Book Club Round-Up: Holiday Reads Edition

Good Spirits by B.K. Borison 

He’s the Ghost of Christmas Past. She’s not exactly Scrooge.

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?

Filled with magic, mayhem, and cozy holiday charm, this swoony romance is B.K. Borison’s best yet!

The Christmas Tree Farm by Laurie Gilmore 

Kira North hates Christmas. Which is unfortunate since she just bought a Christmas tree farm in a town that’s too cute for its own good.

Bennett Ellis is on vacation in Dream Harbor trying to take a break from both his life and his constant desire to fix things.

But somehow fate finds Ben trapped by a blanket of snow at Kira’s farm, and, despite her Grinchiest first impressions, with the glow of the fairy lights twinkling in the trees, and the promise of a warming hot chocolate, maybe, just maybe, these two lost souls will have a Christmas they’ll remember forever…

The Gingerbread Bakery by Laurie Gilmore 

As owner of her beloved Gingerbread Bakery, Annie Andrews should have a love life to match her business; sugary and sweet. But instead, she’s locked in a game of words with the irritatingly upbeat bar owner down the street.

Mac Sullivan has everything he wants, except the girl he dreams of. It’s easier to argue with Annie than get her to talk to him but with Jeanie and Logan’s wedding coming up, they’re about to spend a lot more time together.

As the snowflakes fall and with romance in the air, will Annie see that the one she loves to hate might just be her perfect match after all?

One Night, Two Holidays by Ali Brady 

Jack had big plans for fly home to see the family he misses like crazy, eat his weight in holiday cookies and enjoy plenty of forced-family fun in matching pajamas. Instead, a record-breaking snowstorm leaves him stranded alone in Chicago.

Meanwhile, Nessa’s Hanukkah plans were…nonexistent. With her roommates off on their own adventures and her family busy elsewhere, she was ready to spend the holiday binge-watching TV alone.

When a power outage takes things from bad to worse, the two neighbors join forces to help each other find the holiday cheer they’ve both lost. As they attempt to make latkes out of whatever ingredients they can scrounge up, and stuff each other’s stockings with improvised gifts, the two stumble upon the unexpected joy of blending their own holiday traditions into something entirely new.

While the storm rages outside, sparks begin to fly between Jack and Nessa. But will the magic they found last beyond this one special night?

Her Knotty List by Ari Wright 

Now, she’s driving a getaway car… up a mountain… in a snow storm.

And while she might not miss the scientifically-matched pack she left behind quite as much as she should, she definitely misses her phone charger. Especially when she veers off course and drives into a snow bank.
But it’s okay! She’s fine! After all, a positive attitude is the most important thing a girl can have—especially when she wakes up in a cabin full of strange alphas… who think they’re her mates.

All four of them: one hot-shot hockey star, a teddy bear firefighter, the famously naked chef, and a grumpy mountain man with the world’s sweetest dog.

If they seem like an impossible combination, it’s because they are. Turns out, these guys aren’t just strangers to her—they’ve also never met each other. Now, they have to decide if they want to stay together and make her their omega or continue on their separate ways.
Emma has never been anyone’s first choice—and she knows it might take a Christmas miracle to work things out. But, lucky for her, she has a whole list of ideas…

I’ll Be Home For Christmas by Jenny Bayliss 

Fred Hallow-Hart isn’t in love with the idea of returning home to Pine Bluff. But after a bad breakup and a subsequent eviction, she’s fresh out of options. God knows she loves her mum and her eccentric aunts—and who could forget their Christmas Cracker family business?—but she’s always felt a little out of place in her small town.

Quickly roped in by her mother to help with the cracker shop, Fred decides throwing herself into work might actually be what’s best for her. Until she reconnects with her old best friend Ryan, who is suddenly making her heart flutter in ways she’s never known; and unexpectedly finds a spark with Warren, a charming journalist covering the Pine Bluff Christmas Market for the Daily News.

But as these connections slowly lead Fred back to her heart, she’s forced to confront some harsh truths, which, if she doesn’t find a way through, might just ruin the holidays for those dearest to her. Can Fred let go of the past enough to recognize real love? And when she does, how far will she go to protect it?

Any Trope but You by Victoria Lavine 

Beloved romance author Margot Bradley has a dark secret: she doesn’t believe in Happily Ever Afters. Not for herself, not for her readers, and not even for her characters, for whom she secretly writes alternate endings that swap weddings and babies for divorce papers and the occasional slashed tire. When her Happily Never After document is hacked and released to the public, she finds herself canceled by her readers and dropped by her publisher.

Desperate to find a way to continue supporting her chronically ill sister, Savannah, Margot decides to trade meet-cutes for murder. The fictional kind. Probably. But when Savannah books Margot a six-week stay in a remote Alaskan resort to pen her first murder mystery, Margot finds herself running from a moose and leaping into the arms of the handsome proprietor, making her fear she’s just landed in a romance novel instead.

The last thing Dr. Forrest Wakefield ever expected was to leave his dream job as a cancer researcher to become a glorified bellhop. What he’s really doing at his family’s resort is caring for his stubborn, ailing father, and his puzzle-loving mind is slowly freezing over—until Margot shows up. But Forrest doesn’t have any room in his life for another person he could lose, especially one with a checkout date.

As long snowy nights and one unlikely trope after another draw Margot and Forrest together, they’ll each have to learn to overcome their fears and set their aside assumptions before Margot leaves—or risk becoming a Happily Never After story themselves.

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter 

The bridge is out. The phones are down. And the most famous mystery writer in the world just disappeared out of a locked room two days before Christmas.

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 laugh out loud holiday “romystery” that you’ve been waiting for!

All I Want For Christmas is a Hitman by Katie Reus 

She’s just trying to keep her farm running and her llamas out of trouble…

Scout isn’t sure what to do with the stranger who showed up on her farm carrying a bag of cash and weapons—so she orders her llama to knock him out. But when her nasty neighbor shows up trying to cause trouble, the stranger takes over and keeps her safe so she figures she can trust him enough. If only he wasn’t so sexy and distracting…

He’s a hitman looking for redemption…

The last thing Hudson remembers is being on a job. Then he wakes up in a strange bed with a lump on his head, wearing llama pajama pants that are just a little too tight. And oh yeah, there’s an angry-looking llama watching him through an open window. As a lethal hitman, he immediately starts calculating how to get out of his current situation—until the most gorgeous woman he’s ever seen walks through the door. The idea of sticking around suddenly doesn’t seem so bad. And when it’s clear someone wants to hurt her, he decides that they’ll have to go through him—if only he can convince her to trust him. After that, he’s going to convince her to spend forever with him. And that’s going to take a Christmas miracle.

A Wolf for Winter by Kat Healy 

Could forbidden love be her path to freedom?

Lilac Hawthorne has been forced to do her grandmother’s bidding since before she could walk, let alone perform her first spell. Until now. With the coven away on business, she and her siblings are put in charge of the Yuletide Gala, which is much more than hanging mistletoe and spiking the eggnog. This is the time when alliances are renewed, enemies seize the advantage of the matriarch’s absence, and for Lilac, the chance to finally break free of her grandmother’s iron reign and follow her heart…

…straight into the arms of a wolf.

Ex-Green Beret and lone wolf shifter, Allen Chase only accepted this babysitting mission to push his resumé to the top of the Coalition’s application pile. His task is simple—hide in plain sight, protect the witches, and definitely not fall for one of them. Their kind is forbidden to someone like him, after all. Yet as constant attacks bring Allen and Lilac closer together, their attraction proves undeniable. Inevitable. Fated. Lilac is everything he never knew he wanted, and with her enemies closing in, he’ll do anything to protect her. Including sacrificing her trust. Is he strong enough to break his own heart to set the woman he loves free?

Never Kiss a Krampus by Honey Phillips

Noelle Green needs a miracle. The town of Mistletoe Hollow is being devoured by a Grinch-like developer, and her beloved Christmas shop is next to the list. Fueled by peppermint schnapps and desperation, she performs a ritual for Yuletide aid.

She gets a miracle, all right—just not the kind she expected. She accidentally summons a Krampus, all towering muscle, wicked horns, and glowing eyes. Bound to her until Christmas, Bastian is ancient, annoyed, and very sure she owes him for dragging him across realms.

Noelle’s attraction to her grumpy, imposing house guest is as undeniable as it is terrifying. But between magical punishments, enchanted tinsel, and kisses that melt snowflakes, this holiday season is about to get very, very naughty.

The Christmas I Stole a Viscount by Alexandra Vasti

Persephone Ballard has kidnapped a viscount. In her defense, it was her brother’s fault.

For ten years, Percy’s brother has been madly in love with a notorious actress. And for just as long, he’s refused to marry her to protect his wallflower little sister from scandal. But now that Percy’s firmly (and happily!) on the shelf, she’s had enough of her brother’s self-sacrifice. Her plan? Kidnap his rakish best friend at the family Christmas party, ruin her own reputation, and rescue her brother from his self-imposed heartbreak.

Leopold, Viscount de Valincourt has found himself in plenty of scrapes—but waking up beside his best friend’s shy, scholarly, surprisingly cunning sister isn’t one he anticipated. Leo shocks them both, however, when he takes Percy’s scheme even further. Why stop at ruination? If he brings Percy to his ancestral home as his bride, he can fulfill his beloved grandmother’s dying wishes to see him happily settled and save his best friend.

But to convince Leo’s grandmother of their passionate elopement, Percy and Leo must fake a grand romance at the ancient abbey until the end of the Christmas season. Nothing—not ghostly monks or scorched plum puddings or even Grand-maman’s watchful eye—will ruin their perfect plan. Unless, of course, someone actually falls in love . . .

Christmas Baby for the Greek by Jennie Lucas

Facing the worst news imaginable, Stavros seeks oblivion in an incredible encounter with Holly. And a year later, he discovers she’s had his child! In his mind, nothing could be more logical than legitimizing his heir with a ring.Yet he’s stunned when Holly disagrees. Yes, he rejected her after their night together, but she deserved more than he could offer. He’s spent years building his emotional walls, he can’t possibly break them down . . . This Christmas, to claim his bride and son, will Stavros take the ultimate risk?

The Christmas Cure by Kristine Winters

He wasn’t on her Christmas wish list, but he’s just what Santa ordered.

When Libby Munro returns to her hometown of Harmony Hills—a holiday-obsessed village that feels like stepping into a Christmas card—she’s longing for an escape. A respite from her hectic job as a big-city emergency room doctor, and a change of scenery after a painful break-up. Maybe Harmony Hills’s festive charm will help her rediscover the holiday spirit.

What she doesn’t expect is Liam Young: the dreamy, green-eyed owner of the local bakery, whose smile rivals the glow of the town’s legendary Christmas tree. Or a run-in with Liam’s excitable pot-bellied pig, Mary Piggins, at the rumoured-to-be-magical tree-lighting ceremony. Libby’s knocked unconscious in the chaos and wakes up to find herself thrust into the past: specifically, to Christmastime, one year ago.

As she relives last Christmas, Libby begins to wonder if this is a second chance to change her life. With every snowflake-filled moment, the undeniable spark between her and Liam grows brighter. But if she’s going to rewrite her future, she’ll need to figure out what changes the past is asking her to make—and whether she’s ready to embrace the pull of home, and the promise of true love.