Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.
Today, the topic is another freebie, and since I’m in the festive mood, I thought I’d do Romance Books with Holiday Vibes. Let’s heck them out!
1. Wreck the Halls
Author: Tessa Bailey
Page Length: 368
Publication Date: Oct. 3, 2023
Publisher: Avon
Synopsis: Melody Gallard may be the daughter of music royalty, but her world is far from glamorous. She spends her days restoring old books and avoiding the limelight (one awkward tabloid photo was enough, thanks). But when a producer offers her a lot of money to reunite her mother’s band on live tv, Mel begins to wonder if it’s time to rattle the cage, shake up her quiet life… and see him again. The only other person who could wrangle the rock and roll divas.
Beat Dawkins, the lead singer’s son, is Melody’s opposite–the camera loves him, he could charm the pants off anyone, and his mom is not a potential cult leader. Still, they might have been best friends if not for the legendary feud that broke up the band. When they met as teenagers, Mel felt an instant spark, but it’s nothing compared to the wild, intense attraction that builds as they embark on a madcap mission to convince their mothers to perform one last show.
While dealing with rock star shenanigans, a 24-hour film crew, brawling Santas, and mobs of adoring fans, Mel starts to step out of her comfort zone. With Beat by her side, cheering her on, she’s never felt so understood. But Christmas Eve is fast approaching, and a decades-old scandal is poised to wreck everything–the Steel Birds reunion, their relationships with their mothers, and their newfound love.
2. Spectacular
Author: Stephanie Garber
Series: Caraval #3.5
Page Length: 224
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Synopsis: Welcome, welcome back to the mysteriously enchanting world of CARAVAL! Return to the legendary magic and the whimsical wonder with this beautifully illustrated holiday novella.
Snowflakes are falling.
Invitations are arriving.
And holiday magic is swirling in the capital city of the Meridian Empire.
It’s Great Holiday Eve Eve. Scarlett Dragna is planning a spectacular Holiday celebration for the city. Donatella is searching for the perfect gift. Julian is looking ridiculously handsome in green. And Legend . . .
Well, sadly Legend is not fond of the Great Holiday. Tella is hoping her perfect gift will change his mind. Unfortunately, she hasn’t found this perfect gift just yet. But it is Great Holiday Eve Eve . . . surely there’s some holiday magic swirling around.
Welcome, welcome back to the world of Caraval, where even holidays are not as they seem.
Set after Stephanie Garber’s #1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling Caraval series, this delightful novella will take readers on the ultimate holiday adventure full of clockwork boys, poisoned candy, impish snow globes, merriment, and―if Tella gets her way―love.
3. A Governess Should Never… Wager a Duke
Author: Emily Windsor
Series: The Governess Chronicles #5
Publication Date: Nov. 1, 2024
Synopsis: The wintry Duke of Shawdale needs a governess.
The penniless Miss Charlotte Webster needs employment.
What could be simpler?
Yet when long-ago love, a wager, a wandering uncle and Christmas are involved… Nothing is simple.
A heart-warming short novella, inspired by Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and set in the romantic scenery of the English Lake District, Charlotte must remind the duke of his past, show him the present and let the future unfold…
With elegant balls, a Lakeland wedding and a duke who has forgotten the meaning of love, the vocation of governess has never been such a festive fairy tale.
This story was previously available as part of the Christmas in Cumbria anthology but now released standalone with additional content and epilogue. Available on Kindle Unlimited for the first time.
4. You Make It Feel Like Christmas
Author: Sophie Sullivan
Page Length: 320
Pub. Date: Sept. 23, 2025
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Synopsis: Maisie Smart has a don’t-look-back policy–not on the choice she made to be a photographer (despite her family’s wishes) and not on the one-night stand she had six months ago. Sleeping with someone she barely knew was out of character; sleeping with a professional hockey player who bolted the morning after is a whole new level of embarrassing. Getting invited to spend the week at Tickle Tree Farm with her family this Christmas is a sure way to fill her with holiday spirit. Until the universe throws a Grinch in her festive plans in the form of the one man she hoped to avoid.
Nick King is a mess. After a significant injury lands him on the bench for every game for the rest of the month, he has more time to dwell on the one night stand he can’t get out of his head. With time on his hands, his anxiety hovering, and the holidays around the corner, he figures visiting his sister and nephew at their Christmas tree farm will be a good way to lie low and sort himself out. He’s in for a surprise when it turns out Maisie is staying at his sister’s and his attraction for her hasn’t lessened one bit in the last six months. Apparently, neither has her anger at him for bailing. But Christmas is the time for second chances, and the forced proximity may help Nick and Maisie unwrap feelings neither of them can walk away from twice.
5. Bella’s Countryside Christmas
Author: Claire Huston
Page Length: 331
Pub. Date: Sept. 18, 2024
Synopsis: Fleeing her heartache and horrendous job, Bella stumbles upon a December wedding in the beautiful village of Haileybrook and the spirit of the season moves her to act as a fake date to handsome stranger Jack.
Jack and Bella hit it off, but Bella has to leave in a hurry and their magical evening soon becomes nothing more than a blissful memory.
A year later, Bella is returning to Haileybrook, seeking a fresh start and a quieter life. With a new job close to her cosy cottage home, a peaceful Christmas is surely only days away.
But it’s not long before family surprises, small-town feuds and romantic drama disrupt Bella’s plans, and she has to wonder if being alone is what she really wants for Christmas …
6. The Christmas Village
Author: Annie Rains
Series: Somerset Lake #2
Page Length: 339
Publication Date: Oct. 12, 2021
Publisher: Forever
Synopsis: Lucy Hannigan has inherited her mother’s bulldog, Bella, and her childhood home, the only pink house on Gingerbread Lane. With the holidays coming up, the pressure is on to decorate the house for the annual lights competition and maintain her parent’s winning streak. But Lucy already has her hands full as a midwife and a new landlord-to her ex-fiancé.
When Miles Bruno is suddenly asked to move out of his rental home, he’s grateful to Lucy for taking him on as a tenant. But their broken-off engagement doesn’t make it easy to live next door. Sparks still fly between them, and he’d give anything to get back in Lucy’s good graces. But to do that will take much more than just tree trimming and house decorating and contest winning. Will one wildly grand romantic gesture on Christmas Eve finally soften her heart?
7. Bright Lights, Big Christmas
Author: Mary Kay Andrews
Page Length: 288
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Synopsis: It’s a long way from a Christmas tree farm in the mountains of North Carolina to a certain street corner in Greenwich Village, but Kerry Tolliver, newly unemployed and romantically unattached, reluctantly agrees to make the trek, and live in a tiny vintage camper with her gruff older brother (and his dog Queenie) out of family loyalty. Selling Christmas trees at the family’s stand in on the sidewalks of New York, Kerry is startled to find herself beginning to feel at home in this quirky little corner of the city, and succumbing to the charms of Patrick, a single dad and his adorable, dragon-loving son Austin. When a secretive elderly neighbor goes missing with the holidays fast approaching, Kerry discovers her new friends have become family . . . and maybe more . . .
Surrounded by warm childhood memories, sparkling possibility, and the magic of
Christmas, will this small-town girl surrender her heart to the bright lights of the big city?
8. The Wake-Up Call
Author: Beth O’Leary
Page Length: 368
Publisher: Berkley
Synopsis: Two hotel receptionists–and arch-rivals–find a collection of old wedding rings and compete to return them to their owners, discovering their own love story along the way.
It’s the busiest season of the year, and Forest Manor Hotel is quite literally falling apart. So when Izzy and Lucas are given the same shift on the hotel’s front desk, they have no choice but to put their differences aside and see it through.
The hotel won’t stay afloat beyond Christmas without some sort of miracle. But when Izzy returns a guest’s lost wedding ring, the reward convinces management that this might be the way to fix everything. With four rings still sitting in the lost & found, the race is on for Izzy and Lucas to save their beloved hotel–and their jobs.
As their bitter rivalry turns into something much more complicated, Izzy and Lucas begin to wonder if there’s more at stake here than the hotel’s future. Can the two of them make it through the season with their hearts intact?
9. Once Upon a December
Author: Amy E. Reichert
Page Length: 336
Publication Date: Oct. 4, 2022
Publisher: Berkley Books
Synopsis: A one-of-a-kind Christmas market offers holiday magic in the new romance from the author of The Kindred Spirits Supper Club.
With a name like Astra Noel Snow, holiday spirit isn’t just a seasonal specialty–it’s a way of life. But after a stinging divorce, Astra’s yearly trip to the Milwaukee Christmas market takes on a whole new meaning. She’s ready to eat, drink, and be merry, especially with the handsome stranger who saves the best kringle for her at his family bakery.
For Jack Clausen, the Julemarked with its snowy lights and charming shops stays the same, while the world outside the joyful street changes, magically leaping from one December to the next every four weeks. He’s never minded living this charmed existence until Astra shows him the life he’s been missing outside of the festive red brick alley.
After a swoon-worthy series of dates, some Yuletide magic, and the unexpected glow of new love, Astra and Jack must decide whether this relationship can weather all seasons, or if what they’re feeling is as ephemeral as marshmallows in a mug of hot cocoa.
10. The Duke Alone
Author: Christi Caldwell
Page Length: 319
Publication Date: Oct. 18, 2022
Publisher: Montlake
Synopsis: Lady Myrtle McQuoid has always felt a little forgotten, and this season is no exception. When her boisterous family vacates their London townhouse for the country, Myrtle finds she’s been left behind. But she just needs to stay warm, keep her belly full, and distract herself until her relatives realize their mistake and turn back to collect her. Surely that won’t take long.
Brooding widower Val Bancroft, the Duke of Aragon, has shut himself off from the world. He craves blessed solitude—a loyal dog, a silent house, and his own company are all he requires. Certainly not the nonstop chattering of the joyful, opinionated young woman next door.
But with a potential threat lurking in the winter shadows, Myrtle may need to pluck up the nerve to approach the reclusive duke. And Val is not one to turn his back on a vulnerable lady.
Amid the silent nights of London, beneath a blanket of snow, could the light of a new, warm love be kindling?
I love Holiday stories, and throw in some romance and I’m hooked. I’ve read 5 of these, so I will be checking out the others to see if my library has them. Nice list, Julie.
I haven’t read any of these but I also didn’t realise that Beth O’Leary’s book had holiday vibes! I have quite a few of her books to catch up on 🤭 I also need to get back to reading Emily Windsor! I’ve loved her histrom’s in the past. Great list, Julie!
I haven’t read any of these, but Christmasy books aren’t for me.
My TTT: https://laurieisreading.com/2025/12/02/top-ten-tuesday-trilogies/
Thanks for sharing these Christmasy books.
Great choices!
It’s definitely the season for them, thanks for sharing
What a fun topic! These look like great holiday reads!
I really need to read more holiday books! I’m going to make myself start one this weekend. haha