To beat the summer heat and get your book club in the mood for the holidays, we have gathered up some wonderful titles for this special CHRISTMAS IN JULY book club giveaway!
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On a rare trip home for the holidays, Ella may have finally uncovered the secret to a joy-filled future by getting lost in her past.
SNOW PLACE LIKE HOME
Snow Place Like Home by Lacey Baker
Ella Wilson has avoided home and the holidays for nearly a decade. For her, the season is plagued by a jinx that’s brought nothing but painful memories: her mother’s death nearly two decades ago, her fiancé’s abandonment last year, and now the loss of her job as an art curator. But without work to occupy her, home is exactly where Ella has ended up. And somehow, she’s also been roped into planning the town’s Christmas tree auction—side by side with her first love.
Seth Hamil knows that home is where the heart is, and for him, it’s always been the sleepy community of Bellepoint, Pennsylvania . . . and for a while in high school that included Ella Wilson. Since then, he’s been married and widowed and has spent the year throwing himself into his career as a music teacher and trying to keep his wife’s memory alive, starting with the church fundraiser she launched to support local kids. So, despite their history, Seth isn’t about to let his wife’s vision for the event be easily dismissed by Ella’s temporary presence and big-city ideas.
To find a way to work together, the two strike a deal: Ella can incorporate her splashy ideas into the auction if she will allow Seth to show her why Christmas is about more than decorations. Soon both begin to wonder whether fate has brought them together for a fresh start—and if Christmas wishes really can come true.
- A romantic holiday novel
- Perfect for fans of Nancy Naigle and Brenda Jackson
- Book length: 83,000 words
- Includes discussion questions for book clubs
Purchase Links
TNZ Fiction | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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This Christmas, three couples find themselves under the mistletoe . . . whether they want to be there or not.
MISTLETOE SEASON
Mistletoe Season: Three Christmas Stories by Sheila Roberts, Kathleen Fuller, and Pepper Basham
Say No to Mistletoe by Sheila Roberts
Mistletoe is Hailey Fairchild’s kryptonite. Every time she’s kissed someone under the mistletoe it’s led to love disaster. Not a good thing for a romance writer! When she was a gawky high school girl, her hunky neighbor, Carwyn Davies, star of the basketball team (and her dreams), kissed her under the mistletoe on a dare. But the kiss wasn’t a dream come true. It was a mortifying moment she’s never forgotten, and now she’s about to go home for the holidays, unengaged and . . . determined to say no to mistletoe. Especially if Carwyn is anywhere around.
Return to Mistletoe by Kathleen Fuller
Emmy Banks has always loved Christmas. How could she not when she lives in Mistletoe, Missouri? Kieran O’Neill has spent years abroad, renovating an old Irish castle, but returns to Mistletoe for his mother’s seventieth birthday. He reconnects with Emmy, his sister’s close friend, and spends time with her in her charming antique shop. When the weather turns colder, things start to warm up between Emmy and Kieran. But can Emmy risk her heart when she knows he’ll never stay in Mistletoe, and she will never leave?
The Mistletoe Prince by Pepper Basham
Prince Arran St. Clare has lost his freedom and fairytale life in exchange for a three-month “punishment” in the small town of Ransom, North Carolina. To prove he is ready for the royal life for which he was born, Arran must engage in the Christmas charity fundraiser, The Mistletoe Wish. But when kindness, authenticity, and hard work prove more appreciated in Appalachia than a royal pedigree, Arran must face the mirror and find out who he is beyond the crown. Add a beautiful and intelligent woman who doesn’t recognize her own worth, some mistletoe, and a little Christmas magic and it all might be enough to help the rebel-prince understand what truly matters most.
- Three stand-alone romantic holiday novellas
- Book length: 84,000 words
- Includes discussion questions for book clubs
Purchase Links
Thomas Nelson | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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From the New York Times bestselling author of The Story She Left Behind and Becoming Mrs. Lewis comes a fascinating look into the bond between siblings and the life-changing magic of stories.
ONCE UPON A WARDROBE
Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan
1950: Margaret Devonshire (Megs) is a seventeen-year-old student of mathematics and physics at Oxford University. When her beloved eight-year-old brother asks Megs if Narnia is real, logical Megs tells him it’s just a book for children, and certainly not true. Homebound due to his illness, and remaining fixated on his favorite books, George presses her to ask the author of the recently released novel The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe a question: “Where did Narnia come from?”
Despite her fear about approaching the famous author, who is a professor at her school, Megs soon finds herself taking tea with C. S. Lewis and his own brother Warnie, begging them for answers.
Rather than directly telling her where Narnia came from, Lewis encourages Megs to form her own conclusion as he shares the little-known stories from his own life that led to his inspiration. As she takes these stories home to George, the little boy travels farther in his imagination than he ever could in real life.
After holding so tightly to logic and reason, her brother’s request leads Megs to absorb a more profound truth: “The way stories change us can’t be explained. It can only be felt. Like love.”
Once Upon a Wardrobe is a captivating historical novel that deftly combines fact and fiction. It’s an emotional journey into the books and stories that make us who we are. It’s perfect for book clubs, for anyone who has ever longed to know more about Narnia, and for anyone whose life has ever been impacted by a story.
Purchase Links
Harper Muse | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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“Blackstock’s charming romance is sure to put readers in the Christmas spirit. Recommend to fans of Karen Kingsbury and readers who DVR the entire holiday line-up on the Hallmark channel.” —Booklist
CATCHING CHRISTMAS
Catching Christmas by Terri Blackstock
New York Times bestselling author Terri Blackstock delights with this charming holiday love story about an overworked attorney’s grandmother will stop at nothing to find her a date for Christmas–but ultimately helps her find what really matters in life. Perfect for fans of Comfort and Joy by Kristin Hannah or The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan.
As a first-year law associate, Sydney Batson knows she will be updating her resume by New Year’s if she loses her current case. So, when her grandmother gets inexplicably ill while Sydney is in court, she arranges for a cab to take her grandmother to the clinic.
The last thing cab driver Finn Parrish wants is to be saddled with a wheelchair-bound old lady with dementia. But because Miss Callie reminds him of his own mother, whom he failed miserably in her last days, he can’t say no when she keeps calling him for rides. Once a successful gourmet chef, Finn’s biggest concern now is paying his rent, but half the time Callie doesn’t remember to pay him. And as she starts to feel better, she leads him on wild-goose chases to find a Christmas date for her granddaughter.
When Finn meets Sydney, he’s quite certain she’s never needed help finding a date. Does Miss Callie have an ulterior motive, or is this just a mission driven by delusions? He’s willing to do whatever he can to help fulfill Callie’s Christmas wish. He just never expected to be a vital part of it.
This Christy Award-winning grumpy/sunshine Christmas romance is filled with matchmaking, a delightful–but meddlesome!–grandmother, the discovery of where happiness truly lies, and all the magic and charm of the holidays. Let it wrap around you like a blanket and a mug of hot chocolate as you slip into the Christmas spirit.
Purchase Links
TNZ Fiction | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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The holiday stirs up excitement as fondly remembered guests come to stay and acquaintances grow into more. . . .
A SEA VIEW CHRISTMAS
A Sea View Christmas: An On Devonshire Shores Novella by Julie Klassen
With a promise to her youngest sister, Sarah Summers declares that this year’s Christmas at Sea View will exceed all expectations. But an upcoming trip to Scotland–and the prospect of becoming reacquainted with dashing widower Callum Henshall–blows a flurry of doubts into her mind. Sarah had discouraged his attentions before yet soon finds herself once again torn between attraction and duty as alluring thoughts of a second chance at love weave their way into her practical heart.
Meanwhile, seventeen-year-old Georgiana eagerly anticipates the exciting Christmas of her dreams after last year’s dull, disappointing holiday filled with endless chores. She enjoys all the promised parties, music, and dancing, but is taken by surprise when young love comes knocking. Does the festive romance of a Sea View Christmas hold the key to a happily-ever-after for both sisters?
Spend the holiday season with the Summers sisters on the charming Devonshire coast, where family bonds are strengthened, love is rekindled, and Christmas joy abounds.
Julie Klassen’s heartwarming Christmas companion to the On Devonshire Shores series holds themes of friends to more, sisterhood bonds, and matchmaking that will fill you with holiday spirit. This novella can be read separately or along with the series and will appeal to fans of Jane Austen, English Regency romance, and Downtown Abbey.
Purchase Links
Bethany House | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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Can they find a place to put their hearts and hope this Christmas?
ON A MIDNIGHT CLEAR
On a Midnight Clear: A 3-in-1 Christmas Novella Collection by Tracie Peterson, Misty M. Beller, and Karen Witemeyer
Beloved authors Tracie Peterson, Misty M. Beller, and Karen Witemeyer come together with this festive novella collection inspired by the Nativity story and filled with faith, promise, and romance.
The Shepherd’s Heart by Tracie Peterson
On the frontier, widowed sheep rancher Vincent Duran seeks a mother for his two children. Angel Lewis agrees to marry him despite believing Vincent will never truly love her, but as they work together during a fierce winter storm, will their broken hearts finally find peace, joy, and love?
No Room at the Inn by Misty M. Beller
When Noah Bentwood and his charge are snowed in while traveling through the Rocky Mountains, he must stay in a barn since the stage inn has no vacant rooms. Then innkeeper Hope Palmer’s family heirloom disappears, and she and Noah work together to find it before Christmas. While the snowfall holds them captive, will unexpected feelings bloom?
A Star in the West by Karen Witemeyer
Friendly correspondence with Stella Barrington evolves into something more when Harvard mathematics professor Frank Stentz arrives in Waco, Texas. As the two experiment with extending their relationship beyond letters, an impossible dilemma arises between love and logic. Will her wise man be able to calculate a way for them to be together?
Rediscover the joy of Christmas with these faith-based historical romances from bestselling authors featuring sweet Western frontier stories with themes of marriage of convenience, forced proximity, and friends-to-more.
Purchase Links
Bethany House | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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What will happen when a tropical escape from holiday blues turns into a snowy wonderland filled with joy and cheer?
ONCE UPON A CHRISTMAS CAROL
Once Upon a Christmas Carol: A Christmas Novella by Melody Carlson
Carol Langstrom hates Christmas. Growing up in a dysfunctional home, with a birthday on December 25 and too many dashed childhood expectations, she would rather avoid the holiday season. And working in the design industry where she manages seasonal decor for wealthy, entitled clients certainly hasn’t helped!
So, this year her goal is to flee to the Bahamas–by herself–bah humbug! But bad weather and God’s radically different plan redirect her flight to blustery Michigan, where she gets stuck on her aunt’s farm and discovers a different kind of Christmas–one wrapped in love, family, and holiday spirit.
Purchase Links
Revell | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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Please fill out our super short registration form (click the “Enter Now” button above) by July 31st for a chance to win a set of up to ten copies of one of these great books for your book club! We will randomly choose a winner at the end of the month. This contest is open to clubs in the US only (our apologies to friends in other countries).