California Dreams Christmas Romance Collection

Five heartfelt, steamy later-in-life short stories

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Pub Date Oct 24 2023 | Archive Date Nov 19 2023

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Description

A spicy and heartwarming Christmas romance short story collection

Spend Christmas in the California sun with these feel-good, later-in-life contemporary romance short stories. Five standalone short stories. Five sultry dreams. Five hot, sweet Santas whose gifts can’t be wrapped and put under a tree.

The California Dreams Christmas Romance Collection includes:

Santa & Anna

When a divorced baker-to-the-stars bumps into Santa, their meet is anything but cute. Crumbs and icing fly—until Santa makes a deal and delivers not one but two sweet gifts.

Santa & Clara

When a workaholic Silicon Valley IT consultant reluctantly takes on the role of Mrs. Claus at her client’s corporate Christmas bash, a B-list celebrity Santa coaxes her to reveal her fantasy holiday wish.

Santa Cru

Sofia practically pops a cork when the Santa she hires for her winery’s big party cancels last-minute—until his stand-in’s earnest plea restores her Christmas spirit.

Santa & Monica

Stuck together in a luxury beachfront vacation rental, Santa and Monica’s slow-burn connection and dark humor transform loss into found.

Santa & Barbara

When ex-pat Barb returns home to spend Christmas with her ailing grandfather, Santa helps her reconnect in ways she will always remember.

Full of twists on your favorite tropes—enemies to lovers, forced proximity, second chance, slow burn, fake relationship, mistaken identity—with touching, happy endings.

  • Standalone short stories.
  • Mature language, themes, and situations.
  • M/F romances.
  • Heroine POVs.
  • No cheating between characters.
  • No cliffhangers.


At Christmastime, these five California dreams just might come true.

A spicy and heartwarming Christmas romance short story collection

Spend Christmas in the California sun with these feel-good, later-in-life contemporary romance short stories. Five standalone short...


Available Editions

ISBN 9781959336136
PRICE $0.99 (USD)
PAGES 95

Available on NetGalley

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Average rating from 41 members


Featured Reviews

Very excited for this Christmas compilation of stories. I love they are later in life romances as well. Set in sunny California is an added bonus! I love it’s a Read Now option and I’m so excited to share my thoughts and these great feel good stories with readers as well!

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4⭐️

This book is concise of 5 really short each with similar themes. They all start with a sexual dream, a man who at some point dresses as Santa and the dream coming to fruition in some level,m

My favorite story was Santa and Ana, I thought this was one was super cute and sweet. I could 100% read a full novel of this one.

This would be a perfect pick up for a 24 or 48 hour readathon. Great read in the winter season.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Books Go Social for this advanced reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own

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who doesn't love a collections of cozy stories. This one was a good one and didn't miss. all stories were good. Read it today.

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I really enjoyed this book! The way it was compiled and you were able to go to different stories and not stick with one. My attention span thoroughly enjoyed that part! This book as me super excited for Christmas and spice!!

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A set of five short festive stories. A fun festive read. I am looking forward to reading more books from this author.

4 stars

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Oh, short stories and novellas - I love them, but I also dislike them sometimes. I'm usually left with wanting more of the story (or stories) and, sigh, woe is me during this holiday season. Just kidding.

CALIFORNIA DREAMS CHRISTMAS ROMANCE COLLECTION had an interesting concept - five short stories relating to California cities - and each involved a "Santa Clause" as the male love interest.

The stories were super spicy - some sad, yet all ending happily and, yay, for these women getting some Christmas "love," wink wink.

Thank you NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for an e-copy of CALIFORNIA DREAMS CHRISTMAS ROMANCE COLLECTION to review.

I rate CALIFORNIA DREAMS CHRISTMAS ROMANCE COLLECTION four out of five stars.

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I really enjoyed this collection of short stories.

Every story was easy to read and so quick and easy to get into.

Short story collections tend to be books that I pick up and put down often between other books as a sort of palate cleanser. However I found myself getting straight into the next one with these stories and finished them in two days.

The perfect mix of steamy and and warm fuzzy Christmas feels.

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Five stories that I found to be all quick to read and all had a meaning to them. All had good characters and showed stronger women who were on their own or overcoming something. Found them to be good.

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This is the compilation of the Santas women want in their life. Quick reads that show as fantastical, relatable or upbeat as you want them to be. This time of year can be challenging, choosing to read this is not.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the gifted copy. 🎅

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I loved reading this book. I like the short stories even though they were predictable but really great.

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The California Dreams Christmas Romance Collection by Talya Blaine is a delightful read, perfect for the holiday season. This collection of five short stories is a spicy and heartwarming Christmas romance that will leave you with a warm feeling in your heart. The stories are set in California and feature characters who are later in life, making it a refreshing change from the usual young adult romance novels.

Each story in this collection is a standalone and features different characters and settings. The common thread is the presence of a Santa who brings joy and love to the lives of the characters. From a divorced baker-to-the-stars to an ex-pat returning home to spend Christmas with her ailing grandfather, the stories are full of twists on your favorite tropes like enemies to lovers, forced proximity, second chance, slow burn, fake relationship, and mistaken identity.

The writing style is engaging and easy to read, making it an ideal read for a lazy afternoon. The characters are well-developed, and the romance is steamy and heartwarming. The author has done an excellent job of creating a beautiful world that readers will want to immerse themselves in.

Overall, California Dreams Christmas Romance Collection is a must-read for fans of holiday romance novels. It's a perfect read to get you in the holiday spirit. The collection is a beautiful blend of spicy romance, heartwarming stories, and Christmas cheer.

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thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

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California Dreams Christmas Romance Collection by Talya Blaine was awesome! This set of short story were cleverly crafter, written and named. I loved each and every story.

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If you are looking for a quick festive romance read then this is the book for you.

Made up of five short stories, these all have the theme of romance with Santa. Based in California where Christmas is not typically snow filled, I loved that the characters were slightly older than the just finished high school characters most romance books give us.

The stories are short, so we don't get to know each character very indepth.

It's perfect if you just want to complete your reading goal at the end of the year.

Spice level is varied, some fade to black, as the book goes on they get a bit more spicy.

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Five short stories involving Santa, what could be better this time of year? Each story starts off with a dream that gets a little spicy and then transitions to the waking lives of each main character around Christmas. All of the stories have a component of grief or loss to them that makes the happily ever afters all the more satisfying and wholesome. Santa & Monica (chapter 4) is my favorite of the short stories because it felt a little longer than some of the others and the author gave background on both of the characters in that story which made me feel more connected to them and happier when they found comfort and support in each other. The characters are all somewhere around middle aged and most of them reference an ex, a breakup or a divorce so seeing them all find new love with their very own Santas is really sweet and leaves the reader feeling hopeful for the holidays and any hard times/difficult emotions people may experience around them. Quick, festive and a little bit spicy, this is a great read for this holiday season!

Thank you NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

California Dreams Christmas Romance Collection came out at the end of October 2023, so check it out if you're looking for a good Christmas book.

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The book California Dreams Christmas Romance Collection was an enjoyable read. I would recommend any book written by Talya Blaine. Happy Reading!

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely.

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These short stories have it all, if hallmark was a bit more pg-13 these could be perfect tv episodes. I love a well rounded short story that doesn’t leave you feeling open ended.

Cute and satisfying great binge type format. I sometimes like a throughline for all the stories to connect but for the seasonal mood this works! Also as a CA kid love a coastal Christmas.

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I thought this collection of stories was super cute and perfect for the holiday. I loved that they were later-in-life romances! Super cute!

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Amazing book!
I was thoroughly engaged throughout this book and I didn't want to put it down! The author captured my attention from the get go! Five stars from me :)

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