There is so much that I have come to love about those Christmas reads and especially around this time of year I just can’t get enough of them. In fact I don’t read them just around this time of year….I like to read them year round because every one of them is sweet and romantic and unique. What I love most about them is seeing the mix of Christmas Spirit and a romance together because I feel like they just seem to fit just right!! I love seeing the various Christmas traditions that are revealed and shown. There is a variety of settings but my personal favorite is historical because some of my favorite traditions to see is the ones set in the various time periods such as : The Yule Log, Candle Lit Dinners (which when I was little we had when celebrating Christmas with my grandparents and was so much better than standard electricity), Family Bonfire, plum pudding, and mistletoe hung in every doorway, and Eggnog (although back then it was made mostly of rum).
Then we have the modern traditions which tend to vary from family to family but what I enjoy seeing is the way authors portray Christmas in romances and when its Contemporary you see their traditions put into those stories. My favorite Contemporary author who does this is Lori Wilde who introduces us to a series with small town romances as well as Emma Cane. Both do sweet small town themes with great Christmas cheer who make me eager to go out caroling or decorating my whole house with garland and lights and candles and listen to Christmas music all day long!!
What is most attractive about these stories, what really draws us into them is seeing these Christmas themes come alive and seeing two people who care about each other spend this special holiday together and it can create a close intimacy as well. But another fun aspect is when its in the middle or end of a series and we see all of our favorite characters from this series come together for Christmas and get to revisit with them and see them after they got their HEA or HFN. This can happen in a variety of ways. What I love about these type of Christmas stories is how warm and cozy they feel while reading that makes you want to get a warm fleece blanket and a cup of hot cocoa next a fireplace. There are some festive and unique ways that each author writes these holiday stories that can be addictive and heartwarming!!
My Christmas Favorites:Β
Questions For My Readers:Β
Why Do You Love Christmas Romances? Is there a certain aspect you love about them?Β
What Are Your Top Favorite Christmas Reads?? I would love to know so I can check them out and maybe see if we have any in common.Β
It’s not that I don’t like Christmas stories, but they tend to be too sweet for me (though I occasionally appreciate sweet !). I like my stories with more spunk, more banter, more action. However, just like you, I like to learn about different traditions and when they talk about food or Christmas beverages, I’m all in π And I’m afraid I’m a complete sucker for Christmas shiny lights !
I agree sometimes they can be too sweet. Its why I go for the older ones that are historical….they are sweet but still have conflict in them too!! I love shiny lights…you should see my apartment I have lights around every window and closet and around my desk and on top of my tv hehe And they are one of the cheapest Christmas decorations you can have.
I love lights in windows – it not only decorates your own place for your enjoyment, but also participates in the enjoyment of others π
I love Christmas winter reads as well, especially romances. I so need to get with it and pick one up this year. I can’t even believe that I haven’t yet.
I have only read a couple, probably because I have read most of the good ones at my library but I have re read some of my favorites and I do have a couple more to get to but I am not sure I will get to them before Christmas but they are still perfect for the Winter Season trying to keep warm on a cold winters night.
I haven’t read all that many Christmas stories, I need to fix that since I like the idea π
They are pretty fun to read…hope you get to read some!! π
I definitely love Christmas Romances, too. Every year I start craving them. Although I haven’t read many this year. I also read them year-round. I do love A Wallflower Christmas.
They are pretty fantastic right? I am like you this year though. I have only read a few Christmas reads but I still have a couple more that are on my list.
I agree, I love picking up a Christmas book because I love that it tends to be lighter and it is usually so cozy and pleasant. Perfect for pick me up reads or for a stormy winter afternoon.
oh yes….the are perfect for winter….I even like to read them after Christmas because they still are perfect to read during the winter season.
The holiday sometimes gives characters a little push in the right direction π a holiday party a little mistletoe….
I’ve been slacking this year but I’m trying to catch up.
Karen @For What It’s Worth
I haven’t read too many this year either, except for some re reads that I read every year because I love them so much. But I have a couple I do plan on reading over the next week.
I love reading Christmas romances because they always get me into a holiday mood. A Wallflower Christmas and Mackenzie Family Christmas are two of my favourites and this year, I’ve enjoyed Anna Campbell’s A Pirate for Christmas and Delilah Marvelle’s The Christmas Wager.
I agree…I love seeing them come together . I haven’t read Marvelle though. But I love seeing books with plenty of christmas cheer, traditions and warm and cozy love stories.
I enjoy reading Christmas romances because the HEA always makes me think of the magical feeling of Christmas. It’s a warm fuzzy feeling. Oh, and the parties, and traditions are always fun to read about too. One of my favorites is The Mischief of the Mistletoe by Lauren Willig.
the parties and traditions are way fun to see!!! I just read by first Lauren Willig book but have yet to read Mischief of the Mistletoe. I do love those warm fuzzy feeling Christmas reads. They are so fun to read.
I definitely like holiday romances even the really sugary ones though that normally doesn’t call to me. I enjoy the ones that are hard-fought romances needing a Christmas miracle to the really cozy ones surrounded by family and festivities. I like any romance sub-genres with a Christmas theme. My one thing is that if the book claims to be a holiday read, I do want more than just a nod toward the holiday. I don’t tend to read them year round, but it’s not because I don’t feel strongly one way or the other. I just don’t notice them much in the off season.
I’ve read a few this year that were pretty good: Christmas Chocolat by Kate Defrise which is contemporary, The Last Chance Christmas Ball antholgoy by Mary Jo Putney and more which is historical, A Fortunate Blizzard by LC Chase which is M/M contemporary, Three Nights Before Christmas by Kat Latham which is contemporary, Finding Christmas by Jeannie Moon which is contemporary, A Christmas Escape by Anne Perry is a historical mystery, A Midnight Clear by Hope Ramsay is a contemporary short, Winter Oranges by Marie Sexton is a m/m paranormal.
And I love some older ones, too, like Carla Kelly’s Marian’s Christmas Wish and Coming Home For Christmas, Starting from Scratch by Stacy Gail, Christmas at Sea Pines Cottage by Sally Smith O Rourke, Caribou’s Gift and Holiday Abduction by Eve Langlais, Christmas Kitsch by Amy Lane, Forbidden Magic and Christmas Angel by Jo Beverley, The Cowboy’s Christmas Baby and Cowboy Boots for Christmas by Carolyn Brown, I’ll Be Home for Christmas by Jessica Scott, A Christmas To Remember anthology by Jill Shalvis…, Lucky 13 by Cat Gardiner, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas by Heather Long
I like the hard fought romances too but they can be hard to find with Christmas reads sometimes. I really like Mary Jo Putney and Kat Latham. I have read Cowboy Boots by Brown is a cute romance….its one of those books that gets you in the mood for Christmas.
The Virgin River series by Robyn Carr had a holiday book each year and I loved them. I also try to read Debbie Macomber’s Christmas book each year
I love them cos well like you I want to decorate my house like crazy, bake cookies, go to xmas fairs. They make me happy
I love many of the novels that are on your Christmas list. The Season of Seduction is one of my absolute favorites and I read it every single Christmas. I just love that book! π I have been enjoying author anthologies for this holiday season as well as author Holly Martin. Her romances are not steamed full of sensual scenes but the romance is very powerful and an overall great, holiday read that reminds me of my favorite Hallmark movies! π
I think the thing that I want the most in a Christmas romance is more of a lighter touch. I usually do not read any books that are overly heavy in language or contain too much of erotic scenes. So I tend to stray away from those novels and instead I focus on the books such as those from Holly Martin, Robin Lee Hatcher and Marilyn Pappano. Of course a historical-romance featured at Christmas time is one book that I personally do not think a reader can go wrong with!
Have a Merry Christmas! π
I am pretty new to christmas themed reads, I never really read them until now. I read one christmas themed book a year or two ago and I managed to snatch a few christmas contemporary romances form netgalley this year. So far I am really enjoying them. I think the christmas feel adds something special to the book and they bring the fantasy and magical feel of christmas alive. I haven’t read any historical christmas themed novels so far, but I really want to give them a try. It’s fun to see how different authors portray christmas and the different christmas traditions. I also feel that christmas is also so cozy and christmas books can really give you that christmas feel while reading them.
I love holiday reads in general. Family relationships and friendships are two things I enjoy read about and they seem to be a big part of a lot of holiday romances. I especially enjoy holiday historicals because I like seeing the difference in traditions. My particular favorites are A Wallflower Christmas by Lisa Kleypas, All Through the Night by Suzanne Brockmann, An Affair Before Christmas by Eloisa James, This Wicked Gift by Courtney Milan, and Never Desire a Duke by Lily Dalton.