Christmas Amid the Stars: A Cheesy Holiday Rom-Com... In Space...

by M.D. Engel

Christmas Amid the Stars

A holiday celebration like no other. Set not on Earth but aboard the Colony Ship Abies.

After ~124 years in Cryo, the colonists aboard the CS Abies are finally awakened, six months before they reach their new home of Leoterra. The timing is perfect, December 1st, the start of the holiday season. But when Senior Arborist Lily Scott discovers Ship Command has not scheduled any festivities, she takes matters into her own hands.

Lily is determined to bring holiday cheer to the CS Abies, she does the most logical thing. She drafts a proposal for a holiday celebration! She rallies fellow colonists to her cause, and each is eager to contribute... Except for Master Electrician Maddox Allen. Maddox isn't interested in a side project. No he would rather work on his tasks at hand. But Lily has other plans. She enlists Maddox's skills to fabricate string lights to brighten the ship for the celebration. Something she considers as essential to the tree.

Lily's warmth and festive spirit may clash with Maddox's scrooge of a personality. But that resistance, mixed with playful banter, flirting, and longing quickly turns into an undeniable connection. As they work side by side the forced proximity turns their initial friction into something so much more

117 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 24, 2025

About the author

M.D. Engel writes at the intersection of science fiction and romance, leaning into everyday conversational tones, familiar tropes, and flawed but lovable characters. Because let’s be honest, not every book needs to be deep to be enjoyable.

By day, they work at a fast-paced start-up, which makes stress management a must. To stay balanced, M.D. Engel turns to reading, gaming, physical fitness, and now, writing. Their stories pull from real-life experiences and are filled with the humor and heart of everyday moments. At the end of the day, they write for one simple reason: fun.

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Reviews

[Tiffany Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a wholesome christmassy read set on a spaceship with crew who awake from cyro (a long induced sleep) to prepare for their new home on planet leoterra. We are introduced to Lily who is responsible for all plant life aboard and Maddox a senior electrical engineer as they embark on a mission to create the perfect christmas celebration for everyone on board. Lily is bubbly, happy and passionate about the holidays and Maddox is a bit of a grump. As their tasks require them to spend more time together Maddox becomes enamoured with Lily and she can’t deny the growing tension between them. I absolutely adored this christmassy tension filled sci-fi romance and would love to read more on Lily and Maddox!

[Kennedy Rhodes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the cutest Christmas Sci Fi novella.
It's like if you took a Halmark Christmas movie and put it on a space station.
The characters are sweet and you immediately root for them.
I love a reluctant grinch paired with a holiday fanatic.

[El Hoffman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A super cute novella by a great author! Good book for the holidays.

[Rachel Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cutest grumpy x sunshine pairing just in time for the holidays! Maddox is not having anything to do with the holiday cheer until Little Miss Evergreen herself comes sparkling into his world, and she's bringing Christmas lights and mistletoe with her. A super fun and quick read, best enjoyed curled up with a festive beverage.

[Marina Starling · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a person who is a bit grumpy about Christmas, I feel seen! But Christmas in space? Sign me up!
Add a swoony, cozy romance and lots of laughs and you have this novella.

[Rachel Hanks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I binged this cutie novella on Christmas Eve. Perfect cozy vibes, Scrooge and his little elf and their Noelle (in space)!