Christmas Books Set in the UK

Book Summary

Two years ago, Ellie and her family moved from America to run her husband’s family inn in a small Welsh village. After working diligently to save it from disrepair, Ellie is shocked to learn that they may have to close after Christmas.

Ellie and her mother-in-law, Gwen, throw themselves into holiday preparations with mince pies and mistletoe galore. Ellie’s husband even turns the gardens into a winter wonderland. But will it be enough to draw the crowds they need?

Book Summary

This is Harriet’s second Christmas since her husband left, leaving her a single mom. She’s struggling financially as the holidays approach, but environmentalist blogger Owen has a challenge for her. What if she only buys second-hand items until Christmas?

Owen doesn’t tell her that he’s going to be sharing her experiment anonymously with his followers along the way. While she is having some success (with some challenges mixed in), things may change when she discovers her life is being documented online.

Book Summary

Bowen Penhallow studies dark and ancient magic on a mountaintop in Wales and prefers the quiet solitude. But when his best friend, a ghost named Declan, invites him to attend a wedding at a grand Tywyll estate in the Welsh countryside, he reluctantly agrees.

Tamsyn is not a witch, but she makes a living procuring and selling magical items. Her business has not always been above board, but she’s been trying to fix that. Bowen is an occasional customer (as well as a frequent visitor in her dirtiest dreams). She’s managed to finagle an invite to the Witchy Wedding of the century, and she hopes that she’ll leave with at least one priceless magical artifact – that would be enough to set her up for life.

But Tamsyn isn’t the only one sneaking around Tywyll House. A very strong spell transports both Bowen and Tamsyn back to a 1957 Yuletide Celebration in the home. In order to get back to the present, they must face the history of the haunting.

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

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

Fred loves her mum and her eccentric aunts, but she’s always felt out of place in her small hometown. That’s why she’s not looking forward to going back to Pine Bluff, Scotland this holiday season. But a bad breakup and an eviction have left her no other choice.

As soon as she’s home, her mother ropes her into helping with the family Christmas Cracker business. She decides that burying herself in work and staying distracted might be just what she needs. But things get complicated quickly when she reconnects with her old best friend, Ryan, who she now notices makes her heart flutter, and then she finds an unexpected spark with a charming journalist named Warren.

These connections help Fred open her heart to the idea of love, but she’s also forced to confront some hard truths. Can she make herself happy without ruining the holiday for those she cares deeply about?

Book Summary

Suzanne can’t wait for all three of her adopted daughters to arrive home for the holidays. She’s dreaming of the perfect cozy Christmas, but tensions are running high.

Workaholic Hannah didn’t come home last year. She knows she can’t avoid spending the holidays with her family again, but she’s panicked at the thought of them learning her life-changing secret.

Beth is a stay-at-home mom having a personal crisis of her own. She’s torn over whether she is ready to return to work.

Posy is ready to make a change, but her parents depend on her so much. Change is risky, and so is falling for the handsome new neighbor.

Book Summary

Rose didn’t expect to be spending the holiday season working in a pop-up Christmas shop, but the one thing she expected even less was to be offered an event planning job by a brooding Scotsman.

Ever since his wife left him and his daughter on Christmas Eve, Alistair has hated Christmas. So he is not thrilled to learn that his extended family is planning to visit his Scottish estate for the holidays this year. He knows he’s going to need help with the planning if he’s to pull it off. When he meets Rose at a shop selling tinsel and baubles, he offers her the job.

Rose gets to work right away, Christmas tree shopping and party planning. Soon, Alistair can hardly recognize his estate amid the mass of ribbons and twinkling lights. Even the family goat is in on the festive spirit.

The more time Rose spends with Alistair’s family, especially his 12-year-old daughter, the more she begins to melt the ice around his heart.

Book Summary

Laura, who is training to be a neurosurgeon, has only met Callum, from whom she is renting a flat, three times. The first was at a wedding Laura doesn’t remember, the second was at a baby shower Callum doesn’t remember, and the third time was unforgettable.

First, Laura walks in on Callum while he is naked, and shortly after, his parents walk in to see them both. They immediately assume Laura is Callum’s girlfriend and invite her to join them in the Scottish Highlands for Christmas.

Callum is under a lot of pressure to settle down and take over the family dairy farm, so he and Laura come up with a plan to pretend to be a fake girlfriend. Hijinks ensue when Laura’s best friends show up pretending to be her family, and then Callum’s ex arrives on the scene.

Book Summary

Brooklyn, a book restoration specialist, and her husband, Derek, a security expert, are on a Christmas trip abroad when they get a frantic call from a friend. Claire is in Scotland and has gotten engaged. She wants Brooklyn & Derek to fly in for a quick wedding and to investigate the mysterious disappearance of twelve rare books from the castle library.

When they arrive at the castle, the case of the missing books is just the beginning. Another guest is poisoned, and then another is killed with an arrow. They must now race to find the missing books and the killer.

Book Summary

The Balfour family is getting together for the holidays, but this year they have more secrets to unwrap than presents under the tree.

Becky is stranded at the airport when she bumps into her brother’s best friend, Will. He suggests they drive home together, and she reluctantly agrees. Can she trust him to keep her secret about why she’s dreading Christmas this year?

Becky’s twin, Rosie, is struggling in her marriage. She and Declan married after a whirlwind romance, but now cracks are appearing in their relationship. They’re determined to hide their problems from her family. Will the holiday bring them closer together or drive them apart?

This will be Hayley’s first holiday spent with Jamie’s family. She’s heard so much about the Balfour family Christmas traditions, and it all sounds wonderful, but will she fit in? And how will the family react to the secret she and Jamie have been keeping?

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

Master chocolatier Charlee is ready to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps by setting up a chocolate shop in the seaside town of Whitsborough Bay. She’s found the perfect location, but it needs some major TLC before she opens. With Christmas looming, it’s a rush to refurbish the shop in time for the holiday season.

Her boyfriend is pretty useless, and she doesn’t have a traditional family, so the countless DIY disasters she faces are extra overwhelming. Help arrives in the form of her plumber, Matt, who renews her Christmas spirit.

Book Summary

On Christmas Eve, four estranged brothers have been called home by their widowed father. But the reunion goes awry when there is a crash and a scream after dinner. The family rushes upstairs to find their father dead with a slash in his throat.

Everyone seems to have an alibi, along with their own reasons for disliking the man. Hercule Poirot arrives to investigate, but the family is resistant to his help.

Book Summary

Most of us will be familiar with the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge, a grumpy and selfish man who is visited by the ghosts of his former business partner, as well as the spirits of Christmas past, present, and yet to come.

These magical and mysterious visits help him embrace a kinder approach to life and Christmas.