20 Romantic Christmas Book Recommendations

SUMMARY:

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, but not for Maelyn Jones. She’s living with her parents, hates her going-nowhere job, and has just made a romantic error of epic proportions.

But perhaps worst of all, this is the last Christmas Mae will be at her favorite place in the world—the snowy Utah cabin where she and her family have spent every holiday since she was born, along with two other beloved families. Mentally melting down as she drives away from the cabin for the final time, Mae throws out what she thinks is a simple plea to the universe: Please. Show me what will make me happy.

Hint: The universe has a wicked sense of humor.

SUMMARY:

Haley Hanson’s idea of the perfect Christmas is escaping to the Caribbean to work so she can avoid all the traditional Christmas distractions. Over the years, she’s sacrificed her personal life to climb the corporate ladder at a prestigious Boston advertising agency.

Now she just needs to land a coveted Christmas toy company account to make partner. But first her boss thinks she needs a holiday attitude adjustment and ships her off to a Christmas Camp at Holly Peak Inn to help her find her Christmas spirit.

SUMMARY:

When newly-divorced Ivy Perkins buys an old farmhouse sight unseen, she is definitely looking for a change in her life. The Four Roses is a labor of love, but Ivy didn't bargain on just how much labor.

At the top of a closet, Ivy finds an old Santa suit with a note written in a childish hand in a pocket from a little girl who has one Christmas wish: for her father to return home from the war.

Her desire to solve the mystery connects her with the local community in ways she never imagined, even when all she wanted was to lick her wounds in solitude.

SUMMARY:

When chef Charlie Goodwin gets hit on the head on the L.A. set of her reality baking show, she loses a lot more than consciousness; she also loses her ability to taste and smell - both critical to her success as show judge.

Meanwhile, Charlie's identical twin, Cass, is frantically trying to hold her own life together back in their quaint mountain hometown while running the family's bustling bakery and dealing with her ex, who won't get the memo that they're over.

With only days until Christmas, a desperate Charlie asks Cass to do something they haven't done since they were kids: switch places. This can't be a good idea, right?

SUMMARY:

There’s a royal wedding on, and things are about to get interesting.

The man of honor is Maximillian von Hansburg, Baron of Laudon and heir to the Duke of Aquilla. He’s been dumped by a princess, he’s unemployed, and his domineering father has sent him to New York to meet a prospective bride he has no interest in.

The best woman is newly single, no-nonsense New Yorker Dani is done with love. But Max is the perfect partner for snow angels in Central Park and deep conversations about the futility of love.

It’s all fun and games until their friendship deepens into attraction and, oops…

SUMMARY:

Ten years ago, a young and naïve Cassie married her first serious boyfriend, believing he would be with her forever. Now her marriage is in tatters and Cassie has no career or home of her own.

Though she feels betrayed and confused, Cassie isn't giving up. She's going to take control of her life. But first she has to find out where she belongs . . . and who she wants to be.

SUMMARY:

When Declan Lorne, the last remaining knight in Ireland, dies suddenly, his estate on Ireland’s rugged south-west coast is left to his three daughters. The two eldest inherit in line with expectations, but to everyone’s surprise the baby of the family gets the castle.

Something unknown made her turn her back on her family three years earlier, escaping to Dublin and vowing never to return. She announces she is selling up, with a sweet revenge that pushes the sisters to breaking point.

SUMMARY:

There’s only one thing standing in the way of Cat King saving a small town’s Christmas festival: Grumpy town manager Noah Yates.Single dad Noah takes his responsibilities seriously. When a late season hurricane turns Merry, Connecticut, into a disaster, he’s left scrambling to pick up the pieces of the town he loves.

At least, until home renovation expert and smoking hot reality TV star Catalina King arrives with a camera crew and a budget big enough to put the town back together again. But Noah doesn’t want a celebrity diva capitalizing on their tragedy or filling his daughter’s head with visions of glitz and glam.

SUMMARY:

Elinor Noel—Nory for short—is quite content running her secondhand bookshop in London. Forever torn between her working-class upbringing and her classmates’ extravagant lifestyles at the posh private school she attended on scholarship, Nory has finally figured out how to keep both at equal distance. So when two of her oldest friends invite their whole gang to spend the time leading up to their wedding together at the castle near their old school, Nory must prepare herself for an emotionally complicated few days.

The reunion brings back fond memories, but also requires Nory to dodge an ill-advised former fling. When she falls quite literally into the arms of Isaac, the castle’s head gardener, who has nothing but contempt for the "snobby prep school kids," the attraction between them is undeniable. And as Nory spends more time with Isaac during the wedding festivities, she finds herself falling hard for the boy she used to consider an enemy. Nory and Isaac explore their common ground, but pressures mount on all sides, and Nory must decide what kind of life she wants to live and what sort of love is worth the risk . . .

SUMMARY:

Ever since Scarlett Bailey was a little girl, White Oaks Inn has been at the heart of her Christmases. Each holiday, her grandmother fills the old-fashioned hotel with the scents of cinnamon and chocolate.

But this year will be the Baileys’ last Christmas there unless Scarlett can convince Charlie Bryant, a handsome, successful property developer, to invest in her beloved inn.

SUMMARY:

Lauren Richmond isn’t a fan of Christmas.Which is why she rarely makes the trip home to the Midwest for the holidays. After all, she has plenty to keep her busy—namely, her duties as a set decorator on a TV sitcom.But this December, Lauren‘s brother and his wife are expecting a baby, so her brother arranges a ride home for her with his good friend, Will.

Unfortunately for Lauren, she’s been trying to forget college baseball coach and childhood crush Will Sinclair for more than ten years.

Now, thanks to her fear of flying, she’s stuck in a car with him from California to Illinois

SUMMARY:

Growing up as an orphan, Angela Stark has never been a fan of the holiday season, even though she was a Christmas baby. This year is no exception when everything that could possibly go wrong does, and she and her elderly cat are about to be homeless.

Her last resort is to move in temporarily with her best friend who is allergic to cats. But then, a letter arrives that changes everything, and she heads to Nantucket. It seems like the perfect financial solution that will enable her to return home to San Francisco a few months later.

SUMMARY:

This New Year will bring widowed nurse Abigail Powell a fresh start in a different city. Excited about the chance to create an unforgettable Christmas for her young son in picturesque Silver Bells, Colorado, Abby has been hired to take care of her dear friend’s recuperating grandmother.

But sprightly senior Winnie insists she doesn’t need looking after. What she does need is help decorating her historic mansion, Holiday House, for a seasonal town fundraiser. Abby warms to the festive task, but she’ll have to contend with her own personal Grinch: Winnie’s prickly grandson, Ethan Lancaster.

SUMMARY:

Angel’s View Ranch has always been special to Annelise McCade. Once upon a time, it was her family’s land, until her grandfather sold it to billionaire Wallace Sheridan. Now employed as the live-in caretaker, Annie is just trying to make it through the holidays with both her sanity and her niece's and nephew’s faith in the magic of Christmas intact.

When she brings her orphaned relatives to visit, she tells no one, as the Sheridans haven’t visited in years. Of course Tate Sheridan shows up out of the blue two weeks before Christmas, and there go all her carefully laid plans.

SUMMARY:

Friendly and bubbly, Julia Padden likes nearly everyone, but her standoffish neighbor, Cain Maddox, presents a particular challenge. When Julia catches Cain stealing her newspaper from the lobby of their apartment building, that’s the last straw.

She decides to kill him with kindness, chronicling her acts of kindness via a blog that becomes a smash hit. But will that be what prevents true love from triumphing?

SUMMARY:

Fifteen years after leaving school behind, four friends return for a reunion, laughing, reminiscing, and chatting how much has changed—and how much hasn’t. Frankie suggests a singles cruise for the holidays.

Aboard the ship, the entertainment options are endless, the food is to die for, and the passenger list includes hundreds of eligible men. Holidays—like the path of love itself—don’t always go exactly as planned, but over the course of one festive, unforgettable week, all four will set sail on surprising new adventures.

SUMMARY:

Laid off from her job, Carmen has perilously little cash and few options. The prospect of spending Christmas with her perfect sister Sofia, in Sofia’s perfect house with her perfect children and her perfectly ordered yuppie life does not appeal.

Frankly, Sofia doesn’t exactly want her prickly sister Carmen there either, but she needs her help. Carmen moves in and takes a job at a shabby bookshop that just might help her revive not just the store but also her fractured family.

SUMMARY:

When the Murphy women are in trouble, they always know they can turn to their mother. So when eldest daughter Caroline and her husband announce they are divorcing—and the teenager acts out in response—Caroline can’t think of anything to do besides leave her with her mother in Peachtree Bluff for the holidays.

After all, how much trouble can one teenager get into on a tiny island? Quite a lot, as it turns out.

SUMMARY:

Christina Antonioni is preparing for the holidays at her Nantucket toy shop, unpacking last-minute shipments and decorating for her loyal Christmas shoppers. But when her Scrooge of a landlord, Oscar Bittlesman, raises her rent, it seems nearly impossible for Christina to continue business on the wharf.

Will Wink's uncle help turn this disaster into the best Christmas any of them have ever had?

SUMMARY:

Shell Smith is the most popular make-up artist on the ART counter at Duke & Sons, a beautiful but old-fashioned department store in her hometown. But whilst Shell's love life is looking up, now that she's dating long-time crush Nick, and business is booming in the beauty department, the rest of the store is noticeably quiet.

The owner's grandson Callum has come up with some creative ways to keep Duke & Sons afloat this Christmas, including allowing a production company to secretly film a romcom after hours. Yeah, things are going to get complicated.