‘Tis the Season for New Holiday Romance Books to TBR

This enemies-to-lovers Christmas tale is Ally Carter’s follow-up to The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year. It’s the second book in the Kiss, Merry, Kill series. After billionaire heir Liam Montgomery goes missing, the number one suspect is Ella Chambers, the daughter of the housekeeper. The truth? Liam isn’t even dead. He’s only pretending to be dead to track down the person who wants him dead. But will he be able to track his would-be killer down before Ella tracks him down?

Miss Congeniality meets Die Hard in Lauren Kung Jessen’s delightfully hilarious holiday rom-com/thriller. Scarlett Payne and Nathan Lambros are FBI agents and ex-lovers who clash on everything except for their mutual hatred of Christmas. But after Scarlett receives a letter from a “Sadistic Santa” threatening to sabotage Santa Claus Con, the unlikely duo have to team up. Who knew working together to stop a bomb from detonating would also bring up old feelings?

The “Meant to Be” series from Hyperion Avenue is a collection of adult romance novels reimagining Disney classics. The latest addition is this collection of holiday romance short stories from all of the series’ previous contributors. Each of the five best-selling romance authors contributes a story to the anthology, and the stories cover several winter holidays, including Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and Lunar New Year.

If you love a slow-burn friends-to-lovers story, you’ll absolutely adore Amanda Elliott’s new Hanukkah romance. Eight Ways to Say I Love You follows childhood friends Shira Levinson and Leo David as they reconnect over the course of eight family holiday celebrations. While distance and their respective careers might keep them apart for most of the year, the holidays keep pulling them back together. And what has been a meaningful friendship for most of their lives might finally turn into something more.

Bestselling romance author Abby Jimenez’s delightful contribution to this holiday season is a collection of three interconnected romance novellas featuring some of our favorite romance tropes. “Sweater Weather” involves fake dating. “Stealing Christmas” features forced proximity and… a zombie Santa? And “Marry Little Christmas” follows a whirlwind 3-day romance between a best man and a maid of honor. The book also features delicious holiday recipes and 10 full-page illustrations drawn by the author’s daughter, Maya Jimenez.

Is your favorite Christmas movie The Holiday? Then you’ll love this new holiday rom-com inspired by the holiday movie classic. Phoebe Keller and Arden Torres are both looking for an escape from their less-than-perfect lives. So they impulsively decide to switch houses—Phoebe leaves snowy Seattle for Arden’s sunny small town in Florida and vice versa. But surprises await both women. While in Florida, Phoebe runs into an old friend at a Christmas market, which opens the door to a potential second chance romance. And Arden connects with Phoebe’s brother, who refuses to let Arden spend Hanukkah alone.

In this sapphic holiday romance, Alaina is on a cross-country road trip to get her ex-boyfriend back when she crashes into a snowbank and finds herself stranded in a small town in Utah. Enter Priscilla, the no-nonsense local bookstore owner who does not care about Christmas whatsoever. Still, she begrudgingly agrees to help Alaina complete her Christmas bucket list while she waits for car repairs. But the more time the women spend together, the more something starts to awaken in them. Alaina is realizing she might be queer—and maybe Christmas isn’t so bad after all.

Aries Skye’s contemporary Christmas romance is a heartwarming story about family, memories, and second chances. When her father falls ill, Amariah Luke returns home to the small town of Skye Ridge to help take care of the family business. There she is reunited with her childhood best friend and the one that got away, Jacob Gold. Jacob has not been able to stop thinking about Amariah since she left Skye Ridge, and he’s ready to win her back.