When I was a kid, my parents would get out an old record player at the beginning of December.
We’d sit around as a family listening to the Disney character Jiminy Cricket narrating Twas the Night Before Christmas on vinyl—I just loved that classic story.
Those holiday memories stayed with me, and now, my favorite stories to listen to at this time of year are Christmas romance audiobooks.
This season of joy and giving is glorious, but it gets tiring too!
So how about gifting yourself with a bit of holiday relaxation… your twelve days of Christmas with the 12 of the best sweet to spicy, holiday-themed audiobooks!
- Underneath the Christmas Tree – sweet British romance
- In a Holidaze – screwball rom-com
- Christmas in Bayberry – sweet small-town romance
- The Corner of Holly and Ivy – feel-good festive romance
- A Christmas Date – rom-com fake relationship
- A Wedding in December – contemporary family romance
- Notting Hill in the Snow – contemporary rom-com
- Christmas at the Palace – feel-good royal romance
- Gay Romance Holiday Collection – LGBTQ romance
- Submitting for Christmas – erotic historical Romance
- Christmas with the Marine – steamy military romance
- Her Naughty Holiday – Blaze romance
Best Christmas Romance Audiobooks
Underneath the Christmas Tree – sweet British romance
Karen Cass frequently narrates author Heidi Swain’s sweet romances, which always sound like your close friend telling you her story.
Underneath the Christmas Tree is the audiobook version of slipping on comfy holiday clothing—there are no “ugly Christmas sweater” noises here!
You’ll cheer for heroine Liza Wynter as she returns to Wynmouth to deal with her late father’s business, Wynter’s Trees.
Snuggle in and listen to how Liza relearns the magic of Christmas with the hero, Ned.
In a Holidaze – screwball rom-com
Narrator Patti Murin takes on the New York Times bestseller In a Holidaze, and she succeeds in making this a hilarious and swoon-worthy listen!
Heroine Maelyn Jones is at a low point in life, and this year is the last Christmas she will spend at her favorite place in the world—or so Mae believes…
A fantasy-inspired time loop sends Mae into total déjà vu, and she must relive the same snowy Christmas in a Utah cabin with comically disastrous results.
Will Mae’s desperate wish finally come true, and will she find her true love under the mistletoe?
Christmas in Bayberry – sweet small-town romance
Narrator Emily Rankin received a five-star rating for Christmas in Bayberry, a 4.5-star wholesome romance from Hallmark Publishing.
This listen is classic, sweet romance plotting, with the heroine, Kate, dreaming of keeping her family’s candle business alive in small-town Bayberry, Vermont.
Enter the hero, Wesley, on track for a massive promotion with a big bank in Manhattan.
Wesley returns to Bayberry to audit the failing candle business. He knows what he needs to do—but he also knows Kate from years ago. Soon, Wesley falls for Bayberry’s Christmas charm and falls back in love with Kate, too…
The Corner of Holly and Ivy – feel-good festive romance
Becket Royce narrates The Corner of Holly and Ivy with the flair of a stage actor.
Heroine Arianna’s dreams are crushed, and Christmas isn’t brightening her spirits. Then her high school sweetheart Connor reappears in Harmony Harbor, and Ariana starts picturing kisses underneath the mistletoe…
Connor came home because he’s got something to prove. He will oppose Arianna in her race for mayor—even if that means losing her love.
Happily ever after for these two seems impossible… but with holiday cheer and help from the local matchmakers, Connor and Arianna might win after all.
A Christmas Date – rom-com fake relationship
The tagline for the holiday rom-com A Christmas Date is, “no one wants to be single at the holidays,” and the popular fake relationship plotline is narrated humorously by Tami Raistrick.
The heroine, Nikki, is “Little Miss Grinch.” Although she’s strong and successful, Nikki detests being single at Christmas. Then it gets comically horrific.
Her little sister gets engaged to Paul, the man Nikki secretly loves. Her only possible solution is hiring a fake boyfriend, and Nikki picks a suitably gorgeous man from the stack.
Add mistletoe magic and a sexy dose of bad behavior… Nikki discovers she’s “dating” the perfect guy, whether she wants him or not!
A Wedding in December – contemporary family romance
Lucy Tregear’s warm, maternal British accent narrates A Wedding in December, and I enjoyed the family dynamics she describes.
Rosie White surprises her family when she announces a Christmas wedding in snowy Aspen. Her parents, Maggie and Nick, begrudgingly arrive from abroad, but they’re carrying a secret.
Older sister Katie also dreads the upcoming wedding, and the gorgeous best man, Jordan, just makes it worse…
While the romantic plotline is entirely different, A Wedding in December reminds me how much I enjoyed the movie A Family Stone.
Notting Hill in the Snow – contemporary rom-com
Narrator Stephanie Beattie’s resume includes spine-tingling suspense audiobooks, and I enjoyed her Love Actually vibe here.
Viola is a musician—she plays the viola in a London orchestra. But this Christmas, she’s taking on the Notting Hill nativity play, and it’s stretching her abilities to the limit.
Nate’s daughter Grace is starring in the play, forcing him to volunteer. As the book cover states, the sparks between Nate and Viola get hotter than “chestnuts roasting in Portobello market!
What will happen when Nate and Viola get trapped together by snow in Notting Hill?
Christmas at the Palace – feel-good royal romance
Audiobook reviewers give narrator Carlyss Peer high praise for adapting her voice to every character in Christmas at the Palace.
Other reviewers thought Christmas was just a side note here, but since royal romances are so popular, I included this one!
Heroine Kumari never dreamed of becoming a princess, but then she falls for Ben.
He happens to be Prince Benedict, and Kumari faces plenty of challenges to get her fairytale ending…
Gay Romance Holiday Collection – LGBTQ romance
The pleasing masculine tone of narrator Kirt Graves gives this box set of gay holiday stories a sexy lift.
You get four steamy Christmas-themed novellas on audiobook here, and while the themes are mature, this is an entertaining listen that feels like sipping on warm, spicy rum!
Submitting for Christmas – erotic historical Romance
The summary of Submitting for Christmas suggests you check out a previous book first, but I didn’t find that necessary.
The Marquess of Alastair and Mildred Abbot shared one wicked night at the Château Follet, but now he wants her married off and out of his fantasies forever.
Submitting for Christmas contains the typical erotic elements, and if you enjoy spicy holiday themes, this is rated adult for fun!
Christmas with the Marine – steamy military romance
The narrators on this audiobook collection, Alexander Cendese and Gabrielle Cendese, have a cool story—they met acting together in an Off-Broadway play, and they later got married!
Alexander does a fantastic job with the gravelly voice of Major Ben Hawthorne, and there are plenty of fun bits to release the steam you’ll feel listening to this sexy audiobook!
Her Naughty Holiday – Blaze romance
This companion audiobook, Her Naughty Holiday, comes with the previous selection, meaning you get to enjoy two steamy holiday audiobooks!
I loved chuckling over the antics of hapless heroine Clover Greene and her fake Christmas boyfriend, sexy single dad Erick Fields. This is a red-hot listen with plenty of wicked fun!
Check out the Best Romance Audiobooks of All Time for more great romance picks!