Below is the complete list of multi-author’s Under the Mistletoe books in publication order. For this series, the chronological reading order is the same as the order of publication.
Under the Mistletoe Collection Books in Publication Order
- Merry Ever After (2024)
- All by My Elf (2024)
(By Olivia Dade) - Cruel Winter with You (2024)
(By Ali Hazelwood) - Merriment and Mayhem (2024)
(By Alexandria Bellefleur) - Only Santas in the Building (2024)
(By Alexis Daria)
About Under the Mistletoe
Under the Mistletoe is a holiday romance collection made up of five short, connected-by-theme stories from Ali Hazelwood, Tessa Bailey, Olivia Dade, Alexandria Bellefleur, and Alexis Daria. It is not a traditional series with one continuing couple or a single storyline moving from book to book. Instead, it works as a curated seasonal collection, with each author bringing her own style to a compact December romance built around winter settings, close proximity, longing, humor, and the emotional urgency that often comes with the holidays.
The collection opens with Ali Hazelwood’s Cruel Winter with You, a second-chance-leaning winter romance shaped by childhood connection, old feelings, and a snowed-in setup. Hazelwood’s entry fits her usual strength for intelligent, emotionally awkward characters whose feelings have often been present longer than they admit. The holiday atmosphere gives the story warmth, but the real pull is the sense of affection waiting beneath years of distance and misread timing.
Tessa Bailey’s Merry Ever After brings a different texture to the collection. The story centers on Evie Crowe, a single mother starting over in a new town, and Luke Ward, a quiet, physically imposing farmer who keeps crossing her path at the thrift shop where she works. Bailey uses a very simple setup—small-town proximity, practical need, and reluctant attraction—but fills it with her familiar mix of bold chemistry and emotional directness. Evie is not looking for a sweeping romance, especially with a newborn and a life to rebuild, while Luke’s steadiness gives the story its tenderness. Among the collection’s entries, this one feels closest to Bailey’s usual high-heat, big-hearted style.
Olivia Dade’s All by My Elf turns toward academic life and holiday side work, following two underpaid adjunct professors caught in a blizzard while trying to make extra money during winter break. Dade often writes characters whose insecurities, intelligence, and longing sit close to the surface, and this story uses forced proximity to push private feelings into the open. Its humor comes from the absurdity of the situation, but its emotional shape is built around vulnerability and the fear of saying too much.
Alexandria Bellefleur’s Merriment and Mayhem adds a rescue-centered holiday romance involving a firefighter, giving the collection a more overtly festive and lightly chaotic energy. Bellefleur’s contemporary romances often balance warmth, banter, and emotional sincerity, and this story fits well into that pattern. Alexis Daria’s Only Santas in the Building closes the lineup with a creative, city-centered holiday premise involving a comic book illustrator whose private fantasies begin to collide with real romantic possibility.
As a series page, Under the Mistletoe is best understood as a multi-author holiday collection rather than a long-form romance universe. The stories are short, self-contained, and designed to deliver quick seasonal romance instead of deep continuity. What connects them is mood: winter pressure, Christmas atmosphere, unexpected intimacy, and characters who are nudged toward honesty by unusual holiday circumstances. For Tessa Bailey readers, Merry Ever After is the key entry, but the full collection offers a wider sampler of contemporary romance voices working within the same festive frame.