Wrapped with a Beau

This spicy holiday rom-com from Vale (The Decoy Girlfriend) begins 50 years after Piney Peaks, Pa.’s “Christmas House” was immortalized by the popular Christmas film Sleighbells. Now film location scout Elisha Rowe is determined to secure the house as one of the sets for the long-awaited sequel. Children’s author Ves Hollins inherited the Christmas House from his great-aunt and intends to sell it as fast as possible and return to New York City. The pair meet cute when Elisha mistakes Ves for a burglar breaking in. After this bad first impression, bubbly Christmas enthusiast Elisha offers to help grinch-with-a-heart-of-gold Ves sort through the clutter his aunt left behind—and along the way, she plans to convince him to allow filming on the property. Ves, whose strained relationship with his family is part of his distaste for the holiday season, is drawn in by Elisha’s beauty, spirit, and compassion, and finds unexpected community in quaint Piney Peaks. Complete with love scenes as hot as a crackling fire, sweet romantic overtures, and all the comforts and joys of small-town living, this scintillating contemporary will make a great gift for any romance lover. Agent: Jessica Watterson, Sandra Dijkstra Literary. (Sept.)