Holiday Romances Staff Picks (12/17/24)

This month, we’re sharing our favorite holiday-themed romance books to get you in the holiday spirit!

AMANDA’S PICK: THE CHRISTMAS INN BY PAMELA M. KELLEY

When Riley Sanders goes to Cape Cod to help her mother run the inn for the Christmas rush, she not only finds delicious cookies and a crackling fire, but also a second chance at romance, a deeper sense of found family, and all the joy and wonder that comes with Christmastime on Cape Cod. A feel-good novel as delightful and comforting as a cup of hot chocolate on a cold winter’s night, THE CHRISTMAS INN is Pamela Kelley’s most heartwarming and magical book yet.

EMILY’S PICK: THE MERRIEST MISTERS BY TIMOTHY JANOVSKY

This quirky and cozy love story is full to the brim with Christmas magic. Patrick and Quinn have been married for less than a year, but their passionate romance is cracking under the pressure of domestic life. Until Christmas Eve when Patrick wakes Quinn up with: “I think I’ve killed a man.” Turns out, the man in question is none other than Mr. Claus himself, so now Quinn and Patrick must work together to save Christmas. This queer take on a beloved classic is full of hijinks, hope, holiday cheer.

MARGO’S PICK: CHRISTMAS IN ASPEN BY ANITA HUGHES

As someone whose favorite place to be in the winter is Colorado, this book instantly grabbed my attention. Aspen is the perfect holiday setting, and Anita Hughes never fails with her heartwarming Christmas novels! Caroline is heading to her late mother’s upstate cabin in Hudson for the holidays. But when she arrives, she finds a letter from a man declaring his love for her mother–and the return address is Santa’s Little Red mailbox in Aspen, Colorado. She hops on the next flight to meet the mysterious man, but things get complicated when she meets another man in town and is drawn to him. As she finds out the truth about her mother’s love, she starts to unravel secrets of her own past. It’s about the magic of Christmas, fate, and how love can find us in unexpected places.

HALLIE’S PICK: THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE KISSMAS BY SARA RAASCH

If your plans for the holiday season involve settling in for a yearly rewatch of The Nightmare Before Christmas, this book is for you. Halloween meets Christmas with some spice in this quirky romance where the golden-hearted Prince of Christmas falls for the totally off-limits Prince of Halloween. It’s a fake competition between two holiday princes who can’t keep their hands off each other over a marriage of convenience that no one wants. All leading to one of the sweetest, sexiest, messiest, most delightfully unforgettable love stories of the season.