The Twelve Dates of Christmas
(2026)(The fifth book in the Balsam Grove Christmas series)
A novel by Marianne Rice
AMELIA
When I pitched Twelve Dates of Christmas to the town suggestion box after a string of bland dates, I didn’t expect the mayor to say yes. I really didn’t expect her to draft the hottest, grumpiest single dad in town to be my date. All twelve times.
It doesn’t matter that Balsam Grove’s fire chief is smoking hot—pun intended. He’s grumpy, he’s insufferable, and he looks at me like I’m a walking fire code violation.
It was one time!
Now I’m stuck spending the holidays with a man who detests me, my coffee habit, and my charming sense of humor. The only saving grace is his son, who thinks I’m hilarious and has excellent taste in holiday sweaters.
TRACE
Amelia Simmons has been a disaster in my life since the day I put out a literal fire in her coffee shop. The woman is a caffeine-infused tornado.
I have a demanding job, crazy shift work, and a six-year-old son, which doesn’t leave room for anything else—especially not her.
But the mayor guilts me into all twelve dates, and I tell myself it’s for the town. Nothing more.
Somewhere between wreath-making and building blanket forts in my living room with my son, something inside me stops fighting this crazy thing between us.
Then everything goes up in flames. Literally and figuratively.
Tropes:
sweet holiday romance
fake dating
single dad
forced proximity
frenemies to lovers
Genre: Romance
When I pitched Twelve Dates of Christmas to the town suggestion box after a string of bland dates, I didn’t expect the mayor to say yes. I really didn’t expect her to draft the hottest, grumpiest single dad in town to be my date. All twelve times.
It doesn’t matter that Balsam Grove’s fire chief is smoking hot—pun intended. He’s grumpy, he’s insufferable, and he looks at me like I’m a walking fire code violation.
It was one time!
Now I’m stuck spending the holidays with a man who detests me, my coffee habit, and my charming sense of humor. The only saving grace is his son, who thinks I’m hilarious and has excellent taste in holiday sweaters.
TRACE
Amelia Simmons has been a disaster in my life since the day I put out a literal fire in her coffee shop. The woman is a caffeine-infused tornado.
I have a demanding job, crazy shift work, and a six-year-old son, which doesn’t leave room for anything else—especially not her.
But the mayor guilts me into all twelve dates, and I tell myself it’s for the town. Nothing more.
Somewhere between wreath-making and building blanket forts in my living room with my son, something inside me stops fighting this crazy thing between us.
Then everything goes up in flames. Literally and figuratively.
Tropes:
sweet holiday romance
fake dating
single dad
forced proximity
frenemies to lovers
Genre: Romance
Used availability for Marianne Rice's The Twelve Dates of Christmas