Christmas Books That Are Not Cheesy Romances

This list of Christmas books that are not cheesy romances could also be titled Christmas books that do not read like Hallmark Christmas movies.

I have a whole list of books that read like Hallmark Christmas movies. I love to read those types of books, but I can only handle a few of them.

I like most books to have a deeper story and character development. I know many people feel the same.

Today, I am bringing you a list of non-Hallmark movie Christmas books. These are books where romance is not the central theme. Some of them have romance and love stories, but romance is not the focus of the books.

These books are historical fiction, general Christmas fiction, and even mysteries.

This is a list of books for those who want a Christmas book but don’t want a cheesy romance.

Last Christmas In Paris by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb is one of my all time favorite Christmas books. It is set in 1914 and 1968.

It is a WWII book with a love story, but it is so much more than romance. It is about war, personal struggles, and war struggles. It is about privilege and class in England and growing old.

It is so good.

Christmas With the Queen is another Christmas book by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb. It is historical fiction set at Christmas time in England shortly after WWII.

This is another book that has a love story, but there is so much other stuff going on that I did not feel like the romance was the central theme. It is definitely more historical fiction than romance.

Christmas With the Queen is about Olive, an inspiring BBC reporter, and Jack, a chef who gets a job working in the royal kitchen.

Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan is a historical fiction book published in 2021. I read this in 2022 and thought I had reviewed it on the site, but when I was adding it to this list I realized that I hadn’t.

Once Upon a Wardrobe is a great December and winter read. It is about a brother and sister on a mission to find out where Narnia came from.

The story is set in England during the winter, so it is a great read for this time of year.

A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg was published in 2005, so this is an older book. I read it years ago, before my daughter and I started this website. This book has become somewhat of a Christmas classic. So many people love this book and list it as a Christmas favorite.

A Redbird Christmas is set at Christmas time in southern Alabama, in a small community. It is about a small country store, a postman who delivers mail by boat, and a group of ladies who know everything about everyone in this small community.

I would describe this book as a charming Christmas read that reminds you about the magic of the holidays.

Christmas Bells by Jennifer Chiaverini is a historical fiction book based on the story of the poem I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.

I read this years ago and enjoyed it. After reading it I wanted to learn more about the real story behind I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.

If you like Jennifer Chiaverini’s books and haven’t read this one, I think you will enjoy it.

Small Things Like These by Clair Keegan is set in Ireland in 1985 at Christmas.

This was a recent read for me. It doesn’t wrap up in a neat package. Some people don’t like the ending, but I didn’t mind it. In fact, I couldn’t stop thinking about it and to me that makes it a good book.

This was a recent Oprah book club pick. I read it before Oprah picked it. I don’t usually enjoy Oprah book picks, but I can see why she chose this one.

Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie is my new favorite Porirot book. I listened to it on audio and loved it.

It was a fun Poirot mystery, perfect for this time of year. If you have never read a Hercule Poirot book, I think this would be a good one to start with.

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter was released this year. You have probably heard about it because it has been all over social media recently. They did a great job marketing this new release book,

I would describe this as a Christmas Mystery with some Rom-Com mixed in. There is a romance in this one, but it has comedy and mystery as well. The romance is a little bit cheesy, but I wouldn’t consider it a Hallmark movie-type romance. I do think this would make a fum rom-com Christmas movie.

It is about a mystery author who is missing from an English estate at Christmas. Two other authors are determined to solve the crime.

I liked this one but didn’t love it. The main reason is that it just wasn’t what I was expecting. I think I am in the minority on this, though. Most people seem to love it, which is why I added it to the list.

By Samantha Silva, Mr. Dickens and His Carol is a historical fiction book about Charles Dickens and The Christmas Carol.

This story is well written. If you love historical fiction set at Christmas, you will enjoy it.

The Christmas Pearl by Dorothea Benton Frank was published in 2009, so it is an older book. That has become somewhat of a modern Christmas classic book.

Theodora is ninety three years. She longs for Christmas like she grew up having, but her family is not getting along, and has more modern ideas of what Christmas should be like.

Someone from Theodora’s past comes back to bring the magic of Christmas back to her.

I would describe this book as a comforting Christmas read.

A Christmas Quilt by Sandra Dallas is a historical fiction book set during the Civil War. This book is about the Christmas gift of a quilt, but it is also about so much more.

It is about friendship, finding family, surviving difficult situations, the power of friendship between women, and more.

I have a few more books in my stack to read this year, so I will update this list later this month.

I would love to hear about your favorite Christmas books that are not cheesy romance reads in the comments.