Book picks similar to
It's a Wonderful Lie by Wren Michaels


romance
contemporary
christmas
christmas-reads

Santa's Little Helper


Lisa Chalmers - 2020
    But Emma is completely different from every other woman he's met. Suddenly he's the one seemingly doing the chasing.Can he turn this flirtationship into something real?

Fake It For Christmas (Christmas Romantic Comedies, #1)


Layla Valentine - 2021
    Our parents’ approval is hard-won, and it can drive some of us to ridiculous ends…Are these two really an item? Or, just maybe, did my brother simply not want to be the only sibling here without a date?I’m a man who always gets what he wants,And all I want for Christmas this year, is her.

Mistletoe Magic


Laura Ann - 2019
    he was gone. Lane has loved Pierce, her best friend's brother, since she was in braces and pigtails, but he never knew she was alive. For years she endured being treated like just another kid sister, all the while wishing she could catch his attention, but knowing it would never happen. Pierce was too cool, too mature, too... everything! It was no wonder he left their hometown behind and never came back. Pierce watched Lane grow up next to his sister, never thinking twice about her until one very specific Christmas, when his thoughts became anything but brotherly. Scared by his feelings, he stopped coming home, keeping himself away from temptation. But when Lane agrees to a blind date for a Christmas Ball, Pierce realizes this just might be his chance. Can the magic of the season and the power of mistletoe help him in his cause? Or have Lane's girlish fantasies been left in the past? If you enjoy quick, swoony romances, then this series is for you! "Mistletoe Magic" is the first in a series of short, sweet Christmas stories that are "All About the Mistletoe". Follow Lane and her friends as they find love where they least expect it. The books can be read in any order. Check out the rest in this heartwarming series: Mistletoe Magic Mistletoe Mayhem Mister Mistletoe Mistletoe Mistake Mistletoe Memories Mistletoe Maverick Other books by Laura Ann The Overnight Billionaire Bachelors Her Billionaire Boss Her Billionaire Chef Her Fake Billionaire Boyfriend Her Billionaire Gardener The Billionaire's Best Friend Middleton Prep (Contemporary Romance with a Fairy Tale Twist!) A Home for the Ugly Duckling The Librarian and Her Beast Ms. Cinder's Prince Waking Ms. Briar A Date for the Goose Girl Running from the Wolf Ms. Frogg's Hidden Billionaire Saving Ms. Gothel A Billionaire for Ms. Snow Goldilock's Misunderstood Billionaire

The Christmas Pact


Meg Easton - 2021
    Not since her gran-gran passed away a year ago. She’s completely skipping Christmas this year.Jack Meadows has always skipped Christmas. But his sister is a single mom going through cancer treatments this Christmas, and she wants Jack to make the season magical for her son.Jack can’t stand Christmas, but he’d do anything for his nephew. So he seeks help from Noelle, his employee and the woman he’s secretly been in love with for a year and a half. Spending time with her is risky, but it’ll be fine because he’d never let his feelings about her be known. He’s her boss, so a relationship is entirely off the table.No matter how desperate for help her good-looking but very Grinch-like boss seems, Christmas is too much for Noelle.But everything changes when a mysterious package shows up on Noelle’s doorstep with a postmark of North Pole, Alaska, that is somehow from her gran-gran, and she agrees to help Jack.As Noelle and Jack show his nephew all the Christmas magic a tight-knit community provides, along with the magic of Noelle’s large, loving, and very enthusiastic Christmas-celebrating family, sparks fly and they can’t deny their attraction for each other. Can they overcome the seemingly insurmountable obstacle standing in the way of their relationship?

The Billionaire's Fake Engagement (Durand Billionaire Brothers Book 1)


Leslie North - 2022
    

A Christmas with Snow


Ellie Danes - 2017
    This time I got him. Christian Snow is off limits — he’s my best friends’ brother. Now we’re spending Christmas together. I would have run if I knew he was going to be there. There are reasons I can’t be with Christian, reasons why I shouldn’t even try. I’ve got a secret weighing on me, But all I can think about is unwrapping the perfect Christmas package. A Christmas with Snow is a hot and steamy holiday romance with plenty of love, romance and steam with a HEA you'll love

Cowboy's Christmas Rodeo


Mary Sue Jackson - 2020
    The rodeo is a tough life and this cowboy is ready to settle back home, buy the old family ranch, and live quietly without the wildness of his past. All he has to do is win the Pride River Christmas Rodeo, but to do that he’s got to stay out of trouble. Trouble he very nearly finds by getting into yet another bar fight, stopped just in time by Belle Manning, his childhood friend. She always kept him out of hot water when he was a kid, with her calm support and friendly smile, and though it’s been years since he’s seen her, Axel’s never forgotten the first girl he kissed. And never forgotten how her daddy warned him to stay away from her. Troublemakers like him just aren’t good enough for someone like her…
Belle never forgot the sexy cowboy who stole her heart when they were kids. So when he approaches her with a proposition, she’s ready to listen. Axel wants her by his side so she can keep him out of trouble until the Christmas rodeo. In exchange, he’ll give her a plot of land so she can build her occupational therapy clinic. It’s a stunning proposal and one Belle can’t refuse. Her dream of using horses to help people heal is finally coming true. And, bonus, running around town with Axel will keep her matchmaking mother off her back. She’ll think about a relationship after her practice is up and running. Once Axel wins the rodeo, they can go on their merry ways. But it doesn’t take long before their fake relationship takes an unexpected turn toward real, throwing Belle off kilter. Is it possible Axel could turn into the Christmas present she didn’t know she wanted all along?Mary Sue Jackson and USA Today Bestseller Leslie North invite you to indulge in a heart-warming small-town western romance with a smoking hot cowboy and the woman who tames him...

My Fake Bad Boyfriend


Sara Whitney - 2021
    I need the worst fake boyfriend in the world.Gabe says he’ll pretend to be my boyfriend for the holidays. The perfect guy to get my parents off my back about my perpetually single state.But what I really need is someone who'll make my family beg me to never bring anyone home again.Gabe promised he was up to the task, but he turns out to be a little too good at being bad. We have so much fun with our game, in fact, that I start to forget it’s all for show.By the time Christmas Eve rolls around, Gabe’s the only thing I want to unwrap. But if I do, I’m afraid he’ll turn out to be a gift I don't want to return.My Fake Bad Boyfriend is a hot standalone holiday novella that's sweet as a candy cane, funny as Elf, and spicy as fireball whiskey in your hot chocolate.

Mistletoe Kisses


Macie St. James - 2020
    But that's exactly what she finds when she returns from being out of town. Worse, the bear has been deliberately trapped by the shop's owner, Will Parker.Will is starting a new life in the town of Reindeer Ridge. His shop, The Big Bear, sells novelty items while also providing guests the chance to see a live bear kept humanely upstairs. Unfortunately, the shop owner across the way seems to be determined to have his shop closed down.But Annaliese soon begins to realize that Will isn’t the bad guy she wants to make him out to be. As their feelings for each other start to grow, they both begin to realize the importance of compromise.This book was previously included in the December 2020 anthology, Small-Town Christmas. The rest of the series was not part of that anthology.The Reindeer Ridge series is a sweet, clean contemporary Christmas series filled with swoon-worthy heroes and a small-town setting.

Biscotti & the Bad Boy


Krysta Fox - 2021
    Owning the bake shop my parents always dreamed of means everything to me. And when opening day happens, I think I've finally got everything I've ever wanted. Until he walks in and reminds me of what used to be. Tall, dark and dangerous - that's what Caleb has always been. For my heart, at least. But when he places a special, sweet holiday order for his mother, I can feel my defenses crumbling just like the biscotti I'm teaching him to make. Can I save myself this time? Or will my heart be broken all over again?CALEBAn unexpected trip home turns my holiday plans upside down - especially when the girl I can't forget has come home too.I should have known my mom was setting me up, but I walked right into her sweet little trap. When I see Melissa standing behind the counter of the brand new bakery in town, I can't help but remember that she's the one that got away. Her curves are still as delicious as they used to be and I can't deny I want a taste. Can I convince her to give our love another try? Or will she get away one more time?Sugar & Spice Nights is a multi-author series of holiday inspired instalove stories with curvy women and their hot guys. Come find out how steamy and sweet the nights can get today!Don't forget to meet ALL the hunky sweeties!

Home to Chestnut Grove


Christy Barritt - 2019
     When Faith Winters returns to Chestnut Grove, Virginia, for the community’s annual Christmas celebration, she’s desperate to get in and out as quickly as possible. She’s failed at making it on Broadway and is certain her hometown will never accept her again after her sudden departure eight years ago. Despite that, she’s vowed to honor a promise and face the heartache she left behind. Jake Whitmire is the sheriff in Chestnut Grove, but keeping the area free of crime is the least of his worries. Most days are filled with trying to keep the community’s spirits up as businesses have closed and jobs disappeared. He never expected to see the woman who broke his heart return home to lead up the town’s Christmas concert, nor is he sure he can ever forgive her. As someone in town begins sabotaging the community’s celebration, Faith and Jake work together to find the person responsible and ensure their friend Aimee’s last request is fulfilled. Can holiday hope heal the broken spirit afflicting Chestnut Grove residents? Or is it time for everyone—including Faith and Jake—to treasure the memories of the past but to move on?

Meet Me at Fir Tree Lodge


Rachel Dove - 2020
    But when an accident on the slopes brings her crashing down in the snow with a catastrophic thud, everything changes. Her career is over, and her fiancé turns out to be, well, not so perfect.With the chance to start afresh, Rebecca does what anyone else in her position would do… She turns to baking and manages the Alpine Bites café, nestled in the French Alps.But when handsome stranger Luke Sommersby becomes Rebecca’s unexpected lodger, her plan to completely forget about love is thrown into jeopardy. Guarding her heart since the accident, Fir Tree Lodge is strictly a man-free-zone.Luke is kind, caring and gorgeous, but the emotional scars from her fall still run deep, and she fights to keep the sparks catching her heart at bay.Will Rebecca be able to find a second chance in the snow and step into a bright new future with Luke by her side?

Christmas Wishes Come True


Jessica Coulter Smith - 2009
    A divorce has left her feeling more like Scrooge than Santa. But will the handsome, charismatic Nathan be able to change her mind? He may be just the present she needs this year.

Sage it Out


Shereen Vedam - 2021
    Sage Tanton is her BFF with a psychic sense for trouble.Protective of her family and friends, Rose is confident she can handle any situation without Sage's supernatural intervention. But then the unthinkable happens. Rose's action triggers one of Sage's visions about a child in danger. And once again, her life is turned upside down. Getting the police involved throws Rose an unexpected romantic curveball. So, she does what she does best - jumps in feet first and finds herself out of the proverbial herbal teapot and into the flames. Liar, liar, pants on fire, Detective Nathan Bryant knows that gorgeous woman he just met is not only deceitful but could be entirely insane. Now he can’t stop lusting after her. Can a determined police detective help Rose achieve her long sought-after redemption or will they both retreat behind their yellow tape and lose out on love? Trust is a gift either has yet to give.

Waiting Under the Mistletoe


Elsie James - 2020
    She’s a Christmas miracle, but she’s also his best friends little sister. Can he earn her trust or will he be left waiting under the mistletoe?NoelSpending my time indulging in all things Christmas brings joy to my world.I never thought I’d move back to my small town, but an offer to turn my blog into a holiday baking show is one I can’t refuse.When my older brother’s best friend turns out to be the production manager, all is merry and bright.He’s tall, handsome, and I want to deck his halls.But can I learn to trust him?NickAfter losing my mom, I’ve always been a bit of a grinch during the holidays.But producing a holiday baking show means playing Santa and hiring new talent.When my best friend’s little sister finds her way onto my lap, I’m sure to be on the naughty list.Noel is curvy, sexy, and makes me believe in holiday magic.But can I convince her that my love is real or will she leave me waiting under the mistletoe?