The closer we get to the end of the year, the more some of us start panicking about meeting our Goodreads goals for the year. One of the great things about novellas is you can still get a great story in a quick read, and hit those goals in no time flat. Is it a cheat? Maybe, but if it’s a great read, does it matter? Today I’ve got seven romance novellas to read in November (and beyond).
Today’s roundup is a mix of novellas I’ve read, and a few Christmassy ones on my TBR to finish out the year. If you’re anything like me, you’ve totally forgotten which Christmas books you bought and read last year, so it’s a good time to check your shelves, hard copy and ebook.
Release Date: Available Now
If snowed-in is your trope, The Matchmaker’s Mistletoe Mission is for you. A quick, fun, let’s-get-ready-for-Christmas read, in which Angeleno matchmaker Alice Weatherford lands in Oklahoma, days before for her best friend’s December wedding. And just in time for a snowstorm.
Things I loved:
-Snowed-in trope (perfect for Xmas)
-Insta-chemistry between the two main characters (hey, sometimes you just know)
-Alice goes for it despite the fact that she’s only in town through her best friend’s wedding
-Overall set up for the series (Family wedding planning/execution business, ranch setting)
The thing is, Clay and Alice’s story goes from insta-lust to insta-love in 3 seconds flat, which ordinarily I’m like, come on here, people. But it’s the holidays, and this is a novella, so I’ll let that go.
What I really liked was the set up of the Bellini family and the cast of characters in their Oklahoma town. If you’ve read Sarina Bowen’s True North series and enjoyed the Shipleys, I have a feeling the Bellinis are gonna be just as entertaining as a crew. The first full book in the series is slated for Spring 2020.
Get The Matchmaker’s Mistletoe Mission at Amazon | Apple Books
Release Date: AVAILABLE NOW
Must Love Coffee is rom-com gold! When I read the news story about two warring coffee shop patrons, I instantly fell for the idea as a romance. Enemies-to-lovers, coffee, Melbourne? Sign me up.
It’s a novella, so it’s a shortie, but Sarah Mayberry packs in a complete story for Daniel and Cassidy that extends beyond their battle for best customer bragging rights at their local coffee shop. It’s funny and smart. It’s totally adorable, totally Aussie, and more than worth its 99 cent price tag — cheaper than a cuppa!
Get Must Love Coffee on Amazon | Apple Books
Release Date: November 11, 2019
Well drawn characters and rich historical detail make Open House a standout novella. Ruby Lang surrounds Tyson and Magda’s enemies-to-lovers story with a strong sense of community and family, adding rich realism to the overall tale. Their romance feels organic, even as the story keeps throwing them in each other’s paths. And hey, there are rooftop and phone shenanigans to keep things sexy.
Open House is a fast read that proves there is room for more in novellas than just a central love story executed in a compressed time frame. Although this is a standalone, I found myself much more invested in Ty and Magda and their families than I did with Oliver and Fay in Playing House, the first book in the series. I also loved that we’ve got two main characters who are people of color, but it’s not a thing.
Get OPEN HOUSE on Amazon | Apple Books
Release Date: November 26
Is historical romance more your thing? Kelly Bowen brings the intrigue in her latest novella in the Devils of Dover series. Here’s what we know so far: “Ruthless. Dangerous. Known simply as King. No one knows his true name or where he came from. His network of spies has just told him that a man who committed an unspeakable betrayal has returned to London. Intent on vengeance, King seeks out an unlikely ally to aide him in his pursuit—but what starts out as a bid for revenge becomes far more dangerous than he ever imagined.”
Get Night of the Scoundrel at Amazon | Apple Books
Release Date: November 11, 2019
If Lifetime Christmas movies are your jam, One Christmas Eve has all the er, hallmarks, of this annual tradition. Small town book store owner and new-in-town uptight estate planner are enemies-to-lovers in this quick hit read by Shannon Stacey. It starts in early November and takes you right through Christmas, so it’s a perfect fit for the holiday season. And if you follow The Ripped Bodice’s monthly window displays on Instagram, Zoe’s taken a page from their book, and it’s pretty great at getting under Preston’s skin.
Get One Christmas Eve on Amazon | Apple Books
Release Date: Available Now
If you like your Christmas reads more steamy than sweet, Rebekah Weatherspoon’s Wrapped pairs a divorced bakery owner and the sexy IT guy from her old job. They find each other again on a dating app, and when one date turns into three or four, it looks like Shae might just get her Christmas wish — real love.
Get Wrapped on Amazon | Apple Books
Release Date: November 12, 2019
A Second Chance Road Trip for Christmas is Jackie Lau’s second novella in her Holidays with the Wongs series (the first is Thanksgiving-themed). His brother might have been the party boy, but Greg Wong is an engineer, he likes things orderly, he likes things to go to plan. But when his mother coerces him into driving Tasha Edwards back to Mosquito Bay for the Christmas holidays, things hardly go to plan. Not only is he remembering everything he once loved about Tasha, a snowstorm forces them to take shelter in a motel room…with only one bed.
Get A Second Chance Road Trip for Christmas at Amazon | Apple Books
If you’re looking for more great fall and winter romance reads, check out our list of 10 books to fall for this Autumn and Winter.
