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Christmas Vibes: 8 Holiday-Themed Romances
Canadian authors Marissa Stapley, Uzma Jalalludin and Chantal Guertin join a chorus of writers who can’t resist the romantic possibilities of the festive season / BY Zed Staff / October 20th, 2023
Deck the halls early, because the most wonderful time of the year begins now, with a slew of new meet cutes, revenge affairs and rebound romances that will get you in the holiday spirit. Canadian bestselling authors Marissa Stapley (Lucky) and Uzma Jalaluddin (Much Ado About Nada) team up on a multi-faith rom-com, and sparks fly in a year when Christmas, Hanukkah and Ramadan converge on the calendar.
Whether spunky protagonists are running book stores, producing films or rescuing dogs, these characters will drive romance-novel lovers right into the arms of their favourite reading chair.
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1 IT HAPPENED ONE CHRISTMAS The best-selling Canadian author of Gigi, Listening and Instamom is back with her first holiday-themed novel: a rom-com about a big-city film director – who loves everything about Christmas – trying to convince the sexy, yet stubborn mayor of a cozy Quebec hamlet to give her a permit so she can shoot her movie. Just a few days before Christmas, the pair are stranded together in an ice storm without food, water or power. We’re betting that love will blossom under the mistletoe and warm their cold hearts. (Oct. 31)
The best-selling Canadian author of Gigi, Listening and Instamom is back with her first holiday-themed novel: a rom-com about a big-city film director – who loves everything about Christmas – trying to convince the sexy, yet stubborn mayor of a cozy Quebec hamlet to give her a permit so she can shoot her movie. Just a few days before Christmas, the pair are stranded together in an ice storm without food, water or power. We’re betting that love will blossom under the mistletoe and warm their cold hearts. (Oct. 31)
2THREE HOLIDAYS AND A WEDDINGBilled as “Three times the holiday magic. Three times the chaos,” this multi-faith romantic comedy revels in unexpected adventures that arise when Ramadan, Hanukkah and Christmas happen at the same time. Ontario writer and parenting columnist Jalaluddin is known for taking classics like Pride and Prejudice and giving them a modern Muslim twist. Stapley is the author of Lucky, a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick, and sold the TV rights to ABC Disney Studios. In Three Holidays and a Wedding, strangers Anna Gibson and Maryam Aziz meet on a plane, and bond during a bout of turbulence. An emergency landing finds them snowbound, far from their families. But after discovering love in the most unexpected places, they soon discover there’s no place they’d rather be.
Billed as “Three times the holiday magic. Three times the chaos,” this multi-faith romantic comedy revels in unexpected adventures that arise when Ramadan, Hanukkah and Christmas happen at the same time. Ontario writer and parenting columnist Jalaluddin is known for taking classics like Pride and Prejudice and giving them a modern Muslim twist. Stapley is the author of Lucky, a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick, and sold the TV rights to ABC Disney Studios. In Three Holidays and a Wedding, strangers Anna Gibson and Maryam Aziz meet on a plane, and bond during a bout of turbulence. An emergency landing finds them snowbound, far from their families. But after discovering love in the most unexpected places, they soon discover there’s no place they’d rather be.
3MIDNIGHT AT THE CHRISTMAS BOOKSHOP Colgan, the beloved Scottish author of romantic comedies and science fiction, writes a sequel to the New York Times bestseller, The Christmas Bookshop, which the newspaper described as “literary hot chocolate with a bourbon shot: hot, sweet but with a surprising emotional kick.” Carmen Hogan, the manager of McCredie’s bookstore in Edinburgh, is fending off a buyout from an obnoxious millionaire who wants to turn her store into a cheap souvenir shop, so an American film company can use it as a backdrop for a cheesy Christmas movie. Carmen soon finds herself, and the store, caught up in the magic of the holiday season. (Oct. 10)
Colgan, the beloved Scottish author of romantic comedies and science fiction, writes a sequel to the New York Times bestseller, The Christmas Bookshop, which the newspaper described as “literary hot chocolate with a bourbon shot: hot, sweet but with a surprising emotional kick.” Carmen Hogan, the manager of McCredie’s bookstore in Edinburgh, is fending off a buyout from an obnoxious millionaire who wants to turn her store into a cheap souvenir shop, so an American film company can use it as a backdrop for a cheesy Christmas movie. Carmen soon finds herself, and the store, caught up in the magic of the holiday season. (Oct. 10)
4A CHRISTMAS TO REMEMBER Jenkins, nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work, is back with the 11th title in her Blessings series of books, which Kirkus Reviews says is “a statement to the power of community and how love – whether romantic or between family members or friends – can heal all wounds.” All the books are set in the imaginary town of Henry Adams, Kan., but this time the drama twists and turns around the romance between Bernadine Brown, who recently bought the town, and diner owner Malachi July, as they prepare for their weddings, while Reverend Paula Grant’s prayers for a life partner look like they might be answered. Then there’s the former mayor, who decides to throw a holiday parade starring his hog, Cletus. For loyal readers of Jenkins, it will be a Christmas to remember. (Oct. 24)
Jenkins, nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work, is back with the 11th title in her Blessings series of books, which Kirkus Reviews says is “a statement to the power of community and how love – whether romantic or between family members or friends – can heal all wounds.” All the books are set in the imaginary town of Henry Adams, Kan., but this time the drama twists and turns around the romance between Bernadine Brown, who recently bought the town, and diner owner Malachi July, as they prepare for their weddings, while Reverend Paula Grant’s prayers for a life partner look like they might be answered. Then there’s the former mayor, who decides to throw a holiday parade starring his hog, Cletus. For loyal readers of Jenkins, it will be a Christmas to remember. (Oct. 24)
5THE CHRISTMAS FIX The second book in Score’s 2017 King Sibling series is being re-released, with a new cover in time for the holidays. After a flood nearly destroys the fictional town of Merry, Conn., smoking-hot reality star Catalina King shows up with a camera crew, big budget and a plan to rebuild. But she’s met with fierce resistance from single dad and city manager Noah, who hates the idea of capitalizing on the town’s tragedy. According to the author: “These enemies-to-lovers deliver the holiday feels with a dirty-talking hero, ballsy blonde who never backs down, steamy hot break-the-dining-room-table sexy times, and a small town that still believes in the magic of Christmas.” (Oct. 10)
The second book in Score’s 2017 King Sibling series is being re-released, with a new cover in time for the holidays. After a flood nearly destroys the fictional town of Merry, Conn., smoking-hot reality star Catalina King shows up with a camera crew, big budget and a plan to rebuild. But she’s met with fierce resistance from single dad and city manager Noah, who hates the idea of capitalizing on the town’s tragedy. According to the author: “These enemies-to-lovers deliver the holiday feels with a dirty-talking hero, ballsy blonde who never backs down, steamy hot break-the-dining-room-table sexy times, and a small town that still believes in the magic of Christmas.” (Oct. 10)
6THE TWELVE DOGS OF CHRISTMAS This book might be the next best thing to finding a furry, four-legged gift under the Christmas tree. Wiggs, a former teacher and Harvard graduate, is the author of more than two dozen novels, and a three-time winner of a Romance Writers of America award. In The Twelve Dog of Christmas, Brenda Malloy is in the process of putting her life back together a year after discovering her husband’s affair, when she decides to load up a van with 12 dogs and embark on a 2,000-mile road trip, delivering each to their forever home in time for Christmas. But a snowstorm, an escaped dog and a chance encounter with single dad and paramedic Adam Bellamy teaches her that love comes in all shapes and sizes.
This book might be the next best thing to finding a furry, four-legged gift under the Christmas tree. Wiggs, a former teacher and Harvard graduate, is the author of more than two dozen novels, and a three-time winner of a Romance Writers of America award. In The Twelve Dog of Christmas, Brenda Malloy is in the process of putting her life back together a year after discovering her husband’s affair, when she decides to load up a van with 12 dogs and embark on a 2,000-mile road trip, delivering each to their forever home in time for Christmas. But a snowstorm, an escaped dog and a chance encounter with single dad and paramedic Adam Bellamy teaches her that love comes in all shapes and sizes.
7WRECK THE HALLS New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey is back with a romance that will take the chill out of a cold winter night. Although Melody Gallard and Beat Dawkins are both the children of musical royalty, they couldn’t be more different. She loves old books and hates the limelight, and he can’t get enough of the cameras. After a reality film crew offers Melody money to reunite the Steel Birds, the band that starred their estranged mothers, the kids hatch a plan to get their moms to perform one last show on Christmas Eve. But as a brewing scandal, brawling Santas and diva personalities threaten to derail their plans, both of them find their connection turning from business to romance.
New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey is back with a romance that will take the chill out of a cold winter night. Although Melody Gallard and Beat Dawkins are both the children of musical royalty, they couldn’t be more different. She loves old books and hates the limelight, and he can’t get enough of the cameras. After a reality film crew offers Melody money to reunite the Steel Birds, the band that starred their estranged mothers, the kids hatch a plan to get their moms to perform one last show on Christmas Eve. But as a brewing scandal, brawling Santas and diva personalities threaten to derail their plans, both of them find their connection turning from business to romance.
8BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CHRISTMAS “It’s like a warm cocoa hug of a book,” is how Savannah-based author Mary Kay Andrews describes her 31st novel. And, as this is Andrew’s fifth Christmas-themed book, she knows how to pour on the holiday charm. In Bright Lights, Big Christmas, small-town girl Kerry Tolliver leaves her home in the mountains of North Carolina for the first time to sell Christmas trees, alongside her brother and his dog, in the chaos of New York City’s Greenwich Village. When a friend goes missing, Kerry puts her country know-how to the test to protect the friends she now considers family. And while the chemistry between her and single dad Patrick is palpable, she wonders if their Christmas romance can last beyond the holidays.
“It’s like a warm cocoa hug of a book,” is how Savannah-based author Mary Kay Andrews describes her 31st novel. And, as this is Andrew’s fifth Christmas-themed book, she knows how to pour on the holiday charm. In Bright Lights, Big Christmas, small-town girl Kerry Tolliver leaves her home in the mountains of North Carolina for the first time to sell Christmas trees, alongside her brother and his dog, in the chaos of New York City’s Greenwich Village. When a friend goes missing, Kerry puts her country know-how to the test to protect the friends she now considers family. And while the chemistry between her and single dad Patrick is palpable, she wonders if their Christmas romance can last beyond the holidays.