With the holidays approaching, you may be looking for a book to curl up with by the fire and be fully immersed in the holiday spirit. Here are some great recommendations for books to read this holiday season.
1. Once Upon a December by Amy E. Reichert
Synopsis
With a name like Astra Noel Snow, holiday spirit isn’t just a seasonal specialty—it’s a way of life. But after a stinging divorce, Astra’s yearly trip to the Milwaukee Christmas market takes on a whole new meaning. She’s ready to eat, drink, and be merry, especially with the handsome stranger who saves the best kringle for her at his family bakery.
For Jack Clausen, the Julemarked with its snowy lights and charming shops stays the same, while the world outside the joyful street changes, magically leaping from one December to the next every four weeks. He’s never minded living this charmed existence until Astra shows him the life he’s been missing outside of the festive red brick alley.
After a swoon-worthy series of dates, some Yuletide magic, and the unexpected glow of new love, Astra and Jack must decide whether this relationship can weather all seasons, or if what they’re feeling is as ephemeral as marshmallows in a mug of hot cocoa.
2. So This is Christmas by Jenny Holiday
Synopsis
Matteo Benz has spent his life serving at the pleasure of the Eldovian crown. His work is his life and his life, well…he doesn’t have much of one. When he is tasked to aid a management consultant who has been flown in to help straighten out the king’s affairs, he is instantly disturbed by her brash American manner—as well by an inconvenient attraction to the brainy beauty.
Cara Delaney is in Eldovia to help clean up the king’s financial affairs, but soon finds herself at odds with the very proper Mr. Benz. As intrigued by his good looks as she is annoyed by his dedication to tradition for its own sake, she slowly begins to see the real man behind the royal throne.
As they work together to return Eldovia to its former glory during the country’s magical Christmas season, Matteo discovers he is falling hopelessly in love with the unconventional American. But a man who has devoted his life to tradition doesn’t change easily. Can he become the man Cara needs, or will their love be another sacrifice to the crown?
3. The Book Club Hotel by Sarah Morgan
Synopsis
With its historic charm and picture-perfect library, the Maple Sugar Inn is considered the winter destination. As the holidays approach, the inn is fully booked with guests looking for their dream vacation. But widowed far too young, and exhausted from juggling the hotel with being a dedicated single mom, Hattie Coleman dreams only of making it through the festive season.
But when Erica, Claudia and Anna—lifelong friends who seem to have it all—check in for a girlfriends’ book club holiday, it changes everything. Their close friendship and shared love of books have carried them through life’s ups and downs. But Hattie can see they’re also packing some major emotional baggage, and nothing prepares her for how deeply her own story is about to become entwined in theirs.
In the span of a week over the most enchanting time of the year, can these four women come together to improve each other’s lives and make this the start of a whole new chapter?
4. Wreck the Halls by Tessa Bailey
Synopsis
Melody Gallard may be the daughter of music royalty, but her world is far from glamorous. She spends her days restoring old books and avoiding the limelight (one awkward tabloid photo was enough, thanks). But when a producer offers her a lot of money to reunite her mother’s band on live tv, Mel begins to wonder if it’s time to rattle the cage, shake up her quiet life… and see him again. The only other person who could wrangle the rock and roll divas.
Beat Dawkins, the lead singer’s son, is Melody’s opposite—the camera loves him, he could charm the pants off anyone, and his mom is not a potential cult leader. Still, they might have been best friends if not for the legendary feud that broke up the band. When they met as teenagers, Mel felt an instant spark, but it’s nothing compared to the wild, intense attraction that builds as they embark on a madcap mission to convince their mothers to perform one last show.
While dealing with rock star shenanigans, a 24-hour film crew, brawling Santas, and mobs of adoring fans, Mel starts to step out of her comfort zone. With Beat by her side, cheering her on, she’s never felt so understood. But Christmas Eve is fast approaching, and a decades-old scandal is poised to wreck everything—the Steel Birds reunion, their relationships with their mothers, and their newfound love.
5. Single and Ready to Jingle by Piper Rayne
Synopsis
What started as a dumpster fire of a blind date turns into a deal.
In truth, it probably didn’t help that I showed up dressed like an elf but that’s a story for another time. Our start was rocky at best which is why it’s so frustrating that I can’t stop thinking about his sexy British accent. Or the way his chest and arms fill out his suit. Or his perfect hair with that single streak of grey at the front.
Santa likes lists and so do I, so here’s all the reasons why Andrew and I aren’t right for each other:
He’s my brother’s best friend
He’s the biggest grump I’ve ever met.
He hates Christmas.
That last one is big for a girl like me who thinks that the entire month of December should be a national holiday. So, when he calls for my help in planning his firm’s holiday party, I can’t pass up the opportunity to grow my small business. Bonus, we make a deal, and he agrees to attend three holiday events with me so I can make him fall in love with Christmas. As if I’d pass up an opportunity to make a Grinch’s heart grow three times its size.
It isn’t long until I discover Andrew has a very real reason to hate Christmas and I start to see him in a different light. That’s when the Christmas miracle begins.
6. Claus and Effect Piper Rayne
Synopsis
He’s an Army Ranger.
She’s a baker.
He’s organized and ridged.
She’s messy and carefree.
He doesn’t do relationships.
She’s following her heart.
His family chat blows up his phone.
She just buried her last living relative.
The holiday season doesn’t seem so jolly as they venture from one mode of transportation to the next. But, they have to become friends and rely on each other if they’re going to survive all the obstacles thrown their way.
As the miles grow shorter, vulnerabilities are shared, and by the time they reach their destination, neither one of them is sure what they really want for Christmas anymore.
7. War on Christmas by Elle Campbell
Synopsis
Freya Nilsen, the witchy black sheep of her sunshiny family, has one goal: Survive the holidays in her hometown of Northview, Wisconsin, then jingle all the way back to her real life in Chicago. And she won’t let Jeremy Kelly, her childhood-best-friend-turned high-school-rival, get in her way.
Jeremy, a swoony charmer, is sick of playing it safe. So when his mom invites him home to Northview for Christmas, it’s the perfect opportunity to shake things up. And who better to turn his life upside down like a snow globe than Freya, his darkly compelling childhood neighbor?
When Freya and Jeremy reunite, old tensions flare hotter than a solstice bonfire, and in true rival fashion, they embark on a holiday challenge. Freya’s goal? Seduce Jeremy into a fling that ends at Christmas. Jeremy’s? Convince Freya that their deep connection is what they’ve both been missing.
Is it all just a sexy game between rivals? Or as the countdown to Christmas begins, will Freya and Jeremy find that a second chance at love is the best gift of all?
Don’t miss out on this captivating holiday romance. Grab your copy of War on Christmas today and embark on a journey of laugh-out-loud moments, family bonding, and true love.
8. The Twelve Holidates by Emma St. Clair
Synopsis
I learn this the hard way when I discover my boyfriend is cheating on me.
Once again, I find myself crying on the very broad and sturdy shoulders of my best friend, Weston.
And even though he rejected me when we were kids, my feelings for Weston start bubbling back to the surface.
Especially when he insists that we work our way through the list of twelve holidates I had planned for my ex.
Twelve dates with my super hot and totally perfect BFF? Um, okay. You don’t have to ask me twice!
Only… the dates continue to be disasters.
The biggest disaster of all is the way I’m about to get my heart crushed AGAIN by my best friend.
Because I can’t hide my feelings anymore, and I don’t think being just friends is enough.
Winning over Weston would take a Christmas miracle …
9. A Very Grumpy Christmas by Jerica MacMillan
Synopsis
My neighbor is a Grinch.
Since I run the Christmas Emporium and sometimes moonlight as an elf, that’s kind of a problem for me.
No surprise, though. When I brought over cookies to welcome him to the neighborhood this summer, he slammed the door in my face.
Until he brings his kid to visit Santa one of the days I’m working as an elf, and I realize there are key parts of their story I’m missing …
- The little girl is his much younger sister, not his daughter.
- He’s her guardian since their parents died in a tragic accident.
Now all of his handsome, broody glares make so much more sense. As one of Santa’s elves, I make it my mission to make this Christmas as special for them as possible. Which somehow includes trespassing on his property to hang Christmas lights and braiding the little girl’s hair regularly.
Despite his glares and grumpiness, I discover the soft underbelly of the beast. Will this Grinch’s heart grow three sizes as well? And if it does, will it have room for me?
10. Lovelight Farms by B.K. Borison
Synopsis
A pasture of dead trees. A hostile takeover of the Santa barn by a family of raccoons. And shipments that have mysteriously gone missing. Lovelight Farms is not the magical winter wonderland of Stella Bloom’s dreams.
In an effort to save the Christmas tree farm she’s loved since she was a kid, Stella enters a contest with Instagram-famous influencer Evelyn St. James. With the added publicity and the $100,000 cash prize, Stella might just be able to save the farm from its financial woes. There’s just one problem. To make the farm seem like a romantic destination for the holidays, she lied on her application and said she owns Lovelight Farms with her boyfriend. Only…there is no boyfriend.
Enter best friend Luka Peters. He just stopped by for some hot chocolate and somehow got a farm and a serious girlfriend in the process. But fake dating his best friend might be the best Christmas present he’s ever received.
Those are all of my recommendations! Let me know which books you have read and which books you plan on reading this holiday season. I would also love to hear about any of your favorite holiday book recommendations.