Book picks similar to
The Night Before Christmas by Joyce Sullivan


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Odd Man Out (Safe Haven)


B.J. Daniels - 1995
    D. Garrison broke her adolescent heart when he skipped town years ago, Denver McCallahan's only link to country music's “brightest star” was the supermarket tabloids. But when her uncle Max is murdered, J.D. comes waltzing back into her life—sweeping her off her feet and warning her away from his former best friend, Pete—who'd helped Denver dry her teenage tears. Caught between the man who stood by her and the one who broke her heart, Denver will have to find out which man she can trust…and which man is a killer. Previously published.

A Miami Wedding : Christmas Edition


Diamond D. Johnson - 2018
    In fact, over the course of one month, this family is thrown so many curveballs as they prepare themselves for Christmas Day. This is the season for joy, laughter, and giving, but for the Wiggin’s family, it’s more like turmoil, anger, and sadness. The goal is for everyone to make it to Christmas Day in one piece, but that seemed almost impossible. This is a holiday read that will take you through the wild journey of love, hate, family, and forgiveness. The Wiggins family may not be perfect, or at times they may even seem like they’ll crumble, but weathering storms just happens to be one thing that they're good at.

Baby, It's Cold Outside


Rebel Wild - 2018
    She didn’t plan to walk up the steps of one of the most prestigious high-rises in Downtown. She didn’t plan to make a wish on the star that was shining so brightly atop the Christmas tree in the front lobby. She never planned to fall asleep right next to the front door and she certainly never meant to get caught by the sexy, brooding billionaire that owns it. Will the jaded CEO make the one wish she has for Christmas come true?Skipping Christmas is Heath’s only goal this winter. If it wasn’t for the whispered complaints and depressing glares from his employees, he would have banned the holiday altogether. Christmas is for fools and Heath is no fool. He’s a self-made billionaire who doesn’t have time to deck the halls. What he wouldn’t give to make Christmas disappear. That is, until he meets her: a sleeping girl with a pair of hauntingly familiar eyes that invades more than his personal space.Can a Scrooge lose himself and find the missing piece to a soul he thought didn’t exist?Baby, it’s Cold Outside is a feel-good, faith restoring read that will have you laughing while reaching for your box of tissues.

For the Love of Christmas


Kate Forster - 2015
    She is fresh out of rehab, her husband and children aren’t home for the holiday, and her Christmas tree has alopecia.Days from Christmas, Rebecca has to explore her grief about a loss so huge, it tipped her over the edge, and imagine a future that maybe spent alone.But she learns that, while Christmas for one is possible, it’s just a lot nicer when there’s family to share it with.Love, loss and forgiveness come together to make a Christmas that Rebecca will never forget, and one that will unwrap a joyous future, even it’s not at all like what she imagined was waiting for her under the Christmas tree.

In The Cut


Kevin Bullock - 2006
    While struggling to get his feet planted deep in the dope game, he becomes attached to the little boy. Being affiliated with other hustlers and robbers eventually jeopardizes his life as well as the child's. When enough guns go off and enough bodies get laid to rest, Manus better have enough money to buy his son from the woman who threatens to separate them forever.

Second Chance Christmas: A January Cove Novella


Rachel Hanna - 2018
    The books in this series can be read in any order!

Hometown Christmas Dreams: A Contemporary Christian Christmas Romance Collection


Lesley Ann McDaniel - 2021
    After a fight with her aunt, and a frustrating conversation with her daughter’s father, she sets up an autumn display at her dream home with beautiful thrift store finds.Jordon is mourning the loss of his parents. Weird things, like someone decorating his parents’ porch with his mother’s donated decorations, make grieving harder. Still, the oddness is the distraction, and call to faith, he needs.My True Love Gave to MeCassidy loves her life. She has a job in a vintage store, a cute Seattle bungalow, and a dog who adores her. But being single is getting old. She receives a Christmas party invitation, and an excuse to find a plus-one. Someone from her singles group...?Sean's favorite thing about his delivery job is the pretty woman at the vintage store. But from what he’s overheard, she has plenty of prospects already. Would she be interested in adding him to her dance card?The Wonder of ChristmasCheyenne heads north for Christmas, with no idea that a storm will strand her in the small town of Misty Cove. But when she bumps—literally—into handsome Grady, and learns about a family in need, she realizes God sent her there for a bigger reason than meeting a handsome man. But with the way her pulse kicks up in Grady’s presence, maybe God has a dual purpose in mind.Mountain LaurelWhen tragedy strikes, Laurel is left alone to raise her son. She wonders if the Lord she’s trusted all her life will help her as she raises her feisty boy.Jon, who has loved her for as long as she can remember, is good with her son and steadies her through each crisis that comes along. He’s a close friend, but will she ever be able to love again?Cephalopod CupidWhen Lacey’s boyfriend breaks up with her it opens the opportunity to join a research vessel for six-months.Then she meets an autistic boy who shares her love of Gabriel the giant Pacific octopus. And Anders, his dad.Lacey considers staying. It might be crazy to give up her dream for a man she barely knows. It might seem crazier still to stay so she can protect her beloved cephalopod from himself.But sometimes love means letting go.To Hear the Angels SingDevlin enjoys her role as temporary guardian of her niece while her sister goes through drug rehab, but it isn’t easy. If she works dinner shifts, her job at a Seattle restaurant brings in enough. So, when her niece is invited to evening rehearsals for a church show, the free childcare is hard to pass up. But when they learn Devlin knows how to sew, she’s enlisted as costume designer. How will she find time?One of Jonah’s favorite parts of his job as church worship leader is directing the music for the kids’ Christmas musical. Between his job and writing his own music, he barely has time for a social life. But there’s something about the costumer for the show this year that gets him thinking. Could there be more to life than music?The Heart of ChristmasWhen Wynn sees police lights at Misty Cove’s one-and-only bar, she goes inside to investigate, just in time to see her ex-boyfriend punch the star of her favorite TV show in the face. What is Ryland Sage doing in their tiny Pacific Coast town? Since Wynn is the only medical help for miles around, she has to stitch his face—and maybe his heart—while protecting her own heart from the worldly charmer.Prairie RoseFor years, Rose has lived alone with her dog. Mitch, a handsome, unmarried neighbor, brings her a bright red geranium and insists on helping with chores. But who should appear but the scoundrel husband who deserted her years ago. Later, a pre-teen runaway adds his troubles to hers, so Rose decides to recapture the peace and serenity of Christmas.

Christmas In New York : A heartwarming holiday romance novel for Christmas 2021


Holly Greene - 2021
    

Stockyard Snatching


Barb Han - 2016
    When rancher Dallas O'Brien sees the skirmish, he bravely saves the infant and his lovely mother. Single and new in town, Kate accepts the handsome cowboy's offer of a safe haven at his ranch. Spurred on by their Texas-sized attraction, Dallas and Kate untangle a web of lies that throws the baby's paternity into question. And Dallas wonders—could he be a father? Could he be a husband? But when bullets start flying, the real question is, will he survive to find out?

Chock Full of Christmas (Heartsprings Valley Sweet Romance #5)


Anne Chase - 2019
    A lesson in chocolates -- and love! Eight years after her painful divorce, Abby Donovan is passionately devoted to making her little chocolate shop in Heartsprings Valley a delicious success.When widower John Buckley and his two adorable kids sign up for a chocolate class, Abby finds herself surprised by the immediate connection she feels with them -- and by the realization that the little shop of her dreams may no longer be enough to keep her fulfilled.With a gentle push from the Christmas spirit, can Abby overcome her wounded heart and embrace a future filled with love and happiness?The Heartsprings Valley Sweet Romance series celebrates love and romance during the most wonderful time of the year.Christmas to the Rescue! (Book 1)A Very Cookie Christmas (Book 2)Sweet Apple Christmas (Book 3)I Dream of Christmas (Book 4)Chock Full of Christmas (Book 5) It's always Christmas in Heartsprings Valley!

Holly Jolly: Curvy Woman Small Town Romance (Holiday Hotties Book 5)


Ally Crew - 2020
    He’s done things wrong in the past, but he’s ready to make it right. Can a bad memory be turned into a fresh holiday romance start?HollyComing back to Ribbon Cove wasn’t my idea, and I’m not totally happy to be here.And then I see him. My crush, who crushed me, from high school—Abe Roman.Back then he was the one every girl wanted and most of us couldn’t have.He’s got a little more around the middle, and so do I, but he’s as charming and honest as ever.When I realize he doesn’t recognize me, I wonder if this is a chance to have a dream come true.But my past comes with heartbreak and I’m not sure if he’ll break me again.AbeThere’s something about Holly I just can’t put my finger on. She’s familiar. Comfortable. Maybe even…a good memory. And I don’t have a lot of those these days.Football. Many hits to the head. And ignoring my pain all led me to this point.I might not remember the old days, but I’m positive I’ll never forget the curvaceous, colorful sprite that is Holly Thomas.After a beautiful night, my brother takes my dream of a future with her and tells me a nightmare of my past.Can I be better than the man I don’t want to remember to fix what I did?Or will she forever be a memory that I can’t forget?Holiday Hotties is a sweet & steamy instalove series of five curvy, strong women who will find their happily ever after with the man of their dreams--sugar plum dreams, that is.

Merrily Matched


Cathryn Brown - 2020
    Focus on her bakery and nothing more. A dog and a matchmaker ignore that plan.Molly’s holiday season will be drama free. No man. Nothing except working at her Homer, Alaska, bakery so she can save money. She’s failed at romance in the past, so she’s going to wait for a man to pursue her. Then she adopts a dog she has no idea how to take care of.Joe just moved to this small town to set up a veterinary practice. His soft spot for animals—and pretty bakers—bring his path and Molly’s together. A matchmaker has ideas of her own to make sure these two have a happily ever after.Merrily Matched is a standalone book and also book 3.5 in the Alaska Matchmakers series. If you enjoy stories with dogs, matchmakers, and sweet romance, you’ll love this novella. Start reading now to add a spoonful of Christmas happiness to your day.This is a standalone book which is part of a series. It’s clean and wholesome with no sex or swearing. The author is from Alaska, so she knows the real Alaska.Alaska Dream RomancesFalling for Alaska - Jemma & NathanielLoving Alaska - Bree & MichaelMerrying in Alaska - Leah & BenCrazy About Alaska - Holly & AdamAlaska Matchmakers Romances (Adam's Brothers)Accidentally Matched - Noah & RachelFinally Matched - Mark & MaddieHopefully Matched - Jack & AimeeSurprisingly Matched - Andy & SamanthaMerrily Matched - Joe & Molly

The Haunted Groom


Karly Stratford - 2018
    His Christmas plans include starting a foundation to help kids get out of his old neighborhood. However, quarterback Will Kent throws a wrench in Evan's plans with a bet. A bet for Evan to contact his first love, Anna Jordan, and try to win her back. To his surprise, Anna—now the hottest actress in Hollywood—agrees to help him with his foundation. Anna brings her feisty, ninja-like bodyguard along, and suddenly Evan has a problem. The beautiful and tough, Henley Keaton only wants a drama-free Christmas. When Evan Cook calls Henley's employer, to Milwaukee to help with some foundation, she's overjoyed. She can avoid the yearly family fight and eat deep-fried-cheese-curds and relax for Christmas. But when Anna gets sick and forces Henley to go on a date with Evan Cook in her place, Henley’s plan begins to crumble. When Henley and Evan engage in a spirited duel of Shakespeare quotes, things get...complicated. After tragedy strikes, and it looks like Evan's haunted past is going to catch up with him, he must decide if he's willing to walk away or let Christmas miracles come true.

Scotland (Kindle Single)


Gary Greenberg - 2014
    Two registered sex offenders had come to live in the small town Greenberg had called home for thirty years, and his fellow citizens, terrified and enraged, had come out to pin the blame on him. In this riveting memoir about a modern-day witch hunt, Greenberg recounts with his trademark acerbic humor what it is like to be the target of an entire town's wrath. As he describes his Hawthornian moment, he vividly sketches the characters and landscapes that make up a classic New England village and reflects on sex, panic, betrayal, and the sometimes beautiful, sometimes terrible ties that bind communities together.Gary Greenberg is the author of four books, most recently The Book of Woe: The DSM and the Unmaking of Psychiatry, which will be out in paperback this fall. His features and essays have appeared in many publications, including The New York Times, The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, and Harper's, where he is a contributing editor. He is the recipient of the Erik Erikson Institute Prize for Excellence in Mental Health Media. A practicing psychotherapist, he lives with his family in Connecticut.Cover design by Kristen Radtke.

Out Bad


Donald Charles Davis - 2011
    It begins with the painstakingly assembled, never before told story of the murder of a Mongols Motorcycle Club member named Manuel Vincent "Hitman" Martin. Martin was shot off his motorcycle on the Glendale Freeway in Los Angeles about 2 a.m. on October 8, 2008. Initial reports alleged that Martin had been murdered by the Hells Angels and that he died as part of an ongoing, "furious feud" between the two groups. The truth behind the murder is much more interesting and disturbing than that. Martin died on the final day of a three-year-long, undercover investigation of the Mongols by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The ATF called it "Operation Black Rain." Both Black Rain, and the federal prosecution that followed, were so cynically unfair and corrupt that some Mongols still believe that Martin was actually murdered by government agents. Together, the investigation and the prosecution probably cost $150 million. The initial press coverage of the case was manipulated by the ATF. News of the subsequent legal wrangling was virtually non-existent because the Department of Justice wanted to keep the case as secret as possible. Out Bad, draws on numerous public and confidential sources including numerous sources within the Mongols, the Hells Angels and the ATF to accurately reveal what really happened. Out Bad is a startling ride down a dark road nobody yet knows. Here's your ticket. Climb on. There ain't no seatbelt.