As soon as December hits, it’s time to fling all other romance aside, because when the snow is falling and Mariah Carey is warbling, fae males, dastardly dukes, and steamy beach reads just don’t hit as hard as the classic Christmas romance. It’s this time of year where small-town romance really has a moment, bringing Hallmark-style sweetness to the typical tropes, but that’s not the only setup that gets some extra love in December.
Forced Proximity gets a whole lot cozier with snowed-in stories, family gatherings form the perfect excuse for Fake Dating, returning to a hometown (to inevitably fall in love with a lumberjack/artist/puppy rescuer) begs for a Second Chance storyline, and whenever there is a Christmas grinch, there’s a sparkly elf to create that grumpy/sunshine balance.
Whichever trope is your favorite, we have the ideal Christmas read for it — all brand new (released in 2025), guaranteed warm and fuzzy, and perfect for curling up with and ignoring the never-ending festive to-do list. Who needs a perfectly decorated tree, anyway? The enemies are about to find out there’s only one bed at the inn!
The Best Magical Realism Christmas Romance: A Mannequin for Christmas by Timothy Janovsky
Also Worth Reading: A Spell for Midwinter’s Heart by Morgan Lockhart
For anyone still not over Barbie fever, A Mannequin For Christmas puts a queer Christmas spin on Ken and Allen, as a broken-hearted Henry makes a wish for the perfect man… and wakes up to a mannequin come to life. With only a month to teach Aidan how to be a human, impress Henry’s family as the perfect boyfriend, and, most importantly, experience “true human love” before New Year’s Eve, this is a story that isn’t just about what we want, but about what love really means.
In a more witchy Christmas twist, A Spell For Midwinter’s Heart combines a hometown return with a witch who hates magic, a high school enemies-to-lovers, and a quest to save a town festival, all for a magically trope-stuffed offering.
Spice Level: 1 pepper
The Best Fake Dating Christmas Romance: I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm by Mariama J. Lockington
Also Worth Reading: Christmas Fling by Lindsey Kelk
I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm gives Fake Dating a social media twist — instead of taking a fake partner to a Christmas party, Lyric convinces Juniper to pose as her girlfriend for social media, with a promise to split the sponsorship money that they will make. These high school seniors have opposite ideas about the season (Lyric struggles with it, Juniper loves it), but this goes beyond the typical grumpy/sunshine trope to cover topics like parental separation, foster care, and coming of age (and leaving home).
This YA Christmas romance does something genuinely unique with dual POV — as one story is told in prose, and the other in poetry, adding yet another layer to an already beautifully complex story.
In Christmas Fling, Lindsay Kelk brings readers to Christmas in the Scottish Highlands (yes, there are kilts!), as Laura and Callum pose as a couple for Callum’s family — and things get complicated when Callum’s ex is joined by Laura’s best friends/fake family. Classic Fake Dating has never been more festive.
Spice Level: 1 pepper (YA romance)
The Best Forced Proximity/Snowed In Christmas Romance: The Secret Christmas Library by Jenny Colgan
Also Worth Reading: The Bright Side of Christmas by Morgan Elizabeth
Jenny Colgan’s latest Scottish romance brings us back to the charm of The Bookshop on The Corner, The Bookshop on the Shore, and Midnight At The Christmas Bookshop. For this year’s bookish offering, The Secret Christmas Library finds two rare book collectors (rivals, of course) trapped in a crumbling castle thanks to a snowstorm, and a search for the same valuable tome. A treasure hunt and a family secret bring together mystery and romance for the holidays.
For anyone who would rather their forced proximity with a little less ancestral mystery and a little more small-town cheer, The Bright Side Of Christmas brings together sunshine/grump neighbors, as Adam wants to hide away for the holidays, and Wren is determined to inspire the true spirit of Christmas in him.
Spice Level: 1 Pepper/Closed Door
The Best Sugar & Spicy Christmas Romance: Holiday Ever After by Hannah Grace
Also Worth Reading: Season of the Witch by Sophie H. Morgan
From the bestselling author of Icebreaker comes a Christmas romance that hits every holiday beat: A family toy business? Check. A PR disaster by a big company in a small town? Of course. A small-town toymaker who has every reason to hate the business, and the beautiful woman trying to put a positive spin on it? Absolutely! Holiday Ever After is less spicy than the Icebreaker series, with more of a slow-burn feel, but when it goes from sweet to spicy, there’s no mistaking the heat.
Season of the Witch is the third in the Toil & Trouble series by Sophie H Morgan, and fans of the series will know that Morgan doesn’t skimp on the heat (this one is described as “hot enough to melt a Yule log”!). A witch fake dating her ex at a winter house party means that Only One Bed lovers will be in luck, and the chemistry is more than just Christmas magic.
Spice Level: 4 peppers
The Best Grumpy/Sunshine Christmas Romance: A Little Holiday Fling by Farah Heron
Also Worth Reading: Merry Little Kissmas by Lauren Blakely
Pairing up a Christmas-hater and a Christmas lover is a common trope for holiday romances, but A Little Holiday Fling frames it with a story that feels almost fake-dating adjacent, as Ruby and Rashid come together on Christmas because they both want something from the other.
For Rashid, it’s about getting Ruby to help him create an amazing Christmas for his nieces, while for Ruby, it’s about an in to his family hotel business, so she can follow her dream of opening a small UK inn. Sparks fly, with the added tension of an expiry date that seems all but guaranteed.
While A Little Holiday Fling focuses on taking one (or two) tropes and going all in, Merry Little Kissmas is perfect for anyone who needs as many tropes as they can stuff in a stocking. Fake dating, brother’s best friend (who is a single dad hockey player), a matchmaker dating a client, a grinch/sunshine dynamic, and even a holiday bet come together in a snowed-in cabin. (And yes, it was difficult to sort this one into a single trope category!).
Spice Level: 4 peppers
The Best Enemies/Rivals To Lovers Christmas Romance: Merry Christmas, You Filthy Animal by Meghan Quinn
Also Worth Reading: The Gingerbread Bakery by Laurie Gilmore
Rival Christmas tree farms — need I say more? Merry Christmas, You Filthy Animal is as funny as it is romantic, as a true rom-com about Max and Betty, and their trespassing, ornament-stealing, chaos-creating rivals-to-lovers romance. Max and Betty promise humor, top-tier banter, and a loving homage to the ‘save the family business at Christmas’ trope, just for fun. This is also the follow-up to Quinn’s smash hit How My Neighbor Stole Christmas (released in 2024), and while the books work as standalones, there’s no reason not to treat yourself to both.
The Gingerbread Bakery continues the Dream Harbor series, this time focusing on Annie and Mac — and their heated rivalry (that gets heated in other ways, if you know what we mean…). Sweet, charming, and a perfect continuation to the seasonal series, it’s an enemy-to-lovers story with a perfect small town setting.
Spice Level: 3-4 peppers
The Best Small Town Christmas Romance: The Hideaway Harbor Series by Angela Casella, Evie Alexander, Sara L Hudson, L B Dunbar, Lydia Michaels, and Enni Amanda
Also Worth Reading: I’ll Be Home for Christmas by Jenny Bayliss
Why read just one small town Christmas romance, when you can read an interconnected series of six, from some of the biggest romance authors in the business? Hideaway Harbor released throughout November, and while each book does work as a standalone, they hit every major trope along the way, so anyone who really wants to dig into a single series this year, this is the perfect spicy option.
However, if a series isn’t your thing, I’ll Be Home For Christmas is a true standalone friends-to-lovers Christmas romance, with a family Christmas cracker business, eccentric aunts, and an FMC whose life is a bit of a mess. It’s also one of the only books we are highlighting with the ultimate love-it-or-hate-it trope, the Love Triangle. Bayliss is a past master of the Christmas romance, and this is her 6th seasonal novel.
Spice Level: 3-4 peppers
Bonus: The Best Christmas Romance Special Edition Cover: Mint to Be by Katie Cicatelli-Kuc
Also Worth Buying: The Christmas Tree Farm by Laurie Gilmore
Special editions and unique covers are always a treat for collectors of shelf-trophies, and this year, there are two particularly impressive offerings. Mint to Be (a small-town holiday rom-com with a second-chance, friends-to-lovers story) wins the most unusual holiday twist, though, because it is bringing us back to school days with a scratch’n’sniff cover! The characters initially bond over a peppermint hot chocolate from their favorite coffee shop, so, of course, that sweet seasonal smell is built right into the book.
However, the 2025 hardcover edition of The Christmas Tree Farm also has to get a mention, because it has that one thing that all shelf-trophy collectors love: sprayed edges! This edition has red sprayed edges with a tiny white dog on them, and is absolutely stunning.
Spice Level: 1 pepper (YA romance)
Source link
Add Comment