Charming Christmas Novels Set Across Europe (By Country)

Book Summary

Kit is a controversial champion surfer. He was involved in an accident with devastating consequences for his bitter rival, but he’s never spoken about what really happened that fateful day. Now he’s shifted his focus to training as a snowboarder.

Award-winning director Clover Phillips has been covering the story and is determined to find out the truth. She travels to the snowy Austrian Alps and begins to dive deeper into the story. Kit blames her for the negative way he’s been portrayed and how it’s changed his life.

As Christmas draws nearer, Clover is surprised to find herself drawn to Kit. At the same time, however, she’s more convinced than ever that he’s hiding something.

Book Summary

Mara just lost her mother, Stella, so she wants to skip her annual Christmas market trip with her friends. The group, which calls itself the Tinsel Travelers, visits a different country’s market yearly, with Belgium on the calendar this year.

The women refuse to leave Mara behind, so she packs her bags. But one of the women, Lucy, gives her something extra to pack. It’s a series of letters left behind by her mother that reveal secrets, leading Mara to reevaluate her entire life. As they travel around Belgium from Brussels to Bruges, Mara learns that this country wasn’t chosen at random. The bed and breakfast they are staying at holds even more information about Mara’s past.

Book Summary

Olivia’s husband left her on Christmas Eve. Heartbroken, Olivia’s world has been closing in around her ever since, to the point that sometimes it’s hard for her to even force herself to go into town. So when her beloved Aunt Grace passes away and requests that she travel to Prague to deliver a message to Grace’s long-lost love, Marek, it’s hard for Olivia to muster the courage to travel alone to another country. But she knows that she must go on this adventure, if for no other reason than to honor Grace.

Soon, however, snowy Prague begins to work its magic on Olivia, and she feels herself slowly coming back to life. As Marek’s nephew, Tomas, shows her around the Christmas markets, she realizes that she might just get the second chance at romance that Grace never had.

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 let a broken heart distract her.

When an unknown portrait by Denmark’s greatest painter is discovered beneath another masterpiece, Darcy is tasked with identifying 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.

Book Summary

In 1952, when Princess Elizabeth was only 25 years old, she unexpectedly became the Queen of England. That December, she knew she must continue her grandfather and father’s traditional Christmas Day radio broadcast.

As the family and staff prepare for Christmas at Sandringham House, two old friends—Jack and Olive—find themselves reunited. Olive is a single mother, typist at the BBC, and aspiring reporter who is thrilled by the opportunity to cover the events. Jack is a widowed chef from New Orleans who is surprised to run into Olive after he accepts a last-minute chance to cook in the royal kitchens.

Over the next five Christmases, Jack and Olive continue to run into each other, but Olive has a heavy secret. On Christmas Day, 1957, Queen Elizabeth prepares for the first televised Christmas address as Olive prepares to tell Jack her shocking truth.

Book Summary

Sylvie was supposed to be on her honeymoon over Christmas, but she was dumped a week before the wedding. Her best friend, Nari, has a plan to help Sylvie recover. She plans a trip to Lapland to see the Northern Lights.

Before they leave Cheshire, Sylvie realizes that they’re headed to Frozen Falls, the hometown of her dreamy Finnish ex-boyfriend, the one that got away. They are reunited on the trip, but when it’s time to return home to England, can she leave him behind, or is it time to consider a move north to Finland?

Book Summary

When Anais receives a rundown Paris hotel as part of a divorce settlement, she initially plans to clean it up just enough to sell it as fast as possible. But when selling proves impossible, she devises a new plan. She envisions it as the perfect boutique bookish retreat, but the only way to make it financially feasible is to get it open by Christmas.

Anais didn’t count on the grumpy American bar-owner next door interfering at every step of the way. Nor did she expect to discover a mysterious room that holds the key to a 100-year-old secret. But as the first snowflakes begin to fall over the City of Lights, she knows that no matter what, this Christmas in Paris will be one to remember.

Book Summary

If you’re looking for a Christmas book set in a warmer environment to counteract any real-life cold in your hometown, you can travel to the French Riviera in this new Christmas novel!

Twenty-four-year-old Elodie was abandoned by her mother at a young age and left in the care of her French grandmother, Gabriella. With her 70th birthday approaching, Gabriella tells Elodie that she wants to spend Christmas and her birthday in her hometown of Juan-les-Pins in the South of France. It’s a magical place during the holidays, filled with lights, decorations, and festive traditions.

Elodie is thrilled about the trip, but her grandmother hasn’t told her the whole story. Gabriella has an ulterior motive for wanting to return home for the first time in 40 years. When Elodie learns that her long-absent mother, whom she still has a lot of anger toward, might be joining them, she tries to feign indifference.

Will the magic of Christmas on the Riviera be able to work its magic on these three women?

Book Summary

Fliss and her sisters are shocked to inherit a French chateau from their late grandfather. Together, they travel to Normandy to visit the beautiful but aging home.

They excitedly begin making plans over crepes and cider in the nearby town, but soon discover that the chateau needs more work than they can afford due to the huge tax bill. The sisters don’t receive a warm welcome, but nonetheless, Fliss decides to stay on to try to win over the locals so she can sell the property.

Book Summary

Spanning four Christmases, from 1914-1918, you’ll meet Evie, her brother Will, and his best friend Thomas. The boys are soon facing the front lines of World War 1, while Evie tries to help the effort from home. The compelling novel is told in epistolary form (through letters).

Book Summary

Connie is a single mother who has suffered one online dating disaster after another. She’s been hurt in the past, but now that her son is off to college, she’s cautiously looking for love again. Recently, she’s been talking with a lovely man who runs a bakery in Germany.

One of the beloved residents passes away at the retirement home where Connie works in the UK; her final request is that her ashes be scattered at the German Christmas market that she loved so much as a child.

Eager for an excuse to travel to Germany to see if her new love interest is as great in person as he seems to be online, Connie agrees to drive a group of elderly residents to Germany in a minibus.

Book Summary

Jen, who runs an event company called Christmas Every Day, can’t wait for her upcoming romantic holiday trip to Paris with her boyfriend. But then he gets called to Athens for work and has to cancel the trip. Luckily, her friend Bonnie has a plan. The women fly to Athens to surprise him!

When they arrive in Greece, they discover that David is not there. Should she return home in search of answers, or turn her depressing discovery into a Greek Christmas research trip for her business? Maybe the cute Christmas-hating bartender, Astro, can show her around…

Book Summary

Rachel is stuck in a rut, and her life in London feels like it’s going nowhere. So when her company, Snug, asks her to oversee the opening of their new store in Iceland, she jumps at the chance, eager for a change of scenery.

As her Icelandic guide, Jonas, shows her around Reykjavik, she remembers that the world is wide open with possibilities. As she falls in love with Iceland, she also begins to realign her priorities and wonders if the life she left behind is really the life she wants after all.

Book Summary

Lucy is suffering from a broken heart and a crashed career, so she jumps at the opportunity to move from the UK to Iceland to manage the Northern Lights Lodge. Despite romance being the last thing she wants for herself, she’s determined to make the hotel a top romantic destination in Iceland.

Her new life is full of quirky characters who become her new family away from home. Dreamy Scottish barman, Alex, makes her question whether it’s time to reopen her heart to love. But will his secret impact their future?

Book Summary

When Cassie’s sassy Irish grandma passes away, Cassie decides to use her inheritance to travel from New York to a quaint country village in Northern Ireland. She envisions a cozy cottage, steak-and-ale pie, and Christmas cheer. What she didn’t expect was two handsome men competing for her attention.

There’s Charles, a dashing English aristocrat, with his manor house and heart of gold. And there’s also Ryan, the curly-haired Irish handyman whose accent makes Cassie weak in the knees.

Charles enlists Cassie’s event-planning expertise to save his family’s estate, which lands Cassie working side by side with Ryan in order to breathe new life into the old home.

Along the way, Cassie uncovers some secrets about her grandmother’s past.

Book Summary

The O’Sullivan brood has gone off to West Cork to spend the holidays with brother James’s fiancée, Elise’s family, including her grandfather, the famous orchestral conductor Enda Elliot. Holiday spirits are crushed when the cantankerous conductor is discovered under a ninety-pound harp in a local concert hall.

As both families are snowed into a lavish cliffside farmhouse, Siobhan must figure out who is to blame for Enda’s death before there is another victim.

Book Summary

Ever since she left her fiancé, Isaac, at the altar four years ago and ran away to the big city, Megan has avoided going back to her hometown for the holidays. This year, she can’t get out of it, and she’s dreading it more than ever because Isaac is engaged again, and she’s just been dumped for the fourth time this year.

Christian doesn’t mind being single, but he really hates that his family pities him for being alone on the holidays.

When Megan and Christian bump into each other at a Dublin pub, they hatch a fake dating plan to get them both through the holidays. They draw up a contract on a wine-stained napkin and agree to accompany each other’s family gatherings. What they don’t factor in is getting snowed in at a cabin.

Book Summary

Emily was not expecting to be single for the holidays. When she suddenly finds herself without plans, she decides to accept an offer to travel to Italy even though it requires her to interview a smug self-help guru that she despises.

Blaze Smith (aka Dr. Love) is supposed to be a relationship expert, but who will buy his book after he’s been publicly dumped? His manager wants him to fake a relationship in order to save his European book tour, but Blaze refuses. At least until he meets Emily at the airport, suddenly, it doesn’t seem like such a bad idea.

Pretending to be in love is easy. But having real feelings for your fake date is much more complicated. There’s a lot at stake for both of them, and neither can afford to break the rules.

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.

Book Summary

Frankie and her high school friends, Amy, Rachael, and Nina, are all spending the Christmas season in Italy, each on a quest of their own. Amy has always wanted to see the David statue in Florence, Nina is seeking career inspiration, and Rachael hopes to meet handsome and eligible Italian men. Frankie is here to help her boyfriend uncover Santa’s Secret.

Frankie’s boyfriend, Giovanni, runs an Italian restaurant in Manhattan with his brother, Marco, where they serve beloved family recipes. However, they covet one specific recipe, and their mom refuses to divulge the secret ingredient. She says it’s “Santa’s Secret,” and this year, Giovanni and Marco are determined to uncover the secret of their mother’s delicious panettone.

Book Summary

Iris is hoping for a wedding proposal when her boyfriend surprises her with a romantic dinner, but instead, he shocks her with an announcement that they’re moving to Amsterdam. She wasn’t aware how much she needed a big change in her life until she arrived and thrived with new friendships and a rediscovered passion.

As she finds new confidence in herself in her new home, she realizes she needs to make some big decisions over the Christmas holiday.

Book Summary

Lee first came to Amsterdam five years ago with a newborn baby and a secret. Years later, her life feels much more stable. She has a successful career as a photographer, her son is happy and healthy, and she has a tight circle of friends that she enjoys spending time with during the lead-up to the holidays.

One morning, Lee finds a book in the basket of her bike, and scrawled inside is a desperate message. But who left it for her, and why? Feeling compelled to help, she begins by tracking down Sam, the author of the book. They have an instant and undeniable connection.

For the first time in a long time, Lee envisions a future for herself that might include long-term romance. But then her past comes calling, and the secret she’s been keeping is revealed. Christmas is a time for togetherness, but what if the truth means Lee ends up alone?

Book Summary

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 are portraying 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.

Bo is learning that the mountains keep secrets, which is something that Signy knows better than anyone. Like the old woman before her, Bo is now forced to question who is a friend and who is a foe.

Book Summary

When Rosie unexpectedly inherits a bookstore in Scotland, she leaves behind a bland relationship to relocate across the globe. Imagine her surprise to learn that the Highland Hearts bookstore is hiding a surprise. In addition to selling books, the shop runs an underground magical matchmaking service. And as the new owner, Rosie is expected to deliver on those matches with the help of a meddling book club.

It would be much easier if Rosie believed in love. But she doesn’t. Or so she thought before she found her heart all aflutter for a local bird nerd named Alexander MacTavish. He’s tall, dark, and grumpy, and like her, he seems to be determined to avoid love. Nonetheless, Rosie finds herself wanting to read up on birds to catch his attention.

As her newfound magic falters and she is forced into a cutthroat Christmas window decorating competition, Rosie finds herself working side by side with Alexander and questioning if one of the matches she’s meant to make is for herself.

Book Summary

At Mistletoe Gardens in Wales, anyone who kisses under the mistletoe is guaranteed another year of love. It’s one of Essie’s favorite places, so she’s devastated, yet determined to save it, when she learns it is scheduled to be demolished in January.

Essie is a baker, so she proposes building a life-size gingerbread house to bring in the crowds. Despite being an expert at gingerbread, it turns out scaling up the size is more challenging than she expected. She’ll need the help of local builder, Joss, to pull it off. But there’s a little problem. He hates Christmas.