Best Christmas Books of 2026
If you’re on the hunt for the best Christmas books of 2026 to add to your holiday TBR, this list has something for just about every reader. Every title here is newly published, so it’s a great place to start if you’re searching for new Christmas books and holiday books to read. You’ll find romance, historical fiction, cozy mystery, thrillers, and more, including plenty of Christmas books for adults who want more than a traditional holiday love story. Whether you’re in the mood for a festive romance, a snowy whodunit, a wartime Christmas story, or something a little darker, these 2026 Christmas reads are worth adding to your list.
The Little Shop of Merry and Bright
After a rejected proposal goes viral, Casey retreats into a quiet life until the Spirit of Christmas Present offers her a deal. To erase the video, she must first glimpse five alternate versions of her life and decide whether she really wants to change the one she has.
Counting Down To You
Ali spends Christmas completing the final Advent challenges left by her late best friend, beginning with a seasonal job in the Alps. When one challenge leads to a fake romance with her boss, their shared grief begins to pull them closer.
Merry Spooky Love
Ghostbuster Melody Bittersweet is called in to help save a family-run department store after its late owner begins haunting the heirs who want to sell it. With Christmas Eve as the deadline, Melody must juggle ghosts, an ex, and a relationship that’s already on shaky ground.
I'll Be Home for Christmas
Chrissie returns to her childhood home in the Swiss Alps when her daughter flees there just weeks before her wedding. Snowed in with her estranged sister, the family is forced to confront old tensions and find their way back to one another before Christmas.
Nantucket Christmas Stroll
A Nantucket family reunites for Christmas, but secrets and big decisions complicate the holiday celebration. Set during the island’s Christmas Stroll, it’s a cozy story about family, love, and coming home.
Peg and Rose Deck the Halls
Sisters-in-law Peg and Rose are celebrating Christmas in Connecticut when a guest drops dead at a holiday party and Peg becomes a suspect. The amateur sleuths set out to find the real killer before Christmas takes an even darker turn.
Season's Reapings
A serial killer known as the Mouse King terrorizes Montreal at Christmas in this gruesome reimagining of The Nutcracker. Packaged like an advent calendar, the story unfolds across 24 sections holiday countdown.
The Christmas Getaway
A librarian heads to Scotland with a fake boyfriend plan, only to meet a handsome duke who unexpectedly agrees to play the part. What starts as a holiday ruse may turn into something very real.
The Santa Claus Con
Two Christmas-hating FBI agents and former rivals are forced undercover at New York’s Santa Claus Con after someone threatens to sabotage the event. Between fake beards and old feelings, saving Christmas may be easier than dealing with each other.
The Christmas Competition
Two newly single neighbors turn a Christmas decorating competition into an all-out holiday battle, complete with twinkle lights and plenty of rivalry. But as the competition heats up, so does the chemistry between them.
Christmas in Austenland
After winning a Christmas trip to Austenland, Kestrel finds herself swept up in Regency romance, new friendships, and a place where she finally feels at home. But an unexpected visitor forces her to reconsider what, and who, she really wants.
Have Yourself a Merry Little Meltdown
After secretly turning her eccentric family into a holiday novel, Jordan heads home for Christmas hoping no one discovers the truth. But an old friend recognizes her immediately and may be exactly the person she needs when holiday chaos starts piling up.
Too Cold for Comfort
A photographer heads to northern Canada for the perfect polar bear shot, only to get snowed in with the grumpy lodge owner she’s forced to share space with. As the storm rolls in, their frosty relationship starts heating up fast.
The Holiday House Swap
Two women swap homes for the holidays and unexpectedly find romance waiting on the other side. With Hanukkah in Florida and Christmas in Seattle, both must decide whether they’re ready to stop running from the past.
Holiday Rebound
After getting dumped right before Christmas, Chloe takes their planned holiday trip alone, only to end up stranded with no reservations and nowhere to stay. Her unexpected solution is JB, a grumpy Christmas tree farmer who may turn her holiday rebound into something much more real.
A Married Little Christmas
Three holiday novellas bring together fake dating, unexpected romance, and plenty of Christmas chaos. From a disastrous family dinner to zombie Santa duty, each story delivers a different festive love story.
A Cinderella Christmas
Three Regency Christmas novellas bring romance to the holiday season, from childhood friends and secret identities to a Cinderella-inspired love story. Expect mistletoe, matchmaking, and a little Christmas magic.
A Season of Secrets
After an ancestry test reveals she was adopted, Ashley travels to England hoping to find answers about her birth family. What follows is a Christmas journey filled with long-held family secrets and the possibility of a long-awaited reunion.
A Preacher Christmas
The Mountain man Preacher heads into the Canadian wilderness for Christmas, only to cross paths with a brutal raider hunting for a legendary Viking treasure. What should be a holiday visit turns into a deadly showdown in the snow.
A Classic Case of Murder
A literary Christmas dinner inspired by A Christmas Carol turns deadly when a rare first edition disappears and the expert who authenticated it is murdered. Personal chef Allie Catt steps in to find the killer and clear her friend’s name.
Cozy Little Christmas
When Hannah’s first love returns home for Christmas, old feelings resurface as they both help friends and family through the holidays. Their unexpected reunion may be the second chance neither of them thought they’d get.
The Bluff
A wealthy family’s picture-perfect Christmas on Mackinac Island starts to crack when a snowstorm traps everyone together under one roof. Old family grudges and a battle over money make this holiday gathering anything but merry.
The Best Christmas Ever
A reclusive author planning to spend Christmas alone suddenly finds her cottage full of stranded strangers after a snowstorm. As the unexpected guests settle in, long-buried secrets and new connections begin to reshape the holiday.
Countdown to Christmas Murder
Reporter Lucy Stone is feeling less than festive as Tinker’s Cove prepares for a Dickens-themed Christmas, but a suspicious death soon gives her something else to focus on. Convinced the victim was murdered, Lucy digs into local secrets that may put her own holiday in danger.
Christmas at Honeycombe Bay
Two Christmas skeptics escape to Honeycombe Bay hoping to avoid the holidays, only to find themselves helping a single mom and her child after a devastating fire. Their festive-free plans quickly unravel as new friendships and unexpected romance begin to change their minds.
Christmas Valley
Cassidy is ready to finally confess her love to the man she’s always wanted, but Christmas gets complicated when she starts falling for brooding cowboy West instead. What begins as a forbidden attraction may turn into something much harder to ignore.
A Christmas Guide to Family and Murder
Former Countess Frances Hazelton heads to the English countryside for Christmas, only to discover the body of a local doctor after a storm. With a village full of suspects, she finds herself investigating murder instead of enjoying a peaceful holiday.
Are You Staying, Mandy Boyle
After winning a struggling Vermont newspaper, New Yorker Mandy Boyle is forced to run it for a year and suddenly finds herself starting over in a small town at Christmas. As she fights to keep the paper afloat, she grows closer to the community and to the guarded mechanic next door.
Mingle All the Way
Two sisters who have given up on love find unexpected romance while preparing for their parents’ Christmas wedding. One reconnects with her first love, while the other falls for a grieving songwriter staying at her inn.
The Christmas Hourglass
After losing his estranged daughter just before Christmas, Thad takes in the baby granddaughter she leaves behind. Over the next year, new relationships and an unexpected bond with a troubled teen begin to help him rebuild his life.
Christmas Mysteries at The Mysterious Bookshop
This collection brings together 18 Christmas mysteries, each involving a crime and New York City’s famed Mysterious Bookshop. The stories range from playful whodunits to darker holiday suspense, all written by notable mystery authors.
Her Last Christmas
Emma joins her boyfriend for a glamorous Christmas in the Alps, but the holiday turns deadly when one of the guests is found murdered. Trapped by a snowstorm, she must uncover the truth before the killer turns on her.
A Curse for Christmas Past
After a string of bad luck, Hayleigh heads to a witchy small town hoping to break a curse before Christmas. Her reluctant partnership with a handsome local witch soon brings magic and unexpected romance into the mix.
A Christmas Wish for the Village Midwife
Midwife Zoe loves Christmas in her Lake District village, but unexpected news about her fertility leaves her hiding heartbreak from the people she loves. As the holidays unfold, she has to decide whether keeping the peace matters more than finally telling the truth.
A Very Merry Detour
After a breakup, Alaina sets out to win back her ex but ends up stranded in a snowy Utah town with a grumpy bookstore owner. As they tackle a festive bucket list together, Alaina starts to question who she really wants.
The Christmas Curse
Devra avoids Christmas because she’s convinced her family is cursed, but her holiday-obsessed new neighbor makes that nearly impossible. Their decorating feud quickly gives way to unexpected feelings and the possibility that he may be exactly what breaks the curse.
The Christmas Guest
A family gathers on Liars Island for Christmas, but an unexpected guest starts asking questions about the holiday when their mother died. As a storm cuts them off from the mainland, old secrets begin to surface and suspicion turns inward.
Belle's Christmas Carol
Belle Beaumont inherits a struggling London orphanage and sets out to give its children a Christmas to remember. When a barrister arrives searching for a missing child, the two uncover old secrets and an unexpected chance at love.
The Cotswold Christmas Bookshop
After losing her publishing job, Isla heads home to the Cotswolds and takes over the bookshop where she worked as a teenager. With Christmas approaching, an old flame and a new possibility force her to rethink what she wants next.
Murder of a Merry Gentleman
Set in Regency-era London at Christmas, Lady Petra investigates a suspicious death tied to a series of society dances and eligible bachelors. Between Almack’s and seasonal matchmaking, she must uncover the killer before someone else becomes the next target.
Matchmaking Christmas
Widow Regina comes face-to-face with her high school sweetheart when their daughters become best friends. With the girls secretly pushing them together through every holiday event in town, Christmas may bring a second chance neither expected.
Jay to the World
Christmas in Caerphilly takes a dangerous turn when someone begins targeting Meg’s mother with threats and sabotage. When a suspect turns up dead, Meg must figure out who is really behind the attacks.
Bark Humbug
Reluctant lawyer Andy Carpenter gets pulled into a Christmas murder case when a woman asks him to help her fugitive brother, who’s accused of killing a gubernatorial candidate. What follows is a holiday investigation full of dogs, conspiracies, and Andy’s usual disdain for Christmas.
The Twelve Loves of Christmas
Twelve sealed holiday romances offer a new love story to open each day leading up to Christmas. From forced proximity and grumpy heroes to second chances and unexpected sparks, it’s a festive countdown built for romance readers.
Christmas at Fox Ridge
Six months after a one-night stand, Eira unexpectedly rents a cabin on Lucas’s struggling ranch for Christmas. Their reunion quickly rekindles the spark and has them wondering whether fate is giving them a second chance.
The Christmas Courier
In 1943 France, childhood friends Madeleine and Daniel reconnect while working with the Resistance, but their future is threatened when Daniel is captured by the Gestapo. A centuries-old law may offer Madeleine one daring chance to save him on Christmas Eve.
The Christmas Book Flood
Set in Iceland during Christmas 1944, Tatiana and Anders grow closer while helping meet the demand sparked by the country’s Christmas Book Flood. But Tatiana is hiding one major secret: she’s the author of the novel Anders has been editing.
'Twas the Night
A skeptical reporter investigates a string of child disappearances that leads her to Yule, Maine, a town where Christmas never ends and Santa is worshipped like a god. Beneath the festive surface, she uncovers a terrifying secret keeping the holiday spirit alive.
Do You See What I See?
A struggling writer spends Christmas at a famous novelist’s Cape Cod mansion, only to find himself surrounded by suspects when two guests turn up dead. Now he must unravel the secrets inside the house before the killer strikes again.
Not Another Christmas Movie
After falling asleep, Annie wakes up trapped inside a made-for-TV Christmas movie starring her ex-situationship and her childhood neighbor. To escape, she has to play along with the holiday rom-com tropes, but her carefully scripted plan gets complicated when real feelings enter the picture.
A Date with Santa
When Sage unexpectedly takes in her five-year-old nephew for Christmas, she enlists coworker Ethan to help make the holiday special. As the three grow closer, Sage begins to rethink what she wants from both Christmas and her future.
The Christmas Dinner Murder
A luxurious Christmas party turns deadly when a famous puzzler receives an anonymous threat and her guests are trapped by a storm. With more than 50 puzzles woven into the mystery, readers can solve the clues alongside the detectives.
The Christmas Yes List
Chloe sets out to collect ten rejections before Christmas, only to meet James, a charming stranger who keeps saying yes to everything. As their holiday antics pile up, so do the feelings neither of them planned for.
The French Christmas Market
Nicola moves to a tiny French village expecting a fresh start, only to find herself alone there for Christmas. A new friendship, a mysterious ceramic angel, and a little holiday magic soon have her questioning what she really wants.
The Christmas Star
Widowed tree farm owner Blair has until New Year’s Day to save her family’s land, while astronomer Reid is betting everything on a Christmas-night comet. When their paths cross, both may find more than they expected beneath the holiday sky.
Bah Bloody Humbug
Anna has sworn off Christmas, but a suspicious death at her daughter’s school fair drags her right back into sleuthing. With PTA grudges piling up, she and her best friend Jennie set out to prove it wasn’t an accident.
We Wish You a Messy Christmas
Olivia’s new romance with her childhood neighbor gets complicated by her perfectionist mother, who can’t stand his chaotic family. Determined to save both Christmas and her relationship, Olivia sets out to teach her mom how to loosen up and embrace the mess.
A Daddy For Christmas
Lucas recruits his older landlord Sid to pose as his father for Christmas with his boyfriend’s family. But a week in the Yorkshire countryside turns their fake family arrangement into something far less platonic.
The Christmas Killer
DCI John Barton returns from sabbatical to investigate a brutal Christmas murder, only to uncover a pattern tied to his victims’ pasts. As a blizzard closes in, the case becomes a race to stop the killer before anyone else dies.
Christmas, Actually
After a broken engagement, Clara heads to a Cotswolds village hoping for a fresh start. When she’s paired with guarded local Liam for the Christmas fair, an unexpected romance begins to thaw both their hearts.
A Dartmoor Christmas Card Murder
Romance author Tiffany Dare begins receiving threatening Christmas cards, and amateur sleuth Juno Browne is asked to find out who’s behind them. When murder follows, Juno must sort through a long list of suspects before the holiday turns even deadlier.
The Christmas Cove Inn
When Celeste’s holiday plans fall apart, she ends up stranded at a festive Cape Cod inn instead. A single dad and a close-knit island community begin to make her wonder if this unexpected detour could become a new beginning.
Christmas Wishes for the Great Western Railway Girls
As Christmas 1942 approaches, the women of Britain’s Great Western Railway works face challenges at home and on the factory floor while their loved ones are at war. A festive pantomime and the arrival of American GIs bring a welcome dose of hope during a difficult season.
Love Me Down to Christmas
Amariah returns to her small hometown for Christmas when her father falls ill and reconnects with Jacob, the man she never quite forgot. A holiday countdown filled with old memories gives them a second chance at the love they left behind.
The Nightshift Before Christmas
Maggie has built a quiet, complication-free life until a younger doctor on a short-term assignment turns it upside down. What starts as a steamy fling becomes much more serious when an unexpected surprise changes their Christmas plans.
The Christmas Clue
On Christmas Eve 1943, the real-life couple who invented Clue arrive at a snowy English country house to host a murder mystery game, only to find themselves investigating an actual killing. Trapped by the snow, they must solve the case before the murderer strikes again.
The Christmas Cookie Bookshop
Noémi is trying to save her bookshop before Christmas when an adventurous newcomer opens a rival business next door and steals her customers. Their competition soon turns into something more, forcing Noémi to decide whether she’s ready to take a chance on love again.
A Little Christmas Rivalry
Advertising rivals Sophie and Drew are forced to team up on a major Christmas campaign, despite being determined to beat each other. A work trip to snowy Switzerland starts to blur the line between competition and romance.
Saving Christmas at the Highland Repair Shop
When a storm damages the town’s Christmas lights, the Highland Repair Shop races to save the festive season. Meanwhile, Hamish fights to save his struggling ski centre from the consultant sent to close it, only for sparks to complicate her plans.
It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Murder
When billionaire heir Liam disappears after a Christmas party, childhood rival Ella becomes the prime suspect. Forced to work together in secret, they set out to uncover who wants him dead while old tensions turn into something more.
A Lucky Little Christmas
Killian comes to Clover Pines looking for answers about his father and instead finds single mom Scarlett struggling to make ends meet. As he helps her through Christmas, their unexpected connection begins to feel a lot less temporary.
Christmas Exodus
Army Sergeant Kiera accepts an invitation to spend Christmas in Georgia with fellow soldier and single dad Scott. What starts as a holiday escape soon turns into a friends-to-lovers romance filled with family and lots of unexpected feelings.
A Christmas Surprise
An Amish family leaves Lancaster County for a fresh start on a neglected farm in Maine, but teenage Mandy struggles to adjust. As Christmas approaches, new friendships and the possibility of romance begin to make their new home feel less unfamiliar.
A Christmas Inn, Maine
After losing his job and relationship, Adam returns to Maine determined to save his aunt’s failing inn before Christmas. This queer holiday romance pairs him with the charming contractor helping with the renovation, forcing Adam to rethink both his plans and his vow to stay single.
25 Dates of Christmas
After her brother’s death, Anna agrees to complete his final Christmas wish: a series of Advent adventures with his arrogant best friend, Luke. Told in 24 sealed chapters, this enemies-to-lovers romance unfolds one day at a time leading up to Christmas.
Holidays With the Girls
Connie heads to a château in the south of France to rescue her best friends’ wildly ambitious Christmas wedding. But between last-minute disasters and her own long-distance marriage, keeping the celebration on track may be her biggest challenge yet.
Merry Ex-Mas
Marygrace gets stuck reliving Christmas Eve, each time with a different ex from her past. But as she cycles through old relationships, she begins to wonder if the right person has been beside her all along.
Montana Christmas Target
After witnessing her ex-fiancé’s murder, sculptor Fiona is pulled into an FBI investigation tied to her art gallery. Forced to flee through a blizzard with Agent Bryce Springs, she must uncover the truth before the criminals hunting them catch up.
Christmas with the East End Girls
In 1943 East London, Georgina finds an unexpected connection with an injured army chaplain while planning a Christmas Eve carol service. But a false accusation puts her WAAF career, and their growing romance, at risk.
A Christmas Bookstore Murder
When a stranger is murdered after a Christmas party, crime writer Jen steps in to clear her friend’s name. Her investigation uncovers long-buried secrets and a killer determined to keep the past hidden.
A Magical Scottish Christmas
Lily has until New Year to save the Loch Lomond inn she now calls home, and her best friend Hamish may be the only person who can help. As Christmas brings them closer, an unexpected arrival from her past threatens everything she’s built.
The Naughty List Agreement
Cora needs a new toymaker to save her Winter Wonderland festival, while grumpy Nick needs a wife before Christmas Eve to keep his job as Santa. Their bargain may be exactly the holiday solution neither of them expected.
Christmas at The Ritz
Belle doesn’t believe in falling for someone she’s just met, and Finn doesn’t believe in falling for anyone. But a Christmas in London full of unexpected chemistry may change both their minds.
A Turning Tide Christmas
Journalist Samantha heads to snowy Peggy’s Cove chasing a story about a missing rock star and meets a veterinarian preparing to leave town. As Christmas approaches, her search for answers gets tangled up with unexpected romance and a community that starts to feel like home.
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Hi, I'm Carlie
I’m a historical fiction fanatic passionate about sharing newly released books, book club picks, and the types of stories that linger long after the last lines. If that sounds like the type of books you love to read, then you’re in the right place!
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