25 Best Christmas Romance Novels That Will Make You Merry

Alaskan Holiday

Author Debbie Macomber

Josie is a chef who takes a summer job in a small town in Alaska before coming back home to her dream job, and she instantly falls in love with the town of Ponder. There she hones her craft as a chef and becomes attracted to a man named Palmer. Soon, the two are in love, but Josie is still determined to leave at the end of the summer so that her career goals can be met. Due to circumstances beyond her control, however, she ends up staying in Alaska for the holidays – and what a magical holiday it ends up being.

Catching Christmas

Author Terri Blackstock

Sydney is a lawyer who also takes care of her ailing, wheelchair-bound grandmother. Her grandmother, Miss Callie, often takes taxi rides to get where she needs to go, and when she ends up with Finn as her driver, she enlists his help in finding her granddaughter a date for the upcoming Christmas holidays. As soon as Finn meets Sydney, he is attracted to her, but even though he is willing to help Miss Callie with this task, he wonders if she has ulterior motives in mind.

Season of Wonder

Author RaeAnne Thayne

Dani is the divorced mother of two young girls, and when she is offered a chance to start over again, she finds herself in a small town in Idaho in charge of a veterinarian clinic. Her daughters aren’t as crazy about the town as she is, and when the three of them meet their neighbor, a deputy sheriff named Ruben, Dani tries to avoid him because she doesn’t want her heart broken again. But, Ruben is starting to care for her daughters, and he is about to show her what Christmas is like in their small town, feeling confident she’ll never want to leave afterwards.

A Christmas By the Sea

Author Melody Carlson

Wendy is a widow with a 12-year-old son who just inherited a seaside cottage in Maine, so the two of them move into it temporarily so that renovations can be made before she sells it to get the money she needs. Wendy has every intention of going back to Ohio after she sells the cottage, but one Christmas with a craftsman named Caleb makes her rethink everything. A heartwarming and touching love story that shows how magical Christmas can truly be.

The Christmas Company

Author Alys Murray

Kate lives in a town that is known nationwide for their Christmas festivals and traditions, and it is her favorite time of year. She plunges into action when a real-life Scrooge threatens to ruin it all, but it isn’t long before she realizes that Clark might need some rescuing of his own. A heartwarming romantic story that involves two completely different people who just might have enough in common to stay together even after Christmas is gone.

Mistletoe Miracles

Author Jodi Thomas

In an uplifting story that involves Christmas and three different couples, the Christmas spirit found in the town of Crossroads, Texas, cannot be overlooked. Griffin is a man who is about to lose his ranch and thinks marrying a wealthy woman might be the answer to his prayers. Jaxon is a loner who likes his solitude, until a car accident brings a stranger to his door. And Jamie Johnson, who enjoys being single, finds a strange man lying on her sofa, whom everyone thinks is her husband. Often funny and heartwarming to the end, this is one story you’ll never forget.

Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery

Author Jenny Colgan

It is Christmastime, and Polly is busy operating her bakery and baking things such as gingerbread cookies and other goodies to celebrate the Christmas season. She is also looking forward to spending the holidays with Huckle, her boyfriend, but when a severe storm cuts the entire village off from the mainland, it is up to the entire town to make sure that Christmas doesn’t go unrecognized this year.

The Christmas Room

Author Catherine Anderson

Maddie is still heartbroken over the death of her husband, so she moves to a small town in Montana to start over again. Her neighbor, Sam, is suffering from a loss as well, but his and Maddie’s relationship seems to be filled with bitterness and contempt. When their grown children fall in love, they realize they must put their differences aside, and they also discover firsthand how important it is to have someone by your side when the going gets rough.

Dear Santa

Author Nancy Naigle

Angela’s Christmas store is about to be challenged when a big chain store sets up shop in her small North Carolina town. Her niece suggests that she write to Santa through an app, and she does so because after all, it can’t hurt. When the woman who usually answers letters in the app falls ill, it falls into her son’s hands to take over. The problem is, this is the same man who owns the big-city chain store that threatens Angela’s business.

Twelve Days of Christmas

Author Debbie Macomber

Julia is bubbly and pleasant, but has a grumpy, Scrooge-like neighbor named Cain. The two do not get along, but Julia is determined to change that. She starts a blog called Twelve Days of Christmas, and begins to kill him with kindness, doing things such as bringing him homemade Christmas treats. Eventually, the two become enamored with one another, but what will Cain do when he finds out Julia has been chronicling their relationship online?

Christmas on Mistletoe Lane

Author Annie Rains

Kaitlyn and Mitch are the owners of a small bed-and-breakfast facility in the mountains of North Carolina. They are fixing it up for the upcoming Christmas holiday, but Mitch is determined to leave once it is up and running. The couple butt heads at every turn, but can a beautiful small town and the devotion of the inn’s other owner, Kaitlynn, make Mitch realize what is truly important in life – and not just at Christmas time?

We'll Always Have Christmas

Author Jenny Hale

Noelle loves Christmas, but this year she is struggling to save her family’s bakery and taking care of a grouchy old man named William, who lives in a sprawling mansion. She does everything she can to soften William’s heart, and when she meets his grandson Alexander, she is immediately smitten with him. Now Noelle has three goals – save her business, reunite William with someone he thought he’d lost, and establish a relationship with the sweet and sexy Alexander.

The Christmas Eve Letter

Author Elyse Douglas

When Eve finds an old lantern in an antique shop, she immediately notices there’s a letter hidden inside of it. Much to her surprise, it is an unopened letter dated Christmas Eve in 1885. To make things even odder, it is addressed to a woman with the same name as her! When she gets home, she lights the lantern and is automatically transported back to 1885. Things get interesting from there, but even with a new potential love named Patrick, she knows she eventually has to get back to her own time.

The Mistletoe Promise

Author Richard Paul Evans

Elise is broken after her divorce, and when it gets close to the Christmas season she becomes even more apprehensive. After all, no one wants to be alone during the holidays. When a neighbor offers her a proposition that involves them being a “fake” couple until Christmas, she is surprised to hear herself accepting it. But, these are two people with secrets, and they are secrets that eventually threaten the newfound joy she is finding in their fake relationship.

Sugar Pine Trail

Author RaeAnne Thayne

Julia is a librarian ready to ditch the life she’s currently living. She’s also falling for a neighbor named Jamie, but he is a heartbreaker who Julia feels isn’t quite right for her. Still, when she gets put in charge of two small boys for the holidays, she enlists Jamie’s help because she has no one else to turn to. Jamie’s gruff exterior melts away when he’s around the kids, causing Julia to wonder if their family-like arrangement might possibly last until after the Christmas season.

A Time for Christmas

Author Monique Martin

Simon and Elizabeth are time-travelers who are asked to go back in time and convince Charles Dickens to write his beloved story, A Christmas Carol. Public interest in Christmas is waning, and the experts think this may be the reason why. The couple think it’s nonsense when first presented with this task, but soon they are on their way to 1843 London to convince Dickens that no future Christmas will ever be the same unless he writes his heartwarming story.

The Trouble with Mistletoe

Author Jill Shalvis

When Keane walks into Willa’s pet shop, she immediately recognizes him as the boy who broke her heart in high school. Keane, on the other hand, can’t understand why she acts as though she’s mad at him. All he needs is someone to babysit his aunt’s cat from Hell for a bit. But, even though Keane is clueless, that doesn’t mean he’s off the hook. Willa decides to rely on Christmas mistletoe to get Keane back, it produces some heartwarming results in the end.

A Wells Landing Christmas

Author Amy Lillard

When Ivy and Zeb’s relationship ends, Ivy decides she never wants to see him again, but when he returns much later – just in time for the Christmas holidays – he is determined to gain her forgiveness and maybe start all over again. Zeb knows he made a big mistake when he left Ivy, but Ivy is unsure she will ever trust him again. In the end, their most challenging and important Christmas gift ends up being their new relationship.

Hope at Christmas

Author Nancy Naigle

Sydney is a divorcee who returns to her home in North Carolina to recover from her divorce. Mac is a single dad who teaches history and coaches baseball at the local school. He also plays Santa every year, something he hopes to pass on to his young son one day. When the bookstore where Sydney works closes down right before Christmas, the entire town feels disappointed. But, when Sydney’s ex-husband tries to singlehandedly ruin the holiday for her, she and Mac have to fight to make sure that doesn’t happen.

My Kind of Christmas

Author Robyn Carr

What happens when a man and woman intent on being alone for Christmas discover each other and decide they’d rather be alone … together? This is the predicament that Patrick and Angie are in, and they are thoroughly enjoying their newfound relationship. But, it isn’t long before both of their families get involved and try to split the couple up – for different reasons. Can their relationship survive this interference, and can they enjoy Christmas like they intended to?

One Snowy Night

Author Jill Shalvis

Rory needs to get home to her family for Christmas, but her only ride comes in the form of an irritating, but handsome young man named Max. Rory has had a crush on Max since high school and feels fairly certain he feels the same. A long road trip through snowy conditions should tell her for sure how he feels about her, but first they have to face their past and Max has to let her know why he left her in the first place. Not an easy feat, but in the end a snowstorm brings them together at last.

Christmas at Carnton

Author Tamera Alexander

Aletta is a widow trying to survive financially so she can take care of her young son. Jake was a captain in the Confederate army and was wounded during one of their battles, and when he is ordered to help with an auction for the local Women’s Relief Society, he is not that thrilled at first. But, an order is an order, and soon Jake is in a room filled with ladies. But, one in particular catches his attention, and if this one can learn to trust again, the two just might have a future together.

A Very Vintage Christmas

Author Tilly Tennant

Dodie owns a vintage shop and absolutely loves the pieces she sells to her customers. When an old coat arrives in her store with a letter inside the pocket, and when she decides to deliver it to its rightful owner, she finds that person no longer lives there. However, the current tenant, Edward, agrees to help her find this person. A perfect sweep-you-off-your-feet story that shows that miracles can always happen during the holidays.

The Christmas Secret

Author Donna VanLiere

Christine is a single mom to two young children and is struggling to make ends meet. Her waitressing job allows her to get by, but she is in danger of losing it because of unreliable babysitters. When she saves a woman’s life in Wilson’s Department Store, the owner of the store wants to thank her. But, unfortunately, Christy has already left the store. He asks his grandson Jason to find this mysterious young woman, but the task offers him more than he bargained for. A sweet holiday tale that teaches you how important faith and hope are not just at Christmastime, but all year long.

Wyoming Winter

Author Diana Palmer

J.C. is a rancher whose heart is hardened because his fiancée got pregnant with another man’s child. But, Colie left J.C. for his own good, which she can’t make him understand right now. A band of criminals is after Colie and her daughter, and she must depend on J.C. to get her to safety. Through it all, the couple has to confront the lies that tore them apart and the truth that could help them get back together, all while making sure their lives don’t get cut short by the bad guys.

What You Need to Know about Christmas Romance

As they say, Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. Reading a heartwarming story about the holiday season brings a bit of holiday cheer with a cup of cocoa and a dash of romance.

As a subgenre of romance literature, Christmas romance book options are a favorite among readers rooting for that classic holiday magic and festive spirit combined with sweet romance.

Christmas romance books are great additions to any book club selection, whether it starts as a fake relationship story or even a female-female love story.

To know more about this holiday surprise, read on and get your dose of a very Hallmark Christmas and festive spirit wrapped in a novel. 

1. What are the usual tropes in Christmas romance novels?

The tropes in these adult books are familiar. One may have lost love and then found it again; others are about second-chance love and new love.

There are also accidental pregnancies in the bustle of city life, the grump eldest sister finally finding joy, and even hidden babies. Add the fact that these all happen with a holiday back-drop, making the stories just as sweet and suitable as Christmas hot cocoa.

Therefore, one has a lot of book options in this genre. Seeing that red-and-green-spangled Christmas world and how characters fall in love and fight for their relationships given a snowy or cold holiday back-drop makes the novels more thrilling.

2. What makes Christmas romance novels popular?

A lot of people deem the holidays a happy time. People find this happiness or relish or reminisce it through Christmas romances.

That’s also probably the reason why Christmas romance movies are hits. You see people meeting for the first time in an idyllic town and then falling in love.

You see a brilliant woman realizing that there’s more to life than career and success, even if the affair starts as a whirlwind romance. You see families reconciling during that initially dreaded holiday visit and hearing about an upcoming wedding or a fake engagement in disguise, gasp!

You get all these holiday memories and more and get that warm feeling as if you’re the one under a holiday mistletoe. It doesn’t hurt to read about a steamy romance, too.

3. Do you have examples of usual plots of Christmas romance?

As long as it’s a romance that happens in a holiday setting, it’s a book club selection for the Christmas Romance fan.

It could start with a bus ride in the snow, a chance meeting in a cozy bookstore, or even a spontaneous trip to London where someone who has never been to a British town finds love with a British woman.

Believe it or not, there’s even a ghost story set as Christmas romance; a lady who finds solace in a dead man’s ghost!

Thus, the next time you want to get into the holiday spirit again, grab an inviting holiday novella. It doesn’t have to be Christmas to enjoy something from your holiday anthology.

If you haven’t tried one, it could be your next perfect match in fiction or your holiday pairing with your Christmas dinner spread.

Happy Holiday, Happy Life!