book, both between the lovers and between others in their lives are explored deftly. It’s moving, sexy, and threaded with humor. It’s a DIK for me.
And, it’s not a romance but I have to mention The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey. It’s the only A+ I’ve ever given at AAR. If you’ve never read it, no matter what your age, prepare to have your heart broken and mended anew. It is, to me, perfect.
How about you? What are your favorite winter holiday romances?
Although not marketed as a Christmas book, I think that one of my 2023 favourites works as a holiday romance.
Alexis Hall’s 10 Things That Never Happened is set over the Christmas period and Christmas decorations, a very large Christmas tree and a company Christmas party feature, amongst other Christmassy things.
Agreed. Although it’s a very British Christmas book in that it’s not overly sentimental or sickly-sweet.
I just finished it and really enjoyed it! I count it as a holiday book.
Hands down it’s Kati Wilde’s all-the-feels SECRET SANTA, featuring a young woman, down in her luck, trying to make ends meet, and the custom furniture maker who has loved her since he met her and decides as the days get closer to Christmas to do something about it. Lovely in every way.
I’m going to give it a whirl!
I looked back through my reviews to make a list of the Christmassy books I’ve enjoyed, for anyone looking to glom some festive titles over the holiday!
One of my all time favourites is Mary Balogh’s A Christmas Promise – a superb arranged marriage story (our reviewer didn’t care for it, but it’s a DIK for me). I also loved Elisabeth Fairchild’s The Christmas Spirit – it’s got an unusual HEA but certainly brings a tear to the eye. Marian’s Christmas Wish by Carla Kelly is also wonderful. (We don’t appear to have a review of it, but it’s a DIK for me – my reviews of this and the Balogh are both at GR if anyone wants to check them out). Louise Allen’s His Christmas Countess was a DIK. Our reviewer gave Cecilia Grant’s A Christmas Gone Perfectly Wrong a B, but I liked it more than that 🙂
I heartily second Wendy’s rec. of 10 Things That Never Happened – it’s not sickly-sweet but has a nice family-oriented secondary plotline. (The narration in the audio version is outstanding).
Fearne Hill’s Second Best Men kicks off over Christmas although the story spans a longer timeframe. I also just read and thoroughly enjoyed her To Melt a Frozen Heart, which is 3.5 in the Rossingley series and contains a romance between a couple in their late fifties/early sixties. (You do need to have read the other books, though). I liked Keira Andrew’s The Christmas Deal (sadly, the two follow-ups have been nowhere near as good); Con Riley’s His Last Christmas in London is lovely, and I loved Garrett Leigh’s Angels in the City. Marie Sexton’s Winter Oranges is really unusual (and the follow up, Winter Dreams is great, too), and another Christmassy romance with a paranormal twist that’s well worth checking out is Indra Vaughn’s The Winter Spirit. One of my favourite films for this time of year is The Shop Around the Corner – Sally Malcolm’s ‘riff’ on it – Love Around the Corner – is terrific; her co-writer Joanna Chambers’ has written a few seasonal romances – The First Snow of Winter and Mr. Winterbourne’s Christmas among them. I don’t think I’ve read any DIK Christmassy stories this year – although Julian and the Ghosts of Moorclifffe Hall does take place in December and includes Christmas celebrations, so maybe it counts! And of course there’s the not-Christmas Christmas wedding in Nicky James’ Matrimonial Merriment!
Marian’s Christmas Wish was the first Carla Kelly book I ever read, the first in a long line. I haven’t reread it in over 20 years. I do remember that it was delightful. I think its time to find my copy and reread it.
I would add two that I enjoy rereading: Merry Measure by Lily Morton and Masters in this Hall by KJ Charles. I also enjoyed reading Garrett Leigh’s Hometown Christmas for the first time this year, even though it is not new.
Yes to all those – Merry Measure is lovely (and a lot better than last year’s Christmas offering from LM!)
I love all of these, too. Interesting fact: while I was reading this I attended a short concert giving a retrospective of Christmas music and it’s influences on American Colonial celebrations and beyond in Colonial Williamsburg, VA. One of the first carols they sung was Masters in This Hall. I’d never heard of it before, so the coincidence had me smiling.
I reviewed A Christmas Gone Perfectly Wrong–it has a B just because it was too short. But, other than that, it’s lovely.
I didn’t check the reviewer name – oops!
I love a Christmas Promise. One of my favorite Balogh’s ever..
I enjoyed A Christmas Gone Perfectly Wrong and A Kiss for Midwinter, as well as most of the m/m books you’ve mentioned. Angels in the City is still my favorite book by Garrett Leigh and Hill’s Second-Best Men was a delightful surprise this year. I’ll add A Very Genre Christmas, a novella by Kim Fielding and narrated by Greg Tremblay, one of the few novellas I’ve ever given an A to. Merry Measure by Lily Morton is one I’ve relistened to several times so even though I gave it a B+,it’s a great comfort read for the holidays. Masters in the Hall, mentioned below, is also wonderful!
So This is Christmas by Josh Lanyon has to go here because it was the book I’d been looking forward to for the whole series, where we get to see Jake finally be shaken up and admit his failings, which allows honesty and healing. It was the only reason I believed the HEA for these two.
So This is Christmas is fantastic!
I love Balogh’s Christmas Promise and also her Christmas Bride. I also enjoyed Debbie Macombers Angel Series, starting with A Season of Angels (easily the best) and her novel Mrs. Miracle (the followups aren’t as good as the original, but this novel is lovely.)
Three Nights Before Christmas: A Holiday Romance Collection by Kati Wilde
So This is Christmas by John Lanyon (M/M)
Duke in a Box anthology by Kate Bateman et.al.
Lady Louisa’s Christmas Knight and Lady Sophie’s Christmas Wish by Grace Burrowes
Midwinter Magic by Stella Riley
A Holiday By Gaslight: A Victorian Christmas Novella by Mimi Matthews
Holiday Treasury: Rocky Mountian Miracle by Christine Feehan
Daniel and the Angel by Jill Barnett
Close to Heaven: A Colorado High Country Christmas by Pamela Clare
Other great Carla Kelly holiday reads are Regency Royal Navy Christmas and A Country Christmas (St. Brendan)
I enjoyed Holiday by Gaslight as well! I can’t believe I forgot it. I’m going to look for the Carla kelly books.
A few of my favorite Regencies I haven’t seen mentioned yet:
Christmas Wishes – Metzger, Barbara
Father Christmas – Metzger, Barbara
On the First Day of Christmas – Holbrook, Cindy
Studmuffin Santa by Tawna Fenske is a delightful little romcom (romcom is my favourite romance genre).
Mary Jo Putney has written somme very good christmas stories. My favorite is Sunshine for Christmas, perhaps because of the more mature couple. At the moment I’m rereading Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know.
Most of the chrismas novellas by Mary Balogh too are among my most reread ones.
I think I should search for my old Carla Kelly books. Thanks to Nik for the reminder! And to Mark because of Marbara Metzger. It’s high time I reread her books!
All quite nostalgic, isn’t it? But isn’t christmas the best time for nostalgia?