New fun holiday romance

December is the perfect time for publishers to release holiday books. My top picks of new releases are all holiday related and four of the five are romance. My first pick, All I Want for Christmas, is a rom-com about two wanna be country singers. Holiday Romance is a contemporary version of Planes, Trains and Automobiles plus romance. Just as the title implies, A Cat Cafe for Christmas is a romance for cat lovers. A Wish for Winter takes you on a hilarious year-long search for a man the main character met once. Lastly, I recommend a cozy mystery full of puppies – Santa's Little Yelpers. Keep reading for a more complete preview of these new books you'll want to snuggle up with this winter.

1. All I Want for Christmas by Maggie Knox

In this rom-com two aspiring country singers are paired for a duet on a reality TV singing contest. Off stage Max and Sadie don't like each other, but on-screen their chemistry lights up fans and social media. They decide (with some pressure from the TV network) to fake a relationship to help them get to the finals. Will their fake relationship be exposed or will it become a real romance?

"Unbelievably fun. All I Want for Christmas left me singing, and swooning, with holiday feels." –Jean Meltzer, author of The Matzah Ball

2. Holiday Romance by Catherine Walsh

Once a year, for the last 10 years, Molly has spent seven hours and 15 minutes sitting next to Andrew on the last flight before Christmas from Chicago to Dublin. They drink terrible airplane wine and catch up on each other's lives. In spite of all the ways the two friends are different, it's the holiday tradition neither of them has ever wanted to give up.

However, this year a freak snowstorm grounds their flight. Molly has a plan with a highly-specific combination of taxis, planes, boats and trains that all must run on time to get them home for Christmas. As the snow falls over the city and over the heads of two friends who are sure they're not meant to be together, the universe might just have a plan of its own.

This is an escapist friends-to-lovers festive romance with a swoon-worthy hero. Perfect for fans of Sophie Kinsella, Mhairi McFarlane and Christina Lauren.

3. A Cat Cafe Christmas by Codi Gary

Veterinarian and animal lover Kara needs a Christmas miracle to save her Cat Cafe. Her plan was for cafe customers to help her find loving homes for adoptable cats. However, she has more cats than customers. Kara must figure out how to get out of the red.

She finds marketing guru Ben Reese annoying and bossy. However, he has a plan to help turn the cafe around. Kara starts to realize he's an excellent problem solver and he's hot. Can they keep their relationship professional and save the cafe. Or will they risk their hearts while they find homes for cats?

4. A Wish for Winter by Viola Shipman

Susan lost her parents in a tragic accident just before her 14th Christmas. From that point on she was raised by her loving grandparents and supported by a gang of quirky, devoted friends.

She's now a successful bookstore owner in her tight-knit Michigan lakeside community. Susan's starting to reassess her life as she's about to turn 40—the age her mother was when she died. One of the things Susan hasn't achieved is finding someone to love, which is especially frustrating around Christmas. Everyone in her small town believes it’s Susan’s destiny to meet and marry a man dressed as Santa, just like her mother and grandmother.

It seems cosmically unfair that she makes an instant connection with a man at an annual Santa Run, but loses him in the crowd before she gets his name. Susan and her friends start a hilarious and heartwarming search for the mystery Santa—covering 12 months of social media snafus, authors behaving badly and dating fails.

“Once again, Viola Shipman has written a captivating story for anyone whose memories of the past run deep and whose dreams for holiday magic seem just out of reach. This book keeps faith and hope alive!” —New York Times bestselling author Sherryl Woods

5. Santa's Little Yelpers by David Rosenfelt

This is a cozy mystery, not a romance. However, a story full of puppies at Christmas is certainly heart warming.

Lawyer Andy Carpenter and his golden retriever, Tara, are surrounded by holiday cheer. The Tara Foundation, a dog rescue organization, has their hands full with a recent litter. Eight puppies are a lot to handle, and Andy is relieved when his co-worker Chris Myers agrees to foster them.

Myers, a newer employee at the Tara Foundation, did time for a crime he swears he didn’t commit. When Myers discovers a key witness against him lied on the stand, he goes to Andy to ask for representation in getting the conviction overturned. Myers thinks they can have this wrapped up by Christmas, no problem.

But when the witness is murdered, and Myers is arrested for the crime, things go from bad to worse. Suddenly, it’s all elves on deck to make a list and check it twice, so they can prove Myers is innocent.