In the latest edition of Hide Your Wallet, Reader Mary Star left a comment about looking for some great holiday reads to pair with her Hallmark movie binge watching:
Can we do a separate Thanksgiving/holiday release thread as well? Maybe with new releases as well as old faves and recommendations? I’ve fired up my Hallmark channel and I’d love to pick up some books as well for reading during the commercials.
And of course, here at the Pink Palace of Bitchery, we’ll look for any excuse to talk about books and add more to our ever-growing mountain of books to be read. Plus, books are a great distraction from socializing with family.
One of my favorite holiday anthologies is Baby, It’s Cold Outside. There’s a little catnip for everyone. Firefighter heroes? Check. A snowed-in romance? Check. Some romance in a small, quiet town? Oh yeah, check. I don’t seek out many holiday romances, so this one definitely fell into my lap more because I was interested in all of the individual stories (which rarely happens).
For those hoping for a holiday romance that doesn’t focus on Christmas, Sarah wrote an awesome Hanukkah romance last year. She also recommends Shannon Stacey’s Holiday Sparks ( A | BN | K | G | AB ), which is her favorite, and Jude Deveraux’s Just Curious ( A | K | G | AB ).
Rather than reading romances that revolve around the holiday season (because sometimes it’s not the most pleasant of times for people), Elyse prefers a romance that uses the holidays as the setting. She recommends the first book Jill Shalvis’ Lucky Harbor series – Simply Irresistible ( A | K | G | AB | Au ) – though she wouldn’t classify it as a typical holiday romance.
Redheadedgirl recommends Theresa Romain’s Holiday Pleasures series, which begins with Season for Temptation ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) and it’s also $1.99 right now! The rest of the books in the series are also set during the holiday season.
If you want a little science fiction in your holiday celebration, Carrie mentioned a couple books by Connie Willis, especially Miracle and Other Christmas Romances ( A | K | G | AB ), though they’re a little light on the romance.
We’ve also talked about holiday romances at SBTB HQ previously! We’ve had a podcast dedicated to them, Good Shit vs. Shit to Avoid for Christmas romances, and a Rec League for Thanksgiving romances. Plus, we’ve done some Books on Sale posts in the past with plenty of holiday reads, though be forewarned that these sales might not be valid anymore.
Do you have any holiday romances you reread during the season? Any new releases you’re looking forward to reading?
I’m not much for holiday stories by and large, but Cecilia Grant’s A Christmas Gone Perfectly Wrong is, indeed, perfect. It helps that it’s Regency era. Many Christmas stories from that period have astonishingly little sap to them; just fun.
@Vasha I just checked it out, and 1-clicked it, because it’s free on Amazon Kindle. Thank you for the recommendation!
I suggest “Falling Stars”, Loretta Chase’s contribution to the “A Christmas Collection” anthology back in the 90s, because Loretta Chase. Sadly, it is only available in paperback, but cheap on Amazon.
I read Mary Balogh’s A Christmas Promise around the holidays last year and loved it. It’s a historical about a marriage of convenience (slash blackmail) that begins right before Christmas. I had some reservations about the romance itself at first, because the characters are so antagonistic to each other at the beginning, but it eventually won me over in a big way. But the thing I really remember, and the reason I’m recommending, is the cast of supporting characters and the description of their Christmas out at the groom’s country manor. The bride’s family are rambunctious and high-energy and they turn the stately old place upside down with all their sledding and snowball fighting and caroling. The whole book made me want to layer up in a cape and hat and go play in the snow with them!
Holiday Sparks is what got me hooked on Shannon Stacey. LOVED it.
I am a holiday story whore. I will read nearly anything with a holiday theme.
Shannon Stacey: Mistletoe & Margaritas. One of my all time faves, and one I reread several times a year at least. Takes place around Christmas. Dead hubby’s best friend in love with the widow for years. Bring Kleenex, because sobbing WILL happen.
All Through the Night, Suzanne Brockmann. It’s m/m (Jules & Robin’s book) but all the sex is (if I remember correctly) closed door. LOVE Jules & Robin. And if you love to listen to audiobooks, this one is excellent on audio
Any of Robyn Carr’s Virgin River Christmas stories, but those might be better if you’ve read the series.
Midnight in Death, JD Robb. Unconventional, I know, but it takes place around Christmas, is a short story & one of the best thing’s La Nora has ever written. So fast paced I put it down halfway through my first read because I literally needed to catch my breath.
Jeffe Kennedy’s Five Golden Rings. Erotic holiday story. Maybe don’t read this one in public. Lol. *fans self*
Ok that’s it for now. I’ll be checking back in for other suggestions. Lol. Good thing I just got paid.
Lauren Willig’s Mischief of the Mistletoe is great 🙂 Her Temptation of the Night Jasmine has the same setting, although I didn’t like it as well.
On a non-romance note, Stephanie Barron’s Jane and the 12 Clues of Christmas is a wonderful Christmas-y book. She and Cassandra give their niece a doll and 12 days of outfits. I wanted that doll by the end of the book.
Cecilia Grant’s A Christmas Gone Perfectly Wrong and Courtney Milan’s A Kiss for Midwinter are my all-time favorite Christmas romances. There’s just enough holiday stuff that they aren’t cliched or treacly and both romances are delightful. (Grant’s hero is stuffy and Milan’s is prickly and that’s like my catnip.) Love.
I’m Jewish, so Christmas stories aren’t really my thing. The only one I’ve ever really enjoyed was Courtney Milan’s This Wicked Gift, maybe because she kept the holiday stuff at a more subtle level.
Can anyone recommend holiday books that do not involve Christmas (or Hanukkah, for the matter)? I realize it’s getting near the season and all, but I’d love some variety.
There are so many new holiday historicals catching my eye this year that I am not sure how much re-reading I will do. However, I plan to re-read A Christmas Gone Perfectly Wrong as it is a near-perfect Christmas read. I tore through Theresa Romain’s holiday stories last year and may have to revisit one of them, too.
For Thanksgiving reading, I recommend Anna Richland’s His Road Home which ends up being a holiday road trip story.
I love giving recs!
Christmas:
More love for Cecilia Grant’s Christmas Gone Perfectly Wrong and Lauren Willig’s Mischief of the Mistletoe – and I regularly pull out my old classic (20 years old, absolutely) Christmas Kittens anthologies! So warm and cozy. But I’m not at home and not finding the right title on the internet – although I’m 100% certain I’ve read Stockingful of Joy from 1997 at least ten times. But now I must go find my keeper with the kitten that goes down the Duke’s chimney.
Julie Brannagh has a Christmas novella – Holding Holly – out last year which is only 99cents (I just checked when I confirmed the title). It’s a bit less football-y, if sports romances aren’t your cup, but still part of her “Love and Football” world.
I used to have a whole bunch of naughty Santa and things that happen at office holiday parties novellas from EC. (Why were my office parties never like that???) But between switching reading platforms and everything else, I don’t even know where those are anymore or if I could even still open them. Now I’m thinking I should try … (but not sure I want to ask Mr. Richland for help recovering and opening those.)
Hanukah:
In addition to SB Sarah’s book, Crista McHugh has “Eight Tiny Flames” in an Entangled anthology called “A Very Scandalous Holiday”. SB Sarah reviewed it well a couple years ago – but I think that was on a podcast. I don’t know if there was a written review too.
Thanksgiving:
I wrote a novella – His Road Home – w/pivotal scenes at Thanksgiving. And a bit of seasonally appropriate ice-fishing, too. Carrie S gave it an A review, for which I give thanks regularly.
And Janet Evanovich has a Loveswept from 2006 called Thanksgiving — No Stephanie Plum, and yes to a pet rabbit, an abandoned baby and Colonial Williamsburg.
LauraL beat me to the rec of my own book – thank you!
I’m not a fan of Christmas romances per se, but I am a fan of Grace Draven. She and Elizabeth Hunter share the honors in All the Stars Look Down: A Duo of Christmas Romances. Neither novella emphasizes the cozy aspects of the season, but both were interesting and pretty romantic.
The Christmas Bargain by Shana Hatfield
Twelve Days by Teresa Hill
Once Upon A Christmas by Diana Farr
Forever Christmas by Ruth Wind
Last year I really loved a novella by Elizabeth Essex, “The Scandal Before Christmas”. It was part of a print anthology, which I found in K-Mart, and I read maybe half of it standing in the aisle; I couldn’t put it down. But I really didn’t want the rest of the stories in the anthology, so I went home and bought the e-book.
Also from last year, “Her Christmas Earl” a novella by Anna Campbell, is sweet AND hot.
And I just read a Christmas anthology by the group of writers who blog together as the Word Wenches(Mary Jo Putney, Jo Beverly, Nicola Cornick, Joanna Bourne & 3 others). It was very good, I enjoyed every story, which hardly ever happens. It’s called “The Last Chance Christmas Ball” and they are all interwoven, using the same setting.
I also like all the Mary Balogh Christmas books, and there are a bunch of them.
I’ve been very pleased with anything I’ve tried by Susanna Fraser, so I’m planning on getting “A Christmas Reunion” by her.
I’m not much of a short story/novella reader, except for Christmas stories. Maybe because a full length book is Christmas overkill for me.
Adding my voice to the chorus of recommendations for Cecilia Grant’s A Christmas Gone Perfectly Wrong. It was cute, and it doesn’t shovel the holiday cheer down your throat.
I also liked Victoria Alexander’s What Happens at Christmas, which is a VERY nontraditional holiday romance. If you’re looking for zany, slapstick humor, look no further.
Finally, if you want a novella that’s loooooong on the angst, check out Snow-Kissed, by Laura Florand. This is not light or fluffy or happy. At all. Seriously, don’t read it if you don’t want to cry. But it’s beautifully written, and the the emotional baggage that the characters bring to the table feels intensely real. Nobody does second-chance romances like Florand.
I loved COME HOME FOR CHRISTMAS, COWBOY by Megan Crane. Despite the title, it’s not a cowboy book. I think you can buy it separately, but it is also in a box set called Montana Born Christmas. But again, it’s not a cowboy romance. I think he’s a scientist if I remember right.
Has anyone read Snowflake Bay by Donna Kaufman? I’ve got some mid 2000’s Christmas anthologies in paperback that had some of hers in them that I really enjoyed, so seeing she has a new book out this season has me wanting to click.
Waking up to find this sparked some *major* squee this morning! Thank you so much, Bitchery! I feel so excited to explore all the suggestions and check out the Thanksgiving Rec League.
A lot of my faves have been mentioned already, though as usual, my favourite Christmas Balogh, “Christmas Belle,” doesn’t seem to get as much love as her other holiday books *sadface*.
I’ll reco Carla Kelly’s “Marion’s Christmas Wish”. The age difference between the H & h may be a tad O.o for some, but it’s awesome for a sweet Christmas read.
I’m always on the lookout for Hanukkah books, and will add Judith Arnold’s “Sweet Light” to the list. It’s an old Harlequin American Romance – #467, for anyone interested – from 1992 that really needs to be reissued in ebook cos my print copy is a mess (pleasepleaseplease, Hanukkah Fairy!)
Grace Burrowes has a couple Christmas books. Lady Sophie’s Christmas Wish is a warm holiday read with a spin on the secret baby trope.
@ Rose, Kresley Cole did a winter-themed duology with Gena Showalter a few years ago and her story was *awesome*. Two words. Icicle. Lovin’.
Thank you @Vasha and all who rec’d the Cecilia Grant. Yay free download! You now live in my home.
@Karin just picked up the WW anthology yesterday! I’m glad to hear it’s really good. I’m way pro sweet and hot–I’ll def check out the Anna Campbell. Thank you!
@RHG I started one of Romain’s holiday books yesterday after reading my first book by her recently. Your review was so good I had to check it out!
Two of Sarah Morgan’s O’Neill series books are set at Christmas. The first, Sleigh Bells in the Snow, and the third, Maybe This Christmas. Both are excellent (so is the second book, but it is set in the summertime).
I am not positive, but I think that at least one of the Jill Shalvis Wilder series books (Instant Attraction, Instant Gratification, and Instant Temptation) is set around the holidays. It has been at least a year since I read them, so plot is a bit fuzzy, but they are excellent books regardless.
Finally, I shall second or third or fourth the recommendation for His Road Home. It is quite possibly my favorite book I have read in the past five years. I LOVE the characters and I still cry when I read Grace and Rey’s story, regardless of the fact that I have read the book upwards of fifteen times. (I realize this makes me sound like a crazy person but I don’t care. Read this book.)
I second Karin’s recommendation for the Last Chance Christmas Ball anthology. The previous anthology, Mischief and Mistletoe, was also excellent.
My favorite Christmas re-read is a contemporary though–it’s Jane Blackwood’s Maybe This Christmas in the Jingle All the Way anthology (http://www.amazon.com/Jingle-All-Way-Fern-Michaels-ebook/dp/B013NI5GEA/) It hits all the right notes for me, and definitely a keeper.
Holiday Ties by Elizabeth SaFleur, and I’m looking forward to Tiffany Reisz’s new holiday story.
Okay, because I read holiday romances all year and love them so much … and this is my favorite thread all year.
Breath on Embers by Anne Calhoun. Far more emotionally moving than I expected when I bought the original anthology – as well as really hot.
Also – 3 Shannon Stacey holiday stories in a bundle! Including Mistletoe and Margaritas, mentioned above. It looks like The Season for Love bundle is 4.99 everywhere, but the individual books are 2.99, so good deal.
Writers have to write holiday stories out of sync with the real holidays, so maybe that’s why I read holiday stuff all year. Or maybe it’s because my house is so old and creaky that the drafts from under the door collide with the drafts from the window mullions. I can feel a fresh breeze on both sides of my face when I sit on the couch, so it’s easy to imagine Christmas sleigh rides.
@Anna Richland your sofa sleigh ride made me chuckle! Is His Road Home part of an anthology?
My favorite Christmas romances are Debbie Macomber books. A few have been made into Hallmark movies (I actually prefer the movie version of the first Mrs. Miracle book). When Christmas Comes is the 2nd novella in Home for the Holidays and it is such a fun book. It is very similar (in plot) to The Holiday (I think they came out at about the same time). This also features an older heroine (she’s in her 40’s) and tells two separate love stories.
I recently reviewed Samantha Chase’s The Christmas Cottage and thought it was awesome. It is a friends to lovers story with a little Christmas thrown in–it doesn’t play that big of a role in the story. This is apparently sold as a stand alone book, but is also paired with Ever After (I’d go for the stand alone if you can find it because Ever After is a total dud).
Also, I tend to re-read Holiday in Death by J.D. Robb every Christmas. Definitely not a Hallmark Channel movie (maybe Lifetime, though).
@Lisa M, I read Snowflake Bay and thought it was cute. Both main characters were likable, but I liked Ben, the hero, more than I liked Fi. I also had a few issues with it. The biggest was the the conflict was ridiculous and wasn’t well thought out. I really felt that Kaufmann couldn’t think of a better reason why these two characters couldn’t be together before she wanted them to be and this was a convenient excuse. I gave it 3 Stars on my blog.
Cayanne – you listed the exact two books I was about to mention. Also Carla Kelly has written several Christmas novellas over the years (most in the old Signet anthologies), and they’ve always been well worth the read.
Bobbi Romans has some great Christmas reads you should check out An American Holiday and A Christmas of Coal and Mistletoe!
I like Mary Jo Putney’s “The Best Husband Money Can Buy.” Christmas is more of a setting than the theme. It’s an arranged marriage – that the heroine arranges herself.
I’m going to add my name to the list recommending “A Christmas Gone Perfectly Wrong”. It’s one of those books that just oozes with joy and playfulness in the romance, yet it’s also nuanced. It also is light on the holiday cheer while still accurately depicting the way that the holidays were performed in the Regency-era.
Sarah Morgan’s Christmas books are always worth the time. She has several Presents, although her O’Neil books centered around Christmas (“Sleigh Bells in the Snow” and “Maybe This Christmas”) are both astounding. Readers who enjoy the small town vibe of Shannon Stacey’s series and the more urban, smarmy undertone of Morgan’s Presents will find a delightful combination here.
For M/M readers, there’s a short story that is YA that everyone I have ever recommended to has loved. It’s called “Sock it to Me, Santa” by Madison Parker. We’re talking (1) cute high school crushes, (2) a boy who knits, (3) a boy who knits a sock monkey for his crush. It’s ADORABLE, the holiday stuff is light, and you’ll probably squee a lot.
I also personally read a lot of category Christmas stories around the holidays because they’re short (and sometimes weird). “Santa, Baby” by Lisa Renee Jones, “Under Wraps” by Joanne Rock, and “A Man for All Seasons” by Heather MacAlister were all standouts last time around. Molly O’Keefe also has a great story in a Harlequin Christmas anthology with Day Leclaire and Brenda Novak. The anthology is titled “The Night Before Christmas.” Novak’s story is also pretty interesting.
And now to go buy all of the books in the previous comments…
@Mary Star:
Yay! You’re welcome! Thank you for making the request!
@KarenF – Yes! I love her novellas and short stories, and she has recently been reissuing the older ones in self- or indie-pub anthologies. She has a new one this year with Harlequin Historical (along with Georgie Lee and Ann Lethbridge) that I got from the library but haven’t had a chance to read yet – high hopes!
The Connie Willis recommendations are bang in. All Seated on the Ground has one of the best sweet romances in a short story ever. It’s about Christmas and situated in that tradition but intentionally more inclusively about the holiday season and everyone’s different traditions.
Bobbi Roman’s An American Holiday is a really great Thanksgiving story. This book had me laughing out loud. There is an awesome recipe for her Grandmother’s Cranberry salad including in the book.
A Christmas of Coal and Mistletoe by Bobbi Roman’s is a great Christmas story that touched my heart and had tears rolling down my cheeks.
These are both great holiday stories 🙂
One book I often find myself rereading in the holiday season is Elizabeth Marie Pope’s The Sherwood Ring, which — while not strictly a Christmas romance — incorporates Christmas celebrations as a key story element in its developing romances. It should be noted that this was published as a YA and is more often marketed/tagged as historical fantasy rather than romance, but I count it as one of those books that transcends age-specific readership categories, and it’s certainly at least as much romance novel as it is anything else. (Also, ‘Peaceable Drummond Sherwood’ is one of the all-time best character names I’ve run across in the past half century.)
@Anna Richland re: Christmas kittens. Which keeper had the kitten going down the duke’s the chimney? Enquiring minds (& cat lovers) want to know…
I really love holiday romances… not sure why. I think because usually all the family is getting together and that stirs shit up?
My favorite historical one is “A Kiss for Midwinter” by Courtney Milan… as per usual, it makes you think all the thoughts and feel all the feelings. I call this being milaned.
My favorite contemporary ones are the Shannon Stacey ones, because she is the queen of the holiday romance. I also really like “A Rare Gift” by Jaci Burton- the heroine is AMAZING and has zero time for the hero’s shit.
I never get tired of Carla Kelly’s Christmas novellas. Barbara Metzger also writes some great Regency Christmas novellas and has a collection out.
Thanks to these recs, I have just ordered two more books (Perfectly Wrong at zero dollars? Perfect!).