NOTE: This post first appeared in the Roswell Daily Record…

At this time of the year there are a lot of cozy, seasonal  scifi and paranormal romance stories out there to curl up with over a cup of hot cocoa.

Evangeline Anderson takes one of the major tropes – two people trapped in a cabin together – and turns the idea on its head in Trapped in the Christmas Cabin: A Kindred Tales Spicy Shorts Novella. The two main characters are an alien (MMC) and a human (FMC), co-workers, assigned to test a Christmas village created by an alien race who have possibly watched too many movies on the Hallmark channel from their interplanetary home. The pair are to stay in a specially created “Christmas Cabin”. According to reviews the story is a fast mix of funny moments, spicy scenes and “nothing goes as expected” events.     Amazon

Snowed in with My Alien Boss: A Sci Fi Alien Romance (Tallean Mercenaries)  by Lynnea Lee takes a different angle on the cabin trope. The human FMC takes shelter at the repair shop where she works, which triggers an alarm for her alien boss. He was on his way to a nice, snowy cabin in the woods but turns around to check on the shop and his employee. He’s secretly had feelings for her for a long time so of course he’s concerned about her welfare. The snow falls, they’re stuck together at the shop and of course steamy scenes ensue, with a happy ending for the pair.       AmazonKU

The Knotty Clause: A SciFi Alien Warrior Holiday Romance (Horned Holidays) by Honey Phillips spins the story of a woman who took a job at a remote space mine, only to find out things are really bad there. She and her young son flee but their craft goes down in a blizzard. Cue the MMC, an alien who crashed on the planet three years before and chose to remain there in his remote location, alone with his many sad memories. When he rescues the FMC and her son, his life changes, although he resists at first, insisting on a strict contract if he’s going to allow the pair to stay with him. Over time he loosens up on the clauses as he falls in love and learns to trust his heart.       AmazonKU

Prize for the Alien Grumpus by Athena Storm isn’t exactly cozy, even if the MMC is an alien version of Krampus who demands hot cocoa. As the blurb states: “It’s like Santa’s workshop collided with an alien invasion.” The FMC has a daughter to keep safe and provide for, while dodging alien bounty hunters who are after the MMC, and dealing with his insistence that she is to be his queen. A lot for a girl to handle at the holidays! But of course she does and there’s spice and romance on the way to the HEA ending.     AmazonKU

Dancer and the Ice Bear (Furry United Coalition Book 9) by Eve Langlais takes us into paranormal romance territory and mixes up Krampus, reindeer shifters, a polar bear shifter and many holiday complications. To quote the blurb: “Krampus has taken Santa’s Village hostage and it’s up to Dancer to fly into action and save Christmas!” but since Dancer doesn’t have a shiny nose, she gets lost in a blizzard and crashes near the home of a polar bear shifter named Nanook He’s ex-military but has no desire to get involved until Krampus ups the stakes by kidnapping the village children, including his two daughters. Then he recruits some furry pals and goes into action. Meanwhile Dancer is trying to melt his cold heart, which of course she does or there’d be no romance.     Amazon

Wrong Number, Right Santa: An MM Mpreg Shifter Romance (Dial M For Mates) by Colbie Dunbar and Lorelei M. Hart offers a reindeer shifter who somehow got stuck running his town’s Christmas Spectacular. Everything is going along fine until the person who was to play Santa Claus quits and no one will step up. Then the MMC finds a card with the real Santa’s address at the North Pole (thanks to an interfering elf). As the authors state, there’s “tree decorating, enough cookies for the North Pole, hot chocolate on a snowy night, Christmas magic, a dog named Max, holiday cheer, true love, fated mates, an adorable baby, and a happy ever after.” Because of course Santa and this reindeer shifter turn out to be fated mates. Bring on the candy canes!       AmazonKU

The famous Grinch never looked as hot as he does on the cover of The Grinch Who Stole Orcmas (OrcFire Book 7) by Alana Khan. He’s an orc firefighter who loathes Christmas. So of course his boss sends him to help out the human in charge of organizing all the city’s events for children to celebrate. She’s his polar opposite in terms of her love for the holiday but when the donated toys are stolen, he helps her investigate the theft and protects her when things get a bit dangerous and of course finds himself falling in love. The holiday spirit prevails and a HEA is achieved for all.       AmazonKU

Beyond the Depths: A Bite Of Winter And A Sip Of Trouble: A Winter Fantasy Romance Anthology by various authors offers eight fantasy romance tales of the holiday season with “snow-kissed landscapes, glistening ice, and the undeniable spark of love.”  I always think anthologies are such an excellent way to sample new-to-me authors and perhaps find a few new favorites.      AmazonKU

Authors finding themselves within their own fantasy worlds is another fun trope. Delta James writes it well in Mistletoe and Magic: A Supernatural Holiday Romance where the FMC makes a wish on a falling star at midnight and wakes up in the fictional town she created for her unfinished novel. She’s running the bakery as it turns out and feels so at home and happy there she considers staying forever. The town clock is doing a countdown to the deadline for her decision. When she meets and falls in love with the owner of a struggling, rustic ski lodge in her fantasy town, everything becomes even more complicated. Will she stay with him or will she return to her real life? HEA assured.   AmazonKU

I have a holiday novella Winter Solstice Dream, set in my fantasy world of Claddare. It’s inspired by the Cinderella fairy tale, and tells the story of the castle’s cook, her love for a fierce mercenary noble who has to marry a high born lady and the way they arrive at their HEA.   Amazon

I hope your winter is warm and cozy and full of happy reading!

VS Note: Here are a few more which released after my deadline for the newspaper column.

ROSEMARY AND BRY’T: AN ALIEN CHRISTMAS NOVELLA by Katie Neptune

Christmas in a log cabin, a billion miles from Earth . . .Trapped on a distant mining planet, Rosemary struggles to find her Christmas spirit while eking out an unhappy living as a dancer at an alien nightclub. When a handsome stranger, Bry’t, offers a chance to escape, she’s torn between hope and distrust. As the snow falls outside Bry’t’s cabin, and Rosemary brings her Christmas traditions to this alien world, a menace slinks through the woods. Rosemary and Bry’t’s fragile bond deepens even as danger looms, cookies burn, and Rosemary’s mistletoe dreams threaten to turn to nightmares. That’s not a recipe for Christmas bliss. Even if Bry’t’s lips taste like berries.   AmazonKU

A MOUNTAIN MAN CHRISTMAS (HOLIDAY SHIFTERS OF FROST MOUNTAIN) by Lisa Daniels

Perks of becoming a bounty hunter?You get cool weapons and handcuffs…and you get to hunt people down. The downsides? Lower life expectancy, getting your butt kicked by felons…And finding yourself trapped on a freezing mountain to spend the rest of your years. If you even live that long, that is. Sure, some people have rotten luck. Me? I get to spend Christmas on Frost Mountain…handcuffed to an infuriating, impossibly sexy outlaw on the run. This wolf shifter claims he’s innocent, but the trail of blood in his wake says otherwise. And as long as I’m handcuffed to this big, bad wolf…I could be next on his wish—I mean, hit—list.     AmazonKU

A MAN FOR MRS CLAUS by Rebekah Witherspoon

Running the North Pole and making good on the promise of comfort and joy for a few billion people is no simple two-step around the Christmas tree. Mr. and Mrs. Claus have always worked in tandem to do just that so when her third husband realizes it’s time to peace out and move on to more Heavenly pastures, the angels and all the elves know what time it is. They need to find Tiffany Saint-Nicholas a new man. With the holiday calendar slowing down for no one, her team has three days to find her a new Santa. Someone kind, loving and willing to take on the spirit of the season, and with the potential to hopefully be Tiffany’s first true love match. Tiffany thinks that idea is cute and all, and so are the men they line up for her. But she knows delivering on their Christmas obligations is what really matters, not the chemistry she might have with the candidates in question. Too bad one respective Santa will stop at nothing to show her and the rest of the North Pole population that no amount of silver or gold is more important than winning Tiffany’s heart.

Amazon

A CHRISTMAS LETTER by Scarlett Grove

A mysterious letter brings love to Fate Mountain this holiday season. Elias Frost, a rugged polar bear shifter, has spent years hiding from his past in the icy wilderness. But a mysterious letter urging him to return to Fate Mountain at Christmas awakens a longing he thought was lost forever. Holly Bright pours her heart into her ornament shop, spreading holiday cheer to the whole town. Beneath her sparkling smile lies the weight of strange, threatening letters and the fear of another lonely Christmas. When a brooding stranger with piercing blue eyes and an undeniable connection walks into her world, everything changes. As the spark of their fated bond ignites, old dangers resurface, threatening Holly’s safety and their fragile new love. Together, they must uncover the truth behind the letter that brought them together, while rediscovering hope, family, and the courage to trust.     AmazonKU

A MERRY MISFIT CHRISTMAS (THE TWISTED MISFITS MC BOOK ONE) by Darlene Tallman and Nikki Landis

VS note: I one clicked.

After years spent on the run and living on the outside looking in, a group of shifters form a motorcycle club where the men become a blended family of sorts. Determined to find their place and form a home, they start up several businesses to help their somewhat impoverished community. Their only desire? To finally fit in somewhere. Finding their mates will be a wild, unexpected ride! It’s Christmas time, and when the local foster care organization reaches out, the president of the Misfits offers up one of the members to play Santa Claus for the kids …He’s grumpy, surly, and can’t believe he’s being forced to be around whiny, snotty children when all he wants to do is head into the woods and sulk. Until … the most delectable scent wafts across his nose, and he realizes his mate is nearby. But with a chance encounter, an overturned cup of hot cocoa, and his fumbling fingers, she’s stomping away from him instead of into his arms. That’s not acceptable. He’s determined to win her heart no matter what it takes, even if that means donning a white beard and shouting ho, ho, ho in front of every member of the club.

Amazon

SANTA’S CHRISTMAS KISS (MOUNTAIN HOWLER BOOK FIVE) by Tia Capway

Two damaged souls. One Christmas miracle. Andrew Beaumont is a dominant Alpha male. Protective. Fiercely loyal. After losing his first mate, he swore off love. Until fate brings her to him. Sylvia Beaumont is strong and resilient. A mother to five Alpha sons. She buried her heart with her first mate. But Andrew ignites a bond she can’t deny. Their connection is instant. Their love is fated. Both are scarred by loss; they must heal together. Can they embrace a second chance this Christmas?       AmazonKU

SNOWED IN WITH THE ALIEN PILOT (WARRIORS OF THE LATHAR) by Mina Carter

She doesn’t trust him, but denying her feelings may be her biggest mistake. General Evelyn Allen thrives on control and thrives even more when keeping arrogant aliens like Sub-Commander Rhade K’Vass at bay. But when a deadly storm traps them together, the fight she’s prepared for shifts into a battle against her own emotions. The ice between them begins to thaw, but can she afford to let him into her world—or her heart? He thought she was untouchable, but she’s the only mission that matters. Sub-Commander Rhade K’Vass knows what it’s like to be underestimated, but Evelyn Allen’s rejection cuts deeper than any enemy fire. When a dangerous storm traps them in isolation, he sees a chance to prove he’s more than the enemy she expects—and more than the pilot she dismisses. But every step closer to her reveals a side of himself he’s spent a lifetime hiding. If they can’t bridge the gap between trust and passion, the storm will leave more than just their hearts in ruins.       Amazon

WINNING THE CHRISTMAS PRINCE’S HEART by Olivia Boothe

Alva Brightwinter is the North Pole’s fiercest and most accomplished head elf. Dedicated, efficient, and utterly unshakable, she’s spent her life ensuring Christmas runs like a well-oiled sleigh. Falling for a rakish prince? Not on her to-do list. But when magic falters and an ancient evil rises, Alva is forced to team up with Nicholas Claus, the charming, reckless heir to Santa’s mantle. Unfortunately for her, the scoundrel prince is more of a royal pain in her Cinna-bum than he is royalty—and he’s about to test not only her patience but also her carefully guarded heart. Nicholas Claus has spent years dodging responsibility—and the weight of his father’s expectations. But when the Frost Queen threatens to plunge the North Pole into eternal darkness, the reluctant prince knows it’s time to prove he’s more than the realm’s most eligible bachelor. The only problem? His best hope of saving Christmas rests in working with Alva Brightwinter, the headstrong elf who’s immune to his legendary charm and would rather face a blizzard than his antics. What starts as a reluctant alliance ignites into a fiery connection neither can deny. With the solstice fast approaching and the Frost Queen’s power growing, Nick and Alva must confront their fears, their pasts, and their undeniable bond. Because saving Christmas will take more than sugar plums and candy canes. It will require the ultimate sacrifice, their hearts.     AmazonKU