All I Want for Christmas Is You

The ghosts of Halloween have floated on, and the plates from the Thanksgiving feast have been cleared away. It's the holiday season, and the weeks leading up to Christmas, Chanukah, and Kwanzaa are a celebration of family and friends.

No matter how cold it is outside, however, a little holiday romance can warm the spirit and the heart.

Here are three festive romances from the Nora Roberts American Romance Collection for you and your beau to cozy up by the fire and read together.

If you like: Yuletide, Victorian romance, winter retreats

His Mistress by Christmas, by Victoria Alexander

“For three years, Lady Veronica Smithson has been perfectly happy as a widow - and thoroughly independent. Still, the right gentleman could provide the benefits of marriage without the tedious restrictions. And in Sir Sebastian Hadley-Attwater, renowned explorer and rogue, Veronica is sure she has found him. Sebastian will come into his inheritance in a matter of weeks - if his family deems him responsible enough. There's no better way to prove his maturity than with a wife. But though Veronica will share his bed, she refuses to marry. However, Sebastian has a plan: an intimate sojourn at his new country house will surely change Veronica's mind..."

If you like: short stories, office romance, strong female leads

Santa, Baby, by Jennifer Crusie, Lori  Foster, & Carly Phillips

"Get ready for a holiday season you'll never forget with three of today's most sensational writers who know what every woman wants for the holidays. You'll believe in Santa all over again with these seductive stories from:

•  Jennifer Crusie — Mayhem ensues under the mistletoe as a determined shopper grabs the very last hot toy action figure off the shelf, only to find herself plunged into the middle of a real-life spy game - in the arms of a sexy secret agent... 
• Lori Foster — Two dedicated coworkers with a lot of secrets (and fantasies!) between them must plan a Christmas party side by side - and discover a love worth celebrating - in this steamy office romance.
• Carly Phillips — A "mistletoe moment" begins when a no-nonsense lawyer intent on seducing her boss meets his twin instead - after giving him a scintillating kiss that leaves him begging for more..."

If you like: European settings, historical romance, tradition

Christmas Revels, by Mary Jo Putney

"These five delightful Christmas stories are filled with Mary Jo Putney’s three favorite things — tradition, lots of emotion, and a guaranteed happy ending. Four classic historical novellas plus Mary Jo’s only contemporary novella are included in this cherished collection. What all these tales have in common is two people discovering life's greatest gift, love, at the happiest time of the year.

• Sunshine for Christmas follows a lonely young aristocrat to Italy for the holidays, where he finds something even more precious than sunshine.
• The Christmas Cuckoo features level-headed young Meg who goes to the local coaching inn and comes home with the wrong Jack Howard. And like a true cuckoo in the nest, Jack doesn't want to leave!
• The Christmas Tart is the tale of Nicole, a young Frenchwoman down on her luck in London, whose stark choice for survival gives her - and her kitten! - a new chance for happiness.
• The Black Beast of Belleterre is a Beauty and the Beast Victorian tale of a beautiful young artist and the husband who believes he cannot be loved. Of course he's wrong!
• A Holiday Fling is the story of a British actress and a Hollywood cameraman who team up to film a Christmas show for a good cause. Anything that happens between them will be a strictly temporary holiday flingor might it be more?"