Hello, and welcome to another year of me telling you what to put on your TBR with an awesome roundup of holiday-themed books! As always, I have personally read and enjoyed each of the books on this list. And, as always, I’m so excited to tell you about them!
Most of these books contain some level of romance, and only one comes with a content warning for some language and violence (I know it doesn’t sound Christmas-y but just stick with me here). I’ve also included my personal star rating, in case you are my book twin and find that helpful.
I also wanted to note that you might notice that all but two of the dozen titles on this list have the word “mistletoe” or “Christmas” in them. I apologize for the lack of variety, but I didn’t name these books! I do hope you don’t start to get confused like I did when the names sound too similar.
If none of the books on this list strike your fancy—which seems unlikely, because there are some good ones—then feel free to check out lists from previous years below.
Previous Christmas Book Guides:
🎄 2017 // 2018 // 2019 // 2020 // 2021 // 2022 // 2023🎄
P.S. In case you’ve forgotten (or never knew in the first place!) I wrote a Christmas novella last year that I think is just the cutest. It’s called The Holiday Exchange, in case you want to check it out.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I might make some extra coffee money at no extra expense to you if you buy something through one of my links. Read more about that here.
2024 Christmas Book Guide
Back Cover Description:
One little white lie. That’s all it took. Now I’m suddenly having to fake-date my work nemesis to get me through a week at a Vermont Christmas lodge with my family.
The problem? I can’t stand Miles Taylor. Not only that, but I don’t date people I work with. But I can handle it. I’ve had practice faking my emotions for years. So it shouldn’t matter that Miles never lets me get away with anything. And that he happens to boil my blood hotter than a steaming pot of wassail. So when he throws his annoying grin my way or forces me on dates he knows I’ll hate, I’ll just grit my teeth and smile.
Or maybe not. Did I mention that Miles is the one person in the world I can’t seem to fool?
When my emotions begin feeling less like a sham and his arms feel way too comfortable, it makes me think that maybe Miles had a plan of his own. And I’m starting to like it a lot more than mine.
Faking Christmas is a sweet, closed door romance full of sizzle, witty banter, and chemistry, but without explicit content.
My Thoughts:
I would give this book six stars if I could. It’s so fun and funny with great banter and such lovable characters, from the main duo to all the friends and family that surround them. I loved the setting and descriptions. I felt like I should be able to look out my window and see snowflakes even though I read this when it was decidedly hot outside. If you want a light-hearted holiday story that also delves just a bit deeper into the characters’ personal struggles, then this is the book for you.
All’s Fair in Love and Christmas
Back Cover Description:
Two workplace rivals. One festive competition. And a romance that upends it all.
Every December two things are guaranteed for graphic designer Mackenzie Graham–Christmas celebrations and the annual promotion at her workplace. Those two things are by no means mutually exclusive. In fact, the better an employee is at harnessing the Christmas spirit, the more likely they’ll win the new job. With her social anxiety, Mackenzie never thought she’d be a contender in her company’s holiday competition, so how exactly has she found herself dueling her workplace crush with wrapping paper tubes and using tinsel as her weapon of choice for a much-needed raise?
Jeremy Fletcher’s life is meticulously planned out, including how to win this year’s promotion at work. Not only will the new position fulfill some of his career goals, but as a single guardian to his twin niece and nephew, he needs the salary increase to support his family. Jeremy has barely noticed Mackenzie Graham around the office, but now that she’s his rival, he can’t stop thinking about her. Her quirkiness intrigues him, and he’s afraid that if he can’t get his head on straight, the promotion isn’t the only thing he’ll end up losing to Mackenzie.
My Thoughts:
This office romance centering around a holiday-themed competition between coworkers was fun from the first page. Macenzie and Jeremy have great chemistry, and they have great friends who support and push them (and are hilarious). Both of them have their own struggles to overcome individually in order to be ready for each other and I enjoyed watching them work through their issues as they got to know each other. This book was a hit for me!
Back Cover Description:
Like walking onto the set of your favorite Hallmark Christmas movie, Mistletoe Season invites readers to fall in love alongside three couples, featuring old flames, opposites attract, and even a royal romance.
Say No to Mistletoe by Sheila Roberts
Mistletoe is Hailey Fairchild’s kryptonite. Every time she’s kissed someone under the mistletoe it’s led to love disaster. Not a good thing for a romance writer! When she was a gawky high school girl, her hunky neighbor, Carwyn Davies, star of the basketball team (and her dreams), kissed her under the mistletoe on a dare. But the kiss wasn’t a dream come true. It was a mortifying moment she’s never forgotten, and now she’s about to go home for the holidays, unengaged and . . . determined to say no to mistletoe. Especially if Carwyn is anywhere around.
Return to Mistletoe by Kathleen Fuller
Emmy Banks has always loved Christmas. How could she not when she lives in Mistletoe, Missouri? Kieran O’Neill has spent years abroad, renovating an old Irish castle, but returns to Mistletoe for his mother’s seventieth birthday. He reconnects with Emmy, his sister’s close friend, and spends time with her in her charming antique shop. When the weather turns colder, things start to warm up between Emmy and Kieran. But can Emmy risk her heart when she knows he’ll never stay in Mistletoe and she’ll never leave?
The Mistletoe Prince by Pepper Basham
Prince Arran St. Clare has lost his freedom and fairytale life in exchange for a three-month “punishment” in the small town of Ransom, North Carolina. To prove he is ready for the royal life for which he was born, Arran must engage in the Christmas charity fundraiser, The Mistletoe Wish. But when kindness, authenticity, and hard work prove more appreciated in Appalachia than a royal pedigree, Arran must face the mirror and find out who he is beyond the crown. Add a beautiful and intelligent woman who doesn’t recognize her own worth, some mistletoe, and a little Christmas magic, and it all might be enough to help the rebel-prince understand what truly matters most.
My Thoughts:
The cool thing about story collections is that you can get a good variety of settings and characters all in one book. These three stories were all unique and didn’t run together as sometimes happens in collections. I enjoyed some more than others, but each of them was a solid Christmas story with strong holiday vibes and plenty of romance. From a later-in-life romance to a prince in an unexpected place to a second chance at love, these stories will satisfy your holiday romance cravings in three short servings.
Back Cover Description:
The recipe for romance is simple: sweets, treats, and mistletoe meets.
Whitney Garrett is preparing to enter culinary school in the spring, but first she has to sell enough homemade pies at the local Christmas markets to pay her tuition. When her oven breaks, Whitney asks Marie Sloan, proprietor of the Red Door Inn, if she can use the inn’s kitchen to keep up with her orders. Marie agrees, with a catch: Whitney has to watch the three Sloan children and cook breakfasts for the Red Door in return.
The inn is busy with holiday guests–including Aretha Franklin Sloan’s perpetually single nephew Daniel and Ruby, a businesswoman in town to purchase Aretha’s antiques store. Intent on making a Christmas match for the two, Aretha enlists Whitney’s help in her schemes. But the deeper Whitney gets, the more she realizes that Ruby is definitely not the right woman for Daniel–and the more she thinks that she just might be his perfect match.
My Thoughts:
This book is replete with small town vibes and Christmas spirit. I enjoyed watching Daniel and Whitney figure out what they really wanted not just in love but in other aspects of their lives. And of course, some matchmaker action is always fun any time of year. Be prepared to get hungry as you read about Whitney’s baking exploits! Also, the cover is adorable.
Back Cover Description:
All Dr. Abby Sullivan wants for Christmas is to escape her guilt. Yet no matter how far and fast she runs, she can’t leave behind her past or the grim secret she carries. Then a stalker’s threats send her on a chilling journey to Rose Mountain, North Carolina, where she’s forced to rely on a stranger’s protection. But her reliance on handsome cop Cal MacIvers puts him and his family in danger. To survive a deadly showdown, Abby will have to choose: flee again or fight for her life and for love.
My Thoughts:
I almost didn’t read this one because Love Inspired can be hit or miss for me, but I’m glad I did! It’s a quick read and I was surprised by the reveal of the villain. Definitely wasn’t what I expected! If you like horses, a cowboy cop, and lots of snow, this one is for you.
Back Cover Description:
The Nutcracker and Edwardian-Era England combine to weave a magical tale of love and friendship at Christmastime.
As the beloved stepdaughter of the Earl of Castleton, Lady Mariah Lyons cherishes her home at Plumford Manor, but her idyllic world will be threatened when the estate passes to Cyril Lightbourne, a childhood friend she hasn’t seen or heard from in years. Once, Mariah dreamed their friendship would kindle into something more, but that was before she heard Cyril was courting the cruelhearted Lady Pearl. Now Mariah is willing to welcome him as a friend and pray he will be the heir her stepfather needs, but she’ll keep her heart locked safely away from anyone with such poor taste.
Cyril Lightbourne has long avoided returning to Plumford Manor, yet he reluctantly arrives in time for Christmas. When his friendship with Lady Mariah reignites, he finds himself caught between his affection for her and her family’s misunderstanding of his attachment to Lady Pearl. Then, more trouble arrives in the form of a Danish lord on a mission to win Mariah’s hand by Christmas. Will the magic of the holiday season help lead to the discovery of true love, or will duty to country leave all longing for what could have been?
My Thoughts:
I couldn’t stop reading this delightful holiday story of childhood friends getting a second chance at love. You’ll feel like you’ve been transported to the English countryside at the turn of the century and will be fully immersed into the Christmas traditions of the day. You get to hear from both Cyril and Mariah as they get to know each other again in the midst of a celebratory season. They are so perfect for each other and this Christmas tale has a lovely happily ever after.
Back Cover Description:
Can an innocent fling turn into the real thing?
I’ve dreamed of being an event planner for as long as I can remember. So, when I get the chance to plan both my step-sister’s televised wedding and Paradise, Idaho’s first Yulefest, I’m determined not to let anything get in the way of proving myself. Until I encounter the one thing that threatens to sidetrack me: a smoking, hot smolder.
Sebastian Sparks has all the swagger to back up his smolder, and I know I’m in trouble the minute he saunters up to me. But underneath his bad boy image is a surprising vulnerability that’s evident the minute I climb onto the back of his bike. His e-bike.
He’s supposed to be fun, not forever. Now he wants more.
But he has no idea what he’s getting into with me, and the whole town seems to be conspiring against my efforts to keep a safe distance from him. When we have to work together to light up Yulefest, Sebastian is determined to prove he’s more than fling-worthy. He’s a man ready to give up everything, including the thing he’s most afraid of. I want to believe him, but I’ve got more than my own heart to protect.
Despite destroyed gnomes, Danish pancake disasters, and a gang of hungry squirrels that threaten to make our first Yulefest together our last, the electricity between us is enough to power every twinkling Christmas light in Paradise. That’s before the mistletoe mishap. It’s all over the place, including every square inch of the motel room we’re forced to share.
It will take more than attraction and close proximity to keep us together. If we’re going to find our own slice of paradise this Christmas, there’s another heart Sebastian has to win, even though he’s already won mine. Is it too much to hope our love story might be the most memorable one this holiday season?
My Thoughts:
I loved everything about this book. There were hilarious moments and poignant ones as Hope and Sebastian carefully navigate an attraction that is fraught with fears and challenges. Sebastian works so hard to prove that he can step up and be the guy she needs! They both have such a great support system in their family and friend network. Chef’s kiss for this sweet holiday rom-com.
Back Cover Description:
Content Warning: Strong Language, Violence, Disturbing Imagery
Madeline Martin has built a life for herself as the young owner of a thriving business, The Next Chapter Bookshop, despite her tragic childhood and now needing to care for her infirm father. When Harley Granger, a failed novelist turned true crime podcaster, drifts into her shop in the days before Christmas, he seems intent on digging up events that Madeline would much rather forget. She’s the only surviving victim of Evan Handy, the man who was convicted of murdering her best friend Steph, and is suspected in the disappearance of two sisters, also good friends of Madeline’s, who have been missing for nearly a decade. It’s an investigation that has obsessed her father Sheriff James Martin right up until his stroke took his faculties.
Harley Granger has a gift for seeing things that others miss. He wasn’t much of a novelist, but his work as a true crime author and podcaster has earned him fame and wealth—and some serious criticism for his various unethical practices. Still, visiting Little Valley to be closer to his dying father has caused him to look into a case that many people think is closed—and some want reopened. And he has a lot of questions about the night Stephanie Cramer was killed, Ainsley and Sam Wallace disappeared, and Madeline Martin was left for dead, bleeding out on a riverbank.
Since Evan Handy went to jail, three other young women have gone missing, most recently a young college dropout named Lolly. Five young women missing in the same area in a decade. Are they connected? Was Evan Handy innocent after all? Or was there some else there that night? Someone who is still satisfying his dark appetites?
As Christmas approaches and a blizzard bears down, Madeline and her childhood friend Badger return to a past they both hoped was dead—to find the missing Lolly and to answer questions that have haunted them both, discovering that the truth is more terrible and much closer to home than they think.
My Thoughts:
If sweet and sappy Christmas stories are not your jam, this suspensful story might be for you. The setting feels very cold and Christmasy, and I was on the edge of my seat to find out what would happen next even though I was pretty sure I knew who the killer was at about the halfway mark, and I was right. So if you want something a little outside the typical cheery Christmas box, this might be a good fit for you. Please note content warning for strong language, violence, and disturbing imagery.
Back Cover Description:
From the screenwriter of the Netflix Original viral hit, A Christmas Prince, comes another heartwarming holiday story about a beautiful Grinch who’s determined to get her dream job even if it means spending a week at a Christmas Camp where she discovers an unexpected love.
Haley Hanson’s idea of the perfect Christmas is escaping to the Caribbean to work so she can avoid all the traditional Christmas distractions. Over the years, she’s sacrificed her personal life to climb the corporate ladder at a prestigious Boston advertising agency. Now she just needs to land a coveted Christmas toy company account to make partner. But first her boss thinks she needs a holiday attitude adjustment and ships her off to a Christmas Camp at Holly Peak Inn to help her find her Christmas spirit.
Arriving at the charming mountainside inn, Haley meets the owner’s handsome son, Jeff, and feels an instant spark, but resists the attraction, refusing to be distracted from her goal of doing all the required Christmas tasks as fast as possible so she can get back to work.
At first Haley struggles with all the traditional Christmas Camp activities. It’s not until she finally allows herself to slow down, live in the moment, and let Christmas back into her heart, that she begins to grow closer to Jeff. But when he finds out Haley’s come up with a plan to help his dad save the struggling inn while he’s been trying to convince his dad to sell it, their relationship takes a serious holiday hit. Now it will take the magic of the season to bring these two hearts together.
My Thoughts:
I read this book thinking, “This is the most quintessentially ‘Hallmark Christmas movie’ book I’ve read all year”, only to discover that it has in fact been made into a Hallmark Original, so my intincts were on point! This is a sweet story with fun characters and a fun premise. If you like books that have animal characters, you’ll love Max the dog. He’s plays a big role in helping Haley soften her heart and find her Christmas spirit. I also really liked Ben, Jeff’s dad and the owner of the inn. He is such a kind, wise, gentle soul that I really enjoyed. This was a quick read that is filled to the brim with all the holiday feelings and traditions.
Back Cover Description:
Christmas is the perfect time for old memories, new beginnings, and second chances.
When Madison McDowell returns from several years teaching overseas, she has high hopes of picking up where she left off at her family’s Christmas tree farm in Oregon. But between damage from a recent wildfire and the neglect due to her sister Addie’s unwillingness to invest, the farm is in sad shape. In fact, Addie is intent on selling the property. And to top it off, her former high school flame, the now-widowed Gavin Thompson, has plans to break Madison’s heart again by turning his neighboring property into a dusty, noisy dirt bike track for his daughter.
With the odds stacked against her, Madison decides there’s only one thing to do: double down on her dreams. It will take a ton of hard work–and some help from an unlikely ally–to save the farm she so dearly loves. But it may take a miracle to restore her relationship with her sister.
Bestselling and award-winning author Melody Carlson charms and delights with this uplifting Christmas story full of old memories and new beginnings.
My Thoughts:
I admit that this one is a little predictable for me, but I still thought it was worth mentioning because it feels like a Christmas classic. It’s a short, relaxing read that is perfect for someone who just wants a low-stakes holiday reading experience without all the twists and turns and big reveals. It’s a sweet story with a single dad, a second chance romance, and a family Christmas tree farm.
Back Cover Description:
How to end up in Christmas kissing lessons with your downstairs enemy…
Break apartment rules? Guilty.
Send holiday cards to the downstairs neighbor’s grandma? Done.
Accidentally become said neighbor’s fake girlfriend for a family Christmas photo? Wait, what?
I, Bonnie Miller, am no troublemaker. I’m just an anxious girl trying to keep my emotional support pup in a no-pets apartment building. But my downstairs neighbor is determined to be my personal Grinch and get us both evicted.
Just when I think things can’t get any worse, Elliot Eaton offers me a deal I can’t refuse. Suddenly I’m playing girlfriend and giving mistletoe kisses to my sworn enemy, all to keep my home.
Who knew that breaking one little rule would lead to a fan-mistletoe-tastic holiday?
12 Days of Mistletoe is a closed door, laugh out loud, warm your wintery heart romcom. If you need a book with all the feels, some mistletoe kisses, and lots of holiday spirit, look no further!
My Thoughts:
I need more stars for this book. This is just the most entertaining fake dating holiday romcom but with a mental health rep that is dealt with very gracefully and brings this romance to a deeper level. I enjoyed every second of this book, especially Gran! She’s so sassy and wise at the same time—exactly how I want to be when I’m old. I also loved the extended family dynamics at play and how Elliot’s family welcomed Bonnie into their family traditions so willingly. One of my favorite Christmas reads this year!
Back Cover Description:
‘Tis the season to get even…
When Maddie Grainger’s longtime boyfriend dumps her on TV for the entire world to see, she thinks she’s hit rock bottom. Until her parents announce that they’re spending the holidays with her ex’s family… And he’ll be bringing the woman he left her for.
All Maddie wants for Christmas is to stick it to her cheating ex. But how? Enter Sebastian Slater, the NHL’s most infamous player.
On a drunken night out in Vegas, Maddie asks the superstar athlete to pose as her new boyfriend. She’s kidding, mostly. But Seb shocks her by making a counter offer: he doesn’t want to date Maddie for the holidays… he wants to marry her.
Show up at her ex’s cabin alone, or with a surprise new hockey-playing husband? Maddie opts for the ultimate level up. Because maybe, just maybe, revenge is a dish best served betrothed.
Sparks fly and Christmas cheer is abundant in this festive marriage of convenience rom com. Season’s Schemings is a closed door/fade to black romance that includes mild language, innuendo, and tons of sizzle without the spice.
My Thoughts:
Modern marriage of convenience is a hard trope to pull off because of the believablity factor, but I thought the author did a great job with this one. She also did a great job of creating such a villainous family for Maddie! With the exception of her brother Jax (who gets his own love story in this book—also a good one but not holiday-related), her family just awful. I also liked the one-bed trope and all the banter between the two characters, and of course, it’s hard to go wrong with a hockey playing leading man. This book came out last year and she’s releasing a companion book called Holiday Hostilities a few days after this list goes live that I’m excited to get my hands on!
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