4 Holiday Romances that Earn Their Happy Endings

unabridgedpod
4 hours ago
5 min read

While I'm fairly picky about my holiday reading, I have read some fabulous holiday romances this year! If you're looking for sweet books that don't cross that "saccharine" line, one of these books may be for you.

B. K. Borison's Good Spirits (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm)

This is my first of two takes on A Christmas Carol that I've read and loved this year. (I listened to the audio, thanks to Libro.fm, and highly recommend that format!)

Noah Callahan is the Ghost of Christmas Past. For real. And while he can't immediately discern why Harriet York is owed a visit, he's sure that all will eventually become clear. It always does.

Harriet is skeptical at best, convinced at first that she's being burgled, not haunted. When she eventually gives in to her need to be haunted, she figures that—eventually—Noah's magic will help both of them to realize which of her mistakes she's meant to atone for most.

This romance is just delightful, offering magic and found family and a lovely sense of discovery as Noah and Harriet work to uncover each other's back story.

Ali Brady's Merry Little Bookshop (Bookshop.org)

Ali Brady's Merry Little Bookshop is a delight. This "long novella" is sweet and steamy, with a lovely holiday-centered plot.

Shira Schwartz is in Azalea, Texas, for one reason: to set up and run her company's pop-up bookshop in a holiday market and earn herself a promotion. Her boss figured she was perfect for the Christmas-centered event since she's Jewish and wouldn't miss out on the holiday, but he neglects to consider that she'll be missing Hanukkah, and she doesn't dare raise any objections. She vows to do her traditional celebrating with her friends virtually.

On her first day in town, on Thanksgiving Day, she glimpses Jonny McKay, though they don't officially meet 'til later. His family is one of the linchpins of the town, but Jonny was always considered to be a bit of a black sheep (he's an outsider from the town, but not his family). Seeking to escape that reputation, he moved away, but he's returned for the season to help out his dad after surgery. His big task? Running the holiday market.

Of course Shira and Jonny's paths cross again, and they're immediately drawn to each other. Shira's friends urge her to have a fun fling, while Jonny—unexpectedly—begins yearning for more right away. Through a series of crossed wires and misunderstandings, Shira and Jonny gradually begin opening up to each other, each finding a different sense of belonging than they expected.

Like Ali Brady's other books—all of which I've loved—this book builds through alternating perspectives, and I loved watching the gentle roller coaster ride of this relationship through the ups and downs of both main characters' viewpoints. The town of Azalea is delightful, and the celebration of both Hanukkah and Christmas is a real highlight. I just adore this one! (If you're looking for another Ali Brady holiday read, check out last year's novella, One Night, Two Holidays [Bookshop.org].)

Jean Meltzer's The Eight Heartbreaks of Hanukkah (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm)

Jean Meltzer’s The Eight Heartbreaks of Hanukkah is a delight. I’ve enjoyed all of Meltzer’s books, but this second-chance, Hanukkah-centered romance may be my favorite since The Matzah Ball.

Evelyn Schwartz lives for her job as an on-the-rise television producer. The show that she’s sure will be her big break is a live-action televised musical of A Christmas Carol starring a temperamental but wildly talented star. Schwartz has dealt with divas before, so she’s determined to use her eight days of rehearsal to make sure everything is perfect.

Then she discovers that David, her ex-husband, is filling in as the studio doctor for the entirety of the rehearsal and the live show itself, and everything that seemed to be so under control falls apart.

And then, the ghosts start showing up.

Yes, they’re like the ghosts of A Christmas Carol, except they’re the “Eight Heartbreaks of Hanukkah” ghosts that take Evelyn on a tour through every heartbreak, from the dissolution of her parents’ marriage to her father’s death to her wedding, with David beside her for every one.

The novel alternates between Evelyn’s very high-strung point of view and David’s more solemn perspective, which sheds light on his view of their marriage and divorce, including the reason that he walked out while Evelyn was at work and never looked back.

Meltzer deals with topics both serious—content warnings for miscarriage—and silly—her star’s very specific candy demands. But what centers the story is the tender love between Evelyn and David and the lovely retelling of a classic story through a new lens. What a joy of a book.

Catherine Walsh's Holiday Romance (Bookshop.org), Snowed In (Bookshop.org), and Merrily Ever After (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm)

I've come to love Catherine Walsh's holiday romances, centering on the very Irish Fitzpatrick family. Beginning with Holiday Romance, which I read in 2022, I've greeted each of these with great joy and anticipation. Here's my review of that first novel:

The setup here is fun—Molly is on her way back to Ireland (from Chicago) for the holidays when she's unexpectedly seated right beside Andrew, the guy her roommate is getting ready to dump. And does, via text, while he's sitting right beside Molly.

After the unfortunate first flight, Molly and Andrew end up on the same flight (at first accidentally and then later on purpose) to Ireland for Christmas every year for 10 years. They develop a relationship centered on that flight. While they occasionally see each other during the year, and they text and email often, it's the flight that keeps their friendship going.

And then, they hit 10 years, and the flight is canceled. What results is a series of increasingly complicated efforts—together—to get them each home for the holidays . . . and a reconsideration of whether "friends" is all they're meant to be.

The book focuses on the present but dips back into each of the past 10 years, so we get a peek into the ways that their relationship grows and changes, the way they support each other—even from afar—and come to understand who they are in relation to the other.

What a lovely holiday read.

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