5 Romance Books to Get You in the Holiday Spirit

By Hannah Reynolds•December 9, 2020

Hannah Reynolds is a BookBub editor and romance novelist.

Every year when December hits, I start digging through my bookshelves and ereader to unearth holiday romances — old classics and new releases, sweet and sexy stories, historicals and contemporaries. This year I want to share some old loves and new favorites, so even if there’s no wintry landscape outside your windows, or you don’t have the energy to dive into holiday baking, you can still easily get some of that festive spirit!

A Christmas PromiseMary Balogh

My love for Mary Balogh knows no bounds. Her books always strike the right chord — classic, swoon-worthy romances that manage to get under your skin, knotting up your heartstrings before resulting in a satisfying ending. In A Christmas Promise, an earl is forced to marry a coal merchant’s daughter. Neither of them are particularly happy about it. In fact, both of them detest each other. But when …Show More ›

The Twelve Dates of Christmas by Jenny Bayliss

I may be a city girl through-and-through, but I love reading about quaint British villages. The setting of this book is its own character: a tiny town where everyone knows everybody. There’s a fancy manor and a knitting club and lots and lots of decorations and twinkle lights; there’s descriptions of delicious baked goods, and wintry landscapes. Reading this book felt like being ensconced in a …Show More ›

Miracles and Menorahs by Stacey Agdern

This book is absolutely adorable. It features a heroine whose love for Hanukkah is enormous, and a hero who’d rather celebrate quietly. When the Hanukkah festival in Sarah’s small town is endangered, it’s up to her to save it — if she can get Isaac to help. (A Hanukkah festival! I want to go! Latkes and jelly donuts for all — speaking of which, the food in this book sounds amazing). Both …Show More ›

Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory

I make no qualms about my obsession with Meghan Markle. And Kate Middleton. And The Crown. And, okay, yes, I recently rewatched The King’s Speech and The Queen. I like to view the British Royals as though they’re a shared expanded universe, sort of like Marvel. But The Royal Holiday is better than any of the above, though, because it’s totally fictional so you know everyone gets a happily ever …Show More ›

A Holiday by Gaslight by Mimi Matthews

Oh, the longing in this book! It’s filled with suppressed emotions and powerful silences. Sophie is a genteel young lady who isn’t sure if wealthy Edward is courting her because he likes her, or because he wants the prestige of marrying her. He’s impossibly stoic. So she calls off their courtship after two months. But Edward and his family have already planned on coming to Sophie’s family home of …Show More ›