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Welcome back, bookish biddies! In the grand finale of our very first podcast season (cue the confetti cannons), we’re diving headfirst into the sparkly, cinnamon-scented world of holiday romance novels — and pairing them with cocktails festive enough to make Santa wink. We kicked things off with a bourbon-Cheerwine mashup that tastes like “Christmas in the South” and a chilled apple cider sangria that absolutely slaps. Hydrate? No. Holiday-date? Yes.
Nicole’s Book: A Wallflower Christmas by Lisa Kleypas
Let’s talk about Lisa Kleypas, the queen of historical romance who has never once missed. A Wallflower Christmas may look sweet and innocent but, oh honey, this book came to bring the holiday spice.
At first, you think you’re settling in for Lady Natalie Blanford’s love story (bless her heart). But surprise! It’s her cousin Hannah Appleton who struts in, steals the spotlight and totally derails the rakish Rafe Bowman in the best way. We break down all the swoony twists, the spicy tension and — because we’re responsible aunties of Romance Landia — a light trigger warning so our listeners aren’t blindsided by the heavier bits.
And, of course, we gush about the entire Wallflower universe. Kleypas writes characters who actually feel alive (looking at you, Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove … respectfully — but also not). She gives us unique, lovable heroines — Evie with her speech impediment? Iconic. More representation like this in romance, please and thank you.
Meghan’s Book: A Charming Christmas Arrangement by Heatherly Bell
Next up, we cozy into Heatherly Bell’s A Charming Christmas Arrangement — a story with humor, heart and enough self-awareness to make you nod, laugh and rethink your last situation-ship.
We chat about how communication is basically the unofficial love language of this book — and, honestly, our whole podcast. Bell isn’t afraid to get real about beauty standards, emotional authenticity, mental health and even pregnancy challenges. But she balances the heavy with warmth, wit and characters who grow in ways that make your heart do the Grinch-on-Christmas-morning thing. Consent? Respect? Depth? YES, MA’AM.
Wrapping Up the Year
Since this was our last episode of our first season, we also got a little sentimental — romance podcasters, we contain multitudes. We reflected on our favorite reads of the year, the characters who lived rent-free in our heads, and the little moments in romance that feel the most magical. Sometimes it’s not the grand gestures — it’s the writing of a love note or the making of breakfast that gets us every time.
We’re sending out big cozy love to our listeners: Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Cheers to a delicious New Year. Thank you for being our bookish besties in Season One. Truly, we could not have done it without you (or we could have … but it would’ve been way less fun).
As we leap into 2025, we’d love to hear what YOU want from Season Two. More tropes? More chaos? More cocktails? Drop your ideas and your favorite holiday reads in the comments below.
Have you read these festive romances? Spill your thoughts — we love a good book chat.
Ready to snag your own copies? Grab A Wallflower Christmas here and A Charming Christmas Arrangement here.
Want to know more about the authors? Learn more about Lisa Kleypas here and Heatherly Bell here.
Cheers to more books, more cocktails, and more swoons. See you under the mistletoe! 💋📚🍸
