Category: Closed Doors/ Fade to Black

Snowflakes & Sawdust by Harper Pugh

Posted November 8, 2025 by Marsha in Booksprout ARC, Christmas Romance, Closed Doors/ Fade to Black, Contemporary Romance, Series, Small Town Romance / 0 Comments

Lucy Macready believes in three things: peppermint cocoa can fix almost anything, tradition matters, and every December deserves a little magic.

But when the town bans pop-up vendors, her beloved cocoa stand is shut down—and with it, the one piece of Christmas that still connects her to her late grandmother.

Determined to keep the magic alive, Lucy sets her sights on the only place left to set up shop: Fir Lodge Tree Farm.

The problem?

It’s owned by Boyd Granger—the town’s resident recluse, all gruff edges and sawdust, whose idea of Christmas spirit is letting the storm shovel his driveway for him.

She shows up with cocoa and carols. He meets her with scowls and silence.

But when a blizzard traps them together, Lucy’s warmth starts melting more than snowdrifts—and Boyd begins to remember what hope used to feel like.

In a town where traditions are sacred and hearts are stubborn, one cup of cocoa might just be enough to rebuild belief in love.

Titles in the Evergreen Hollow Christmas Romance series include: Mistletoe & Motor Oil ~ Yuletide & Yearnings ~ Snowflakes & Sawdust ~

This is a clean, sweet romance with a Grumpy/Sunshine trope, with either closed doors or fade to black.

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Wishing for Christmas by Caroline Stowe

Posted November 7, 2025 by Marsha in Christmas Romance, Closed Doors/ Fade to Black, Contemporary Romance, Holiday Romance, NetGalley, Paranormal Romance, Standalone, Time Slip Romance, Women's Fiction / 0 Comments

Be careful what you wish for….

Hotel sales manager Clara Jenkins has an opportunity to take over as general manager of her hotel. There’s just one problem: she’s asked to shadow her boss for a year, and her boss happens to be her ex. Clara’s not so sure about working in close quarters with him for that length of time.

But her job opportunity isn’t the only major hurdle this year. At dinner the next night, her new boyfriend, Air Force pilot Brent McNally, drops the bomb that he’s being deployed on short notice for an entire year.

While rummaging through her grandmother’s box of Christmas decorations, she finds an old pocket-watch style ornament and, holding it, wishes she could skip the entire year.

The next day, when she arrives at the airfield to see Brent off, to her utter confusion, it soon becomes apparent that she may have skipped a year, and she’s waiting for him to return, not waving him off. Also, Brent—her brand-new boyfriend—goes down on one knee and proposes.

~Standalone~

This is a clean, sweet romance with either closed doors or fade to black scenes. Kisses might be involved 🙂

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A Snowy Seaside Christmas by Eliza J Scott

Posted November 6, 2025 by Marsha in Christmas Romance, Closed Doors/ Fade to Black, Contemporary Romance, Holiday Romance, Kindle Unlimited, NetGalley, Series, Small Town Romance / 0 Comments

As snow falls over Micklewick Bay, Lark Harker is preparing for the busy festive season at her vintage clothing boutique, creating enchanting window displays of sequinned dresses and crafting handmade Christmas decorations from shimmering silk ribbon.

But her festive preparations are put on hold when Nate Wilkinson arrives at her cottage door. The owner of a local upcycling business, Nate, asks for her help clearing out the long-abandoned Crayke’s Cottage – a place locals whisper is cursed and haunted by its smuggling past.

Deep within the cottage’s shadowy rooms, Lark discovers two mysterious leather suitcases. The first reveals a treasure trove of 1940s clothes that sparkle with wartime romance and mystery. But the second holds a darker collection: smuggling artefacts, cryptic coded messages, and a rusty iron key that gets Lark’s mind racing.

As Lark consults the town’s museum curator to unlock the suitcases’ secrets, she finds herself torn between growing feelings for her dear friend Nate and her inexplicable intuition that warns her away from love. When the rusty key leads to a shocking discovery in the cottage, Lark must trust her instincts and overcome her fears to finally find the greatest treasure of all…

Titles in the Micklewick Bay series include: The Little Shop by the Sea ~ Summer Days at Clifftop Cottage ~ Finding Love in Micklewick Bay ~ Christmas at the Little Bookshop by the Sea ~ Cupcakes and Kisses in Micklewick Bay ~ A Snowy Seaside Christmas ~ A Wedding at the Little Bookshop by the Sea ~

This is a clean, sweet romance with either closed doors or fade to black scenes. Kisses might be involved 🙂

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Christmas at Pine Ridge Inn by Savannah Carlisle

Posted November 6, 2025 by Marsha in Christmas Romance, Closed Doors/ Fade to Black, Contemporary Romance, Holiday Romance, Small Town Romance / 0 Comments

Lila McAllister has built a successful career as a hospitality consultant, but this Christmas, she isn’t chasing five-star ratings; she’s chasing answers. Facing her first holiday alone, she sets out to find the birth mother who gave her up for adoption on Christmas Day thirty-four years ago.

Her only clue is a handmade baby quilt that leads her to Pine Ridge Inn, a cozy mountain retreat in Colorado. But what begins as a quiet search turns into something much more when she’s drawn into the charm of the town’s festive traditions and the warmth of a found family. Then there’s Brady Hanson, the inn’s handsome but protective manager, who challenges her need to control every situation.

As Christmas Eve approaches, long-buried secrets come to light, forcing Lila to choose between the carefully built life she left behind and the family- and love- she never expected to find.

~Standalone~

This is a clean, sweet romance with either closed doors or fade to black.

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Puppy Smooches & Peppermint Kisses by Jennifer Faye

Posted November 5, 2025 by Marsha in Booksprout ARC, Christmas Romance, Closed Doors/ Fade to Black, Contemporary Romance, Holiday Romance, Series, Small Town Romance / 0 Comments

When she wrote to Santa as a child, she didn’t know her wishes would come true years later…

Holly Berry is spending her first Christmas without her grandmother, who had raised her. It’s difficult, but she’s getting through it. Then, unexpectedly, she’s asked to foster a puppy. Feeling out of her depth, she turns to her childhood friend, who offers to give her some guidance.

Veterinarian Colin Bishop has given up on relationships after his busy practice keeps interfering with his private life. But when the girl next door needs some help, he’s more than willing to make room in his busy schedule. But he knows not to fall for her infectious laugh or dazzling smile because his patients will always come first.

Holly never thought the wishes she wrote on her Christmas list as a kid would come true, but unexpectedly, ghosts from Christmas past have come to visit. Will Colin be able to bring the joy back to her holiday? Or will those ghosts ruin everything?

Titles in the Kringle Falls, Vermont series include: Puppy Wishes & Candy Kisses ~ Puppy Love & Snowflake Kisses ~ Puppy Smooches & Peppermint KissesPuppy Hugs & Mistletoe Kisses ~

This is a clean, sweet romance with either closed doors/fade to black, or only kissing.

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A Wyoming Family Holiday by Virginia McCullough

Posted November 1, 2025 by Marsha in Christmas Romance, Closed Doors/ Fade to Black, Contemporary Romance, Harlequin, Harlequin Heartwarming, Holiday Romance, NetGalley, Series, Small Town Romance / 0 Comments

Can saving a town landmark…

Restore her faith in love?

When attorney Sloan Lancaster returns to Adelaide Creek to care for his father, he’s shocked at Winding Creek Rehab and Care Center’s run-down state. He considers moving his dad, but is drawn to his high school crush, Bethany, who is in charge of the facility’s restoration.

Moved by Bethany’s community spirit and her adorable young daughter, Heidi, Sloan makes an anonymous donation to the center as the holidays bring them all closer.

But when Sloan’s identity is revealed, Bethany pulls away, anxious about a conflict of interest. Can she overcome her fears to embrace Sloan’s support—and build the loving family she’s always wanted?

Titles in the Back to Adelaide Creek series include:  The Rancher’s Wyoming Twins ~ The Doc’s Holiday Homecoming ~ His Wyoming Surprise ~ Finding His Wyoming Sweetheart ~ A Wyoming Family Holiday ~

This is a clean, sweet romance with either closed doors/fade to black, or only kissing.

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C is for Courting by Shelley Shepard Gray

Posted November 1, 2025 by Marsha in Amish Romance, Closed Doors/ Fade to Black, Kensington Books, NetGalley, Series, Small Town Romance / 0 Comments

The second eldest, Beth Schrock, always believed herself the most level-headed sibling. After all, in the wake of their parents’ divorce, it was she who emerged as the caretaker and steadying presence. Yet after almost two years in Ohio, Beth’s life remains the most unsettled.

Unlike her younger sister and brothers, Beth has yet to become Amish, or fall in love, much less marry.  Still, she is about to take on the biggest responsibility of them all. She is going to be a mother. A single mother. While she’s not proud of her actions, she is excited and hopeful about the sense of purpose this change will bring.

When Beth happens to meet family acquaintance Junior Lambright, they bump heads a bit. But after she takes a part-time job at his successful candle factory, it doesn’t take long for sparks to ignite—or for Junior to decide to be the friend Beth clearly needs.

Still, neither expects a romance. Ten years older than Beth, Junior seems content to devote himself to work and his two senior Labradors. And as Beth’s due date looms, she must choose a path. She considers returning to Cleveland and her high-paying, high-stress realtor job. She could hire a nanny. But she’d miss so much about Walden—including Junior.

And then, Junior proposes.

Beth is sure Junior’s sweet offer is only to save her reputation. . . . Unless, like her, Junior is also yearning for something more. With faith, and the courage to open their hearts, they might soon find out . . .

Titles in the Amish ABCs series include:  A is for Amish ~ B is for Bonnet ~ C is for Courting ~ D is for Daisy ~

This is a clean, sweet Amish romance with perhaps only kissing.

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Missing at Christmas by Deena Alexander

Posted October 30, 2025 by Marsha in Closed Doors/ Fade to Black, Contemporary Romance, Harlequin, Love Inspired Suspense (Harlequin), NetGalley, Romantic Suspense, Series / 0 Comments

A dangerous family legacy.  A race to save a baby in jeopardy.

When journalist Lexi McKenna receives a desperate call for help, she rushes to her sister’s home, only to find her sister dead and one of her twin nieces missing.

With her past mafia ties resurfacing, Lexi must go on the run with agent Noah Thompson to protect herself from her father’s enemies.

Although Lexi is the daughter of the mob boss who murdered Noah’s brother, Noah will do anything to take down her family—even work with her.

As danger looms from all sides, they must find the abducted baby and dismantle a criminal empire before Lexi and her nieces end up as collateral damage.

Titles in the Jameson Investigations series include:  Hunted for the Holidays ~ Hiding in the Wilderness ~ Exposing Lethal Secrets ~ Missing at Christmas ~

Although this is a clean, sweet romance with either closed doors/fade to black, or only kissing… it is also a Romantic Suspense, so there may also be mention of violence.

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The Magical Christmas Cottage by Aimee O’Brian

Posted October 29, 2025 by Marsha in Booksprout ARC, Christmas Romance, Closed Doors/ Fade to Black, Contemporary Romance, Paranormal Romance, Series, Small Town Romance, Tule Publishing / 0 Comments

In the small town of Hazard, sometimes love is the greatest Christmas miracle.

Alina McAllister is starting fresh in the charming town of Hazard, Rhode Island, with a simple plan: take a docent job at the Historical Society and embrace the magic of the season. But when her landlady, Hazel, suffers a stroke, everything changes. Hazel’s grumpy yet undeniably handsome grandson, Carter Bestwick, swoops into town determined to sell the cottage and move on with his corporate life. He needs Alina to leave—immediately.

With nowhere to go and a snowstorm trapping them together, Alina and Carter are forced into close quarters. What starts as a tense, begrudging arrangement soon sparks undeniable chemistry. As they clear out the attic, they discover Hazel’s magical wedding bands—heirlooms passed down through generations since the Revolutionary War—and find that sometimes, the magic of love is closer than they think.

Titles in the Charmed Love series include:  The Magical Tea Shop ~ The Magical Bed & Breakfast ~ The Magical Christmas Cottage ~

This is a clean, sweet romance with either closed doors or fade to black romantic scenes.

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The Cowboy’s Christmas Rescue by Debra Chapoton

Posted October 28, 2025 by Marsha in Christmas Romance, Closed Doors/ Fade to Black, Contemporary Romance, Kindle Unlimited, Series, Small Town Romance / 0 Comments

She’s all Christmas cheer. He’s all grumpy loner. Snowed in together… could they possibly fall in love?

After a career-ending injury, former U.S. Marshal Rhett Morgan retreats to a snowbound Colorado cabin to escape Christmas, people, and the ghosts of his past. All he wants is silence and solitude.

But when cheerful and chatty Holly Winters, a therapy horse trainer, arrives to check on the property for her uncle, Rhett finds himself stuck with the one woman who refuses to be ignored—and brings a horse with a personality nearly as big as hers.

When a freak avalanche cuts them off from town just before Christmas, Rhett and Holly are forced into an uneasy truce—one filled with borrowed socks, canned soup, and revealing conversations neither ever wanted to have.

But Holly isn’t just sunshine and sass—and Rhett is more cowboy than marshal. And as Christmas approaches, both will have to confront the fears that haunt them before they can discover the healing only love—and faith—can offer.  This holiday, the real rescue might not be in the mountains… but in their hearts.

Titles in the A Cowboy For Christmas Collection include:  The Cowboy’s Christmas Confession ~ The Cowboy’s Christmas Deadline ~ The Cowboy’s Christmas Rescue ~ The Cowboy’s Christmas Miracle ~

This is a clean, sweet romance with either closed doors/fade to black, or only kissing.

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Lost Alaskan Memories by Heidi McCahan

Posted October 27, 2025 by Marsha in Closed Doors/ Fade to Black, Contemporary Romance, Harlequin, Love Inspired (Harlequin), NetGalley, Series, Small Town Romance / 0 Comments

An unexpected homecoming brings another chance at love.

For two years, mountaineer Max Butler was presumed dead after a tragic climbing accident in Peru…until his return to his small town of Opportunity, Alaska. But now a traumatic brain injury keeps him from remembering his former life and who he left behind—including physical therapist Hayley Morgan.

Heartbroken after Max chose his mountaineering dreams over her, Hayley is determined to guard her heart against him, even as he steps in to help her with babysitting duties for his infant sister.

As Max slowly regains fragments of his past and buried feelings resurface, can Hayley convince him to stay…for a second chance at happiness?

Titles in the Opportunity, Alaska series include:  Her Alaskan Family ~ Lost Alaskan Memories ~

This is a clean, sweet romance with either closed doors/fade to black, or only kissing.

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