2025 Kindle Unlimited Christmas Books (That Aren’t Romances)
By: Angela & Melissa
Updated:
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, we may earn a referral fee from qualifying purchases.We love seasonal reading, and Christmas books are our very favorite, but library waitlists pose a challenge every year. And that’s where Kindle Unlimited comes in! We enjoy our KU memberships year-round (read our review of the value of KU), but it’s during the months of November and December that it pays off the most.
Year after year we’re so impressed with the selection Kindle Unlimited Christmas novels spanning a wide range of genres, including historical and contemporary fiction, mysteries and cozies, magical realism, and even fantasy. You’ll find a mix of all of these genres on the list below. Of course, you know we also love rom-coms, so we also have a separate list of KU Christmas Romances that you might want to check out.
The Best Kindle Unlimited Christmas Titles Spanning a Wide Range of Genres
Once Upon a Wardrobe
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
4.3 out of 5
97% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Promising physics student Megs is attending Oxford in 1950 and prefers facts to creativity. However, her beloved but critically ill eight-year-old brother is obsessed with a world created in a book – The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. When he asks her to find out where Narnia came from, she can’t refuse his plea.
When she tracks down the Lewis brothers, who are also at Oxford, they graciously invite her for tea. While they fill her with stories she can pass along to her brother, she doesn’t understand why he won’t answer her most important question about the origin of Narnia.
Thoughts On This Book
While there are sad moments, this book is also described as filled with hope and warmth. Just what we all need on a cold winter night!
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.
The Worst Noel
Book Summary
Lilly is a single mom to two teenagers, the owner of a jewelry shop, and the president of the local Chamber of Commerce. She is as busy as ever this Christmas and definitely didn’t have time to find a dead body on the floor of her store.
On top of that, she has to deal with her deadbeat ex-husband and the declining mental health of her mother. When a second dead body appears, Lilly is now the prime suspect and hopes the local police can figure out what is really happening ASAP for any hope of a merry Christmas.
About the Series
This Christmas cozy kicks off a series of seven books, each featuring a different holiday. All seven are available with KU.
The Worst Noel also includes three recipes!
The Christmas Dress
Book Summary
Hopeful fashion designer Meg has to put her dreams on hold to return to her hometown of Chicago to manage her father’s apartment building. The residents are an eclectic group, and all seem to need her right away.
One of the residents, Ellie, is having an equally bad season as she’s being forced to leave her apartment and move into a nursing home. As she packs, one dress brings back the most memories, both good and bad.
When she reveals the dress’s important history to Meg, Ellie decides to gift it to her, with the caveat that it must be worn to the building’s holiday party. Will the magic of the dress strike again for its new owner?
What to Expect in This Read
This charming Christmas book brings together two generations of women and exemplifies the magic of the holiday season with the help of just a touch of magical realism.
St. Nick
Book Summary
San Diego cop Nick Pappas has been suspended from his job, alienated from his family, and persecuted by the press. He has zero holiday spirit this year, but things start to change when he agrees to work at the local mall as an undercover officer posing as Santa to help catch muggers who have been preying on holiday shoppers.
Nick deals with crying kids, pushy parents, and a chronically cheerful “elf” sidekick to catch the criminals, but that’s not the most challenging part of the job. How can he fulfill the next-to-impossible Christmas wishes of two children in need?
Things to Know Before Reading
Readers enjoy that this 281-page read feels like a classic Christmas story.
NOTE: Nick expresses thoughts of suicide at the beginning of this novel.
Mr. Dickens and His Carol
Book Summary
Did you know that Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol in only six weeks? This novel takes that fascinating piece of history and reimagines what those weeks were like for Dickens and those around him.
The novel begins with Charles learning that his latest book, Martin Chuzzlewit, has been a flop in America. His publishers provide one way out of the money he now owes them – write a Christmas book in a month, or they will call in his debts, and he could lose everything. His wife has just given birth to their fifth child, so failure is not an option.
Fun Background Info
If you enjoy A Christmas Carol, don’t miss this fun list of 10 facts about Dickens’ classic.
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?
The Book Girls Say…
This novel also includes a bonus novella titled Christmas Angels.
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.
The Christmas Cherub
Book Summary
Clara is the head of the art department at Amberson’s Department Store, an upscale store in Indianapolis. Her fiancé, Jack, is a pilot who is still listed as missing in action even though WWII has ended.
During the holiday season of 1946, Clara is tasked with designing the store’s annual Christmas catalog, but it’s a challenge due to the store’s low inventory. To fill the blank spaces, Clara pours her heart and her grief into sketches of whimsical Christmas cherubs.
In an effort to find out more about Jack’s whereabouts, Clara reaches out to a journalist for help, and the results will surprise everyone.
Thoughts On This Book
This 182-page novella is said to be filled with nostalgia and hope, and readers have compared it to classics like The Miracle on 34th Street and It’s a Wonderful Life.
While it’s classified by some as Christian fiction, religion plays a relatively minor role in the story, with Clara attending church and praying for Jack’s return.
The Christmas Letters
Book Summary
As a young adult, Elizabeth couldn’t wait to get out of her small Smoky Mountain town. But ten years after leaving, many of her dreams are still unfulfilled. Then, at a Christmas charity event at The Plaza, she’s dumped by her wealthy boyfriend.
Elizabeth’s mom has been trying to get her to come home to Mason Ridge to help her sort out her grandmother’s estate. With no reason to stay in New York for Christmas, Elizabeth heads home, only to get more bad news. Her mother has received a letter instructing her to vacate the family farm. Can Paul, the handsome commercial developer she met at the new coffee shop, help them save the farm?
While they are working to save the family home, Elizabeth is given a stack of wartime love letters written by her late grandmother. The letters are sweet and lovely, but they weren’t written to Liz’s grandfather. Will the Christmas letters strip her of everything she holds dear?
Thoughts On This Book
This book is listed as a “clean and wholesome romance,” but it’s much more than a romance. It’s a story of family and friendship with an epistolary storyline and a lovely cast of supporting characters. People especially loved Nan’s 99-year-old best friend. While Christmas novels have a reputation for being predictable, many reviewers say they didn’t see the final twist coming.
One Christmas Eve
Book Summary
Across three decades, three women experience Christmas Eves that change their lives forever.
In 1968, Cathy receives a surprise Christmas Eve visit from a lost love. Faced with a decision between the one that got away and the one that stayed, who will she choose?
In 1993, Cathy’s daughter, Helena, is eagerly anticipating a Christmas Eve proposal. But before the ring is on her finger, a devastating encounter threatens to bring her heartbreak.
In 2023, a shocking discovery rocks Eve Quinn’s world on the day before Christmas. The only gift she wants is truth, but it will take a Christmas miracle to unravel three generations of secrets.
More About This Book
This novel is part of Shari Low’s series of standalone books that each take place on a single day, but it’s unique from others in the collection in that it covers December 24th of three different years. Low threads these three different stories together seamlessly for an unexpected ending to the story.
Although this book does have a touch of romance, it’s not the main focus of the novel.
Murder on Mistletoe Lane
Book Summary
Stella is about to spend her first Christmas season as the “Lady” of Morrington Hall. As an expat who married an aristocrat, she’s eager to embrace all the yuletide traditions in the English countryside. She’s thrown herself into starting a horse farm charity for the holidays. Initially, she doesn’t notice items disappearing from her bedroom. But then her housekeeper, Mrs. Nelson, is found dead in the cold on Mistletoe Lane.
Stella wonders if someone else on her staff knows the killer, but then another person dies at a Boxing Day race. Stella and her husband, Lyndy, must figure out what to do to save the estate’s reputation and keep themselves alive until the new year.
Book Summary
Friends Shelley, Lena, and Pearl are tired of all the holiday preparations falling to them. Each of them has hit her limit, so they decide to escape for the five days before Christmas. It’s time for their families to take up the grocery shopping, cooking, and prepping. Meanwhile, they’ll be sipping prosecco in the Scottish Highlands.
It was the perfect plan, right up until the moment they got snowed in 500 miles from home. Realizing they might not make it back in time for Christmas makes each woman face the truth about her reasons for needing to escape. For one, it’s a fiancé with an obnoxious family, for another, it’s a son’s new girlfriend taking over the house, and for the third, it’s simply feeling taken for granted all year round.
Alternate Title
This book was previously published under the title ‘Tis the Damn Season, but has since been republished in the US under the title The Women Who Needed a Break.
Hercule Poirot’s Christmas
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 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.
A Christmas Classic
This classic murder mystery is the 20th book in Agatha Christie’s beloved investigator series, but you can read it as a stand-alone holiday novel.
Highland Hearts Holiday Bookshop
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.
Thoughts On This Book
Come for the Christmas magic and stay for the adorable rescued puffin and all the accompanying puffin puns!
This novel is told in a dual first-person point of view. One reader compares the story to the movie Practical Magic if it were set in a bookshop, but other readers say they wish the novel had featured more matches being made.
26 Ways to Come Home for the Holidays
Book Summary
Stella is the first-ever head of holidays for Hanover’s Department Store, which includes oversight of twenty-six ‘Home for the Holidays’-themed Christmas windows. On Thanksgiving Day in 1942, just 48 hours before the windows would be unveiled to the public, her lead window designer quit.
It’s up to Stella to gather a ragtag team of store employees to finish the job, including their picky luxury stylist, two flirtatious personal shoppers, a handful of delivery boys, and Stella’s best pal, Hector. When she discovers that Hector is newly single, she finds old feelings are trying to distract her from the task at hand.
Inspiration For This Novel
This 164-page novella was inspired by the author’s memories of visiting Pittsburgh’s Golden Triangle each year to see the Christmas decor.
The Twelve Topsy-Turvy, Very Messy Days of Christmas
Book Summary
At the Sullivan’s Harlem brownstone, Christmas doesn’t exist. The family has suffered a devastating loss, so this year, there are no Christmas trees, cookies, gifts, or invited guests.
But then guests and gifts related to the Twelve Days of Christmas begin arriving. The happenings in the book follow the classic “Twelve Days of Christmas” song.
Reader Thoughts on This Book
If you’re looking for a wacky take on a classic Christmas tale filled with British humor, this one is for you! Readers say it manages to balance silliness and poignancy, as well as being magical and real.
Note that the US version of this novel is set in Harlem, New York, while the UK publication of the book is set in a neighborhood in London.
Book Summary
Most of us will be familiar with the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge, a grumpy and selfish man who is visited by the ghost 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.
Why This Book Made the List
This book made the list of our readers’ all-time favorite classic novels. The magical realism elements of this story have resulted in many modern retellings, a couple of which you’ll find right here on this list.
Here’s what some of our readers said:
The message is timeless. The characters are timeless. And the season of the year is timeless. Sure, I have no clue what is in most of the food mentioned, but I don’t care because it teaches a lesson I want to hear every year. -Jessica F.
This book greatly influenced the modern US celebration of Christmas and has been adapted hundreds of times in every manner and format. It is enjoyable to read the original. -Jen R.
The Afterlife of Holly Chase
Book Summary
Like Charles Dickens’ Scrooge, seventeen-year-old Holly received a Christmas Eve visit from three ghosts who showed her how selfish and spoiled she’d become. Unlike Scrooge, she was unconvinced, and she did not change her ways. Then, she died.
She’s now stuck working for the top-secret company called Project Scrooge, where she serves as the new Ghost of Christmas Past. Each year, she helps the company as they attempt to save another miserly grouch. Despite helping many people, she remains miserable – watching as her family and friends go on living while she stays frozen at seventeen, unable to interact with them. But the Scrooge she’s been assigned to help reform this year may change everything.
Why You Should Consider This Book
Although it’s a YA novel, this modern retelling of A Christmas Carol offers ample depth for a great holiday-themed book club discussion.
The Nightmare Before Kissmas
Book Summary
Nicholas “Coal” Claus is Santa’s son, and he used to love Christmas. But now his dad has turned the holiday into a PR façade, and he’ll do anything to escape it. Unfortunately, the time has come for him to fulfill his duty and marry his best friend, Iris, the Easter Princess, and his brother’s not-so-secret crush.
But then Hex, the Prince of Halloween, comes to challenge Coal for the princess’s hand. Except like Coal, he’s not really interested in the princess either, beyond a marriage of convenience. Instead, Coal and Hex can’t keep their hands off each other.
Genre Notes
While the other books on this list are more squarely magical realism, this selection is for our Fantasy readers. While it still features human main characters, it takes place in “The Christmas Kingdom,” in a world where each holiday has its own monarchy.
It will be a better fit for readers who enjoy fantasy already, rather than some of the other titles on this list, which will have broader appeal to those unfamiliar with magical realism.
Murder at the Christmas Carols
Book Summary
Ellie is trying to juggle jobs and a sick daughter, and her wish is to make it to the New Year without any more problems. But then her mother-in-law moves in.
Things get even worse when her estranged friend, Andrea, collapses, and it becomes clear she was murdered. Along with her daughter and mother-in-law, Ellie follows the clues to solve the mystery. This unlikely trio of Blix women must find the killer, even if that really annoys her detective inspector ex-husband.
About the Series
There are currently 9 books in the Wootton Windmill series included with Kindle Unlimited! The 7th book is also Christmas-themed and was published in 2024.
The publisher has stated that these are light, uplifting reads with no bad language, sex, or violence on the page.
Christmas on the Riviera
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?
Thoughts On This Book
This novella is just over 200 pages long, but some readers wish it had a bit deeper character development. It’s a great option for a short, light read for the holidays. In addition to the family story, this book also includes elements of friendship and the possibility of a new romance.
The Invitation
Book Summary
FBI Agent Ava James thinks she’s getting a break from work when she agrees to attend the wedding of her college boyfriend’s little sister. However, her retreat to a fancy chalet in the mountains of New Hampshire takes a turn when the groom’s sister is found frozen in the snow.
Ava contacts the local sheriff and begins her own investigation, which is full of dead ends…until another guest is murdered.
About the Series
While this is book #10 in the Ava James FBI series, readers note that this book includes some insight into Ava’s past that helps them understand her as a character. It could work well to start with this holiday read and then circle back to book #1 if you enjoy it. All the books in the series are available with Kindle Unlimited as of October 2025.
The Santa Suit
Book Summary
This heartwarming novel brings the magic of Christmas and is also a testament to the power of second chances!
Ivy Perkins is recently divorced and is looking to make a big change in her life. So, she buys an old farmhouse sight unseen. Ivy knows it will be a labor of love… but it might be more labor than she counted on.
As she sorts through all the junk the prior owners left behind, she comes across a beautiful, decades-old Santa suit. Tucked in the pocket is a handwritten note from a little girl whose Christmas wish was for her father to return home from the war. Ivy’s desire to learn more about the note’s author draws her into her new community and may even result in a second chance at love.
What to Expect in This Book
This book will really put you in the holiday spirit because it celebrates the spirit of joy and giving rather than the material aspects of the season.
Mary Kay Andrews also has a new Christmas book out this year called Bright Lights, Big Christmas, which is a mix of romance and mystery. If your book club has already read and enjoyed The Santa Suit, then you might also want to consider Bright Lights, Big Christmas.
Boxes in the Basement
Book Summary
A personal tragedy has Abby looking for a fresh start, so she packs up her home in San Francisco and moves across the country to Holiday Bay, Maine, where she’s purchased an old seaside mansion sight unseen. Abby just wants some time alone to heal, but the giant Maine Coon cat that’s been living in the house has no intention of leaving. Abby is not a cat person… or at least she doesn’t think she is.
Around the time that Abby arrives in Holiday Bay, a local girl is murdered. When Abby finds boxes in the basement of her new home that she thinks might provide clues about the killer, she finds herself caught in the middle of a complicated case. But Abby is up for the challenge – after all, she’s a New York Times bestselling mystery writer and the widow of a homicide detective, so she knows a thing or two about investigating.
More Books You May Enjoy
This short mystery (146 pages) is the first book in a 32-book cozy mystery series, and all the books are included with Kindle Unlimited.
For another cute holiday cozy perfect for dog lovers, try Dachshund Through the Snow by Rosie A. Point.
What Child Is This
Book Summary
Years ago Jack and Maggie Harris lost their child at Christmas. This Christmas Eve, they’ve lost their home to the London Blitz. With nowhere to go and nothing but memories to take with them, they settle into a seemingly deserted mansion for the night.
Inside the mansion they find the needed shelter and warmth, but surprisingly they also find some holiday cheer thanks to the unexpected compassion of strangers.
What to Expect in This Short Story
Despite being only 55 pages, readers say this novella is heartwarming historical fiction read. While you’ll be left wondering what comes next for the characters, it’s ultimately a story of hope during dark times.
A Time-Travel Christmas
Book Summary
It’s Christmas Eve 2022, and things aren’t going well for Elizabeth. Her job has been downsized, and her boyfriend has broken up with her. Things go from bad to worse when she learns that her beloved grandmother has passed away unexpectedly. Now she’ll be spending the holiday season planning a funeral. Broken-hearted, Elizabeth makes a wish on the brightest star in the Christmas Eve sky to see her grandmother one more time.
On Christmas Eve 1957, Dodie is at home taking care of her sick little sister while her mom picks her dad up from the airport. Betsy’s fever suddenly spikes to a dangerous high, and the snowstorm knocks out the power and phone lines. When her parents are late returning home and Betsy becomes non-responsive, Dodie begins to panic. Then a woman appears at the front door, saying she’s lost. She feels vaguely familiar to Dodie, and Dodie certainly needs help, so she opens the door and lets Elizabeth in.
Themes in This Book
This time-travel Christmas novella focuses on family and togetherness rather than romance.
Join Our Christmas Reading Mini Challenge
Can’t get enough seasonal reading? Neither can we! We have a self-paced Christmas reading challenge just for you. To make it easy and fun, we include highly-rated book recommendations for each of the Christmas reading prompts.
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