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New festive romances to curl up with this winter
Looking for your next cosy Christmas romance?
There’s something rather soothing about settling down with a festive romance when the nights are drawing in, the kettle is permanently on and Christmas seems to be lurking around every corner. So, if you’re looking for a little romantic escapism this winter, I’ve gathered together some lovely festive reads from a selection of wonderful authors. Expect snowy settings, family secrets, second chances, unexpected meetings, plenty of Christmas sparkle, and the all-important possibility of a happy-ever-after, of course.
Put your feet up, make yourself a hot chocolate (marshmallows are entirely optional, but highly recommended!) and discover your next cosy Christmas romance! Oh, and one of this season's new releases is mine, by the way, so I'm going to mention that first.
Christmas at Honeycombe Bay - Lilac Mills
An uplifting, heartwarming seasonal romance set in a quintessential seaside village in Devon.
Eloise Garrett thinks Christmas is overpriced, overhyped, and overrated, and without any family to share it with, she feels sad, lonely and isolated. The “season for giving” is just a constant reminder that she's single, sixty(ish), and staring down retirement. But not this Christmas. Determined to avoid the most magical time of the year, Eloise decides to spend Christmas in Honeycombe Bay. Surely a seaside village in the middle of winter won't be too festive?
Ever since his wife passed away, Bartholomew Knott hasn't felt up to welcoming visitors to his guest house. With the prospect of another long, lonely winter, and having become more Scrooge than Santa over the years, Bart is dreading Christmas. However, when he's contacted by someone who dislikes decking the halls just as much as he does, Bart has the brilliant idea of opening the guest house to people who want to escape all things festive.
Christmas isn't easy to ignore, though, not even in off-season Honeycombe Bay. So when fate forces Bart to give shelter to a single mother and child whose holiday has been devastated by a terrible fire, Eloise finds herself playing Mrs. Claus to Bart's Santa-dragging the house's other guest, a heartbroken teacher looking for a break during the holidays, into the action as well. But holiday cheer isn't the only thing sparking under the mistletoe. Will the guests at Honeycombe Bay realize that, sometimes, the best way to escape Christmas is to let it into your heart?
Available from Amazon
A Date With Santa - Debbie Macomber
This Christmas, one magical date could change everything...
Sage Madison has always kept Christmas simple - store-bought cookies, a fake tree, and no time for romance. But when her sister needs help, Sage unexpectedly finds herself caring for her five-year-old nephew, Ricky, and suddenly the holidays look very different.
Determined to give Ricky the magical Christmas he deserves, Sage enlists the help of her best friend Erica - and Ethan, her handsome colleague, who agrees to play Santa in exchange for one thing: a date with Sage.
As festive sparks fly with ice skating, baking, and late-night hot chocolates, Sage starts to wonder if Ethan might just be the best gift she never expected. But with her old life pulling her in another direction, can she risk opening her heart - or will she let her chance at happiness slip away?
The Best Christmas Ever - Sarah Morgan
This year, Christmas isn’t going to plan … and that might be the best gift of all.
Mabel has no intention of celebrating Christmas. Living alone in her beautiful old house in the woods, she’s happier keeping the world at a distance.
Brooke has planned every detail of a magical family Christmas at her parents’ house. But when a fierce snowstorm forces her, her husband and their two daughters to take shelter in Mabel’s home, all her careful plans are turned upside down.
Also stranded are Izzy and Jason, two colleagues with unfinished business and undeniable chemistry. Izzy is hiding a lonely heart behind a bright smile. And Jason may be the one man capable of breaking through her walls.
Suddenly, Mabel finds herself hosting the last thing she wanted: a full house for Christmas. Then the chaos, laughter and warmth begin to work their quiet magic. As the snow falls and the fire crackles, this snowbound group discover that family can be found in the most surprising places.
Because sometimes the Christmas you never planned is the one that changes everything
Christmas at The Ritz - Julie Caplin
Some Christmas surprises come gift wrapped. Others are six foot three, impossibly arrogant and standing in the lobby of the best hotel in London…
Belle Woods is not the kind of woman who falls for a man she’s only just met.
Finn McAllister is not the kind of man who falls for anyone.
But with the city wrapped in the warm glow of a thousand fairy lights, frost sparkling on snowy streets and steaming hot chocolates warming cold hands, Christmas in London has a way of making anything feel possible.
And sometimes the most unexpected Christmas can turn out to be the one you never want to end.
Not Just for Christmas - Cathy Bramley
'Tis the season for second chances...
'No-one gives you the joy and magic of a second-chance romance like Cathy' MILLY JOHNSON
When Lucy, Jack and Dylan meet on a beach in Devon, a friendship begins that will last a lifetime.
Over the next twenty years, Dylan rises to stardom and becomes a famous popstar, whilst Jack and Lucy take over the family farm and have a son, Sam - but then an accident changes everything.
And so, even with Christmas fast approaching, Lucy is feeling far from festive. Running Merrydown Farm singlehandedly was never in the plan, and she's exhausted.
On the other side of the world, Dylan is burned out and in need of a break - so when an invitation to spend Christmas with Lucy arrives, it seems like the perfect escape.
There's just one problem. It turns out Lucy didn't invite him...
Snowflakes Over Micklewick Bay - Eliza J Scott
A wintry treat brimming with snowflakes, secrets and second chances!
When her beloved Aunt Colleen passes away, settling her affairs means doing the one thing Hannah Merryweather has spent years avoiding: returning to Micklewick Bay, the seaside town she fled years ago and has never quite found the courage to face again.
Coming home means facing the past too. Polly, her stepmother, and Darryl, her stepbrother, still loom large over the life she once knew, and the home she lost is never far from her thoughts.
Then, on her very first day back, she nearly collides with the one man she never expected to see again: Lachie, the kilted, green-eyed Scotsman who stole her heart last spring. His unexpected arrival in Micklewick Bay is the last complication Hannah needs – especially as feelings she thought she’d locked away start to resurface.
As Hannah slowly uncovers just how far her aunt’s plans for her future stretch – including one life-changing surprise waiting at the end of the pier – can she find the courage to claim the life, and the love, Aunt Colleen always believed she deserved?
The Sugar and Spice Kitchen - Harper Graham
The snow is falling. So are they…
She works in Maple Falls’ cosiest kitchen. He’s the brooding firefighter from the family that’s feuded with hers for decades. They drive each other crazy, and now a snowstorm has thrown them together… Gilmore Girls + spice + Christmas chaos = 🔥
Emily whips up Christmas magic like a festive fairy: cinnamon rolls, gingerbread cookies, peppermint mochas with Mariah Carey on full blast. When a blizzard hits, her bakery’s kitchen is headquarters for holiday deliveries to save the town. The only problem? Cole, the hot, infuriating firefighter she loves to hate. Can she survive them working side by side?
Emily’s the hot-tempered blonde who pushes every one of Cole’sbuttons. But with Maple Falls snowed in, he needs her help… and her orange-and-cinnamon scented kitchen. Soon it’s command central for Operation Sugar and Spice, with simmering pots, stacked pies, and elf-hatted volunteers loading snowmobiles. Emily’s attitude won’t let up… can they last until Christmas without strangling each other—or worse, falling for each other?
As sparks fly hotter than the kitchen’s wood-fired stove and the truth behind their family feud surfaces, will Emily and Cole give in to what’s always been burning between them… or stay on each other’s naughty list forever?
The Secret Holiday Kiss - Cressida McLaughlin
In a seaside village, where the winter sunset meets the sea, Daisy is coming home …
When her perfect life falls apart, Daisy returns to Mistingham, determined it's a temporary stop until she can find her feet again.
She hasn't counted on the community’s irresistible (aka infuriating) festive spirit. Or on Avery, building a grand house near the village green – his optimism and easy smile are proving equally hard to resist.
As Mistingham works its magic, Daisy wonders if her heart has known where home is all along.
Winter Magic at Hollybrae Castle - Jaimie Admans
Tartan, tinsel, a fake marriage and one very real festive romance...
After a window display goes disastrously viral – thanks to a malfunctioning animatronic Santa and an unfortunate encounter with Paddington Bear – Lula Haines finds herself without a job just weeks before Christmas. So she jumps at the chance to decorate Hollybrae Castle in Scotland for the holidays.
There’s just one complication: her handsome new boss, Oliver Bracewell, needs a fake wife for the festive season. To secure a promotion that could save his family’s castle, Ollie has been pretending to be a married father-of-two to impress the family-focused firm where he works. Now his bosses are coming to stay at Hollybrae over Christmas… expecting to meet his non-existent wife and children.
At first, playing along is easy as Lula is swept up in the magic of turning Hollybrae into the perfect festive escape with Ollie. But as Christmas draws nearer and she and Ollie grow closer, Lula begins to wonder if Hollybrae could become more than a temporary escape… and if the man she’s only pretending to love might actually be the one she’s been waiting for all along.
This festive season, can Lula and Ollie turn pretend love into the happy-ever-after they’ve both been waiting for?
Christmas, Actually - Donna Ashcroft
Welcome to Hollythorpe, a quaint village in the Cotswolds, where the locals are stringing lights around their village tree. And meet Clara as she pulls her suitcase through the snow, hoping for a new start…
This isn’t the Christmas that Clara was hoping for. Twenty-four hours ago, she was engaged, a shiny diamond on her wedding finger and a gorgeous husband-to-be by her side. Only now, the ring is gone and so is he. She’s almost given up on Christmas magic completely – until she arrives in Hollythorpe.
Clara waits outside her kindly godmother Eleanor’s red front door, knowing that a warm welcome will help heal her aching heart. Snowflakes are falling gently on her long dark hair when a car sprays her with slush and then, unexpectedly, stops to help. Clara lays eyes on Liam stepping out of his car, six feet of gorgeousness. She realises maybe there could be upsides to a cosy Cotswolds Christmas…
Except Liam is closed off to everyone and Clara knows she should be protecting her heart too, so she tries to put him out of her mind. When the village’s usual Mrs Christmas calls in sick before Hollythorpe’s winter fair, Clara steps into the role to help her godmother. Only, she hasn’t realised who Mr Christmas is… none other than Liam himself.
As the two are thrown together to bring Christmas to Hollythorpe, Liam’s icy exterior starts to thaw. And Clara can’t deny she’s falling for him. But then the past comes back to haunt them, changing everything…
Will Clara and Liam end up lonely this Christmas? Or can the most wonderful time of the year bring them together, actually?
Stay Another Christmas - Phillipa Ashley
After a life-changing accident, Katie’s plan for Christmas is simple: rent a spectacular island house in the Lake District, gather the people she loves, and enjoy snowy walks, crackling fires and the promise of a fresh start.
What she doesn’t plan on?
Her ex-boyfriend turning up.
Still reeling from their break-up, Katie isn’t sure whether seeing him again will bring closure or reopen old wounds. Especially when she finds herself drawn to Arlo, the handsome owner of the island house, who is keeping his heart carefully guarded.
As Christmas approaches, old feelings resurface and new sparks begin to fly. Katie must decide whether to give the past one more chance, or open her heart to a love she never expected.
This Christmas, will Katie return to the love she left behind ... or find the courage to begin again?
Joy to the World - Beth Moran
This Christmas, the nation’s favourite life coach is in desperate need of a little holiday magic.
Alex Nixon has built a glittering TV career teaching clients how to win at life. But when a disastrous viral awards speech reveals that she has zero friends, her family is a mess and her boyfriend has just dumped her, Alex hunkers down in her cottage to hide from the media storm. Her plan? Survive the festive season with only her rescue dog, Ernest, for company.
But she didn’t count on stumbling into the eccentric and welcoming ‘Friends Wanted’ club. And she definitely didn’t count on meeting Will – a gorgeous, warm-hearted single dad raising three chaotic but charming children.
When a devastating family crisis turns Alex’s fragile new life upside down, she has a choice to make. Should she batten down the hatches or let go of her perfect façade long enough to discover that a Christmas filled with new friends and real love is the greatest gift of all?
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About the Author
Lilac Mills writes heartwarming romance inspired by life in the Welsh countryside, her love of simple pleasures, and the beauty of everyday moments.
She’s the author of over twenty feel-good novels, and also writes as Liz Davies and Etti Summers.
Please note: I use Affiliate links on my site. This means that if you order a book from Amazon via my link, I will earn a small commission. However, the cost to you will be no different than if you bought without using my link.
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