NEXT CHAPTER BLOG
6 Books to Read This Christmas: Romance, Mysteries and a Festive Fright
Find your next Christmas read with six books featuring village romance, festive mysteries, and a chilling holiday horror story.
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Christmas reading comes in many forms. Sometimes you want a village romance with familiar faces and the possibility of a fresh start. Sometimes you want to investigate a suspicious batch of gingerbread. And sometimes, even with the Christmas lights on, you’d rather read something unsettling.
These six books offer different ways to spend a little time reading over the holidays, from small-town homecomings to a Christmas wish with terrifying consequences.
A Christmas Written In The Stars by Julia Sutton
A Christmas Written In The Stars
For readers who love a Christmas homecoming and a second chance at love.
Explore the book →Life in London hasn’t turned out quite as Star Sullivan imagined. Her journalism career is stressful, her boyfriend won’t commit, and the ambitions that brought her to the city are beginning to lose their appeal.
Returning to her Staffordshire village for Christmas offers a welcome break. But between village dramas and the reappearance of her teenage sweetheart, farmer Flynn Hadden, Star soon has more to consider than how to spend the holidays. When a long-awaited promotion beckons, she must decide what she wants her future to look like.
This is our pick for readers drawn to country villages, complicated homecomings, and the pull of an unfinished love story.
Explore A Christmas Written In The Stars
Christmas Magic At The Writers’ Retreat by Julia Sutton
Christmas Magic At The Writers' Retreat
For readers who would happily spend their Christmas break working on a story.
Explore the book →Louise works in a bakery and dreams of becoming a children’s author. Since her mother’s death, however, caring for her grieving father and dealing with her younger brother have left her with plenty of responsibilities.
Then some meddling friends help her win a Christmas competition: a week at a writers’ retreat at the Mystic Springs hotel. It could be the opportunity she needs, although eerie happenings and an attractive writing mentor may make concentrating difficult.
With writing ambitions, romantic distractions, and a touch of magic, this cozy Christmas romance offers an inviting escape for anyone with a soft spot for stories about storytellers.
Explore Christmas Magic At The Writers’ Retreat
Christmas Wishes, Mistletoe Kisses by Raven Wolf
Christmas Wishes, Mistletoe Kisses
For readers looking for small-town festivities and a familiar face beneath the Christmas lights.
Explore the book →Emma Collins returns from the city to Maplewood for the holidays, finding snow-covered streets, festive traditions, and the comfort of a place she knows well. There’s also Jake, her childhood friend, whose presence begins to stir feelings beyond simple nostalgia.
Family, friendship, and a budding romance shape this Christmas story. Its pleasures are rooted in seasonal rituals: the town’s tree lighting, warm drinks, familiar shops, and time spent together.
Choose this one when you’re in the mood for a gentle holiday atmosphere and a romance built around coming home.
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A Dash of Deceit by Carmen Radtke
Snow is falling, the Christmas market is busy, and Eve Holdsworth is helping with the Green Dragon’s festive stall. Then a woman collapses after eating gingerbread, and rumors of poisoning threaten the celebrations.
With the pub kitchen closed and suspicion spreading, Eve and her friend Hayley set out to discover how the poisoned treat reached their stall—and who was meant to eat it.
This cozy mystery novelette is a tempting choice for a shorter holiday read, combining Christmas-market atmosphere with an amateur investigation and a very good reason to examine the refreshments.
Sleigh Bell Tower by James J. Cudney
Sleigh Bell Tower
For readers who enjoy family comedy alongside their holiday whodunit.
Braxton Campus Mysteries · Book 8
Explore the book →Kellan is celebrating his first Christmas and Hanukkah with April, complete with gifts, family traditions, and the lively contributions of Nana D. A murder at a campus holiday party brings a much less welcome addition to the festivities.
As the investigation raises uncomfortable questions about people he knows, Kellan must navigate both suspicion and family drama.
The eighth book in the Braxton Campus Mysteries brings an established cast together for a holiday mystery. It’s a particularly fitting seasonal selection for readers already following Kellan’s adventures.
The Other House by Michelle Godard-Richer
Five years after losing her family in a Christmas Eve accident, Maggie Whitaker longs to spend one more Christmas with them. When the house across the street transforms into a replica of her childhood home, she sees her deceased loved ones waving from its window.
The apparent miracle becomes a nightmare. The family inside is wrong, the house refuses to let her leave, and Maggie must confront something that has turned her deepest longing against her.
This supernatural horror story is the darkest selection on our list, for readers drawn to grief, haunted homes, and the terrifying possibilities of a wish coming true.
Whether your holiday reading calls for romance, a puzzle to solve, or something that makes you glance toward the house across the street, there’s a Christmas story here to keep you company.
