Give me the snowed-in kiss, but let the characters earn it.
Holiday romance season arrives earlier every year. By November, the books are already putting people in cabins, small towns, festive markets, and situations where there is apparently only one bed in the entire region. (I am not complaining. I’m just curious about the hotel’s booking system these days, cause believe it or not… it also happened to me!)
I write romance, and I have a book called Curves Under the Mistletoe, so it would be strange to pretend I’m immune to a good seasonal set-up. I like the twinkle lights. I like a kiss that happens while someone is reaching for the same bauble. I like the promise that, after a year of real life behaving like it has several side plots, these two people might actually get a happy ending.
But my favourite holiday romance books aren’t just festive decorations with two attractive people standing near them. I want the tropes to do something to the characters. I want the season to put pressure on the story, not replace the story.
Yes, I want them snowed in. Then I want them to talk.
Forced proximity is one of my weaknesses. A storm, a shared cabin, one room left at the inn… fine, I’m listening. But the fun isn’t really the snow. It’s what happens when two people can’t escape the conversation they’ve been avoiding.
Give me the awkward silence, the argument that turns unexpectedly honest, the tiny act of kindness neither person wants to acknowledge. Let them discover something real about each other while the roads are closed. If they kiss before they’ve exchanged one meaningful sentence, I’m going to need the weather service to issue a second storm warning for the plot.
Second chances need more than mistletoe
I love a second-chance romance when there’s history in the room. These people know what they lost. They also know why it ended, which means one grand gesture and a mistletoe-induced kiss probably won’t sort everything out.
For me, the satisfying part is watching someone take responsibility and show that they’ve changed. Not with a five-page speech. With choices. With listening. With the kind of effort that continues after the holiday party is over and the decorations are back in a box marked “miscellaneous,” which is where all festive things go to disappear forever.
Found family is my favourite kind of holiday table
Holiday stories can make family expectations feel very loud. That’s why I love a romance that gives the characters people who make room for them: friends, neighbours, coworkers, the owner of the café who has quietly decided you’re eating something before you leave.
The family you build can be just as moving as the family you were born into. And I like seeing the love interest join that circle by being kind, dependable, and willing to help—not by barging in and magically becoming everyone’s favourite person after one charming joke.
Let the heroine enjoy the holiday without becoming its unpaid event planner
Here’s one thing I don’t need from a holiday romance: a heroine doing all the emotional and practical labour while everyone else calls her “amazing.” If she’s organising the town pageant, fixing her family’s problems, buying every present, and decorating the tree, I want the people around her to notice and pitch in.
I write curvy heroines, and I want them to be wanted as they are. Their bodies don’t need to become a self-improvement project before the romance is allowed to begin. Let her be funny, complicated, desirable, tired, ambitious, soft, strong… but all these things will make her a person, a person whose weight has nothing to do with being wanted (wanted A LOT!)…. So she can be all that or several of those before lunch, and be wanted deeply. Nothing less will do for me. My heroine gets to be the romantic lead without earning it through a makeover montage… and that’s that.
So what am I looking for this season?
I want…. a holiday romance featuring second chances, found family, and forced proximity among the recurring draws. That makes sense to me. These give a story a reason to bring people together and something emotional for them to work through. But no trope can make me want to read the book til the end. My test is simple: do I care what these two people choose when the tinsel comes down?
If you want to try one of my romances, Where Fire Meets Flesh is available free in my free-books collection. It isn’t a Christmas story, but it does bring enemies-to-lovers tension, secrets, and a heroine with a plan. The mistletoe can wait. She has a vault to crack.
Now tell me your holiday-romance requirement. One bed? Second chance? A found family that adopts the heroine before chapter three? I’m taking notes—and reserving the room with the least suspicious booking system. (Also, if you have a book recommendation for me, please please send it my way.)
A few questions about holiday romance books
What tropes do holiday romance books use?
Common draws include forced proximity, second chances, small-town settings, and found family. I love them when they deepen the characters’ choices instead of doing all the emotional work for the story.
What makes a holiday romance satisfying?
For me, it’s chemistry plus change. The festive setting can create pressure and atmosphere, but I still want the characters to listen, make choices, and earn the happy ending.
Are holiday romance books always sweet and cozy?
No. Holiday romances can be funny, steamy, dramatic, emotional, paranormal, or delightfully messy. The seasonal setting is the backdrop; the tone depends on the author and the story.
Love my writing? You can grab my books directly from my website or through my Amazon author page. When you purchase from my website, a larger portion of the sale goes directly to supporting my writing, allowing me to create more stories, mental health resources, and magical guides without relying on algorithms or advertising. You’ll also find exclusive bonuses, free reader gifts, and occasional special offers that aren’t always available elsewhere. If Amazon is your preferred bookstore, that’s perfectly fine too. Either way, thank you for supporting an independent author who spends an unreasonable amount of time talking to fictional people and turning it into books.
The Daily Dose of Romance has moved into its new home! Every day, a fresh FREE romance story will be waiting for you.
Leave a Reply