We recently heard about an Icelandic holiday tradition that we can get behind. Jolabokaflod, which translates in English as “Christmas Book Flood,” is the tradition of gifting books on Christmas Eve. After books are exchanged, holiday revelers curl up with a cup of cocoa and spend the evening reading. While other countries and cultures may share this book-giving tradition, Iceland has a cool, hard-to-pronounce name for it.
According to a quick internet search, Jolabokaflod dates back to World War II, when paper was one of the few items you could find in abundance. Icelanders began giving books as gifts since other items were in short supply. The world wide web is full of articles on Iceland’s literary history, and we encourage you to check them out; however, the purpose of this post is to share a few suggestions with you for authors and books that we think the romance bookworm in your life will love.
So, in no particular order, we give you our top recommendations in several romance categories. If there's a romance lover in your life, consider gifting them one of these novels on Christmas Eve.
Sports Romance
Amy Daws - Harris Brothers (Soccer)
Mariana Zapata - Kulti (Soccer)
Mariana Zapata - The Wall of Winnepeg and Me (Football)
Helena Hunting - Pucked Series (Hockey)
Sara Ney - Douchbag Series (Wrestling)
Office Romance
Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward Books - Hate Notes or Egomaniac are good places to start
Romantic Suspense
New Adult Romance
Marriage of Convenience
Second Chance Romance
Enemies to Lovers
Historical Romance
Friends to Lovers
Smart Romance
Penny Reid - Neanderthal Seeks Human, Beauty and the Mustache, Truth or Beard, Elements of Chemistry are all good places to start
Retellings
Small Town Romance
Rockstar Romance
Millionaire/Billionaire Romance
Paranormal
Please note that these are not affiliate links. We gain nothing by including them on this list other than the knowledge that you may share books we love with someone you love.
