I love curling up on the sofa with a mug of hot chocolate or mulled wine and reading a Christmas romance, and what a gorgeous selection there is to choose from, so I thought I’d share my recommended reads with you. The following books I have all read and loved, I hope that you’ll enjoy them too.
A White Christmas at Winter Street by Sue Moorcroft
When Sky Terran returns to the village of Middledip after losing the job she loves, she anticipates a quiet Christmas getting used to her new life. However, the annual street decoration competition is coming up and this year, the residents of Winter Street are determined to win.
As she is pulled into the preparations, Sky quickly grows to love the quirky, tight-knit community she is now part of. Including the extremely handsome Daz, who soon becomes more than just a friendly neighbour.
But when Daz’s ex turns up determined to win him back and it seems he might not be the man Sky thought he was, she remembers how much allowing people into her life – and heart – can hurt. As the snow falls, will she and Daz find a way through – and help win a Christmas victory for Winter Street?
A Christmas Celebration by Heidi Swain
When Paige turns up unannounced at Wynthorpe Hall, she discovers the place she knew when she was growing up has changed beyond all recognition. She’s only planning to stay for a short time, but is quickly pulled into local life.
One night while driving home after delivering library books and shopping to residents she stumbles across an isolated cottage and meets Albert, its elderly and rather grumpy owner. She quickly realises there’s more to Albert than meets the eye and the same can be said for the other man she can’t seem to help running into, handsome but brooding Brodie.
All three of them have a secret and a desire to hide away from the world, but with Christmas on the horizon, is that really the best way to celebrate the season?
Snowflakes and Secrets in the Scottish Highlands by Donna Ashcroft
Step into Christmas Village in the Scottish Highlands where you’ll find plenty of mulled wine, romance and secrets! And join Merry McKenzie as she stays at her Aunt Ava’s cottage for the winter festivities to try and mend her broken heart…
Thirty-one-year-old Merry has vowed never to have her heart broken again. When her Aunt Ava asks her to house-sit Chestnut Cottage to look after her menagerie of animals, Merry jumps at the opportunity. Perhaps spending Christmas in the snowy Scottish Highlands will be just the escape she needs…
But on her first night in the little cottage everything goes wrong. The lights don’t work. It’s freezing cold. She has to call out the local vet, Theo Ellis-Lee, to help her calm down her aunt’s over-excited pet turkey. Merry realises she’s completely out of her comfort zone and it doesn’t help that Theo is both infuriatingly cheerful and insanely attractive.
It gets worse when Theo begins stopping by the cottage every day to check on the unruly animals. Merry wanted to prove that she doesn’t need a man holding her hand all the way. And Theo wasn’t part of her plans to be home alone for Christmas. Except Merry can’t deny the handsome vet sets her pulse racing…
Merry tries to keep up her Scrooge-like persona, but gradually Theo begins to melt her heart with his cheeky sense of humour and smouldering looks. As the two of them share cosy evenings drinking wine and eating cookies, Merry lets down her guard for the first time in a very long time.
But when Merry discovers Theo has been keeping a secret from her, it makes her wonder if she can really trust him. Can Theo convince Merry to give him a second chance? Or will Merry leave Christmas Village and return home heartbroken?
Wishing On a Star by Mandy Baggot
A single mum. A superstar athlete. A Christmas like no other.
Anna Heath is divorced, a single mum and trying desperately to keep her life in order. Despite her friends’ best efforts, Anna has stopped looking for love and is determined to give her daughter, Ruthie, a Christmas to remember.
Sam Jackman has just been dealt with life-altering news, and all he could think to do was run. He’s left his American football team back in the US, stuck a pin in a map, and landed in Richmond, London.
When Anna and Ruthie literally bump into Sam on the snow-speckled streets, he finds himself being welcomed into their lives. But what begins as a night on the sofa turns into the start of something special…
Snowflakes over Muddleford Cove by Kim Nash
Love is in the air and the festive season is just around the corner at the seaside town of Muddleford. Nellie is happily settled in her gorgeous clifftop home. Her favourite evenings are those spent at her beach hut, cozying up under a blanket with her fiancé. There’s nothing quite like spending time together under the twinkly stars – complete with a delicious hot chocolate and her dog Norman sprawled on their feet. But she can’t help feeling that there’s still something missing. When Nellie meets Esme, a mysterious visitor to Muddleford, the pair of them come up with a plan to raise money for the local animal shelter, leading to the grand finale – a Christmas Ball. But Esme’s keeping a secret about Nellie’s past that promises to throw her whole world upside down. Will this be Nellie’s perfect Christmas for the first time in forever? Or will it turn into her worst nightmare – one that she’ll never forget? Sometimes you have to go back to go forward.
And the following books are on my tbr list. I can’t wait to get started on them.
The Gingerbread Cafe by Anita Faulkner
CAN GRETEL FIND THE RECIPE FOR THE PERFECT CHRISTMAS?
The Gingerbread Café is always full of Christmas magic. Come rain or shine (or even a July heatwave), there’s always a hot chocolate bursting with cinnamon and marshmallows waiting for you. For introverted Gretel, it’s been the perfect escape from ‘real life’. The owner, Nell, is Gretel’s last link to her late mum, and hiding out at the café feels so much safer than making new friends.
So when Nell suddenly passes, Gretel is left heartbroken. Then she discovers that Nell has left the café to her – but there’s a catch. Gretel has to share the running of The Gingerbread Café with the least festive person ever: Nell’s nephew, Lukas. Head chef at the local fancy restaurant, Lukas makes it clear he has no time for the café, Gretel or even Christmas itself, and Gretel’s too busy struggling to save her burnt batches of gingerbread to work out why.
Gretel is determined to keep Christmas alive and make the café a success before Lukas hands the keys over to the scrooge-like developers. But she can’t do it alone; besides an over friendly ferret and a waitress with a secret, the only person she has now is Lukas. Will it take a Christmas miracle to get the pair to finally see eye to eye, or could the ice already be melting?
Frost Falls at the Potting Shed by Jenny Kane
It has always been Maddie Willand‘s dream to take over her father’s plant nursery. But after his sudden death, she is devastated to discover that she might lose The Potting Shed forever.
Maddie’s bossy older sister, Sabi, is joint owner of the nursery, and she’s convinced that the best thing for both of them would be to sell up. Determined to keep the business going, Maddie can’t afford any distractions, but staying focused might be harder than she thinks when – after a major garden centre chain puts in an offer – her search for legal advice throws her into the path of attractive lawyer Ed…
As frost begins to fall over The Potting Shed, will Maddie find the strength to save her father’s legacy and open herself up to new beginnings?
The Christmas Trip by Sandy Baker
Another year has passed and it’s Christmas again. This year best friends Chloe, Jules and Lucy are all loved up but living worlds apart.
Chloe is madly in love with her celebrity beau, Archer, but after a whirlwind year in Hollywood’s limelight, she’s desperate to get away and spend some quality time together.
Jules loves her Melbourne life – and gorgeous winemaker Matt – but a crowded flat share has her longing for a place of her own.
Meanwhile, Lucy is stuck in a long distance relationship, jetting back and forth between Colorado and London to see Will.
When Archer’s plan to whisk Chloe to Paris goes awry, he surprises her by bringing her friends together for a Christmas to remember…
Christmas in Paris by Tilly Tennant
As the snow flutters down on the Eiffel Tower and fairy lights sparkle on the pavement cafés of Paris, meet the girl determined not to fall in love in the most romantic city in the world…
When Brooke arrives in Paris at Christmas, it feels like the perfect place to escape her heartbreak after being dumped by her long-term boyfriend. And while her head might be turned by the romance of couples strolling arm in arm along the riverbank, and the air scented with chocolat chaud, her heart remains firmly under lock and key – this trip is going to be about her.
But when a chance encounter leads Brooke to green-eyed Armand with his dark wavy hair and warm smile, she is annoyed to feel her heart skip a beat… And when he opens his heart to her in a candlelit restaurant and kisses her at the top of the Eiffel Tower, she throws caution to the wind. Armand isn’t her ex – and doesn’t she deserve a second chance at love?
But when Armand begins to blow hot and cold, she wonders if she has been taken for a fool. Why does he lie about where he has been? Who is the mysterious tall blonde French woman who always seems to be watching Brooke? And when Armand leaves Paris without warning as Christmas Eve approaches, will Brooke be able to find out what he is hiding? Brooke will need the courage to leave her own past behind if she is to find magic this Christmas
Merrily Ever After by Cathy Bramley
In a picturesque town in Derbyshire, Merry has always wanted a family to spend Christmas with, and this year her dream comes true as she says ‘I do’ to father-of-two Cole. But as she juggles worries about her business, last-minute wedding planning and the two new children in her life, Merry is stretched to breaking point.
Meanwhile, only a few miles away, Emily is desperately waiting for the New Year to begin. Her father Ray’s dementia is worsening, and she’s struggling to care for him alone while holding down a job. When Ray moves into a residential home, she discovers a photograph in his belongings that has the potential to change everything .
As shocking secrets from Ray’s past finally come to light, will this Christmas make or break Emily and Merry?
Amazon
Karen King – Writing about the light and dark of relationships.
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Karen-King/e/B0034P6W7I
Website: https://karenkingauthor.com/