Holiday Hijinx Books in Order

Holiday Hijinx is Kate Stewart’s playground for everything she loves about chaotic family gatherings and over‑the‑top Christmas shenanigans. The books are full‑length, high‑spice romantic comedies that lean hard into nostalgia, seasonal stress, and second chances.

The first book, The Plight Before Christmas, centers on a heroine who has had an absolutely miserable few weeks—another breakup, a broken toe, and a promotion that went to someone else. She heads to her grandparents’ aging cabin in the mountains expecting comfort food, bad holiday sweaters, and the fuzzy blur provided by her favorite brown liquors. Instead, she opens the door to find the ex who shattered her heart nearly two decades earlier standing on the doorstep.

Forced into close quarters for a week of enforced cheer, they fall back into old patterns of banter, resentment, and unresolved desire. Eggnog, mistletoe, and meddling relatives do not exactly help. The book balances laugh‑out‑loud set pieces with real grief over the life they might have had together, asking whether it is possible to rewrite a story that went so wrong the first time.

The Sleight Before Christmas continues the Holiday Hijinx vibe with a new couple and a fresh batch of seasonal disasters. While the details shift—a different setting, a different kind of complicated history—the ingredients stay the same: sharp humor, irreverent family members, bad decisions made under twinkle lights, and a romance that sneaks up on both people involved.

You do not need to read the books in order to follow the plots, but there are nods and references that will reward you if you do. Expect plenty of adult language, outrageous situations, and characters who frequently land on Santa’s naughty list for all the right reasons.

If you like your holiday romances messy, funny, and a little bit filthy, Holiday Hijinx is the series to curl up with when the weather—or your mood—turns cold.