10 Heartwarming Holiday Books to Read for Christmas in July

As the stars twinkle and the snow drifts over the town… someone’s about to find the magic she didn’t even know she’d been missing…

Jenna has lived in Starr’s Fall for most of her life and has run the general store for over ten years. Secretly, she might dream of love and romance, but she’s happy as she is. Really.

That is, until Starr’s Fall’s newest resident—ex-New Yorker, millionaire investment banker—Jack Wexler breezes into Jenna’s store, seemingly furious they don’t stock smoked salmon. Jenna is as amused as she is annoyed. Who is this ridiculous guy, and doesn’t he realize he’s not in Manhattan anymore?

Jack, meanwhile, can’t believe he lost it in public. But ever since being forced to leave his high-flying career to focus on his health, he’s not been himself. What’s more, the last person he’d expected to be attracted to is the shrew of a storekeeper he’s just encountered… which he might have called Jenna, in a moment of temper…

Neither Jenna’s nor Jack’s ideal of romance includes these sorts of furious sparks flying. But when they’re both roped in to organizing the town’s Winter Wonderland parade, they’re forced to work together. And as Christmas approaches, will two opposites merely attract? Or, in magical Starr’s Fall, could they fall in love for keeps?

Jingle all the way to Silver Bells, Wyoming, for the coziest holiday read of the season!

Clumsy, earnest baker Sylvie West has worked at the Christmas Café in Silver Bells, Wyoming, ever since her boozy eggnog fruitcake won the town’s annual holiday bakeoff fifteen years ago. Her forever happy place, the café compliments her sweet, well-ordered life with her roommates: recently-widowed Gramps and her yappy chihuahua-pug Crumpet.

When Sylvie learns the café might be sold, she’s determined to put the Christmas Café on the map in a big way. Good thing the Holiday Channel* is filming in Silver Bells. And how perfect of bra-snatching Crumpet to have forced an awkward encounter with the film’s charming lead actor, Royce. When Gramps and Sylvie make a pact to be brave this Christmas, Sylvie knows just how to stretch her wings and save the Christmas Café in the process: get the film team to set a scene at the café!

Between her newfound acting gig, a booth at the Christmas Festival, an appearance at the Christmas Parade, and a budding romance with Royce, Sylvie has a lot on her plate. Good thing her old friend, gruff yet reliable Abe, has just come back home to manage his parents’ goat farm. That is, until she catches herself feeling all too merry and bright in his presence. With a little help from family, friends, Crumpet, and the goat farmer down the way, Sylvie just might make this Christmas the sweetest she’s ever had…

Olive Moore has been avoiding her hometown for three years now. But a phone call with her mom has her agreeing to spend the holidays back home with her family, and she lets it slip that she will be bringing a boyfriend with her. The only problem with that is that she has no boyfriend. That is, until she meets a handsome, albeit annoying, stranger on the plane who makes her an offer she can’t refuse.

Finn Beckett has always had good luck, as demonstrated by the gorgeous blonde he’s seated next to on a flight to Aspen. One drink too many leads to Olive spilling her problems in his lap, and he feels compelled to help. So he makes her an offer: he’ll pretend to be her boyfriend to keep her family off her back and make this the best Christmas ever.

Olive and Finn spend the next two weeks going on spirit-filled Christmas dates with her family. Their ruse is working perfectly, but Finn can’t help but notice Olive is holding something back. Something that could ruin everything.

Their relationship may have taken off smoothly, but with all this turbulence, will they ever make it to baggage claim?

Inspired by Jane Austen’s Emma, this joyful Christmas romp tells the story of a woman who can’t stop trying to help everyone around her find their happily-ever-after—even when her help leads to disaster.

Frankie Lane knows what’s best for just about everyone but herself. Her divorced sister, Stef, who is too young to give up on love; her shy employee, Elinor; and her daughter, Natalie, who works in Frankie’s shop, Holiday Happiness, and really needs to start her own business selling the delectable chocolates she makes at home; even her best friend, Viola, who is trying to renovate her old Victorian. Frankie knows she could help all of them, if they’d just let her—and if all of her help didn’t end in utter disaster.

Then there’s Mitch Howard, the owner of the local hardware store. They’ve been friends ever since Frankie opened her store, nine years earlier. He got her through the nightmare when she lost her husband in a freak accident, and he’s her favorite shoulder to cry on. He’s been divorced for years, and it’s such a waste of a man! Mitch is the fittest, finest man Frankie knows. He’s easygoing, wise, and kindhearted. Mitch needs someone. And she’s determined to help him find that someone—whether he likes it or not.

Santa came early this year, and he brought me a big lump of coal.

When I asked for volunteers to help with our small town Christmas festival, I should have been more specific. Griffin McBride—the arrogant blast from my past who barges in like he’s taking over the project—isn’t who I had in mind.

I want my gossip-fueled town to whisper about my successes instead of my failures for a change. To do that, I need someone to build my dream of a life-sized Christmas village in the town square, not push all my buttons until I totally lose my cool.

Griffin has always had a talent for getting under my skin, though. Back in high school, every conversation we had turned into an argument he needed to win. He even has the trophy to prove it.

Now? He’s more than just the cocky guy I remember. He’s loyal, protective, and he defends me and my festival like he truly believes in me.

I always hated losing to Griffin, but this year, it will take a Christmas miracle not to lose my heart.

Mad about Yule is a closed-door rivals-to-lovers romantic comedy without implied intimacy.

She’s given up on love and Christmas…but fate has other plans.

All Callie wants for Christmas is to hibernate. She’s still reeling from being dumped by her childhood sweetheart, and under no circumstances will she go home for the holidays, considering her ex will be right next door with his new, perfect partner. Callie is officially in grinch mode, but her meddling sister, Anita, won’t let her give up on life, love, and Christmas quite so easily.

Anita stages a Christmas intervention for Callie with a homemade Advent calendar challenge—cheerful tasks to push Callie out of her comfort zone and into the holiday spirit, inspired by a childhood tradition. Callie reluctantly plays along, but when she comes face-to-face with a charming baker who just might be the spoonful of sugar she needs, her strict rules on love and the holidays are tested.

As they strike a deal to do the activities together, could the twenty-four little doors on Callie’s Advent calendar not only open up one, but two closed-off hearts?

A small-town baker and a career woman working for a cookie conglomerate get all mixed up in this small-town Christmas romcom, perfect for fans of Tessa Bailey and Maggie Knox.

Career-focused Elena is climbing the corporate ladder all the way to the top; so when Sparkle Cookie, the cookie manufacturer she works for, opens a new branch, she jumps at the opportunity to impress her bosses.

But the townsfolk in New Hope, Pennsylvania, aren’t exactly thrilled about a large company coming in to ruin their small town feel with factories and truckloads of Sparkle Cookie products on their roads, yet Elena is determined to prove herself and make the new branch a success.

Local baker Lawrence–and his dog Sugar–have been a beloved staple in New Hope for the past two years. Their bakery specializes in cookies, but with Sparkle Cookie coming in, he’s worried their market will be quickly squashed by franchise locations selling mass-produced (and, in his opinion, terrible) cookies on every street corner.

Elena and Lawrence immediately butt heads at a town hall meeting, and Lawrence is determined to drive Sparkle Cookie from town at all costs–but Elena is just as ruthlessly determined to make the New Hope location a success and win over the townspeople.

When a cookie competition makes them join forces, sparks fly, and they’re both forced to decide just what price they’re willing to pay to reach their goals.

Sarah Morgenthaler is back with a heart-mending contemporary romance featuring a single dad you’ll fall for; a satisfying slow burn love affair; found family you’ll root for; small town holiday magic; and all the quirky animals and snowy rustic scenes your heart desires.

Sienna Naples’s family has taken care of their wild Idaho land for generations, and Sienna can’t imagine any other life. But at Christmastime, with her parents gone and her painful marriage finally over, it’s full of memories…and incredibly lonely. Until a tall, handsome stranger and a little girl walk into her life, and suddenly the holidays are alive again.

When single father Guy Maple shows up as the result of an ad meant to be a joke, the handsome Montana construction worker isn’t joking. Money is tight this Christmas, and Guy’s four-year-old daughter Emma has stage-five chronic kidney disease. She needs a kidney transplant, but if Guy can’t prove that he can afford Emma’s anti-rejection medications, his daughter isn’t going to stay on the transplant list. Guy’s willing to do anything, including marrying a stranger, to keep her safe. It’s an impulsive marriage of convenience, and Sienna knows this isn’t real, no matter how much she adores Emma, how well Guy fits into the ranching life, or how much light and laughter are coming into their lives as a result. But the more time she spends with her new family, the more she fears losing the fragile, feisty little girl and the kind, devoted, hard-working, incredibly attractive man who is her husband—but is it only in name?

Like walking onto the set of your favorite Hallmark Christmas movie, Mistletoe Season invites readers to fall in love alongside three couples, featuring old flames, opposites attract, and even a royal romance.

Say No to Mistletoe by Sheila Roberts

Mistletoe is Hailey Fairchild’s kryptonite. Every time she’s kissed someone under the mistletoe, it’s led to a love disaster. Not a good thing for a romance writer! When she was a gawky high school girl, her hunky neighbor, Carwyn Davies, star of the basketball team (and her dreams), kissed her under the mistletoe on a dare. But the kiss wasn’t a dream come true. It was a mortifying moment she’s never forgotten, and now she’s about to go home for the holidays, unengaged and . . . determined to say no to mistletoe. Especially if Carwyn is anywhere around.

Return to Mistletoe by Kathleen Fuller

Emmy Banks has always loved Christmas. How could she not when she lives in Mistletoe, Missouri? Kieran O’Neill has spent years abroad, renovating an old Irish castle, but returns to Mistletoe for his mother’s seventieth birthday. He reconnects with Emmy, his sister’s close friend, and spends time with her in her charming antique shop. When the weather turns colder, things start to warm up between Emmy and Kieran. But can Emmy risk her heart when she knows he’ll never stay in Mistletoe and she’ll never leave?

The Mistletoe Prince by Pepper Basham

Prince Arran St. Clare has lost his freedom and fairytale life in exchange for a three-month “punishment” in the small town of Ransom, North Carolina. To prove he is ready for the royal life for which he was born, Arran must engage in the Christmas charity fundraiser, The Mistletoe Wish. But when kindness, authenticity, and hard work prove more appreciated in Appalachia than a royal pedigree, Arran must face the mirror and find out who he is beyond the crown. Add a beautiful and intelligent woman who doesn’t recognize her own worth, some mistletoe, and a little Christmas magic, and it all might be enough to help the rebel-prince understand what truly matters most.

Featuring three separate stories, Mistletoe Season is the perfect escape from a bustling Christmas season. Pull up a cozy blanket, fix yourself a warm drink, and set yourself up by the fire to enjoy three delightful, low-spice romances.