Sadly 2023 was not a great year for festive romances. I found more than half of my reads average at best and I even DNF’d one book, which I’ve never done with my festive ARCs before. However, there were some stand out reads. These are what kept me going with the festive ARCs and unsurprisingly, two of them are from staple festive romance authors for me.
The Christmas Book Club by Sarah Morgan
I’ve included a Sarah Morgan book in almost every single one of these posts and I’m at all surprised about that. I think this one is my favourite so far, even though it has four different perspectives, which usually I find annoying and hard to follow. However, every single character had a real reason to lead their own chapters and you find yourself really rooting for them all.
The friendship dynamics are done so well and the romance, while not the main reason for this book, was adorable. I really can’t recommend The Christmas Book Club enough.
Synopsis: A long-lasting friendship
Every year, Erica, Claudia, and Anna reunite for their book club holiday. They’re bonded by years of friendship and a deep love of books, but there is still so much they keep from each other . . .
A perfect Christmas escape
At the cosy Maple Sugar Inn, Hattie specialises in making her guests’ dreams come true, but this Christmas all she wants is to survive the festive season. Between running the inn and being a single mother, Hattie is close to breaking point.
The start of a brand-new story…?
Over the course of an eventful week, Hattie sees that the friends are each carrying around unspoken truths, but nothing prepares her for how deeply her story will become entwined in theirs. Will this Christmas be the end of the book club’s story or the start of a whole new chapter?
The Gingerbread House in Mistletoe Gardens by Jaimie Admans
Jaimie Admans has become a staple festive author for me now. Surprisingly this one has been the least favourite so far, but it’s still one of my top reads from last year. Which really shows you how dire my selection was.
I did love this though. The idea of a life sized gingerbread house that is actually made from gingerbread is incredible. I loved the baking scenes in this book.
Synopsis: In Mistletoe Gardens a legend anyone who kisses underneath the mistletoe will be guaranteed another year of love…
When local baker Essie Browne discovers that Mistletoe Gardens is to be demolished in January, she’s determined to save the place she loves so much. So Essie proposes building a life size gingerbread house to bring in the crowds…just how hard can it be? Well, quite hard actually. Essie can bake gingerbread blindfolded, but she hasn’t got a clue how to build an actual house with it! She needs help – and fast!
Enter local builder, Joss Hallissey. Essie is convinced that with Joss’s help they can pull this off. There’s just one tiny Joss hates Christmas, gingerbread, and… well, just about everything else too. Joss the Grinch makes it clear that her idea is ludicrous and pointless, but he reluctantly agrees to help with her plan.
Will the gingerbread house be enough to save Mistletoe Gardens? Or will Essie’s chance for a magical kiss under the mistletoe be lost forever?
Three Holidays and a Wedding by Uzma Jalaluddin & Marissa Stapley
I still think about this book sometimes because I loved it that much. The inclusion of multiple holidays was done so well and I loved the representation for different cultures and religions. I’ll put my hands up and say I don’t know anything about being muslim or jewish, but I feel like a lot of care and attention was taken with this book. It’s extremely heartwarming and the friendships are so lovely.
Synopsis: Three times the holiday magic. Three times the chaos.
As strangers and seatmates Maryam Aziz and Anna Gibson fly to Toronto over the holidays—Maryam to her sister’s impromptu wedding, and Anna to meet her boyfriend’s wealthy family for the first time—neither expect that severe turbulence will scare them into confessing their deepest hopes and fears to one another. At least they’ll never see each other again. And the love of Maryam’s life, Saif, wasn’t sitting two rows behind them hearing it all. Oops.
An emergency landing finds Anna, Saif, Maryam, and her sister’s entire bridal party snowbound at the quirky Snow Falls Inn in a picture-perfect town, where fate has Anna’s actor-crush filming a holiday romance. As Maryam finds the courage to open her heart to Saif, and Anna feels the magic of being snowbound with an unexpected new love—both women soon realize there’s no place they’d rather be for the holidays.
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