Best Holiday Romance / Fling Books

The highest-rated books featuring the Holiday Romance / Fling trope, ranked by readers and listeners. Browse 27 titles across Romance, Mystery, Literature & Fiction.

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Holiday romances thrive on urgency and intensity. When characters know they have only days—or hours—together before real life pulls them apart, every conversation matters, every touch carries weight. There's no time for games or slow burns; instead, you get vulnerability fast and emotional honesty born from scarcity. The trope trades forever-after certainty for something rawer: two people choosing each other anyway, knowing it might not last.

You'll find these stories sprinkled across romance and contemporary fiction, often set during Christmas, New Year's, or other seasonal backdrops that naturally create isolation and intimacy. Some end with "see you next year," others with surprise second chances. Expect chemistry that crackles, stakes that feel real, and the ache of knowing goodbye might be coming—even if the heart doesn't want to believe it.

  1. 1
    The Plight Before Christmas cover

    The Plight Before Christmas

    Holiday Hijinx Series • Book 1

    by Kate Stewart

    ★ 4.46 BLT Score (63.5K ratings)
    ★ 4.18 Goodreads (63.5K)
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  2. 2
    Rebel Heart cover

    Rebel Heart

    Rush Duet • Book 2

    by Penelope Ward, Vi Keeland

    ★ 4.42 BLT Score (22.4K ratings)
    ★ 4.07 Goodreads (22.4K)
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  3. 3
    Deck the Hounds cover

    Deck the Hounds

    Andy Carpenter • Book 18

    by David Rosenfelt

    ★ 4.39 BLT Score (4.9K ratings)
    ★ 4.14 Goodreads (4.9K)
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  4. 4
    The Fall Risk cover

    The Fall Risk

    Valentine's Day • Book 2

    by Abby Jimenez

    ★ 4.34 BLT Score (195.2K ratings)
    ★ 4.06 Goodreads (195.2K)
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  5. 5
    Dachshund Through the Snow cover

    Dachshund Through the Snow

    Andy Carpenter • Book 20

    by David Rosenfelt

    ★ 4.34 BLT Score (5.7K ratings)
    ★ 4.08 Goodreads (5.7K)
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  6. 6
    Best in Snow cover

    Best in Snow

    Andy Carpenter • Book 24

    by David Rosenfelt

    ★ 4.32 BLT Score (4.7K ratings)
    ★ 4.1 Goodreads (4.7K)
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  7. 7
    The Great Charade cover

    The Great Charade

    by Gerri Hill

    ★ 4.30 BLT Score (935 ratings)
    ★ 4.25 Goodreads (935)
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  8. 8
    And to All a Good Bite cover

    And to All a Good Bite

    Andy Carpenter • Book 32

    by David Rosenfelt

    ★ 4.28 BLT Score (2.1K ratings)
    ★ 4.32 Goodreads (2.1K)
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  9. 9
    Your Christmas Love cover

    Your Christmas Love

    The Bennett Family • Book 10

    by Layla Hagen

    ★ 4.21 BLT Score (3.2K ratings)
    ★ 4.31 Goodreads (3.2K)
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  10. 10
    One Beautiful Promise cover

    One Beautiful Promise

    Very Irresistible Bachelors • Book 4

    by Layla Hagen

    ★ 4.18 BLT Score (2.2K ratings)
    ★ 4.32 Goodreads (2.2K)
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  11. 11
    The Midnight Moon cover

    The Midnight Moon

    by Gerri Hill

    ★ 4.09 BLT Score (953 ratings)
    ★ 4.07 Goodreads (953)
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  12. 12
    Christmas Angel cover

    Christmas Angel

    Company of Rogues • Book 3

    by Jo Beverley

    ★ 4.01 BLT Score (3.0K ratings)
    ★ 3.98 Goodreads (3.0K)
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  13. 13
    Tropical Hat Trick cover

    Tropical Hat Trick

    Hockey Hotties #3.5 • Book 3

    by Piper Rayne

    ★ 3.96 BLT Score (1.6K ratings)
    ★ 4.05 Goodreads (1.6K)
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  14. 14
    The Promise in a Kiss cover

    The Promise in a Kiss

    Cynster #0.5

    by Stephanie Laurens

    ★ 3.95 BLT Score (6.2K ratings)
    ★ 3.94 Goodreads (6.2K)
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  15. 15
    A Merry Vested Wedding cover

    A Merry Vested Wedding

    Vested Interest: ABC Corp #0.5

    by Melanie Moreland

    ★ 3.95 BLT Score (923 ratings)
    ★ 4.43 Goodreads (923)
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  16. 16
    Sleighed cover

    Sleighed

    by Vi Keeland, Penelope Ward, Andi Arndt, Teddy Hamilton, Sebastian York, Zachary Webber, Maxine Mitchell

    ★ 3.93 BLT Score (1.5K ratings)
    ★ 3.71 Goodreads (1.5K)
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  17. 17
    Our Secret Summer cover

    Our Secret Summer

    by Harper Bliss

    ★ 3.89 BLT Score (1.0K ratings)
    ★ 3.65 Goodreads (1.0K)
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  18. 18
    Christmas at Baskerville Hall cover

    Christmas at Baskerville Hall

    Sherlock Holmes and Lucy James Mystery #7.7 • Book 15

    by Anna Elliott, Charles Veley

    ★ 3.88 BLT Score (695 ratings)
    ★ 4.25 Goodreads (695)
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  19. 19
    Merry and Bright cover

    Merry and Bright

    Home Sweet Holidays • Book 2

    by Ali Rosen

    ★ 3.82 BLT Score (23.6K ratings)
    ★ 3.78 Goodreads (23.6K)
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  20. 20
    Season of Love cover

    Season of Love

    Carrigan’s Christmasland • Book 1

    by Helena Greer

    ★ 3.77 BLT Score (4.5K ratings)
    ★ 3.66 Goodreads (4.5K)
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  21. 21
    Whiteout cover

    Whiteout

    Blackout • Book 2

    by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, Nicola Yoon

    ★ 3.77 BLT Score (7.2K ratings)
    ★ 3.6 Goodreads (7.2K)
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  22. 22
    Second Chance Christmas cover

    Second Chance Christmas

    by Shawn Inmon

    ★ 3.76 BLT Score (212 ratings)
    ★ 3.68 Goodreads (212)
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  23. 23
    A Very Merry Matchup cover

    A Very Merry Matchup

    by Becca Kinzer

    ★ 3.74 BLT Score (2.2K ratings)
    ★ 3.61 Goodreads (2.2K)
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  24. 24
    Crystal Clear cover

    Crystal Clear

    Romance in the Rockies • Book 5

    by Rose Fresquez

    ★ 3.71 BLT Score (90 ratings)
    ★ 4.53 Goodreads (90)
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  25. 25
    Snow Place Like Home cover

    Snow Place Like Home

    Home Sweet Holidays • Book 1

    by Laura Pavlov

    ★ 3.68 BLT Score (33.0K ratings)
    ★ 3.44 Goodreads (33.0K)
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  26. 26
    The Package cover

    The Package

    by K. Bromberg

    ★ 3.67 BLT Score (4.9K ratings)
    ★ 3.38 Goodreads (4.9K)
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  27. 27
    A Very Merry Krampus Christmas: A Sweet Funny Romance Novel cover

    A Very Merry Krampus Christmas: A Sweet Funny Romance Novel

    by Patti Petrone Miller

    ★ 3.54 BLT Score (3 ratings)
    ★ 2 Goodreads (3)
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How We Rank Audiobooks

Rankings are driven by listener ratings and review counts from Audible and Goodreads. Books with high ratings across a large number of listeners rank higher — a 4.5 with 50,000 ratings says more than a 4.8 with 200.

Unlike most book lists, we weight audiobook-specific factors: narrator performance, production quality, and how well a story translates to audio. A great book with a poor narration isn't a great audiobook.

We don't accept paid placements or prioritize new releases. These rankings reflect what listeners actually enjoy, not what's being promoted.

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