For many people, the holiday season looks like drinking hot cocoa while watching snow fall outside. What epitomizes this aesthetic more than the cheesy holiday movies that run on repeat on the Hallmark and Lifetime channels through the month of December? These movies are filled with classic Christmas tropes, filling viewers with a familiar sense of comfort and belonging.
The nostalgic holiday cheer each of these stories provides is part of what makes the holiday season magical. So, this week on Three to Read, we’ve hand-selected for you the best Christmas romances to enjoy!
Hot Pick
Homecoming King
by Penny Reid
Synopsis:
Rex “TW” McMurtry’s perpetual single-hood wouldn’t bother him so much if all his ex-girlfriends didn’t keep marrying the very next person they dated, especially when so many of those grooms are his closest friends. He may be a pro-football defensive end for the Chicago Squalls, but the press only wants to talk about how he’s always a groomsman and never a groom. Rex is sick of being the guy before the husband, and he’s most definitely sick of being the best man at all their weddings.
Bartender Abigail McNerny is the gal-pal, the wing-woman, the she-BFF. She’s dated. Once. And once was more than enough. Privy to all the sad stories of her customers, ‘contentment over commitment’ is her motto, and Abby is convinced no one on earth could ever entice her into a romantic relationship . . . except that one guy she’s loved since preschool.
Why:
New York Times bestselling author Penny Reid is ready to sweep you off your feet with another romance novel. Fans are anxiously anticipating this new release on December 14th, 2021. If you’re a sucker for slow-burn romance, be sure to check out this cozy Christmas tale.
Coffee Shop
Elves with Benefits
by Jane Aston
Synopsis:
My name is Ryan Sheppard and I don’t care about Christmas. I’m only returning to my over-the-top Christmas-themed hometown to sell the house I inherited from my late uncle so I can get back to the city and the promotion I’m chasing at work.
Unfortunately, there’s a flaw in my plan.
Because according to the town Christmas cop, there’s a moratorium on selling houses during December. She says it’s bad for the aesthetic. She’s also slapping an alarming number of tickets on my front door. For being in violation of holiday décor. And I swear on Rudolph himself, one is for ‘unsportsmanlike Christmassing.’
To top it all off, this Christmas cop looks like a sexy red-headed elf.
Why:
Jane Aston is back with another twist on the classic Christmas romance. Elves with Benefits is part of Aston’s Reindeer Falls series, which proudly claim to be “over-the-top festive with merrily-ever-afters guaranteed!” This book was released on November 4th, and it’s a must-have for any critic of classic Christmas couples.
Dark Horse
Blame It on the Mistletoe
by Beth Garrod
Synopsis:
Elle is a social medial star with the #DreamLife . . . or so it seems. Determined to shake up her content and gain new followers, she’s on a mission: can she find a British fan to swap with for Christmas?
Holly loves everything about Christmas. But after a mortifying mistletoe disaster with her ex, her perfect plans unravel like a bad Christmas sweater. Can Holly save the holidays when she switches places with her favorite social media influencer?
Elle gets more than she bargained for when she meets the cute boy from across the street. And Holly wasn’t expecting Elle to have a handsome twin brother. This holiday is full of surprises.
Why:
Beth Garrod’s Blame It on the Mistletoe earned its spot as this week’s Dark Horse pick for its social-media spin to the traditional romance tropes. Like most Christmas romance heroines, Holly finds herself trapped between career, Christmas, and crush. But Garrod breathes new life into this classic tale by updating the trope with the tensions of the social internet. Find out how social media influences our love lives in Blame It on the Mistletoe.
Thanks for joining us for another Three to Read! We hope you pick up one of these lighthearted reads this holiday season.
Click here to catch up on Three to Read.
Click here for more Christmas romance reads.