Recommendations based on "Merry Matchmaker"

’Tis the season! The Crown meets When Harry Met Sally in the latest heartwarming historical novel from Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb, bestselling authors of Last Christmas in Paris, Meet Me in Monaco, and Three Words for Goodbye. December 1952. While the young Queen Elizabeth II finds her feet as the new monarch, she must also find the right words to continue the tradition of her late father’s Christmas Day radio broadcast. But even traditions must evolve with the times, and the queen faces a postwar Britain hungry for change.  As preparations begin for the royal Christmas at Sandringham House in Norfolk, old friends—Jack Devereux and Olive Carter—are unexpectedly reunited by the occasion. Olive, a single mother and aspiring reporter at the BBC, leaps at the opportunity to cover the holiday celebration, but even a chance encounter with the queen doesn’t go as planned and Olive wonders if she will ever be taken seriously.  Jack, a recently widowed chef, reluctantly takes up a new role in the royal kitchens at Sandringham. Lacking in purpose and direction, Jack has abandoned his dream to have his own restaurant, but his talents are soon noticed and while he might not believe in himself, others do, and a chance encounter with an old friend helps to reignite the spark of his passion and ambition.  As Jack and Olive’s paths continue to cross over the following five Christmases, they grow ever closer. Yet Olive carries the burden of a heavy secret that threatens to destroy everything.  Christmas Day, December 1957. As the nation eagerly awaits the Queen’s first televised Christmas speech, there is one final gift for the Christmas season to deliver… 

Harlequin® Special Edition brings you three new titles for one great price, available now! These are heartwarming, romantic stories about life, love and family. This Special Edition box set includes: The Rancher's Christmas Reunion (A Match Made in Haven novel) By Brenda Harlen Celebrity Hope Bradford broke Michael Gilmore’s heart years ago when she left to pursue her Hollywood dreams. The stubborn rancher won’t forgive and forget. But when Hope is forced to move in with him on his ranch—and proximity gives in to lingering attraction—her kisses thaw even the grinchiest heart! Love at First Bark (A Crimson, Colorado novel) By USA TODAY bestselling author Michelle Major Cassie Raebourn never forgot Aiden Riley—or the way his loss inspired her to become a veterinarian. Now the shy boy is a handsome, smoldering cowboy, complete with bitterness and bluster. It’s Cassie’s turn to inspire Aiden…with adorable K-9 help! Their Christmas Resolution (A Sisters of Christmas Bay novel) By Kaylie Newell Stella Clarke will stop at nothing to protect her aging foster mother. But when sexy real estate developer Ian Steele comes to town with his sights set on her Victorian house, Stella will have to keep mistletoe and romance from softening her hardened holiday reserve! For more relatable stories of love and family, look for Harlequin Special Edition October 2023 – Box Set 1 of 2

This year, Becca Timm knows the number one item on her Christmas wish list—getting over Denny Cutler. Three years ago, Denny broke her heart before heading off to war. It's time she got over her silly college relationship and moved on.So she takes matters into her own hands and heads up to Virgin River, the rugged little mountain town that Denny calls home, as an uninvited guest on her brother's men-only hunting weekend. But when an accident turns her impromptu visit into an extended stay, Becca finds herself stranded in Virgin River. With Denny. In very close quarters.As the power of Christmas envelops the little town, Becca discovers that the boy she once loved has become a strong and confident man. And the most delicious Christmas present she can imagine.

Christmas is over, but at Pippi Longstocking's house, the fun has just begun! A dance around the Christmas tree, a feast of hot chocolate and cream cake, and a sled ride down the roof of Villa Villekulla are only a few of the events planned for Pippi's after-Christmas party. There are new people to meet and old friends like Tommy, Annika, and Mr. Nilsson to see again. Come join the festivities at Pippi's. "Sure to be a hit with Pippi's many fans as well as a nice introduction for the uninitiated." -- "School Library Journal"

From New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Christine Feehan, discover her passionate and paranormal novel of love and mystery at Christmastime.Kate Drake, a well-traveled bestselling novelist, is one of seven sisters—seven very special sisters who happen to be witches. When she returns to her small coastal hometown before Christmas to attend her sister’s wedding, she decides to settle there. Discovering a charming but run-down and spooky historic house, she decides to open a bookstore and sets about clearing it out when an earthquake occurs, knocking down part of the wall and revealing a burial crypt. Intrigued but cautious, she turns to the handsome carpenter she hired to help renovate the house. But Kate begins to sense that neither the carpenter nor the law nor any otherworldly power can help her reign in the evil that was released from the crypt. She will have to summon all of her supernatural power—and that of her six sisters—to destroy the sinister force that is casting a dark shadow over her hometown.The Twilight Before Christmas is a darkly charming romance, reminiscent of the holiday works of Jude Deveraux and Linda Howard.

The eagerly-anticipated sequel to Tom Fletcher's bestselling magical adventure, The Christmasaurus.'She is the best-kept Christmas secret of all,' whispered Santa Claus. 'Which is surprising, because Christmas itself would not exist without her. She is older than time itself, yet still as young as tomorrow. She is known only as the Winter Witch.'One year has passed since William Trundle's incredible adventure with the most extraordinary dinosaur: the Christmasaurus. Now, William is swept back to the magical North Pole, where he meets the mysterious, icy Winter Witch - whose power to control time allows Santa Claus to make the long journey all around the world every Christmas Eve.And when they learn that the fate of Christmas itself hangs in the balance, William and the Christmasaurus must work with the Winter Witch to protect it...Full of magic and music, humour and heart, and a friendship like no other, The Christmasaurus and the Winter Witch is the most enchanting Christmas read for the whole family.

This year’s pageant is definitely like no other, but maybe that’s exactly what makes it so special.Laughs abound in this bestselling Christmas classic by Barbara Robinson! The Best Christmas Pageant Ever follows the outrageous shenanigans of the Herdman siblings, or “the worst kids in the history of the world.”The siblings take over the annual Christmas pageant in a hilarious yet heartwarming tale involving the Three Wise Men, a ham, scared shepherds, and six rowdy kids. You and your family will laugh along with this funny story, perfect for independent reading or read-aloud sharing.Ralph, Imogene, Leroy, Claude, Ollie, and Gladys Herdman are an awful bunch. They set fire to Fred Shoemaker’s toolshed, blackmailed Wanda Pierce to get her charm bracelet, and smacked Alice Wendelken across the head. And that’s just the start! When the Herdmans show up at church for the free snacks and suddenly take over the Christmas pageant, the other kids are shocked.It’s obvious that they’re up to no good. But Christmas magic is all around and the Herdmans, who have never heard the Christmas story before, start to reimagine it in their own way.

For something that happens every year of our lives, we really don't know much about Christmas. We don't know that the date we celebrate was chosen by a madman, or that Christmas, etymologically speaking, means "Go away, Christ." Nor do we know that Christmas was first celebrated in 243 AD on March 28—and only moved to December 25 in 354 AD. We're oblivious to the fact that the advent calendar was actually invented by a Munich housewife to stop her children pestering her for a Christmas countdown. And we would never have guessed that the invention of Christmas crackers was merely a way of popularizing sweet wrappers. Luckily, Mark Forsyth is here to unwrap this fundamentally funny gallimaufry of traditions and oddities, making it all finally make sense—in his wonderfully entertaining wordy way.

From Usa Today Bestselling Author Of The Book Club Hotel, Sarah Morgan Returns With A Heartfelt Story Of Friendship, Finding Yourself, And The Surprising Ties That Bring Us Together. Perfect For Fans Of Rebecca Serle And Jennifer Weiner. To The Outside World, Imogen Is A Marketing Dynamo. Her Colleagues Don’t Know That While Her High-achieving Professional Image Is Real, The Happy Childhood Stories She Spins Are As Fake As Her Pretend Enthusiasm For Christmas. Working 24/7 Has Always Been Her Solution To Surviving The Festive Season—until Burnout Leads To A Catastrophic Blunder. Suddenly, Imogen Is Handed A Holiday Gift She Definitely Doesn’t Want: Enforced Time Off Work To Recuperate. Then An Invitation Arrives From Her Favorite Client, Dorothy, To Stay At Her Guest Cottage In The Cotswolds. From The Thatched Roof To The Cozy Open Fireplace, Holly Cottage Is A Picture-perfect Haven… Can It Provide The Fresh Start Imogen So Desperately Needs? For Dorothy, Helping Imogen Offers A Longed-for Chance To Make Reparations For Her Own Past. But As Her Daughter Sara Keeps Reminding Her, It Brings Risks, Too. Yet Dorothy Knows That Only A Leap Of Courage Will Allow Her Family To Grow And Heal. And Perhaps This Christmas, With Dorothy’s Help, The New Life That Imogen Is Slowly Piecing Together Could Be Better Than Anything Either Of Them Could Imagine… Get Lost In More Captivating Stories By Sarah Morgan: The Summer Swap The Book Club Hotel The Island Villa Snowed In For Christmas

Timeless stories with a message of unselfish love and personal involvement will turn thoughts to Christ and remind readers that this is really what Christmas--and life itself--is all about.