The easiest way for me to get back into reading after a lull is to read something seasonal. It’s the combination of weather and aesthetic that encourages me to engage with stories that will set the mood.
So with little preamble (and even less explanation) let’s take a look at some books I think will get me into the holiday season.
Good Spirits: A Novel by B.K. Borison
As if I’m going to pass up a Christmas Carol inspired love story…
“Ghost of Christmas Past Nolan Callahan intends to spend this holiday haunting like every other—get in, get out, return to his otherwise aimless existence as a ghost awaiting the afterlife. But when he’s faced with Harriet York, the sweetest assignment he’s ever had, he suddenly finds himself wishing for a future.
Harriet York has no idea why she’s being haunted. She’s a good person—or, at least, she tries to be. A people pleaser to her core, she always does what’s expected of her. But as she and Nolan begin to examine her past, they discover there are threads that bind them together— and realize there might be more to moving on than expected.
With the deadline of Christmas Eve fast approaching, will they find the key to their futures in each other’s pasts? Or will they stay firmly in the present, indulging in their unexpected, spirited connection?”
The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter
Nothing says Christmas like murder. (If you think I’m kidding you’ve never been to one of our dinners). This book is described as Knives Out with a rom-com twist, and after reading a few chapters, I’d say that’s an accurate description.
“Meet Maggie Chase and Ethan Wyatt:
She’s the new Queen of the Cozy Mystery.
He’s Mr. Big-Time Thriller Guy.
She hates his guts.
He thinks her name is Marcie (no matter how many times she’s told him otherwise.)
But when they both accept a cryptic invitation to attend a Christmas house party at the English estate of a reclusive fan, neither is expecting their host to be the most powerful author in the world: Eleanor Ashley, the Duchess of Death herself.
That night, the weather turns, and the next morning Eleanor is gone.
She vanished from a locked room, and Maggie has to wonder: Is Eleanor in danger? Or is it all some kind of test? Is Ethan the competition? Or is he the only person in that snowbound mansion she can trust?
As the snow gets deeper and the stakes get higher, every clue will bring Maggie and Ethan closer to the truth—and each other. Because, this Christmas, these two rivals are going to have to become allies (and maybe more) if they have any hope of saving Eleanor.
Assuming they don’t kill each other first.”
The Return of the Christmas Witch by Dan Murphy & Aubrey Plaza
The Legend of the Christmas Witch was enchanting. The picture book is so charming, it feels like we’re getting the first look at an actual lost Christmas myth. It’s been years since I first read it and after all this time I finally have my hands on the sequel.
“The Christmas Witch has returned.
After centuries trapped in her icy chamber, the snow is finally melting, and Kristtörn awakens. She finds that the holiday she loved is now controlled by the mysterious Kringle Corporation. She embarks on a journey to a world unknown to her, where she meets the inventive young Poppy and sweet old reindeer Donner, who agree to help her restore Christmas to its former glory. Little do they know that she wants more than order . . . she wants revenge.”
Ice Planet Holiday: A SciFi Holiday Alien Romance by Ruby Dixon
Ruby Dixon is likely one of my forever authors. Her Ice Planet Barbarians series has so many short stories and novellas, many written just for the holidays. So of course this holiday season I plan to travel back to Not-Hoth to celebrate the most important holiday of the year, No-Poison Day.
“All this snow and no holidays? What’s a stranded human to do?
Create a new holiday, of course. Georgie and the other women decide to bring some new traditions and cheer to the sa-khui. More babies are born, presents are exchanged, and a new romance blossoms between a human woman desperate for a change, and the alien determined to protect her.”
*Really any book in this series is perfect for winter!! There’s no better place to cozy up with a lover than an ice planet…
The Nightmare Before Kissmas by Sara Raasch
While I’m not the biggest fan of The Nightmare Before Christmas, I can appreciate the vibes. Throw in a little forbidden love and Christmas magic and who knows? Maybe these two will thaw my frozen heart.
“Nicholas “Coal” Claus used to love Christmas. Until his father, the reigning Santa, turned the holiday into a PR façade. Coal will do anything to escape the spectacle, including getting tangled in a drunken, supremely hot make- out session with a beautiful man behind a seedy bar one night.
But the heir to Christmas is soon commanded to do his duty: he will marry his best friend, Iris, the Easter Princess and his brother’s not-so-secret crush. A situation that has disaster written all over it.
Things go from bad to worse when a rival arrives to challenge Coal for the princess’s hand…and Coal comes face-to-face with his mysterious behind-the-bar hottie: Hex, the Prince of Halloween.
It’s a fake competition between two holiday princes who can’t keep their hands off each other over a marriage of convenience that no one wants. And it all leads to one of the sweetest, sexiest, messiest, most delightfully unforgettable love stories of the year.”
The Mating Game by Lana Ferguson
It’s been a long time since I’ve read a silly shifter romance, even longer since I ventured into omegaverse. While it’s not my favorite verse I’m always ready to give it a chance until I find one I like, and this one looks super cute.
“Contractor Tess Covington has spent her entire life as a regular non-shifter human, so after she lands in the Denver ER with flu-like symptoms, it comes as a complete shock to be told that, no, she’s not sick—she’s actually a late-presenting omega wolf shifter. With her family in dire financial straits and a contract for her own television show on the line, she can’t afford not to complete the renovation job she came for. And given that her newly emerged wolf is in danger of going into heat, she’ll just have to do her best to follow the doctor’s advice to keep away from alpha shifters.
Alpha wolf Hunter Barrett has spent most of his adult life living by a routine, and a big part of that involves staying clear of omegas after having one stomp on his heart. So when the tiny contractor shows up at his place smelling like the one thing he’s determined to avoid, he thinks it must be some sort of cosmic joke. But with his lodge on the verge of failing and this sweet-smelling omega his only hope to turn things around . . . he’s left with few other options than to grin and bear it.
Set on avoiding each other as much as possible, they find things unexpectedly starting to heat up between them enough to thaw even the frostiest of hearts. Though even with the pair going head over paws for each other, there’s no changing that their fling has an expiration date. The more time they spend together, the more they realize they’re playing a dangerous game—one where the only thing on the line is their hearts.”
Fictional Wanderings 