Book picks similar to
My Secret Santa by Jaclyn Weist


christmas
young-adult
contemporary
romance

Safety in the Friendzone


Elizabeth Stevens - 2019
    Sleep overs in the backyard had turned into sleepovers in his treehouse into sleepovers in one of their rooms when they both decided sleeping closer to a toilet was actually great. Zane and Charley were just friends until his girlfriend dumps him and there’s the beginnings of a spark. But they’ve grown a little apart in recent years and neither of them think the other would possibly ever be interested in anything more. So Charley fakes a crush and it’s Zane to the rescue in helping her follow her heart.After all, there’s safety in the friendzone.Please be aware that this story is set in Australia and therefore uses Australian English spelling and syntax.

The Nightmare Ex-Boyfriend Before Christmas: A modern day Christmas Carol


Devon Hartford - 2019
    It’s also the epicenter of our past scandal that nearly killed me and my parents when it broke.Trust me, it made the local TV news every night for two weeks. One night, it went national.Guess who never left King City?Channing.The curb turd.As relentless as he was on the field, I would’ve thought he’d go on to play in the NFL. He never did. Knee injury. Oh, the cliche.Small pond, meet big fish.Only this fish has grown bigger than anyone ever expected, built up his own business empire. Turns out he’s better at business than he ever was at football, and that’s saying something. Despite his knee injury, he managed to keep his college football body, abs and all. Wherever he goes, it’s raining money and marriage proposals.When he finds out I’m home for the holidays, he just has to come knocking at my parents’ house bearing meaningless gifts.News flash, unless he’s hoping for an immaculate conception, he has another thing coming, and it definitely won’t be me.

A Christmas so Sweet


Liz Talley - 2018
    She has a new life, but Rose is missing one thing – someone to share it with. An opportunity Adam can’t pass up… Adam Bryan has a plan for his life, but everything changes when he gains custody of his young sister Daisy. Still, he’s determined to advance his career, and the boss’s daughter could be the perfect person to help him reach his goals. A love worth finding… As Christmas nears, old memories and new attractions intertwine, making Adam doubt what he wants in his life. Perhaps his meddling sister, sugar cookies, and the magic of a holiday festival can convince him what he’s been looking has been under his nose all along. *previously published as Second Chance Rose in Christmas Roses anthology

Love on Parade


Carol Moncado - 2019
    He's a wealthy man from the big city. Can the holidays bring them together? Teachers of Trumanville Book 1 Brittany Acevedo is only in the big city for one reason: to watch her daughter march in the country's largest Thanksgiving Day parade. Then she'll gladly go back to a place where traffic jams are caused by tractors. Cole Holmes is comfortable with his life in Manhattan, even coming to the rescue of a woman from middle America when Times Square proves to be a bit overwhelming. After the parade, they'll never see each other again. So they deny the attraction between them. But when Cole is sent to Trumanville to run Winterfest - the same Winterfest Brittany has been put in charge of - will they have more than a clash of cultures? Or can they find a way to work together and put love on parade? An unofficial prequel to Small Town Girls Don't Marry Hollywood Hunks!

Comfort Crossing Holiday Collection


Kay Correll - 2017
    (Books 2.5 & 3.5) THE CHRISTMAS COTTAGE A story of love, moving on, and a dog named Louie Veterinarian Holly Thompson accepts a temporary position in Comfort Crossing in an effort to escape all things Christmas. What she finds is a small town that embraces all things Christmas and a handsome neighbor with a small son who both capture her heart. Add to that their adorable pup, and she knows the holidays are not going to be what she planned. At all. Steve Bergeron is quite content being a single father. He’s not willing to risk his heart — or his son’s — on another woman who is sure to leave them. It’s quite clear Holly will be gone by the new year. But he finds himself willing to do anything to chase away the sadness that lurks in the depths of Holly’s eyes. This isn’t part of his carefully laid out plans. At all. When an accident on Christmas Eve forces them both to question their choices, can the magic of the season warm their hearts and bring love and joy back into their lives? THE CHRISTMAS SCARF Sometimes, Christmas wishes bring their own special magic… Missy Sherwood has always wished for one thing, to be a country singer. After trying to make it for years in Nashville, she returns to her hometown of Comfort Crossing, Mississippi, feeling like a misfit and a failure. But there’s no use in telling anyone the truth just yet—she’s here for longer than the holidays, she's home for good. Right? Dylan Rivers is glad to see his old friend return to town, not only to help him with the children’s Christmas pageant, but because her homecoming sparks long-forgotten but never acted upon feelings. But there is no use in acting on those feelings, she’s soon to head back to her fabulous career in Nashville. Right? Then a stranger comes to town and has Missy re-examining her dreams. She gets one final chance at stardom, and her life-long wish is within her grasp. Is there really magic in the stranger’s scarf, or is it in the power of knowing her heart’s true wish?

Her Country Star Fake Fiancé (Christmas Romance Series)


Sarah Gay - 2018
    Only one thing stands in her way of her happily ever after, and that is the guy she’s had a crush on since the sixth grade, her brother’s best friend and country music superstar, Cash Jackson. When she attends Cash’s concert to gain closure, destiny is not kind when she finds herself accidentally fake-engaged to her childhood crush. Cash Jackson’s country music tour has come to an end, as will his career if he can’t resurrect his dead muse. His label has given him until the first of the year to come up with new material. When his best friend’s kid sister, Gracie Sawyer, shows up at his last concert in Asheville, North Carolina, they share a passionate kiss, which may just be the inspiration he needs. The only problem is she’s engaged to another man.

Kissing Cousins


Heaven J. Fox - 2014
    When Chase Donovan, a six feet tall popular basketball player, says, "What's up?" to her in the hallway, it was love at first sight. Well, at least for Nyla anyways.Just when things were getting hot and heavy, Nyla and Chase's mothers tell them they can't see each other anymore because they're cousins.Chase refuses to fall for it and continues to pursue Nyla anyways. Nyla gets pregnant and her mother wants her to do the unthinkable but Nyla has her heart dead set against it. That is until she finds out that she's not the only one with child.

Six Days of Christmas


Kaylee Baldwin - 2014
    This story was once part of the All I Want holiday romance anthology**When Natalie goes home with her best friend for Christmas, she expects plenty of quiet time to work on a winning ad so she can turn her dream internship into her dream job. Instead, she gets time-consuming Christmas festivities, a house full of children, and Jimmy, her best friend's brother - someone who makes her question everything she's always thought she wanted.

Out of His League


Maggie Dallen - 2018
     A new school means a fresh start. So long Ronnie Smith, invisible tomboy, and hello Veronica, popular new hottie. This is my chance to finally be seen....and kissed. Yeah, that's right. I've never been kissed. But I mean to change all that now that I'm starting over with a new look and attitude. The only problem? I'm not the only one from my old school who's transferred to Briarwood High. Drew Remi is here, too, and he's still the same wildly popular baseball star. He's also the only person who can ruin my new life. But he can only rat me out if he recognizes me...So, why am I so upset when he doesn't have a clue who I really am?

The Long Walk (The Bridge #2)


Jill Cox - 2018
    And when a childhood dream bubbles up through the cracks in her life, Meredith can’t help but wonder if this new path was her true destiny all along.From Ireland to Oregon, from Paris to Shanghai, follow Meredith into a future she never imagined. Because sometimes, the story is more important than the ending.This sequel to THE BRIDGE is a sweet contemporary romance, perfect for fans of Jane Austen’s PERSUASION or L. M. Montgomery’s ANNE OF THE ISLAND.CONTENT WARNING: THE LONG WALK contains multiple scenes addressing death, grief, and mental health issues (depression, PTSD, and accident-related trauma).

The Great Christmas Contest: A MyHeartChannel Romance


Lucy McConnell - 2018
    Five employees will give away $25,000 before Christmas Eve and the winner will own Three French Hens and become a millionaire. Twenty-six-year-old Samantha Noel works in the Women’s Department at Three French Hens. Her life hasn’t turned out exactly like she’d planned thanks to her unconventional father. But, she’s chosen to be one of the five contestants in the Great Christmas Contest, and is thrilled at the opportunity to finally get out from under the shadow he casts. But, when a military wife makes a wish too big for Samantha to fulfill on her own, she's forced to enlist the help of her mysterious and handsome coworker, Christian Malone. As they work together to make a mother’s Christmas wish come true, Samantha develops feelings for Christian. Christian's holding tight to a secret and she has to wonder if she’s fallen for a man who is no better than her father. As the clock ticks down to Christmas Eve, Samantha's torn between keeping her heart safe and risking it for the man she loves. If she can't find a way to trust, then her Christmas miracle will pass her by.

Not His Girl


closet_anarchist - 2015
    One: He would show up on her doorstep two weeks later as the son of an old family friend.Two: That he would be staying in her house, right next door to her. If living together isn’t enough, Duke starts to go to Harper’s school for the year, and immediately earns the status of the senior heartthrob. Suddenly, Harper, the girl who keeps mostly to herself and spends a lot of time in her room watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer marathons, is the envy of every girl in her high school. Harper couldn’t care less, and despite that fact that she has insisted that she has in no interest in Duke, she is still subject to the wrath of jealous, catty bitches and the admiration of wide-eyed freshmen. It really doesn’t help that Duke is constantly flirting with her in his own irritating yet charming way.Harper refuses to be yet another conquest, but is that what Duke wants?Or does he want more?

The Christmas Gift?


Jordan Ford - 2018
    But can she find him the perfect gift to make up for the fact her parents won’t even let him in the house? Rahn and Roman are in love. Her parents? Not so much. The last thing they want is their daughter dating a bad boy from the wrong side of town. For the first time in her life, Rahn is willing to stand up to her family and fight for what she really wants. But is she strong enough to combat her parents' vehement disapproval? Roman wishes he could be a better person for Rahn. He wishes he could leave his checkered past behind, but he just can’t seem to shake it.  He wants to give Rahn the perfect Christmas, but when she takes off without telling him only four days before the big day, he’s convinced he’s lost the girl he loves. Can he find out why Rahn left? And where she’s hiding? Can he convince her to come home in time for Christmas? If you like sweet romance and relatable characters then you’ll love this addition to the Barlow Sisters trilogy.  Get The Christmas Gift? for your front-row seat to this surprising Christmas romance. All Barlow Sisters novels available on Amazon: Curveball Strike Out Foul Play

A New Tradition


Tonya Kappes - 2012
    . .…tiara tiaras and all.Holly's biggest client insists on having a Skype call on Christmas day to secure a deal of a lifetime, which is fine with her, because this year she's going to make a new tradition. ; Celebrating Christmas alone with her cat at her snowy remote family cabin as family and friends go their separate ways to celebrate the holiday.When things everything start starts to go array, Holly has to call on her hunky neighbor for help in order to secure the her deal of a lifetime. Will it all work out or will Holly pull the quilt over her head waiting for Christmas to be over?

Her Sweetest Christmas


Holly Blair - 2016
    Too bad he’s the enemy, back in her life to buy her grandmother’s chocolate company right from under her nose. Cooper King will stop at nothing to acquire LeClair’s Chocolate Shop and its famed recipe. There’s only one wrinkle. Natalie is standing in his way, and he wants nothing more than to rekindle their romance. Cooper longs to return to just business as usual, but Natalie may be the sweetest distraction he’s ever imagined. Novella-length romance, approximately 17,000 words.