So This Is Christmas

Romance heats up between a career-focused American woman and a European king’s right-hand man in Holiday’s delightful third Christmas in Eldovia rom-com (after Duke, Actually). Management consultant Cara Delaney lives in the Bronx with her parents, providing them with financial support while climbing the corporate ladder at her firm. She’s not thrilled when she’s forced to abandon her family to replace an injured subordinate in the fictional land of Eldovia over the holidays and to assess the performance of a luxury watch company partially owned by the royal family. Once there, Cara butts heads with Matteo Benz, the very proper equerry to the king. Matteo is suspicious of Cara’s goal to modernize the company, worrying that her money-minded decision-making will negatively impact the employees. As they’re forced to spend time together, however, Matteo senses the vulnerability behind Cara’s determined exterior, and she learns the value of his fierce loyalty to king and country. They open themselves up to the possibility of a relationship—but can they make it work while living in separate countries and mutually married to their jobs? Witty banter and sizzling love scenes played out against the backdrop of a dazzling winter wonderland make Holiday’s latest sparkle. Series fans are sure to be charmed. Agent: Courtney Miller-Callihan, Handspun Literary. (Oct.)