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book review,  Books

Five Christmas Romances to Curl Up with this December

five christmas romances

Confession: I find it difficult to get into Christmas novels when it’s (1) not even Thanksgiving and (2) it’s still 97º here in Texas. I was naughty. I waited until closer to Thanksgiving to begin to read these five lovely, uplifting Christmas romances and then share them with YOU in December, when you’re REALLY in the Christmas spirit. Except that this year has been more disorganized than most, so I’m even later getting this out.

Which, really, should be perfect timing, actually. You’ve probably knocked out most of your list over Black Friday and Cyber Monday (well done, you)! Now, you’re looking for something to curl up with while you drink hot cocoa and feel smug about your Christmas shopping.

OR…

You want a book to curl up with so you can pretend that you don’t have a looming Christmas list to shop for and no ideas.

Either way, I’ve got you covered! Here are FIVE lovely novels of Christmas cheer to start off with because everyone needs an uncomplicated happily ever after tale from time to time. Two are a bit fluffier and pure fun. The other three have a little Christmas drama mixed in with the lighter bits and expected quirkier characters – something for everyone!

Christmas Romances with a Dash of Drama

Five Christmas Romances to Curl Up with this DecemberChristmas in Silver Springs by Brenda Novak
on October 29, 2019
Genres: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, Holiday, Women
Pages: 432
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Come home to Silver Springs for the holidays, where broken hearts learn to love again...together.

So much for forever. When Harper Devlin's rock star husband ditches her on his way to the top, she takes her two daughters to her sister's place in Silver Springs for the holidays, hoping family can heal her broken heart. But comfort comes in unexpected places when she crosses paths with local Tobias Richardson.

The moment Tobias spots Harper, he recognizes a sadness he knows all too well. After spending thirteen years in prison paying for his regretful past, Tobias is ready to make amends, and maybe helping Harper is the way to do it. But offering her a shoulder to cry on ignites a powerful attraction and a desire neither saw coming.

Fearing her reaction, Tobias doesn't reveal his checkered past. He's falling hard, and if Harper finds out, he'll lose her for good, especially because her famous ex is now trying to win her back. Secrets have a way of coming out, but maybe this Christmas will bring Tobias the forgiveness--and the love--he deserves.

three-half-stars

Brenda Novak returns to the town of Silver Springs in Christmas in Silver Springs. (Note: his book works well as a standalone.) It is a wistful, emotional romance told from two points of view – Tobias and Harper. With this dual POV, we know Tobias is keeping something pretty big from Harper, who is still reeling from her divorce. Novak has written strong and vivid characters; multiple storylines twist together but each one has it’s own need for healing and acceptance. This is a story about both, as well as one of love and forgiveness.

Of all the novels on this list, Christmas is the least integral to the storyline – it could be set in (and read during) any time of the year.

Five Christmas Romances to Curl Up with this DecemberA Perfect Cornish Christmas by Phillipa Ashley
Published by HarperCollins UK on October 31, 2019
Genres: Fiction, Holidays, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Family & Relationships
Pages: 400
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Escape to Cornwall this Christmas in this Top 10 bestselling new romance.

‘Sparkling and festive, as satisfying as figgy pudding and clotted cream – loved it!’ Milly Johnson

Christmas in Cornwall is just around the corner...

But after last Christmas revealed a shocking family secret, Scarlett’s hardly feeling merry and bright. All she wants this Christmas is to know who her real father is.

So Scarlett heads to the little Cornish town of Porthmellow, where she believes the truth of her birth is hidden. She just didn’t bargain on being drawn into the Christmas festival preparations – or meeting Jude Penberth, whose charm threatens to complicate life further.

Everything will come to a head at Porthmellow’s Christmas Festival ... But can Scarlett have the perfect Christmas this year, or are there more surprises on the way?

Curl up with this gorgeous novel and savor the world of Porthmellow Harbour.

four-stars

A Perfect Cornish Christmas by Phillipa Ashley is a delightful read full of romance with a dash of family drama and a little mystery to boot. The storyline is driven by a less-than-successful Christmas gift the year before. This book digs a little deeper than many of the Christmas-themed books I’ve read. It also offered a few twists I was not expecting. It’s a story about family, healing, and finding love. Just a lovely story for the season.

Five Christmas Romances to Curl Up with this DecemberChristmas at Silver Falls by Jenny Hale
Published by Bookouture on October 15, 2019
Genres: Fiction, Romantic Comedy, Holiday, Contemporary
Pages: 274
Goodreads

A beautiful festive romance, all about the joy of Christmas with family, second chances, and finding love under the falling snow. This enchanting and uplifting read will have you both laughing and crying while it warms your heart.

White Oaks Inn has always been at the heart of Christmas celebrations for Scarlett Bailey and her family. Her adored gran has owned the rambling, old-fashioned hotel, filled with the scent of cinnamon and chocolate, since Scarlett was a little girl. But now her gran’s home is under threat. And it looks like it could be the Baileys’ last Christmas together there…

Over the holiday season, amidst much-loved festive traditions of baking cookies and decorating the tree, Scarlett throws herself into saving the hotel. When she hears that Charlie Bryant, a handsome, successful property developer, is spending December in Silver Falls, Scarlett is hopeful he might be the answer to their problems.

When they meet, sparks fly between impulsive Scarlett and business-like Charlie – as they both have very different ideas for the future of White Oaks. Scarlett is determined to show him how much White Oaks Inn means to her family and the guests who return there every year and, as they spend more time together, she begins to realize there is more to Charlie than his serious appearance…

But Charlie is struggling with a secret from his own past. Will he be able to face it, or will it stop him from truly opening up and getting close to anyone? And can Scarlett share the true meaning of Christmas with him and save her gran’s beloved hotel along the way?

Embrace the wonder of Christmas in this gorgeous novel about living for the moment and finding love when you least expect it. Christmas at Silver Falls is the perfect festive indulgence for fans of Debbie Macomber, Susan Mallery and Sheila Roberts.

four-stars

If you are a Hallmark Christmas movie addict like I am, Christmas at Silver Falls by Jenny Hale will be right up your alley. (Author Hale has had two earlier books make into Hallmark movies!) This book is charming and lighthearted while delving into some more complex emotions.

This is a story about family, tradition, and forgiveness. It was, at times, a wee predictable. (Admit it: isn’t that kind of the point of these feel-good romances?) This definitely didn’t stop me from reading it in one sitting!


Lighthearted Christmas Romances

Five Christmas Romances to Curl Up with this DecemberChristmas Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
Published by Bantam Press on October 15, 2019
Genres: Holiday, Christmas, Contemporary, Humor, Women's Fiction
Pages: 365
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Celebrate Christmas with the ultimate Shopaholic!

The brilliant laugh-out-loud festive novel from the Number One bestselling author.

Becky Brandon (nee Bloomwood) adores Christmas. It's always the same - Mum and Dad hosting, carols playing, Mum pretending she made the Christmas pudding, and the next-door neighbours coming round for sherry in their terrible festive jumpers.

And now it's even easier with online bargain-shopping sites - if you spend enough you even get free delivery. Sorted!

But this year looks set to be different. Unable to resist the draw of craft beer and smashed avocado, Becky's parents are moving to ultra-trendy Shoreditch and have asked Becky if she'll host Christmas this year. What could possibly go wrong?

With sister Jess demanding a vegan turkey, husband Luke determined that he just wants aftershave again, and little Minnie insisting on a very specific picnic hamper - surely Becky can manage all this, as well as the surprise appearance of an old boyfriend and his pushy new girlfriend, whose motives are far from clear . . .

Will chaos ensue, or will Becky manage to bring comfort and joy to Christmas?

four-stars

Becky Brandon (née Bloomwood) returns in the 8th installment of the Shopaholic series. Christmas Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella quickly reveals that, after all this time, Becky has not changed one iota. When I first happily settled in for a catchup with a familiar heroine, I confess – older, more settled me found her more annoying and frustrating than I once did. Has she learned NOTHING after all these years? However, I soon got caught up in the rhythm of the story, where Becky, every the people pleaser and the perfectionist, strives to create the PERFECT Christmas for her family and dearest friends.

Underlying the sheer chaos you can spy the love behind her intentions and moments of pure selflesness (often taken to the extreme, as only Becky can). Likewise, just as underneath her maddening attempts to bring back her hipper, cooler self – I could related to those moments where we look in the mirror and say “where is that young, carefree, FUN person I used to be before I got bogged down in so much ADULTING”?

Of course, Becky always takes it a half-step too far, and that is where things spin out of control for her. I went from rolling my eyes to really relating to the lengths we can go to make a perfect holiday.

Five Christmas Romances to Curl Up with this DecemberOne Week ’Til Christmas by Belinda Missen
Published by HarperCollins UK on November 1, 2019
Genres: Fiction, Holidays, Romance, Contemporary, Women, Romantic Comedy
Pages: 150
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Two people. One chance meeting. Seven days to Christmas.

Isobel Bennett is waiting for the number 11 bus when a man quite literally falls into her lap. Snow is falling, Christmas lights are twinkling, and a gorgeous man with dark brown hair has just slipped on ice and is now pressed against Isobel.

Isobel knows she’s not imagining the chemistry between them. But then his ride arrives and, embarrassed, he beats a hasty retreat, murmuring apologies – and Isobel realizes only too late that she didn’t manage to catch his name...

When she runs into him again the next morning, she decides it’s fate.

It’s a second chance for Isobel and Tom – but there’s only one week until she’s leaving London for good. Seven days of enjoying all the festive delights the city has to offer: ice-skating at Somerset House, mulled wine on the Southbank, Christmas shopping at Liberty.

There’s magic in the air and mistletoe in the trees – but what will happen when the week is over?

For fans of Josie Silver, Lucy Diamond and Marian Keyes, this is one Christmas romance you don’t want to miss!

five-stars

Of all the books I’ve read this holiday season, One Week ‘Til Christmas by Belinda Missen was my absolute favorite. Missen’s story is lighthearted, charming and delightful – a fun look at Christmas in London, witty dialogue, and the happily-ever-after I’m looking for. (London is pretty much a secondary character in the story).

An entertaining, easy read with likable characters and the expected miscommunications, I dare you to read it and tell me you didn’t picture Tom as Benedict Cumberbatch! It has all the makings of a great Hallmark Christmas movie – can we get someone on this, please?

I’ll be looking for more stories from this author in the future.

Want more Christmas Novels?

Take a look at some past Christmas round-ups and reviews – the first includes sweet romances, the second a historical romance anthology with a western flair, and – if you fall into the “Die Hard is a Christmas Movie” contingent, if romance is decidedly not what you are looking for, and/or “disturbing psychological thrillers” (whether set during Christmas or not) are, the third link is meant for you!

5 christmas romances

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