6 Festive Reads For The Holiday Season
The festive break is fast approaching and one of the best things about the holidays is curling up with a blanket and a good book. If you need a little fiction inspiration, here are six reads that are perfect for the yuletide season.
Good Spirits by B. K. Borison
Borison’s books are an excellent choice for any time of the year but her Christmassy stories really deliver all the cosy festive feels. A magical grumpy x sunshine romance, Good Spirits sees the literal Ghost of Christmas Past teaming up with a sweeter-than-candy-canes antique shop owner as they try to unravel their respective pasts and, in the process, find the key to their futures. Witty, whimsical and wonderfully hopeful, this book will fill your heart with joy. (HQ)
Ghosted At Christmas by Holly Whitmore
If Good Spirits has got you hankering for more holiday romances with a paranormal twist, then Holly Whitmore’s feel-good rom-com should be at the top of your festive TBR pile. Mia is facing a torturous Christmas with her family and her ex. John is a lonely ghost stuck in limbo without a soul to talk to. That is until he meets Mia, who can inexplicably see him. As the two become friends, John makes it his mission to show Mia that love isn’t dead. Expect ghostly pranks, fun family dynamics, forced proximity and heart-warming second chances. (Penguin)
Murder Most Haunted by Emma Mason
On her last day as a Detective, Midge McGowan is given the retirement present from hell: a ticket to take part in a haunted house tour. Forced into spending a weekend in an isolated mansion with a group of strangers, it isn’t long before the tour spirals out of control. And when someone is murdered in a room that’s been locked from the inside, Midge must put her detective skills to use for real. A house full of secrets, a cast of misfit characters and no help from the outside world…what could possibly go wrong? Read this debut for the eerie mystery and classic whodunnit vibes. (Bantam)
All You Need Is Gloves by Kanitha P.
Banished to his small town of Blue Ridge Springs after a dangerous stunt leaves him with an injury and some very angry sponsors, champion snowboarder Diego finds himself playing assistant to ski-instructor Alara, his best-friend’s sister, who’s way prettier than he remembers. Alara knows her brother’s best friend is off limits but it turns out she never really got over her old teenage crush on him. Cue a swoony secret hook-up against the backdrop of a wintry ski resort. Shifting between the two characters’ perspectives, this is the ideal book for fans of sports romances. (Headline Eternal)
The Christmas Cracker Killer by Alexandra Benedict
Alexandra Benedict has fast become a go-to author for twisty festive mysteries. Her most recent reunites readers with puzzle compiler and former Christmas sceptic Edie O’Sullivan as she wins a hotel break on a remote Scottish island. Edie is looking forward to a picture-perfect Christmas. Instead she’s faced with a murderer who’s targeting guests and strange riddles found in the victims’ Christmas crackers. Can Edie solve the killings before she becomes the next victim? A festive treat of a murder mystery with plenty of red herrings to keep you guessing. (Simon & Schuster)
House Party by Chloe Ford
Single for the first time in years, Hattie is whisked away by her best friend, Sam, to a remote cabin in the Forest of Dean for an idyllic holiday break. Joining them is Freddie, Sam’s irresistibly gorgeous older brother, who’s always been strictly forbidden and categorically uninterested. Or so Hattie thought… Eschewing the usual Christmas rom-com for a story set against the celebratory backdrop of New Year’s Eve, House Party is a delicious snowed-in, slow-burn romance to keep you entertained during Twixmas. (Aria)
