Christmas Fiction Books

He's the Ghost of Christmas Past. But she's not exactly Scrooge… Nolan Callahan intends to spend this holiday season exactly like every other; haunting the terrible people of Annapolis in his aimless existence as the Ghost of Christmas Past. Harriet York is a good person – or, at least, she tries to be. A people pleaser to her core, she always does what’s expected of her. So, when Nolan is assigned the sweeter-than-candy-canes antique shop owner for his holiday haunting, neither of them have any idea why. To escape one another, Harriet and Nolan must unravel the threads that bind them together – all by Christmas Eve. Hand in hand, they uncover each other’s pasts, but why is it that Nolan doesn’t want to let go? And might Harriet be the key to giving the Ghost of Christmas Past … a future? Product Information: • ISBN: 9780008760434 • Author: B.K. Borison • Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers • Format: Paperback • Pages: 384 • Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.9 x 2.4 cm

THIS CHRISTMAS, A KILLER TAKES FAMILY GAMES TO A MURDEROUS NEW LEVEL. On 19th of December, renowned puzzle setter, loner and Christmas sceptic Edie O’Sullivan finds a hand-delivered present on her doorstep. Unwrapping it, she finds a jigsaw box and, inside, six jigsaw pieces. When fitted together, the pieces show part of a crime scene – blood-spattered black and white tiles and part of an outlined body. Included in the parcel is a message: ‘Four, maybe more, people will be dead by midnight on Christmas Eve, unless you can put all the pieces together and stop me.’ It’s signed, Rest In Pieces. Edie contacts her nephew, DI Sean Brand-O’Sullivan, and together they work to solve the clues. But when a man is found near death with a jigsaw piece in his hand, Sean fears that Edie might be in danger and shuts her out of the investigation. As the body count rises, however, Edie knows that only she has the knowledge to put together the killer’s murderous puzzle. Only by fitting all the pieces together will Edie be able to stop a killer – and finally lay her past to rest. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781398525405 • Author: Alexandra Benedict • Publisher: Simon & Schuster • Format: Paperback • Pages: 352 • Dimensions: 19.41 x 12.6 x 1.85 cm

Sophie used to adore everything about Christmas. Hot chocolate and velvet bows, fairy lights and mince pies. Until the December her fiancé jilted her. Since then, Sophie opened Sunnyside Hotel, a quaint guesthouse nestled deep in the Cumbrian countryside. And, though it might be winter at Sunnyside, it’s never Christmas. Marketing her hotel to those who wish to avoid the festivities, Sophie is busy preparing for a season full of joy and laughter, but without the tinsel and mistletoe. Yet, as she finds herself growing closer to her gorgeous neighbour, Brody, her heart begins to melt. Will this Christmas bring the touch of magic Sophie needs to give love another chance? Product Information: • ISBN: 9781804945544 • Author: Phillipa Ashley • Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd • Format: Paperback • Pages: 400 • Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.9 x 2.3 cm

Chilling truths are buried in this snow… When a body dressed in a Santa Claus suit appears in the snow just outside a small village in Cumbria, DCI James Walker is the first to appear on the scene. Almost a year has passed since something so tragic has happened in the close-knit community, and James is hopeful that it’s just an accidental death. But when he uncovers the body, he discovers something that chills him to the bone. The man, a former police officer, was murdered. And it’s not long before another body appears. Time is ticking as James races to uncover the killer’s next victim, before they strike again. But can James find them before the snow washes away the evidence? Product Information: • ISBN: 9780008706814 • Author: Alex Pine • Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers • Format: Paperback • Pages: 384 • Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.9 x 2.7 cm

She’s snowed in with the family. The only problem? They’re not her family. A family gathering This Christmas the Miller siblings have one goal – to avoid their family’s well-meaning questions. Ross, Alice and Clemmie have secrets that they don’t intend to share, and they are relying on each other to deflect attention. An uninvited guest Lucy Clarke is facing a Christmas alone, and the prospect of losing her job – unless she can win a major piece of business from Ross Miller. She’ll deliver her proposal to his family home in the Scottish Highlands and then leave. After all, she wouldn’t want to intrude on the Miller’s perfect family Christmas. A Christmas to remember When Lucy appears on the Miller’s snow-covered doorstep, she is mistaken for Ross’s girlfriend. But by the time the confusion is cleared up, a storm has hit and Lucy is stuck. As everyone settles in for a snowed-in Christmas, tensions bubble to the surface and suddenly Lucy finds herself facing a big family fallout with a family that isn’t hers… Product Information: • ISBN: 9781848458468 • Author: Sarah Morgan • Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers • Format: Paperback • Pages: 464 • Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.9 cm

The perfect festive murder mystery for 2024 from 'modern rival to Agatha Christie' Ada Moncrieff It's Christmas 1937 and an eclectic list of guests and staff have gathered for the grand re-opening of Maybridge castle, a newly renovated yet still crumbling hotel deep in the Cumbrian countryside. They are: The ex-socialite owner The Doctor and his new wife The stylish journalist The know-all housekeepers The still-grieving widower and his son The tarot readers The passionate academic The persistent investigative reporter The elder amateur sleuth, and her cat An innocent game of murder-in-the-dark will turn into a real game of life and death. And by the time the first sherries have been drunk, one of these people will be dead - and one of them the killer. Someone has changed the rules, but who? Product Information: • ISBN: 9781787304314 • Author: Ada Moncrieff • Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd • Format: Paperback • Pages: 304 • Dimensions: 19.7 x 12.9 x 1.8 cm

Welcome to Catpurrcino, the cosy cat cafe where you'll fall in love with every cat you meet - and maybe even one special human... When Emmie's aunt offers her a job at Catpurrcino, it is the fresh start she needs after a rough year. Now, in the lead-up to Christmas, Emmie can't imagine anything more purr-fect than pouring hot chocolate for customers and taking care of the cafe's many feline residents. Needing an extra pair of hands for the holidays, Emmie's aunt hires Jared as a driver. Emmie is immediately struck by how tall and handsome he is, but there is something guarded about Jared, not to mention his allergy to cats. Emmie could never fall for someone who can't be around her furry friends - and she doesn't have much time to spare, anyway. Until an unexpected blizzard arrives on Christmas Eve. Trapped in the cafe with Jared and the cats, Emmie discovers Jared has been holding on to more than one secret - and is in desperate need of someone to help him lay his past to rest. What seems like the most disastrous Christmas might not be such a cat-astrophe after all. Will being snowed in finally open Jared up and let Emmie into his heart? Product Information: • ISBN: 9781399737951 • Author: Rachel Rowlands • Publisher: Hodder Paperbacks • Format: Paperback • Pages: 304 • Dimensions: 12.7 x 2.54 x 19.69 cm

She'll save Christmas just to spite him... There's only one thing standing in the way of Cat King saving a small town's Christmas festival: Grumpy town manager Noah Yates. Single dad Noah takes his responsibilities seriously. When a late season hurricane turns Merry, Connecticut, into a disaster, he's left scrambling to pick up the pieces of the town he loves. At least, until home renovation expert and smoking hot reality TV star Catalina King arrives with a camera crew and a budget big enough to put the town back together again. But Noah doesn't want a celebrity diva capitalizing on their tragedy or filling his daughter's head with visions of glitz and glam. Blonde bombshell Cat is used to being underestimated, but Noah has an uncanny knack for getting under her skin. They can't be in a room together without rubbing each other the wrong way...except that time in the dark alley where the rubbing was just right. Can these enemies work together to pull off a Christmas miracle or will their fighting leave them both on the naughty list? Product Information: • ISBN: 9781399735537 • Author: Lucy Score • Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton • Format: Paperback • Pages: 384 • Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.8 x 3 cm

She turned the picture of the Christmas card over with her frozen hands, a pretty picture of a family gathering at Yuletide. How different from her own life; stiff with cold on the icy cobbles, aching for shelter . . . When her father dies leaving Alice and her ailing mother with only his debts, the two grieving women are forced to rely on the begrudging charity of cruel Aunt Jane. Determined to rid herself of an expensive responsibility, Jane tries forcing Alice into a monstrous marriage. And when Alice refuses, she is sent to work in a grand house to earn her keep. Finding herself in sole charge of the untameable and spoilt young miss of the house, Alice’s only ally is handsome Uncle Rory, who discovers that Alice has talents beyond those of a mere servant. But when someone sets out to destroy her reputation, Alice can only pray for a little of that Christmas spirit to save her from ruin . . . Product Information: • ISBN: 9780008137380 • Author: Dilly Court • Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers • Format: Paperback • Pages: 496 • Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.9 x 3.1cm

London, 1940. When tragedy strikes, Libby Gilbert is left homeless and destitute, fending for herself on the capital's most dangerous streets. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Libby is on the cusp of making a decision that could jeopardise her future when a local boy saves her from ruin. The kindness of this stranger sets her on a different path, and Libby heads to Liverpool with a determined mind and hope in her heart. There, she reconnects with long lost family - but will she be able to uncover the truth that tore them apart all those years ago? Product Information: • ISBN: 9781804942437 • Author: Katie Flynn • Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd • Format: Paperback • Pages: 368 • Dimensions: 20.32 x 12.7 x 2.29 cm

A gruesome find. A missing colleague. A case that hits closer to home… As winter settles over Yorkshire, DCI Emma Gardner is hoping that work will calm down for everyone. Distracted by the continued disappearance of DI Paul Riddick Emma can’t seem to get her head back in the game. But when a human skull is discovered in a local pub, Emma knows it’s time to get a grip. With no one local reported missing, and with no body to be found, the team have their work cut and no obvious clues to follow. Who could the skull belong to and what message is the killer trying to leave them? And then the first body is found… As Emma and the team try desperately to identify the body and the killer, secrets from the past begin to reveal themselves. A home for single mothers. Babies who tragically didn’t make it. A coverup at the highest level. With the clock ticking, winter has one final cold reveal for Emma. Her old friend Riddick… Product Information: • ISBN: 9781805579663 • Author: Wes Markin • Publisher: Boldwood Books Limited • Format: Paperback • Pages: 356 • Dimensions: 19.81 x 12.9 x 2.13 cm

Take one woman longing for the perfect Christmas . . . All Clara has ever wanted is Christmas surrounded by loved ones, full of warmth and delicious food. So when her new boyfriend asks her to move to Switzerland, she can't help but say yes! After all, what could be more perfect than Christmas in the Alps? Add a dash of surprise She quickly signs up for a tempting chocolate-making class, but it turns out to be chocolate-making bootcamp! And her boyfriend isn't all he seemed either . . . And enjoy a magical festive treat! Despite it all, Clara begins to make friends - including the aloof yet intriguing Gabriel. With all of the ingredients at her fingertips, will she finally be able to whisk up her Christmas dream? Product Information: • ISBN: 9781804993842 • Author: Jo Thomas • Publisher: Penguin • Format: Paperback • Pages: 352 • Dimensions: 12.8 x 2.2 x 19.7 cm

Welcome to The Comfort Food Café! It’s been a tough year for Maxine Connolly – so tough she's almost given up on finding her happy ending. But then she discovers The Comfort Food Café, shining like the star on top of the Christmas tree and welcoming her in to its cozy, cake-filled embrace for hot chocolates dripping with whipped cream, melty grilled cheese toasties and the funniest bunch of regulars she soon calls friends. Then there’s gorgeous local Gabriel Moran, who looks at Max like she’s a present he can’t wait to unwrap – and she can’t help but think that, maybe, he’s just what she wants for Christmas too… Product Information: • ISBN: 9780008685454 • Author: Debbie Johnson • Publisher: One More Chapter • Format: Paperback • Pages: 336 • Dimensions: 12.9 x 2.4 x 19.8 cm

Turn a tumbledown Paris hotel into a perfect boutique, bookish retreat, and have it open for Christmas? What could possibly go wrong? When Anais receives a near-derelict Paris hotel in her divorce settlement, her first thought is to tidy it up and sell it immediately. All she wants is to move on and forget her disaster of a marriage ever happened. But selling it proves impossible, so she has only one option: to make it gorgeous and open by Christmas… when her funds will almost certainly run out. She’s not counting on the grumpy American bar-owner next door, Noah, coming and interfering at every moment though. Nor is she expecting to find a mysterious room – which holds the key to a one-hundred-year-old secret – about a woman who chose love against the odds. One thing’s for sure… as the fairy lights twinkle all over the city of lights and the first snowflakes start to fall… this will be a Christmas in Paris to remember. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781805576044 • Author: Rebecca Raisin • Publisher: Boldwood Books • Format: Paperback • Pages: 336 • Dimensions: 12.9 x 2.01 x 19.81 cm

From the No.1 Sunday Times bestselling author of Icebreaker comes a brand new standalone romance set in the charming small town of Fraser Falls. Clara Davenport wants to solve Fraser Falls' biggest problem. According to Jack Kelly, Clara is Fraser Falls' biggest problem. All Clara Davenport has ever wanted to do is climb the ladder at Davenport Innovation Creative. Everything was going to plan until the company was accused of stealing a doll design from an independent toy maker. With a promotion dangled in front of her, Clara is tasked with charming the locals of the small town of Fraser Falls and solving the PR nightmare by any means necessary. Jack Kelly would happily never hear the name Davenport ever again. So, when Clara, with her long legs and dazzling smile, prances into town hoping to convince them that her company is not the enemy, Jack is determined not to be fooled by Davenport twice. Clara's plan to win over the community should have been easy, but she didn't account for Jack getting in her way, and under her skin, at every turn. And when the tension between them starts to boil over, she realises that beneath his frosty demeanour lies the key to the town's heart - and maybe her own. Product Information: • ISBN: 9780349446684 • Author: Hannah Grace • Publisher: Little Brown • Format: Paperback • Pages: 384 • Dimensions: 19 x 12.6 x 3 cm

This Christmas indulge in some me-time and enjoy this uplifting and heart-warming story from Sunday Times bestseller Cathy Bramley. Full of romance, laughter and family drama, A Merry Little Christmas is the perfect book to curl up with this festive season. In the snowy market town of Wetherly, Merry is about to take on her biggest project yet – the arrival of a new baby. She has always dreamed of being a mother, since losing her mum at a young age. Everyone is so excited, so why is Merry feeling terrified? And why is she struggling to open up to business partner and best friend Nell, whose help she needs at their thriving candle shop more than ever? What Nell desperately wants for Christmas is a baby with husband Olek. But when she uncovers a shocking truth about Olek’s past, dreams of a family are turned upside down. Nell feels she has no-one to turn to, as Merry is wrapped up in her own plans for the new baby. Tensions run high as Christmas approaches, and Merry and Nell’s friendship reaches breaking point. As long-held secrets finally come to light, can Nell and Merry save the most precious gift of all – their friendship? Product Information: • ISBN: 9781398713895 • Author: Cathy Bramley  • Publisher: Orion Publishing • Format: Paperback • Pages: 384 • Dimensions: 20.07 x 13.08 x 2.29 cm

A festive instalment in Patricia McBride's acclaimed Lily Baker series - guaranteed to make you smile! Will this finally be a Christmas to celebrate? For the courageous Bletchley Park girls, the fourth Christmas of the war is approaching fast. It should be a happy time, yet life throws them challenges they could never have imagined. Lily's heart is torn in two when her boyfriend, Grant, is badly injured in an air raid. As he spirals into despair, she must find a way to give him hope again. Bronwyn has a new romance on the horizon. But will the widower's young daughter accept her, or will she jeopardise Bronwyn's hopes for love? Peggy is terrified her secret will be disclosed when she has to look after her sister's daughter. Can she escape the shame of her past? Caroline has had a sheltered, privileged upbringing. Will her natural confidence be shattered when she learns about her boyfriend's hidden life? Despite rationing, heartache, and the endless war, the Bletchley Park girls prepare for an unforgettable Christmas. From the bestselling author of the Library Girls of the East End series, a heartwarming and riveting wartime saga Product Information: • ISBN: 9781805576099 • Author: Patricia McBride • Publisher: Boldwood Books Limited • Format: Paperback • Pages: 216 • Dimensions: 19.81 x 12.9 x 1.3 cm

Peggy Brown is an aspiring actress with big dreams, but for now she must tread the boards in the yearly panto at the Weatherfield Majestic Theatre. She finds lodgings with fiery Coronation Street resident Elsie Tanner, but what Peggy doesn’t know is that Elsie’s latest fella is caught up in illegal activity, something which could put them both in danger. As Peggy struggles on the chorus line, and Elsie gets in over her head, the scene is set for a Christmas of shocks and surprises. Can the spirit of Coronation Street prevail and remind everyone just what the season is all about? Product Information: • ISBN: 9780008526092 • Author: Maggie Sullivan • Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers • Format: Paperback • Pages: 384 • Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.9 x 2.5 cm

As snowflakes carpet London’s cobbled streets, can Kitty protect her loved ones? When her family falls on hard times, Kitty refuses to give in to despair. With a talent for painting, she earns a few shillings selling her portraits at the bustling Soho Bazaar. But danger waits in the shadows, and when her mother is swindled out of almost everything and her sister is drawn into a reckless affair, their future hangs by a thread. As winter tightens its icy grip, can Kitty give them hope when all seems lost? Product Information: • ISBN: 9780008580841 • Author: Dilly Court • Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers • Format: Paperback • Pages: 480 • Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.9 x 3 cm