Category: Closed Doors/ Fade to Black

Nantucket Christmas by Melissa Hill

Posted December 9, 2025 by Marsha in Christmas Romance, Closed Doors/ Fade to Black, Contemporary Romance, Holiday Romance, Kindle Unlimited, No Spice Romance, Series, Small Town Romance / 0 Comments

Love, legacy, and one last Nantucket Christmas …

When Clara returns home for the holidays, she expects a Christmas filled with family traditions and the comforting scent of her parents’ Nantucket bakery, The Flour Jar. Instead, she discovers their beloved shop – an island institution – is facing eviction, and the man behind it is James Carlisle, heir to a powerful Boston real estate family.

But when she goes to confront the landlord in his island rental home and is trapped there by a blizzard in the midst of his extended family’s arrival for the holidays, confusion abounds.

Clara doesn’t know that James is carrying a secret concern of his own and is desperate to make this Christmas special.
As snowbound misunderstandings give way to late-night confessions by the fire, cosy hot chocolate and stolen glances, she glimpses the man hidden behind the Nantucket Grinch façade — one burdened with responsibilities he can’t escape.

And when the storm clears, Clara must find a way to protect her family’s legacy, without risking her heart on someone who could take it all away.

Titles in the Nantucket series include:  Nantucket Summer ~ Nantucket Sunset ~ Nantucket Shores ~ Nantucket Christmas ~ Nantucket Wedding (February 2026) ~

This is a no-spice romance with either closed-door scenes or fade-to-black scenes. Tension and kisses might be involved 🙂

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Candlelight Bay Christmas by Megan Jacobs

Posted December 5, 2025 by Marsha in Booksprout ARC, Christmas Romance, Closed Doors/ Fade to Black, Holiday Romance, Kindle Unlimited, Previously Published, Series, Small Town Romance / 0 Comments

This uplifting holiday collection brings together three clean, heartwarming romances set in the same beloved seaside town. Each is a complete story with a feel-good ending, small-town charm, and just enough sparkle to make the season bright.

Christmas at Candlelight Bay
Mel’s dream Christmas – skiing with her boyfriend’s well-heeled family – goes off-script. A last-minute detour home to Candlelight Bay, a familiar smile, and a town full of traditions remind her what she really wants.

Holly’s Christmas Secret
Holly’s planning the mayor’s New Year’s gala; Colton runs the venue she rejected. When a blizzard strands them, Colton announces to her parents he’s her fiancé – and offers a trade: four days of make-believe for a second chance at the contract.

Saving Candlelight Inn
The inn’s future is on the line, and Angelica will do anything to keep its doors open, even team up with her infuriating, no-nonsense co-worker, James. Opposites attract, holiday hijinks ensue, and the race to save Christmas might just save them, too.

As Christmas lights sparkle across town and the ocean breeze mingles with pine and cocoa, Candlelight Bay feels like coming home.

Come for the festive cheer—stay for the happily ever afters.

Note: This is a story collection of three previously published novellas.

This is a collection of previously published novellas in the Candlelight Bay series: Christmas at Candlelight Bay ~ Holly’s Christmas Secret ~ Saving Candlelight Inn ~

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

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Sweet Christmas Comeback by Meredith Summers

Posted December 1, 2025 by Marsha in Christmas Romance, Closed Doors/ Fade to Black, Contemporary Romance, Holiday Romance, Kindle Unlimited, Series, Small Town Romance / 0 Comments

Jade Bennett can handle corporate backstabbing and hostile takeovers. A bakery held together by prayer and expired permits, a reindeer farmer with trust issues, and a vindictive town inspector with a mysterious grudge? Not so much.

When her aunt’s beloved Sugar Pine Sweets faces foreclosure, Jade returns to Frost Pine Ridge armed with an MBA and zero idea how to fix a commercial oven. Her only ally is Leo Carter—her high school almost-romance, who now raises reindeer and is convinced she’ll leave the moment things get hard.

Between learning to bake her great-grandmother’s legendary recipes, navigating small-town politics, and trying not to fall for a man who rescues her from electrical disasters while protecting his heart, Jade discovers that saving the bakery means saving herself. And maybe—if she can prove she’s staying—saving a chance at love with the quiet, stubborn man next door.

Because sometimes the sweetest recipe isn’t in any cookbook. It’s coming home, fighting for what matters, and learning that the people who challenge you the most might be exactly who you need.

Titles in the Frost Pine Ridge series include:  Sweet Christmas Comeback ~ Grumpy Glitter Christmas ~ Meddling Christmas Match-Up (12/18/25) ~ 

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

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Abducted in the Woods by Kerry Johnson

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

Pursued by criminals—with a child’s life on the line.

Just when Sarah Brindley believes she and her son, Liam, are safe from the men who murdered her husband, they are attacked—and Liam is taken.

Her only hope is to team up with her brother-in-law, forest ranger Tucker Brindley, to uncover who is targeting her family.

When they discover her late husband’s ties to an underground medical black-market ring, it’s clear the trail of danger runs deeper than they realized.

With assaults on them ramping up, they must race against the clock to recover young Liam…before they become the next victims.

Titles in the Forest Ranger Rescuers series include:  Hunted in the Forest* ~ Abducted in the Woods^ ~ Targeted in the Swamp^ ~

This is a clean, sweet romance with either closed doors or fade-to-black scenes.  It is a Romantic Suspense, so there may also be implied or actual violence within the story.

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Hearts Collide in Arborside by Janet Varity

Posted November 15, 2025 by Marsha in Booksprout ARC, Closed Doors/ Fade to Black, Contemporary Romance, Small Town Romance, Standalone / 0 Comments

I returned to Arborside to transform the old candy shop on the pier into my dream bakery and cafe. Little did I know, a surprise awaited me.

Jonathan Colt, a high school classmate. His presence makes me catch my breath. He is a tall, rugged, handsome billionaire and the town’s handyman to boot!

Despite his quiet life, content with routines and fatherhood, his arrogance and stubbornness pose a challenge.

As we work together cleaning and remodeling the bakery, each brush stroke and tile placed reveals glimpses of his desire for connection. Shared glances and smiles make my heart melt, and his son’s laughter begins to feel like home.

Jonathan remains a mystery because of the tragic loss of his wife and protective instincts for his son.

Balancing fatherhood and business seems to shelter him from the world.

Can I help him overcome the pain and loneliness of his loss? As our lives intertwine, will we grow closer and find love before fate dares to drive us apart?

~Standalone~

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

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Wrapped Up in Christmas Faith by Janice Lynn

Posted November 14, 2025 by Marsha in Booksprout ARC, Christmas Romance, Closed Doors/ Fade to Black, Contemporary Romance, Holiday Romance, Series, Small Town Romance, Tule Publishing / 0 Comments

A veteran with scars, a single dad with doubts, and a Christmas neither will forget.

Veteran Maggie Majors is in Pine Hill, Kentucky, on a mission, not to get involved in the town’s over-the-top Christmas festivities. Nonetheless, she’s judging their “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” contest. Twinkling lights, silver tinsel, and a borrowed princess costume aren’t going to fix the holes in her tortured-by-the-past heart, but Maggie will do anything to make the most of the second chance she’s been gifted. Even co-judge the games with a man who makes her insides jittery.

Firefighter Walker Bailey isn’t looking for romance, much less a fairytale happy-ever-after. He’d loved, lost, and been left a single dad. But spending time with Maggie has him adding her to the top of his Christmas wish list. If only he believed Santa could deliver the gift of love…

Can the spirit of Christmas bind their hearts, giving them a faith in love that can conquer their pasts?

Titles in the Wrapped Up in Christmas series include: Wrapped Up in Christmas ~  Wrapped Up in Christmas Joy ~ Wrapped Up in Christmas Hope ~ Wrapped Up in Christmas Love ~ Wrapped Up in Christmas Faith ~

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

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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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