Really, then, when it comes down to it, what makes the genre special is the added sense of joy: the joy of community and family, the joy of decorating, the joy of getting to wear big coats and jumpers, the possibility of a ‘Christmas miracle’ and of course, presents! We get a happy ending, but now there are pretty lights everywhere, lots of cinnamon-spiced baked goods, and there is white stuff falling from the sky too! What more could you ask for? Both the magical, snowy, fairy-lit backdrop of the setting and the sense of togetherness that comes with celebrating only bolsters the already uplifting romance. My favourite thing about the genre is the sense of magic that comes with the winter season. Before we get into it, let’s talk about why we love festive romance.

I enjoy cosy Hallmark-esque stories as much as anyone (you’ll find the Christmas24 channel turned on from November 1 st in my house) but, as a queer person, I can’t pretend as though it isn’t a little bit disheartening to see the lack of diversity in this genre. You only have to browse holiday romance titles to see many variations of similar books and movies, most of which entail a romance between a city woman and a small-town man, or vice versa, who find a love of Christmas (and each other - insert ‘awws’ here) together. They know that holiday romances don’t last, and Robin has had her heart broken one too many times before, but can they overcome the distance between them and find a happily ever after together?ĭespite the growing number of LGBTQ+ books being published in recent years, it’s sometimes difficult to find the words ‘queer’ and ‘festive romance’ in the same sentence - or ‘inclusive’ in general. But despite their rocky start these two unlikely people can’t help but fall for each other under the starry Canadian skies. The last thing she expects is to clash with standoffish ski instructor Neve. So when she discovers she forgot to cancel her honeymoon she sees this as the perfect opportunity to get away it’s time to relax and embrace adventure!

She’s tired, overworked and most definitely not ready to spend the holidays with her rowdy family in Manchester. Robin Ellis has had a year she’d like to forget. Today on the site we have Honeymoon for One author Rachel Bowdler, talking about the importance of queer characters in festive romance fiction! But before we get to the post, here’s a little more info on Honeymoon for One, which released yesterday from Embla/Bonnier Books UK in ebook and audio!Ī cancelled engagement.

Honeymoon for One by Rachel Bowdler