Here it is, at long last, this year’s bigger and better than ever Festive Reading list. In keeping with previous lists I’ve restricted it to titles that have been published in the year. Though I’m not promising that there won’t be titles I’ve managed to miss. I have found a number of titles published this year in paperback that were originally published in eBook format last year. I’ve not included these as I would have (hopefully) picked up the eBook edition last year. You can take a look at previous lists here.
Before some of you get disappointed I should say that obviously I couldn’t include everything (even if I had an easy way of tracking them down – if you know an easy way please let me know). It might be my imagination, but there seems to be even more Christmas books published this year than last and this list is certainly the longest yet. Though maybe that’s no bad thing, in keeping with the last few years, I think we’re all still happy to turn to feel good reads to help us escape the realities of life. However, the crime lovers among you don’t need to worry, that category is also the biggest it’s ever been. I’ve excluded short novella’s but please check the page count on anything you opt for if in doubt. There are possibly some titles I haven’t included purely because either Amazon or the publisher (not sure who’s responsible) didn’t include the page count, so I erred on the side of caution – but trust me you’ll still have plenty to choose from.
The usual rules apply in that the books I include are those that I might read. That said, in the spirit of Christmas, I’ve been a bit generous with genres. However, you won’t find (unless they’ve accidentally slipped through) any Amish, cowboy, erotic, tycoons, Regency, horror, sci-fi or dystopian ‘Christmases’. I did promise last year I would also exclude ‘Covid’ Christmases while I haven’t consciously spotted any, I apologise in advance if any have slipped through. These exclusions mean I’ve deprived you of such titles as A Cowboy Under the Mistletoe : Holiday Christmas Western Romance, a Cowboy’s Christmas Heart, The Christmas He Claimed the Secretary and 12 Days Tied in Tinsel : A BDSM Blackmail Dark Romance.
Anyone who reads my monthly ‘bookish’ round ups will be aware that this year my head has been addictively turned by romance novels. While I’m admitting to having had a fair few rock star, NHL playing and billionaire CEO book boyfriends this year, I have not added them to my Christmas reads. The journey down the ‘Romance’ rabbit hole has introduced me to genres I never even knew existed namely ‘mountain men, ‘firefighters’ ‘bear shifters’ MC (bikers), reverse harem and Bratva novels. What shouldn’t haven’t surprised me was that they also have their own Christmas titles. So far I’m sticking to the mainstream so I’ve not had my head turned by Snowed In with Her Bear Shifter (Mountain Shifters of Colorado), Twelve Bikers for Christmas, My Bratva Christmas, Firefighter’s Christmas Baby, Festive Mates : Paranormal MC Romance Christmas Novella or Monkeywrenching Under the Mistletoe!!
Anyway, back to business. This is going to take more than one cuppa, so either make a pot/cafetiere or pace yourself. The categories are only a general guide designed to break up things up. Some books could fall into several categories so forgive me if you think my final choice was the wrong one, but it’s more helpful than one, long, unordered list.
A quick reminder that I haven’t read the books, I rely on the blurb and the sample. As I largely choose these books before they are published, I normally only have the blurb. Due to the length of the list I’m afraid I’ve only used the Amazon direct title link, largely as it provides the Kindle option. Just click the image.
Anyway, enough from me, let the Christmas Fest commence!
Christmas Categories
A UK Christmas
A Coastal Christmas (15)
A Country/Village Christmas (17)
A Scottish Christmas (12)
A Worldwide Christmas
A Rest of the World Christmas (5)
By Subject
A Romantic Christmas (23)
A War Time Christmas (10)
Crime at Christmas
A Less Than Cosy Christmas (13)
Murders in Christmas Past (11)
A Coastal Christmas
Coming Home to Mistletoe Cottage by Celia Anderson
Could a sprinkling of magic save Christmas this year?
Amid the salt marshes and rolling fields of Periwinkle Bay, Magda Conway is enjoying her retirement in ivy-clad Mistletoe Cottage.
Yet with three weeks to go until Christmas, as the fairy lights twinkle and the trees go up around the village, her peace is disrupted when she’s left in sole charge of her two mischievous grandchildren.
Before long, she’s at her wit’s end – but high on a kitchen shelf lies her mother’s handwritten recipe book. And as she turns to it for advice, she finds more than just recipes between its tattered covers: there’s a pinch of magic too, and maybe even a sprinkling of love . . .
Winter at Mistletoe Gate Farm by Helen Rolfe
It’s almost Christmas in Heritage Cove – the village tree is all lit-up, the bakery is full of festive treats, the tea rooms and waffle shack are welcoming locals inside out of the cold, and for some of the residents of the Cove, snow might not be the only thing they’re wishing for this year…
Tilly is overjoyed when an estranged relative comes to Heritage Cove wanting to make amends. But as she lets him in to her life and Tilly’s Bits ‘n’ Pieces – the shop she owns and loves – her friends aren’t so sure whether everything is quite as it seems.
Benjamin’s parents run Mistletoe Gate Farm, selling Christmas trees, wreaths and mistletoe. Benjamin has always thought his family was as firmly rooted in the ground as the rows of Norway Spruce and Fraser Firs. But when he finds a letter that rocks his world he realises he may not be able to do anything to prevent the changes coming their way.
Benjamin and Tilly have been falling for one another since the summer but will family complications put an abrupt stop to what is looking like a burgeoning romance?
With festive cheer weaving its way through the Cove as two local favourites plan their wedding, there’s more than one relationship that could receive a little Christmas magic…
*Please note this is a re-release of A Winter Wedding at Mistletoe Gate Farm, previously published by Helen J Rolfe*
Dreams and Ice Creams in Seabury by Beth Rain
This is Seabury – where everyone knows everyone, the average tourist hasn’t got a clue it even exists, and that’s just how the locals like it!
Today is the worst day of Stella Martinelli’s life. Certainly worse than the day she got divorced from her husband.
Ruby – Stella’s beloved ice cream van – is about to be scrapped. As she watches the guy from the scrap yard kicking Ruby’s tyres before sucking his teeth and pronouncing her “worthless” – Stella struggles to hold back her tears.
Stella’s been selling ice creams from the back of Ruby for over a decade. With the closure of Martinelli’s Ice Cream, she’s out of a job… but that’s not what’s bothering her. Saying goodbye to Ruby doesn’t just mean the end of a job… or the end of an era… it’s the end of Stella’s big dream.
A chance meeting with a familiar face sends Stella to Seabury in search of some work. Apparently the owner of Nana’s Ice Cream Parlour has been in the wars and is looking for some help. Stella’s not sure it’s such a great idea… after all, she’s from a rival company… but what could possibly go wrong?
Is Stella in for a frosty reception? Or will her heart melt like a soft scoop in left in the sun? One thing’s for sure – Seabury can always be counted on to provide the cherry on top!
Christmas at the Keep by Marcia Willett
Nestled in the Devon countryside, the Keep has always been a refuge for the Chadwick family: forever warm and welcoming through the challenges life has thrown at them. And the current occupants have certainly seen their share of challenges…
Lulu and her small son, Oliver, are staying at the Keep while they find their feet. Freddie’s commission as a naval chaplain has just ended and he too is grateful to have been welcomed at the Keep whilst he decides where to go next. And now Ed, the black sheep of the family, is finally coming home after ten years living in the USA.
Ed’s strange, secretive behaviour means that he often clashes with his family. But as the autumn draws to a close and a sprinkling of snow dusts the moors, could the promise of a family Christmas at the Keep be enough to ease tensions and soothe the sting of a long-buried secret?
The Chadwicks all know one thing for certain – no matter the circumstances, the Keep will always be there to welcome them home.
Christmas at Cwtch Cove by Rachel Griffiths (Book 1)
Single mum, Carrie Baker, has been feeling a bit lost since her daughter headed off to university. She avoids her empty nest in Cwtch Cove by devoting even more time than usual to her cleaning business, as well as doing what she can to support her widowed brother and his young daughter.
Experienced website developer, Ryan Davies, has plenty of work coming his way. He’s been living in a luxury apartment in Bristol with his mischievous French bulldog, Eric, and he tells himself all the time that life couldn’t be better. The problem is, he feels like something’s missing.
Ryan returns to Cwtch Cove to help his ageing parents with the sale of their house and their move to a retirement flat. With Christmas approaching, he wants them settled in their new home as soon as possible. He only plans to stay a few weeks, but then he bumps into old friend, Carrie.
As Carrie and Ryan get to know each other again at the most wonderful time of the year, the snow starts to fall and the festivities begin. Will there be romance in the air, or will they go their separate ways as the new year rolls in?
Winter Wishes at Cwtch Cove by Rachel Griffiths (Book 2)
Stella Reed grew up believing that her father abandoned the family when she was a child. As soon as she left college, she put aside her dreams of working as a jewellery designer, and found a job so she could help her mother financially. Stella has never found a man she felt she could trust with her heart and has accepted that she’ll always be alone.
Will Green moved to Cwtch Cove in the summer when he started working at a local pub. He loves village life, especially being able to swim, surf and walk the coastal path. The village is also just far enough away from his parents and the pressure they put on him to pursue a professional career, find a partner and settle down.
As Stella and Will work together at the pub, they become good friends and wonder if there could be something more between them.
But as Christmas brings a few surprises to Cwtch Cove, and some old secrets are revealed, could Stella and Will’s winter wishes come true, or are they destined to be single all the way?
Mistletoe Kisses at Cwtch Cove by Rachel Griffiths (Book 3)
Someone’s being kissed under the mistletoe at Cwtch Cove…
Finding Family at Seabreeze Farm by Jo Bartlett
Another wonderful new series from the top 10 bestselling author of The Cornish Midwife, Jo Bartlett. Welcome to Seabreeze Farm.
Freya Halliwell is looking forward to marrying the man of her dreams and starting their new life together. After the death of both of her parents, Ollie, along with Freya’s aunt, are the only family she has, but all the family she needs.
Until Freya discovers a shocking secret that makes her question everything she thought she knew about her once happy family and especially the man she used to call dad. Devastated and feeling more alone than ever before, Freya needs time and space to come to terms with the news. But until then the wedding is off!
Seabreeze Farm is the perfect place for Freya to recover. But could this beautiful farm perched high on the cliffs, also hold the answer to Freya’s past and reunite her with the family she never even knew she’d been wishing for?
This book was previously published as Finding Dad.
The Christmas Tree Cottage by Holly Martin
It’s the most wonderful time of the year in Wishing Wood, where the forest sparkles with fairy lights, the snow is falling, the fire is crackling and love is in the air. From the bestselling author of The Wisteria Tree Cottage comes the perfect romance to warm your heart this Christmas.
Evergreen Winter lives an unconventional life. Her home is a ramshackle red caravan and her Clydesdale horse Thunder is her only companion. She’s never anywhere long enough to put down roots, and that’s just the way she likes it. Until she arrives at beautiful Wishing Wood eight days before Christmas…
When Evergreen accepted the job to play the role of Mrs Christmas at the magical treehouse resort nestled within lush forest she never expected her Santa Claus to be the very gorgeous Heath Brookfield. From the moment they meet their connection is electric, and each day they play husband and wife Evergreen gets a glimpse of how incredible her life could be if she stayed in Wishing Wood for good.
But the last time Evergreen opened her heart to love she lost everything and she swore she’d never rely on anyone ever again. Heath believes he’s the one person who can change her mind. But with Evergreen set to leave on Christmas Eve, Heath doesn’t have long. Can he convince her to stay or will she ride away forever in her little red caravan taking his heart with her?
A Snowfall by the Sea by Isla Gordon
Cleo loves winter in Wavebreak Bay. The tourists leave as the temperatures drop, the fairy lights go up and it really starts to feel like home again. It also happens to be the time of year that her best friend Eliot comes back from San Francisco.
Though the seasons change, not much else in Cleo’s life does. She’s in a people-pleasing rut taking the worst shifts at the family restaurant, pet-sitting for her parents and making little time for herself. Cleo has spent so long thinking about everyone around her that she’s lost sight of what she wants. And she wants Eliot. And she’s decided that, this year, she’s finally going to tell him.
But as the snow settles on Wavebreak Bay, Cleo’s Christmas-for-two is disrupted by the arrival of her entire family – and more guests keep arriving. As Cleo works hard to make sure everyone else is having the most wonderful time of the year, will she finally pluck up the courage to stand up for herself . . . and to follow her heart?
Single All the Way by Portia MacIntosh
Will Dani find love this Christmas? Or will she be Single All The Way…?
When Dani’s boyfriend (and boss!) dumps her for a younger model, the only silver lining she can see is to be able to spend Christmas at home with her family after years away.
Determined to surprise them, Dani turns up unannounced in her hometown, excited to see that the festive season in Marram Bay is in full swing with Christmas lights twinkling on every corner. But disaster strikes when she finds her parents’ house is empty and they appear to have gone away on holiday!
Christmas alone and single is not ideal, and when Dani starts bumping into old friends, neighbours and potential love interests, she can’t face telling them the truth. So in a panic she claims to be home to throw a Christmas party for the whole town – easier said than done with 12 days to go before Christmas…
As the fake party approaches, little does Dani know that there may be someone there under the mistletoe for her, if she can just let her guard down and see them…
Mistletoe and Mulled Wine at the Christmas Campervan by Caroline Roberts
Christmas feels like a real gift for Lucy this year. Her cosy coastal cottage is starting to feel like home, her new pizza business is getting the locals ‘All Fired Up’, and she can’t wait to spend it with her new flame Jack, the charismatic owner of the Cocktail Campervan.
Winding along the snow-dusted Northumberland coast for a whirlwind of Christmas markets and celebrations, Lucy and Jack can’t resist stealing a few kisses under the mistletoe. But there’s a twist in their romantic tale when Lucy’s ex turns up in the village. As her past closes in, Jack becomes increasingly distant. And Lucy worries he’s holding back a few secrets of his own . . .
Will Christmas bring a cold spell for Lucy and Jack? Or could it really be the most wonderful time of the year?
Happy Endings at Mermaids Point by Sarah Bennett
Music sensation Aurora Storm finally has her career back on track, but then she’s caught up in a media storm. Desperate to distract from the story, she enlists the one man she trusts to pretend to be her boyfriend.
Meanwhile, in the small seaside village of Mermaids Point, Nick Morgan never expected to see Aurora again. When she calls out of the blue needing his help, he agrees at once. It feels like she’s back in his life for a reason, and he’s determined to make the most of it.
Aurora joins Nick and the rest of his family for their festive celebrations and, as the snow falls, Aurora finds herself caught up in the romance of Christmas. But having tasted worldwide fame, can she ever be content with village life?
Two weeks is all Nick has to prove to Aurora that there’s a happy ending for them both in Mermaids Point.
A Gift Called Hope by Eva Jordan
A heartfelt novel of a Christmas shadowed by loss and regret—and brightened by hope for renewal—from the author of Time Will Tell.
Six-year-old Jack is counting the days to Christmas. But his grandmother is just counting the days until it’s over. For Jill, the holiday comes with painful memories, and she wants only to escape the recent past and its tragedies.
She’s moved and started a new life running a food truck in Widmore Bay, a quaint seaside town, in order to flee her agonising history.
It’s only for little Jack’s sake that Jill tolerates the tree and decorations. She just wants to spend Christmas with the curtains drawn, reading a book and drinking coffee.
But this season, she may stumble onto a miracle that restores joy—and hope—in her heart . . .
Saving Christmas by Emily Harvale
It’s not only Christmas that needs saving.
Katie’s life is turned upside down less than four weeks before Christmas leaving her unemployed, heartbroken and homeless. Luckily, her younger sister, Emma makes her an offer she can’t refuse. But spending the festive season in the quaint seaside town Katie left behind five years ago, is not at the top of her Christmas Wish List. Although it will give her time to heal and plan her future.
Firefighter, Aaron’s not a fan of Christmas which his new neighbour, Katie clearly is, judging by the blaring Christmas music. Sparks fly the moment they meet, and it seems they can’t agree on anything. But Aaron can’t concern himself with Katie. He’s got his own demons to fight and a ghost from a Christmas past he’s unable to lay to rest.
When a fire at Conqueror’s Court Care Home threatens to ruin the festive season for the elderly residents – one of whom is Katie’s meddlesome nan – Katie’s determined she’ll save their Christmas. Even if she must accept help from her grumpy but annoyingly attractive neighbour, Aaron … along with Ember, his rambunctious dog.
Setting aside their differences, Katie and Aaron pull together and things soon look promising. In more ways than one. But will painful memories from Aaron’s past and Katie’s recent heartbreak keep them apart? Or will Katie’s ex do that by arriving with the perfect present to make Katie’s dreams come true?
Katie and Aaron want to save Christmas. Will they save one another along the way?
And will the magic of the season add a touch of sparkle to everyone’s lives?
A Country/Village Christmas
Snowfall Over Halesmere House by Suzanne Snow
Welcome to Halesmere House, where romance might be just around the corner…
After years of living in the past, Ella is ready to start building a future. The perfect opportunity presents itself when she is offered a short-term role at Halesmere House in the Lake District, and tasked with kick-starting its artists’ residence. She can’t wait to start and explore a new career in an inspiring location.
But when Ella arrives at Halesmere, she wonders if she’s made a huge mistake after she clashes with Max, the new owner. Max has his own reasons to be unsettled by her presence, but despite his misgivings it seems everyone else loves having Ella around. As a single dad, it’s his children’s attachment to her that bothers him most. Who will pick up the pieces when Ella leaves?
What Max doesn’t know is that Ella is falling for more than just the Lake District and the community around her. Can her temporary job lead to a permanent happy ending?
The Christmas Postcards by Karen Swan
The right words can change everything . . .
It had been a make-or-break holiday for their marriage, but Natasha and Rob’s rekindled romance is short-lived when their daughter’s beloved soft toy disappears on the journey home. As Natasha comforts her distraught child, she turns to social media for help. Miraculously, the toy is found, but it has become the lucky mascot of a man named Duffy, who is thousands of miles away trekking in Nepal.
When Duffy promises to keep Natasha updated with pictures, a correspondence begins that soon becomes more meaningful. Sometimes, Natasha feels this stranger half way across the world understands her more than the man lying next to her.
But as the weeks pass and Duffy heads deeper into the mountains, Natasha notices a change in him. Then one day, the messages stop. Too late, Natasha wonders why he had ever needed a lucky mascot at all.
Once Upon a Christmas by Jane Porter
Can the magic of the Christmas season lead to a fairy tale happy ending?
When Cara Roberts’ family plans an extra special Christmas to support her after her broken engagement, she wants nothing to do with the holiday. After learning her brother and his wife can’t use the cottage vacation they purchased, she impulsively escapes to an English cottage in the bucolic village of Bakewell, despite having no idea where Bakewell is.
Lord Alec Sherbourne of Langley Park is no fan of Christmas, but following in his parents’ footsteps, he annually donates his impressive 19th century country home to be decorated and opened on December weekends as a community fundraiser. This year, Christmas is complicated by the arrival of a pretty American woman who booked a cottage on his estate—only the cottage is occupied. Forced to take her under his vast roof, he’s dismayed when a storm and frozen pipes keep her with him longer than he’d anticipated. Even more worrisome, her presence is making it feel like Christmas for the first time in forever.
As these two holiday housemates become friends, is there something more in the Christmas air?
Christmas at the Stables on MuddyPuddle Lane by Etti Summers
If you love snowflakes and mistletoe, hot chocolate and gingerbread, then snuggle up with this gorgeously festive romantic story…
Can the magic of Christmas mend a broken heart?
Lately, Amos has been feeling his age.
With his niece Petra happily married and the stables going from strength to strength, he feels surplus to requirements. Suffering from angina and still grieving for his wife, he thinks it might be time to leave the stables on Muddypuddle Lane to the younger generation.
Lena is worried that this Christmas might be her mum’s last. Olive is ninety-three and is getting frailer by the day.
When Lena confides her fears to Amos, they decide to put on a nativity play at the stables, to make this Christmas extra-special for her mum, and as Amos throws himself into the production, he begins to feel useful once more.
But is it the festivities that is responsible for his renewed zest for life, or is it due to his growing feelings for Lena?
One Last Dream for December by Lottie Cardew
Sometimes, the dream we think we don’t deserve is the one that’s trying to come true…
Esme Blythe has led a nomadic existence for the last ten years, never thinking she fits anywhere, and never feeling she’s earned the right to. But when she moves in above Percival’s, the charming old toy shop in Market Square, Pebblestow, it seems the village is about to weave its signature fairy-tale magic.
Surrounded by wooden soldiers, rocking horses, and vintage doll’s houses, not to mention the locals who seem determined to be part of her life – from her endearing grumpy uncle, to warm-hearted co-worker Blodwyn, and smouldering single dad Seth – Esme has to face up to everything she’s been missing, or turn her back on an incredible opportunity.
New friends, formidable foes, and the thrill of a budding romance, conspire to make this the most bittersweet December ever. But when she finally learns the truth about the toy shop’s owner, her elusive benefactor, the mysterious Mr Percival, is it already too late for Esme to change her mind… and heal her heart?
A Christmas Celebration by Heidi Swain
When Paige turns up unannounced at Wynthorpe Hall, she discovers the place she knew when she was growing up has changed beyond all recognition. She’s only planning to stay for a short time, but is quickly pulled into local life.
One night while driving home after delivering library books and shopping to residents she stumbles across an isolated cottage and meets Albert, its elderly and rather grumpy owner. She quickly realises there’s more to Albert than meets the eye and the same can be said for the other man she can’t seem to help running into, handsome but brooding Brodie.
All three of them have a secret and a desire to hide away from the world, but with Christmas on the horizon, is that really the best way to celebrate the season?
The Christmas Holiday by Phillipa Ashley
She’s planned the perfect Christmas. But fate might have other ideas…
Krystle didn’t have a normal childhood and longed for warm family Christmases with presents under the tree. Now she makes sure everyone else has the perfect Christmas she never had, bringing beautiful decorations to cheer as many people as possible.
With her festive business booming, she decides to celebrate by renting a secluded house in the Lakes, with a plan to make this the ultimate yuletide getaway.
But fate immediately throws a spanner in the works in the form of a broken-down car, a flooded river and Max; a man who despises Christmas.
Krystle becomes determined to show Max the joys of the holiday. She won’t take no for an answer.
Can she melt Max’s Grinch-like heart? And can he show her that life doesn’t need to go to plan to take you somewhere magical…
Let it Snow by Beth Moran
After the end of a long-term relationship, local weather girl Bea Armstrong has been avoiding her family, and their inevitable ‘I-told-you-sos.’ But with Christmas fast approaching, she is finally on her way home to Charis House, the school in Sherwood Forest that her mum and dad run in their old family home. And to top it all off, the insufferable Henry Fairfax – who her parents have always wanted her to marry – has also been invited.
Relief comes in the shape of a last minute interview for her dream job. There are just a few minor problems… The interview is in Scotland, Bea has no car, and the snow is falling already. The only solution is for Henry to drive her – could this Christmas get any worse…
But during an unforgettable two day interview, a stay in a log cabin and a nightmare journey through the snow, Henry turns out to be nothing like she thought. And when Bea’s first love and recent ex shows up, Bea has a difficult choice to make…
Christmas at Red Robin Cottage by Sue Roberts
Snow is falling on Little Newdale. Decorations are being hung and joy is in the air. But at Red Robin Cottage, single mother Sarah is feeling far from merry and bright…
Since her marriage went up in flames, all Sarah Dunne wants is a cozy festive season. Just her and her teenage daughter Ellie in their little cottage, watching all the classic Christmas films under piles of blankets in front of a crackling fire. On-screen romances only. Sarah will not be falling in love again.
But Ellie is feeling the blues, facing the holiday without her father. Following the trail of fairy lights into the snowy village, Sarah is determined to find baubles, mince pies and stocking fillers galore to make this an extra-special family celebration. The last thing she expects is to find herself gazing into the soft brown eyes of her childhood sweetheart, Luke.
After so long apart, Sarah refuses to be swept off her feet by Luke’s easy laugh and kind smile, especially after her messy divorce. Even though her heart races every time they bump into each other at carol concerts, seasonal markets, and Christmas parties. And when Luke shows just how much he cares by picking out a gift guaranteed to put a smile on her daughter’s face, Sarah wonders if letting him into her life would make her wish for a perfect family Christmas come true…
But then Sarah discovers a shattering secret about Luke’s past that makes her question everything. Devastated, with her daughter in lower spirits than ever and Luke begging for a second chance, Sarah wonders if she was wrong to open her heart again? And will she ever be able to make this a Christmas to remember?
Winter Kisses at Roseford Cafe by Fay Keenan
Hollywood comes to Roseford, as Christmas wishes really do come true…
The sleepy Somerset village of Roseford is the temporary home for the cast and crew of the latest Christmas movie, and there’s excitement in the air. When Lucy Cameron, the owner of Roseford Café, is asked to fulfil a last-minute catering order on set, she can’t believe her luck.
Lucy’s erstwhile teenage crush, Finn Sanderson, is the star of the film, alongside his glamorous co-star, Montana de Santo, with whom he has been linked on and off the screen, and their sprinkle of stardust around the village is intoxicating.
With Christmas approaching and the snow starting to fall, Lucy’s path keeps crossing with Finn’s, and she starts to get to know the man behind the movie star. As her feelings grow, so too do Lucy’s reservations about even considering becoming involved with someone so well-known. And when Lucy finds herself at the centre of a social media storm, her fears seem to be justified.
Are happy-ever-afters just the preserve of Christmas movies, or could Lucy and Finn star in their very own festive love story…
A Winter Wish by Rosie Green (Little Duck Pond Cafe 24)
With her new-found happiness unexpectedly crushed, Clara is struggling to move forward. It’s hard – especially with step-sister Lois bouncing around the place with joy and making all sorts of plans for the future. When step-mum Irene starts behaving oddly and a neighbour makes a shocking accusation, Clara finds herself in an impossible position. And it’s a situation that threatens to destroy her blossoming romance almost before it’s begun . . .
Clara’s Christmas Magic by Rosie Green (Little Duck Pond Cafe 25)
This Christmas, Clara is yearning for a little magic. Will her hopes be dashed? Or will this festive season turn out to be the one when all her wildest dreams come true?
Snowflakes Over Primrose Woods by Jill Steeples
Winter has arrived in Primrose Woods bringing with it new loves, new adventures and warm hugs on cold days.
Abbey Carter, her boyfriend Sam and their trusty canine companion Lady, relish living in the picturesque village of Wishwell at the edge of their beloved Primrose Woods. The woods and the country park are full of activity as the festive season approaches.
Lizzie Baker is flat out at the Treetops café, serving all sorts of winter warmers, festive goodies and lashings of hot chocolate. And when her daughter and grandchildren arrive to stay, the run up to Christmas is set to be even more magical than she had expected.
Rhianna West has finally found the perfect man to fall in love with – if only Luke wasn’t moving away in the New Year.
As the snow falls on Primrose Woods, and the village of Wishwell sparkles with Christmas lights, could this be the year that every wish comes true for the three friends?
Maybe This Christmas? by Jill Steeples
When Beth Brown loses her job and her boyfriend in the space of twenty-four hours, she thinks life can’t get any worse. That’s until she finds herself in the depths of the English countryside working for chef, Rocco di Castri. Not only does she have to deal with his legendary moods, but she’s also expected to get his chaotic schedule and workload in check, all while she’s nursing a broken heart.
It’s not long before Rocco’s idyllic home starts to work its magic and soon she sees a softer side to her boss too. And as the festive season approaches, Beth dares to look forward to everything the perfect country Christmas has to offer – and perhaps some romance of her own. Until news of an unexpected proposal threatens to put pay to all Beth’s plans. Will Beth get her happily-ever-after? Maybe, this Christmas…
A Tale of Two Christmases by Rosemary Whittaker
Annie never comes home for Christmas. There’s too much chance of running into Alex. He broke her heart, and she never wants to speak to him again.
Alex always comes home for Christmas. He’s desperate to talk to Annie about what went wrong between them.
Faced with a family crisis, Annie reluctantly agrees to spend the holidays with her parents. It shouldn’t be too difficult to avoid Alex for just one week.
But she didn’t expect to arrive in the middle of the wedding of the year. The entire village will be there, and no one will be able to avoid anyone else.
It’s a battle of two Christmases, and only one can win.
A Wish at the Christmas Village by Alix Kelso
Make a wish this Christmas…
A Christmas hope.
Millie Dawson adores Christmas, but it’s not easy feeling festive when she’s still grieving for her beloved mother. The twinkling lights and good cheer of the Hollyford Christmas Village might help her get into the spirit of the season, but she wishes she didn’t feel so alone in the world…
A Christmas heartbreak.
Adam Carter hates Christmas, thanks to his fiancé dumping him just weeks before their December wedding. He wishes he could ignore the whole month, but owning a busy gift shop in Hollyford makes that impossible, especially when the Christmas Village organising committee come calling…
A helping hand from a mysterious friend.
When Mrs Wishmore arrives in Hollyford, Millie is grateful for the older lady’s friendship while they help run the Christmas Village activities. There’s something strangely comforting about Doris Wishmore, and Millie can’t help wondering if the enigmatic woman is some kind of Christmas guardian angel…
Can Millie find the happy Christmas she promised her mother she’d have? Can Adam let go of heartbreak and finally move on? And can Mrs Wishmore help two lonely strangers find friendship… and more?
All wishes are possible with love and hope… and a sprinkling of Christmas magic.
A Snowflake in December by Kiltie Jackson
When Christmas is the time of year you hate the most, what does it take to make you love it?
Polly Snowflake hasn’t celebrated Christmas since her father died on Christmas Day when she was fifteen years old and, twenty years later, she has avoiding the festive season down to a fine art. That is until she meets Maxwell Watkins, a fully-fledged lover of Christmas, who vows to thaw out her frozen Christmas spirit.
Taking the idea of an advent calendar, Maxwell sets a different ADVENT-ure each day from the 1st to the 24th December, covering all manner of wonderful Christmas delights. As they spend time together, Polly begins to wonder if Christmas is the only thing she’ll be opening her heart to. That is, until Maxwell’s glamourous super-model ex-girlfriend arrives back on the scene…
Will this be a Christmas for Polly to remember or yet another she’ll want to forget?
A Cornish Christmas
A Little Christmas Panto : Oh yes it is by Angela Britnell
Can a little Cornish village panto convince a troubled Hollywood heart throb to act again?
Oh no it won’t! At least that’s what Zach Broussard initially thinks when the eccentric Anna Teague tries to railroad him into helping out with her community pantomime production in the run-up to Christmas. Zach has his reasons for leaving Hollywood behind, and his retreat to the remote village of Polcarne in Cornwall signals the start of a new acting free life for him.
But when Zach meets Anna’s daughter, Rosey – an ex concert pianist who has swapped Mozart for panto tunes – he starts to wonder whether he could change his mind, and not just about acting.
If nothing else, will the residents of Polcarne ensure Zach has a Christmas he never forgets?
Oh yes they will!
Snow Falls over Starry Cove by Nancy Barone
Emmie Weaver has it all – a handsome fiancé and students who love her. So why does she feel so lost?
When Emmie’s estranged grandfather dies, leaving her a barge in Starry Cove, it’s a welcome chance to hit pause. But as soon as she arrives in the Cornish village, it’s clear this won’t be the relaxing break she was expecting. Her grandmother wants nothing to do with her and Jago Moon, a handsome yet hostile town bad boy, is inexplicably determined to not let her boat touch water.
Christmas is fast approaching and so is her wedding date. Can Emmie stay long enough to see snow fall over Starry Cove? And will finding out about her past help her decide her future?
Mistletoe and Magic for the Cornish Midwife by Jo Bartlett
It’s the most wonderful time of the year…
But for single mum and busy midwife Nadia, it’s quickly turning into her worst Christmas ever.
Her marriage is over, and whilst her husband has moved on, Nadia finds herself back home, squashed into her mum’s spare room with her two small children. They might not be a perfect family anymore, but Nadia is determined to make this Christmas special for them.
Dr Hamish Spencer totally understands Nadia’s pain. As a fellow single parent, he’s struggling to cope with a rebellious teen daughter and a precocious six-year-old! Perhaps if he and Nadia join forces, they could make this Christmas slightly more memorable for everyone?
The last thing Nadia wants is a new man in her life, but she’d definitely like lovely Hamish as a friend. But Christmas has a way of melting the hardest of hearts and maybe a kiss under the mistletoe could change everything?
Love Lights on Christmas Snow by Laura Briggs
With her chops as a new writer still less-than-perfectly established, Maisie has allowed her literary agent to persuade her into signing on as the ghost writer of a legendary YA heroine, with a tight Christmas deadline for her first adventure’s publication.
Her new role at the eclectic Quillow publishing house is on tenuous ground, adding to her woes as a struggling author. Her personal life is tangled up in knots involving Alex, which have been pulled tighter after that emotional encounter with him last autumn—one which has changed everything between them without offering any clarity as to what happens next.
Meanwhile, the Penmarrow is busy once again during the busy Christmas season. The carnival troupe on the hotel’s grounds is planning an idyllic pageant to entertain visitors for the hotel’s winter fete, but its odd Punch and Judy show has unnerved more than one member of staff with uncanny scripts that seem to mirror their personal issues—Maisie’s included.
Except for Molly, she has no one she can turn to for guidance on her new place in Alex’s life. Dean’s usual candor turns to hesitation after the truth about Alex’s unhappy past is raised, including an unexpected revelation. Maisie is beginning to worry that the shadow of Lewiston —and its bitter secrets—are more of a threat to Alex and herself than all the memories he lost. Will Christmas bring her the answer she’s been waiting for—or the disappointment that will confirm her worst fears?
A Winter Warmer at the Little Cornish Kitchen by Jane Linfoot
St Aidan: a cosy Cornish village where friendships are made for life and it’s always cocktail hour somewhere…
A clean slate in the world’s cosiest cottage by the sea…
When Gwen Starkey and her best friend, Ella Simpson, arrive in St Aidan to take on a cottage renovation, it’s the fresh start they both so desperately need. But when their new adventure begins with them unintentionally breaking into their neighbour, Ollie Lancaster’s cottage – thinking it’s their new home – and Gwen accidentally flashing the gorgeous Ollie before they flee, the life-long friends realise that life in Cornwall is going to be anything but quiet!
They also quickly discover that they’re in over their heads and it’s going to take a village to turn their cottage’s narrow walls into the luxurious hideaway of their dreams. St Aidan is full of colourful characters just waiting to welcome them, if only Gwen and Ella can find the courage to start leaving the past behind them…
Christmas at Porthglen Inn by Tamsin Bracknell
A seaside town in Cornwall. The magic of Christmas. The chance to believe in love again.
Mila loves her job in the big city working for a corporate chains of inns. That is until her boss sends her to the tiny Cornish seaside town of Porthglen to oversee the opening of their latest inn branch.
The locals are resistant to an established chain setting up in their close-knit community and with the Christmas period on the horizon, Mila’s got her job cut out for her.
Matters are only made worse when she gets snowed into the inn with the guests and the journalist who has been inciting local defiance against her company, Andy, two days before Christmas.
For Mila to pull off a successful Christmas opening and please her bosses before she has to return to London on New Year’s Eve, she’s going to need Andy’s help, even if she doesn’t want it.
The Oddest Little Cornish Christmas Shop by Beth Good
Artist Marjorie comes back to the tiny Cornish fishing village where she was born to take over the running of her ailing grandmother’s Christmas shop, selling everything from Christmas trees to snowglobes to inflatable elves.
The last person she expects to see back in the village for Christmas is her old adversary Jack, whose high-powered career has taken him all over the world. But Jack’s sister is sick too, and he’s come home to be with her … right next door to the Christmas shop!
Marjorie and Jack clashed permanently back in the day, culminating in a kiss and a slapped face when they parted. Yet she’s never got over his crooked smile and ironic one-liners. Can she handle his prickling proximity for a few festive weeks until her gran’s better? Or is Marjorie in danger of making a fool of herself all over again?
A Yorkshire Christmas
A Cosy Christmas with the Village Vet by Eliza J Scott
It’s the most magical time of the year! Will Brogan and Nick find the happiness they crave so they can celebrate the festive season?
Christmas has always been a special time for Brogan, especially since her move to her grandparents’ smallholding. Set near the picturesque village of Lytell Stangdale in the middle of the North Yorkshire Moors, it’s an idyllic location. But with the loss of her beloved grandparents still raw, she’s struggling to find her festive spirit.
Talked into going to a wedding by her friends, Brogan finds herself sitting next to a rather handsome stranger. Thinking she’ll never seen him again, she dusts off her flirting skills and lets her fun-loving side loose.
Newly single Nick Heuston was dreading going to his friend’s wedding. But a chance encounter with a woman with captivating green and eyes makes him think otherwise. He’s gutted when she disappears without leaving any way for him to contact her.
Telling himself he needs a break from relationships, Nick intends to focus all his attention on his job as a vet at a new practice. It proves easier said than done; he just can’t get Brogan out of his mind.
Meanwhile, Brogan’s been looking forward to starting her new job as a vet nurse at the new local practice.
On their first day at Danskelfe Veterinary Surgery, both are stunned when they come face-t0-face once more – something Nick seems very happy about, but Brogan’s not so sure.
Despite her reluctance, it would seem fate is keen to push them together, and Brogan finds her feelings for Nick growing. As for Nick, the more he gets to know Brogan, the more he finds himself falling for her.
Just when their romance looks ready to bloom, something or someone seems to get in its way.
Will Christmas work its magic? Or are Brogan and Nick destined to be nothing more than a brief encounter?
Why not join Brogan and Nick, together with their canine companions Wilf and Maudie – and all the familiar Life on the Moors characters – for a heartwarming, festive trip to the moors?
Winter Wishes at the White Hart Inn by Sharon Booth
Welcome to the Yorkshire Dales market town of Tuppenny Bridge, and a heartwarming series featuring romance and friendship in a tight-knit community.
What happened to Sally Fletcher and Rafferty Kingston after they discovered how the other half lives?
Sally is making a life for herself in Tuppenny Bridge. She’s found new friends and is working hard in her job as bar manager at The White Hart Inn, owned by her daughter’s father-in-law, Rafferty.
She’s determined to make the pub a success to repay Rafferty for his kindness, after he offered her the chance of a fresh start when her marriage broke down.
Sally and Rafferty are good friends, but when Sally’s forced to revisit the life she left behind, she wonders if their friendship will survive Christmas, as unexpected guests arrive at The White Hart Inn.
Rafferty’s fully aware that Sally sees him only as a friend, but that doesn’t stop him wishing they could be more. When a ghost from Sally’s past arrives in Tuppenny Bridge, he’s very much afraid that the wishes he’s made will never come true.
As the snow falls and the residents of Tuppenny Bridge prepare to celebrate Christmas, both Sally and Rafferty must gather their courage and face their demons before it’s too late.
When this festive season is over, will they move forward into the future together, or will it be a bleak midwinter at The White Hart Inn?
Christmas Miracles at Hedgehog Hollow by Jessica Redland
It’s the countdown to Christmas at Hedgehog Hollow Wildlife Rescue Centre, and everyone is gearing up for a festive season to remember…
It should be the most wonderful time of the year for Samantha and Josh as they prepare for the arrival of their first baby. But life at Hedgehog Hollow rarely goes to plan and the pair are faced with adversaries, old and new, and unexpected challenges to overcome.
Fizz’s job at the heart of the rescue centre is a dream come true but her personal life is more like a nightmare. With her love life a disaster and her past about to dramatically catch up with her, she needs the love and support of her Hedgehog Hollow family more than ever.
As the snow falls over Hedgehog Hollow, will Samantha and Fizz find the Christmas miracle they need to overcome their heartache and find happiness?
A Scottish Christmas
A Shetland Christmas Carol by Erin Green
Will the gift of friendship save their past, present and future?
Callie has taken multiple jobs to make the money she desperately needs. Her favourite is being the new guide for Lerwick Manor’s alpaca walks. But her troublesome past is making it difficult to prove to others that she’s learned from her mistakes.
Heather has been content breeding Sheltie sheepdogs and taking care of her grownup daughters. But now she feels that something is missing. Taking the leap into online dating, she makes an unexpected connection to which her daughters react very differently.
Tabitha sells homemade soap at the Stables Gallery, but her true passion is for amateur dramatics. Winning a role in the group’s festive production of A Christmas Carol, Tabby is determined to make her mark – but will her growing feelings for fellow actor Rabbie distract her?
As Christmas draws near, can true friendship save the past, present and future of the Lerwick community?
The Christmas Castle in Scotland by Julie Caplin
Unwrap this gorgeous gift of a book for an escape to the snow-peaked caps of the Scottish Highlands and a romance that will melt your heart…
Izzy McBride had never in a million years expected to inherit an actual castle from her great uncle Bill but here she was, in the run up to Christmas, Monarch of her own Glen – a very rundown glen in need of a lot of TLC if her dream of turning it into a boutique bed and breakfast was to come true.
But when Izzy’s eccentric mother rents a room to enigmatic thriller author Ross Adair and the Scottish snow starts to settle like the frosting on a Christmas cake, it’s a race to get the castle ready before they’re all snowed in for the holidays.
Together Under a Snowy Skye by Lisa Hobman
After the heartbreak of a secret unrequited love, Millie Treadaway has finally found someone to spend her life with.
Harry Rose is handsome, successful and treats her like a princess. That is until Millie presents her fiancé with a surprise birthday gift, and their future is suddenly doomed.
Eight months later Millie returns to Glentorrin on the Isle of Skye for her best friend Jules’ Christmas wedding. Heartbroken, single and heavily pregnant.
Staying in Lifeboat Cottage with Jules’ brother, kindhearted Dexter, she’s given up on love and resigned herself to be the best single Mum ever.
But a shock phone call from Harry leaves her reeling and doubting herself and her decisions.
Do second chances work? Or is Dexter, right? That she deserves much more?
Can the festive spirit in Glentorrin, and a little stray Jack Russell terrier, heal her heart?
Or is she fated to remain a member of the lonely-hearts club forever?
A Moment on the Lips at Christmas by J Taylor
Join the ladies of A Moment on the Lips this festive season. Because an A Moment on the Lips Christmas may not be a perfect Christmas, but it’s definitely one you do not want to miss.
From: Pamela Wilson
PamelaWilsonlovesCorgis@gmail.com
To: Etta1991@icloud.com
Date: 20 Dec 2021 11:43
Subject: Very exciting news! Prompt response required!
Dear Family and Friends,
You are cordially invited to join us at Midwinter Lodge from 27 December to 1 January, situated in the glorious wilderness of the Scottish Highlands, for a Christmas and New Year break to remember.
Midwinter is an extremely luxurious thatched cottage that sleeps 18 comfortably and was featured in 2020 Your Home magazine. Facilities include gym, cinema, indoor heated pool, sauna, Aga and manicured grounds with fire pit. Small dogs are allowed in the house. Outdoor shoes are not.
This break is a gift from us to you. NO financial contribution is required. RSVP WITHIN 24 HOURS as we need the final numbers for the Ocado shop. Transport via executive coach is included. We look forward to hosting you!
Let’s make some memories!
Festive love and peace,
Pamela and Gillian
A Magical Christmas on the Isle of Skye by Jodie Homer
It takes a village to fall in love.
Set in Scotland, on the Isle of Skye, we meet Harry and Emilia, who have always been best friends, well, until they complicated everything by sleeping together.
Drunk and alone on New Year’s Eve, Emilia phones up the TV’s psychic and spills out all of her sorrows.
When her friends propose to stay in a cabin in the middle of nowhere for Christmas, Emilia jumps at the chance, but the atmosphere quickly dampens when Harry announces his girlfriend will be joining them. What will happen to Harry and Emilia’s relationship when they discover the island is full of old myths and a time loop they just can’t escape from?
One Night in Edinburgh by Nina Kaye
One night. But how many second chances?
Heartbroken on Hogmanay, Steph wanders through the Edinburgh street party until she bumps into Jamie. He’s funny, attractive and clearly interested. In a word, he’s perfect – but she didn’t get his number. All she remembers is his lime and mango beer.
Determined to be reunited, Steph tracks him by a milk carton style campaign, sticking a message to his favourite beer across local pubs. Although eventually reunited, Jamie is frequently uncontactable and evasive, and Steph worries she’s on the path to heartbreak once more.
There’s a fine line between being patient and being gullible, and Steph’s reaching her limit. When a chance encounter with Jamie reveals his secret, she faces an even tougher decision. Should Steph give love another chance, or was one night in Edinburgh all she and Jamie were meant to have?
A Festive Surprise by Margaret Amatt
She can’t abide Christmas. He’s not sure what it’s all about. Together they’re in for a festive surprise.
Ambitious software developer Holly may have a festive name but the connection ends there. She despises the holiday season and decides to flee to the remote island of Mull in a bid to escape from it.
Syrian refugee Farid has made a new home in Scotland but he’s lonely. Understanding Nessie and Irn Bru is one thing, but when glittery reindeer and tinsel hit the shelves, he’s completely bemused. Determined to understand a new culture, he asks his new neighbour to educate him on all things Christmas.
When Holly reluctantly agrees, he realises there’s more to her hatred of mince pies and mulled wine than meets the eye. Farid makes it his mission to inject some joy into Hollys’ life but falling for her is an unexpected gift that was never on his list.
As their attraction sparkles, can Christmas work its magic on Holly and Farid, or will their spark fizzle out with the end of December?
Snowflakes and Secrets in the Scottish Highlands by Donna Ashcroft
Step into Christmas Village in the Scottish Highlands where you’ll find plenty of mulled wine, romance and secrets! And join Merry McKenzie as she stays at her Aunt Ava’s cottage for the winter festivities to try and mend her broken heart…
Thirty-one-year-old Merry has vowed never to have her heart broken again. When her Aunt Ava asks her to house-sit Chestnut Cottage to look after her menagerie of animals, Merry jumps at the opportunity. Perhaps spending Christmas in the snowy Scottish Highlands will be just the escape she needs…
But on her first night in the little cottage everything goes wrong. The lights don’t work. It’s freezing cold. She has to call out the local vet, Theo Ellis-Lee, to help her calm down her aunt’s over-excited pet turkey. Merry realises she’s completely out of her comfort zone and it doesn’t help that Theo is both infuriatingly cheerful and insanely attractive.
It gets worse when Theo begins stopping by the cottage every day to check on the unruly animals. Merry wanted to prove that she doesn’t need a man holding her hand all the way. And Theo wasn’t part of her plans to be home alone for Christmas. Except Merry can’t deny the handsome vet sets her pulse racing…
Merry tries to keep up her Scrooge-like persona, but gradually Theo begins to melt her heart with his cheeky sense of humour and smouldering looks. As the two of them share cosy evenings drinking wine and eating cookies, Merry lets down her guard for the first time in a very long time.
But when Merry discovers Theo has been keeping a secret from her, it makes her wonder if she can really trust him. Can Theo convince Merry to give him a second chance? Or will Merry leave Christmas Village and return home heartbroken?
Christmas at Applemore by Rachael Lucas
Escape to the snowy Scottish Highlands where love is in the air… will two friends realise they’re perfect for each other? A sparkling festive romance from the bestselling author of The Winter Cottage.
Harry Robertson is determined to make the Applemore Hotel a success. As the busy season ends, the builders are ready to get to work. He’s closing the doors on the final guests of the year when a chance encounter changes everything.
Capricious media star Ivy Winter causes a stir when she arrives in the tiny Highland village with her fiancé Ben.
Harry’s delighted to hear she wants nothing more than to marry in the hotel her parents loved… there’s just one tiny problem. Ivy’s got her heart set on a Christmas wedding – and what Ivy wants, she gets.
Harry’s best friend Polly Fraser reassures him they can make it work – between her farm shop stuffed with local produce, her sister Beth’s flower farm to provide the wedding flowers, and artisan bakers to create the wedding cakes of their dreams.
The tight-knit community pull together, determined to make it a Christmas Applemore will never forget. But disaster strikes, and the village is on tenterhooks. Can they pull it off?
As snow begins to fall over the Highlands, romance is in the air. Will this Christmas wedding be the one to bring Harry and Polly together at last?
Christmas at The Highland Flower Shop by Lucy Coleman
Four months. One impossible task. It’s time to save Christmas.
Bella Reed has worked at The Highland Flower Shop ever since she left college and now her Aunt Jane has handed the keys and the lease over to her. With the business under her reign, Bella is ready to hit the ground running – until she’s dealt a massive blow. They’re being evicted.
When dashing businessman Maverick McIntyre turns up in Fort William, Bella discovers the reason they’re being kicked out. He has no intention of honouring a ridiculous deal his father made many years ago.
As Maverick and Bella lock horns, they both begin to see different sides to one another and before long the two strike up the most unexpected of friendships. Bella knows she has to keep business separate, but when her head and her heart are saying two different things, life starts to get complicated.
No matter her feelings, Bella isn’t about to let anyone down and the entire town’s counting on her to save Christmas.
Love on the Lochs by Sue Hancocks
Sophie and Gus meet on a plane and can’t help feeling a spark of attraction for each other. They don’t realise they will be meeting again very soon, only this time on opposite sides of an important deal. If this deal goes through Sophie will get the long awaited promotion she has worked so hard for and by preventing the deal Gus is stopping her realizing her dream.
Sophie is a determined professional, with no time for men. Gus is returning to Scotland from New York and he has his own demons to face. Can they work out a way to overcome their different problems?
Set in the wonderful snowy highlands of Scotland by a gorgeous loch get whisked away on a snowmobile and spend Christmas with Sophie and Gus.
Dreams Come True at Glendale Hall by Victoria Walters
Lorna is following her dreams. But can she follow her heart?
Lorna Ferguson has dreamt of opening her own bed and breakfast in the village of Glendale for as long as she’d pictured falling in love. While her love life remains frankly hopeless, Lorna is determined to secure Dove House – the home she imagined living in as a child – to start this new venture with her family.
Along with brother Adam, Lorna starts restoring the house to its Art Deco glory, but faced with a whole host of renovation problems and their money fast running out, they worry that Dove House will never be ready to open in the New Year.
When a mystery man turns up, needing to fulfil a promise he made to his dying father and find the object he left at Dove House many years ago, Lorna’s heart goes out to him. But what they find there is going to change both of their lives forever.
Facing problems at every turn, and distracted by her heart, Lorna is going to need all the magic that her beloved Glendale can supply to make all her dreams come true…
An uplifting, inspirational and romantic read that will warm your heart. Fans of Jenny Colgan and Heidi Swain will love this.
A French Christmas
Christmas on the Riviera by Jennifer Bohnet
Christmas is a time for family and friends, but will the allure of the French Riviera be able to work its magic?
As a toddler Elodie Jacques was abandoned by her mother and left in the care of her French grandmother, Gabriella in Dartmouth, Devon.
Now 24 years old, Elodie struggles to reconcile the deep anger for the mother she has never since seen.
When Gabriella unexpectedly announces she wants the two of them to spend Christmas and her 70th birthday in her home town of Juan-les-Pins in the South of France Elodie is thrilled.
Gabriella meanwhile has her own ulterior motives for wanting to return after 40 years, a daunting homecoming potentially filled with memories, secrets and recriminations.
With Juan-les-Pins pulsing with lights, decorations and the festive spirit, Christmas promises to be filled with fun. But when Elodie learns there is the possibility that her long absent mother may join them she hides her feelings behind a show of indifference and animosity.
Will there be the reconciliation that Gabriella longs for – or will the spirit of Christmas fail to work its wonder?
The Recipe for Hope by Fiona Valpy
Evie’s running away: from her soon-to-be ex-husband’s shiny new life, from the devastating loss of her baby last year, from a memory-filled London and, most particularly, from Christmas. A remote cottage in the South of France seems like the perfect peaceful place to soothe her sorrows.
But the countryside soon proves anything but quiet, from the rooster crowing at dawn to the barn owl hooting through the night—not to mention Evie’s handsome neighbour, doctor Didier, who works away in his garage at all hours.
Unexpectedly, the sights and sounds of life amid the sparkling beauty of the Dordogne give Evie a renewed sense of inspiration, and with her French grandmother’s recipe book for company, she begins to rediscover her love of cooking. Soon, the tight-knit community begins to enfold her, reminding Evie what really matters in life.
But are Didier’s gorgeous blue eyes on more than Evie’s delicious dinners? And can a cancelled Christmas—complete with a Not-Christmas feast for two—heal her heart?
Christmas in Paris by Tilly Tennant
As the snow flutters down on the Eiffel Tower and fairy lights sparkle on the pavement cafés of Paris, meet the girl determined not to fall in love in the most romantic city in the world…
When Brooke arrives in Paris at Christmas, it feels like the perfect place to escape her heartbreak after being dumped by her long-term boyfriend. And while her head might be turned by the romance of couples strolling arm in arm along the riverbank, and the air scented with chocolat chaud, her heart remains firmly under lock and key – this trip is going to be about her.
But when a chance encounter leads Brooke to green-eyed Armand with his dark wavy hair and warm smile, she is annoyed to feel her heart skip a beat… And when he opens his heart to her in a candlelit restaurant and kisses her at the top of the Eiffel Tower, she throws caution to the wind. Armand isn’t her ex – and doesn’t she deserve a second chance at love?
But when Armand begins to blow hot and cold, she wonders if she has been taken for a fool. Why does he lie about where he has been? Who is the mysterious tall blonde French woman who always seems to be watching Brooke? And when Armand leaves Paris without warning as Christmas Eve approaches, will Brooke be able to find out what he is hiding? Brooke will need the courage to leave her own past behind if she is to find magic this Christmas…
Twenty-One Nights in Paris by Leonie Mack
Irena and Sacha come from two very different worlds.
An heiress to a fortune, Ren’s home-from-home is the Ritz, while the handsome and brooding Sacha has grown up in Paris’s less salubrious suburbs. So when an accident brings them together, romance seems an unlikely outcome.
When Ren’s society engagement reaches a very public end, Irena’s over-protective grandmother wants her home in London. Ren needs an excuse to stay in Paris, and so after some persuasion, Sacha agrees to pose as her new boyfriend. But only for the twenty-one days Ren’s grandmother has allowed her to nurse her broken heart before heading home to face the music.
Over the course of three weeks, Ren realises the world outside her exclusive bubble is more beautiful than she could have imagined. While Sacha reluctantly begins to see the goodness of the woman behind the wealth. When their time is up, will Ren want to return to her gilded cage, and will Sacha be able to let go of the woman he’s been ‘pretending’ to fall in love with…
Host for the Holidays by Martha Keyes
Madi is counting on Paris’s reputation as the City of Love. Now she just needs to figure out if it’s old love or new love…
Madi
After two years and zero proposals, my relationship could use a little spark. Paris during the holidays seems like just the ticket—one perfect, final opportunity for my boyfriend to take things to the next level.
The fact that he’s rented me the tiny servant quarters in the apartment of a very good-looking Frenchman is . . . puzzling. And when he asks that Frenchman to take me around the city while he’s busy at work trainings? Color me confused.
Is this some sort of pre-engagement test? If so, I’m not sure I’m doing too hot.
Rémy
Offering to host my friend’s vacation rental means making sure the first review is five solid, sparkling stars. When the guest who shows up is a beautiful American woman, I’m thinking my task might be more enjoyable than I thought. Until I find out she has a boyfriend. Madi deserves to have an amazing time in Paris, though, so I’m more than happy to oblige when the guy asks me to show her the city.
It’s cool. I’m cool. This is all for that five-star review…
An Icelandic Christmas
Keeping a Christmas Promise by Jo Thomas
One Icelandic Christmas holiday. One snowstorm. An adventure they’ll never forget!
Twenty-five years ago, Freya and her three best friends created a bucket list. The future seemed bright and full of hope . . . But now they are travelling to Iceland in memory of the friend they’ve lost, determined to fulfil her dream of seeing the Northern Lights at Christmas.
They didn’t count on an avalanche leaving them stranded! Handsome local, Pétur, comes to the rescue, showing them how the community survives the hard winter. With Christmas approaching, Freya and her friends throw themselves into the festivities, decorating and cooking for the villagers using delicious local ingredients.
But will they manage to see the Northern Lights? And can Freya’s own dreams come true, this Christmas?
Hideaway in Iceland by Victoria Walker
PR executive Anna Mortimer has clinched the deal of a lifetime for the hottest celebrity couple to have their wedding covered by a glossy magazine, but when things don’t go to plan, she loses her job. With no job and no life outside of work to fall back on, an invitation to stay with her friend, Rachel, in Iceland is a well-timed distraction.
Ned Nokes has just left the most successful boy band in history to go it alone. With the eyes of the world on him, he escapes to Iceland in search of solitude while he plans what to do next. Not used to trusting anyone outside of the band that has been his life for the past ten years, he finds friendships in Reykjavik that he never expected.
Visit Iceland at its most beautiful as autumn turns to winter and find out whether the magic that helped Anna’s friend Rachel find her happy ever after, is still there…
An Irish Christmas
My Big Fat Fabulous Christmas by Lyndsey Gallagher
Ten years ago, I, Sasha Sexton, inherited our family castle and sole care of my youngest sister. More Cinderella, than Sleeping Beauty, at the mere age of twenty-eight I have a teenager to raise and a hotel to run. If the hotel is to survive past Christmas, I need a lottery win, a miracle, or Prince Charming himself to sweep in with a humongous… wad of cash.
When my super successful middle sister announces she’s coming home for the holiday season, I’m determined to put my problems aside and make this the most fabulous Christmas ever. Especially as it might just be the last one in our family home.
I didn’t factor in the return of my first love, Ryan Cooper. Back then he was the boy next door. Now, he’s a world famous singer/song writer. We were supposed to go the States together. He left without me. Now he’s back. Rumour is he has writers block. Apparently this is a last-ditch attempt to find inspiration before his record label pulls the plug permanently.
And guess where he wants to stay? You have it in one- the most inspiring castle hotel in Dublin’s fair city.
Every woman in the city wants to pull this Hollywood Christmas cracker. Except me.I’m going to avoid him at all costs.
Easier said than done when he’s parading around under my roof, with enough heat exuding from his molten eyes to melt every square inch of snow from the peaks of the Dublin mountains…
All Wrapped Up by Ally Bunbury
It’s the time of year … to run away from your life
Holly always seems to make the wrong decisions: her career in London is going nowhere, and she’s ended up engaged to a man she doesn’t love.
Which is why she decides that’s all going to change – starting with calling off her engagement, six weeks before their Christmas Eve wedding.
Then Holly sees an ad for what could be her dream job: helping to declutter a remote country house back home in Ireland. It’s her chance to avoid all talk of weddings and the trappings of her least favourite time of year.
But when Holly arrives at the beautiful but neglected Knockboden, she discovers that Serena Harpur, the glamorous owner, is planning on renting it out as a romantic honeymoon destination in a bid to avoid financial ruin.
With Serena’s handsome but moody son hanging around, dead set against his mother’s plan, Holly begins to wonder if she’s made yet another bad decision.
Then Serena gets a phone call that looks set to change the fate of Knockboden. Will Holly realise that maybe she has found herself in exactly the right place, at the right time of year, for the first time ever?
Christmas in the Little Irish Village
Welcome to the little Irish village where Christmas celebrations are in full swing! Twinkling lights, cosy fires and big mugs of hot chocolate are in abundance as Shannon Kelly returns home to the Shamrock Inn. Will this be the year she finds the man of her dreams or is she destined to be forever unlucky in love?
Thirty-four-year-old Shannon is heartbroken following an unexpected break up. Seasonal joy is the last thing on her mind, as she wonders if she’ll ever find the kind of long-lasting love she’s always dreamed of. Even the comforting distractions of her big Irish family can’t cheer her up. Then things get even worse when Shannon slips over on the ice and finds herself red-faced in the arms of a gorgeous American man…
Despite the embarrassing encounter, Shannon can’t help wondering who the handsome stranger is. She soon finds out when James Cabot takes a room at the Shamrock Inn. Their second meeting is equally disastrous when she gives James the tour – without realising her skirt is tucked into her knickers! Shannon isn’t sure how she’s going to survive living under the same roof when she has such a talent for making a complete eejit of herself, and resolves to avoid their new guest at all costs.
But when Shannon discovers James is in Ireland because he’s claiming to be the long-lost grandson of her elderly neighbour, Maeve Doolin, she is immediately suspicious. Shannon has known kind Maeve since she was a little girl and feels protective of her, so she’s determined to find out the truth. Even if it means spending more time with James…
The two of them end up getting closer than she’d bargained for when they take a tour of Emerald Bay and end up snowed in together. But just as James begins to make Shannon’s heart melt with his cheeky grin and awful carol singing, a shocking secret threatens to shatter the growing romance between them.
Can Shannon trust James? And will she get the happily-ever-after she’s been hoping for this Christmas?
A Stateside Christmas
Once Upon a December by Amy E Reichert
With a name like Astra Noel Snow, holiday spirit isn’t just a seasonal specialty—it’s a way of life. But after a stinging divorce, Astra’s yearly trip to the Milwaukee Christmas market takes on a whole new meaning. She’s ready to eat, drink, and be merry, especially with the handsome stranger who saves the best kringle for her at his family bakery.
For Jack Clausen, the Julemarked with its snowy lights and charming shops stays the same, while the world outside the joyful street changes, magically leaping from one December to the next every four weeks. He’s never minded living this charmed existence until Astra shows him the life he’s been missing outside of the festive red brick alley.
After a swoon-worthy series of dates, some Yuletide magic, and the unexpected glow of new love, Astra and Jack must decide whether this relationship can weather all seasons, or if what they’re feeling is as ephemeral as marshmallows in a mug of hot cocoa.
Ozark Mountain Christmas by Heather Burch
This year, Grandpa Christmas will work his magic in a whole new way…
Working for the Grandpa Christmas Show fills Amy West’s life with holiday sparkle year-round. The crew is her family, the show, her life.
As head of finance, crunching the numbers falls squarely on Thomas Ivey’s shoulders. He doesn’t see himself as a grinch, however shows don’t run on sugarplums and jingle bells. So why does spitfire Amy give him such a hard time?
Forced to work alongside her nemesis Thomas, Amy finds herself falling for the Scroogle-like grandson of the show’s host while the season works its magic in an unexpected way. Love wasn’t on her Christmas list. But as they take snowy carriage rides and stroll the holiday shops in the iconic Ozark Mountain town, they discover they’re not so different after all.
Love blooms between them, but with the future of the show in peril, not only is Amy’s livelihood on the line… so is her heart.
Two Christmases by Suleena Bibra
When city meets country, finding the perfect Christmas will mean finding common ground. Don’t miss this charming opposites-attract holiday romance!
There’s no place like New York City for the holidays…
At least, according to Sonia Gupta. If only she could get South Carolina farmer Beau Abbot to agree. Convincing him to use her family’s art auction house to outfit his new business is turning out to be a hard sell—and keeping things professional in the face of Beau’s Southern charm is a whole other challenge.
A country Christmas can’t be beat…
It takes a lot to impress country boy Beau, given his general aversion to everything in the big city—except possibly Sonia. Certain nothing compares to the charm of Christmas in the South, Beau invites Sonia home to the farm, showing her everything a country Christmas has to offer. But relationship-wary Sonia isn’t looking for a commitment—especially not with a guy who has no plans to stay in the city.
’Tis the season for romance.
Soon, Sonia finds herself swept up in the festivities—and Beau. Too bad embracing the best of both worlds doesn’t allow your heart to be in two places at once…
Just in Time for Christmas by Carolyn Brown
Footloose Liz Hanson has finally come home to Ringgold, Texas, with a hankering to settle down. All she wants for Christmas is a house of her own—and the man of her dreams. The house was easy. Now she’s asking Santa to help her win over her extremely attractive neighbor Raylen O’Donnell, her teen crush all grown up, to make her Christmas dreams come true…
The Christmas Letters by Jenny Hale
Elizabeth Holloway’s sparkling world comes crashing down around her when her boyfriend of seven years drops the bomb that he’s leaving her—at Christmas. In an attempt to piece her life back together, she suddenly finds herself seven hundred miles from her New York City home, trudging through the snow, back at her childhood farm in the Great Smoky Mountains.
And she isn’t expecting to meet visitor Paul Dawson with his dazzlingly blue eyes and warm smile, chipping away at her resolve to focus on figuring out who she is and what she really wants in life.
Just when she starts to think things are moving in the right direction, a stack of letters from Elizabeth’s grandmother will change everything she thought she knew about her family and cause a divide between her and Paul that she never saw coming.
Under the glitter of Christmas trees and bundles of mistletoe, Elizabeth uncovers more than she’d ever imagined. Will the Christmas letters strip her of everything she holds dear? Or will they be the biggest gift of the season?
Jack & Frost Bake-Off by Amanda P Jones
What if you had to choose between love and money?
Jack
I’m living my worst nightmare. Competing on a baking show surrounded by loud people all day. But it’s fine. I’m fine. Our family bakery is in trouble and I’d do anything to keep the memory of Mom alive since Love Bakes is the only place where I still feel her presence. Which is why I’m so determined to win the prize money. No distractions, no friendships, no having fun. It’s all about business. Until I meet bubbly Meg—someone whom I’d normally be annoyed by. Maybe life is about more than work? Meg certainly has me thinking that way. But what about Mom’s bakery?
Megan
Paying Mom back to avoid law school is the main reason I signed up for Baking Spirits Bright. I also want to expand my bakery. But when all I can think about is my number one competitor, the gorgeously grumpy, people-hating Jack, my chances of winning diminish like cake crumbs. He’s aloof and ridiculously handsome and pretends not to know who I am. The longer we compete, the more distracted I am by him. How can I win if I’m staring at him the entire time? Although, I’m not even sure I want the money anymore. I just want Jack.
Home Sweet Christmas by Susan Mallery
It’s the most wonderful time of the year… to fall in love
Coming home for Christmas
Returning to her home town of Wishing Tree is definitely temporary for Camryn. She can’t wait to leave and get back to her ‘real life’. Until she meets Jake. Suddenly Camryn starts to see the town, and it’s Christmas traditions, differently. She thought she’d put her future on hold…but maybe her real life was here all along, waiting for her to come home.
New in town, River is charmed by Wishing Tree’s Christmas traditions and warm-hearted people, especially Dylan Tucker whose snow melting kisses bring her to the brink of love. But Dylan has a secret and River can’t risk falling for him until she uncovers it, even if that means losing him forever.
Both women find themselves faced with difficult decisions. But if they are prepared to risk their hearts, they might find they are about to have a Christmas to remember…
Christmas at Valentine Inn by Jennifer Peel
With a name like Isabelle Valentine, one would think I was destined to find true love and believe in the ridiculous notion of soul mates. Don’t get me wrong: I’m all about love. I even own an inn with my sister where each room is named after our favorite romantic couples. But soul mates? It seems highly implausible there is that one person, your person, meant only for you. My sister, of course, would tell me I’m dead wrong and that the very inn we own calls to such lovers. So, what if she did find her own unlikely happily ever after here with one of the most famous men alive? That doesn’t mean I’m meant for such a destiny.
But what happens when the implausible happens? When a man I thought I would never see again walks into my inn. The man who twenty years ago administered the kiss of all kisses. The kind of kiss that whispered to my soul and told me things I wasn’t ready to hear. But this time Dr. Patrick Abbott isn’t alone—he comes with two beautiful kids and the memory of his dead wife, who seems to haunt all their lives. So much so, Patrick would just as soon skip Christmas. At least that’s his plan, until he finds himself playing hero trying to help me save my sister’s secret Christmas Eve wedding. By hero, I mean pretending it’s our wedding. Now here we are, fake engaged, except the feelings between us are all too real. Perhaps, in the chaos, there is room for my own Christmas dreams to come true. Maybe, just maybe, I was wrong about soul mates? Either way, I’m hanging up more mistletoe. Because hello, the man can kiss.
Faking Christmas by Cindy Steel
One little white lie.
That’s all it took. Now I’m suddenly having to fake-date my work nemesis to get me through a week at a Vermont Christmas lodge with my family.
The problem? I can’t stand Miles Taylor. Not only that, but I don’t date people I work with. But I can handle it. I’ve had practice faking my emotions for years. So it shouldn’t matter that Miles never lets me get away with anything. And that he happens to boil my blood hotter than a steaming pot of wassail. So when he throws his annoying grin my way or forces me on dates he knows I’ll hate, I’ll just grit my teeth and smile.
Or maybe not. Did I mention that Miles is the one person in the world I can’t seem to fool?
When my emotions begin feeling less like a sham and his arms feel way too comfortable, it makes me think that maybe Miles had a plan of his own. And I’m starting to like it a lot more than mine.
The Christmas Spirit by Debbie Macomber
Will they find their happy-ever-after this Christmas?
Peter and Hank are lifelong friends, but when it comes to their jobs they couldn’t be more different. Peter is a small-town pastor and is devoted to helping the community, while Hank runs the local pub and is never too far from a party. But this Christmas, everything is about to change . . .
Having never settled down, Peter and Hank believe their demanding jobs are keeping them from finding love. Convinced that the other has it easier, they hatch a plan to swap places the week before Christmas to put their theories to the test and find time for themselves.
But as Hank quickly becomes overwhelmed by nativity plans, and Peter struggles to control the rowdy festive pub-goers, they each begin to worry they’re in over their heads. Luckily, church assistant Grace is on hand to help Hank navigate a church/life balance, and a young woman seeking shelter at the pub might be exactly what Peter needs to realise there’s more than one way to help his community . . .
This Christmas, will Peter and Hank’s stunt fall flat, or will it open their eyes to the possibility of love at last?
Winter Sky by Jenna Starly
Likeable, take-charge Winter has never been one to back down from a challenge. Maintaining the emotional walls Owen has spent years building isn’t easy when Winter’s joyful manner is a force as strong as a December blizzard.
Tension builds as Winter and Owen are forced to spend time together, reaching a breaking point as sexy sparks fly.
The third in the Lake Lyla series, Winter Sky is sure to warm your heart for the holidays.
Christmas in Blue Dog Valley by Annie England Noblin
Welcome to Blue Dog Valley. Home of the Fighting Elk. Population 3,411.
When Goldie McKenzie, DVM, vet to the L.A. pet stars, arrives from Los Angeles to Blue Dog Valley she realizes three things.
- Never agree to upend your life when you’re hungover
- Pot-belly pigs are not true farm animals
- She’s going to need a warmer coat
At first Goldie is nothing more than a fish out of water, with few clients and few friends. But after a less than pleasant encounter with a man whose dog is suffering from a possibly fatal case of bloat, she’s finally earning the trust and goodwill from her fellow Blue Dog Valley citizens. Her clientele grows to include the many farm animals in the town, including a horse named Large Marge, a cape-wearing therapy alpaca, and a yardful of sweater-wearing goats. Add in Kevin, the “worst sheepdog in Blue Dog Valley,” and a Sphinx cat named Airport, and Goldie is having the best time a vet can have. . . aside from the annoying attractive town grump, Cohen, who seems intent on making sure she always feels like an outsider.
With her newfound goodwill, Goldie comes up with an idea to reinvigorate the once flourishing Blue Dog Valley: a Christmas carnival. A petting zoo, pictures with Santa, a baking contest, what more could they want? After only some brief resistance from Cohen and his father, they begin the great plan to reinvigorate Blue Dog Valley.
Will Christmas be enough to salvage this dying town—and be enough to bring Goldie closer to a certain grumpy man?
All is Bright by RaeAnne Thayne
A Christmas to Remember
When architect Sage McKnight is asked to renovate a house for former baseball player Mason Tucker it is the job of her career. Mason, a famous recluse after a life changing accident, needs his house adapted and Sage is determined to create the perfect home. Not only that but a production company wants to film her work – a dream come true.
However, Mason is stubborn, ignoring Sage’s expertise and insisting on being involved in every detail of the renovation. And the final straw, he refuses to allow any filming in his home.
Sage’s optimism is the complete opposite of Mason, and soon neither can agree on anything. It will take a Christmas miracle for these two opposites to find peace, but that may be just what they find…
The Perfect Winter Plan by Vanni Shaw
Kindergarten teacher Allie Hayes loves her life in the small town of Sterling Grove. She has a solid group of friends, her dream job, and easy access to the best cocoa shop a winter-loving girl could want. Allie is perfectly content being single, which comes in handy since she can’t seem to sustain romantic interest in anyone for more than a few weeks. The only downside? Her favorite season is on its way, and while she’s more than willing to be her friends’ best source for wintertime date ideas, she’d love to experience those dates herself.
Architect Grant Covington is a meticulous planner, looking forward to the next phase of his life: marriage and family. Unfortunately, Grant’s laser focus on his career hasn’t left much room for a personal life, and his dating skills are rusty. So when Grant’s lack of work/life balance puts his upcoming partnership bid at risk, he decides to accelerate his plan.
Grant offers himself as Allie’s just-for-the-winter boyfriend. The mutually-beneficial relationship—with its predetermined expiration date—is a good fit for Allie’s romantically-challenged attention span, and it provides Grant with a risk-free dating refresher course. The best part? Since they already know when they’re breaking up, there will be no hard feelings or broken hearts. For these polar opposites, it’s the perfect winter plan. What could possibly go wrong?
Home for Christmas by Courtney Cole
Piper McCaulley doesn’t know which way is up or down. Her gran, her last remaining family, died two weeks before Christmas, leaving Piper to reevaluate her life. Did she really want to stay chained to the family business just to hang on to this old house? She didn’t care that her great-great-great grandpa had built it with his own hands. How could she make huge life decisions if she’d never even been outside of Alaska?
She needs to leave the snowy wilderness that’s her backyard and see the world, and since her gran left her a battered old compass, Piper takes this a secret message from her beloved grandmother: to follow her heart.
But before she is even a foot outside the door, Piper finds herself caught in a blizzard and wakes up in 1945 in the original home that her ancestors had built—a time when her gran was just a girl Piper’s age. Once she has gotten over the shock, Piper has the joy of getting to know her grandmother in a whole new way, a way that sheds light on everything Piper had come to know and not know about her own past.
Over the course of one magical holiday season, Piper must go on a journey through time to learn the meaning of real love, home, and how a family legacy can connect one another forever.
Alaska for Christmas by Jennifer Snow
Can a hometown Christmas bring together these two polar opposites?
After traveling to all corners of the globe, Isla Wakefield has returned home to celebrate Christmas with her adoptive family. The gorgeous Alaskan wilderness is the perfect place to recharge before moving on to her next adventure—whatever that may be. Too bad that being home means once more butting heads with Chief Petty Officer Aaron Segura, Port Serenity’s resident buzzkill.
Isla’s fearless spirit has always infuriated Aaron—but fascinated him, too. Having lost his sister years ago, he’s never understood how some people can live so recklessly. But after a terrifying ice-climbing accident leaves Isla with amnesia, she and Aaron both see each other in a brand-new light. Forgetting the pain of her past makes Isla fearless in a completely different way. She’s not afraid to show Aaron exactly how she feels, yet he can’t help but wonder…will this temporary change of mind lead to a permanent change of heart?
Snowflakes and Mistletoe at the Inglenook Inn by Helen Rolfe
It’s the most wonderful time of the year…but is it the time to fall in love?
When Darcy returns to Manhattan, she’s put in charge of the Inglenook Inn, a cosy boutique hotel in the heart of Greenwich Village. The Inn needs a boost in bookings if it’s to survive, so Darcy is convinced that hosting Christmas this year is the answer. What she doesn’t expect is to meet a face from the past, which can only spell trouble.
Myles left England behind and took a job in New York. It’s a step forwards in his career, and has the added bonus of being nowhere near his family. He’s also hoping to avoid Christmas, the worst time of the year. But when his company puts him up at the Inglenook Inn and he recognises Darcy, it isn’t long before they clash.
As the flames on the log fire flicker and the snowflakes swirl above the New York streets, maybe this Christmas could be the one that changes everything…
Falling Stars by Fern Michaels
Emily Ammerman has always felt at home amid the ski runs and slopes of Snowdrift Summit, the Colorado resort her family has operated for decades. Snow is her element, and she doesn’t hesitate when a new client asks her to train him to ski The Plunge, one of Colorado’s most treacherous runs.
But Zach Ryder is no regular client. On screen, he’s famous for starring as a daring CIA officer who always saves the day. In real life, he’s just as handsome and charming as his alter ego, though not everyone is impressed. Some are concerned about what kind of impact these slick, showbiz types will have on their town.
As for Emily—she’s got a secret, and it’s one she can’t reveal to anyone, especially not to Zach: she’s his biggest fan. But she’s also a professional. She’ll train him till he’s ready to tackle any slope, but she won’t fall in love with him, the way so many others have.
Still, not everything in life can be planned, and sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you just can’t help but fall . . .
Love Under Contract by Cassie Connor
When you can’t find the perfect date for the holidays you hire him!
Hotshot lawyer Rebecca Madison is dreading the annual family Thanksgiving break where the question on everyone’s lips will be ‘why are you still single?’.
When it comes to her career, she’s the best of the best, hired for her take-no-prisoners approach and sharp instincts. But when it comes to her love life…well, she hasn’t found the loophole for happy ever after yet.
So when she has a one night stand with a gorgeous stranger she meets in a bar, Becca decides to do what she does best: make a deal with Mr One Night to be her Mr Right (just for the holidays).
With an iron-clad contract setting out the terms for their fake relationship, Becca has one important point. Clause 1.a. No kissing, no sex (as mind-blowing as it was), and absolutely no emotional attachment!
But five thousand miles from home and spending every waking moment in the company of a man who makes her feel things she’s never felt before, just how easy will it be for Becca to stick to her own rules…
A Rest of the World Christmas
One Last Gift by Emily Stone (London, Hamptons, France)
A Christmas treasure hunt is the beginning of an unforgettable journey of love and second chances…
For as long as Cassie can remember, it had been the three of them: Cassie, her big brother Tom, and Tom’s annoying best friend Sam.
Now, Tom is sorted, Sam is flying high, and Cassie thinks she’s figured it all out. Then, unexpectedly, three become two.
For Cassie starting again seems unimaginable. Until she finds an envelope with her name on it, with a letter asking her to follow a trail to one last gift.
And, suddenly, what seemed like an ending promises Cassie something surprising, remarkable and new… if she is brave enough to follow her heart…
A Holly Jolly Christmas by Katie Montinaro (Australia)
Holly has one thing and one thing only to prove to her family – that she is a capable and organised adult, who can host the perfect Christmas day. The only problem is, Holly is neither of those two things. Disaster seems to follow Holly wherever she goes and this time, it’s in the shape of The Christmas Ruiner; a smug stranger who appears at the worst of times, taking the last of everything Holly needs to impress her family. Cue her best-friend Shawn; knight in shining amour and all-round Good Guy. Even though he’s made it perfectly clear that they are just friends, the lines between friends and something more are becoming blurred. The more time they spend together, the more Holly can’t ignore her feelings. Can Holly pull off the impossible to put on the perfect Christmas, and capture the heart of the man of her dreams?
Single in the Snow by Helen Whitaker (Canada)
Jen is turning thirty and has spent her entire life jumping from man to man. So, when her latest relationship ends in disaster, she decides she needs to stop pleasing others and focus on herself. And where better to start afresh than the beautiful Canadian ski resort of Whistler?
Okay, she’s broke, unemployed, and has never so much as strapped on a pair of skis – but Jen is determined to make it on her own. She just has one rule: to stay single for the entire ski season.
When a new job forces Jen into contact with snowboarding instructor Art, the two of them are set on keeping their distance. It shouldn’t be hard, since they hate one another on sight – and Art knows better than anyone how to keep other people at arm’s length.
The problem is, the more time they are forced to spend together, the clearer it seems that Jen’s promise to stay single might not be quite so simple . . .
The Christmas Trip by Sandy Barker (Hawaii)
Another year has passed and it’s Christmas again. This year best friends Chloe, Jules and Lucy are all loved up but living worlds apart.
Chloe is madly in love with her celebrity beau, Archer, but after a whirlwind year in Hollywood’s limelight, she’s desperate to get away and spend some quality time together.
Jules loves her Melbourne life – and gorgeous winemaker Matt – but a crowded flat share has her longing for a place of her own.
Meanwhile, Lucy is stuck in a long distance relationship, jetting back and forth between Colorado and London to see Will.
When Archer’s plan to whisk Chloe to Paris goes awry, he surprises her by bringing her friends together for a Christmas to remember…
Hope, Mistletoe and a Christmas Promise by Juliet Archer (Hong Kong)
When a Christmas promise becomes hard to keep …
Pip Smith knows she owes it to her family to hold on to the festive traditions that have been a comfort since the year everything changed – but this Christmas she’s going to need a miracle to keep everyone in her life happy.
After she’s dumped by her fiancé, an invitation to visit a friend in Hong Kong in the run-up to the festive season seems to offer Pip the perfect escape – and she’ll be home for Christmas, of course. Except her escape ends up becoming far more complex than she intended, when she becomes involved with arrogant American Ryan Hawke and his niece, Shelby – a little girl whose most heartfelt Christmas wish is for a proper family.
Will Pip keep her Christmas promise – or will it be more of a compromise, with the help of a little hope and mistletoe?
A Bookshop Christmas
The Cornish Cream Tea Bookshop by Cressida McLaughlin
Ollie Spencer has started a new life in the idyllic Cornish seaside town of Port Karadow. Throwing herself into her job at the town’s bookshop, A New Chapter, is one way to make friends. The shop is glitzing up for first Christmas and Ollie hopes her inspired ideas will give the shop the edge it needs to dazzle the town.
But far from being the Sugar Plum fairy the place needs, Ollie is fast becoming its Christmas pudding. With the bookshop’s success at stake, Ollie turns to twinkly-eyed café owner Max for help. Can he help Ollie to turn the page, and put the sparkle back into her Cornish dream?
Christmas at Sweet Notes Bookshop by Eve Edwards
When others are happy to rock around the Christmas tree, bookshop assistant, Rose, is determined to stick to her world of classical music. But can a certain handsome guitarist tempt her to the other side? A cosy feel good romance from the author of The Summer of Wishful Thinking.
Coming out of a bad romance, Rose hides herself and her dreams away among the shelves of Sweet Notes Bookshop, selling books and teaching music. Then her world collapses when her ceiling caves in on her beloved piano. One of her pupil’s father, Gib, a famous session guitarist, comes to the rescue – but, shock, horror, the lifeline is an electric keyboard.
As sparks fly, Gib and Rose fall out over the merits of modern music, which sets up a bet. She will take him to a classical concert and he will take her to a gig. Whoever persuades the other to like their music, is the winner. Soon it becomes clear that the real prize is what they might be to each other. Opposites attract? Absolutely—but can they play well together this Christmas?
Christmas at the Borrow a Bookshop by Kiley Dunbar
‘Tis the season for finding love… and the perfect book
With just two weeks until Christmas, everything in Clove Lore should be perfect. But the latest holidaymaker to the Borrow a Bookshop is feeling far from festive…
Icelandic ex-bookseller Magnús Sturluson might be surrounded by love stories in the Bookshop, but he’s nursing a sadness that not even fiction can fix.
When Alexandra Robinson finds herself stranded in Clove Lore, she finds a safe place to hide from heartbreak. After all, all that’s waiting for her at home is a cheater boyfriend and the memories of her parents. As Alex finds herself embraced by the quirky village community, she finds her tough exterior thawing – and as she grows closer to Magnús, she finds an equally soft heart under his gruff shell.
It seems that Clove Lore is working its magic once again – until a great flood on Christmas Eve brings devastation in its wake. It’s up to Magnús and Alex to batten down the hatches and help bring the village back together again, while also introducing the locals to the Icelandic tradition of the jólabókaflóð – Yule book flood – where families and friends gather on Christmas Eve to exchange books and read together.
But can Magnús and Alex truly rescue the ruins of the village, and salvage their Christmas spirit? Or is there another complication lurking even closer than they thought?
Love in Winter Wonderland by Abiola Bello
Will Trey and Ariel find their happily ever after? Last Christmas meets The Sun is Also a Star in this hopelessly romantic Christmas love story.
Trey Anderson is popular and handsome, and he works at his family’s beloved Black-owned bookshop, Wonderland. Ariel Spencer is quirky, creative, and in need of a holiday temp job to cover her tuition for The Artists’ Studio. An opening at Wonderland is the answer . . . and the start of a hate-to-love journey for Trey and Ariel. When Trey and Ariel learn that Wonderland is on the brink of shutting down, can they get over their differences and team up to stop the doors from closing before the Christmas Eve deadline?
A Family Christmas
The Twelve Topsy-Turvy, Very Messy Days of Christmas by James Patterson
No stockings, no gifts, no tinsel and no tree – has Christmas been cancelled?
It’s mid-December and for the fifth year in a row, there is little sign of the festive season in the Sullivan family’s home in South London. That is until a mysterious someone starts sending strange gifts to widower Henry and his two children.
First, a small-beaked and feathered face pokes its head out from between the branches of a pear tree. Before they know it, the Sullivan’s home is full of boisterous animals and house guests, all demanding their attention.
The next twelve days turn the Sullivan family’s lives upside down in ways they never could have imagined. And even though this Christmas will be messy, it may be just the gift their family needs.
The Keepsake Quilters by Felicity Hayes-McCoy
One family. Three generations. And the threads that bind them together …
Successful TV producer Penny has always been a planner. She knows exactly what her future looks like – until an unexpected pregnancy forces her to rethink everything, especially her relationship with the baby’s father.
Penny’s mum Val raised her alone and always taught her daughter to be independent. But she can’t understand why Penny seems intent on pushing her away now, when she needs her more than ever.
Marguerite, Val’s recently widowed mother, has an idea to help heal this rift: sewing together a keepsake quilt for the baby. But as the quilt takes shape, memories surface, and the three women begin to discover more about each other than they ever could have imagined. As Christmas approaches, will they finally realise that maybe they’ve been looking for happiness in all the wrong places?
Merrily Ever After by Cathy Bramley
Two strangers. One big secret. And a Christmas to remember . . .
Merry has always wanted a family to spend Christmas with, and this year her dream comes true as she says ‘I do’ to father-of-two Cole. But as she juggles her rapidly-growing business, wedding planning and the two new children in her life, her dream begins to unravel.
Emily is desperately waiting for the New Year to begin, so she can finally have a fresh start. She has always put her family first, leaving little time for happiness and love. When her beloved father Ray moves into a residential home, she discovers a photograph in his belongings that has the potential to change everything.
As past secrets come to light, will this be a magical Christmas for Emily and Merry to remember?
The Sh!te Before Christmas by Serena Terry
One month to go. One stressed mum. Can she pull off the perfect family Christmas?
Twas the sh!te before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring except for … mum!
Like every mum, Tara wants a perfect Christmas for her family – but no-one else is lifting a finger and she’s losing her elf-ing mind. From the kids behaving badly (vaping! Potty training! The Nativity!), to a distracted husband acting very out of character, the last straw is Tara’s glamorous, feckless, boundary-less mother moving herself back in for the holidays.
Can Tara pull off the holly jolly Christmas of her dreams? Will she deck the halls and not her family? Or is this a Christmas catastrophe waiting to happen?
A LGBTQ+ Christmas
Make You Mine This Christmas by Lizzie Huxley-Jones
It’s the golden rule of pretending to be someone’s girlfriend: don’t fall for their sister.
After a year from hell, Haf is ready to blow off steam at a Christmas party: a kind stranger, a few too many drinks and suddenly she’s kissing Christopher under the mistletoe – in front of his ex-girlfriend.
The next day the news is out that they’re apparently a couple, madly in love and coming to Oxlea to spend the festive season with Christopher’s family. But Haf doesn’t have better holiday plans and to save her new friend from embarrassment, she agrees to pretend to be Christopher’s girlfriend for Christmas.
It has the makings of a hilarious anecdote they’ll be telling for years. Until Haf meets Christopher’s sister: the mysterious, magnetic and utterly irresistible Kit. Maybe love was waiting for Haf in this quiet little town all along . . .
Season of Love by Helena Greer
Miriam Blum must face her past when she inherits her great-aunt’s Christmas tree farm in this witty, glittering, heart-filled romcom with “all of the warm, queer, Jewish holiday vibes you could possibly want” (Jen DeLuca, USA Today bestselling author of Well Matched).Thanks to her thriving art career, Miriam Blum finally has her decoupaged glitter ducks in a row—until devastating news forces her to a very unwanted family reunion. Her beloved great-aunt Cass has passed and left Miriam part-owner of Carrigan’s, her (ironically) Jewish-run Christmas tree farm.
But Miriam’s plans to sit shiva, avoid her parents, then put Carrigan’s in her rearview mirror are spoiled when she learns the business is at risk of going under. To have any chance at turning things around, she’ll need to work with the farm’s grumpy manager—as long as the attraction sparking between them doesn’t set all their trees on fire first.
Noelle Northwood wants Miriam Blum gone—even if her ingenious ideas and sensitive soul keep showing Noelle there’s more to Cass’s niece than meets the eye. But saving Carrigan’s requires trust, love, and risking it all—for the chance to make their wildest dreams come true.
You’re a Mean One Matthew Prince by Timothy Janovsky
BRING A LITTLE JOY TO THE WORLD? NOT TODAY, SANTA.
Matthew Prince is young, rich, and thoroughly spoiled. So what if his parents barely remember he exists and the press is totally obsessed with him? He’s on top of the world. But one major PR misstep later, and Matthew is cut off and shipped away to spend the holidays in his grandparents’ charming small town hellscape. Population: who cares?
It’s bad enough he’s stuck in some festive winter wonderland—it’s even worse that he has to share space with Hector Martinez, an obnoxiously attractive local who’s unimpressed with anything and everything Matthew does.
Just when it looks like the holiday season is bringing nothing but heated squabbles, the charity gala loses its coordinator and Matthew steps in as a saintly act to get home early on good behavior…with Hector as his maddening plus-one. But even a Grinch can’t resist the unexpected joy of found family, and in the end, the forced proximity and infectious holiday cheer might be enough to make a lonely Prince’s heart grow three sizes this year.
kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrum
One year ago, recent Portland transplant Ellie Oliver had her dream job in animation and a Christmas Eve meet-cute with a woman at a bookstore that led her to fall in love over the course of a single night. But after a betrayal the next morning and the loss of her job soon after, she finds herself adrift, alone, and desperate for money.
Finding work at a local coffee shop, she’s just getting through the days—until Andrew, the shop’s landlord, proposes a shocking, drunken plan: a marriage of convenience that will give him his recent inheritance and alleviate Ellie’s financial woes and isolation. They make a plan to spend the holidays together at his family cabin to keep up the ruse. But when Andrew introduces his new fiancée to his sister, Ellie is shocked to discover it’s Jack—the mysterious woman she fell for over the course of one magical Christmas Eve the year before. Now, Ellie must choose between the safety of a fake relationship and the risk of something real.
Honeymoon For One by Rachel Bowdler
A cancelled engagement. A non-refundable honeymoon. A Christmas Robin will never forget.
Robin Ellis has had a year she’d like to forget. She’s tired, overworked and most definitely not ready to spend the holidays with her rowdy family in Manchester. So when she discovers she forgot to cancel her honeymoon she sees this as the perfect opportunity to get away; it’s time to relax and embrace adventure!
The last thing she expects is to clash with standoffish ski instructor Neve. But despite their rocky start these two unlikely people can’t help but fall for each other under the starry Canadian skies.
They know that holiday romances don’t last, and Robin has had her heart broken one too many times before, but can they overcome the distance between them and find a happily ever after together?
A Very Merry Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams
‘Tis the season to take out the mistletoe – and for a second chance at love.
Country music’s golden boy Colton Wheeler felt the most perfect harmony when he was with Gretchen Winthrop. But for her, it was a love-him-and-leave-him situation. A year later, Colton is struggling to make music, with only the Bromance Book Club standing between him and self-pity.
It’s hard for immigration attorney Gretchen not to feel a little Scrooge-ish about the excess of Christmas when her clients are scrambling to pay rent. So when her estranged, wealthy family makes her an offer that could help, she can’t say no. She just needs to convince Colton to be the new face of their whiskey brand. No big deal . . .
Colton agrees to consider Gretchen’s offer in exchange for three dates before Christmas. With the help of the Bromance Book Club, he’s determined to prove there’s still a spark between them. But can Gretchen and Colton overcome the ghosts of Christmas past to build a future together?
Ghosted by Mo Fanning
Professional Santa Silas French fills out the same application as always for his regular stint at a New York department store. Ellen Gitelman hangs her jacket behind the counter at the East Side Diner and smoothes out her waitress uniform, as she waits for the coffee pot to stop percolating.
A double whammy of bad news leaves Silas jobless, with no money to pay for a planned trip to reconcile with his estranged gay son Joey in Florida. Cutbacks at the diner cost Ellen her job.
A chance tip from his local bar gets Silas a job as Santa on a cruise ship that happens to be docking in Florida, where Joey lives with his husband and kids. Ellen heads to a cafe across the street and spots a bulletin board ad selling tickets for a cruise. Her riotous friend Julia volunteers as travel companion.
The MS Viking just happens to be carrying 3000 gay men in the mood to party. What could go wrong?
Silas soon finds himself involved with some unsavoury business and meets a potential new love in the form of Ellen.
Over the course of the Christmas Holiday cruise, the three slowly learn that what they thought they were seeking isn’t really what would make them truly happy, and that they are in control of their own choices.
Up to Snow Good by Charlie Novak
This Christmas, Trouble Tastes Like Chocolate
Maximillian Arthur Felstead is up to no good.
Having taken it upon himself to plan an anniversary surprise for his brother and his fiancé during their annual December ski trip, Max realises nothing happens quickly this close to Christmas. Deciding chocolate is the answer, Max accidentally incurs the wrath of chocolatier, Luca, who’s having a pre-Christmas nightmare of his own.
Luca is short staffed and short on patience, and he isn’t enamoured with Max’s clueless demands, even if he is utterly gorgeous. So when Max reaches out to apologise, Luca can’t help but be drawn in by his charm and Max’s offer of help, especially when their chemistry is hot enough to melt the ice on Mont Blanc.
With their time together running out, can a little Christmas magic help Max and Luca find what they’ve been searching for?
A Romantic/Rom-Com Christmas
Single and Ready to Jingle by Piper Rayne
The girl who loves Christmas falls for the Grinch—it’s a Christmas miracle.
What started as a dumpster fire of a blind date turns into a deal.
In truth, it probably didn’t help that I showed up dressed like an elf but that’s a story for another time. Our start was rocky at best which is why it’s so frustrating that I can’t stop thinking about his sexy British accent. Or the way his chest and arms fill out his suit. Or his perfect hair with that single streak of grey at the front.
Santa likes lists and so do I, so here’s all the reasons why Andrew and I aren’t right for each other:
He’s my brother’s best friend
He’s the biggest grump I’ve ever met.
He hates Christmas.
That last one is big for a girl like me who thinks that the entire month of December should be a national holiday. So, when he calls for my help in planning his firm’s holiday party, I can’t pass up the opportunity to grow my small business. Bonus, we make a deal, and he agrees to attend three holiday events with me so I can make him fall in love with Christmas. As if I’d pass up an opportunity to make a Grinch’s heart grow three times its size.
It isn’t long until I discover Andrew has a very real reason to hate Christmas and I start to see him in a different light. That’s when the Christmas miracle begins.
Just Date and See by Portia MacIntosh
Billie is looking forward to a quiet, man-free Christmas. It’s just a shame her family doesn’t feel the same way…
With a house full of unexpected (and unwanted) guests, Billie needs to find the perfect escape to get away from the chaos.
So when her dating app recommends a week of singles nights in her area, Billie decides that braving these events has to be better than making conversation with her dad’s new wife, dealing with her mum’s mid-life crisis or witnessing her sister flirting with her insufferably arrogant next-door neighbour.
While this is definitely not the festive season she had planned, between disco bowling and boozy bingo, little does Billie know that she may find love this year after all – she’ll just have to date and see…
There’s Something About Merry by Codi Hall
Curl up this Christmas with a fun, festive romcom full of Christmas tree farm shenanigans and a romance between an outdoorsy single dad and the kind, ambitious, Christmas-loving neighbor he can’t stop thinking about.
A guarded single dad. A woman scared to love. Clark Griffin and Merry Winters are determined to be friends and nothing more. But they’ve been anonymously flirting with each other online, and with a little Christmas magic and the help of a precocious kid, these two might just get their one wish this year.
Mistletoe and Mayhem at the Little Shopping Mall by Hannah Pearl
Count down to Christmas with mistletoe, mayhem, meddling friends and mystery men …
There’s a saying about all work and no play – but there’s never a dull moment for Caroline working at Holly Walk Mall, especially at Christmas. When she’s not dealing with orders from Ian, ‘the manager who can’t manage’ as her friend Rachel puts it, she’s overseeing the usual late-night shopping sessions, Santa’s grotto construction and, most importantly, the sampling of many delicious festive treats at the Italian café her friends Nina and Marco own.
But when a new jewellery shop moves in and brings ‘mysterious guy with the cute bottom’ to Holly Walk, Caro isn’t yet aware just how much mayhem she’s in for in the countdown to Christmas. With strategically placed mistletoe, revealing cowboy outfits and even a bit of sleuthing, could this festive season turn out to be the liveliest yet for both Caro and her beloved Mall?
Christmas Baggage by Deborah M Hathaway
If there is one thing she has learned in England, it’s that not all Englishmen are created equal.
Because this guy was turning out to be a real pill.
Tired of spending the holidays throwing up on cruises with her parents and, you know, being dumped by ex-boyfriends, Claire Frost is determined to change her luck this Christmas. Taking time off from her flower shop, she follows her friend to London, ready to enjoy all-things England. And boy, does she. The frost-covered flowers. The frozen green hills. The bright red telephone boxes. The festive Christmas markets.
Also the men. Definitely the men.
Except, of course, her friend’s cousin. Liam Everhart is super attractive, super swoony, and super English. Too bad he’s also a super jerk. A super jerk whom she now has to spend every minute with. What a blessed, blessed relief that his Darcy/Poldark looks are overshadowed by his Darth Vader/Malfoy personality. She had enough Christmas baggage to deal with, so why would she ever add a swoony Englishman to the mix?
Nutcracker with Benefits by Liz Alden
Clara
I love my life—as a food and travel blogger I make my own hours, work all over the world, and don’t have a single regret. The cherry on top is flying home to New York City to celebrate the holidays with my family—and Nash.
He’s my best friend with benefits and was just named the sexiest billionaire bachelor of the year. He’s all mine—for now. But someday, Nash is going to break my heart.
Nash
Clara can have her cake—whether its pavlova, mochi, or tres leches—and eat it too.
I have twenty-four hours to convince her that she can have everything she wants right here in the city—including me.
The Christmas Wish by Lindsey Kelk
Newly single lawyer Gwen Baker is hoping that a family Christmas – countryside, a mountain of food and festive films –
will salve the sting of her career hanging by a thread and her heart being trampled on. Because everyone else has their life sorted: even Dev, her boy-next-door crush, is now a tall, dark and handsome stranger with a fiancée. She can’t help wishing her future was clearer.
Then Gwen wakes up to discover it’s Christmas day all over again. Like Groundhog Day but with turkey. And family arguments. On repeat.
As she figures out how to escape her own particular Christmas hell, Dev is the one bright spot. He might be all grown-up but underneath he’s just as kind and funny as she remembers.
Maybe, just maybe, her heart can be mended after all.
But how do you fall in love with someone who can’t remember you from one day to the next?
The Christmas Cupid by Jennifer Joyce
One Day in December meets Groundhog Day in this hilarious Christmas rom com!
Zoey Beake is having a bad December. She might be an elf in the local toy shop’s Christmas department, but it’s hard to stay festive when you’ve just been dumped, you’ve had an extremely unfortunate haircut, and your boss volunteers you to walk on stilts in the toy shop’s Christmas parade.
But then something incredible happens.
Zoey is sent back to the start of December, with the chance to live the whole month again. The catch? She has to match six true-love couples by Christmas Eve. Now it’s not just her own love life she needs to fix… Grab the mistletoe, the Christmas Cupid is ready to matchmake!
Holly Jolly Christmas Derailed by Emily Bradford
Claire
After letting my heart run wild in the wrong direction last year, I moved home to help revive my family’s struggling train business.
Everything would’ve been fine if Harrison hadn’t rolled into town with his shiny stallion of a steam train and started using my train depot. Now, ticket sales for my Santa Express ride are plummeting.
Sure, he’s handsome and charming and his smile-crinkled eyes rev my heart into high gear, but I’m determined to outsmart him and his sneaky marketing tactics.
Because falling for Harrison would squash my train company’s dwindling chance of survival.
Harrison
This Christmas, my to-do list stretches from here to the North Pole. You know what’s not on that list? Falling in love.
Except ever since I met Claire, I’m questioning all my well-laid plans. I didn’t expect to become so attracted to a woman right after I moved here. She is stunningly beautiful and her sizzling kisses heat up the coldest of December days.
But my new business venture in White Rock requires all my attention, which means now isn’t the right time for a serious relationship. First I have to prove I’m capable of running the train business. Then, someday, I’ll focus on love.
Because getting sidetracked from my career could lead to another absolute, complete failure.
Santa Maybe by Mary Jayne Baker
It’s going to be a holly jolly Christmas…
Toy Store owner Elodie Martin is not one to get into the festive spirit but nothing gets her fired up more than the chance to get one over on her nemesis, Callum Ashley – the frosty, infuriatingly handsome owner of the local department store.
Christmas is the only time she can compete thanks to her grandad Jim, everyone’s favourite Santa Claus. But when he has to unexpectedly hang up his red suit, Elodie is at risk of losing the business for good and has no choice but to rely on last-minute replacement out-of-work actor Nick Winter.
Can a sprinkling of Christmas magic warm Callum’s heart and help Elodie find her happily-ever-after? Or is it just possible that love is to be found a little bit closer to home?
Wendy’s Winter Gift by Debbie Viggiano
Everyone has secrets but some are bigger than others.
Wendy Walker can count on two fingers the number of birthdays until she’s fifty. She can also count on six hands the number of years she’s been married to controlling Derek. Whatever happened to the boy she used to lark around with in the back of a Ford Escort? Just like Derek’s hairline, that lad has gone.
Wendy yearns for freedom but is resigned to her lot. After all, there are others to think about. Like daughter Ruby who – as a teenage single mum still at home – needs supporting, especially since abandoning her hopes of being on Love Island and achieving fame as a reality star.
But secrets dare to spill at the most inopportune moments.
Ruby is nurturing a mystery romance that she frets about her mother discovering, while Derek finds himself under the spotlight in the most disastrous of circumstances.
But just when Wendy thinks her world is falling apart, she discovers that sometimes unexpected joy is just around life’s corner…
Wishing on a Star by Mandy Baggot
A single mum. A superstar athlete. A Christmas like no other.
Anna Heath is divorced, a single mum and trying desperately to keep her life in order. Despite her friends’ best efforts, Anna has stopped looking for love and is determined to give her daughter, Ruthie, a Christmas to remember.
Sam Jackman has just been dealt with life-altering news, and all he could think to do was run. He’s left his American football team back in the US, stuck a pin in a map, and landed in Richmond, London.
When Anna and Ruthie literally bump into Sam on the snow-speckled streets, he finds himself being welcomed into their lives. But what begins as a night on the sofa turns into the start of something special…
Frost Falls at The Potting Shed by Jenny Kane
It has always been Maddie Willand‘s dream to take over her father’s plant nursery. But after his sudden death, she is devastated to discover that she might lose The Potting Shed forever.
Maddie’s bossy older sister, Sabi, is joint owner of the nursery, and she’s convinced that the best thing for both of them would be to sell up. Determined to keep the business going, Maddie can’t afford any distractions, but staying focused might be harder than she thinks when – after a major garden centre chain puts in an offer – her search for legal advice throws her into the path of attractive lawyer Ed…
As frost begins to fall over The Potting Shed, will Maddie find the strength to save her father’s legacy and open herself up to new beginnings?
Once Upon a Christmas Movie by MJ Fredrick
Keeley Littleton loves Christmas more than anything in the world, and when she gets a job as an assistant set designer for a company who makes Christmas movies, she’s over the moon. What could be more exciting than Christmas all year around?
Finn O’Connell has made three Christmas movies already this year. He is so over Christmas. But it’s steady work, in one location, and he’s able to take care of his younger sister without too much disruption to her life.
Bad enough his costar in this movie is one of his least favorite people, but the new set designer with her boundless enthusiasm grates on his nerves.
But when they are forced to work closely together, will some of that enthusiasm rub off on him? Can he learn to love Christmas…and Keeley?
Just for December by Laura Jane Williams
Evie Bird is a romance writer whose latest bestseller is being made into a Christmas movie.
Duke Carlisle is a world-famous actor who has landed the role of leading man.
When Evie and Duke meet on set, it’s a frosty encounter – even icier than the cobbled Bavarian streets they’re filming on.
But after images of them arguing leak to the press and put the movie in jeopardy, they are left with no choice but to fake date until the cameras stop rolling.
As the pair start to put their differences aside, their feelings gradually begin to thaw… But can sparks ever really fly in a snowstorm?
All I Want for Christmas by Maggie Knox
Will they hit the right notes this holiday season?
When Sadie and Max are selected as contestants on the famed reality singing show STARMAKER’s special festive season, Sadie thinks she’s finally gotten her big break – and Max sees a chance to step out of his megastar father’s shadow. But then they’re paired up for duet week and stun the world with their onstage chemistry…
With fans going wild for #Saxie, the judges demand they remain a duo – on and offstage – or exit the competition. Faking a relationship shouldn’t be too hard, except for one small problem: Sadie and Max can’t stand each other.
But with their dreams just within reach, they agree to the ruse. Will their relationship lie be exposed before they can win? Or might their fake connection turn real by the Christmas finale?
Driving Home for Christmas by Joanna Bolouri
THREE CHRISTMASES. TWO BROKEN HEARTS. ONE HELL OF A JOURNEY.
Driving home marks the start of the holidays for Kate and Ed, who have made this journey every Christmas of their ten-year long relationship. Normally the seasonal hits blare from the car stereo, and they are guaranteed to be wearing ridiculous jumpers in anticipation, but this year a frosty silence fills the car…
A massive argument leads to the immediate collapse of their relationship. But the show must go on, so they decide to brave their families together one last time.
With three Christmases to celebrate, an old flame waiting under the mistletoe and a shed load of expectation around their future together, this most wonderful time of year is anything but. There will be turkey, tiffs and tantrums galore, but it’s sure to be a Christmas they’ll never forget.
Someone for Everyone by Tracy Corbett
A surprise inheritance and a failing care home might hold the unlikely makings for true love…
Kate’s husband has not only left her, he’s also left her tons of debt and she now risks losing her career as a lawyer if she can’t find a way to pay it back.
Overnight, Calvin’s life changed when he signed for a major football team, and then again when injury forced him into early retirement. His life is once more about to be shaken up after he inherits his great-uncle’s estate.
Kate needs a job and Calvin needs someone to manage the care home he now owns – if it doesn’t turn a profit in the next three months, it will be shut down and the residents forced out. Can the two work together to save Rose Court, and each other?
Strictly Christmas Spirit by Helen Buckley
From disco balls to Christmas baubles …
Ex-dancer Emily Williams turned her back on the sparkle of popular dancing show Strictly Dancing with Celebs to help those in need. Now the only dancing she does is teaching lonely pensioners to waltz, and the closest she gets to disco balls is making baubles with the homeless people in her Christmas crafts class.
She’s certainly not star-struck when Hollywood heart-throb Blake Harris is sent to her at short notice for community service, and has no desire to babysit the arrogant actor with his bad boy antics and selfish ways. Christmas might be a time for miracles, but Blake seems to be a lost cause.
But Emily’s reasons for abandoning her dancing passion means she understands the Hollywood wild child more than she’d like to admit. Could their time together, coupled with a dash of Christmas spirit, lead to a miracle change of heart for them both?
Just Like Magic by Sarah Hogle
Bettie Hughes once knew the comfort of luxury . . . before she lost all her money. Long obsessed with her public image, Bettie boasts an extravagant lifestyle on social media but in reality she’s broke and her family has no idea.
Christmas, with all 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 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?
The Cosy Travelling Christmas Shop by Lilac Mills
While bringing joy to others, can these two Christmas helpers also find some for themselves?
Seren’s great aunt Nelly hates being in a care home, especially around Christmas when Seren learns that Nelly and the other residents can’t enjoy the simple pleasure of browsing for gifts in the shops. So what if Seren brings the shops to them?
Converting an ice cream van into a gift shop, Seren travels around Tinstone to help out the less mobile. On her journeys, she keeps bumping into a reluctant – and handsome – Father Christmas, who has been roped into helping out this festive season.
But running her own business comes with risks and surprises that Seren’s not sure she’s able to tackle. Has she bitten off more than she can chew, or will her travelling Christmas shop provide some much-needed festive cheer for the residents of Tinstone?
A Merry Little Meeet Cute by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone
When Bee Hobbes takes the lead in a squeaky-clean romantic Christmas movie, there are only three rules:
1. Don’t get involved with anyone on set.
2. Don’t tell anyone what you do for a living.
3. Definitely don’t get involved with anyone on set.
3b. Seriously.
Now, she’s filming in Christmas Notch, a small town with Christmas trees and festive tunes all year round.
But Bee’s got a secret identity to hide, and it’s not family-friendly. And her co-star, Nolan Shaw, an ex-boyband member infamous for his own x-rated antics, not only knows it, but is secretly her biggest fan.
When things start to heat up on set, Bee and Nolan must keep this steamy affair under wraps, or risk ruining everything . . .
One Lucky Christmas by Regina Brownell
A delightful novel about a meddling mother, a marathon of bad dates, and taking a chance on love from the author of The Two-Week Promise.
Twenty-four-year-old writer and bookseller Kasey wishes her mother could accept her for who she is and would stop trying to run her life. Kasey has already gone on a string of blind dates—with everyone from an underwear model to a guy whose greatest talent was burping the alphabet. Now she’s on date #31, with a pastor’s son, expecting yet another failure.
But Tobias takes her by surprise. She likes his smile. She likes the fact that he orders fruit punch instead of coffee or soda. She likes it when he takes her to church and introduces her to his family. Unlike her mother, they accept her for who she is and welcome her with open arms.
As the holidays draw near, Kasey feels like she’s finally found her place in the world. But could one accidental discovery make it all melt away or will she find her happy ever after?
A Snowed In/Stranded Christmas
Snowed in for Christmas by Sarah Morgan
She’s snowed in with the family. The only problem? They’re not her family.
A family gathering
This Christmas the Miller siblings have one goal – to avoid their family’s well-meaning questions. Ross, Alice and Clemmie have secrets that they don’t intend to share, and they are relying on each other to deflect attention.
An uninvited guest
Lucy Clarke is facing a Christmas alone, and the prospect of losing her job – unless she can win a major piece of business from Ross Miller. She’ll deliver her proposal to his family home in the Scottish Highlands and then leave. After all, she wouldn’t want to intrude on the Miller’s perfect family Christmas.
A Christmas to remember
When Lucy appears on the Miller’s snow-covered doorstep, she is mistaken for Ross’s girlfriend. But by the time the confusion is cleared up, a storm has hit and Lucy is stuck. As everyone settles in for a snowed-in Christmas, tensions bubble to the surface and suddenly Lucy finds herself facing a big family fallout with a family that isn’t hers…
The Christmas Catch by Clare Lydon
Two stranded travellers. One secret crush. Can they make it home without falling in love?
Thrown together when their plane conks out and a blizzard rolls in, Morgan Scott and her childhood friend Ali Bradford are on a mission to make it from Glasgow to Devon in time for Christmas.
The catch? Roads and trains are up the spout, Morgan’s patience is running low, and Ali has had a secret crush on Morgan since forever. But she can keep a lid on over two decades of unrequited love. Particularly when they keep having to share a bed. Absolutely no problem at all.
As Morgan and Ali inch south, they discover more about themselves and each other. This is one twisty road trip that takes them places they’ve never been before, and might just change their lives forever.
Snowed in on Sunflower Street by Rachel Griffiths
Can two lonely hearts heal one winter’s night…
When she lost her job and her home, Audrey Bennett came to stay with a friend in Wisteria Hollow. She likes the village and starts to dream about what it would be like to live there permanently.
Single dad and bookshop owner, Tom Cooper, is devoted to his son, Bowie, and his two rescue greyhounds. After years of working in London, he’s enjoying the slower pace of village life.
When Audrey and Tom meet, there’s an instant attraction but neither of them is prepared for how quickly their feelings grow. Will they fight their powerful connection or will they fall in love one cold December night when they get snowed in on Sunflower Street?
Christmas in Times Past
A Season for Hope by Rosie Goodwin
Whitby, 1845
Amber Ainsley works as a laundry maid for the wealthy Greenwood family, but when she falls pregnant with her employer’s illegitimate child, she is cast out, left homeless and destitute.
She flees to Whitby, but Barnaby Greenwood follows, offering to find a family to raise their daughter, to save her being sent to the workhouse. Broken-hearted but wanting the best for her child, Amber hands her daughter over. Meanwhile, Barnaby’s wife, Louisa, is overjoyed when she gives birth to twins – but the babies are weak, and she is terrified they won’t survive.
Poverty-stricken, Amber soon has no choice but to return to work for the Greenwoods. There, one twin is flourishing while the other sickens. And when Amber notices a familiar birth mark on the infant girl’s leg, her world is turned upside-down . . .
Will Amber ever be able to have the family life she hopes for?
Winter’s Daughter by Val Wood
Hull, 1856.
James Ripley and his wife Moira have always looked out for the poor of Hull. When, during one stormy night, there is a flood in a nearby cellar – a popular shelter for the homeless – James rushes to help.
Among those rescued is a dark-haired little girl who speaks a language no one can understand. Some say that she came to the cellar with her mother, but no one knows where the mother is now.
Concerned for the child’s safety, James is unsure of what to do. Where has the girl’s mother disappeared to? And what can be done to help the homeless who have lost the only shelter they knew?
A Lady of the Court by Kathryn Cushman
Alyona Arkadyevna Balashova dreams of the glamour and romance of the faraway Russian court. When her father, the much decorated General Balashov, agrees to take her to St. Petersburg for the summer season, even Empress Elizabeth sends gifts. All of Alyona’s dreams are finally coming true.
But then the unthinkable happens, and Alyona’s future hopes are lost forever. Or so it seems… until Empress Elizabeth summons her to St. Petersburg to live as her ward.
At the Imperial court, things are not as Alyona had imagined. She discovers a beautiful exterior often disguises something darker and uglier—in sumptuous palaces as well splendidly dressed courtiers. Can she still find happiness in the midst of it all?
The Winter Garden by Nicola Cornick
Remember, remember, the fifth of November…
1605: Anne Catesby fears for her family. Her son, the darkly charismatic Robert, is secretly plotting to kill the King, placing his wife and child in grave danger. Anne must make a terrible choice: betray her only child, or risk her family’s future.
Present day: When her dreams of becoming a musician are shattered, Lucy takes refuge in her family’s ancestral home in Oxfordshire. Everyone knows it was originally home to Robert Catesby, the gunpowder plotter. As Lucy spends more time in the beautiful winter garden that Robert had made, she starts to have strange visions of a woman in Tudor dress, terrified and facing a heartbreaking dilemma.
As Lucy and Anne’s stories converge, a shared secret that has echoed through the centuries separating them, will change Lucy’s life forever…
A Winter’s Wish by Judy Summers
Can she save her family when they need her the most?
Liverpool, 1847. At seventeen, Delilah Shaw is the eldest of the eight Shaw siblings, and the one who must take charge when her mother and brother die in a tragic manner, and her father is left disabled in an accident at the docks.
Taking care of the cooking, cleaning, washing and childcare is hard enough, but when they can no longer afford to live in the family home, Delilah must make the heartbreaking choice to leave it and to take two of her younger sisters to the workhouse.
Determined to earn enough to get them back, Delilah conjures up a plan to start a flower-selling business, with the support of her new friends, Irish siblings Bridget and Frank, as well as trusted dockworker Abraham.
But as her father’s drinking habit gets worse, and her siblings grow weaker, Delilah must ask whether she can really forge a better life for her family before it’s too late?
Snow Bride by Dilly Court
‘I foresee happiness for you, Nancy. I hear bells and I see snow, and your heart’s desire comes true’
A chance encounter brings Nancy Sunday to the streets of London, where she finds herself amongst a band of street urchins.
Her heart may have been broken by love but it’s big enough to help those less fortunate than herself, and Nancy takes these unloved orphans in – but when one of them is accused of a serious crime, the neighbourhood turns against her.
The colder the cruel grip of winter grows, the more mouths she finds herself having to feed. Can Nancy’s good heart and strength bring them all through?
A Christmas Wish by Lizzie Lane
Bristol 1927
Ten year old Magda Brodie’s world is torn apart when her mother dies in the workhouse two weeks before Christmas.
Her wastrel father arranges for her sisters to be sent to their grandparents in Ireland and for her younger brother to be adopted leaving Magda distraught with worry as her family are scattered far and wide.
Magda, as the eldest girl is sent to live with her Aunt Bridget who for whatever reason, holds a bitter resentment towards Magda.
But adversity makes Magda strong and determined. She dreams of happier times, to reunite her family and make her Christmas Wish come true.
A War Time Christmas
A Christmas Miracle for the Railway Girls by Maisie Thomas
Manchester, 1942. There are surprises in store for the railway girls this festive season…
When Cordelia‘s daughter Emily falls for a young chap who doesn’t meet the approval of her father, Cordelia is reminded of her own first love – a love that she has never forgotten.
Mabel is determined to get to the bottom of a spate of local burglaries. Her heart is in the right place as she sets out on a quest to clear her friend’s name, but there will be unforeseen consequences.
It’s nothing short of a miracle when Colette returns to Manchester. But it’s not going to be easy for her to keep living the life she once knew, and an impossible situation lies ahead.
There will be more than one storm for the railway girls to weather but with the friendship and support of one another, there’s hope that all will be well by Christmas…
The Winter Rose by Katie Flynn
Liverpool, 1941: After German bombs shatter the life Cadi has built for herself in Liverpool, she is more determined than ever to sign up and do her bit. Joining the WAAF also means she is closer to her beau – until Jez is sent thousands of miles from home.
While Jez is in Africa, someone from the past starts spreading vicious rumours that could threaten their relationship, and Cadi finds herself torn between keeping secrets and telling the truth to protect those she holds dear.
Cadi has always believed that their love can weather any storm but as the snow sweeps in, she faces an impossible choice. Will her decision leave her broken-hearted or will Cadi and Jez be reunited in time for Christmas?
The Ballroom Blitz by Anton Du Beke
September 1940. As the skies split apart and bombs rain down on London, it’s all the staff at the famed Buckingham Hotel can do to keep their guests in the luxury they’re accustomed to, and evoke the magic of the Grand ballroom for them each night.
Home on leave and still reeling from the tragic events at Dunkirk, the dashing Raymond de Guise struggles to define his role in this new world, and to do his duty both to his country, and his beloved wife Nancy- who needs him now more than ever.
With profiteers skulking the London streets, and devious rivals plotting the Buckingham’s downfall, the hotel staff must all hold onto what matters most- and decide where their loyalties truly lie.
As the bombing intensifies and Christmas fast approaches, somehow the show must go on…
A Quality Street Christmas by Penny Thorpe
Everything is changing at the Quality Street factory, can the plucky girls in the line make this a Christmas to remember?
The Quality Street girls are gearing up for Christmas, but with the factory now making gas masks, as well as the nation’s favourite chocolate sweets, it’s anything but normal.
They’re having to make other adjustments too. Reenie is in the doldrums after being demoted at work, while Mary has got her hands full getting used to married life and a ready-made family. New girl, Ada, isn’t sure she fits into factory life at all.
Then, just as the Christmas party season gets into full swing, Toffee town gets a shock, and soon it isn’t just Christmas cheer that’s in short supply.
Can the Quality Street girls save Christmas once again?
A Wartime Christmas at Rookery House by Rosie Henry
With the first Christmas of the war only a few weeks away thoughts turn to family and friends…
December 1939
Hettie Brown, former Cook at Great Plumstead Hall, has been happily retired since the summer, but when she hears some shocking news, it unsettles her and makes her question her new life at Rookery House.
Expectant mother, Gloria Jessop, is having doubts about her new evacuated life in the village. She’s missing her children and husband, and since there’s been none of the expected bombing in London, she’s tempted to return and unite her family. But is that the right thing to do?
The prospect of Christmas in a time of war isn’t easy for anyone, with loved ones away and homes and communities left behind. Hettie and Gloria decide to take action and quickly hatch a plan. Can they support each other, celebrate Christmas, and bring the whole village together in their time of need?
The Good Time Girls at Christmas by Fiona Ford
BLondon, December 1940. It’s Christmas for the Good Time Girls, and whilst London tries to inject some sparkle into the wartime rubble, the women of the Hammersmith Palais aren’t looking forward to the festive season.
Nancy continues her battle to keep control of the Palais as Ronnie and his thugs appear at every turn, determined to take what he lost back. Can she draw on all of her strength to keep everyone safe, even if it means sacrificing herself? Meanwhile, Betty and Violet have secrets of their own. Secrets which would cause certain ruin if they were discovered.
With Ronnie’s presence always looming, the girls are constantly looking over their shoulders – and must continue to fight for their lives, and their freedom, as World War Two continues around them.
This Christmas might not be merry and jolly, but the Good Time Girls will once again take to the stage and ensure the show goes on.
A Wrens’ Wartime Christmas by Vicki Beeby
German U-boats are getting through the defences. It’s up to the Wrens to stop them.
After her fiancé died in the sinking of the Royal Oak, Mary finds herself stationed in Orkney, still battling her grief. With Iris and Sally by her side, she is gradually overcoming her loss and is surprised to be helped by the irascible Joe.
Joe is a signalman aboard the Kelpie and his cheeky Morse code signals to Mary while she’s on shift bring her cheer and exasperation in equal measure. With Christmas round the corner, Mary is opening herself back up to the festive spirit – and to love.
But the Germans keep slipping through Scapa Flow’s defences, somehow without triggering any of the Navy’s alarms. Could someone on land be guiding them? If so, can Mary, Iris and Sally figure out who and stop them before more lives are lost?
Christmas with the Wartime Midwives by Daisy Styles
Cumbria, 1944: as Christmas comes to Mary Vale, mothers and midwives alike seek a miracle . . .
Newly trained midwife Libby is forced to work in the neighbouring villages as well as at the Mother and Baby Home, trying her best to help the many desperate new mums.
Meanwhile, Margaret arrives at Mary Vale heartbroken after losing her man and facing having a child alone.
Yet it isn’t long before Libby and Margaret discover someone with bigger problems. Beth, along with her young children and desperately ill husband, face eviction from their home just before Christmas.
As time starts to run out, so does her hope.
But can Libby and Margaret save Beth and her family with a quick-witted plan and some festive magic?
After all, it’s Christmas . . . and a time for miracles.
A Winter Wedding at Bletchley Park by Molly Green
When Rosie Frost was jilted on her wedding day, she didn’t think life could get any worse. But six years later in the throes of the Second World War, she is unceremoniously dismissed from her dream job after they discover her illegitimate child.
Thankfully, top secret war office Bletchley Park recognises Rosie’s talent and recruits her to decipher their Italian naval signals. Happy to be doing her bit for the war effort, Rosie settles into her new life.
But when she spots a familiar face at the Park, Rosie’s world threatens to come crashing down once more. Can she put her heartbreak behind her? And will wedding bells ring out across Bletchley Park before the year is out?
Hopes and Dreams for the Variety Girls by Tracy Baines
As war is declared can The Variety Girls keep smiling through…
Cleethorpes – September 1939
Struggling to keep their spirits up as the reality of war hits home and theatres are closed, friends Jessie Delaney and Frances O’Leary search for work to see them through until they can sing and dance again.
Frances, once upon a time followed her dreams of becoming a dancer but soon found herself with a broken heart and a precious secret when her lover abandoned her. Keeping her secret from her friends grows more difficult as time passes and their friendship grows..
But with her lover returning to England from a successful tour of America, how long will it be before the truth comes to light?
Secrets aren’t good for anyone and Frances isn’t the only one hiding things from her friends. Ginny Thomspon, another Variety Girl is hoping for the best. But is hope enough?
Can the Variety Girls pull together to help each other through the tough times or will their secrets tear them apart?
A Cosy Crime Christmas
Wicked Whispers at St Bride’s by Debbie Young
Gemma Lamb is ready for an uneventful term at St Bride’s, she’s had enough of dastardly deeds and sinister strangers.
However, she’s barely back at school before:
- Unlucky in love Oriana is sneaking around at odd hours
- Handsome Joe is keeping secrets
- Militant Mavis feels a scandal is brewing
It’s all a bit much, so when a stranger appears, Gemma thinks she’s had enough. But this stranger isn’t so sinister, instead he looks rather too familiar. If Gemma can’t get him away from the school the whispers and scandal his presence could unleash may just close St Bride’s doors for good.
Gemma’s joined forces with her colleagues to save the school in the past, but this time she’s going to have to do it on her own .
Murder in the Christmas Market by Susan Kiernan-Lewis
No place sparkles like Paris at Christmas time—complete with roaring fire, a little mistletoe and a touch of murder.
When expat and private detective Claire Baskerville sets out to make this year’s holiday the most memorable one yet, she hadn’t counted on tripping over a dead body virtually on her doorstep. The charming array of Christmas market booths that line the Champs Elysées is the setting for this holiday who-dunnit that will have you reaching for a hot mulled wine in between gasps of shock.
The Murder Plot by Alice Castle
As snow covers perfect little Dulwich Village, amateur sleuth Beth Haldane is certain something’s amiss. There’s a suspicious solicitor, poorly pooches and… a plot to murder?
Beth Haldane is getting ready for a quiet Christmas with her son and their beloved grumpy cat when fellow single mother Nina begs her for help. Something fishy is going on with Mr Potter, the solicitor she works for… business is slow, with the accounts empty. So why does his wife have such an impressive collection of designer dresses?
Unable to resist a puzzle, Beth agrees to cover Nina’s job as a receptionist to get a closer look. But just as she finds a mysterious key hidden away in the office, Mrs Potter arrives in floods of tears with terrible news for her husband. Their precious pet, Lancelot the Great Dane, has been found dead in his basket. Mrs Potter suspects a poisoning…
Beth is shocked anyone would harm a beloved family pet, but the Potters are definitely hiding something. When an elderly widow comes to Mr Potter’s office begging for help with her will, Beth starts to suspect foul play… is Mr Potter taking advantage of this sweet old lady? And why is he curiously cool, when his whole family are distraught about Lancelot?
Beth is determined to find what the mysterious key unlocks, discover Mr Potter’s secrets and get answers about the local pet-killer before they set their sights on an owner next time. But is Beth getting closer and closer to her own sticky end?
The Crimes of Gwendolyn Gormly by KT Mill
It begins with a séance in a snowbound country house – and it ends with murder!
Gwendolyn Gormly is a nasty piece of work. Everyone knows that. So when she commits a series of violent crimes, nobody is surprised. Nobody, that is, except for local amateur sleuth, Ruby Lake. Ruby believes that Gwendolyn has been framed for crimes she did not commit.
But when it seems that Gwendolyn has committed the ultimate crime – murder! – the evidence against her is water-tight.
Is Ruby wrong this time? Is Gwendolyn Gormly guilty or innocent?
A female sleuth, impossible crimes, a twisting, turning plot and a splash of dark humour make this the perfect book to snuggle up with.
Up to Snow Good by Beatrice Fishback
It’s almost Christmas, and Daisy McFarland must leave her quaint British home for the holidays. Aunt Juliet, her last living relative, has passed away. As the sole heir, it is Daisy’s responsibility to sell the childhood home she grew up in and liquidate her aunt’s assets in Windswept Pines, North Carolina.
Unexpected surprises face Daisy once she’s back in the States.Encounters with three teaching colleagues—otherwise known as the I.C.E. Queens—whose ill treatment over the years had been a primary reason for her move to England, appear genuinely happy to see her. But is their behavior merely a ruse?
A note left by her dead relative begs Daisy to clear the McFarland name, and a recently discovered body in Victoria Lake somehow implicates her aunt’s involvement. Daisy is left to unravel the family mess without her dear friends, Rosemary and Detective Decker who reside in England.
Will Daisy be able to uncover the facts concerning her aunt’s checkered past and return to England in time to celebrate Christmas with her friends? Or will she end up paying dearly for what her relative had been up to? Apparently, Aunt Juliet had been up to snow good.
Murder Most Royal by SJ Bennett
December 2016 – A severed hand is found washed up on a beach next to the Queen’s estate at Sandringham.
Elizabeth has become quite accustomed to solving even the most complex of murders. And though she quickly identifies the 70-year-old victim, Edward St Cyr, from his signet ring, the search for his killer is not so straightforward.
St Cyr led an unconventional, often controversial life, making many enemies along the way in the quiet, rural world of North Norfolk, where everyone knows each other’s business.
But when a second man is found dead, and a prominent local woman is nearly killed in a hit-and-run, the mystery takes an even darker turn.
With the Christmas break coming to an end, the Queen and her trusted assistant Rozie must race to discover how the pieces of the puzzle fit together. Or the next victim may be found even closer to home.
Blood on the Siberian Snow by CJ Farrington
Winter has come early to the tiny Siberian village of Roslazny, but for Olga Pushkin, aspiring writer and Railway Engineer (Second Class), it only makes leaving the harder. Olga is being forced overseas by her jealous superior, and now faces two years in exile from her beloved rail-side hut, her white-breasted hedgehog Dmitri, and Vassily Marushkin, sergeant-in-charge at the tiny Roslazny police station.
Fate seems to intervene when Olga’s train crashes outside Roslazny, shutting the line and killing two on board – local celebrity Danyl Petrovich and his wife, Anoushka. But Vassily Marushkin soon discovers that the Trans-Siberian locomotive was derailed on purpose. As the weather closes in, trapping the villagers – and the suspects – inside, Vassily begins a murder investigation in which Olga and her long-lost friend, Nevena Komarov, soon become closely involved.
But murder and extreme weather isn’t all Olga has to deal with. Recalcitrant publishers, haunted police stations, and embarrassing online exposés combine to make this early winter a particularly challenging one – with the threat of a forced departure still looming as soon as the weather lifts. Can Olga find out who killed the Petroviches, secure the release of her book, exorcise the ghost, and save her job, all at the same time?
Mistletoe and Murder by Laura Stewart
Murder interrupts Christmas at a Scottish hotel, but which of the guests are guilty?
Amelia Adams has turned the Scottish mansion she inherited into a luxurious hotel. The holiday season is looking busy with the upcoming wedding of a self-made millionaire to his young fiancée—and a wide assortment of guests.
When Amelia gets a mysterious call from a stranger who says he has something to tell her, she is intrigued. But as a string of shocking events unfold, Amelia must turn her attention from merriment to murder . . .
A Killer Christmas at Honeychurch Hall by Hannah Dennison
Following the butler’s death and the cook’s retirement, the ever-gullible Lady Lavinia replaces them with a power couple who are determined to thrust the crumbling estate into the 21st century. The Dowager Countess reluctantly agrees to hold a big-ticket Christmas gala and silent auction with a mystery celebrity flying in from Monaco as the guest of honour.
Needless to say the newcomers’ make a few enemies in their quest to change the status quo and when one body is discovered in the Victorian stumpery and a second, in the ha-ha, it seems that their high-flying past is catching up with them.
Meanwhile, Kat is dealing with the theft of a valuable doll that had been earmarked for the auction. When it turns out that all the ticket money has vanished and there never was a celebrity guest, it’s up to Kat to save the day and bring the cold-blooded killer to justice.
Silent Fright : A Cosy Mystery Anthology
A collection of Christmas cozy mysteries to confound and delight… Spend a night with Silent Fright!
It’s the coziest time of year, when sleigh bells ring and carolers sing. So grab your tea, toss another log on the fire, and crack open Silent Fright—a collection of holiday mysteries for those long winter nights.
Take a stroll through these eight charming Christmas novellas, each with their own sets of quirky characters, unique settings, and holiday homicides. From the first story to the last, Silent Fright will leave you feeling merry and bright.
Killer Christmas by Martina Dalton – When Clarity Bloom helps out at the Bloom Farm Christmas Market, she has no idea the main attraction will be murder.
Christmas Most Shocking by Shari Hearn – It’s gnomes for the holidays as two senior sleuths go undercover in Santa’s FunWorld to catch an elf intent on murder.
Slayed in a Manger by Anne Seidel – Sam Gordon’s holiday season kicks off with a wacky gift exchange, but no one expects the night to end with frankincense and murder.
Gingerdead House by Lucinda Harrison – When the reigning gingerbread champ is stabbed with a sugar shard, Poppy Lewis must sift through the crumbs to discover the real culprit before her friend lands in gingerbread jail.
It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Murder by Lynda Brunelle – It’s Christmas Eve and meteorologist Grace Callahan is tracking Santa. And a murderer.
A Very Merry Murder by TJ Costello – When a local baker collapses and dies clutching an ice sculpture, everyone assumes it’s a heart attack. But her last words arouse Bizzy’s suspicions, and if it’s murder, the shop owner next door would be the first on her list of suspects.
Decorated for Death by Patty Joy – On the verge of the school’s Christmas program, a body is found under the tree, and Kelly Green’s job is on the line. Can she find the actual killer before the school board puts coal in her stocking?
Tea is for Tinsel by Karen Sue Walker – A few Christmas spirits will help April May solve a mystery while reminding her of the reason for the season.
A Murder at the Castle by Chris McGeorge
King Eric is dead. And when the motive is succession, murder is a family affair…
During a violent snowstorm, the Royal Family gather at the Castle for a traditional Christmas together. Amid rumours that he plans to name a new successor, King Eric stands to make his traditional after-dinner speech. He sips from a glass of his favourite whisky- and drops dead.
The king has been poisoned, and only one of the royals could have done the deed. Trapped by the raging blizzard, it is up to Eric’s beloved head chef, Jonathan Alleyne, to play detective and get to the bottom of this heinous crime.
Jon is determined to expose the truth, even if it puts him in grave danger, and threatens to shake the entire monarchy to its core…
Christmas Scarf Murder by Carlene O’Connor, Maddie Day and Peggy Ehrhart
Stocking stuffers like handknit scarves make the coziest of Christmas gifts—unless they’re used as accessories for murder!
CHRISTMAS SCARF MURDER by CARLENE O’CONNOR
When grinchy thefts steal the good cheer at a local nursing home, Siobhan O’Sullivan manages to identify one missing item before Kilbane, Ireland’s Christmas tractor parade—a hideous shamrock scarf wrapped around a very dead body. Now, with her holiday farmhouse bash approaching, Siobhan must dash to stop a deadly Secret Santa from gifting another unwanted surprise.
SCARFED DOWN by MADDIE DAY
It’s beginning to taste a lot like Christmas at Pans ‘N Pancakes, as twelve days of menu specials dazzle hungry locals. But the festivities go cold the instant a diner dies while knitting a brilliant green scarf. With Aunt Adele tied into a murder investigation, it’s all on Robbie Jordan to find out who’s really been naughty or nice in South Lick, Indiana.
DEATH BY CHRISTMAS SCARF by PEGGY EHRHART
Suspects pile up faster than New Jersey snow when frosty-tempered Carys Walnutt is found strangled by a handmade scarf auctioned at Arborville’s tree-lighting ceremony. Between a winning bidder hiding behind the alias “S. Claws” and a victim who deserved coal in her stocking, can Pamela Paterson and the crafty Knit and Nibble ladies freeze a killer’s merry murder plot?
Mistletoe Murder by Mona Marple
When a local millionaire eccentric dies, the whole of Candy Cane Hollow are crying into their mince pies.
But when the Will is read, it turns out that the whole estate has been left not to the man’s family, but to an elf who claims she didn’t know him at all.
With that shock discovery, it’s time to see how money really does change people… and not everyone will survive the fall out.
Holly finds herself caught up in another murder, but she already has enough on her plate. Her sister is visiting her new, festive home for the first time, and together they will sort the final plans for the Winter Ball.
Oh, and is she imagining things, or is her dimpled dish of a boyfriend acting suspiciously?
Murder at the Christmas Carols by Izzie Harper
A dead carol singer. Three women sleuths. Not your average village Christmas.
All Ellie Blix wants is to make it to New Year without any more disasters. She’s juggling jobs and looking after a sick daughter. Then her mother-in-law moves in and won’t stop interfering.
It’s the week before Christmas in the snowy village of Lower Wootton. When Andrea Burdett, Ellie’s estranged schoolfriend, collapses at the village carols, it quickly becomes clear she’s been murdered. Feeling guilty about the recent row she and Andrea had, and under suspicion herself, Ellie teams up with her daughter and mother-in-law to follow the clues and solve the mystery – much to the annoyance of Ellie’s detective inspector ex-husband.
Then a second villager is found dead. Can the three Blix women find the killer and return the community to safety?
Gavels, Tinsel and Murder by Victoria Tait
A charity ball. A dead guest. Can an amateur sleuth solve the case or will it ruin Christmas for ever?
Aspiring antiques expert, Dotty Sayers, is excited about organising a ball in a Cotswold country house. When a lecture on modern art leads to a kiss under the mistletoe she thinks all her Christmases have come at once. But her festive cheer turns sour when a partygoer is found dead on the dance floor.
The police ask Dotty to help wrap up the case of a stolen painting, but as the search continues she becomes entangled in the murder investigation. When this amateur detective realises the culprit could be a close friend, will she face the Yuletide music?
Can Dotty put aside her personal feelings and herald a murderer?
Gavels, Tinsel and Murder is the fourth book in the charming Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery series. If you like to eat, drink and be merry with a group of entertaining characters, then you’ll be entertained by Victoria Tait’s festive tale.
The Happy Christmas Caper by Kal Smagh
Inspector Tuffle here, Scotland Yard. Speaking with the retiree seated before me in her Florida home. I have knowledge of a Christmas situation from 1964. Been keeping an envelope in my coat pocket while interrogating Ms. Helen Spencer on her 1960s experiences. It’s time to explore what happened.
What exactly was Ms Spencer doing leading up to the Beatles Christmas shows of 1964? Who was the masked man? And why has she offered no information on it? All of London was scared, however she remains tight-lipped.
One thing is certain: she was there, she worked with the Beatles… and no one has done any talking since then.
Until now. What happened?
Amateur sleuth and fan club helper Helen Spencer helps the Beatles prepare for their sold out 1964 Christmas Concerts…but there is a problem…who is trying to stop the show?
Murder on the Christmas Express by Alexandra Benedict
COULD YOU SOLVE THE CASE?
Eighteen passengers. Seven stops. One killer.
In the early hours of Christmas Eve, the sleeper train to the Highlands is derailed, along with the festive plans of its travellers. With the train stuck in snow in the middle of nowhere, a killer stalks its carriages, picking off passengers one by one. Those who sleep on the sleeper train may never wake again.
Can former Met detective Roz Parker find the killer before they kill again?
All aboard for . . . Murder on the Christmas Express
A Less than Cosy Crime Christmas
A Christmas Shadow by HL Marsay
Even the season of goodwill can’t stop a murder…
Detective Chief Inspector John Shadow is reluctantly attending York Minster’s Advent Ceremony when the new Dean is taken ill after drinking wine. Was her allergic reaction a simple case of human error or could she have been poisoned? Shadow becomes suspicious when he learns someone else has died under similar circumstances. He begins to quietly investigate, but when the body of a young woman is recovered from the river, he knows he must act quickly. And this time, Shadow requires the help of someone from his past.
John Shadow is a man of contradictions. A solitary figure who shuns company, but is a keen observer of all he meets. A lover of good food, but whose fridge is almost always empty. He prefers to work alone but is assisted by the eager Sergeant Jimmy Chang.
Together, the two men must work through a maze of cheating husbands, corrupt clergy and criminal gangs to solve the murders before the killer can strike again.
Deadly Christmas by Rachel McLean
Christmas in Birmingham means the Frankfurt Christmas Market. Loved and hated by brummies in equal measure, it certainly makes life interesting for West Midlands Police.
But when the body of a homeless man is found behind a market stall early one Sunday morning, it looks like Christmas might be cancelled for DI Zoe Finch and her team. And when they discover that the victim has a history that makes his death politically sensitive, things get even more complicated.
Can Zoe and her team find the killer before Christmas is ruined for another victim – and avoid putting their careers on the line?
Murder by Mistletoe by Jack Gatland
You’d better not laugh… you’d better not die.Father Christmas, otherwise known as good ol’ Santa Claus is dead, murdered in the street, poisoned with a fatal cocktail laced with mistletoe for that ‘Christmas touch’.
But he wasn’t the first, and he won’t be the last – because across London, Father Christmases are being poisoned. Charity Santas, shopping store grotto Santas, it doesn’t matter, as the killer hunts anyone wearing the hat and the beard.
With one of his own team now a witness in a diplomatic murder and taken off the Last Chance Saloon, DI Declan Walsh is a man down and on the back foot, as he travels a world of red-nosed reindeers and snowy scenes, hunting a grinch that not only hates Christmas, but has a personal hatred of anyone who plays the jolly, red-clothed figure himself.
Can Declan and his team find and stop the killer before Christmas, or will he be stuck on the naughty list forever?
The Winter Killer by Alex Pine
Christmas has arrived in Cumbria, and wedding bells are ringing.
But an ice-cold killer is waiting in the fells…
As the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve, DI James Walker receives a phone call that puts paid to his Christmas break. During the wedding of the year at a lakeside hotel, the bride’s sister has vanished.
When Rachel left the wedding breakfast before her speech, newly-wed Libby was furious. But as the night went on with no sign of her maid-of-honour, Libby started to realise something was very, very wrong…
Before the wedding night is out, the lake is being searched for a body.
Something old, something new. One guest is a killer. The question is: who?
The Santa Killer by Ross Greenwood
The Santa Killer is coming to town…
One night less than two weeks before Christmas, a single mother is violently assaulted. It’s a brutal crime at the time of year when there should be goodwill to all. When DI Barton begins his investigation, he’s surprised to find the victim is a woman with nothing to hide and no reason for anyone to hurt her.
A few days later, the mother of the woman attacked rings the police station. Her granddaughter has drawn a shocking picture. It seems she was looking out of the window when her mother was attacked. And when her grandmother asks the young girl who the person with the weapon is, she whispers two words.
Bad Santa.
The rumours start spreading, and none of the city’s women feel safe – which one of them will be next?
He’s got a list. It’s quite precise. It won’t matter even if you’re nice.
When Christmas Comes by Andrew Klavan
After a horrific murder, a sleuthing English teacher will need a Christmas miracle to prove a condemned man innocent.
Colourful Christmas lights dapple the family homes in the idyllic lakeside town of Sweet Haven when Jennifer Dean, a young librarian at the local elementary school, is brutally murdered. There are witnesses and her boyfriend Travis Blake confesses to the crime… but something doesn’t add up. Blake is a third generation Army Ranger, awarded the Silver Star for his heroism in Afghanistan – how could a beloved son of this tight-knit community commit such a grisly deed?
Sweet Haven is a community of military families, so no one wants to investigate a war hero. In steps Cameron Winter, a rugged and lonesome English professor haunted by the ghosts of his own Christmas past, whose former lover asks him to prove Blake innocent. The Sweet Haven murder echoes a horrific Yuletide memory from Winter’s youth, and he knows the case is even darker than it seems. If he can solve this small-town mystery, just maybe he can find peace from his inner demons too.
Auld Acquaintance by Sofia Slater
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind?
Millie Partridge desperately needs a party. So, when her (handsome and charming) ex-colleague Nick invites her to a Hebridean Island for New Year’s Eve, she books her ticket North.
But things go wrong the moment the ferry drops her off. The stately home is more down at heel than Downton Abbey. Nick hasn’t arrived yet. And the other revellers? Politely, they aren’t exactly who she would have pictured Nick would be friends with.
Worse still, an old acquaintance from Millie’s past has been invited, too. Penny Maybury. Millie and Nick’s old colleague. Somebody Millie would rather have forgotten about. Somebody, in fact, that Millie has been trying very hard to forget.
Waking up on New Year’s Eve, Penny is missing. A tragic accident? Or something more sinister? With a storm washing in from the Atlantic, nobody will be able reach the group before they find out.
One thing is for sure – they’re going to see in the new year with a bang.
A Song of Winter by Andrew James Greig
Edinburgh is basking in an unnaturally warm winter until the snow starts falling. When a student disappears, along with his climate research, and the national government close down all communications, Professor Finlay Hamilton realises there is a link between his own research into dark matter and the freak weather. Suddenly he is in a desperate race to save his wife, Jess, and their young family from a catastrophic event. His only help is a man from Jess’s past, a past he never knew existed.
The Last Wild Song of Winter by Christoffer Petersen
When an old hunter kills a man in a bar, Constable David Maratse follows him into the teeth of a winter storm to bring him to justice. But as the temperature plummets, the two men find themselves trapped in a tiny cabin, forced to shelter from the fierce Arctic weather, with precious little food to eat and even less fuel to burn. With no end to the long winter’s night, the hunter begins his confession, with one tale for each night of December.
The Last Wild Song of Winter is not a book. It is a Christmas Calendar comprising a series of twenty-four interconnected short stories, one for each night of December, culminating with the last story and conclusion of the complete tale on Christmas Eve, the night Greenlanders celebrate Christmas.
Inspired by the Scandinavian and Greenlandic Christmas Calendar tradition, this Jack Londonesque collection of stories is intended to be read through the long, dark days and nights of December, transporting the reader to the far north of Greenland where the sun has already set, and the only light is from the moon reflecting on the sea ice and snow, and the Northern Lights carpeting the black night sky.
Just remember, The Last Wild Song of Winter is not a book. For Maratse’s sake, don’t read ahead, pace yourself, and maybe, just maybe, all will be resolved by Christmas.
Hidden in Snow by Viveca Sten
The splendor of the Swedish mountains becomes the backdrop for a bone-chilling crime.
On the day Stockholm police officer Hanna Ahlander’s personal and professional lives crash, she takes refuge at her sister’s lodge in the Swedish ski resort paradise of Åre. But it’s a brief comfort. The entire village is shaken by the sudden vanishing of a local teenage girl. Hanna can’t help but investigate, and while searching for the missing person, she lands a job with the local police department. There she joins forces with Detective Inspector Daniel Lindskog, who has been tasked with finding the girl. Their only lead: a scarf in the snow.
As subzero temperatures drop even further, a treacherous blizzard sweeps toward Åre. Hanna and Daniel’s investigation is getting more desperate by the hour. Lost or abducted, either way time is running out for the missing girl. Each new clue closes in on something far more sinister than either Hanna or Daniel imagined.
Death on a Winter Stroll by Francine Mathews
Nantucket Police Chief Meredith Folger is acutely conscious of the stress COVID-19 has placed on the community she loves. Although the island has proved a refuge for many during the pandemic, the cost to Nantucket has been high. Merry hopes that the Christmas Stroll, one of Nantucket’s favorite traditions, in which Main Street is transformed into a winter wonderland, will lift the island’s spirits. But the arrival of a large-scale TV production, and the Secretary of State and her family, complicates matters significantly.
The TV shoot is plagued with problems from within, as a shady, power-hungry producer clashes with strong-willed actors. Across Nantucket, the Secretary’s troubled stepson keeps shaking off his security detail to visit a dilapidated house near conservation land, where an intriguing recluse guards secrets of her own. With all parties overly conscious of spending too much time in the public eye and secrets swirling around both camps, it is difficult to parse what behavior is suspicious or not—until the bodies turn up.
Now, it’s up to Merry and Detective Howie Seitz to find a connection between two seemingly unconnected murders and catch the killer. But when everyone has a motive, and half of the suspects are politicians and actors, how can Merry and Howie tell fact from fiction?
Murder in the Falling Snow : Ten Classic Crime Stories
It’s only the afternoon, but dusk is already falling and a log fire burning in the grate. Outside, frost coats the tree branches and snow sparkles on the ground. And somewhere in the darkness, a murderer is making plans …
Here are ten classic crime stories for the winter months, from the greatest minds of the mystery genre. So bundle up, grab a glass of mulled wine, and get ready to be puzzled, astonished and entertained by these festive stories of murder and mayhem.
Dalziel and Pascoe : Story Collection
A vicar nailed to a tree in Yorkshire.
The theft of a priceless artefact during a fire.
A detective forced to tell the truth for 24 hours.
A body hidden in a basement.
From the restless streets of London to the wilds of the Lake District, displaying all his trademark humour, playfulness and clever plotting, this landmark collection brings together the very best of Reginald Hill’s short stories for the first time, complete with a foreword from Val McDermid.
Murders in Christmas Past
A Murder of Christmas Past by Magda Alexander
A Christmas wedding in an English castle. Tree trimming, carol singing, figgy pudding. What could be more wonderful than that? But then a dead body turns up and ruins all the fun.
England 1923. No sooner does Kitty Worthington arrive at Wynchcombe Castle for her sister’s holiday nuptials than she makes a gruesome discovery—the remains of a woman who perished long ago. Her death was not natural; she suffered a violent end. And there’s a mysterious connection to the Wynchcombe family that must be explained.
With the ceremony rapidly approaching, Kitty and her merry band of sleuths, comprised of her maid, lords, ladies, Scotland Yard’s finest Detective Inspector Crawford, and Sir Winston, the family’s beloved basset hound, jump into the fray to solve the murder. For if they don’t, her sister’s wedding day may not only be ruined but might not take place at all.
Murder & Mistletoe by Beth Byers
Holiday, Murder, Mayhem…what else could be expected when Vi and friends gather for Christmas?
The friends have gathered for a major collected holiday in the country. They’ve brought in those they love. Excessive gifts have been purchased and feasts have been planned.
Once again, a body is discovered. No one would have expected this victim to be murdered. Especially when his body is discovered under the mistletoe. Will Vi, Jack, and the rest discover the murderer before St. Nick arrives?
Winter Blood by Allan Martin
Estonia, November 1935.
A small independent country, recently nudged into dictatorship, surviving in a Europe whose future is uncertain.
And scandal is threatened when a retired general is found dead in the courtyard of his country manor house, run through with his own sabre.
DCI Jüri Hallmets, a decorated veteran of Estonia’s War of Independence, and his National Serious Crimes team are sent from the capital, Tallinn, to investigate.
Was it suicide or murder? Was there something in the memoirs the general was writing which led to his death? And what about his family, who don’t seem saddened by his passing.
Meanwhile reporter Jaan Kallas comes across evidence of a plot against the current regime. Was the general involved in the plot? Or was knowing about it enough for him to die?
Hallmets and his team must unpeel layers of deception to reveal the shocking truth.
Ashes in the Snow by Oriana Ramunno
A beautiful, moving detective story set in Auschwitz in the Christmas of 1943.
A young Jewish prisoner…
Auschwitz, 1943. It’s snowing outside and Block 10 looks even bleaker than usual. Gioele Errera, a young Jewish boy imprisoned in the camp, finds the body of an SS officer.
A detective with everything to prove…
Hugo Fischer is sent to investigate the unexplained death of the renowned Nazi. But Hugo is hiding a secret – he is suffering from a degenerative disease. The only way for him to survive is to give his support to the Reich and hide his condition.
A confrontation with pure evil…
In Auschwitz, Hugo comes face to face not only with a complex murder, but with a truth – that of the Final Solution. And he is forced to decide what is most important to him – and who, if anyone, he should try to save…
Murder at the Theatre Royale by Ada Moncrieff
It’s Christmas at London’s Theatre Royale and journalist Daphne King is determined to solve an extraordinary mystery…
December 1935. Director Chester Harrison’s production of A Christmas Carol has had a troubled run on its tour of regional theatres. With tensions amongst the cast running high, the company reach their final stop – London’s Theatre Royale – a few days before Christmas.
Catastrophe, however, strikes on opening night: ‘Scrooge’ dies on stage, seemingly due to a heart attack. But the show must go on. Until, that is, an old rival of Chester’s is murdered in a dressing room. Are those associated with the production being picked off one by one? Journalist Daphne King is determined to reveal the truth…
A Christmas Murder of Crows by DM Austin
December 1923. In the picturesque Westmorland village of Crowthwaite, the barmaid at The Black Feather entertains a traveller with a local story of pagan sacrifice – the Murder of Crows. Unbeknownst to the guests already arriving for Christmas at Crowthwaite Castle, the storytelling foreshadows things to come.
As he does every year, Sir Henry de Trouville, tenth Baronet, has demanded his family join him for the festive season. But family friction soon begins to flare, and when the snow falls to herald Christmas it brings with it a shocking series of events.
Just before the passes through the Pennines are closed off, Detective Inspector Gilbert Dunderdale of Manchester City Police arrives at the castle to investigate the evil, and inconvenient, business of murder.
The Winter Guest by WC Ryan
The drive leads past the gate house and through the trees towards the big house, visible through the winter-bared branches. Its windows stare down at Harkin and the sea beyond . . .
January 1921. Though the Great War is over, in Ireland a new, civil war is raging. The once-grand Kilcolgan House, a crumbling bastion shrouded in sea-mist, lies half empty and filled with ghosts – both real and imagined – the Prendevilles, the noble family within, co-existing only as the balance of their secrets is kept.
Then, when an IRA ambush goes terribly wrong, Maud Prendeville, eldest daughter of Lord Kilcolgan, is killed, leaving the family reeling. Yet the IRA column insist they left her alive, that someone else must have been responsible for her terrible fate. Captain Tom Harkin, an IRA intelligence officer and Maud’s former fiancé, is sent to investigate, becoming an unwelcome guest in this strange, gloomy household.
Working undercover, Harkin must delve into the house’s secrets – and discover where, in this fractured, embattled town, each family member’s allegiances truly lie. But Harkin too is haunted by the ghosts of the past and by his terrible experiences on the battlefields. Can he find out the truth about Maud’s death before the past – and his strange, unnerving surroundings – overwhelm him?
The Railway Detective’s Christmas Case by Edward Marston
December 1864. As a cold winter wind scours the Worcestershire countryside, an excursion train comes through a tunnel in the Malvern Hills to be confronted by a blockage on the line ahead. The driver manages to slow the train down so that the impact is minimised, but the passengers are alarmed. The first person to alight is Cyril Hubbleday, the man in charge of the excursion to the delightful spa town of Great Malvern. He walks to the front of the locomotive and as he is talking to the driver, fireman and guard, Hubbleday is shot dead by a sniper.
Christmas is coming all too soon and Inspector Robert Colbeck and Sergeant Victor Leeming are under pressure to solve the case quickly. However, with a number of disputes and enemies in the shadows behind the seasonal excursion and the investigation hampered by heavy snow, the hunt for a cold-blooded killer is far from straightforward.
Sherlock Holmes & the Twelve Thefts of Christmas by Tim Major
Sherlock Holmes’s discovery of a mysterious musical score initiates a devious Christmas challenge set by Irene Adler, with clues that are all variations on the theme of ‘theft without theft’, such as a statue missing from a museum found hidden in the room it was taken from.
In the snowy London lead-up to Christmas, Holmes’s preoccupation with the “Adler Variations” risks him neglecting the case of his new client, Norwegian arctic explorer Fridtjof Nansen, who has received a series of threats in the form of animal carcasses left on his doorstep. Could they really be gifts from a strange spirit that has pursued Nansen since the completion of his expedition to cross Greenland? And might this case somehow be related to Irene Adler’s great game?
The Mitford Secret by Jessica Fellowes
THE MITFORDS AT WAR
It’s 1941, and the Mitford household is splintered by the vicissitudes of war. To bring the clan together – maybe for one last time – Deborah invites them to Chatsworth for Christmas, along with a selection of society’s most impressive and glamorous guests, as well as old family friend Louisa Cannon, a private detective.
One night, a psychic arrives, and to liven things up Deborah agrees she may host a séance. But entertainment turns to dark mystery as the psychic reveals that a maid was murdered in this very same house – and she can prove it.
Louisa steps forward to try to solve the cold case. But with a house full of people who want nothing more than to bury their secrets, will she be able to unmask the murderer? And how deep does the truth lie?
Mrs Hudson and the Christmas Canary by Martin Davies
Old lies, new threats. The chickens have come home to roost…
December in London, and Maximilian Cortado, the world famous violinist, has disappeared, the only clue being the unexpected delivery to his townhouse of a basket containing a live hen.
When it emerges that a number of other notable members of society have been receiving similarly unexplained fowl, the deliveries begin to appear more sinister.
Sherlock Holmes, however, seems more intrigued by a trivial incident in Sussex, where someone has been damaging Christmas trees intended for a local stately home. So when he is asked by the wife of a famous artist to investigate a robbery carried out twenty-three years before, Mrs Hudson sees an opportunity to assist.
At the centre of that mystery is the Christmas Canary, a solid gold decoration of mesmerising beauty, hand-crafted for the fifth Lord Empingham. For years it had graced the top of the Christmas tree at Frawling Hall – until its mystifying disappearance broke the seventh Lord’s heart. Fowl deeds are afoot, but can Mrs Hudson restore the canary to its perch before it’s too late?
A Chilling Christmas
The Stroke of Winter by Wendy Webb
She’s restoring the old family home on the hill. And unearthing something evil.
In the tourist town of Wharton, on the coast of Lake Superior, Tess Bell is renovating her old family home into a bed-and-breakfast during the icy dead of winter…
As the house’s restoration commences, a shuttered art studio is revealed. Inside are paintings Tess’s late grandfather, beloved and celebrated artist Sebastian Bell, hid away for generations. But these appear to be the works of a twisted mind, almost unrecognizable as paintings she and others familiar with his art would expect. The sinister canvases raise disturbing questions for Tess, sparking nightmares and igniting in her an obsession to unearth the truth around their origins.
What evil has been locked away for so many years? The ominous brushstrokes, scratching at the door, and moving shadows begin to pull Tess further and further into the darkness in this blood-chilling novel of suspense by the #1 Amazon Charts bestselling author of The Keepers of Metsan Valo.
Winter’s Rose by Merabeth James
She was only a newborn when she was left on the kitchen steps of the orphanage one blustery winter morning. A tiny white kitten shared her wicker basket. Due to the tiny rose shaped birthmark she found on her shoulder, the Scottish cook named her Rose Winter. It was the Matron who reported it was Satan’s thumbprint and took pleasure in punishing her for the slightest offences. Locked in a cage in the cellar, she found friends among the dead who still lingered in the converted manor house. She was only ten when she ran away with her cat upon learning of Matron’s plan to send her to a work camp. Lost and afraid, she came upon a Roma clan that took them both into their hearts. As the years passed, the woman she came to know as Granny decided it was time to tell her fortune. One that revealed her life path would take her beyond their protection to a dark place of horrors where danger, love, and death awaited her. That day came when she and her cat stumbled upon the ancestral home of the Montcliffes.
Christmas Evils II by WR James
Christmas Evils II – A seasonal tale to chill the blood and make you look twice at that darkness in the corner. What’s that noise in the hall? That shadow at the door? Perhaps you will find out sooner than you would like to. All of life is here. From the living to the dying, from the giving to the loss. A tale that examines fate and consequence in all their guises. Is your fate here? Will your consequence come for you?
Happy Reading!!
Jill's Book Cafe 
Wow, Jill! That must have taken you forever to put together. What an amazing list. Thank you so much for including Christmas Miracles at Hedgehog Hollow and it’s lovely to be in the Yorkshire category with two of my best friends. Happy Christmas reading to everyone. So many gorgeous covers and fabulous heartwarming stories available x
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Thanks Jessica, it does take a while. I start collecting titles in August/September but can’t actually decide on categories until I’ve got my final list together. So I can’t start putting the post together in advance. Hopefully it’s worth it though x
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Wow that’s quite a list Jill! xx
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Thanks Nicki x
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Wow!!! Now that is what I call a festive fiction list of books xx
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[…] a much more comprehensive list of Christmas reads, do take a look at the wonderful Fabulous Festive Reads post by Jill at Jill’s Book Cafe – I have no idea quite where she finds the energy to pull a […]
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[…] blanket. The Christmas title list was added to this month with the publication of my annual Fabulous Festive reading list. I also extended my Kindle Unlimited subscription which finished at the end of the […]
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So many great books on this list, I wish I could read them all. There are a few that I want to check out, but they will probably be left for Christmas in July next summer.
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I think it’s virtually impossible to keep up with them. Reading Christmas all year probably wouldn’t do it!
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