It's the perfect time to start getting ready for Christmas, and the best way to get into the jolly spirit is to settle down with a hot chocolate and a festive, feel-good book. There are lots of fabulous books out there that will get you ready for the "most wonderful time of the year", but here are some that we highly recommend and that will leave you with a warm feeling and a glow of Christmassy spirit.

We Three Kings by Kristen Bailey is a thoroughly modern Christmas romance and friendship tale to provide plenty of smiles and festive warmth as it whisks its way through the holiday season.

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without a holiday offering from the fabulous Sarah Morgan. Curl up with the utterly gorgeous and feel-good escapist festive novel The Christmas Cottage which is full of second chances and fresh starts, from this bestselling author.

And the marvellous Milly Johnson gifts us a new edition of The Mother of All Christmases for the 2024 season: a gorgeous read full of love, life, laughter, a few tears - and crackers!

There can be no better place to feel festive than amongst snowy Swiss mountains. Carrie Walker's Escape to the Swiss Chalet is a cosy romantic comedy set on the ski slopes of Switzerland that is a delightful escapist read and will brighten even the darkest winter day. 

What does a pub landlord and a vicar have in common at Christmas? No, not the start of a bad pun but a question you can discover the answer to in Debbie Macomber's The Christmas Spirit. Thinking the other has it easier during the busy festive period, lifelong pals Hank and Pete swap the pulpit and the pub in a beautiful tale of friendship, community and love that sees people coming together despite their differences.

Looking for a slightly shorter read, A Midwinter's Tail is a feel-good relationship novella set at Christmas on an island off the Cornish Coast. Discover a town in need and an extraordinary cat during a season for miracles in Lili Hayward's magical tale which is perfect to cosy up with on chilly winter nights.

Names like Jenny Colgan, Carole Mattews, Veronica Henry and Sarah Morgan are synonymous with feel-good relationship stories all year round. As it begins to look a lot more like Christmas browse and enjoy a festive read by a favourite author. 

Sarah Morgan's The Christmas Book Club sees three friends reunite for their book club holiday, but the things they keep from each other means this could be the last Christmas for the book club, or the start of a whole new chapter. 

There's also a new cosy Christmas story from Karen Swan. Christmas by Candlelight sees old friends snowed in together and when everyone grows restless then the power goes out tensions start to rise. Reminiscing about the past leads to secrets unravelling and old truths rising to the surface.

Uzma Jalaluddin delivers three times the holiday magic in Three Holidays and a Wedding. A turbulent flight leads to two strangers confessing their darkest secrets, and a lifelong crush overhears their hopes and fears. Snowbound at a quirky hotel and the opportunity for unexpected holiday romance makes this a perfect festive feel-good read.

Enjoy a found family trope? Christmas is a time for family but in The Christmas Orphans Club friends Hannah, Finn, Priya and Theo have formed their own Christmas traditions. But this might be their last Christmas together. Pick up Becca Freeman's festive read to see whether Hannah can make this one to remember. 

There's never a good time to bump into an old flame, especially not when they're acting as a naked butler at your friend's Christmas party. With Christmas Day fast approaching, order The Ex-Mas Holiday by Zoe Allison to see whether Maya will let Sam back in to her heart and find love or disaster under the tree. 

Looking for an amusing festive read but wanting to skip the romance? Take a look at A Large Measure of Snow by Denzil Meyrick. Compelling, adventurous and the perfect stocking filler for Meyrick readers, as the crew of the Girl Maggie embark on a trip like no other from a town cut off by heavy snow. 

For those who are looking for a read on the dark side, but are still looking for that seasonal atmosphere, take a look at our Christmas Crime Collection, for 16 seasonal stories for the dogged crime lover. 

You can also browse our Christmas Book Recommendations 2023 perfect for a gift for yourself or for the bookaholics in your life. 

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