Holiday Romances with Whimsy by Lynn Lovegreen

 I haven’t written any holiday romances but one of my favorite authors has—Elva Birch. She writes shifter romances with whimsy. Want a flamingo shifter hero who must put his foot down to win his mate? (The Flamingo’s Fated Mate) Or a dragon shifter with a fire-breathing squirrel shifter toddler daughter? (Dragon’s Instinct) Elva’s the author for you! https://www.elvabirch.com

 

Elva Birch’s holiday books are written under her name and the pen name Zoe Chant: 

A Green Valley Christmoose Disaster (small town shifter rom com) 

https://www.amazon.com/Green-Valley-Christmoose-Disaster-Shifters-ebook/dp/B09NGH8GS1

Dragon of Glass (portal fantasy shifter romance with humor and pets)

 https://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Glass-Shifter-Knights-Book-ebook/dp/B081H6XT2M/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=3RGZMBIS2WFL9&keywords=dragon+of+glass&qid=1699331093&s=digital-text&sprefix=Dragon+of+Glass%2Cdigital-text%2C130&sr=1-2-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1

and Tropical Holiday Tails (novellas set at Shifting Sands Resort - includes an ace romance)

https://www.amazon.com/Tropical-Holiday-Shifting-Resort-Collections-ebook/dp/B08NXK5NFB/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3JAC1KK0LGNHL&keywords=Tropical+holiday+tails&qid=1699331186&s=digital-text&sprefix=tropical+holiday+tails%2Cdigital-text%2C124&sr=1-1

 

Enjoy the holidays and find a new author to read! You’ll find lots of great choices on the Romancing the Genres blog this month.

 

Lynn Lovegreen has lived in Alaska for most of her life. After twenty years in the classroom, she retired to make more time for writing. She enjoys her friends and family, reading, and volunteering for her local library. Her young adult historical romance is set in Alaska, a great place for drama, romance, and independent characters. See her website at www.lynnlovegreen.com. 

Holiday Romances – a Balm to the Heart and Soul ... by Delsora Lowe

With all the craziness going on around us in this upside-down state of the world, reading romance, and especially holiday romance, is a great escape.

And at this time of year (as I begin writing this blog in October,) it is hard not to think about reading Christmas-based stories when so many are put on sale in the fall. Plus, the new releases are quickly coming out now. So, yeah, I got a bit carried away. I’ll be reading holiday stories into January and February 2021, at this rate. But it puts me in the mood to edit my own Christmas story aimed for the 2021 season.

Here is a list of Christmas books I have read in the last month, many released in the last few years and some brand-new ones just coming on the market. Some are by my favorite authors and some are by new-to-me authors. I still have another LONG list of books waiting to be read. Stay tuned for the December RTG blog for more information on the ones I have yet to read…and I hate to admit, I’m sure I’ll add a few more titles to this list.

What better way to keep your spirits up during such a rough patch for the entire world, than to get lost in holiday-spirited stories.

Meet Me at the Inn: Deerbourne Inn by Roni Denholtz (2020)

A friends to fake romance to lovers book, set in a small-town, Vermont Inn at Thanksgiving, with a boatload of relatives who want the best for the heroine as she ingratiates herself back into the family.

Christmas Kisses with my Cowboy by Diana Palmer, Marina Adair and Kate Pearce (2020)

Three Christmas cowboy stories in one! What more could you want?

The Jingle Bell Bride by Scarlet Wilson (2017)

A fun and unique Christmas story. One of the 2020 Hallmark movies, of the same name, is based on this book.

I’ll Be Home for Christmas by Karen Clarke (2019)

A Brit’s journey to France to see her aunt and cousin leads to an adventure of self-discovery in a witty, “Christmas overload” romp. Another new author to me…and fun!

The Clause in Christmas by Rachael Bloome (2019)

A fun, witty take on learning the meaning of Christmas. Despite love at first sight, trust must be built. Fun secondary characters and the epitome of small-town togetherness. This is a new author to me, and I will be reading more.

Her Cowboy Billionaire Best Friend: Christmas in Coral Canyon by Liz Isaacson (2018)

Two former best friends reunited. Problem is, both don’t need anyone else, until they realize they do need each other. A sweet, inspirational about building a solid relationship, finding family, and celebrating life together at Christmas.

Mistletoe, Mobsters, and Mozzarella by Peggy Jaeger (2020)

The craziness of running an Italian deli in the weeks leading to Christmas. Throw in a boisterous Italian family, tons of food, a hunky crush from the past who is now a detective, and oh, yeah, a body in the deli, and you have a fun, sexy romp of a romance. Warning – do not read hungry. If starved, flip to back for “family” recipes.

For the Love of Ivy by Cindy Kirk (November 2020)

An unlikely couple are drawn together to care for a seven-year-old, who of course, hopes for an HEA for her single dad. A sweet, small-town holiday romance with fun secondary characters and little bit of kissing Santa.

Be My Santa Tonight by Kathy Coatney (2020)

An angelic influence on two romances, one human and one heavenly. A sweet, quirky, cute holiday novella.

A Perfect Christmas Gift by Lori Wilde (2019)

A big city workaholic, a small-town vet, a dog who just had puppies, and an unredeemable Scrooge - what more could you want in a town called Kringle?

Peppermints & Packages (A Wilton Hills Christmas Book 3) by Marianne Rice (2020)

A sweet story of family, extended family, and new-found family, with a fun cast of characters and an adorable dog. Plus, romance at Christmas…what more could you want?

Another New Year’s Eve (Eden Prairie Book 4) by Judy Kentrus (2020)

Former lovers reunited, with the help of family, friends, and another family in need, just in time for another New Year’s Eve date.




What kind of books are you drawn to during the holidays?

My Holiday Books:
Come Dance With Me

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Come-Dance-Me-Serenity-Starlight-ebook/dp/B074N95RGK/
Books2Read books2read.com/u/bMrQva

My latest release ~ a fall wedding reunion with a Thanksgiving resolution ~
The Love Left Behind

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Love-Left-Behind-Hartford-Estate-ebook/dp/B08L5N5DS9/
Books2Read books2read.com/u/mglVqK

Delsora Lowe writes small town sweet romances and contemporary westerns from the mountains of Colorado to the shores of Maine. Author of the Starlight Grille series, Serenity Harbor Maine novellas, and the Cowboys of Mineral Springs series, Lowe has also authored short romances for Woman’s World magazine. Her new novella, The Love Left Behind, will release in late fall, 2020.

Social Media Links:
Author website: www.delsoralowe.com Author FaceBook page: https://www.facebook.com/delsoraloweauthor Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Delsora-Lowe/e/B01M61OM39/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0 Books2Read Author page: https://www.books2read.com/ap/8GWm98/Delsora-Lowe BookBub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/delsora-lowe-93c6987f-129d-483d-9f5a-abe603876518 Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16045986.Delsora_Lowe

Once Upon A Winter Solstice #holiday #solstice

 

Hi, I'm Pippa Jay, author of scifi and supernatural stories with a romantic soul.

I'm not gonna lie - I've always struggled with holiday stories. I'm not sure if it's just me, or if scifi is a genre that doesn't lend itself easily to such (hint - it's probably me!). Several years back I had a hankering to do some holiday tales, but somehow my mind struggled to wrap itself around such concepts as Christmas in Spaaaaaaace, But while I battled to create a cosmic Christmas, I did manage  to persuade muse into a paranormal short set around Halloween, back in 2014.

At the same time that I was writing Hallow's Eve, I'd also gone back to basics with a Christmas story idea, looking at a more astronomical concept of holidays. Many of the pagan holidays later swallowed up by Christianity followed the course of nature, the movement of the planet, stars and moons, the changing of the seasons. Maybe that would give me an alternative route into a holiday story. And so I started one set on the winter solstice on another world rather than a cosmic Christmas...

Skip forward a couple more years. I found myself thinking about what Christmas means to me. I'm not religious, so for me Christmas was a time for family, for taking my kids to buy one new decoration of their choice each year, putting up the tree together, stuffing our faces on Christmas Day, playing games and opening presents. And in that personal celebration, I finally found the inspiration to do a story for my main scifi romance couple in my Redemption series. At first I released it as a freebie with a cover I put together myself, but last year it got a professional edit and a proper cover.

But even though I finally had my Christmas in Spaaaaace, that solstice story was still sitting in my files, seven years after I started it. SEVEN YEARS! That's...a long time. One benefit of the pandemic has been I had an extended stretch at home unable to work, and in the midst of that, against all odds, I felt inspired to try and finish a few things. One of those was Solstice on Vintro, my incomplete scifi mystery with a love story at the heart of it. I finished it and I'm currently working on it with my editor. I'm hoping for a December 21st release - the winter solstice in the UK for 2020 - but right now that's looking pretty tight. Fingers crossed that I can finally put it out into the world...

In the meantime, here's a few other Christmas in Space stories you can enjoy.

Open With Care by Pauline Baird Jones and Genie Davis
Beware of aliens bearing gifts 
Christmas is coming and so is All I Got For Christmas. Inside you’ll get the evocative and haunting, ”Riding for Christmas,” and the offbeat and heartwarming, "Up on the Housetop.” 

Riding For Christmas:
A mesmerizing tale of interstellar time travel and romance!
Jane MacKenzie, visiting her grandfather’s abandoned ranch, discovers something in the snow. When she opens the ribbon-wrapped box, it mysteriously returns Sam Harrington, who “disappeared” in an 1885 blizzard. 
There’s nothing alien in this enduring tale of holiday homecomings and the hope of love that lasts a lifetime. 

Up on the House Top:
Will her Christmas be ho, ho, ho? Or oh no, no, no?
Gini knew Christmas in Wyoming would be challenging as she headed over the frozen crick and through the woods to the family cabin. The lights are going out in her mom’s attic, the guy who broke her heart is on the porch…and there are aliens on the roof.
According to her mom, it’s going to be the best Christmas ever.
194 pages, $3.99
Amazon, Kobo, Nook

Batteries Not Required by Christine D'Abo (Christmas themed and erotic)

Love Transcends Circuits

Zoe is all alone on an outpost monitoring a lonely quadrant of space. It’s nearly Christmas and all she has for company is her computer AI, Rupert. She isn’t expecting a present from Xion Corporation to help pass the time, but when she opens the box to find a sex bot, a whole world of steamy entertainment possibilities come to mind.

When Zoe activates Sam she doesn’t realize the trouble she’s in for. Sam takes Zoe to sexy new heights and Rupert does a stellar impersonation of a jealous boyfriend. Zoe struggles to ground herself in reality despite her growing lust, but it’s becoming more and more obvious she’s falling in love. But with who—Sam or Rupert?

When a computer virus is unleashed on the outpost, Zoe must choose—or risk losing them both.
128 pages, $1.99
Amazon, Kobo

Noelle In His Heart (Celestial Seasons #1) by C.E. Kilgore, now available with other holiday SFR tales as an omnibus edition: Details here: http://cekilgore.com/books/celestial-seasons/
A Christmas romance with a Sci-Fi twist!
Noelle has made the same wish for the past six years to the angel on top of Father Nathan’s Christmas Tree. All she wants for Christmas is someone with warm arms to hold her and who can understand that she has commitments – commitments which include the twenty-six children at the foster center she volunteers for.
Stranded on Earth six years ago, Steve and his crewmates have done a pretty good job of secretly finding a place in human society, but it doesn’t erase the loneliness that hits hardest around the holidays. He longs for companionship and someone who will understand that his alien heart can love just as deeply

Hey, Santa: SciFi Holiday Romance by Jessica E Subject

She doesn’t want a lot for Christmas… 
Claire Otton dreads spending another holiday alone. When her best friend convinces her to approach the sexy mall Santa, she takes the chance and asks him out, hoping for so much more. 
He’s waiting under the mistletoe… 
Although Andreas Castellanos blends in on Earth, he knows he will never belong. But when the gorgeous woman he’d been staring at invites him to dinner, he has a hard time saying no. 
All they’re asking for… 

Can these two lonely souls find magic together or will their secrets steal their chance of a happy Christmas?
Amazon

A Galactic Holiday: SciFi Romance trilogy
Do androids dream of electric sugar plums?
A detective who refuses to modify her body teams up with her cyborg rival to track down a burglar who is putting toys into homes. A solitary ice miner finds love and friendship while stranded on the surface of Galileo. And two hardheaded negotiators put their differences aside to evade an assassin and save their planets. Enjoy these visions of Christmases yet to come with three science-fiction novellas from Carina Press.
How the Glitch Saved Christmas, by Stacy Gail
Galileo's Holiday, by Sasha Summers
Winter Fusion, by Anna Hackett
Stories also available for purchase separately. 86,000 words
Amazon, $7.99

Even Villains Have Interns is set around Christmas and ends with a Christmas Day proposal (psst, recommended - this is one of my favourite series!)
It's Chicago's favorite city son vs Delilah, daughter of Dr. Charm. America's second city will never know what hit it. 
Bootleggers, drug dealers, crooked cops, and dirty politicians... Chicago has always had a reputation for indulging in the finer vices of life. That’s why Doctor Charm’s favorite daughter found America’s Second City so appealing; criminals are never boring. As second in command for the powerful Subrosa Security group, Delilah Samson finds opportunities to use her superpowers at every turn. Whether it’s stealing a priceless French painting from a mobster or stopping a drug deal, she’s game. 
In fact, the only thing she doesn’t care for is Chicago’s favorite native son, Deputy Mayor Alan Adale, the man who made Lucifer jealous. Sinfully handsome, or possibly just sinful, Adale has been pursuing Delilah since she first arrived, and she’s been dodging. 
When she finds ties between the new kingpin in town and a drug The Company wants to buy so they can create more superheroes, Delilah takes the gloves off. Teaming up with the spooky Spirit of Chicago, she aims to take down the dealers, the mobsters, the kingpin, and The Company. All without falling in love with the one man capable of capturing her heart. 
Amazon

The Polar Terror
Kaddy Chaak’s career is in jeopardy, her social life is non-existent, and instead of spending the holidays at home with everyone she loves, she’s in the hospital with her chronically-ill, probably-dying nephew Everett, wondering if her dead sister could have fixed this. The one bright note in an otherwise bleak winter is a potential visit from the Polar Terror, the only super villain north of the 66th parallel, to make little Everett’s hospital wish come true.  

Kaddy’s not really expecting him to show. At best, she expects a lackluster cosplayer with a half-hour to spare.  

What she gets is a swoon-worthy stranger full of secrets, who might just sweep her off her feet–and maybe help her leave the past behind, once and for all.  
Publisher's website
(not set at Christmas but it is mentioned, and the book is set in Alaska). 

Captain Lorcan explores the sectors from his space craft conducting a futile search for his planet’s lost colonists. When he finds a beautiful Sedorian female on an obscure planet at the edge of the galaxy, his mission is to bring her home. Unbeknownst to him, she is on the cusp of her first Zsan Zar, the Sedorian mating ritual.

Led by her glowing pendant, Adria follows a faint blue light deep into the snowy forest. She runs headlong into the mysterious Lorcan who seduces her onto his ship. Once on board, they begin an adventure that will change both their lives forever.

Is their love strong enough to defy the odds or will they lose each other beyond the stars?

Amazon

Holiday Romances by Lynn Lovegreen

When I saw this month’s theme was holiday romance, I went blank—couldn’t think of any. So I turned to my friends in AKRWA (Alaska chapter of Romance Writers of America) for suggestions. Here are some of their favorites. You’re bound to find at least one that’s your cup of tea, whether you prefer naughty or nice.

That Olde Christmas Magic by Morgan Q O’Reilly (erotica)

Start with five gold rings, wrap with ribbons and bows, add a paddle, and let the party begin! Angels might get wings with every bell that rings, but four couples find that bells and magic this Christmas send them flying on wings of love. ~ Victor and Terri find their spell with five words and Five Gold Rings. ~ Greg and Lisa’s hearts are Tied Up in a Bow and lessons in trust. ~ Sheldon has A Paddle for Patti and she learns every now and again it’s good for the soul. ~ Edward learns All Amelia Wants for Christmas and fulfills her wildest dream.

https://amzn.com/0578129914

The Knight Before Christmas by Jackie Ivie (steamy historical romance)

A RELUCTANT HUSBAND. Caught in a furious blizzard, battle-weary Myles Donal has only two options: die alone in the snow, or make his way home by order of his sire to marry the woman known as the Harridan of the Highlands. The warm glow of light in a small croft will only delay his fate... A REBELLIOUS BRIDE. Kendran is not about to share her hard-earned shelter with anyone, especially not a man! Running away from an arranged marriage was her only chance at freedom--and she'll not forfeit it to another arrogant male...even one as devilishly attractive as Myles Donal... A WEDDING TO REMEMBER. Snowbound and equally stubborn, Myles and Kendran engage in a battle of wills that quickly becomes a passion too fiery to ignore. "Wedded bliss" may be an abhorrent concept to both of them, but true love is not so easily denied…

https://amzn.com/0821780123

Rules to Catch a Devilish Duke by Suzanne Enoch (Regency historical romance)

SHE BREAKS ALL THE RULES…

Sophia White knows she will never marry into polite society. The illegitimate daughter of a nobleman, she works at the Tantalus Club, a discreet establishment for gentlemen―and her only suitor is a pastor who wants to save her soul. So when Sophia is invited to spend the holidays at the estate of Adam Baswich, the devilishly handsome Duke of Greaves, she is delighted―and determined to enjoy her last nights of freedom before surrendering her hand…

TO CAPTURE A NOBLEMAN'S HEART

Inviting Sophia for Christmas is a daring courtesy on Adam's part, but he soon finds the pleasure is all his. Sophia is beautiful, courageous, and stubbornly self-sufficient despite her scandalous circumstances―and not at all the kind of woman he could possibly marry. Adam knows he must find a wife by his thirtieth birthday or he will lose his fortune. But can he defy convention―and convince Sophia―to risk it all in the name of true love?

https://amzn.com/0312534531

Whatever your taste in reading, hope you find just the right holiday romance. Enjoy!

Lynn Lovegreen grew up in Alaska, and still lives there. Her young adult/new adult historical romances are set in the Alaska Gold Rush, a great time for drama, romance, and independent characters. See her website at www.lynnlovegreen.com.