50
Used, New, and Out of Print Books - We Buy and Sell - Powell's Books
Cart |
|  my account  |  wish list  |  help   |  800-878-7323
Hello, | Login
MENU
  • Browse
    • New Arrivals
    • Bestsellers
    • Featured Preorders
    • Award Winners
    • Audio Books
    • See All Subjects
  • Used
  • Staff Picks
    • Staff Picks
    • Picks of the Month
    • Bookseller Displays
    • 50 Books for 50 Years
    • 25 Best 21st Century Sci-Fi & Fantasy
    • 25 PNW Books to Read Before You Die
    • 25 Books From the 21st Century
    • 25 Memoirs to Read Before You Die
    • 25 Global Books to Read Before You Die
    • 25 Women to Read Before You Die
    • 25 Books to Read Before You Die
  • Gifts
    • Gift Cards & eGift Cards
    • Powell's Souvenirs
    • Journals and Notebooks
    • socks
    • Games
  • Sell Books
  • Blog
  • Events
  • Find A Store

PowellsBooks.Blog
Authors, readers, critics, media − and booksellers.

Lists

Books for Warm- and Cold-Hearted Readers

by Rhianna Walton, December 4, 2020 10:02 AM
Mistletoe or Murder by Rhianna Walton

Most of us are attracted to a certain idea of the holidays. Cold weather, twinkle lights, hot drinks, fireside evenings, and the well-being that comes from rich meals and long hours of nothing to do but enjoy oneself. Because such a sanguine holiday isn’t always in the cards, we’ve put together a list of cozy romances and murder mysteries that summon all of the excesses and contentment of a fantasy winter holiday. Whether you fancy love over latkes or a killer eggnog, the 10 books below will sweep you off your feet — and under the rug — with the kind of sweetness only found at The Cookie Jar.

Royal Holiday Royal Holiday
by Jasmine Guillory

Hallmark movie fans will eat up Guillory’s story of a mature American woman finding unexpected love with the Queen of England’s private secretary. When Vivian Forest joins her stylist daughter on a trip to England to dress a member of the royal family, she finds herself drawn to “tall mug of hot chocolate” Malcolm Hudson, a refined and thoughtful gentleman game for a holiday fling. Guillory plays with historical romance tropes, having the lovers exchange notes via footman and indulge in aristocratic clichés like tea and horseback riding, while acknowledging the centrality of Black characters in a generally white literary and cultural environment. Relaxingly drama-free and swoony, Royal Holiday will put a Crown Jewel-bright smile on anyone’s face.

One Day in December One Day in December
by Josie Silver

Wuv (twue wuv) sometimes involves a bus, misguided notions of friendship, and a jerk slowly (oh… so… slowly) learning the difference between a “total package” and someone who makes you feel completely at ease. If you’re the type of person who goes all in on the yuletide-fueled meet-cutes of Love, Actually and Serendipity, One Day in December will keep you curled on the couch late into the night, boxes of tissues and chocolates by your side.

The Twelve Dates of Christmas The Twelve Dates of Christmas
by Jenny Bayliss

We love a holiday pun. In this coziest of cozy romances, 30-something artist Kate Turner subjects herself to a series of blind dates under the collective gaze of her adorably tiny British village. Of course the dates are a hilarious disaster and love turns out to be hiding in plain sight, but any predictability in the plot — and predictability is part of its coziness — finds compensation in Bayliss’s knack for funny situations, colorful ensemble casts, and hunger-inducing descriptions of fresh baked goods. (Don’t read while hungry. Or, better yet, read with a tray of scones.) Sweet and silly, The Twelve Dates of Christmas is all the company you’ll need on a quieter-than-usual Christmas Eve.

In a Holidaze In a Holidaze
by Christina Lauren

It’s either fantasy or nightmare: the holiday vacation that never ends. Stuck in a Groundhog Day loop, Maelyn Jones has the unlikely opportunity to fix everything in her life, or at least save the vacation cabin she loves and finally hook up with her unrequited childhood love. If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to travel back in time to correct mistakes (in short: wonderful) or just really, really wish Christmas would never end, writing duo Christina Lauren’s wise-cracking, endearing characters and enchanting winter cabin setting will scratch that itch and then some.

Eight Kinky Nights Eight Kinky Nights
by Xan West

Christmas isn’t the only sexy winter holiday! Hanukkah offers eight nights of romance; plus, eating fried potatoes with sour cream is basically a religious requirement — that’s hot! Xan West sets the menorah on fire with her diverse f/f D/s romance. There’s a lot to love about this intense novel: the characters are middle-aged and navigating a variety of physical, gender, and sexual issues that impact identity while also dealing with a changing friendship, attraction, boundaries, and love. Jordan and Leah’s interactions feel authentic — sometimes painful, but always honest, and freeing the characters to experience life more fully.

Note: Author West includes a content warning and reference guide to help orient readers in what might be new or triggering territories.

Holiday Murder Holiday Murder
by Leslie Meier

Sure, kissing is cozy, but sometimes what you’re really craving is the mystery equivalent of a Snuggie. Holiday Murder collects two of Meier’s cozy mysteries set in Tinker’s Cove, Maine, a small town that would be idyllic if it weren’t for all the murders. Harried mother Lucy Stone is busy caring for her three kids, wrapping gifts, baking cookies, entertaining relatives, working part-time, and investigating the deaths of her boss and neighbor. Was it suicide; is the neighbor really a low-down recipe thief? Discover the answers in Meier’s unabashedly merry holiday mysteries.

The Twelve Clues of Christmas The Twelve Clues of Christmas
by Rhys Bowen

Rhys Bowen’s charming Royal Spyness mystery series, starring Lady Georgiana Rannoch, 35th in line to the throne, is a one-way ticket back into the powdered bosom of Downton Abbey. In The Twelve Clues of Christmas, Georgiana is simply trying to escape the boredom of Christmas with her stuffy siblings when dead bodies start falling from the trees. How trying! Can Georgiana find the murderer in time to kiss Darcy (yes, DARCY) under the mistletoe?

Chanukah GuiltChanukah Guilt
by Ilene Schneider

Why should gentiles have all the murders? Rabbi Aviva Cohen is going through the motions in her South Jersey town (and dreading the imminent arrival of her first ex-husband) when she finds herself thrust into an investigation of the alleged suicide of a young woman mourning the recent death of her father, a bad-faith land developer. Warm and funny, with enough Judaica thrown in to feel relevant, Chanukah Guilt is a good pick for readers wanting a holiday cozy sans the Christmas tree.

How the Finch Stole Christmas How the Finch Stole Christmas
by Donna Andrews

If you love community Christmas theater (and who doesn’t?), pick up a copy of Andrews’s Dickens-themed cozy. Meg’s husband has pulled the entire family into his full-scale production of A Christmas Carol, which would be great except for the antics of the aging star actor playing Scrooge and the mysterious surplus of caged finches in town. Throw in an animal smuggling ring, a murder, and two Christmas spectaculars, and Meg’s got her hands full. Will the blacksmith/mom/stage manager/drunk actor minder/finch foster parent get everything resolved in time, or is it curtains for everyone in Yorktown?

Christmas Cupcake Murder Christmas Cupcake Murder
by Joanna Fluke

Holiday cookie recipes and amnesia: tie this Christmas cozy magic in a bow and gift it to your favorite baker. In Christmas Cupcake Murder, Hannah is busy serving pastries to the good folks of Lake Eden, Minnesota, while dishing out advice to her sisters and trying to restore the memories of the mysterious man found near-dead two doors down from her bakery. There’s no murder in this novel, making it arguably the coziest of all, but plenty of amnesia-fueled thrills to keep the reader engaged between recipes.




Books mentioned in this post

Twelve Clues of Christmas

Rhys Bowen

Holiday Murder

Leslie Meier

How the Finch Stole Christmas

Donna Andrews

One Day in December

Josie Silver

Chanukah Guilt

Ilene Schneider

Royal Holiday

Jasmine Guillory

Eight Kinky Nights: An f/f Chanukah Romance

Xan West

Christmas Cupcake Murder

Joanne Fluke

Twelve Dates of Christmas

Jenny Bayliss

In a Holidaze

Christina Lauren
{1}
##LOC[OK]##
{1}
##LOC[OK]## ##LOC[Cancel]##
{1}
##LOC[OK]## ##LOC[Cancel]##

Most Read

  1. Best Books of 2022: Fiction by Powell's Staff
  2. The Big List of Backlist: Books That Got Us Through 2022 by Powell's Staff
  3. 25 Books to Read Before You Die: 21st Century by Powell's Staff
  4. Powell's 2023 Book Preview: The First Quarter by Powell's Staff
  5. 7 Essential Authors Recommend Their 7 Essential Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books by Powell's Staff

Blog Categories

  • Interviews
  • Original Essays
  • Lists
  • Q&As
  • Playlists
  • Portrait of a Bookseller
  • City of Readers
  • Required Reading
  • Powell's Picks Spotlight

Post a comment:

*Required Fields
Name*
Email*
  1. Please note:
  2. All comments require moderation by Powells.com staff.
  3. Comments submitted on weekends might take until Monday to appear.
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram

  • Help
  • Guarantee
  • My Account
  • Careers
  • About Us
  • Security
  • Wish List
  • Partners
  • Contact Us
  • Shipping
  • Transparency ACT MRF
  • Sitemap
  • © 2023 POWELLS.COM Terms