**Book Review: *A Novel Christmas* by Charity Shane**

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

*A Novel Christmas* by Charity Shane is a delightful, heartwarming holiday romance that blends the magic of Christmas with the charm of small-town life. This book offers a cozy and feel-good escape into a world of love, second chances, and holiday cheer, making it the perfect read for fans of festive fiction.

The story follows the main characters as they navigate their complicated pasts and rediscover the magic of the holiday season. Charity Shane excels at creating likable, relatable characters whose personal growth and evolving relationship feel both genuine and heartwarming. The romance is sweet and slow-building, allowing readers to root for the couple as they work through their issues and find their way back to one another.

The setting is wonderfully cozy, with vivid descriptions of Christmas traditions, snow-covered streets, and festive decorations that add to the story’s charm. Shane’s writing evokes a sense of warmth and nostalgia, and the small-town atmosphere is the perfect backdrop for a romance that feels both heartwarming and intimate.

The pacing is steady, with just enough drama and holiday magic to keep readers engaged without feeling rushed. The secondary characters also add depth to the story, enhancing the overall sense of community and support that makes this novel feel like a comforting embrace.

A Novel Christmas by Charity Shane is such a wholesome and beautiful black holiday romance. It was such a great book to put you in the holiday spirit! I will be re-reading before next Christmas !

✨🎄💖✨It’s officially HOLIDAY ROMANCE SEASON!! ✨💖🎄✨

I kicked off the month with A Novel Christmas by Charity Shane’ - and oh my gosh it was adorable!! It’s bookish, full of Hallmark vibes, blush worthy spice and a romance that will have you swooning! Such a fun, festive & cute read!

📖 Romance Author
🎄 Santa Claus, IN
💻 Book Research
🚒 Firefighter
❤️‍🔥 Blush Worthy Spice
🏡 Small Town
🧳 Vacation
⏳ Time Crunch
🫶🏽 Friendship
💖 Swoony Love Story

Ps:
I LOVE that Santa Claus, IN is mentioned! It is home to one of the best theme parks in the US (Holiday World) and is pure magic this time of year! ✨🎄✨

In A Novel Christmas, Charity Shane introduces us to Saira Wright, a successful romance author whose career has hit a frosty patch. With her latest books not quite hitting the mark, her publisher insists she pen a holiday romance to reignite her spark. The catch? Saira's not exactly Mrs. Claus, and Miami's sun doesn't offer much festive inspiration. So, she packs her bags for the quaint town of Santa Claus, Indiana, hoping to find her muse amid the snowflakes and tinsel.

Enter Dorian Black, a local firefighter with a heart as warm as a Yule log. Their paths cross, and sparks fly—both the romantic kind and the ones Dorian expertly douses in his day job. As Saira immerses herself in small-town holiday traditions, she discovers that perhaps the clichés she once scoffed at hold a charm she hadn't anticipated. Their chemistry is undeniable, and Dorian might just be the muse Saira needs to craft her next bestseller.

I'm giving A Novel Christmas a cozy 3.5 out of 5 stars. While the story follows a familiar Hallmark-esque formula, it's a delightful read that captures the magic of the season. Saira's journey from a holiday skeptic to someone who embraces the festive spirit is heartwarming, even if a bit predictable. If you're in the mood for a feel-good romance with a sprinkle of holiday cheer, this novel is a sweet addition to your Christmas reading list.

This was a super cute read. It delves into learning to love yourself again after a failed relationship. This was the type of story that had me giggling and blushing as if the MMC was flirting with me. 😅 The spicy scenes were just enough to elevate the story but not too much. I did wish there was a little more to the story, maybe some added conflict or something. Overall it was a good palette cleanser!

A cozy holiday read for those who love to escape during the hectic season. Perfect for book clubs that want to wind down and get lost in a romance,

This was a very good story. She is a writer on a mission to find the Christmas spirit so she can write a holiday novel. He is a firefighter and her AirBnB host. Sparks fly the moment they met. He is also a widower and has been very cautious with his heart.
Even with the frequent use of the word "yoni", which I absolutely hate, I didn't DNF this book. I enjoyed it a lot. The story was super cute.

Loved this holiday romance. I love it when the main character is an author. I feel like we get inside of the authors head. My first book by charity shane but not my last.

A Novel Christmas
Charity Shane

Cute! Gives you all the holiday spirit.

A prominent romance author has a slump in her love life and book sales, but a chance encounter with a hot firefighter helps her ignite her muse in this swoony holiday romance. This was really spicy - the cute cover deceives itself.
Has deeper themes, and touches on grief which creates balance.

I enjoyed A Novel Christmas by Charity Shane. The story of Saira, a talented but struggling romance author, felt fresh and relatable. Her journey to overcome her creative slump by reluctantly embracing holiday romance themes was engaging and heartfelt. I loved how her disdain for all things Christmas was gradually challenged by the town's charm and the undeniable chemistry with her duplex neighbour, Dorian.
Dorian's character added so much depth to the story. His grief and reluctance to move on from his past gave the romance an emotional layer that pulled at my heartstrings. His interactions with Saira were full of warmth, humour, and genuine connection, making their eventual romance feel well-earned and satisfying.
The setting was magical, with its small-town charm and festive holiday backdrop. Charity Shane's cozy, snow-draped world was easy to imagine. The scenes of holiday festivities and the town's vibrant personality added so much to the narrative.
If I had one critique, it would be that some transitions between Saira's professional challenges and her personal growth felt a little rushed. I would have loved to see more exploration of her journey as a writer and how her struggles shaped her character. Still, the overall story delivered a wonderful mix of romance, healing, and holiday cheer.
This book is a perfect pick for anyone looking for a heartwarming holiday romance with a touch of depth and a lot of charm.

A Novel Christmas by Charity Shane was a wonderful Christmas read with great plot points and characters.

This was a cute holiday romance!!! An author desperate for inspiration meets a widower who’s still grieving during Christmas time….its like the perfect setup!!! It turns out that Santa Claus, IN is a real place, I loved that. The banter between Saira and Dorian was SPOT ON, it really helped me believe their chemistry. It felt like Saira just fit….she fit with Dorian and his friends and Santa Claus overall. It just felt right to read these two. The holly jolly is absolutely present and I wanted to be in the room when the temperature got hot. I will say I rolled my eyes at the 3rd act breakup but it’s also a Christmas story, so that was expected. Really enjoyed this one, I just had fun reading it!!! Thanks to Black Odyssey Media, Charity Shane’ and Net Galley for the ARC. All thoughts and feelings are my own.

This book has such good Christmas vibes. I loved the setting of Santa Claus, Indiana and really enjoyed our two main characters Saira and Dorian. It is definitely insta-love, which is something that I don't always enjoy, but I liked with this book. I appreciated that they both had a past that they brought to their courtship. I loved that we examined Dorian's grief at losing his wife and trying to learn how to love again after that great loss. It did seem a bit unrealistic at times, especially because they were hooking up within days of meeting each other. Sure, I could suspend my disbelief enough for that. My gripe is the pacing. I felt like we focused on so much in the middle of the story that the ending felt incredibly rushed. I cared less about their boozy hot chocolate, give me more about the emotional aspects about their love story! While I did enjoy, the ending brought it down because the third act breakup seemed so late in the book that I felt like we didn't get enough story to recover from it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced readers copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

Saira (Suh-eye-rah) needs some inspiration
Dorian needs a light at the end of a tunnel

Can they find what they need in each other? Or will the past haunt them like a ghost?

Sometimes, I need a good old Hallmark Christmas-esque book to break the monotony of my reading. This book did that. I enjoyed watching Dorian open up after tragedy and how Saira stood on business about her worth. Cuz if he ain’t gonna come correct….BLOCKED! Yep, she and I might be related.

Want a nice weekend read when it’s cold outside? Grab this book with a mug of hot chocolate or any other adult beverage. You’ll be glad you did.

A wonderful and emotionally satisfying Christmas tale. Perfect read to get romance lovers into the holiday spirit. It would make a great movie! I hope the networks are paying attention.

This started off well for me however I think I'm not a fan of the author's writing. That being said I can see how others would love it. It's a small Christmas town romance and it is very cute. Saira is a romance author and Dorian is a firefighter and former NFL athlete. It takes place in Santa Clause, Indiana and will truly give the Christmas vibes that most people crave around the holidays!

For me things started to go downhill when the fmc gets catty with another woman for being a little flirty. And while I can understand that the way that she handled it was immature and I didn't appreciate the way she talked about the other woman behind her back. The mmc also refers to the fmc in a "not like other girls way" that I found offputting. I also just found a lot of the dialogue to be cringey.

A slow burn with all the holiday feels! All this one to your holiday wish-list. Perfect for romance readers who like to build up the anticipation!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for an arc. All opinions expressed are my own.

Ooohh!! Loved, loved, loved this one. What a wonderful, cute, and spicy read. Dorian, Dorian, Dorian!! Welcome to the hall of book boyfriends. This man was thoughtful, considerate, kind, protective, sexy, strong, fine as hell, emotionally connected, successful, gentlemanly, and everything you want in a man! I loved Saira, the FMC, as well. She was too cute, emotionally available, self-aware, sweetheart, knew what she wanted, and was not afraid to walk away from what didn't serve her. I loved their romance in this story. The side characters were also great and a few memorable, funny. And cute moments with the MCs that I thoroughly enjoyed. It was short, sweet, and gave all the beautiful Christmas vibes and had me blushing through the entire book. I would absolutely recommend this to others who are looking for a great, cozy, seasonal read to put them in the mood.

Thank you, Netgalley, and the publisher for providing me with an arc.

I don’t know what I was thinking at not reading this immediately. I said I wanted to wait until Halloween was over, but after seeing so many people talking about it, and then when it got randomly cold where I live, I knew I couldn’t wait anymore.

Y’all know I’m a sucker for a Christmas romance. And even more so when I see that its diverse in some way. (Because let’s be honest, they’re always better) And this one has Black main characters. AND THEN its a Christmas romance about a Black romance novelist! Y’all also know how I am with books about books. So basically, this had everything in it for it to become my favorite book lol And there was enough Christmas in it so I was happy with that too. (I hate when I’m reading a Christmas story and there’s not really a Christmasy feel to it. )

Ok so the characters in this were my favorite part. I think about Sarita and what she was going through with her family a lot. I couldn’t imagine what she was going through to not have her mom there or family there over a holiday. I get that she was going there to write, but I just felt so sad for her. And Dorian was just… idk how to explain it? If you don’t know, firefighters are the ONLY men in a uniform I like to read about. (Ok so EMTs count too lmao) So basically when I heard that’s what the MC did AND he was a calendar fire fighter?! He went on the book boyfriend list immediately lol But I think what I liked most about him was the amount of layers he had. He had so much depth. I was disappointed that we didn’t get to see any growth in him tho until the very end. Like it started when he let her in, but then completely stalled. It felt more like lust than something turning into love. If that makes sense. But I get it. There needed to be an ending conflict. That’s the only reason I wasn’t super annoyed.

The little town that there in was my other favorite part. I have a bad habit of letting the setting itself take me away. (No pun intended) If the descriptions and the imagery is there, I will fall head over heels for the story. And that’s exactly what happened here. Here in Texas it was like 85 degrees when I read this, but I still snuggled under a blanket to read this. I loved that the author described the way the cold was bone chilling to someone from Florida, because as someone from Texas, that’s exactly how I would think it felt. And the way she described feeling a little more warm because of the boozy hot chocolate? And the way she was able to describe all the Christmasy things they did, like the bonfire and the thing at the station and the parade? Ugh it was all good!

The romance itself was cute. Like I said I did want him to come to that conclusion a bit earlier because it was not fair to keep stringing her along like that. It was obvious that things were happening between them. She was ready to put her whole life on hold where he wasn’t. Even I was worried he wasn’t ready to settle down. However, they were organic and it actually felt real. Even the love story between her and her fans lol I just know that’s how authors feel sometimes. They love us but need their own time. Just like moms. And for that, I can’t fault them. But that’s what I mean. Literally everything felt real in this one.

This was such a cute book! Definitely a perfect way to kick off this year’s holiday season. Out of the three that were released at the same time, this is my favorite. Very clear example of why holiday reads are some of my favorites and will always be!

Real Rating was 4.5

Cute holiday read to get into the festive season. Good chemistry and banter, but had its emotional moments. Spicy and sweet and seasonally right.