With December here, the countdown to Christmas is now well and truly underway. It’s an especially exciting time of year for book lovers, with plenty of festive books doing the rounds in addition to the usual fiction, romance, sci-fi, thriller and fantasy releases. 

Whether you’re looking for your next favourite read, or a book to gift to a loved one, here are some of the best books to look out for in December. The list includes anticipated releases from well-known authors, as well as some hidden gems and debut novels well worth picking up. For more book news and recommendations, subscribe to The Bookish Drop, a free weekly newsletter on Substack.

Made Things by Adrian Tchaikovsky

A resourceful street thief and puppeteer living in a crime-ridden city makes a pact with two magic-infused puppets in Made Things, a fantastical bite-sized tale from the author of Children of Time. 

After noticing trickster Coppelia’s success, a local crime lord compels her to assist in a high-stakes heist. But a surprising discovery leaves Coppelia and her companions facing a threat to the city itself. 

With a bonus short story at the end, this makes for a quick yet charming read for fans of Adrian Tchaikovsky, as well as readers new to his work. 

Made Things, out December 4, is available for pre-order now.

The Heir Apparent by Rebecca Armitage

Always destined to be the spare, Lexi Villiers is catapulted back into Royal Family life following her estranged brother’s death, as first-in-line to the British throne. 

But the palace waters are treacherous, rumours are rife, and selling each other’s secrets is a family tradition. And with the Crown just beyond her grasp, Lexi must choose what bonds she will keep… and what she is willing to leave behind.

With plenty of secrets, scandal and romance, this book is the ideal read for any fans of Succession or The Crown. 

The Heir Apparent, out December 2, is available to pre-order now.

In Your Dreams by Sarah Adams 

A homecoming sparks a new romance—and plenty of drama—between two old family friends in the latest instalment of When in Rome, Sarah Adams’ beloved series of interconnected standalones.

Madison left Rome, Kentucky, to prove she could make it in the culinary world. But after years of chasing success in New York, she’s desperate for a fresh start. So when she gets an unexpected job offer from James, her brother’s best friend, she moves back to her hometown.

James has loved Madison quietly for years, even while knowing he’s never been more than an annoyance to her. Now she’s back, he’s determined to change that, unless his wildly successful younger brother Tommy manages to win her over first…

You can pre-order In Your Dreams, out December 30, here.

Children of Fallen Gods by Carissa Broadbent

The War of Lost Hearts series continues with Children of Fallen Gods, the sequel to Daughter of No Worlds. For the uninitiated, this bestselling romantasy series follows a former slave fighting for justice and a reclusive warrior who no longer believes it exists.

Tisaanah bargained away her own freedom to save those she left behind in slavery. Now, bound by her blood pact, she’s forced to fight the Orders’ war.

But when a betrayal tears apart the land of Ara, Tisaanah and Max are pushed into an even bloodier conflict. Expect twists and turns, plenty of spice and a fantasy world you won’t want to leave in this hotly-anticipated sequel. 

Children of Fallen Gods, out December 4, is available to pre-order now.

The Pelican Child by Joy Williams

The Pelican Child is the new short story collection by Pulitzer Prize nominee Joy Williams. In sinister and shifting landscapes, we meet souls lost and found: from the twin heiresses of a dirty industrial fortune, who must commit a violent act in recompense for their family’s deeds, to a newly grown man who still revolves in a dreamscape of his childhood boarding-school innocence, to the “pelican child”, who lives with the bony, ill-tempered Baba Yaga in a little hut on chicken legs. 

With Williams previously named “one of the best living writers of the short story” by the New Yorker, this isn’t one to miss. 

You can pre-order The Pelican Child, out December 4, now.

The Opportunist by Tarryn Fisher

When Olivia Kaspen spots her ex-boyfriend in a Miami record shop three years after their breakup, she ignores common sense and instead approaches him. And when she learns Caleb is suffering from amnesia after a recent car accident, she sees an opportunity.

If he doesn’t remember her, then he also doesn’t remember how she broke his heart. Seeing a chance to reunite with Caleb, she keeps their past, and the details around the end of the relationship, a secret. 

With unconventional second-chance romance and a pacy plot, this will keep you turning the pages late into the night. 

The Opportunist, out December 16, is available to pre-order now.

Fallen Gods by Rachel Van Dyken

The Gods aren’t dead – they’re merely sleeping, locked in mortal bodies, scattered across the world, waiting for the right spark to wake them. And Rey Stjerne’s father is the most ruthless of them all.

He raised her to obey, to bleed, and to be his blade when the time came. Now, he’s sending her to Endir University, a place steeped in ancient bloodlines and deadly secrets, with one mission: to steal back Mjolnir, the hammer of legend. If she fails, everyone she loves will die.

Only a mission she never chose – and a man she was never meant to love – stands between her and a war that will decide the fate of the world. This Norse-inspired fantasy romance is perfect for fans of The Cruel Prince by Holly Black.

Fallen Gods, out December 4, is available to pre-order now.

Protect by Paisley Hope

A wildland firefighter reconnects with his late best friend’s sister in this addictive second-chance romance.

Rowan and Violette haven’t seen each other in years after he broke her heart – but it’s not for the reasons she thinks. Now a single mum working as a nurse in the burn unit, Violette isn’t interested in any reminders of her past. But after a chance meeting, Rowan decides to do what he can to finally make things right between them.

The second in the Sky Ridge Hotshots series, Protect is an angsty, spicy romance with childhood sweethearts and friends to lovers tropes. 

Protect, out December 4, is available to pre-order now.