Christmas can be a joyous time of year—sparkling lights, the smell of fir sap, and a warm cup of cocoa in front on the fire. Theoretically, that is. In reality, it can be hectic and overwhelming, even when everything goes to plan! In this month’s Romance Rx, I recommend four Christmas romances featuring protagonists who find love on the go. All four are novellas, the perfect length for reading while traveling or between holiday parties.
The Viscount’s Christmas Temptation by Erica Ridley
A short, sweet book with an amazing heroine: Lady Amelia Pembroke is intelligent, witty, and a planner extraordinaire. She’s been managing her brother’s estate, but realizes that he will not marry until she does because doing so will mean she is no longer lady of the house. She decides she will meet a husband at the annual Christmas ball held by the Sheffield family-except the ball has been canceled. Viscount Benedict Sheffield is a man dedicated to organization in his own way—from eight in the morning until eight in the evening he works, and from eight in the evening until eightin the morning, he plays. When Lady Amelia approaches Sheffield to help him manage the ball so that it won’t be canceled, touring threepossible alternate establishments, of course they find their match in one another. I love that Sheffield is a rake who actually takes his duties as a viscount seriously, and Lady Amelia’s “management” of the world around her was delightful. Great for a quick Christmas read.
Her Christmas Cookie by Katrina Jackson
This novella is book 4 in Jackson’s Welcome to Sea Port series, catching up with Mary, Knox, and Santos (the small town’s baker, fire chief, and police chief) as they deal with the holidays. Santos’s wish to introduce his family to the people he loves turns into a road trip to visit all three families—except all families aren’t a Holiday treat. The clear love and support between the three makes for a sweet, sexy, and emotional read
Dance All Night by Alexis Daria
The latest in Alexis Daria’s Dance Off series follows ballroom champion Jess Davenport, the “Scrooge who got away” to touring dancer Nik Kavelenko. They shared a steamy kiss the previous New Year’s Eve, but Nik’s work means he is constantly on the go, and Jess isn’t setting herself for another abandonment (yes, this quick, fluffy romance also delivers on the angst). Jess allows Nik three dates in Los Angeles, where she is decidedly not feeling the spirit of Christmas, to convince her that holiday magic is real—and to give a relationship with him a chance. As always, Daria delivers a well-crafted, emotional romance with characters you can’t help but root for.
A Christmas Gone Perfectly Wrong by Cecilia Grant
Priggish, responsible eldest sibling Andrew Blackshear has to get home to his family for what might be their last Christmas together before his sister’s marriage. Impulsive and not-quite-ladylike Lucy Sharp wants an adventure, to experience a house party to be exact, and if that means tricking Andrew into conveying her to one, so be it. What follows is a hilarious, heartwarming, and just-so-damn-good romance.
