Fated Mates S08.11: Holiday Romance 2025

Podcast: Fated Mates – Romance Books for Novel People
Hosts: Sarah MacLean & Jen Prokop
Date: November 26, 2025

Episode Overview

In this annual holiday special, bestselling romance author Sarah MacLean and critic Jen Prokop share their favorite holiday romances for the 2025 season. They discuss what makes a great holiday romance, the themes and tropes they love (and don’t), and offer a thoughtful, funny rundown of this year’s most memorable Christmas, Hanukkah, and winter-themed love stories. The conversation ranges from personal holiday traditions and pet peeves to a lively debate about Christmas trees, family dynamics in romance, and the enduring allure of Santa as a romantic hero.

Personal Holiday Banter & Setup

[00:00–09:29]

Christmas Spirit vs. Thanksgiving

• Jen kicks off: “I love Christmas tree.” She’s feeling festive and has put up her tree a week before Thanksgiving, thanks to years of dealing with cats who'd wreak havoc on real ones. Sarah prefers real trees for the “When Harry Met Sally of it all.”
• Language tangent: They debate whether “wrestle” (or “razzle/rascal”) is a word—lots of word-nerdy fun and dictionary gripes.

Traditions & Holiday Vibes

• Sarah fondly recalls buying trees from young men from Vermont, emphasizing communal traditions.

Marriage and Christmas Tree Skirts

• Jen’s unique tradition: her Christmas tree skirt is actually her wedding dress (08:20).

  “It would be nice to, like, be able to do something with it... you could turn into a Christmas tree skirt. And I was like, that's a great fucking idea.”

• Jen promises to share a photo of her wedding dress-turned-skirt.

Setting the Tone: What Makes a Good Holiday Romance

[09:36–24:53]

Why Holiday Books Are Hard to Preview

• The best new holiday romances often aren’t released until October or November (sometimes even December—too late for optimal reading!).
• Jen groans about the late release of some books she most anticipated.

Core Demands for Holiday Romance

• Quick Pacing:

  “[I want] something that like after I’ve cleaned the kitchen for the 43rd time, I can like creep up into my bed and read a full on sexy romance in a tower.” – Sarah [17:01]

• Family & Reckoning Themes:
  Jen prefers stories where something “isn’t quite right”—akin to It's a Wonderful Life, with characters needing to fix a personal or familial void.
• Characters Feeling Alone

  “Media has really sold us a false bill of goods on Christmas... you don’t actually get to do this with your friends... often you’re... required to travel somewhere, be somewhere, do something with family. And that feels like a burden in a very different way. Romance... kind of waves away that family issue.” – Sarah [19:38]

• Sexiness & Setting:
  Both prefer stories that are explicit, specific about place, and “really rooted in the reality of what Christmas in America is like” [21:19].
• Family Dynamics and Inclusion:
  Sarah points out that many (mostly white, cis-het) romances sideline community/family in favor of an isolated holiday for the main couple.

Quick Housekeeping

[24:14–24:53]

• Reminder: Fated Mates’ “Best of the Year” romance box is available via Pocketbooks in Lancaster, PA—no profit for the hosts; just a way to promote romance and support independent bookstores.

2025’s Standout Holiday Romances: Reviews & Recs

[24:53–95:47]

1. Anne of Avenue A by Audrey Bellezza & Emily Harding

[24:53–30:29]

• Austin retelling, NYC setting. College sweethearts Anne and Freddie break up when young; ten years later, he returns as a successful entrepreneur—she, the one who “played it safe,” faces up to all she's lost.
• Not super sexy; great for Austen lovers or new-to-romance readers.
• “Perfect on-ramp to romance if you have a friend who is maybe romance-questioning.” – Jen [29:13]

2. Santa Cutie by Jenny Alexandra

[30:34–32:43]

• Adorable, grumpy/sunshine, found family, forced proximity. Melody, who “worships Christmas,” is paired with a surly Christmas-hater at the nursing home pageant.

3. Christmas in Coconut Creek by Carissa Kinward

[32:43–39:45]

• Hot, opposites-attract, tropical Florida vibes.
• Ophelia wants a no-family Christmas, matches with a guy on an app who turns out to be her seatmate on the plane—and the best friend’s boyfriend’s roommate.
• “Frankie the hero is a smoking hot dirty talker... very, very humid.” – Sarah [37:43]

4. Mistletoe and Mishigas by Ma Wardell

[39:45–45:08]

• Gay, Jewish, first-grade teacher/custodian; very funny, sharp characterization (“Top—how rude” joke).
• Strong intergenerational commentary about how attitudes toward queerness have shifted.
• “I laughed out loud lots of times reading it. Just like really funny. I mean, Sheldon is just like, nonstop talk.” – Jen [44:08]

5. Yours for the Season by Uzma Jalaluddin (Anticipation/Preview)

[45:08–48:39]

• F/Fake dating, Muslim/Christian (Alaska!) culture clash, social media influencer hero, ambitious attorney heroine.
• “Cross-cultural misunderstandings, hijinks, a culture clash as the sort of trading in holiday traditions. And Samira and Tom are realizing that they're falling in love...” – Sarah [47:40]

6. The Holiday Hookup List by Alexis Daria

[48:46–54:17]

• High school rivals turned hot-lawyer lovers.
• Dirty, inventive sex list—“the only rule is if it goes on the sex list, both must be giver and receiver” [53:24].
• Fast, fun, and “not just about sex—also a city adventure list.”

7. Make My Wish Come True by Caroline Linden

[54:21–59:20]

• Road trip historical novella with sleigh rides and fake marriage.
• Quick, classic, comforting—Sarah’s go-to for “straight down the middle, delicious romance.”

8. Harlequin Presents Double-Header

[59:31–67:14]
Claiming His Christmas Wife by Dani Collins

• Billionaire/ex-wife/past hurts; over-the-top drama and redemption.
  An Heir for Christmas by Caitlin Crews
• Accidental one-night stand in Italy (she’s a single mom, he’s secretly her boss and the absentee father); “super over the top. Dramatic as only a Harlequin Presents can be.” – Jen.

9. Second Chance Romance by Olivia Dade

[67:21–69:16]

• Harlot’s Bay series continues. Reunited older couple, small town, audiobook narrator and local baker.

10. The Rescue by Julie Weaver

[69:16–75:32]

• Romantic suspense novella, CIA/spy banter.
• “Sprinkled with suspense, but plenty of heat and fun.” Perfect for anyone wanting “just enough action to spice up the romance.”
• “[They] just, like, bang. And it's great. It's very fast. It's very yummy. I just think I had a great time.” – Sarah [74:29]

11. Christmas in Spite of You by K.C. Mills

[75:57–80:56]

• Opposites attract, forced proximity, heroine in financial trouble rents apartment to hero (accidentally while still living there); “straight down the middle, perfect holiday vibes.”

12. Saint and the Queen by Desiree

[80:56–87:51]

• Santa magical realism, Atlanta setting, Black cast reimagining of Santa lineages.
• Eve grew up told she’s Santa’s daughter; discovers truth and must marry an ordinary Amazon driver to save the Saint line.
• “If we’re hallucinating, then I’ll come find you in the real world.” [87:39]—romantic highlight.

13. Date Night in December by Jacqueline Snow

[87:52–91:47]

• Marriage-in-trouble, small town Illinois, hero drops everything to win wife back before Christmas. “Not working through it together per se—he knows what he’s lost and is desperate.”

14. Santa’s Baby by Lacy Hawthorne

[91:49–95:47]

• “A one-handed Santa read.”
• Holly’s angry letter to Santa brings a visit from a very hot, very single Claus. Time-travel shenanigans, revenge on her ex via Ring cam, and lots of explicit fun.
• “Not only do I have a man in my house, I’m gonna go outside and fuck Santa in front of the ring camera.” – Sarah [95:02]

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the Fantasy Side of Christmas:

  “Media has really sold us a false bill of goods on Christmas...” – Sarah [18:28]

• On Crafting the Perfect Holiday Romance:

  “I want them to be sexy and that is sort of hand in hand with the characters. [They] have to be sort of alone because they can’t be like boning all over their parents’ house.” – Sarah [22:05]

• “Every episode that is holiday related should have a Santa romance in it.” – Sarah [80:56]
• Humor highlight:

  “Santa is not the only one coming this Christmas, just FYI.” – Sarah [92:05]

Final Thoughts & Endnotes

[95:47–end]

• Sarah notes proudly she kept second-chance romances out of her recs this year; she preferred “strangers meeting… and sometimes the stranger is Santa.”
• Jen: “And to all a good night.”
• Listeners reminded to check show notes for full lists and links, share their own favs on Discord, and consider gifting a Fated Mates Patreon subscription to fellow romance lovers.

Useful Timestamps

• [09:36] What makes a good holiday romance (core themes, tropes)
• [24:53] Book Recs begin
• [39:45] Best dialogue/characterization in holiday romance (on “Mistletoe and Mishigas”)
• [80:56] Saint and the Queen: inventive Black Santa mythos
• [91:49] Santa’s Baby: a sex-positive, “one-handed” Santa read

Overall Tone

The tone is warm, lively, and often irreverent, embracing both the silliness and sincerity of holiday reading. Sarah and Jen blend book-nerd enthusiasm, feminist insight, and genuine affection for both their listeners and the genre. Expect playful profanity, side-splitting banter, and a shared spirit of “weird, wonderful, no-kink-shaming” book love.

For More

• Show Notes & Book Links: fatedmates.net (look for S08.11)
• Best of the Year Romance Box: fatedmates.netbookbox
• Fated Mates Discord & Patreon: patreon.com/fatedmates

Whether you love high-heat Christmas miracles, inclusive found families, or just want a lightning-paced novella to survive a holiday with relatives, this episode has something for every romance reader’s TBR pile.