Book picks similar to
The Gift by Joanne Clancy


christmas
holiday
contemporary
first-reads

Miss Kane's Christmas


Caroline Mickelson - 2012
    Joining single father Ben Hanson and his children for the holidays seems an easy enough task until Santa informs her that Ben is the man behind the disturbing new book 'Beyond Bah Humbug: Why Lying to Your Children about Santa Claus is a Bad Idea'.Posing as Miss Kane, the children's new nanny, Carol pulls out all the stops to show Ben how fun Christmas can be, all the while struggling to understand how one man could hate the holidays so much. How could she, Santa's only daughter, be so attracted to a man who refuses to believe her father exists?**Please note - this book was originally titled Carol's Christmas**

Comfort & Joy


Kristin Hannah - 2005
    Now, as the holiday approaches, she is at a crossroads in her life; recently divorced and alone, she can’t summon the old enthusiasm for celebrating. So without telling anyone, she buys a ticket and boards a plane bound for the beautiful Pacific Northwest. When an unexpected detour takes her deep into the woods of the Olympic rainforest, Joy makes a bold decision to leave her ordinary life behind--to just walk away--and thus begins an adventure unlike any she could have imagined.In the small town of Rain Valley, six-year-old Bobby O’Shea is facing his first Christmas without a mother. Unable to handle the loss, Bobby has closed himself off from the world, talking only to his invisible best friend. His father Daniel is beside himself, desperate to help his son cope. Yet when the little boy meets Joy, these two unlikely souls form a deep and powerful bond. In helping Bobby and Daniel heal, Joy finds herself again.But not everything is as it seems in quiet Rain Valley, and in an instant, Joy’s world is ripped apart, and her heart is broken. On a magical Christmas Eve, a night of impossible dreams and unexpected chances, Joy must find the courage to believe in a love--and a family--that can’t possibly exist, and go in search of what she wants . . . and the new life only she can find.

The Christmas Thief


Julie Carobini - 2015
    Not exactly the dream she’d had in mind when she moved into her rustic fixer-upper cottage. Marc Shepherd wasn’t part of her plans either. The Stetson-wearing contractor moved in next door, kicking up dust and threatening to cut down a beloved pine that shaded Tasha’s cabin. With Christmas around the bend, and a criminal threatening the community’s peace, will Tasha solve the puzzle … before it’s too late? JULIE CAROBINI writes novels from her home on the California coast.

An Evergreen Christmas


Tanya Goodwin - 2012
    Holly Green hasn't celebrated Christmas since age thirteen when her parents were killed in a car accident on Christmas Eve. An intense surgeon but a social wallflower, Holly successfully dodges the hospital holiday party every year, except this year when she meets Dr. Noel Shepherd, sexy new surgeon on the block who's determined to end her absenteeism.The polar opposite of Holly, Noel revels in the Christmas spirit, sporting a penguin print necktie and Santa sticker on his beeper.From the moment Holly bumps into Noel in the operating room, she can't deny her attraction to him. Noel likewise lights up around Holly.When their relationship heats up over the holiday season, Noel purchases an evergreen tree that he and Holly could decorate. But his surprise quickly sours when Holly refuses to have anything to do with the tree. Has Noel crossed the line, catapulting Holly into a Christmas she isn't ready to celebrate?

Unexpected Gifts


Bronwyn Green - 2011
    She loves her family, but on the heels of a divorce and her ex’s new engagement, an evening of togetherness is the last thing she wants. Long-time friend, Sam MacLane has been in love with Cassie for years, and he isn’t about to let her have her pity party. There’s a blizzard on the way, and Sam shows up on her doorstep—bearing gifts....

Swim


Jennifer Weiner - 2006
    When she’s not working, she’s swimming—lap after lap at the local indoor pool, in a desperate attempt to wash away the sting of professional failure and heartbreak that she can’t seem to shake. It takes an unexpected client to show her that appearances can be deceiving, and that sometimes the bravest thing you can do is simply dive back in.

Christmas Kisses


Cynthia A. Clement - 2014
    When he finally comes home to celebrate the holidays it’s to introduce his fiancée to his family.Will the Christmas season give them a second chance at happiness? Or will honor demand they separate forever?

One Imperfect Christmas


Myra Johnson - 2009
    For almost a year, her mother has lain in a nursing home, the victim of a massive stroke, and Natalie blames herself for not being there when it happened. Worse, she's allowed the monstrous load of guilt to drive a wedge between her and everyone she loves--most of all her husband Daniel. Her marriage is on the verge of dissolving, her prayer life is suffering, and she's one Christmas away from hitting rock bottomJunior-high basketball coach Daniel Pearce is at his wit's end. Nothing he's done has been able to break through the wall Natalie has erected between them. And their daughter Lissa's adolescent rebellion isn't helping matters. As Daniel's hope reaches its lowest ebb, he wonders if this Christmas will spell the end of his marriage and the loss of everything he holds dear

Ruth's First Christmas Tree


Elly Griffiths - 2012
    It is three days before Christmas and a bitter wind is blowing across Norfolk.Until her daughter was born, forensic archaeologist Ruth Galloway didn’t do Christmas, but now that Kate is a year old, she wants it to be special.She must get a tree, shop for food, clean the house, buy presents, including one for her new boyfriend—who she isn’t even sure is her boyfriend—and remember to get the turkey out of the freezer.But time is rushing by and the best-laid plans don’t always work out …

A Very Coco Christmas


Robert Bryndza - 2013
    But Coco's overbearing mother has other plans and resumes her campaign for Coco to meet and marry the 'right sort of man', preferably Kenneth, son of her best friends Adrian and Yvonne Rosebury, who will be joining them for Christmas.As snow falls softly over the city, and Coco tries to juggle a series of hilarious events, the stage is set for a Christmas lunch like no other.

The Christmas Honeymoon (Holiday Luv, #1)


Alicia Street - 2013
    Giving back the wedding gifts and enduring the humiliating gossip in her small town proves to be too much for the quiet librarian who’d been the brunt of nerd jokes in high school, and Serena leaves town—only to return a year later determined to take back her life, her pride, and her joy in Christmas. Damien has his own reasons for hating Christmas. No sweet and silly stuff for this handsome Scrooge, who hurls himself into extreme sports, almost daring nature to break through his hard shell. So why does he find his icy heart melting when confronted with the timid librarian whose sweet smile haunts his dreams?

Santa Baby, I Want A Bad Boy For Christmas


JE - 2015
     Morgan is having a miserable week. She broke up with her boyfriend, can't afford to go home to spend the holidays with her family, and has to work every day leading up to Christmas. Enter mall Santa. When Morgan is forced to tell Santa what she wants for Christmas, she doesn't hold back. She wants a bad boy for Christmas. He must have chiseled arms, smoldering eyes, and a panty-melting smile. Will Santa send Morgan her perfect bad boy? *This book contains sexual content and language. Recommended for mature readers ages 18 and up.

The Christmas Baby Bundle


Barbara Lohr - 2014
    For five years they’ve worked at starting their family. Timed lovemaking and failed fertility treatments drain the romance from their marriage. Then Connor’s sister McKenna, a Chicago midwife, links them up with Angie from her natural childbirth class. Young and unmarried, Angie is looking for a home for her baby, due shortly after Christmas. At the same time, the couple begins working with Dr. Logan Castle on a new in vitro technique. But Amanda is afraid to hope her dream might finally come true, irritating the heck out of Connor. They’re at odds when heavy snow almost cancels the baby shower organized by the Kirkpatrick clan. Amanda’s parents haven’t even responded to the invitation. Have they given up hope as well? As Amanda and Connor teeter on the brink of Christmas hope, life bestows a surprise that could bring everything back into focus. The Christmas Baby Bundle is a heartwarming holiday novella.

Getting Kole for Christmas


Kimberly Krey - 2015
    Yet once she’s old enough to go, the invites are in short supply. While getting overlooked has never felt good, it hasn’t really hurt the way it does this year. Because now there’s someone she really wants to go with: Kole Kingston. Kole is charming and funny. Gorgeous and kind. And everything she wants in a guy. Trouble is, he’s also her very best friend. Can Kylie tear herself free from the friend-zone in time to get asked to the Christmas dance? Or will she – like so many others – find that a romance between them will never be?

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?