Book picks similar to
The 12 Days of Christmas, by Poppy Alexander
christmas
christmas-books
holiday-reads
fiction
The Mistletoe Motive
Chloe Liese - 2021
She loves them. She’s full of festive cheer. He’s brimming with Bah, Humbugs. Besides unreasonably seasonable names, the only thing Jonathan Frost and Gabriella Di Natale have in common is a healthy dose of mutual contempt. Well, that and the same place of employment at the city’s most beloved independent bookstore, Bailey’s Bookshop. But when the store’s owners confess its dire financial state, Jonathan and Gabby discover another unfortunate commonality: the imminent threat of unemployment.With the Baileys’ requests to minimize expenses, win new customers, and make record sales dancing in their heads, Jonathan and Gabby conclude—barring a financial Christmas miracle—one of them will soon be cut from the payroll. Neither are willing to step down from their position, so they strike a bargain: whoever has more sales in December gets to stay on in the new year; the loser will resign. With a lifetime's worth of festive tricks up her sleeve, Gabby should easily outsell her nemesis, except the unreadable Mr. Frost’s every move seems purely designed to throw her off her game.As if that wasn’t bad enough, Gabby's deceptive ex won't quit pursuing her, and her anonymous online friend suggests they take a break. Worst of all, as the pressure mounts to save the bookshop and her job, Gabby meets a new, tender side of Jonathan. Is this the same man she's called her cold-hearted enemy?Maybe he’s got a motive she just can’t figure out—or maybe Jonathan Frost isn’t as chilly as she once thought. Maybe Jonathan and Gabby already know—and love—each other in ways they never thought possible.This is an #OwnVoices story for its portrayal of autism by an autistic author.
The Night Before Christmas
Scarlett Bailey - 2011
She's been promised log fires, roasted chestnuts, her own weight in mince pies - all in a setting that looks like something out of a Christmas card.But her winter wonderland is ruined when she finds herself snowed in with her current boyfriend, her old flame and a hunky stranger. Well, three (wise) men is traditional at this time of year...
If the Fates Allow: A Short Story
Rainbow Rowell - 2021
Maybe a little too easily. She’s always liked people better from afar. But Reagan doesn’t want her grandpa to be alone for Christmas this year—he’s already spent too much time on his own in 2020. So she heads back to her hometown with a dish of holiday Jell-O salad, hoping they can have a little normalcy. Hoping it will be safe…She isn’t expecting to run into the boy next door. Mason is all grown up now. He’s considerate. He’s funny. He doesn’t mind how prickly Reagan is—he maybe even likes it. And it makes Reagan feel like her defenses are falling. She needs her defenses, doesn’t she? In a time when six feet is close enough, how long can they keep their distance?
So, This Is Christmas
Tracy Andreen - 2021
Christmas hasn't changed much in her sixteen years. But instead she returns to find that her best friend is dating her ex-boyfriend, her parents have separated, and her archnemesis got a job working at her grandmother's inn. And she certainly didn't expect to find the boy she may or may not have tricked into believing that Christmas was an idyllic holiday paradise on her grandmother's doorstep. It's up to Finley to make sure he gets the Christmas he was promised. This is Finley's Christmas. It's about home and family and friends and finding her place, and along the way she also finds the best Christmas present of all: love.
Christmas by Accident
Camron Wright - 2018
Abby works for her adoptive father, Uncle Mannie, in the family bookstore, the ReadMore Café. Carter barely tolerates Christmas; Abby loves it. She can't wait past October to build her favorite display, the annual Christmas book tree stack, which Carter despises.When an automobile accident throws Carter and Abby together, Uncle Mannie, who is harboring secrets of his own, sees a chance for lasting happiness for his little girl. But there are so many hurdles, and not much time left. Will this Christmas deliver the miracle everyone is hoping for? Where love and Christmas are concerned, there are no accidents.
How to Find Love in a Bookshop
Veronica Henry - 2016
But owner Emilia Nightingale is struggling to keep the shop open after her beloved father's death, and the temptation to sell is getting stronger. The property developers are circling, yet Emilia's loyal customers have become like family, and she can't imagine breaking the promise she made to her father to keep the store alive.There's Sarah, owner of the stately Peasebrook Manor, who has used the bookshop as an escape in the past few years, but it now seems there's a very specific reason for all those frequent visits. Next is roguish Jackson, who, after making a complete mess of his marriage, now looks to Emilia for advice on books for the son he misses so much. And the forever shy Thomasina, who runs a pop-up restaurant for two in her tiny cottage--she has a crush on a man she met in the cookbook section, but can hardly dream of working up the courage to admit her true feelings.Enter the world of Nightingale Books for a serving of romance, long-held secrets, and unexpected hopes for the future--and not just within the pages on the shelves. How to Find Love in a Bookshop is the delightful story of Emilia, the unforgettable cast of customers whose lives she has touched, and the books they all cherish.
An Heirloom Christmas: A Small-Town Christmas Romance Novel
Megan Squires - 2019
The annual wreath auction kicks off the holiday, and even though this year’s winning wreath is lackluster, Chrissy still hangs it on her candle shop’s door with pride. But she can’t explain the handwritten notes that begin to show up, tucked neatly into the sprigs of greenery. And she can’t make sense of the memories they bring back—ones she’s tried hard to forget. After a career ending injury, hockey superstar Nick McHenry has no other choice than to return to his hometown of Heirloom Point. But things aren’t easy with his high school sweetheart working in the candle shop directly across from his parents’ hardware store. And it’s even harder to ignore the town chatter regarding his failed career and failed past relationship. Suddenly, he’s reliving the Christmas traditions he thought he’d left behind, and revisiting old feelings he figured were long gone. Will Nick and Chrissy discover that some Christmas heirlooms aren’t actual things, but the people who make up those nostalgic memories? Or are memories better left in the past where they were made? An Heirloom Christmas is a heartwarming romance filled with second chances, hometown traditions, and the magical promise of the holiday season.
No Ordinary Christmas
Belle Calhoune - 2021
Now a famous Hollywood action star, Dante is filming a movie in town to help the local economy, as well as make amends with the people he hurt when he abruptly left Mistletoe all those years ago.Librarian Lucy Marshall isn't thrilled to see Dante. He was once her best friend and first love until he left her behind without a word of goodbye. When Dante makes her an offer she can't refuse -- use of the library as a filming venue in exchange for a lucrative donation, Lucy finds herself spending a lot of time in Dante's company. With the magic of Christmas in the air, Dante and Lucy begin to forge a new bond. But can two people leading such different lives find lasting love the second time around?
Eating Her Christmas Cookies
Alina Jacobs - 2018
I hate carols, shopping, and pretending to be a perfect family.
I walked away from my family, or rather they walked away from me.
My heart is like ice—
See it creeping up the walls.
Oh, wait, no, that’s royal icing.
I never should have allowed the Great Christmas Bake-Off to film in my tower.
And I never, ever, should have agreed to be a judge.
Chloe
I love Christmas! I love sparkly window decorations, heartwarming holiday movies, and themed coffee.Most of all I love Christmas baking.Even though his company is sponsoring the bake-off show, billionaire Jack Frost claims he hates sweets.But after he tastes my goods I know he'll come begging for more.
And wouldn't you know it, that night Jack Frost asked me to come up to his penthouse and give him a special taste of my Christmas cookies.Against my better judgement I went…
I baked him my signature gingerbread cookies and of course he ate them up!
It should have been a Christmas miracle, but Jack Frost couldn't have come into my life at a worse time.Not only am I broke, but this was my first Christmas after my Oma died.Someone is trying to sabotage me in the Great Christmas Bake-Off.I'm being stalked by a mall Santa.
Sleeping with one of the judges is a disaster waiting to happen. I needed Jack and his washboard abs about as much as I needed that third sticky bun. But when he says in his deep, sexy voice, "Can you make me some more cookies?" well stick a candy cane in me I'm done.Eating her Christmas Cookies is a standalone holiday novel. This 90,000 word steamy romance novel has no cliffhangers but does have a very happily ever after.
Christmas Sweets
Joanne Fluke - 2019
. .
THE TWELVE DESSERTS OF CHRISTMAS by JOANNE FLUKE It's the perfect mix of naughty and nice when two lovestruck boarding school teachers watch six kids over Christmas break. But when someone wants the cozy couple's romance to burn out faster than a scorched fruitcake, it's Hannah Swensen to the rescue, armed with her sleuthing skills--and twelve deliciously festive recipes . . .NIGHTMARE ON ELF STREET by LAURA LEVINE Aside from the mortifying costume, how bad can a gig as a mall Santa's elf be? Jaine Austen finds out when she's teamed up with the Santa from Hell. But things go from bad to worse when he's found murdered on the job--and Jaine is a suspect. Now all she wants for Christmas is to find the real killer . . .THE CHRISTMAS THIEF by LESLIE MEIER Elizabeth Stone is ready for a white Christmas in Tinker's Cove, Maine--until a fancy Yule ball at the Florida hotel where she works dumps snow on her plans. The sponsor's jewels have gone missing and the police are asking about her ties to a cute mystery guest. Good thing Elizabeth's mother, Lucy Stone, flew down to surprise her. ʼTis the season for a little investigating . . .Includes Luscious Holiday Recipes!
Lovelight Farms
B.K. Borison - 2021
A hostile takeover of the Santa barn by a family of raccoons. And shipments that have mysteriously gone missing. Lovelight Farms is not the magical winter wonderland of Stella Bloom’s dreams.In an effort to save the Christmas tree farm she’s loved since she was a kid, she enters a contest with instafamous influencer Evelyn St. James. With the added publicity and the $100,000 cash prize, she might just be able to save the farm from its financial woes. There’s just one problem. To make the farm seem like a romantic destination for the holidays, she lied on the application and said she owns Lovelight Farms with her boyfriend. Only … there is no boyfriend.Enter best friend Luka Peters. He just came home for some hot chocolate, and somehow got a farm and a serious girlfriend in the process.Lovelight Farms is a romantic comedy featuring a handsome, freckled data analyst, a messy, optimistic Christmas tree farm owner, and a small town with the best hazelnut lattes on the east coast. This sweet and steamy romance is a holiday happily ever after.