15 Christmas Books for Adults to Get You in the Holiday Spirit

After a bad breakup, Lindy Carmichael isn’t feeling very cheerful for the holiday season. She visits her mom who reminds her of Lindy’s old tradition — writing letters to Santa. Lindy decides to take up her tradition again, but instead of asking for toys or clothes, she asks for a faithful man. The next day, she runs into her childhood best friend, Billy, and they reconnect over dinner. She spends her two week holiday with family, friends & Billy, who she is falling for & realizes that he is falling for her too. There’s truly no place like home for the holidays!

Sleigh Bells Ring is different than your average holiday romance novel. The main character, Annie, brings her two nieces to Angel’s View Ranch which she is a caretaker of. The ranch is very special to Annie as it used to be owned by her family but is now owned by a billionaire. She assumes that the owner will not be at the ranch, but is genuinely surprised when he shows up. Also surprisingly, the owner asks her to stay and help get the house ready for Christmas since it will be his last year there before he sells the property. Upset at the thought of the property being sold and that she will be out of a job, she tries to make the best of a bad situation. She starts to fall for this man against all odds … but will it be a recipe for disaster?

“I’m not going to hold back anything here. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the novels by Jasmine Guillory. She writes the best meet-cutes there are to imagine in the world of romance. But the gushing doesn’t stop there. Nothing would hold up if it weren’t for her protagonists. Smart, independent women with open hearts for the right romance. A holiday vacation and Christmas is something to celebrate. Have fun!”—B&N Bookseller

Maelyn Jones goes to a snowy cabin in Utah every Christmas with her family. The trip is the only thing she has to look forward to lately as she deals with a dead-end job, has no luck with relationships, and is living with her parents. Extremely bummed to leave the cabin, she starts driving and enters a strange time loop where she ends up back on the plane bound for Utah where she begins the same holiday all over again. A hilarious & fun read, In a Holidaze is a unique Christmas romance story you’ll love!

Looking for a winter romance that will make your heart sing? The Wishing Bridge is a heartwarming read full of small-town charm and Christmas cheer will not disappoint. Henri returns home for the holidays, but it’s not just to celebrate Christmas. Will Heri convince her aging parents to sell their Christmas store to a huge corporation or fall in love instead?

If the Virgin River series sounds familiar to you, it may be because it is now a Netflix series! Book 4 of the series features Marcie Sullivan’s hunt to find the man who saved her husband’s life and gave them three more years together before his passing last Christmas. The marine who saved her husband’s life has ghosts of his own and doesn’t want to relive his painful past, but is it time to open his heart to the future?

A Christmas story about friendship, relationships, and the things you do for the people you love. The importance of family shines through this novel as Christy tries to rekindle her marriage while her best friend Alix takes care of her daughter. You get to see both sides of the story (Christy and Alix) through this heartfelt book, including an unexpected romance with a man that Alix meets on her trip.

Set in a small town in Georgia, Wade Montgomery returns to help his family business after it was nearly destroyed by a fire. While in town, he comes across an old friend with some new chemistry between them. Their romance grows throughout the novel, making it that much harder for Wade to leave Blessings, Georgia … or will he decide to stay?

This holiday romance is about two sisters — Reggie who has a recently broken-off engagement, and Dena who is pregnant but single. Reggie returns back to her hometown to help her parents create a wedding that they never had and runs into her high school boyfriend with a spark that still seems to be there, despite their bad breakup. Dena on the other hand, meets a rockstar who uses Dena’s desire to be a mom as inspiration for his writing. Will both Reggie and Dena find true romance?

Two twins who were desperate for an escape decide to swap lives — something they haven’t done since they were kids. However, when they both meet guys that they start to fall for, things start to get complicated. Will their swapped lives be a recipe for romance disaster, or will it be the excitement they needed all along?

Spending Christmas at White Oaks Inn with her family has been an annual tradition for Scarlett since she was a little girl. Unfortunately, this may be the last Christmas they get to spend there unless she is able to convince Charlie, a successful property developer, to invest in the Inn that she loves. Charlie has no plans to let Scarlett persuade her, but as they have an undeniable spark and bond over baking cookies and decorating for the holidays, will Scarlett be able to work past his rugged exterior?

We all know someone who works just a little bit too hard and doesn’t enjoy life outside of it. The same goes for Everly Lancaster, who didn’t bother to celebrate Christmas last year. When her boss forces her to take December off for a much-needed vacation, Everly is hesitant but obliges … until she realizes that her assistant booked her a completely remote trip in the Amazon. Despite her reluctance, she slowly comes around as she takes in the beautiful sights and is charmed by the ship’s naturalist, Asher Adams. The trip gives her a chance to look at her life priorities including a budding new romance.

Who doesn’t love a touch of family drama over Christmas? The Quinn family is spending their holidays at their Winter Street Inn in Nantucket this year. This fast-paced Christmas story has it all! Mulled cider, Christmas carols, someone getting caught kissing Santa Claus, and a family trying to overcome their differences to celebrate Christmas together! But will they succeed and me merry?

This is another book with two stories in one. The first is about a woman who decides to spontaneously leave her husband after 20+ years to live out her dreams, but her husband is determined to win her back. The second story features a man who wishes for true love, but as the old saying goes, “Be careful what you wish for.”

A Little Christmas Spirit is a bit of a play on the popular novella, A Christmas Carol. A single mom is looking to make this Christmas extra special for her six-year-old son, but her Scrooge-like neighbor wants no part in the festivities. He’s visited by his late wife’s ghost who convinces him to be more neighborly and holiday spirited. Read this book and filter through many emotions from happiness to grief. The themes from this book will stick with you, such as being understanding of what others are going through. Sheila Robert’s story is so heartfelt and warm that is a must-read!