The Twelve Loves of Christmas Review: Twelve Festive Romance Novellas in an Advent Box

The Twelve Loves of Christmas turns holiday reading into a small daily ritual: twelve sealed romance novellas, intended to be opened one at a time in the run-up to Christmas. The box also includes stickers, postcards and art, making the format part of the gift. For the reviewer, its compact, festive packaging brought back the anticipation of opening an advent calendar as a child.

The collection brings together Alexandria Bellefleur, Elise Bryant, Olivia Dade, Alexis Daria, Sarah Hogle, Zakiya N. Jamal, Rebecca Jenshak, Jessica Joyce, Susan Lee, Joss Richard and Rebekah Weatherspoon. Across the stories, familiar romance setups meet seasonal settings: rivals and friends become something more, exes reconnect, and characters find themselves sharing close quarters. The novellas vary in tone and heat, from sweet, gentle encounters to stories that move quickly toward spice.

Stories with different strengths

The reviewer’s clear favourite is Alexandria Bellefleur’s “I’ll Be Home for Ex-Mas,” a second-chance romance involving exes stranded at an airport. They describe it as the collection’s sweetest story and its best written. Olivia Dade’s “A Solstice Kiss” is another highlight: its museum meet-cute in Sweden offers a soft, clean romance that earned the reviewer’s second-place spot.

Jessica Joyce opens the set with “A Merry Little Christmas.” The reviewer found its direction predictable and its resolution easy, but still enjoyed the writing and found it a satisfying start. “Decking His Halls” by Alexis Daria leans into the brother’s best friend trope, pairing a woman with her older brother’s grinchy friend. Its decorations and jokes bring the seasonal fun, though the reviewer felt the emphasis on heat came at the expense of emotional connection and character development.

Some stories left the reviewer wanting more room for romance to grow. In Elise Bryant’s “Someone to Hold On To,” a cookie thief sparks a chance encounter, but the reviewer felt the romantic thread remained a minor part of the story. “Ho Ho Oh No” by M.A. Wardell recasts the snowed-in setup with two men; the reviewer welcomed the representation, while finding the novella short on substance and momentum.

“Twelve Seconds to Forever” by Rebecca Jenshak prompted one specific complaint: the reviewer wanted more grovelling. Joss Richard’s “All Roads Lead Home” follows childhood friends, a dynamic the reviewer felt was difficult to develop convincingly in novella form without flashbacks. In “Skipping Christmas,” Rebekah Weatherspoon’s protagonist is notably fond of pink, a character detail the reviewer singled out.

A quick read with a seasonal mood

Susan Lee’s “Holiday Blackout” traps two rival workaholics together at the office after hours. Its dual points of view gave the reviewer useful context for both characters, but they would have preferred more development before the story turned toward spice. Sarah Hogle’s “Hope This Helps” pairs a single mother and her daughter’s teacher through email exchanges; the reviewer particularly enjoyed the mother-daughter relationship, while finding the nod to The Princess Switch the story’s strongest Christmas touch.

Zakiya N. Jamal closes the collection with “Is It New Year’s Yet?” The reviewer liked that the finale looks toward the year ahead, though the story moves so fast that its romance was harder for them to believe in.

That range is the set’s main appeal and its most obvious trade-off. Twelve authors bring different versions of holiday romance, so readers can move between tones and tropes without committing to a single long story. The reviewer’s mixed reactions suggest that readers who prize character work and a slower emotional build may find some entries too brief or spice-forward. Those who enjoy variety, seasonal settings and short romantic escapes may be more at home with the format.

The reviewer loved the advent-box idea, even though several individual novellas didn’t fully satisfy their preferences. Their practical recommendation is to share the experience with friends: opening a story each day gives a group a ready-made seasonal reading ritual, with plenty to discuss across the collection’s sweeter and steamier turns.