KJ Charles, Masters in this Hall
Despite the late 2022 release of the audio-only A Thief in the Night, Historical Romance fans have felt the gap in the supply line as KJ Charles moved from self-pub to trad-pub. So it was with great gratitude and glee that we learnt of her surprise Christmas novella, Masters in this Hall, at the beginning of this month. The tale of John, an unassuming disgraced hotel detective forced to spend the holidays with rich relations, and to collaborate with the spotlight-seeking entertainment coordinator Barnaby, really, really hit the spot. Of course it’s got the Charles hallmarks like opposites attract, heist antics, and Eat the Rich, but where it really lands is in that holiday novella sweet spot of Second Chance Romance. John and Barnaby have met before and it ruined the detective’s career. Can the unlikely pair get it right this time around, or is somebody going to get defenestrated for Christmas?
The Scent of Pining Hero Holiday Novella
Kate Clayborn, Missing Christmas
A little present I gave to myself this holiday reading season was Kate Clayborn’s debut series ‘Chance of a Lifetime’. This gorgeous contemporary trilogy isn’t holiday themed, but the incredible care that the author takes with her characters – their origins, their journeys, their futures – fits the emotional tone I want for my December reading. Also, I usually spend the holidays with my family in a college town in Virginia, which just happens to be the setting for ‘Chance of a Lifetime.’ Well, imagine my delight last week when I discovered Clayborn wrote a Christmas novella set in the same universe. Even better, 2020’s Missing Christmas is the story of Jasper and his business partner Kristen with whom he has been smitten for years. Years. Look, I love a pining hero any time of year, but that fresh pine scent is extra potent during Christmas tree season. Add in a snowed in cabin scenario and a montage of movie-watching and cookie making by a character who hasn’t celebrated Christmas in ages, and you have all the ingredients of the most heart-meltingly emotional holiday mini-masterpiece.
The Chaos Christmas Holiday Novella
Lucy Bexley, Checking it Twice
While many holiday novellas whisk their main characters away from the entanglement that is family – hence the preponderance of stranding snowstorms – rom-coms like to lean into the family fiasco trope. And what, Lucy Bexley asks her loyal lesfic readers, is more chaotic than a Christmas Eve wedding? So, for this 2020 release, we are all jollied off to an enormous country cabin where prep for a society wedding is in full swing. Sacha is our chaos monster, who unfortunately also has the rather important job of being her sister’s bridesmaid, while Hal is our organisation gremlin in charge of planning the whole shebang. What’s clever about this setup is that it not only traps the two leads together but also makes it damn hard for them to have any privacy. Something’s gotta give! As resolving the friction between other-oriented celebrations and personal pleasure is at the heart of the rom-com holiday read, Checking it Twice’s resolution is cathartic to everyone walking that tightrope IRL. Still, I wanted one more chapter with Sacha and Hal celebrating their first Christmas together in private.
The Is It Really A Holiday Novella?
Heather Guerre, Demon Lover
If you had asked me when my favourite podcast recommended this 2022 paranormal novella as a sexy spooky read whether it would make it onto my holiday best list, I probably would have given a weird snort – assuming I wasn’t too distracted by my rapid-fire one-click selection of said romance. I mean, true to its title, Demon Lover stars a succubus. Granted, the succubus, his name is Irdu, is an exceedingly disarming and shy demon lover, but surely he and Autumn, the lonely graphic designer who summoned him with her horniness, are just going to have lots of Netflix and Chill and The End. Right? Not quite. At its heart, this novella is the story of two lonely people negotiating what is a really difficult time of year for lonely people. Sure, it starts with a Halloween visitation, but Autumn and Irdu’s romance develops against the backdrop of Thanksgiving and then deepens during Christmas. When after years of not celebrating, her new relationship inspires Autumn to make her traditional holiday meal, it humanises her demon lover. Literally. And in taking the, also literal, risk of resurrecting her holiday traditions, Autumn is finally claiming care and companionship for herself. Truly a seasonal celebration of giving.
The Banging It Out In A Snowstorm Holiday Novella (Sponsored by KU)
Mae Harden, Lumber Snack
Thank god for KU at Christmastime. It truly is the reading equivalent of the office holiday party where you can snaffle all the different cookies you don’t buy for your own home. I could select any number of KU tasty treats here – some with nuts, some without – that helped make my season bright, but I’m giving the nod to Mae Harden’s contribution to 2021’s ‘12 Days of Kissmas’ collection. First, what a title, right? Like a good novella itself, it packs so much romance joy into a limited space. Will it be short? Yes. Will it be hot? Yes. And will there be a lumberjack? Oh yeah. The premise is exactly what you want/expect with a distressed bridesmaid being rescued from the snow by a very single and very large lumberjack. Also, there’s an adorable dog called Tucker. Which is important because we need to get that cosy cup of coco feeling from a holiday novella even when we’re adding chili powder.
