It's the holiday season, which means holiday romance! This year, we're talking about Princes of Christmas falling for heirs to Halloween, Hanukkah treats, retellings ofThe Holiday, sexy cabins in the woods, second chances, Harlequin Presents, and yes, an online site called OnlySantas. It's truly something for everyone!

We are taking next week off, but we’ll be back with some special guests for our annual New Years Eve episode, which promises to be a banger. In the meantime, we hope you get everything you want from whomever you believe in.

After New Years, our first read along of 2025 is Judith Ivory's The Proposition, a terrific Pygmalion retelling and one of Sarah's favorites. Find it at your local independent bookseller, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or Amazon.

If you want more Fated Mates in your life, please join our Patreon, which comes with an extremely busy and fun Discord community! Join other magnificent firebirds to hang out, talk romance, and be cool together in a private group full of excellent people. Learn more at patreon.com.

The Books

• The Nightmare Before Kissmas by Sarah Raasch
• Pregnant Enemy, Christmas Bride by Maisey Yates
• Kingpin’s Nanny by Evie Rose
• From Meltdown to Mistletoe by Jessica Terry
• Merry Little Mishap by Vivian Mae
• Snowed In by Catherine Walsh
• You’re a Mean One, Matthew Prince by Timothy Janovsky
• I’ll Be Gone for Christmas by Georgia K. Boone
• The Holiday Honeymoon Switch by Julia McKay
• Grounded for Christmas by Savannah J. Frierson
• Return to Love by Tara Pammi
• Deadlines, Donuts, and Dreidels by Jennifer Wilck
• Fortune’s Holiday Surprise by Jennifer Wilck

The Notes

• It’s the most wonderful time of the year. We’ve had lots of previous episodes around the winter holidays, as well. 
• Rare book dealer Rebecca Romney was on the podcast back in season 4, talking about how to collect books. You an read the catalogue for her collection, The Romance Novel in English, which was sold to the Lilly Library at Indiana University. You can see an exhibit of this collection, called Love in the Library, in Bloomington, Indiana through early February of 2025. 
• The real line from Pulp Fiction is “check out the big brain on Brad.” Balls obviously had nothing to do with it. 
• Here’s a pretty solid overview of all the different ways to get audiobooks into your earholes without breaking your wallet. 
• Two very funny posts on Threads about category romance, one from Kate Clayborn and Amanda Cinelli’s reply. 
• Sweetest Day isn’t even a real holiday, unless you’re from Cleveland, that is. 
• The Holiday (2006) is a great movie and everyone is rewriting this plot this year for some reason.  
• Support your local indie by using Bookshop.Org to buy this week’s books in print.

The Sponsors

• Lumi Gummies, THC gummies available nationwide. Go to Lumigummies.com and use code FATED50 for free gummies with a limited time $50 off coupon, or use code FATEDMATES for 30% off.
• Sophie Lark, author of Brutal Prince, available in ebook or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
• Avon Books, publisher of Ally Carter's The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year, available in print, ebook or audiobook, at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or from your local indie.
• Lark Maitland, author of Ash and the Butterfly, available in print and ebook at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, or from your local indie.