What Books To Read this Christmas Holiday Season!

What Holiday Book Should I read?

It’s that time of year! Time to curl up in a front of a fire – or go to bed early – with a lovely, cozy holiday book.

But there are so many! How can you choose?

I developed the Lindsay Emory Holiday Book Quiz to help you pick the perfect read this Christmas.

Get a piece of paper and a pen and answer this easy 6 question quiz!

1.       My favorite holiday recipes come from …

a.   Great Grandma Margaret’s time tested recipe books

b.      Pinterest

c.      Hallmark Home & Family

d.      Nigella Lawson

2.       My feelings about Emma Thompson…

a.       She was iconic in Sense & Sensibility

b.      She’s ruined Christmas with Last Christmas

c.       Oh! She married her cute coworker, right? That actor?

d.      I just love her British accent. It sounds so posh.

3.       My perfect holiday season isn’t complete without…

a.       Traditions like Christmas crackers, stockings & caroling

b.      A re-watch of Love, Actually

c.       A marathon of Hallmark movies & baking cookies

d.      A charcuterie board & champagne

4.       My Spotify holiday playlist includes…

a.      Carols and Celtic music

b.      Last Christmas by Wham!

c.       All I Want For Christmas is You by Mariah Carey

d.      Classics by Michael Buble and Tony Bennett

5.       My must-have holiday wardrobe accessory…

a.      A hand-knitted Scottish wool scarf

b.      A red Starbucks cup

c.      A fun Christmas sweatshirt & holiday leggings

d.      A French linen apron & Loro Piana sweater

6.       The holiday recipe I most want to try to make:

a.       A traditional figgy pudding

b.      Hot chocolate spiked with Peppermint Schnapps and Godiva liqueur

c.       Stuffed Caramel Pretzel Skillet Cookie (from Hallmark Channel Home & Family)

d.      Martha Stewart’s classic eggnog with fresh grated nutmeg

Now review all your answers… Did you get…

Mostly A’s? You will LOVE a historical romance!

Carriages, long walks in the country and yule logs make you swoon like a debutante at a Christmas ball.

A Christmas Gone Perfectly Wrong – Cecilia Grant (FREE!)

The Swan – Piper Huguley

How the Dukes Stole Christmas – Tessa Dare, Joanna Shupe, Sophie Jordan and Sarah MacLean

Mostly B’s? You’re a Rom Com Fan (Who’s Probably Pissed about that Last Christmas Plot Twist)

Mix meet cutes with a little banter and add a whole lot of romantic tension and that’s your recipe for a perfect holiday read…

The Island Christmas Spirit – Lindsay Emory

Royal Holiday – Jasmine Guillory

One Day in December – Josie Silver

UPDATED FOR 2020: Try the Christmas Actually anthology! 11 short holiday romantic comedies!

Mostly C’s? You’re a Tried and True Hallmark Addict

You know exactly what you want to read about - a reindeer farm, a baking contest, a small town inn. Lucky for you, I have the best Hallmark movies in book form picked out for you…

The Secret Ingredient – Nancy Naigle

Sleighbell Sweethearts – Teri Wilson

A Gingerbread Romance – Lacey Baker

Mostly D’s? You Will LOVE yourself some Designer Destination Holiday Porn

How does Christmas in Cornwall, Colorado, Nantucket, or Wales sound? You’re sure to love a literary trip to a beautiful spot where breathtaking views, charming villages and decadent dinners await…

Christmas with the Duke – Katrina Cudmore

Named of the Dragon – Susanna Kearsley

A Perfect Cornish Christmas – Phillipa Ashley

A Wedding in December – Sarah Morgan

Let it Snow – Nancy Thayer

Did I get it right? Or just mostly right? I can’t wait to hear what you’re reading and loving this season!

Some links on this page may be affiliate links, which means I could receive a few coins for posting them. As always, thank you for your support and encouragement!

Best Swoony Historical Romance Books!

In honor of V-Day, I am bound by the ancient romance author code to recommend romance books.  Of course, it’s hard to narrow that down. Romance is a huge genre and has been around since Helen of Troy’s face inspired a slightly emo love triangle.

So I sat down and really thought about what I would like to read on a day devoted to eternal passion and devotion (and chocolate hearts!) and the answers came rather quickly. Passionate, swoony historical romances!  It’s one of my favorite sub-genres and I have re-read all of these at least three or four times.

*UPDATED with my new favorites for 2019 and 2020!!!*

Want to know what to read after Bridgerton on Netflix? Keep Reading!
***

Almost a Scandal – Elizabeth Essex

Amazon || Apple Books

All of Elizabeth’s heroines are intrepid and all of her heroes are masculine yet not jackhole-y so you could start anywhere in her backlist but this is the one that I got started with and the one that I recommend to anyone who likes a bit of spying, naval warfare and adventure on the high seas with their swoons.

As You Desire – Connie Brockway

Amazon

I’ve re-read this 4 or five times. The way that Harry loves Desdemona…. The literal definition of S W O O N. This book gets my heart every time but there’s also an Egyptian archaeology sub-plot that will scratch your adventure/ The Mummy itch.

If you’re young and haven’t seen The Mummy yet, it’s on Netflix and why haven’t you?!?

No Good Duke Goes Unpunished – Sarah MacLean 
Amazon || Apple Books

Everyone has a favorite Sarah MacLean and this one must be mine because I’ve re-read it several times (and not just because of the ENDING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)  If you’re new to the series, please start with the 1st (A Rogue by Any Other Name) and then work your way to this one, the third. TRUST ME. I know that’s mean of me to suggest the 3rd book and then tell you to start two books back, but… it’s Valentine’s Day. Treat yourself. (Check out my interview with Sarah on the Women With Books podcast here.)

Treat yo self to 3 (or 4) Sarah MacLean novels!

A Lady by Midnight – Tessa Dare
Amazon || Apple Books

I have lots of favorite Tessa Dare books too, but this one is the most swoony IMO. Take a grumpy war veteran with PTSD, a sweet puppy, a quirky cast of characters in Spindle Cove and you have a perfect chocolate box of romance. (Check out my interview with Tessa on the Women With Books podcast here.)

Ignore the improbably bold naked chest pose and look at Diana Gabaldon’s cover quote! She is RIGHT about this book (and all things, probably.)

The Spymaster’s Lady – Joanna Bourne

Amazon || Apple Books

This is the only book on the list that I have NOT re-read, which I just realized makes me a liar but I couldn’t NOT include one of the best historical romances I read last year. Yes, I just got to this classic last year but OMG. It sent me into a bit of a depression, honestly, because I wasn’t sure if I could ever write a love story like this. It’s got an unforgettable voice, twists, a lot of spying and a heroine who is lovably stubborn and imperfect and who has to be dragged kicking and screaming (literally – but for good reasons) into love. (And it’s pretty obvious by now I like spying in my books…isn’t it?)

Outlander – Diana Gabaldon
Amazon || Apple Books

The first book in this series fits as a historical romance, IMO, even if Ms. Gabaldon doesn’t agree.  If you’ve been living blindfolded under a rock in the middle of a desert island and have not read this book and if you like time travel, hot Scottish men and  plucky modern heroines… well… Happy Valentine’s Day.

Lord of Scoundrels - Loretta Chase
Amazon || Apple Books

What can I say about Jess and Dain and this book that hasn’t been said 1000 times already? This is a romance classic, one where you can instantly find a kindred spirit by just saying the words, “the glove scene!” Or, “the naughty watch!” Or, “then she shoots him!!!”

Crap. I’m going to have to go re-read this now. I love it so much.

A Lady Awakened - Cecilia Grant
Amazon || Apple Books

This is such a unique one, but a delicious, delicate, deliberate exploration of two people falling love. Another classic, it’s a fantastic example of a slow burn romance even though the two main characters have a deal to get the woman pregnant as soon as possible. The fact that Cecilia Grant can put all that together…

Mr. Impossible - Loretta Chase
Amazon || Apple Books

Yes! Another Loretta Chase book! Another book set in Egypt with strong The Mummy vibes. What can I say? I have a type! And I know what I like!

Destiny’s Captive - Beverly Jenkins
Amazon || Apple Books

I’ll never forget the first time I saw this cover (RWA San Antonio). I gasped, loudly. Also… pirates! Rebels! Smugglers! And this tag line: “She stole his ship… and his heart.” I enjoy everything Beverly Jenkins writes because I really love American-historical romances but this one has that adventure and that nautical spirit that I also love (if you can’t tell by now…)

Unclaimed - Courtney Milan
Amazon || Apple Books

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve re-read this one by Courtney Milan. Like the rest of these authors (Sarah Maclean, Tessa Dare, Beverly Jenkins) she’s so prolific and everyone has a favorite and this one is mine. It features a chaste hero and a courtesan heroine and the slow burn… (there’s that phrase again… wow. My reader wheels are fully evident, aren’t they?)

A Wicked Kind of Husband - Mia Vincy
Amazon || Apple Books

I think I gushed enough about this book throughout 2019 that it deserves to be put on this list. It’s funny, it’s fresh, it made me sob. What more can you want from a romance? Find more about the book (and Mia Vincy!) here: Women With Books Interview.

Bringing Down the Duke - Evie Dunmore
Amazon || Apple Books

If you are a historical romance reader, do not let this cover confuse you or stop you from picking it up. This is a terrific Victorian romance set amongst the suffrage movement that also made me have all feels and I cannot WAIT until the next one comes out later this year (HINT HINT ARC GODDESSES…)

And for more book recommendations, follow my Best Books tag here!

Looking for a Great Read?

Argh! Because of my responsibilities judging RITA entries, I wasn’t able to get together my usual Best Books list this month.
 

So I thought I’d highlight some of the books I’ve been talking about on the Women With Books podcast.  Almost all my recent guests (and some more distant ones) have had new releases and/or sales.

Kate Clayborn’s award winning BEGINNER’S LUCK is on sale for $.99!  Try out the book that was nominated for Romantic Times 2017 Book of the Year! 

Megan Frampton’s  LADY BE RECKLESS which we talked about in the most recent episode of WWB has just released, if you're in the mood for a historical romance series loosely based on the Bennet sisters.

Alyssa Cole’s A PRINCESS IN THEORY, which we discussed in Chapter 16 is earning raves everywhere. If you are craving more modern royal romance, check it out.

Past superstar guest Penny Reid has a new book out this week: Marriage of Inconvenience!  I'm pretty sure it's a marriage of convenience story, though, so be warned. ;-)

And the lovely Tessa Dare has her LARP-ing historical romance book on sale: ROMANCING THE DUKE (the reason why we talked about LARP-ing and fan-fic on her episode)

And if you’re looking for more recommendations, as always, check out the books recommended by Women With Books guests on my  Goodreads Women With Books Bookshelf. I love that my guests bring a huge diversity of recommendations to the pod, from classics to science fiction and erotic romance. There's something for every book lover, for sure. 

Next month, I will be back with more of my personal list. Until then, keep reading!