First published 2026
A woman finds herself trapped in close quarters with her older brother's best friend, a Christmas-hating grouch who turns out to have unexpected charm. Two neighbors make a pact to boycott the holidays together, only to discover something deeper brewing between them. Former lovers get stuck at an airport during holiday travel, forcing them to confront their unfinished business. These are just three of the dozen romantic tales waiting inside sealed packages, each designed to be opened on a different day leading up to Christmas. The collection brings together stories of unexpected connections, second chances, and new beginnings that all unfold during the holiday season. Each romance offers its own flavor of seasonal magic, from chance encounters to rekindled flames, promising readers a different kind of love story to unwrap as December progresses toward Christmas morning.
Genres: collections, adult, adult-fiction, contemporary-romance, holiday
Vibes: festive, heartwarming, intimate, romantic, uplifting
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, forced-proximity, friends-to-lovers, second-chance-romance
Setting: Christmas
Period: December, Advent
384 pages · Paperback · Atria Books