The weather outside is delightful, and there are fewer than 180 shopping days left until Christmas!

Happy Christmas in July.

Are you looking for some holiday magic to take your mind off the soaring temps in the the northern hemisphere? Need a beach reading with a twist?

There are 184 birds mentioned in the full song The Twelve Days of Christmas.

It’s a silly premise when you add it up, but it’s popular. And so are holiday romances that all play on the theme of the twelve days of Christmas. (by the way… day one is Christmas Day, it’s supposed to represent the time from Christmas Day until the Wise Men arrived with all the gifts, not the days leading up to Christmas.)

Here are twelve Christmas romances that play around with the title the Twelve Days of Christmas. There are many many more, possibly even 184, but this list is limited to twelve.

• The Twelve Loves of Christmas  by multiple authors

Swoon-worthy short story collection about finding love during the most magical time of the year. Including a playful forced proximity romance featuring a woman and her older brother’s grinchy (yet unexpectedly endearing) best friend, a tender love story of two neighbors who decide to skip Christmas together, a second-chance spark reignited between exes stranded at the airport, and many more festive love stories, there’s a little holiday magic waiting for every reader. Open one sealed story each day in the lead-up to Christmas to unwrap a season full of love, warmth, and happily-ever-afters.

• The Twelve Strippers of Christmas  by Lulu M. Sylvian

Sometimes the best presents unwrap themselves! With a twist…and a thrust…and some break away snaps.
Grab some holiday cheer the naughty way with the bite-sized Christmas stories. Have fun with a sexy Santa Strip-O-Gram. Party with sassy strippers and skilled shifters. Get ready for surprises such as nude zero-grav ballet, and a Celtic drum band that bares all. And in every story? The romance you’ve been waiting for. Ranging from short and sweet, to longer and *a-hem* hotter, this collection of holiday stories will bring you joy any time of year.

• The Twelve Dates of Christmas  by Jenny Bayless

‘Tis the season for finding romance in this hilarious and uplifting holiday read.
When it comes to relationships, thirty-four-year-old Kate Turner is ready to say “Bah, humbug.” The sleepy town of Blexford, England, isn’t exactly brimming with prospects, and anyway, Kate’s found fulfillment in her career as a designer, and in her delicious side job baking for her old friend Matt’s neighborhood café. But then her best friend signs her up for a dating agency that promises to help singles find love before the holidays. Twenty-three days until Christmas. Twelve dates with twelve different men. The odds must finally be in her favor . . . right?

Leo Fenner needs a Christmas miracle …
Charmed by the small town, and weary of the big city dating scene, Leo moved to Christmas Falls in hopes of finding love like his college friend, Hayden.
Nick Morgan had the love of his life and lost her, but is determined to help others find their happily ever after with his matchmaking service. His website needs work though, and Leo is just the man for the job.
The web developer signs up for Nick’s matchmaking service to get a feel for what the process is like, all while secretly hoping it’ll bring him the love of his dreams. But as Nick and Leo work together, the sparks between them are impossible to ignore. Too bad there’s a few little problems. For one, Nick’s never fallen for a man before. And, oh yeah—those dates he’s planning for Leo? They’re supposed to be with other guys …

She’s got twelve days to marry or lose everything.
Enter: one broody enforcer. Twelve days. One vow.
No promises… except the ones that count. Maria’s trust fund is on the line. Brady’s reputation and career is on thin ice. One marriage license—and a ticking clock—stand between them and their own happily ever after.

A Christmas rom-com where fiction becomes the ultimate holiday fantasy.
Bored by years of underwhelming dating experiences, copywriter Grace McGovern combines her love of Christmas and her longing for romance into the ultimate romance novel—where the heroine is swept off her feet one Christmas by tender, thoughtful, romantic…and utterly unrealistic dates. When Grace has a chance meeting with an attractive man, she’s charmed by their conversation and fun dates…until warning bells jingle. He couldn’t be taking cues from her book, could he?
Engineer Owen Ellis has always been more comfortable with computers and coding than with women. After claiming he was boring and unromantic, his last girlfriend’s bitter parting gift was a cheesy romance book hurled at his head. When he meets a woman whose warm smile and conversation intrigue him, Owen is ready to try again but knows he needs to up his game. What’s the harm in borrowing a few ideas?
Can the Christmas magic last forever, or will their relationship dissolve into another ho-hum holiday fling?

When Sarah announced she’d be bringing a boyfriend home for Christmas, she figured she’d have one by then. Fast-forward to November, and her love life is a tinsel-covered disaster. With her family expecting romance and her nerves unraveling, she lets her roommate rope her into the viral 12 Dates Challenge, hoping one of the contenders will turn into Mr. Right. From reunions with exes to leather-clad bikers who make Santa’s naughty list look tame, Sarah is running out of time and patience. Can she find a real connection before Christmas morning, or will this holiday visit end in heartbreak and humiliation?

Once a wildly popular romance novelist, Silas has become a recluse, lonely and suffering from writer’s block as his publishing house threatens to drop him right before Christmas. Lucy, his kind widowed neighbor, hasn’t forgotten the magic of the holidays since the loss of her husband. As the holiday nears, Silas is ready to give up on writing uplifting romance forever. As the two bond over memories, music, and miracles, Silas and Lucy discover that Christmas is a time for hope, love, and new beginnings.

I was given twelve names for Christmas. Twelve sins to erase before New Year’s dawn.
I never expected sin number six to fight like fire. Or to stare at me with eyes too brave to kill. Sabine Hart—soldier, survivor, and the one woman I can’t bury.

Everybody knows Aspen Evers is thriving during this Christmas season. She’s working at her family’s store as the top decorator, she’s dreaming of baking cookies, and she knows every word to any Christmas song that can be named. The only thing throwing her off this year is the fact that she keeps meeting a handsome stranger over and over again. She can’t help but wonder…
Is it all a coincidence?
Or is the holiday magic finally in her favor?

Fitzwilliam Darcy never meant to fall in love—not here, and not with her.
Fitzwilliam Darcy is relieved to leave Hertfordshire behind. The temptations of a certain spirited miss have grown too strong to ignore, and if he remains at Netherfield, he knows he will propose—and make what he believes to be a most unsuitable match. Yet when his friend Charles Bingley cannot be persuaded to stay away from Jane Bennet, Darcy feels compelled to return to the countryside to prevent what he sees as a potential folly. When the chance for happiness presents itself, he seizes it in the only way he knows how—through quiet devotion, heartfelt gifts, and a love that speaks louder than words.
Elizabeth Bennet is delighted by Mr. Bingley’s return, especially as he resumes his courtship of Jane. But she is far less pleased to see the proud and aloof Mr. Darcy again. To her surprise, the gentleman appears changed—more thoughtful, more kind, and far more agreeable than she remembers. Then, as the Twelve Days of Christmas begin, a mysterious string of lavish and meaningful gifts starts to arrive at Longbourn. Elizabeth is intrigued—and increasingly convinced the sender is the only man who she could ever be prevailed upon to marry.

Emma Tremayne planned to be wrapped up in Christmas cheer with her boyfriend, but when she finds him in the arms of her boss, she loses her man and her job instead. Determined to find some peace and quiet until she can figure out her next move, she heads to the Lake District. But when she lands a new job with the tourist board and ends up responsible for a fundraiser involving handsome naked men and a calendar photoshoot, quiet is the last thing she’ll be getting. One of the handsome men playing Santa might be the best man to brighten her holiday, and she’s more than willing to try them out one at a time…
Set in England’s Lakeland district, home to the country’s highest mountains and deepest lake, and as unpredictable as the region’s ever-changing weather, this funny, fast-paced Christmas romance is full of twists and turns that are as dramatic as its setting.