Book picks similar to
Madness Under The Mistletoe by Tonya Kappes


southern-mystery
chick-lit
christmas
d-d-scott

Christmas Past


Glenice Crossland - 2007
    Though initially employed as a maid, Mary soon becomes the daughter the couple were never able to have. With Britain at war, unable to remain idle, Mary finds employment in the local steel works but when her fiancé Tom Downing is killed in action Mary is convinced it is retribution for their night of sin during Tom's Christmas leave. However, Mary grows to love Jack Holmes, a local miner. They marry and move into a humble terrace house with little but their love to keep them going. As the years pass Mary is determined to achieve success for herself and her family. She sets up her own dressmaking business and it seems as if she has finally found peace of mind. But the business starts to dominate her life until tragedy once more threatens to destroy all she most cherishes...

Witching in a Winter Wonkyland


Jeannie Wycherley - 2019
     Unless you’re Alfhild Daemonne that is. This year she’s been so looking forward to the Yule time festivities, but wouldn’t you know it, the wattle-and-daub walls of her ancient wonky inn are ringing to the sound, not of sleigh bells, but of sick ghosts. Who knew ghosts could catch the flu? And let’s not forget there’s been a murder in Whittle Forest. Some of the locals are convinced there’s a demonic Beast on the loose, and naturally they’re pointing the finger at Alf and her guests. Factor in a homeless reindeer, a grumpy faery who detests Christmas, along with Alf missing her beau, and there’s plenty here for lovers of Christmas murder novels with added humour. Witching in a Winter Wonkyland is a standalone Christmas cozy mystery that complements the Wonky Inn series as a whole. You’ll love this crazy cast of witches, wizards, faeries, ghosts and pantomime villains. And not forgetting Mr Hoo of course. This new Wonky Inn Christmas mystery is best served with a glass of your favourite tipple and a heart full of love.

A Christmas Caper (Sugar Martin Vintage Cozy Mysteries Book 3)


Shéa MacLeod - 2019
    When the festivities are interrupted by an urgent call from her employer, she heads straight to London with Tippy in tow only to discover that her great-great-aunt Euphegenia has left her a final bequest—and a mysterious mission. Christmas is a time for magic and miracles and Sugar will need both if she’s to succeed in her quest. This charming Christmas cozy mystery is the third book in the Sugar Martin Vintage Cozy Mysteries set in post-WW2 England.

The Santa Suit


Mary Kay Andrews
    The Four Roses, as the farmhouse is called, is a labor of love--but Ivy didn't bargain on just how much labor. The previous family left so much furniture and so much junk, that it's a full-time job sorting through all of it.At the top of a closet, Ivy finds an old Santa suit--beautifully made and decades old. In the pocket of a suit she finds a note written in a childish hand: it's from a little girl who has one Christmas wish, and that is for her father to return home from the war. This discovery sets Ivy off on a mission. Who wrote the note? Did the man ever come home? What mysteries did the Rose family hold?Ivy's quest brings her into the community, at a time when all she wanted to do was be left alone and nurse her wounds. But the magic of Christmas makes miracles happen, and Ivy just might find more than she ever thought possible: a welcoming town, a family reunited, a mystery solved, and a second chance at love.

The Window


Kevin Wignall - 2012
    The job is simple, to kill a man and get out of town immediately. Why would he stay? He hates Christmas, and hanging around after the crime could be dangerous, but a stranger's compassion forces him to question everything he's always believed, tempting him to stay just another day longer... First published in the Christmas edition of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine (Jan, 2004), this story was subsequently reviewed in Mystery Scene, which described it as "bordering on the magnificent". (Please note - this is a short story of approximately 45 Kindle pages.)

The Sea Breeze Cottage:


Amy Rafferty - 2020
    Along the way, Jennifer and her family will discover the true meaning of trust and friendship as they learn to open their hearts to love.The Sea Breeze Cottage. A La Jolla Cove Series is a heartwarming, edgy, and all-around entertaining read filled with romance, excitement, intrigue, butterflies, and adventure.This must-read book rekindles hope after a tragic loss, trust after bitter heartache, shows that life lessons are learned throughout your life and that finding your soulmate has no time or age limit.An ageless inspiring adventure romance that can be enjoyed by everyone.La Jolla, a hilly sea-side coastal town, perched along the rugged shores of the Pacific Ocean forms part of the city of San Diego. Having spent the summers there with her Aunt, it was the place Jennifer had called home as a young girl. It had always been a place filled with the happiest of memories and times for Jennifer. Even as an adult, La Jolla was Jennifer’s haven and place to recuperate from the fast-paced world of New York where she had moved to so she could pursue her career after law school.Now a single mother of three children and a messy divorce behind her, her safe haven is scarred by a tragic accident that rips a hole in her world. Not only does she lose someone she loves dearly, but she unwittingly gets tangled up in a web of betrayal, mystery, and lies.The Sea Breeze Cottage. Book 1 is the first in a series of sun, mystery, and romance. Join Jennifer, her family, and friends as they learn that even the closest of families have secrets. Get tangled in the many twists and turns Jennifer, along with her family, starts to unravel as they dig up buried family pasts to reveal shocking revelations.Fall in love with each of the characters as they each play their part in the mysteries of the cove. Follow them through their heartaches, betrayals, and adventures as they find a way to open their hearts and let true love in.

Secret of the Yuletide Crafter: A Whispering Pines Short Mystery (A Whispering Pines Mystery)


Shawn McGuire - 2021
    

Gift of Hope (Gifts of Christmas Book 2)


Shanna Hatfield - 2019
    . . When his affections are spurned by the girl he plans to wed, Graydon Gaffney rides off in the swirling snow, determined to stay far away from fickle females. Then a voice in the storm draws him to a woman and her two sweet children. Despite his intentions to guard his emotions, all three members of the DeVille family threaten to capture his heart. Giavanna DeVille holds the last frayed edges of her composure in a tenuous grasp. In a moment of desperation, she leaves her sleeping children in her cabin and ventures out into a storm to release her pent-up frustrations where no one can hear her cries. Much to her surprise, a man appears through the blinding snow. He gives her a shoulder to cry on and something even more precious. . . hope. Can the two of them move beyond past heartaches to accept the gift of hope for their future? Gift of Hope is the second book in the Gifts of Christmas series, a collection of heartwarming, wholesome historical romances, featuring precious gifts given straight from the heart. ˃˃˃ Gifts of Christmas Series Gift of Grace - Book 1Gift of Hope - Book 2Gift of Faith - Book 3 Scroll up and order your copy today.

Mail Order Jewel


Cheryl Wright - 2021
    She has little choice but to take charge of her, otherwise the sheriff will deliver the child to a nearby orphanage.Adam Harrigan anxiously awaits his mail order bride. Ordering such a person goes against the grain, but he was becoming desperate. After all, at thirty years old, he couldn’t wait much longer to produce an heir. When the stagecoach finally arrives, he is aghast. How dare she turn up with another man’s child?Will these two sort out their differences? And if Adam allows her to stay, can they ever find their happily ever after ending?Author's Promise: This is a heartwarming historical novella with a happily ever after ending and no cliffhangers. It is a clean and wholesome story with nothing more than hugs, kisses, and holding hands.

The Beach House, Book 1


Megan Jacobs - 2020
    A high-flying criminal defense attorney, she's smart, independent, and living in the fastest lane of all - New York City. The more she drives herself in her career, the more she can forget her tragic past... until a manila envelope arrives one day with strange and unexpected news.Alyssa is forced to leave the city behind for a small seaside town called Clearwater Bay, where she'll find a deepening well of mystery. And a handyman whose gentle eyes seem to be calling her home...In the first instalment of “The Beach House” series, Alyssa has to keep reminding herself that she doesn't need anyone. Not a mysterious late relative, not her peppy assistant, and definitely not alluring Liam Carter...

The Gift of Christmas Yet to Come (A St Nicholas Bay Novella)


Jo Bartlett - 2014
    well, almost. As Christmas rolls round once again, she longs for a child of her own to share it with. In a town where Christmas is big business all year round, it turns out Santa Claus isn’t the only one with mysterious powers. When a psychic reveals that the answer to her future will come in red and white, Kate follows this sign. It leads her to disastrous dating agencies and demoralising dead-ends until, finally, the answer seems to be revealed. But will her search for the missing piece of her family mean she doesn't recognise the one person who's loved her from the start? Or can Kate really have it all in time for the perfect Christmas?

12 Dogs of Christmas


Melissa Hill - 2020
    

The One True Ocean


Sarah Beth Martin - 2003
    There is one that is blue-a clean, bright Disney World blue, which simply is the mirror of a clear sky above. But look at the ocean on a cloudy day, she would say, and here lies the green ocean-the true ocean, full of algae and kelp and slimy creatures, evil lurking in the shadows.The One True Ocean is an atmospheric novel driven by suspense and tension when a twenty-something artist returns to her abandoned childhood home and begins to dig into her past. In a search for answers to her aunt's suicide and her father's identity, Jenna discovers that her seaside house holds dark secrets that will unravel her family history and shatter the truth she has come to believe.In this eloquent debut novel, Sarah Beth Martin mixes dark psychology and real emotion with breathless storytelling to explore the deep connections between past and present, love and loss, the dead and the living.

A Confusion of Murders


Marina Johnson - 2017
    A brother obsessed with his looks, a dog that thinks it’s human and a happy though, dull routine. Until that is, her father starts talking nonsense and she makes a shocking discovery about herself. Not to mention the strange events occurring in Frogham – a missing person and a case of dog-napping. And then, on top of everything Louise finds romance in the unlikeliest place....

The Oddest Little Christmas Cake Shop


Beth Good - 2015
    And Rosie thinks she knows exactly what she wants from life when she takes a temporary job at Minchin's Cake Shop. But then she meets the ultra-sexy Russian baker Pyotr and falls head-over-heels with his delicious Christmas cakes. Only problem is, cake impresario Pyotr has a secret he's been hiding for a long time. Could Rosie be the right woman to help him solve it this Christmas? Another quirky, festive romcom novella from the popular author of THE ODDEST LITTLE CHOCOLATE SHOP and THE ODDEST LITTLE BEACH SHOP. May contain nuts.