If you really love the Christmas holiday season, then you’ve probably already cued up the Lifetime and Hallmark Channel Christmas movies and the various holiday baking shows, and you may have already started popping the popcorn. But just in case you decide that on some cozy December nights, you’d rather curl up with a new Christmas book – a novel, romance or mystery set during the holiday season – here’s our list of the best new releases to read for 2022. Now all you need is a blanket and a comfy chair, and the holiday magic can begin.
what are the best new Christmas novels, romances and mysteries of 2022?
Here’s our edit of the best new Christmas books to read this year, including novels, mysteries and steamy romances, released just in time for the 2022 holiday season.
Our roundup of the best new Christmas books, including novels, mysteries and steamy romance releases to read this 2022 holiday season.
1. A Merry Little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone.
A Merry Little Meet Cute is holiday rom-com about an adult film star who is semi-accidentally cast as a lead in a family-friendly Christmas movie, and the former bad-boy pop star she falls in love with.
2. Meet Me Under the Mistletoe by Jenny Bayliss.
In the new Christmas romance Meet Me Under the Mistletoe, a London city bookshop owner – the aptly-named Elinor Noel – heads to the countryside for a holiday class reunion. Where sparks fly between Elinor and her childhood arch enemy.
3. Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun.
The author of the critically applauded The Charm Offensive returns with the festive romantic comedy Kiss Her Once for Me. Andrew needs to be married to collect his inheritance. And Ellie — who lost her dream woman and her dream job in one fell swoop — could really use a break. They’re pretty sure they can fake their way to the altar and set themselves up for financial success. But their plan hits a snag when Andrew takes Ellie home to spend the holidays with his family. His sister, Jack, is the one-night stand Ellie fell in love with before her whole world came crashing down. Could sparks still fly between them?
4. The Holiday Trap by Roan Parrish.
In The Holiday Trap, Greta needs some space from her tight-knit family, who don’t understand her life and her challenges as a lesbian living in a small town. Meanwhile, Truman has had his heart broken by his boyfriend. When a mutual friend suggests they swap houses, each may find themselves in exactly the right place.
5. The Christmas Movie Cookbook: Recipes from Your Favorite Holiday Films by Julia Rutland.
‘Tis the season to recreate the dishes from all of your favorite holiday movies with the help of The Christmas Movie Cookbook. It contains more than 65 scrumptious recipes inspired by scenes from beloved Christmas films, including How the Grinch Stole Christmas; Elf; and Polar Express.
6. All Is Bright: A Christmas Romance by RaeAnne Thayne.
In All is Bright, Sage McKnight is an ambitious young architect working at her father’s firm who takes on her most challenging client in Mason Tucker. The former pro baseball player is still healing from the plane crash that left him a wheelchair-using single dad, and he’s determined not to let anyone breach his emotional defenses. But with Sage’s gift for taking broken things and making them better, the matchmaking talent of the quirky locals and a generous sprinkling of Christmas cheer, Mason doesn’t stand a chance.
7. death on a winter stroll by Francine Mathews.
The holiday mystery Death on a Winter Stroll is set during the annual Nantucket Christmas Stroll. When COVID-19 brought tourism to a halt, Nantucket’s economy was devastated. Many on the island, including Police Chief Meredith “Merry” Folger, hope that Nantucket’s annual Christmas Stroll will bring some much-needed cheer back to the community. While Merry is juggling the demands of a visiting Secretary of State and a TV production shooting on the island. And then two people turn up dead.
8. Christmas at the Cupcake Cafe by Jenny Colgan.
When her boyfriend Austin is scouted for a possible move to New York, Issy – the proprietor of London’s Cupcake Café – is forced to contemplate the prospect of a long-distance romance. And when the Christmas rush begins to take its toll, in Christmas at the Cupcake Café, Issy has to decide what she holds most dear.
9. Christmas in Blue Dog Valley Annie England Noblin.
Noblin’s newest novel, Christmas in Blue Dog Valley, is about a Los Angeles vet transplanted to a small Wisconsin town. There, we meet aging alpacas, stump-tailed cats, goats in tutus and a vagabond border collie named Kevin. The town has fallen on hard times – and the newcomer thinks a Christmas carnival and petting zoo is just the thing to turn things around.
10. Snowed In for Christmas by Sarah Morgan.
A desperate bid for a contract to save her business ends up with Luck Clarke snowed in with her prospective client, his siblings and his parents. Will the uninvited guest end up being the star of the show this holiday?
11. The Road to Christmas by Sheila Roberts.
The Road to Christmas sees three sets of intrepid travelers set out on journeys to a family home for Christmas. A married couple whose marriage is in trouble. A pair of grandparents who think they have everything they need for a drive through the mountains when snow is on the way. And two sisters, one in search of romance on the road. Each pair has a different set of adventures – but all the roads lead home.
12. Falling Stars by Fern Michaels.
a ski instructor finds her skills – and her heart – put to the test courtesy of a visiting movie star.
13. Christmas Scarf Murder by Carlene O’Connor, Maddie Day and Peggy Ehrhart.
collection of seasonal stories featuring sleuths from the various authors’ series, each solving cases revolving around handknit Christmas scarves.
14. The Christmas Spirit by Debbie Macomber.
The plot of The Christmas Spirit sounds like an excellent set-up of a joke or a Hollywood movie: a bartender and a pastor decide to switch jobs for the month of December. But taking on the other’s work is more difficult than either expected.
15. Santa’s Little Yelpers: An Andy Carpenter Mystery by David Rosenfelt.
Lawyer Andy Carpenter and his golden retriever, Tara, are drawn into the travails of the new co-worker at the dog rescue operation the Tara Foundation. Just out of prison for a crime he swears he didn’t commit, when a new witness emerges, he asks for help in getting the conviction overturned. Then the witness is murdered, and as the publisher notes “it’s all elves on deck” to solve this one before Christmas Eve.
16. Dashing Through the Snowbirds: A Meg Langslow Mystery by Donna Andrews.
When an inconsiderate boss is found murdered after making his employees work through the holiday season, there are too many suspects. His employees have their motives, as do the growing number of people suing the company for faulty DNA analysis and invasion of their genetic privacy. Did we mention one irate client is a notorious murderer?
17. Bones of Holly: A Sarah Booth Delaney Mystery by Carolyn Haines.
18. A Very Merry Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams.
19. All I want for Christmas by Maggie Knox.
This new holiday rom com is about two reality-star country singers who must fake a relationship in order to win the opportunity of a lifetime.
20. Once Upon a December by Amy E. Reichert.
The author of The Kindred Spirits Supper Club returns with Once Upon a December. With a name like Astra Noel Snow, holiday spirit isn’t just a seasonal specialty—it’s a way of life. But after a tough divorce, Astra’s yearly trip to the Milwaukee Christmas market takes on a whole new meaning. She’s ready to eat, drink, and be merry, especially with the handsome stranger she meets at a bakery stall.
21. A Christmas Deliverance by Anne Perry.
We close our roundup of the best new Christmas novels, including romances, mysteries and historical novels, to read this year with the latest in a series of Victorian-era holiday mysteries. A Christmas Deliverance is the story of a courageous doctor and his apprentice fighting to save London’s poor.
best new Christmas book releases of 2022
That’s our roundup of the best new Christmas books, including novels, mysteries and steamy romance releases to read this 2022 holiday season. Happy holidays, dear reader!
