The Cinnamon Scrooge
(2026)(The eighth book in the Essentially Sweet Romance series)
A Story by Elysian Hunt
He needs a wife to save Christmas. She has no idea she just married the man everyone else wants.
Calder Voss has money, fame, millions of followers—and absolutely no interest in letting another woman close enough to use him.
But the Christmas Village his late sister, Calli, dreamed of building is about to slip through his fingers. An ancient deed restriction has one ridiculous requirement Calder can’t buy his way around:
The village must be run by a family.
Which means Calder needs a wife.
Fast.
Nikki Smith needs something too—a chance to prove she can fix the impossible without watching her own life fall apart in the process. Marrying a complete stranger was definitely not on her career plan.
Then again, neither was discovering that her new husband is that Calder Voss.
The man women recognize everywhere.
The man who trusts almost no one.
The man who can charm millions through a screen...yet seems completely baffled by the woman now sleeping under his roof.
Their marriage is supposed to be simple.
Convincing enough to save the village.
Temporary enough to protect their hearts.
But Christmas has a way of making fake things feel dangerously real.
Especially when Nikki starts falling for the Calder no one else gets to see—the grieving brother, the fiercely loyal protector, the man who remembers what she likes and notices when she’s hurting and looks at her as if being married to her might be the first thing in his carefully controlled life he never wants to end.
And Calder has an even bigger problem.
His fake wife doesn’t want his fame.
She doesn’t want his followers.
She might not even want his money.
She just might want him.
But beneath the cinnamon, twinkle lights, stolen kisses, and a Christmas Village fighting to come alive, something about Calli’s death has never made sense.
And the closer Nikki gets to Calder’s heart, the closer they both get to a secret someone may have already killed to keep.
A fake marriage. A guarded celebrity. A woman who refuses to be impressed. One very lovable dog. And a Christmas romance that was never supposed to become real.
A complete standalone romance in the Essentially Sweet Romance series—no previous books required.
The Cinnamon Scrooge is a clean romantic suspense filled with laugh-out-loud chemistry, forced proximity, Christmas magic, swoony protective moments, mystery, dogs, and a happily-ever-after worth believing in.
He married her to save Christmas.
He never expected her to save him.
Genre: Romance
Calder Voss has money, fame, millions of followers—and absolutely no interest in letting another woman close enough to use him.
But the Christmas Village his late sister, Calli, dreamed of building is about to slip through his fingers. An ancient deed restriction has one ridiculous requirement Calder can’t buy his way around:
The village must be run by a family.
Which means Calder needs a wife.
Fast.
Nikki Smith needs something too—a chance to prove she can fix the impossible without watching her own life fall apart in the process. Marrying a complete stranger was definitely not on her career plan.
Then again, neither was discovering that her new husband is that Calder Voss.
The man women recognize everywhere.
The man who trusts almost no one.
The man who can charm millions through a screen...yet seems completely baffled by the woman now sleeping under his roof.
Their marriage is supposed to be simple.
Convincing enough to save the village.
Temporary enough to protect their hearts.
But Christmas has a way of making fake things feel dangerously real.
Especially when Nikki starts falling for the Calder no one else gets to see—the grieving brother, the fiercely loyal protector, the man who remembers what she likes and notices when she’s hurting and looks at her as if being married to her might be the first thing in his carefully controlled life he never wants to end.
And Calder has an even bigger problem.
His fake wife doesn’t want his fame.
She doesn’t want his followers.
She might not even want his money.
She just might want him.
But beneath the cinnamon, twinkle lights, stolen kisses, and a Christmas Village fighting to come alive, something about Calli’s death has never made sense.
And the closer Nikki gets to Calder’s heart, the closer they both get to a secret someone may have already killed to keep.
A fake marriage. A guarded celebrity. A woman who refuses to be impressed. One very lovable dog. And a Christmas romance that was never supposed to become real.
A complete standalone romance in the Essentially Sweet Romance series—no previous books required.
The Cinnamon Scrooge is a clean romantic suspense filled with laugh-out-loud chemistry, forced proximity, Christmas magic, swoony protective moments, mystery, dogs, and a happily-ever-after worth believing in.
He married her to save Christmas.
He never expected her to save him.
Genre: Romance