In today’s noisy, fast-paced, sometimes overwhelming world, there is nothing like escaping into a small-town romance. The stories invite readers to embrace the simple joys, savor a slower pace and step into a love story that feels personal and timeless. The characters are ordinary, relatable people who find love in the middle of a cinnamon-scented café, or on a Christmas tree farm. Nosy neighbors, botched bake-offs and light-bedecked streets all add to the nostalgia and charm.
We keep falling for these stories because they wrap us in comfort, makes us laugh and remind us sometimes love really is waiting just around the corner.
Snow Kissed by RaeAnne Thayne
‘Tis the season for a little white lie…
Christmas has always been single mom Holly Goodwin Moore’s favorite time of year. The twinkly lights on the tree, the cookies in the oven, the snow on the ground. But she’s just not feeling it this year. The wedding in her ex’s family is almost here, her daughter, Lydia, is bursting at the seams to be a flower girl…and Holly couldn’t be dreading it more. She told a little white lie about having a new boyfriend as her plus-one, hoping to save face. She needs a date for the wedding … and she needs it now.
Ryan Caldwell wants to be free this holiday season. So even he isn’t sure how he landed in Shelter Springs, looking after his niece, Audrey, with his estranged father down the road. But when he meets Holly, she makes him want to belong for the very first time. So they make a deal: he’ll be her date if she’ll help him give Audrey a true Christmas to remember while her mom is away.
A Ferry Merry Christmas by Debbie Macomber
Avery and Reed Bond grew up sharing a close-knit relationship, weathering life’s storms side by side. Even so, Avery often finds herself exasperated by her brother’s relentless matchmaking, while Reed can’t resist teasing his sister — after all, isn’t that what siblings do?
Facing their first Christmas without their beloved Grams, the woman who lovingly raised them, Reed and Avery decide to spend the holiday together at Reed’s home. However, their plans take an unexpected turn when the ferry Avery’s traveling on stalls in the middle of Puget Sound, stranding its passengers and leaving Reed waiting a now undetermined length of time for her arrival. What is at first an inconvenience threatens to ruin the plans of a number of commuters, but Avery and Reed soon discover that this unforeseen delay might end up being be a perfectly timed blessing in disguise.
While stuck on the ferry, Avery meets a handsome sailor and witnesses a Christmas miracle that reignites her belief in the holiday spirit. Meanwhile, Reed runs into a coworker who’s also waiting for a family member to arrive and sparks a surprising and delightful connection.
In this tale of holiday magic, the Bond siblings find themselves taking a chance on love, proving that sometimes the best moments in life come when we least expect them.
A Little Christmas Matchmaking by Carolyn Brown
Tripp Callahan’s leather shop in Spanish Fort, Texas has become more than he can handle and he’s ready to hire help. He’s so backed up on Christmas orders that he’s working sixteen-hour days. The answer to one prayer shows up in Hank Gibson, former owner of a leather shop and happy to work part time. But Hank brings his feisty granddaughter Willa Rose Gibson and her presence leads Tripp to pray that Great Aunt Bernie won’t turn her matchmaking eyes his way. No such luck. Aunt Bernie sees the potential and begins to hang mistletoe in every doorway. Tripp is going to be a goner.
The Christmas Cowboy by Melinda Curtis
Will he find the ultimate present…
Or lose his heart?
Zane Duvall has one goal this Christmas: attend all Twelve Parties of Clementine and win the grand prize — a small ranch he’s always dreamed of owning. But his plan hits a snag when his well-meaning family decides he needs a holiday romance to go with his holiday cheer. Lily Smith has come to town to confront a man claiming to be her father — and ends up facing a lot of questions she’s not ready to answer. When Zane proposes a fake relationship to keep nosy citizens and matchmakers at bay, Lily agrees. After all, it’s just pretend … right? But when family secrets and old wounds come to light, will their budding romance survive the season?
Christmas Encore by Tess Thompson
Some love stories never take their final bow.
He left her without a word. Now he’s back — with scars, regrets and a love he can’t outrun.
Fifteen years ago, Roan Hayes vanished from Sugarville Grove, leaving behind the girl he loved and a town that never forgave him. Now, a career-ending stuntman injury sends him home, determined to start over quietly with a gritty new gym. But his fresh start collides head-on with the past when he discovers his business shares a wall with hers.
Reese Monroe has been back in Sugarville Grove for years, running her beloved Sugar Plum Dance Studio after a dazzling ballet career that ended too soon. Outwardly, she’s thriving — teaching young dancers, filling her days with music and movement — but privately, the pressure to stay in control still haunts her. The last thing she needs is Roan walking back into her world … still magnetic, still stubborn and still capable of upending everything.
A Christmas to Belong by Susan Hatler
Ashley is spending Christmas with only her cat—until she agrees to run the Magic and Mistletoe book conference in the charming town of Creating Christmas, Colorado. But when her ex shows up as a keynote speaker and everything starts going wrong, Ashley fears her dream event is headed for disaster.
Enter Scott, the thoughtful innkeeper who’s more practical than festive—but always there when it counts. As they work together to save the conference, Ashley starts to wonder if the man who doesn’t believe in holiday magic might just be her Christmas miracle.
From a New York Times bestselling author, don’t miss this heartwarming story of finding home, healing past wounds and falling in love where you least expect it in A Christmas To Belong.
