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Best Christmas Rom-Com & Romance Books
By: Angela & Melissa
Updated:
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, we may earn a referral fee from qualifying purchases.Our favorite time of year might be when our reading lists include mistletoe, snowed-in cabins, and second chances under the tree. This year we combed through every Christmas rom-com book and romance novel in our database, old and new, rechecked every rating, and narrowed our recommendations down to our top picks.
Some are cozy, some are laugh-out-loud, and a few will catch you off guard with how much they make you feel. Settle in with your coziest blanket and a mug of something warm, because this list has a happily-ever-after for every kind of holiday reader.
Best Christmas Rom Com Books & Romance Novels
Grace & Henry’s Holiday Movie Marathon
Book Summary
At the beginning of the year, both Grace and Henry lost their spouses. As their first holiday without their significant others approaches, their mothers come up with a matchmaking scheme, despite the fact that neither Grace nor Henry feels ready to begin dating again. But no one understands what they’re going through better than each other, so a friendship is born.
Henry and his late wife used to enjoy Christmas movie marathons each year, so this year Grace has offered to watch a few with him despite her overall aversion. Sometimes her young kids even join them, bedtimes permitting.
One movie at a time, Grace and Henry share their grief, but also begin to see life beyond the sadness. As their friendship grows closer, other romantic possibilities leave them more uncertain than ever.
Consider This Before Reading
Readers say this one is a mix of both hope and heartbreak, but it might be difficult to read if you’ve lost someone recently, or if the holidays are already a difficult time of year due to a loss in your past.
On a different note, many praise the strong sense of place in this novel and say that Norman makes Baltimore almost another character in the story.
Will You Stay Another Day?
Book Summary
Lili’s dear friend, Em, passed away last Christmas. As the days get cooler and the holiday season approaches, she sends a knock-knock joke to Em’s old phone number. Lili doesn’t expect a response, so when she gets one from a stranger, she impulsively suggests meeting.
Dylan, the handsome stranger, is also missing someone this season. As he spends more time with Lili, they realize that life can’t focus solely on what you’ve lost; you also have to value the new things you have found.
Thoughts About This Book
This would be a great pick if you’re looking for something with more individual character development and fewer romance scenes. It would be ideal as a holiday book club pick because it begins in the late fall and follows the characters as Christmas approaches, giving you more to discuss than a traditional Christmas novel set over a shorter time period. One great side topic for discussion would be the inclusion of the Japanese tradition of showing respect to non-living things.
While this book is uplifting overall, it also explores how the lead characters learn to work through grief and move forward in life. If you’ve had a recent loss, it may hit close to home at times. One reviewer says it’s full of laughter, tears, love, warmth, and hope.
Time to Shine
Book Summary
Landon is a quiet hockey goalie for the Calgary farm team, but he’s being called up to the NHL to be the new backup goalie. He doesn’t play hockey to make friends and is okay giving off loner “don’t talk to me” vibes. However, Calgary’s charming superstar young winger, Casey treats Landon like an old friend.
While the guys have nothing in common, Landon needs a place to stay, and Casey has a big new house that he hates living in alone. First, Landon and Casey go from roommates to friends, but as they spend the holiday together, this bromance turns to romance.
Book Summary
Ambitious young architect Sage has a gift for repairing broken things and the tendency to be a matchmaker. Her new client is a tough one. Mason is a former pro baseball player who is still adjusting to life in a wheelchair and as a single dad after a plane accident.
She knows her work at Mason’s house will make his life easier. It’s her best work yet, and she will not let her grumpy client steal her joy about that this close to Christmas.
More Christmas Romances by RaeAnne Thayne
In Snow Kissed, a single mom fibs her way into a fake boyfriend to save face at her ex-in-laws’ wedding, then finds the real thing when she strikes a bargain with a Navy helicopter pilot home to care for his niece.
The December Market sends soap shop owner Amanda Taylor and single dad Rafe Arredondo on a mission to keep their flirty grandparents apart, only for the two of them to fall for each other instead amid Shelter Springs’ holiday market.
The Christmas You Found Me
Book Summary
Sienna’s family has lived on and cared for the same wild Idaho land for generations, but with her parents gone and her marriage over, it suddenly feels very lonely. Trying to make her feel better, Sienna’s best friend jokingly places a husband-for-hire ad in the paper. The man who responds, however, is taking it very seriously.
Guy is a handsome Montana construction worker with a young daughter battling stage-five kidney disease. Money is tight, and he can’t afford the anti-rejection meds Emma would need in order to receive a kidney transplant. He’s willing to do anything to help his daughter, even if it means marrying a stranger.
Sienna knows that this marriage of convenience is only about helping Emma, but she can’t help but notice how easily Guy fits into life at the ranch and how much more light and laughter result from his and Emma’s presence. The more time they spend as a fake family, the more she fears the very real loss she’ll feel when it ends.
Snowed In for Christmas
Book Summary
Lucy works for a marketing agency that is facing layoffs after losing two major accounts. So, she decides to take matters into her own hands and track down the CEO of a sportswear company, Ross Miller, hoping to sign them as a client, which will save the jobs before Christmas. Lucy finds his family home in the Scottish Highlands, which she assumes is the site of an idyllic family holiday.
However, not all is as it seems. Ross fears confrontations with his father, and his sister Clemmie has a major secret. On top of that, all three siblings dread the prying questions of their mother and grandmother.
When Lucy arrives at the house before Ross, the family assumes she is his girlfriend. Soon, Nanna Jean is campaigning for great-grandchildren! Before anything can be set straight, Lucy finds herself snowed in and part of the Miller family Christmas.
More Christmas Reads From Sarah Morgan
Morgan gave us not one but three more reasons to stay up past bedtime this holiday season.
The Balfour family’s Christmas unravels one secret at a time in A Merry Little Lie, where twin sister Becky falls for her brother’s best friend.
In The Holiday Cottage, a burned-out London events manager is ordered to take a month off and finds far more than rest waiting for her in the Cotswolds.
And in The Book Club Hotel, a widowed Vermont innkeeper hosts her oldest friends for their annual retreat while deciding whether she’s ready to let herself love again.
Last Stop on the Winter Wonderland Express
Book Summary
Just days before Christmas and her honeymoon on a luxury train winding through Europe’s most beautiful Christmas markets, Aubrey’s fiancé leaves her at the altar. While she was supposed to be setting out for the most romantic trip of her life, now she’s heading out solo.
During the first day on the train, she doesn’t want anyone to see her as the jilted bride, so she might have accidentally implied that her new husband died. The singles on the train, including Aubrey, quickly bond and name themselves the “Unlucky in Love Travel Club”. But as the train gets closer to the final stop in Lapland, where they’ll stay in igloos under the Northern Lights, Aubrey’s feelings for Jasper, a journalist, are growing. Can they graduate from the Unlucky in Love Club together?
Another Christmas Book By Rebecca Raisin
Christmas at the Little Paris Hotel takes a very different route to happily ever after. After her divorce, romance writer Anais inherits a rundown Paris hotel instead of the apartment she thought she paid for, and races to renovate it into a bookish retreat before Christmas, clashing (then falling) for the grumpy American bar owner next door.
A Ferry Merry Christmas
Book Summary
Avery and Reed have always had a close sibling bond, even if Avery does get annoyed by his constant matchmaking efforts. After the recent passing of the grandmother who raised them, the brother and sister have decided to honor her memory by spending Christmas together.
Reed is awaiting Avery’s arrival when a mechanical failure strands the ferry she’s on in the middle of the Puget Sound. It begins as a frustrating inconvenience, but then Avery meets a handsome sailor and witnesses a Christmas miracle, reigniting her belief in the holiday spirit. In the meantime, Reed discovers an unexpected connection when he bumps into a coworker also awaiting a family member stuck on the ferry.
About the Author
Debbie Macomber is widely considered the “Queen of Christmas” because of her prolific backlist of highly-rated holiday novels, including many that have been adapted in Hallmark movies.
Book Summary
Mae has spent every Christmas since her birth at the same snowy Utah cabin. Knowing it’s the last year they’ll spend at the cabin, feeling trapped in a job she hates, and having just made a big mistake in the romance department leaves her feeling totally hopeless.
She makes a Christmas wish for clarity on what will make her truly happy, setting in motion a Groundhog Day-like experience of reliving the same day until she finally gets it right and connects with her true love.
Our Thoughts About This Book
In a Holidaze is one of our favorite holiday reads, despite it having a lower Goodreads rating than we would expect! Don’t worry, the time-looping repetition doesn’t go overboard. Soon, the story will continue moving forward, and you’ll find yourself very invested in Mae’s romantic fate.
A Very Merry Bromance
Book Summary
This is the 5th book in the Bromance Book Club series, which features male leads who are in a romance book club to learn more about women. Each book features a different member of the club, so you can read this as a standalone book.
Country music star Colton misses his relationship with immigration attorney Gretchen. His music has also struggled since the breakup. Gretchen is also down, but it’s because she’s having a hard time seeing all the excess of Christmas when so many of her clients don’t have money for basic needs.
When Gretchen’s estranged family reaches out with an offer that will help her serve her community, she needs Colton’s help. They want him to be the face of their whiskey brand, which he agrees to in exchange for three dates with Gretchen before Christmas. He’s sure if he can remind her how good they are together, she’ll agree to be with him long-term.
What to Expect in This Book
While we haven’t read this book yet, the prior books in the series are hilarious and a bit steamy, so we expect that this will be a spicy Christmas novel.
Christmas in Spite of You
Book Summary
Noel’s latest entrepreneurial efforts have left her strapped for cash, so she decides to make some quick money by renting out her apartment as an Airbnb over the holidays while spending Christmas with her family. But when she gets sick at the last minute, she needs to cancel so that she can stay home.
Kincaid is already in town, though, and isn’t willing to give up the apartment he rented because his own business deal depends on it. Reluctantly, the two agree to be housemates for the holiday. Despite Noel’s efforts to stay out of his way, he finds her Christmas cheer particularly irritating.
Thoughts On This Book
While the reviews don’t make it clear how many spicy scenes there are in this holiday romance, they are said to be quite descriptive.
The Christmas Castle in Scotland
Book Summary
When Izzy inherits a castle in the Scottish Highlands, she knows the castle will have to make money to be sustainable. It would make a great B&B after some much-needed TLC. But before they can do any work, her eccentric mom has promised the rental to a famous author.
They must race to get the castle guest-ready before their big holiday arrival.
Book Summary
Editorial assistant Eve LOVES Christmas. However, a new holiday deadline by her boss threatens to turn her into a grinch. Eve is sent to the coldest part of England to ensure brooding author Edward finishes his new novel on time.
His home, Cranberry Cross, is just as gloomy as his attitude. Can Eve save everything before Christmas Day?
All I Want for Christmas
Book Summary
Darcy recently broke up with a cheating boyfriend, and her friends are determined to set her up with a perfect blind date. But she’s too busy pursuing her PhD in Copenhagen and determined not to be distracted by a broken heart.
When an unknown portrait by Denmark’s greatest painter is discovered beneath another masterpiece, Darcy is tasked with uncovering the identity of the woman in the painting. Her research brings her into contact with some of the most powerful figures in the art world, including Max, the blind date.
She can’t deny the instant attraction, but she’s determined to keep things professional. Then a discovery threatens to put her and Max on opposite sides forever.
Another Karen Swan Book Club Option
The Christmas Lights is another great Christmas book club option by author Karen Swan, especially for readers who enjoy dual timelines. While this book includes romance, it’s also a suspenseful, page-turning mystery with elements of magical realism. Readers describe it as a “dark festive read” that, unlike the typical holiday book, won’t make you feel warm and cozy. Instead, you’ll feel the winter chill of this isolated location.
In this novel, Bo and her partner Zac live a life of wanderlust, traveling the globe while sharing their adventures with their millions of social media fans. They are spending Christmas 2018 in the Norwegian fjords on a farm owned by an enigmatic mountain guide and his fierce grandmother, Signy. Surrounded by picturesque snowy peaks and frozen falls, it’s easy for them to convince their followers that everything is perfect, but the life they portray online is diverging further and further from the truth. Bo can’t quite put her finger on what is wrong, but Anders is the only person who will listen.
Signy was just 14 when, in the summer of 1936, she and her sister and village friends were sent to work as milkmaids in the pastures. Protecting the goat herd is the key to sustaining the farm through the long, cold winter months. But away from the safety of their homes and families, they discover threats lurking behind friendly faces.
Good Spirits
Book Summary
Nolan Callahan is the Ghost of Christmas Past. He assumes this holiday haunting season will be just like every other. But then he’s faced with Harriet York, and he suddenly finds himself wishing for a future.
Harriet has always tried to be a good person, so she has no idea why she’s being haunted. She’s a people pleaser who has always done what’s expected of her.
As Nolan guides her to examine her past, they discover that there are threads binding them together. With a Christmas Eve deadline fast approaching, will they find the key to their futures in each other’s pasts?
Why We Think You’ll Love It
Readers describe this as a surprisingly emotional, swoon-worthy magical romance filled with great banter and cozy vibes.
Evergreen Christmas
Book Summary
Each year, Noel, North Carolina, hosts a series of Christmas competitions. This year, a newcomer to town has decided to challenge the resident Christmas tree decorating champion.
Barrel racer and horse breeder Jordyn Banks was thrilled to discover affordable land for sale in the Appalachian Mountains. In addition to putting down roots for her business, she’s also hoping to find a real sense of home and family in the tight-knit community. She didn’t expect to inherit a controversial Fraser Fir.
Her neighbor, Nate, has been raising his six-year-old daughter on his own since losing his wife during childbirth. He runs a thriving tree farm called Frosted Firs Ranch, and he has been the reigning Christmas tree decorating champ for nine years (a tradition started by his late wife).
Jordyn is determined to harvest a Fraser fir from her property and compete for the best-decorated tree in the town square. This year, Nate will finally be challenged in more ways than one.
About the Series
This book is the first of two in a cozy, near-Christmas series focused on each of the town’s annual Competitions of Christmas. The second book, Mistletoe and Rodeo, is slated for publication in 2026, with others anticipated in the future.
The Wishing Bridge
Book Summary
Henrietta (Henri) is a successful mergers and acquisitions executive, but the next generation of employees at the company are eager to replace her. Henri’s boss informs her that she’ll be out of work if she doesn’t close a big deal before the end of the year. Desperate to keep her job, Henri assures her boss that she can convince her parents to sell their iconic small-town Christmas store to a huge corporate client.
Henri typically only leaves her job in Detroit long enough for a quick, 24-hour holiday visit with her mom and dad. Imagine their surprise when she shows up at the family business in early December. Her parents are thrilled to see her, but her brother is immediately suspicious.
While she’s used to closing cold corporate deals, she finds herself reconnecting with the warmth of the family store and her hometown. Will she be able to close the deal and save her career even if it hurts her family?
About the Author
A Wish for Winter follows the same thread of family and fate that runs through Shipman’s other holiday books. A Michigan bookstore owner meets, then loses track of, a mystery man in a Santa suit at the town’s annual Santa Run, and spends the next year trying to find him again, echoing the way her own mother and grandmother met their husbands.
Viola Shipman (the pen name for author Wade Rouse) also has other wonderful holiday novels that make light and enjoyable book club picks, including one of our favorites, The Secret of Snow.
Christmas in Chestnut Ridge
Book Summary
In a mountain town where tree farms blanket the hillsides, the Christmas Tree Stroll is a big annual fundraiser. This year, Sheila’s best friend has convinced her to help decorate a tree. What starts out as a seemingly simple task leads her on a journey of self-discovery as she feels herself wrapped in the embrace of the tight-knit community.
When a family with four young children loses their home to a fire just weeks before Christmas, Sheila offers a helping hand, as does the town’s fire captain, Tucker.
About the Series
This book is the second in the Chestnut Ridge series, but it follows different main characters and can be read as a standalone. However, if you are looking for a good fall read before diving into Christmas books, consider picking up the first book, And Then There Was You, which is set during the cozy sweater weather season.
Christmas At The Borrow A Bookshop
Book Summary
This is the 2nd book in the Borrow a Bookshop series, which transports readers to a fictional British bookshop that vacationing literature lovers can “own” for a fortnight. This book can be easily read as a standalone for Christmas before reading book one.
Magnús is from Iceland and is a former bookseller who is trying to overcome his sadness by surrounding himself with books again. Alexandra is in Clove Lore, trying to heal heartbreak in the quirky community.
When a flood on Christmas Eve brings devastation, Magnús and Alex have to work together to save the village, which is the perfect time to introduce an Icelandic tradition – jólabókaflóð (Yule book flood). Will bringing the village together to exchange books and read aloud together help revive the Christmas spirit?
About the Series
This is the second book in the Borrow a Bookshop series, and the only one that is set during the holiday season. It reads well as a standalone.
The Christmas Inn
Book Summary
Riley certainly didn’t plan to lose her job right before Christmas, but it does free her up to return home to Cape Cod to help at the family inn when her mother breaks her leg. The cozy winter setting immediately begins to lift her spirits, and she realizes just how much she’s been missing her family.
This holiday season, the inn’s guests include Franny, a woman who recently lost a sister. Her sister left her four letters to open to help her experience the Cape. And then there’s Aidan, Riley’s high school sweetheart. Now a widower, Aidan is staying at the inn with his 9-year-old son Luke.
Why This Book Made the List
This is a great pick if you want something that blends that light Hallmark-y Christmas feel while still offering plenty to discuss. Topics of discussion include family and caregiving, as well as starting over and second chances.
Love, Holly
Book Summary
Holly has been estranged from her family ever since a tragic New Year’s Eve car accident three years ago. During those years, she’s been part of a lonely-hearts holiday letter–writing club. Each December, Holly writes to a stranger who is also spending Christmas alone, and she receives a letter from another lonely person in return.
The letters are meant to be anonymous, allowing the sender to write anything on their heart. But this year, the letter Holly receives has clues that lead her to believe she can track down the author and maybe even reunite her with the grandson, Jack, whom she misses so dearly.
When Holly finds Jack, she realizes that she’s actually met him once before. There’s an immediate spark between the two of them, just like there was the first time. She’s determined to fix his family, and maybe even her own, but time is running out.
Thoughts On This Book
This novel takes place in several locations throughout Europe, including Holly’s hometown in England, London, Ireland, and Venice, Italy. Many readers say that Venice is the most vividly described of the settings, including the canals, shops, and cafes.
The UK edition of this novel is titled The Christmas Letter.
Another Emily Stone Christmas Read
Yours for the Season is a fake-dating redemption story with teeth. Six months after her ex publicly dumped her, jewelry designer Melanie agrees to pose as his girlfriend again for a week with his family in the Scottish Highlands, on one condition: she gets to dump him publicly this time.
Book Summary
Camryn lives in Chicago but is back home in Wishing Tree to care for her twin 15-year-old sisters. She’s not looking for a long-term relationship in the small town, but hot hotelier Jake could be just what she needs for the holidays. As she spends more time with him, his Christmas spirit begins to rub off on her.
Newcomer to Wishing Tree, River is crowned Snow Queen, but she can’t shake the feeling that Dylan, her king, is hiding something. Dylan is Jake’s best friend, and the book covers both couples as their relationships evolve.
Reader Thoughts on This Book
Readers especially love Jake’s mother, Helen, who is on a major find-a-bride mission for her son. They also report that sex scenes happen behind closed doors in this book, so it’s a great pick if you don’t want anything steamy.
Another Susan Mallery Holiday Romance
One Big Happy Family asks what happens when everyone’s secrets come out at once. Fiftysomething Julie is quietly dating a much younger boyfriend and hoping to skip the family Christmas altogether, but her adult children have other plans, and the resulting cabin gathering forces the whole family to rethink what love is allowed to look like.
