The best Christmas books with a romance

Why am I passionate about this?

When I was a kid, I used to get to stay up to watch Hallmark movie specials with my Mom. Over the years, I forgot how much I enjoyed them. Then the pandemic hit and I needed something fun to watch, so I got hooked not only on Hallmark movies, but on Christmas books. With all the tension around the world, I found I couldn't write suspense anymore; it brought too much anxiety. Then I got the idea for a couple of Christmas stories. I hope you enjoy reading these Christmas-themed books as much as I did. I suggest snuggling into your favorite reading spot with a comfy blanket, some tea and cookies.


I wrote...

Christmas by Candlelight

By Sylvie Kurtz,

Book cover of Christmas by Candlelight

What is my book about?

Struggling to keep up with everyone’s never-ending demands, reluctant innkeeper Claire Chandler does her best to help her prickly author guest reclaim his muse. But as she juggles a ruthless cookie tour, an ex-boyfriend’s sudden arrival, and a powerful nor’easter cutting the power, she fears all her guests will unwrap is disappointment.

Will the overwhelmed host survive a snowstorm of stress and restore the Yuletide cheer?

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of One More for Christmas

Sylvie Kurtz Why did I love this book?

I love mother/daughter stories, especially ones where the mother and daughter are estranged and find a way to come together. Adding a mother who hates Christmas (for good reasons) and two daughters who love the season cranked up the tension that made the ending sweet. Samantha and Ella haven't talked to their mother in five years. After Gayle has an accident at work, her daughters invite her to spend Christmas with them, which opens up old wounds and, eventually, clears the past. I really enjoyed that, even though there is a romance, this story focused on the women.

By Sarah Morgan,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked One More for Christmas as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A no.1 Kindle and Apple and top three Sunday Times bestseller.

'Christmas isn't Christmas without a Sarah Morgan novel to inhale...A feel-good family saga with characters that leap off the page - just perfection' Laura Jane Williams, bestselling author of Our Stop

'Feel-good festive family saga' Daily Record

* * * *

Gayle is a highly successful and motivated business woman, but her success has come at a price - she hasn't spoken to her daughters, Ella and Samantha, for years. But when Gayle has an accident at work, she realises she needs to make amends with her family.

And…


Book cover of The Great Christmas Knit-Off

Sylvie Kurtz Why did I love this book?

A recurring theme in my life is the feeling of not fitting in. I loved this author's take on that theme. Sybil gets left at the altar by her fiance, who takes off with her twin sister. To escape her woes, she visits a friend in a faraway village where she's embraced by the locals. I love to knit, so the knitting angle also attracted me. Sybil is asked to make some knit goods for a display window and ends up organizing a knit-off to help save the shop. I loved the eccentric characters and the Hallmark feel of the story.

By Alexandra Brown,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Great Christmas Knit-Off as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Can wacky Christmas jumpers really mend a broken heart? For fans of The Christmas Cracker by Trisha Ashley and The Christmas Surprise by Jenny Colgan.

Heartbroken after being jilted at the altar, Sybil has been saved from despair by her knitting obsession and now her home is filled to bursting with tea cosies, bobble hats, and jumpers. But, after discovering that she may have perpetrated the cock-up of the century at work, Sybil decides to make a hasty exit and, just weeks before Christmas, runs away to the picturesque village of Tindledale.

There, Sybil discovers Hettie's House of Haberdashery, an…


Book cover of The Holiday Swap

Sylvie Kurtz Why did I love this book?

This was simply a fun book. I watch a lot of baking shows, so when I saw that the setting involved both a reality cooking show and a bakery, I knew I was in my element. After an accident on set that leaves one twin sister unable to taste, she needs to swap places with her sister to save the show. This, of course, leads to all sorts of misunderstandings that make the story fast-paced and fun. As a warning, this book will make you hungry, especially for fresh-baked bread.

By Maggie Knox,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Holiday Swap as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The International Bestseller—A feel-good, holiday rom com about identical twins who swap lives twelve days before Christmas—perfect for fans of Christina Lauren’s In a Holidaze and Josie Silver’s One Day in December
 
All they want for Christmas is a different life.

When chef Charlie Goodwin gets hit on the head on the L.A. set of her reality baking show, she loses a lot more than consciousness; she also loses her ability to taste and smell—both critical to her success as show judge. Meanwhile, Charlie's identical twin, Cass, is frantically trying to hold her own life together back in their quaint…


Book cover of The Twelve Dates of Christmas

Sylvie Kurtz Why did I love this book?

This is another book that features a small British village and a bakery—two of my favorite things. Kate Turner's friend signs her up for a dating program that involves twelve dates. I'm really glad I'm past the dating stage, but it's fun to watch someone else stumble through cringe-worthy, disastrous dates. Especially when she doesn't realize that she already knows Mr. Right, and we all do.

By Jenny Bayliss,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Twelve Dates of Christmas as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Tis the season for finding romance in this hilarious and uplifting holiday read

When it comes to relationships, thirty-four-year-old Kate Turner is ready to say "Bah, humbug." The sleepy town of Blexford, England, isn't exactly brimming with prospects, and anyway, Kate's found fulfillment in her career as a designer, and in her delicious side job baking for her old friend Matt's neighborhood café. But then her best friend signs her up for a dating agency that promises to help singles find love before the holidays. Twenty-three days until Christmas. Twelve dates with twelve different men. The odds must finally be…


Book cover of Finding Christmas

Sylvie Kurtz Why did I love this book?

I have to admit, the dog on the cover sucked me into buying the book. I love books with dogs. I also enjoyed the Christmas scavenger hunt gone awry—where the wrong guy follows the clues. Her fiance keeps disappointing Emmie, but the wrong guy gives her a Christmas she won't forget. This book has Christmas tropes on steroids, but it was a fun romp—a Hallmark movie in book form.

By Karen Schaler,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Finding Christmas as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From the writer of Netflix sensation, A Christmas Prince, comes a heart-warming new holiday story showing that sometimes the detour in your journey is the path to true love...

This year, Emmie can't wait to share her favourite Christmas traditions with her boyfriend, Grant. So when his hectic work schedule has him more 'bah humbug' than 'ho, ho, ho,' Emmie creates a holiday-themed scavenger hunt to help him find his festive spirit.

But Emmie's plan for a romantic mountaintop rendezvous backfires when a mix-up has the wrong guy showing up at Christmas Point. Sam, a bestselling mystery writer, thinks Emmie's…


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The Sailor Without a Sweetheart

By Katherine Grant,

Book cover of The Sailor Without a Sweetheart

Katherine Grant Author Of The Viscount Without Virtue

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Novelist History nerd Amateur dancer Reader New Yorker

Katherine's 3 favorite reads in 2023

What is my book about?

Enjoy this Persuasion-inspired historical romance!

Six years ago, Amy decided *not* to elope with Captain Nate Preston. Now, he is back in the neighborhood, and he is shocked to discover that Amy is unmarried. Even more surprising, she is clearly battling some unnamed illness. Thrown together by circumstances outside their control, Nate and Amy try to be friends. Soon, it becomes clear that their feelings for each other never died. Has anything changed, or are they destined for heartbreak once more?

The Sailor Without a Sweetheart

By Katherine Grant,

What is this book about?

Is love worth giving a second chance?

Six years ago, Amy Lamplugh decided not to elope with Nate Preston. Ever since, she has been working hard to convince herself she was right to choose her family over Nate.

Now, Nate is back. After an illustrious career as a naval captain, he faces a court martial for disobeying orders while fighting the slave trade. He accepts an invitation to await the trial at a country estate outside of Portsmouth - and discovers he is suddenly neighbors with Amy.

Nate is shocked to find that Amy didn’t end up marrying someone rich…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in romantic love, Christmas, and knitting?

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