Cozy, Christmas Romance Books
Cue the mistletoe 😘🎄
Looking for the perfect escape into a world of cozy Christmas romance books? We’ve curated a list of six delightful books that will make you laugh, fall in love, and embrace the magic of the holiday season. From heartwarming joy to that familiar Hallmark-style ease, each story comes with a dash of Christmas or holiday magic, making them perfect for your little infinite reading list this winter. And with our editors reviewing every book, you’re in for a treat!
& now from our merry little infinite editor, Alissa.
There are few things in the world that bring me as much pleasure as a stack of holiday-themed books on my nightstand. I start hoarding new reads in October, but I refuse to crack the spines of any of them until after Thanksgiving dinner is done, leftovers have been consumed, and the coffee pot is burbling away. Only then do I let myself pick a title, ask my partner to light a roaring fire, and dive into the adorable small town, the bustling big city, or the rural setting filled with cowboy boots and those who fill them.
Overwhelmed by the limitless possibilities? Start here!
These are titles that we are recommending for this holiday season.
The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter
Knives Out gets a holiday rom-com twist in this rivals-to-lovers romance-mystery from New York Times bestselling author Ally Carter.
I’m a huge fan of Ally Carter’s YA books, so I was excited to dive into this grown-up holiday title! It is a super-fun locked-room mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end.
Maggie and Ethan are both authors, but that’s where the similarities end. She’s the newly crowned queen of the cozy mystery, he’s Mr. Big-Time Thriller. He pretends not to know her name. She hates him.
When they both accept a cryptic invite to attend a Christmas party at the estate of a reclusive fan, neither one is expecting to come face-to-face with internationally beloved author Eleanor Ashley, the Duchess of Death herself.
The weather turns that night, and Maggie and Ethan discover the next morning that Eleanor is gone. She vanished from a locked room and there is absolutely nothing remotely resembling an explanation. Is this actually happening? Is Eleanor in actual danger? Maggie realizes that it is highly possible that Eleanor has created a scenario in which she and Ethan will “compete” to solve the mystery. Can she trust anything at all? Or anyone?
The snow is piling up outside, and it is showing no signs of stopping. The drifts are higher, the stakes are deeper, and the pair has to put their dislike for each other aside to work together to save a woman that might not even need saving. Or maybe she does. What in the hell happened to Eleanor?
More on Ally Carter:
Author Ally Carter is best known for her action-packed thrillers for young adults and the Winterborne Home books for younger kids. She knew she wanted to be a writer after reading SE Hinton’s The Outsiders and found out that it was written by a girl who lived not far from her in Oklahoma. Ally recently wrote a screenplay for A Castle for Christmas and discovered a passion for that kind of writing as well. This is her second novel for adults.
The Wedding Witch by Erin Sterling
The New York Times bestselling author of The Ex Hex and The Kiss Curse brightens up the Winter Solstice with another delightfully spooky novel following Bowen Penhallow and the girl he feels strangely drawn to–especially when she becomes his only hope of salvation after a strong spell sends them to a Yuletide celebration… more than 50 years in the past.
This is the third book in Erin Sterling’s Graves Glen series, and it is well worth the wait!
Bowen Penhallow has always been a loner. He likes quiet and solitude. He likes practicing ancient magic on a Welsh mountaintop. When his spooky friend Colin (a ghost) invites him to attend a Yuletide wedding on his behalf, Bowen reluctantly agrees to travel through the estate.
Tamsyn Bligh makes her money and her living off of witches, even though she isn’t one herself. She deals in magical items, and she sees Bowen in a professional capacity occasionally, when he is looking for something in particular. Tamsyn also sees Bowen in her dirty dreams waaaaaay more frequently than she sees him IRL. She has spent enough time around witches to know that it is never smart for a human to become romantically – or physically – involved with one. The invite she received to the witchy wedding of the decade will get her into close proximity with some priceless magical objects. Maybe this will be the score she can retire on!
It turns out that Tamsyn isn’t the only interloper creeping around the majestic Tywyll House. When a crazily strong spell is combined with an unexpected wedding mishap, Bowen and Tamsyn are somehow transported back 50 years into the house’s past, to the Yuletide Celebration of 1958.
The two have to work together to get back to the present, but first they have to discover the true secrets of Tywyll House. Somewhere between the celebrations, the revelations of a haunting, and the fact that they someone have to jump 50 years forward in time, Bowen and Tamsyn might be falling in love. That is a lot for one winter solstice! We loved this conclusion to the cozy Graves Glen trilogy!
The Holiday Honeymoon Switch by Julia McKay
Holly Beech and Ivy Casey have been best friends forever! She-knows-where-the-bodies-are-buried best friends, the kind that actually start to resemble each other physically as time goes on because they’ve spent so much time together.
When Holly’s fiancé jilts her just before the wedding, the only thing left is the nonrefundable honeymoon. Desperate to avoid the most depressing holiday season ever in the most beautiful place on the planet, she convinces Ivy to switch places. Holly will hide at Ivy’s Airbnb in the Hudson Valley, where she can wallow all by herself while she watches too-good-to-be-true holiday movies. Ivy will take the once-in-a-lifetime Hawaiian honeymoon that Holly can’t convince herself to go on. She’ll consider it a solo art retreat!
Holly’s mourning period is interrupted when she discovers that the host of the rented Airbnb turns out to be her number one academic rival in high school. He’s still a jerk, but he is a super-hot jerk now. And Ivy has problems of her own. Holly’s ex-fiancé just checked into the hotel’s honeymoon suite. With a woman who is DEFINITELY not Holly. Furious, accomodationless Ivy certainly doesn’t expect the super-sexy bartender to be the one who comes to her rescue. Maybe this vacay swap will turn into a Christmas miracle!
More on “Julia McKay”:
Julia McKay is the pen name of Marissa Stapley, a former magazine editor and a New York Times best selling author. Julia is also one half of the writing duo behind Maggie Knox and co-author on several other books. Her writing has appeared in Elle, Reader’s Digest, and The Globe and Mail, among other journals. Julia lives in Toronto with her family!
All I Want Is You by Falon Ballard
I am delighted to admit that I am a huge sucker for “just one bed” stories. This one was exactly what I wanted it to be!
Jessica is a small-time romance writer specializing in Happily Ever Afters. Nick is a much more famous big-time romance writer and also her biggest rival. And also, her ex-boyfriend.
When professional obligations bring both of them to a gorgeous, rustic inn a few days before Christmas, both of them are less than thrilled. And the fact that there is only one room left and it only has one bed leaves both of them pretty peeved. But honestly…what would two romance writers expect to happen?
Side note: If you love love, don’t miss the Happy to Meet Cute podcast, co-hosted by Falon! It a celebration of all things romantic.
Realizing that their interpersonal interactions just might be the cause of the writer’s block that both of them seem to be suffering, Jessica and Nick decide to team up and turn their woes into words. Suddenly the pages are flying, and a book actually starts taking shape. Jessica knows that she should not fall for Nick under any circumstances…but he just might be the only thing on her Christmas list!
Falon Ballard is the author of several rom coms (including Right on Cue, which is my fave Ballard title). When Falon isn’t writing, reading, or discussing a romance book, she is probably at Disneyland or scrolling on Etsy for fandom merch. She lives with her family in the LA area.
In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren
THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
Maelyn Jones has heard people say it is the most wonderful time of the year, but she has yet to see any evidence of it! Her romantic life is a series of disasters, she has a dead-end job that she hates, and she is living with her parents. HER PARENTS.
This will also be the last Christmas that Mae will spend at her favorite place in the entire world. The cabin that she and her family have shared with two other families for memorable holiday celebrations since before she was born. As she drives away from the picturesque, cozy cabin for the final time, Mae makes a simple wish to the entire universe: she just wants to be shown what it is that will actually make her happy.
The next thing Mae hears is the screech of tires and the scraping of metal, and then it all goes black. But when Mae gasps awake, she is in astonishment to find herself back on an airplane bound for Utah, where the entire day starts over again. She is stuck in a time loop, and she reawakens on the plane again, and again…and again.
Mae wants to break free of the weird time warp, but she has no clue how to go about it. But as time goes – or doesn’t go? – by, she realizes that maybe the universe is trying to tell her something after all. Is this a way to finally find true love under the mistletoe? One Christmas wish, two brothers, and a lifetime of dreams are on the line!
More on the Author(s):
Christina Lauren is the combined pen name of best friends and writing partners Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings. The two write both YA and adult fiction and have produced twenty New York Times bestsellers.
Lauren Billings has a doctorate in neuroscience from UC Irvine. She lives in California with two dogs, two kids, and her husband.
Christina Hobbs is a former junior high counselor and thinks she is the luckiest person in the world to work with her best friend every single day. She loves boy bands (BTS in particular!) and glitter and lives in Utah with her family.
A December to Remember by Jenny Bayliss
Maggie, Star, and Simone don’t really have a thing in common, if you don’t count the fact that they happen to be related. Their eccentric father, Augustus, was loved by all, which explains why the girls are only HALF sisters.
They used to have forced interactions as kids, when their father would have all of them to Rowan Thorp, his home, at the same time, but it has been years since the three of them were in the same place at the same time. The reading of their late father’s will necessitates a gathering however, and Maggie, Star, and Simone find themselves face to face for the first time in a very long time.
It becomes clear relatively quickly that Augustus wants his daughters to reconcile. He’s orchestrating a series of puzzles to solve and hoops to jump through. Star and Maggie both desperately need the money, and Simone is just along for the ride.
The women find themselves embroiled in a series of heartwarming holiday hijinks. But the small town gets ready for an epic winter solstice celebration. Peace, forgiveness, and reconciliation are in the seasonally air. Can the sisters manage to put years of pain and resentment aside and find each other again?
More on Jenny Bayless:
Jenny Bayliss is a real-life former professional cake baker. She is an empty nester living with her husband in a small seaside UK town. She returned to school at age 39 to pursue a degree in Creative and Professional Writing. In addition to writing seasonally themed romances, Jenny likes long walks and fun stationary.
We hope this list brings you tons of holiday cheer and we hope you get lots of reading done during the short, chilly days of winter. Best wishes for a lovely season, whatever you celebrate. Read, drink, and be merry! Want holiday poetry books? Read them here!
