Christmas Romance Booklist
Best Of,  Books,  Fiction,  Romance,  Sarah

Holiday Romance Novellas

It’s my Favorite Time of Year! – it’s time for Holiday Romance Novellas!

This year, my good friend Laura (from the What to Read Next Podcast) are sharing some of our favorite Holiday Romance Novellas! We love a great romantic novella any time of the year. Yet, around the holiday season, we want to read as many themed romances as we can!

Merry Inkmas by Talia Hibbert

  • Christmas loving hero who owns a tattoo shop hires his crush to be his receptionist
  • She is a tattoo virgin
  • He pops her cherry in a hot steamy scene at the tattoo shop

Cash Evans knows exactly what he wants for Christmas. Too bad he can’t have her.

The infamous tattoo artist’s been watching geeky Bailey Cooper for months, but that’s all he’ll ever do: watch. Bailey’s too sweet, too smart, too good for the likes of him, and he knows it. So Cash keeps his distance… until a Christmas miracle makes him Bailey’s boss.

Socially awkward Bailey learned long ago that men just aren’t worth the hassle. Take her new boss, Cash: he’s a brooding beast who avoids her like the plague, but he also fixes her plumbing, helps the homeless, and offers Bailey a place to stay for Christmas.

She’s never met anyone so confusing—or so impossible to resist. And the more Bailey learns about Cash and his demons, the more she thinks it’s time to stop fighting.

Christmas in July by Enni Amanda

  • This book is set in July but it’s snow season in New Zealand
  • The hero and heroine get stranded in a snowed-in cabin
  • One bed trope & super cute

As Riley scores a job on a feature film, she’s eager to prove herself to Damian, the famous director she can’t stop thinking about. When they fly to Queenstown, New Zealand, to film on the snowy mountains in July, she’s ready for any discomfort. What she’s not ready for is a snowstorm that cuts her off from the rest of the crew or an unexpected visitor who seeks shelter in her cabin.

Any other girl would love to cozy up with Jonas, a gorgeous ski instructor carrying bags of party food. Not Riley. She’s desperate to get back to her job, back to Damian. The last thing she’s looking for is a protective Swedish guy telling her what she can and can’t do. But as things start to slip out of her control, Riley is forced to rethink her priorities.

The Naughty List by Ellie Mae MacGregor

  • An open door romance where Mommy has sex with Santa
  • Lots of heat, and yay for mention of lube
  • You’ll never think of snow the same way

While delivering presents on Christmas Eve, Santa gets a gift of his own. 

Kate isn’t sure if Nikolai is the real deal, but this silver fox with big hands and thick thighs might just make her believe in Christmas miracles.

The Hook Up Before Christmas by Phyllis Bourne

  • The heroine is tired after working the holidays and wants a fun hookup
  • Heroine heads to her ex’s apartment only to find he is no longer living there
  • A disastrous meet-cute leads them to a hookup and the rest is history

Twas the night before Christmas, and all Toi Jameson has is a list of holiday demands from family and a bare tree still awaiting decorations. However, the tree isn’t her only neglect on this lonely night. Toi hopes a one-and-done hook-up with her ex will revive her holiday spirit. Instead, she gets a surprise that might land her on Santa’s naughty list.

All They Want for Christmas by Andie J. Christopher

  • Holiday threesome featuring an ex-boyfriend & his friend
  • Holiday Romance Novella with guaranteed sword crossing
  • Snowed in, all the hot & cozy Christmas vibes

Francesca Riley thinks she’s going home for Christmas with a fiancé. Instead, two nights before her trip, she gets dumped over dessert. And the cherry on top of the top of that fruit cake is that the whole thing happens in front of her ex-boyfriend, Cary—the one who got away—and his very intriguing friend.

When a blizzard hits DC and snows the three of them in at Cary’s townhouse, one night becomes more. And feelings get involved. When their lust melts the snow enough to go outside, will any of them be able to leave?

Maybe this Christmas by Susannah Nix 

  • A second chance romance that spans 9 years
  • We meet the couple every year at Christmas to see what they have been up to
  • Lots of will they, won’t they?

Two best friends. Ten Christmases. One happy ending.

When best friends Alexandra and Lucas share a first kiss on Christmas night their senior year of high school, it feels like the best years of their lives are ahead of them.

Then Alex goes off to college, and Lucas stays behind to work at his dad’s construction business in the small beach town where they grew up. Life, as they say, happens. And somewhere along the way these two high school sweethearts find they don’t have as much in common as they once did.

Lucas’s life is on Beaufort Island, and Alex is all about getting away and moving on. So he makes one of the hardest decisions of his life and lets her go.

But every year when Alex comes home for the holidays, fate conspires to reunite the two former lovebirds on Christmas Day. Year after year, through good times and bad, Lucas and Alex meet up, catch up, and reconnect on the anniversary of their first kiss.

Is it too much to hope that one year they’ll find their way back to each other permanently? Maybe even this Christmas.

Booked for Christmas by Lily Menon 

  • The heroine is a romance author and she is hosting a party in her remote cabin
  • Her biggest critic shows up as a plus one
  • There is a snowstorm and they get stranded in the cabin for a few day

Novelist Sophia Hart (real name: Sophie Bartholomew-Kaur-Hughes, but try fitting that on a book cover) absolutely hates her loudest critic—Evan Wolfe, evil mastermind behind the Lone Wolfe book review column. They’ve never met, but Wolfe’s favorite pastime seems to be dumping on Sophie’s unapologetically happy, magical romances. Sophie, not one to be left behind, gets her revenge in her own ways (never annoy a writer in search of a villain).

When Sophie decides to throw a holiday party at her cabin, Wolfe is the last person on her mind. But the universe has a twisted sense of humor. Not only does Wolfe show up as someone’s plus one, but a massive snowstorm blows in, stranding them both alone together in Sophie’s cabin.

Over the next few days, Sophie begins to realize that Wolfe isn’t as odiously cynical a man as she’d originally thought. In fact, he’s kind of…sweet. And impossibly hot. But still, Sophie’s been hurt before and she has so much to lose. What she needs is one sure sign that she and Wolfe are meant to be together. Will Sophie and Wolfe get their Christmas miracle?

Eight Cozy Nights by Julia Wolf

  • A cozy, open door & believable romance between two new neighbors
  • Romance occurs during the eight days of Hanukkah!
  • So cute &  the characters communicate so well

It’ll take a miracle for the two of them to last more than eight nights…

Larissa: Hanukkah’s never been my favorite holiday. In fact, I usually forget it’s happening. This year though, despite nearly being killed by my tall drink of water new neighbor, I’m in the mood to celebrate. Only I can’t seem to find my menorah…

Yo: Hanukkah’s one of my favorite holidays. I look forward to celebrating every December. This year could be more interesting than ever, when a gorgeous, curvy (and grumpy) woman moves in next door. Only I seem to have misplaced my candles…

Together these two opposites will light up the night.

One Snowy Night by Jill Shalvis

  • Part of the Heartbreaker Bay series, but is a stand-alone
  • The audio is wonderful & such a quick book about returning home
  • Bonus: the cover scene is true to the novel! 

It’s Christmas Eve and Rory Andrews is desperate to get home to the family she hasn’t seen in years. Problem is, her only ride to Lake Tahoe comes in the form of the annoyingly handsome Max Stranton, and his big, goofy, lovable dog Carl.

Hours stuck in a truck with the dead sexy Max sounds like a fate worse than death (not), but Rory’s out of options. She’s had a crush on Max since high school and she knows he’s attracted to her, too. But they have history… and Max is the only one who knows why it went south.

They’ve done a good job of ignoring their chemistry so far, but a long road trip in a massive blizzard might be just what they need to face their past… and one steamy, snowy night is all it takes to bring Max and Rory together at last.

Gifting Me To His Best Friend by Katee Robert

  • Threesome with husband & his best friend
  • Tons of open door romance
  • Holiday romance novella with sword crossing, hot tubs & more

This Christmas, my husband is going with an unconventional gift for his best friend.

Me.

It’s only supposed to be for one night… But one night becomes two, becomes our entire vacation. There are no rules except the ones we make, and sharing me brings both Derek and Grayson closer than any of us could have imagined.

This year, what happens in our bedroom will put all three of us on Santa’s Naughty List.

Mangos and Mistletoe by Adriana Herrera 

  • Think Great British Bake Off Competition where grumpy/sunshine heroines are assigned to work together to win the competition
  • We do get just a one-bed trope that I’ve come to love
  • There is Afro-Latinx representation and it’s OwnVoices

Kiskeya Burgos left the tropical beaches of the Dominican Republic with a lot to prove. As a pastry chef on the come up, when she arrives in Scotland, she has one goal in mind: win the Holiday Baking Challenge. Winning would prove to her family, her former boss, and most importantly to herself, that she can make it in the culinary world. Kiskeya will stop at nothing to win, that is if she can keep her eyes on the prize and off her infuriating teammate’s perfect lips.

Sully Morales, home cooking hustler, and self-proclaimed baking brujita lands in Scotland on a quest to find her purpose after spending years as her family’s caregiver. But now, with her home life back on track, it’s time for Sully to get reacquainted with her greatest love, baking. Winning the Holiday Baking Challenge is a no-brainer if she can convince her grumpy AF baking partner that they make a great team both in and out of the kitchen before an unexpected betrayal ends their chance at culinary competition glory.

Stocking Stuffers by Erin McLennan

  • Snowed in after a sexy book club party
  • Sex toy representation
  • Sexy, fun & lots of holiday activities

Sasha Holiday is so over the holidays after getting left at the altar last Christmas Eve. But as the marketing maven for Lady Robin’s Intimate Implements, she’s stuck not-so-merrily pitching naughty toys at a romance book club’s Christmas party. Her loathing of the yuletide only intensifies as a snowstorm rolls in and traps her at the Winterberry Inn. Stranded with her is Perry Winters—a hot bearded book club member trimmed in flannel and tattoos.

Perry’s a romantic with an unerring belief in the magic of the season, and he recognizes a Christmas miracle when he sees it. Brave, smart, and confident—Sasha Holiday is a gift. And the gifts keep coming when she suggests they pass the time with some no-strings fun. After all, she has a big bag of toys that would make even Santa want to stay in bed on Christmas Eve.

But the frisky festivities turn complicated as feelings spark between Sasha and Perry. Perry wants to see Sasha once the snow clears, but Sasha is reluctant to take the relationship sleigh ride again. Perry will have to show her that love is more than just a holiday feeling.

Stay tuned because I am sure we will be updating our list of Holiday Romance Novellas! Any favorites that we may have missed?

Booklist of Holiday Romance Novellas

Momma, wife, baker, reader & smart ass. I am Really Into doughnuts, inside jokes, trash TV, pizza, 48 Hours & George Michael.

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