What do you think?
Rate this book
A Merry Little Christmas
Stephanie Crane’s life is one gingerbread crumble away from disaster.
Holiday catering orders are bursting at the seams, her car is totaled, her hometown is fading fast, and the Christmas cooking competition that could save everything just changed its rules. The only person who can help her now? The high-school crush she hasn’t seen in fifteen years… who just waltzed back into town.
Liam St. Clair needs a place to hide.
After accidentally tanking Hollywood’s biggest movie franchise at its L.A. premiere, there’s nowhere safer than tiny Romance, Virginia. No paparazzi. No pressure. Just a chance to lay low until the storm passes. But when an old family friend shows up on his doorstep in full holiday crisis mode, he can’t say no. Not in this town. Not to her.
As Steph takes command of the St. Clair kitchen, she realizes that grown-up Liam is even harder to ignore… and just as unaware that he once broke her heart. But helping her win has become his holiday mission, and she’s starting to believe there might be room in the kitchen for both of them after all.
The trouble? Liam’s days in Romance are numbered, and falling for him again could cost Steph not just the competition, but everything she’s fought to build.
Holiday catering orders are bursting at the seams, her car is totaled, her hometown is fading fast, and the Christmas cooking competition that could save everything just changed its rules. The only person who can help her now? The high-school crush she hasn’t seen in fifteen years… who just waltzed back into town.
Liam St. Clair needs a place to hide.
After accidentally tanking Hollywood’s biggest movie franchise at its L.A. premiere, there’s nowhere safer than tiny Romance, Virginia. No paparazzi. No pressure. Just a chance to lay low until the storm passes. But when an old family friend shows up on his doorstep in full holiday crisis mode, he can’t say no. Not in this town. Not to her.
As Steph takes command of the St. Clair kitchen, she realizes that grown-up Liam is even harder to ignore… and just as unaware that he once broke her heart. But helping her win has become his holiday mission, and she’s starting to believe there might be room in the kitchen for both of them after all.
The trouble? Liam’s days in Romance are numbered, and falling for him again could cost Steph not just the competition, but everything she’s fought to build.
343 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 13, 2025
3 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
About the author
Joy N. Hensley
4 books276 followersJoy N. Hensley is a former middle school teacher. She used to spend her twenty-minute lunch breaks hosting author Skype chats for her students. Once upon a time she went to a military school on a dare. She lives in Virginia with her husband and two children, finding as many ways as she can to never do another push-up again.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 8, 2026
I’m not a Hallmark Channel person, and I rarely enjoy Hallmark Channel Christmas movies, but this lovely novel felt like a Hallmark movie with depth, warmth, and some believability sprinkled in. I enjoyed “getting to know” Steph and Liam through the novel, and their characters (as well as the novel’s minor characters) genuinely grew on me. They are all kind hearted and fun — the kind of characters you can imagine yourself having as friends in real life. The kind you find yourself rooting for as you’re reading.
If you’re looking for something light-hearted but also thoughtful and fun, then you will enjoy A Merry Little Christmas!
If you’re looking for something light-hearted but also thoughtful and fun, then you will enjoy A Merry Little Christmas!
February 2, 2026
I can’t remember the last time a book brought me so much joy! ♥️ I loved absolutely everything about this sweet seasonal story. “A Merry Little Christmas” is the perfect Hallmark Christmas movie story of Stephanie, a small town caterer who enters a Christmas cooking competition and Liam, her high school crush, who returns home to Romance, Virginia just in time for the holidays. If you are looking for a sweet, funny, holiday romance, this one is for you. Loved it!
February 1, 2026
feel good read
Such a cozy Christmas read!!! I love the small home town feel and the characters were great and plot satisfying.
Such a cozy Christmas read!!! I love the small home town feel and the characters were great and plot satisfying.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews