Serial Killer Santa: A Dark Rom-Com Christmas Novella

by Marisa Haartz

A Dark Rom-Com Christmas Novella that will make you question if you want to be naughty or nice this Christmas?

Nothing says Christmas quite like the glow of twinkle lights reflecting in a pool of crimson blood.
Some people spend the holidays with loved ones spreading Christmas cheer, embracing family traditions.
But I have my own tradition.
When my Christmas loving self ends up spending the night in the apartment of a hot blonde to evade arrest, I make it my mission to help this grinch's heart grow three sizes.
All While fantasizing about naughty things I'd like to do to her.
She may not know about our invisible string that sent my life down this path, but I plan to make her mine by the end of this night.

Tropes include but are not limited
Just one night
Masked man
Morally grey main character
Reverse grumpy x sunshine

Genres: Christmas, Novella, Holiday Romance

104 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 4, 2025

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️
This was a fun, spicy and short holiday read.
Honestly, I would have kept reading if it was a longer book.

[Lia Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute spicy novella. Very much gave Lights Out mixed with Butcher and Blackbird but make it Christmas.

Overall I really enjoyed the story but I feel like the MMC was way too trusting right out of the gate and there were some parts that were a little too cheesy. The spice was spicy, but some parts didn’t work for me.

I recommend if you like Christmas novellas and dark rom coms!

[Kenia Coronado · Rating 5 out of 5]

fun read for the holidays!

Their dynamic from the very beginning hooked me so fast! The characters had lots of chemistry and i loved the connection in their story, i appreciate it wasn’t random for a book thats 100 pages there’s connection, character development and a plot!

[alltoowell_and_wellread_ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Serial Killer Santa

By: Marisa Haartz

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

Dark Romance Christmas Novella

Cole, Cole, Cole. Man, I don’t know what to say.

We have Cole our MMC and Noelle our FMC. Cole is an unaliver and only comes out during Christmas to perform his extra activities. However, during his last activity he gets interrupted and he has to leave so he goes down the fire escape and is looking for an apartment that looks like nobody lives there or is away for the holidays. He comes across one and to his surprise once he is in the apartment someone is actually in there.

The fkn scalpel in chapter 16!!!!

I really enjoyed this novella. I loved the spice it had. Their chemistry right from the beginning pulled me in so fast; I just wanted to keep reading it.

Thank you so much Marisa for providing me with an E-ARC! I appreciate it!

As always, make sure you read the TW! 🖤🖤

[Allison Mauerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Marissa for the opportunity to arc read for you . I absolutely loved this dark romantic comedy . If you are a dark romance fan and loved butcher and blackbird or lights out this is another good Christmas recommendation for you . I loved both of the main characters Cole reminds me of Dexter just because of how methodical he is and his research he does before he kills and has a calling card that he leaves at every crime scene .They also have a history which you will find out in the book.

[Jes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This dark rom-com was bite-size and packed with banter, funny one-liners, and just the right amount of festive spice. Some of the scenes were spiiiccyy 🥵 The tension between Cole and Noelle built fast but felt natural, and I loved the balance of vulnerability with lust at first sight. Thanks Marisa for the ARC!

[laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

a funny and spicy read ! surprised me for the best

[Rosie · Rating 5 out of 5]

For fans of the ruinous love trilogy this one’s for you. The perfect amount of dark romance for your holiday season.

[Madeline Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a perfect book to start off the Christmas season! It's like Lights Out but make it Christmas! Perfect! The characters had such a wonderful chemistry, and it was so much fun to read! I loved every second of it! I will be rereading it every Christmas season!!

[Ash Summers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Loved It

It was soooo good and unexpected. Comedy and horror mixed into one for a very unique and awesome novel. I’m stunned by how much I loved this. I highly recommend it if you like dark romance, killers, dark comedy, and Christmas feel good.

[Jessica Overfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again! Marisa pulls you right into the world of her characters, describing everything so perfectly it’s easy to imagine. A little dark, a little drama and a lot of feeling. Definitely will recommend to fellow dark romance readers. ❤️

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A serial killer who kills 3 victims every Christmas and takes their heart as a souvenir is at is again when they get interrupted by someone trying to get in to the apartment of their most recent kill. While trying to escape, they enter another apartment that is seemingly empty as it’s dark and has no Christmas decorations. However, once he gets in the apartment.. he realizes it’s occupied by 23 year old teacher, Noelle. Things quickly spiral out of control in the literal best way. If I could find a guy like Cole.. thatddddddd be great. Maybe minus the murder. Maybe 😈

[Sirena Ruiz · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know what? Hell yeah.

[Avelynia Kersh · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🥵

A serial killer sneaks in through your window..but wait..a CUTE serial killer that loves Christmas, can cook oh and he also killed the pedo neighbor upstairs.

This book DELIVERED!!!!!!! Cole is a modern day vigilante taking out the scum on the earth. That’s how he found himself sneaking into Noelle’s apartment in the middle of the night when he had to flee the crime scene. When she finds him, she’s not scared- she’s intrigued.

Great Banter, Great Spice and the plot is thick for such a short book. Loved it all!!

[Kelsey Spisak · Rating 4 out of 5]

This dark romance Christmas novella was perfect!! The banter, the plot, the Christmas lights scene ;) this was exactly what I needed. The way the chemistry and vulnerability was shared between Noelle and Cole was perfect. It was such a fun and quick read with some deliciously spicy sex scenes. Thanks Marissa for letting me read an ARC.

[Chante · Rating 5 out of 5]

SKS Santa is short, sweet, and has all the right spice! From the title, you might expect the MMC to be dark and brooding, but he’s the complete opposite and that’s what makes it such a fun surprise. I don’t want to give too much away, but if you’re looking for a quick, festive read that delivers all the holiday rush in under 24 hours, I 100% recommend this one.

Could the story have been longer? Sure but the author managed to craft a full beginning, middle, and end without dragging things out. The light banter and perfectly balanced spice kept me hooked the whole time.

Definitely check the trigger warnings before diving in. There are a few sensitive topics, but they’re handled lightly enough to add depth without making you uncomfortable.

All in all, this was a great read. The author did an amazing job, and I can’t wait to see what she puts out next. You can feel the passion on every page.

[BadAshBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun, quick read full of banter and hilarious one liners making it a rom-com at its core… but this book actually caries some pretty heavy topics (besides just the obvious Dexter vibes) so check your triggers!

I’m not usually a love/lust at first sight trope reader because it inevitably always feels forced to me, but the way Marisa wrote these characters it all just kind of fit into place and made sense.

I loved the golden retriever - black cat energy.

Another thing Marisa does very well, in my humble opinion, is write from a male perspective just as well as she writes a female POV. She’s done this flawlessly in all 3 books she’s published.

The spice was SPOICIN’ (full disclosure I’m generally a spice glancer/skipper)

[Nat_json · Rating 4 out of 5]

First I want to say thank you to the author for the ARC copy! If you liked Lights Out and Butcher and Blackbird then you’ll like this story. I will also say that about always rate a novella four stars as I always think sometime is missing since it’s so short. But now to get into the real review. I really enjoyed this book. Our main male character is a golden retriever and our main female character is definitely a black cat. I liked getting to know our characters and it was a very easy holiday read.

[Anisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my gossssssh, COLEEEEE!!! I haven’t read lights out but I feel like it’s very much going to be giving me this vibe. Cole is our serial unaliver who only comes out on Christmas to find his perfect present. While collecting his present he is interrupted by sirens and went down the fire escape into what he thought was any empty apartment but is pleasantly surprised when he finds that the apartment is occupied. This is a very spicy dark Christmas themed novella! Please make sure to read the TW 🖤

[Kiera Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐️ 3🌶️ 2🖤

Stop because this was such a fun Christmas read!

It definitely is lighter than many of the Christmas Dark Romances I’ve picked up in the past but with the added comical scenes I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

Between the MMC and the furry companion 🐈 this book gave me lights out vibes if he gave into a bit of those psychotic tendencies 🤣

The FMC is adorable and knows exactly what she is getting into and with who 😉🎄
Yea yea he is a killer…
But the FMC is unfazed 🤭

[Stephanie Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This little novella is sexy, has emotional depth and unique! I loved every second of it. With just under 100 pages Marisa is really good at creating a complete story that flows very well. There aren’t any questions left unanswered and I don’t feel like I need more after the end. (Although if she wanted to write more of their story I’ll read it in a heartbeat 😉).

[Jessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a dark romance junkie looking for a quick, spicy holiday novella to get you in the Christmas spirit and hit your EOY reading goal, then look no further! This book compacted all of the typical aspects you hope to find in the genre, and managed to not compromise on quality for the sake of squeezing it all into a smaller package.

[Naszira Amacher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such a fun holiday read!

3.5 ⭐️ A little “Lights Out” meets “Butcher & Blackbird” in this unconventional holiday love story with a touch of spice 🌶️ . Serial Killer Santa actually has a heart of gold 😉 and sweeps our girl Noelle off her feet. I actually was really invested in these two considering the length of the book.

[BigGirlBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great holiday novella for those who enjoy a little murder with their golden retriever MMC. Its definitely giving 'lights out' vibes (there's even a lovable demon cat)

There were a handful of spelling errors that were kinda distracting but I still had a good time and would recommend!

[Jada Alix · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good novella. Very steamy and I liked that they matched each others darkness. This is the first novella I read and I have no regrets.

[Bri Gransee · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you enjoyed Lights Out, you’ll enjoy this dark holiday rom-com novella!

[Cicely Alvarez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny and spicy!

Honestly this is such a good time! I love the grumpy sunshine except hes the sunshine🤭 It's definitely a good holiday read!

[Ellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

actually really loved this book 🫶🏼

[Danii M · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[Breana Dunbar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book so much. Wish there were more books like this. I would eat it up. So good highly recommend.