Published by Atria Books on September 20, 2026
Age/Genres: Adult, Fiction, Romance
Rating:
Goodreads
Count down to Christmas with twelve sealed holiday love stories by beloved romance authors.
The Twelve Loves of Christmas is a swoon-worthy short story collection about finding love during the most magical time of the year. Including a playful forced proximity romance featuring a woman and her older brother’s grinchy (yet unexpectedly endearing) best friend, a tender love story of two neighbors who decide to skip Christmas together, a second-chance spark reignited between exes stranded at the airport, and many more festive love stories, there’s a little holiday magic waiting for every reader.
Open one sealed story each day in the lead-up to Christmas to unwrap a season full of love, warmth, and happily-ever-afters.
I love romantic stories and having them set during the holiday season just elevates them for me. This was a solid collection of short stories which were fun and festive. Many of the tales were second chance romance or best-friend's sibling romances which were good choices since there would be history and it would make sense to see the relationships evolving quickly. There were a few stories where the romance was between strangers, and a few of those stood out for me. In general, most of my favorite stories were by author's I had previously read which was no surprise as their participation was what attracted me to this collection in the first place.
My favorite stories:
A Merry Little Christmas by Jessica Joyce
This was a second chance romance where the heroine finds herself reunited with her ex. I loved this one! It was full of lots of holiday fun, but when I found out what the hero had been up to, my heart melted.
Decking His Halls by Alexis Daria
This was a brother's best friend romance, and it was hilarious. The holiday pranks had me laughing out loud. The hero was a strong silent type, but his declarations had me swooning. I also loved the big chaotic family element.
I’ll Be Home for Ex-Mas by Alexandria Bellefluer
Another great second chance romance where the heroine finds herself snowed in at the airport with her first love. I felt the yearning here, and I was rooting hard for them to make this work since it was obvious the feelings hadn't faded.
Hope This Helps by Sarah Hogle
This was one of the few strangers-to-more romances, and it was so funny! My first foray with Hogle was an enemies-to-lovers romance, so I was not surprised at how well she executed this one. It was between a single mom and her daughter's English teacher. Part of the story was emails between the two, and I was laughing out loud. They were fun and snarky, and I couldn't get enough of them. I was on edge when they finally met and found that it played out perfectly.
Dade and Bryant's stories were also strong both being strangers-to-more. Bryant's was a ton of fun with some throwback hijinks. Dade's had a great premise which was well executed. It was also the only one set outside the US.
Overall: A charming collection of holiday romances that put me in a festive mood.
Published by Dell on September 29, 2026
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Rating:
Goodreads
Two Scrooges come together for a festive-free holiday season by the sea and find all their anti-Christmas plans going up in smoke when they decide to play Santa for a single mom and her child.
Eloise Garrett thinks Christmas is overpriced, overhyped, and overrated, and without any family to share it with, she feels sad, lonely and isolated. The “season for giving” is just a constant reminder that she’s single, sixty(ish), and staring down retirement. But not this Christmas. Determined to avoid the most magical time of the year, Eloise decides to spend Christmas in Honeycombe Bay. Surely a seaside village in the middle of winter won’t be too festive?
Ever since his wife passed away, Bartholomew Knott hasn’t felt up to welcoming visitors to his guest house. With the prospect of another long, lonely winter, and having become more Scrooge than Santa over the years, Bart is dreading Christmas. However, when he’s contacted by someone who dislikes decking the halls just as much as he does, Bart has the brilliant idea of opening the guest house to people who want to escape all things festive.
Christmas isn’t easy to ignore, though, not even in off-season Honeycombe Bay. So when fate forces Bart to give shelter to a single mother and child whose holiday has been devastated by a terrible fire, Eloise finds herself playing Mrs. Claus to Bart’s Santa—dragging the house’s other guest, a heartbroken teacher looking for a break during the holidays, into the action as well. But holiday cheer isn’t the only thing sparking under the mistletoe. Will the guests at Honeycombe Bay realize that, sometimes, the best way to escape Christmas is to let it into your heart?
Christmas at Honeycombe Bay features two heartwarming romances and all the holiday romance tropes a small-town that is “all in” for Christmas, a later in life romance, a widower hero, forced proximity in a charming B&B, a grumpy/sunshine couple with a single mom character, and plenty of carols, cocoa, and decking the halls.
Eloise was looking to escape all the holiday fuss and booked a trip to Honeycombe Bay which is known to be very quiet in the winter. Through a series of events, Eloise finds herself in some very surprising and wonderful situations as she begins enjoying Christmas for the first time in many years.
Christmas at Honeycombe Bay had all the warmth and charm I expect in a holiday book. I was a bit worried at the beginning when I first met Eloise and Bart. They both wanted to forget Christmas for their own reasons, and Eloise came across as quite grumpy. But as I made my way through the story, I learned more about Eloise, her past, and her recent past. All of this helped me better understand why this time of year was so difficult for her. And you know what? When push came to shove, she showed, through her actions, what a huge heart she had.
It was enjoyable seeing sparks between Bart and Eloise. I don't read too many romances that feature "mature" characters, so that was a delight, but the story really started picking up for me when the other characters joined in the fun. I loved the little family that was formed right there at the inn. I was especially excited for Eloise. She had a rough year and a rough life. She lost her mother at a young age and navigated foster care until she aged out. She had no family, so these people showing her so much love and affection hit me hard and made me happy.
It may be overused, but I know everyone will understand when I say this was very Hallmarkie. Cute, sweet, heartwarming - all that good stuff. It was a pleasure to spend the holidays in Honeycombe Bay with these people, and I was overjoyed that they found love and each other there.
*ARCS PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHER
Let us know in the comments!
The Twelve Loves of Christmas sounds so fun!
ReplyDeleteIt was fun and had quite a few strong entries.
DeleteMy vote goes for Christmas at Honeycombe Bay!
ReplyDeleteIt was sweet with a twofer romance
Delete