Best Christmas Romance Books 2022

by Viola Shipman
Publication Date: 11/15/22

Susan runs a successful bookstore in a small Michigan lakeside community. Her teen years were rough as she lost both parents just before her fourteenth birthday. However, her loving grandparents and quirky, devoted friends have been a caring help along the way.

But now, she's on the verge of a crisis as she approaches her 40th birthday. Her mom was 40 when the accident occured, and Susan is stuck in a comparison trap. She can't stop thinking of all her mom had achieved by that age. Adding to the pressure is the town's belief that Suan is destined to meet a man dressed as Santa to be her husband, just like her mother and grandmother did.

When she has a surprising connection with a man at the town's annual Santa Run, she can’t believe he gets lost in the crowd before she can even get his name. Over the next year, Susan and her friends are determined to track him down, leading to a hilarious and heartwarming search.

The Book Girls Say…We became big Viola Shipman fans after reading The Secret of Snow as part of the Lifetime of Reading and can't wait to pick up this holiday love story!

by Lyssa Kay Adams
Publication Date: 11/1/2022

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.

The Book Girls Say…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.

by Suzanne Park
Publication Date: 10/4/2022

This YA holiday romance features two families, the Kwon’s and the Li’s, who operate rival restaurants in the mall food court. Chloe Kwan works as the photographer at the mall’s Santa Land, while Peter Li works across the atrium at the virtual reality North Pole experience.

When the news comes that this will be the last Christmas before the mall is torn down to be turned into condos, neither set of parents know what to do. Peter and Chloe have to join forces to save the mall, but soon find out the Kwon and Li feud goes deeper than they thought.

by Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone
Publication Date: 9/20/22

Bee, stage name Bianca Von Honey, has a successful career as a plus-size adult film star. Her two moms are supportive, and she’s happy with her life. However, her favorite producer semi-accidentally casts her in a clean family Christmas movie. Can she pull off keeping her work as Bianca a secret?

Then, Bee discovers her new co-star is her teen crush, Nolan. He’s a former bad-boy pop star in need of a career makeover. He’s promised to behave on set because he needs to get his mom and sister into a better living situation. But, things get steamy when Nolan recognizes Bee from her work as Bianca. They both have secrets to keep from the Hope Channel execs, and things get more complicated when a noisy reporter is thrown into the mix.

The Book Girls Say…If you know you want a spicy Christmas book, choose this one!

by Sarah Hogle
Publication Date: 10/4/2022

Bettie was accustomed to her parents providing a life of luxury, including an endless supply of designer shoes. But when they stop funding her extravagant lifestyle, she does her best to keep up the luxe image on social media. No one, including her family, knows that she’s actually totally broke and squatting in Colorado.

Christmas is looming, and Bettie accidentally plays a copy of “All I Want for Christmas is You” backward while she’s drunk. This mistake summons a man named Hall, who is Holiday Spirit in human form. Once she gets over the shock, she knows that Hall can make her wishes come true, including acting as her fiancé. Can her time with Hall help her channel the Christmas Spirit permanently, or is she doomed to be selfish again once the holidays have passed?

by Kiley Dunbar
Publication Date: 10/1/2022

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 stand-alone for Christmas before reading book one.

Magnús is from Iceland and is a former bookseller trying to fix his sadness by surrounding himself with books again. Alexandra is trying to heal from a heartbreak during her escape to 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 together bring back the Christmas spirit?

by Susan Mallery
Publication Date: 10/4/2022

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.

The Book Girls Say…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.

by Timothy Janovsky
Publication Date: 10/4/2022

Matthew is spoiled, immature, and very rich. His parents ignore him, but the press can’t get enough. After a PR nightmare, Matthew is shipped off to his grandparents' small town, which has been transformed into a winter wonderland.

To make things even worse, he’s forced to share a space with local Hector Martinez, who is extremely attractive, but totally unimpressed with Matthew. When a charity gala loses its coordinator, Matthew tries to earn an early release back to the city by stepping in to fill the role. And Hector will be his plus-one. Can Matthew find the true spirit of the holidays and grow his grinch-like heart?

by Lindsey Kelk
Publication Date: 11/10/22

Gwen is newly single and her career as a lawyer is hanging on by a thread. She hopes that returning to the countryside for a family Christmas will be just the reset she needs to get back on track at work and in love.

The day after Christmas, she wakes up to discover that it’s Christmas again. The same eggnog and family arguments are stuck on repeat. As she tries to navigate this bizarre situation, the boy next door is the bright spot each day with his humor and kindness. But how do you make a relationship with someone who forgets you each time the day starts over?

by Alison Cochrun
Publication Date: 11/1/2022

Last year, Ellie had dreams of a job in animation and a meet-cute with a woman in a bookstore. She fell in love instantly but was betrayed the next morning. After also losing her job, Ellie is totally adrift…and broke.

A coffee shop job is a quick fix to get her through the holidays. Her life takes another big twist when the landlord, Andrew, proposes a crazy plan to help them both. His inheritance depends on him finding a bride, and the arrangement could solve Ellie's financial troubles as well.

However, she's also reconnected with the woman she shared a magical Christmas Eve with the year before. Which path is right for her future?

by Codi Gary
Publication Date: 10/4/22

When Kara, a veterinarian, opened her cat cafe to help adoptable pets find new homes, it was a dream come true. But now, as Christmas approaches, she has more cats than customers, and her finances are in the red. When bossy marketing guru Ben offers to help her turn things around, she doesn’t want to spend more time with him but knows she’d be a fool to refuse assistance.

If they work together, can they find homes for all the cats by Christmas?

by Sarah Morgan
Publication Date: 9/20/22

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. Landing the big account would save the jobs before Christmas. Lucy finds his family home in the Scottish Highlands, which she assumes will be 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.

by Julie Caplin
Publication Date: 10/1/2022

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.

by Linda Urban
Publication Date: 9/27/2022

Francie’s family owns the Hollydale Holiday Shop, where she has been involved since the moment she was born. Literally, she was born inside their deluxe stable model!

Francie has always loved the family-oriented business, but after her grandfather’s passing, her aunt has been ruining everything with Hollywood-themed Santas and other “improvements”.

Francie is determined to save the magic of Christmas. And hopefully, she’ll also find time to kiss the cute boy at the tree farm next door.

by Courtney Kae
Publication Date: 8/30/2022

Morgan’s career as an event planner crashed after a tabloid disaster. Luckily, it’s time for the holidays, so she can make a strategic retreat home to her small mountain time to hide for a while.

However, Fern Falls is also full of heartbreaks, like the memories of a first kiss gone wrong with her former BFF and crush, Rachel. However, romance has to go on the back burner momentarily when Morgan discovers how much the tree farm owned by Rachel’s family is struggling. She throws all her energy into throwing a fundraiser to help them, and tries not to get distracted by Lumber-Jane Rachel along the way.

The Book Girls Say…Readers note that this one is a steamy open-door romance.

by Raeanne Thayne
Publication Date: 9/20/2022

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.

The Book Girls Say…Readers have tagged this one as closed-door.

by Kate Forster
Publication Date: 9/29/2022

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?