8 Christmas Romance Novels that Feel Like Hallmark Movies
One of my favorite parts of every Christmas season is watching Hallmark Christmas movies with my Mom. We love to discuss our favorite titles, actors, and storylines. So it shouldn’t surprise you that I also love to read Christmas fiction. In today’s blog post, I’ll be sharing 8 Christmas romance novels that feel just like the Hallmark movies.
And for my full index of Christmas book reviews, click here.
8 Christmas Romance Novels that Feel Like Hallmark Movies
Faking Christmas by Kerry Winfrey
If you’ve read my review on this book, you already know how much I loved Faking Christmas. It’s really a perfect Christmas rom-com in my opinion. It is equal parts humorous and sentimental, which is something that I always look for in my romantic comedies.
It tells the story of a young woman named Laurel, who is in a bit of a holiday pickle (and not the pickle that you hang on the Christmas tree). She works for a travel and tourism magazine, while doing social media for her twin sister’s farm on the side. When she interviewed at the magazine, she accidentally let her new boss believe that she was the one with a farm.
It is a long story.
So when her boss winds up coming out to the farm for a holiday dinner (and winds up getting snowed in for Christmas), Laurel has to pretend to be her sister for longer than they anticipated.
They just might be able to keep up the charade, if Laurel’s nemesis Max doesn’t ruin the secret (and her life) in the meantime.
Twelve Days of Christmas by Debbie Macomber
Debbie Macomber is the Queen of Christmas Fiction, in my opinion. I started reading her in college and Twelve Days of Christmas is a book that I’ve enjoyed multiple times. It’s cute and it contains quite a few elements that I enjoy! So if they can make Mrs. Miracle movies for Hallmark, why can’t they make one for the Twelve Days of Christmas?
The story centers on Julia, a young woman who works in a department story. She’s kind and generally well liked by everyone, but she can’t seem to get along with her hallmate Cain.
Meanwhile, she’s trying to get a job in social media. She’s given the opportunity for a job, but the job candidates have to perform a trial first. They each have to start a blog and whoever gets the most traffic by the due date will be given a job offer. Julia decides to document her adventures of trying to win over Mr. Scrooge from next door on her blog.
It’s a fun story about Christmas, giving people second chances, and taking advantage of what the holiday season has to offer. It’s a sweet Christmas read and would make an adorable movie, in my opinion.
Christmas Charms by Teri Wilson
Teri Wilson has written for Hallmark and Harlequin and so she’s well versed in love stories! Christmas Charms is a sweet and charming story about going home for the holidays, and running into someone from your past.
Ashley James is preparing for the holiday season of a lifetime! But things don’t exactly go according to plan. After a surprising breakup she heads home to Owl Lake to spend Christmas with her family. She’s been through a lot, so she winds up falling asleep on the train. And when she wakes up, there’s a Christmas charm bracelet on her wrist.
Her family is happy to see her when she arrives. And as she starts getting involved with the town (and someone from her past) she realizes that each charm on the charm bracelets predicts something that is going to happen.
Although it’s different from her original plans, Ashley has a very magical Christmas coming her way.
The Merriest Misters by Timothy Janovsky
I was lucky enough to read an advanced readers copy of this book last Fall, and it made my Christmas-loving heart very happy. I definitely feel like this could be made into a fun holiday movie, since it’s a fun and unique variation on the popular film The Santa Clause starring Tim Allen.
Married couple Patrick and Quinn are having a tough year. And you know what makes an already tough time even more stressful? The holidays.
So when a burglar tries to break in on Christmas Eve, they are already on edge. But after Patrick knocks him out they realize that it’s Santa. Oops!
They must put their issues aside and work together in an attempt to save Christmas. But is this something that they can maintain long term? While Patrick dives in headfirst, Quinn isn’t so sure.
The Christmas Wager by Holly Cassidy
The Christmas Wager by Holly Cassidy is just very adorable. I listened to the audiobook last holiday season and it was the perfect story to get me in the mood for christmas. It has everything. Small towns. Beautiful handmade Christmas ornaments. Enemies to lovers romance. And last but not least, an adorable grandfather character.
In The Christmas Wager, LA Real Estate Developer Bella Ross is desperate to move up at her job. She travels to the small town of Maple Falls in an attempt to close a deal for her boss. There’s a small Christmas shop there that’s failing, and the goal is to acquire it and develop the land into something new. Probably a high rise condo, that the local townspeople would hate.
The only problem is that the Christmas shop owner’s grandson will not let his grandfather sell the business without a fight. He challenges Bella to a competition. Whoever wins the Maple Falls Holiday Games will get to keep the business and decide what happens to it.
It’s a really sweet book and I think it would make a fantastic movie. The town of Maple Falls is so cute and the different games in the competition would be really fun to watch on screen.
The Christmas Swap by Talia Samuels
I love a fake dating trope, but The Christmas Swap by Talia Samuels takes it to a whole other level.
The story is about Margot Murray and Ben Gibson. Margot’s relationship with her ex girlfriend has just ended. Ben is a sweetheart who can’t seem to find the right woman. So when Ben invites Margot to come home with him for the holidays and pose as his girlfriend, she agrees. She doesn’t have any other plans for the holiday, and it’s better than spending that time alone.
But when they get to Ben’s family’s home, Margot is astonished. It’s a beautiful and elegant home. And she’s even more astonished by Ben’s sister Ellie, who she is immediately attracted to.
But Ellie doesn’t trust Margot. She thinks she’s a gold digger who is trying to take advantage of her brother. As everyone gets to know each other over the holidays, so do Ellie and Margot. And both of them have truths that need to be revealed.
The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox
This is a fun one because it’s about identical twins who switch lives in the days leading up to Christmas. Have you ever seen the Hallmark movie Switched for Christmas, starring Candace Cameron as both twins? Yeah… it’s kind of like that.
Charlie and Cass are identical twin sisters who switch places before Christmas to help each other out. It’s simple. Charlie will pretend to be Cass and help out at the family bakery. While Cass will pretend to be Charlie to fill on on her reality television baking show.
But some interesting side characters make appearances, and maybe romance is put on the table? That’s a little difficult when the sisters are still posing as each other. Will they be able to help each other out and switch back in time for Christmas?
A Home for the Holidays by Taylor Hahn
In A Home for the Holidays, wedding singer Mel Hart is coming to terms with the loss of her mother. It was her Mom who always made Christmas special for her as a kid. When her mother’s best friend comes to her, and invites her to spend the holidays with her family, she feels like she can’t say know.
She has no one else to spend the holidays with, and this could be a chance to learn more about her mother. Mel enjoys her time with Barb’s family and it makes her look at her own life in a new light, while also reflecting on her mother’s.
In Conclusion
I hope today’s list of 8 Christmas romance novels that feel just like the Hallmark movies gave you some titles to add to your TBR list! Christmas is my favorite time of year. So when I want to relax, I love curling up on the couch with some hot chocolate and a great Christmas book.
Do you have any recommendations? This is just a short list of some of my faves, so I’d love to hear about some of your recommendations in the comments.
