120,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock 🇳🇿

Overnight NZ-wide delivery 🚀 Auckland Bookstore • Open 7 days, 8:30am–5pm

Christmas Joy

By Mary-Anne O'Connor
0.0 (0 reviews)
Brief Description
1889 Rye, Sussex, England Joy by name, joy by nature, Miss Joy Parker loves nothing more than performing acts of kindness and making other people's lives brighter. Even the loss of her family's fortune and being forced to accept a job as a lady's companion to... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$3800
AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 4-6 weeks

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

1889 Rye, Sussex, England

Joy by name, joy by nature, Miss Joy Parker loves nothing more than performing acts of kindness and making other people's lives brighter. Even the loss of her family's fortune and being forced to accept a job as a lady's companion to the formidable Lady Hyacinth Montague doesn't get her down. Hyacinth treats her as the lowliest of servants—until her great-nephew and heir, Earl Peter Montague, arrives.

Although Joy makes a disastrous first impression, Peter is soon captivated by her compassionate ways. Fireworks spark between them, and Joy finds herself unexpectedly yet heartbreakingly in love, for in the world of high society, love and marriage are considered two very different things... and Hyacinth has far grander hopes for her great-nephew than the impoverished Joy. Jointwoods Manor is filled with the cream of the upper class, with Lady Regina of Hove as the leading contender for the prize of becoming Peter's wife.

Joy is charged with organising a lavish Christmas ball, one she can hardly attend in her homespun gown. As the snow falls on this picturesque seaside town on Christmas Eve, Joy's kind heart becomes ensnared by a scandalous plot, and she is left to wonder if the games of the idle rich render love an impossibility... or if the magic of Christmas will deliver the greatest gift of all.

'So breathtakingly beautiful . . . Mary-Anne O'Connor truly is the Queen of Australian Historical Romance.' GOODREADS

'Historical fiction of a quality that will take you on a beguiling roller-coaster ride.' BETTER READING

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781761347979

Publisher: Penguin Random House Australia

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 04 November 2025

Country: Australia

Imprint: Penguin Random House Australia

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 1.0mm

Width: 1.0mm

Height: 1.0mm

Weight: 1g

Pages: 272

Collections

Christmas Books and Gifts Fiction General Fiction Historical Fiction Historical Romance Literary Fiction Mary-Anne O'Connor Penguin Books Romance

About the Author

Mary-Anne O'Connor has a combined arts education degree with specialities in environment, music and literature. After a successful copywriting and marketing career she now focuses on writing fiction and non-fiction as well as public speaking. Mary-Anne lives in a house overlooking her beloved bushland in northern Sydney with her husband Anthony and their two sons Jimmy and Jack.

More from Romance

View all
  • My Dreadful Darling
    New Release
    My Dreadful Darling
    My darling, it is you who is dreadful. Reverie Adams has only one goal in life: to keep her head above water with her father's sinister legacy weighing on her shoulders. But she's no stranger to drowning—it is her very first memory, after all, and if her demons have their way, it will also be her last. Even with the...
    By H. D. Carlton
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3800
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Midnight Curfew
    New Release
    Midnight Curfew
    The Jaeger family return in the brand new queer, dark romance from New York Times bestselling author Penelope Douglas, in which two rivals must fight their forbidden and burning attraction to one another. Summertime is quiet in southern Florida. In the humidity, the streets are empty, and the nights are still—perfect for a little mischief while the police aren't looking....
    By Penelope Douglas
    Paperback
    $2299
    Elsewhere:
    $2800
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Eldritch
    New Release
    Eldritch
    From the author of Nocticadia comes the sequel to Anathema, a spellbinding gothic dark fantasy about a shunned woman who is forced beyond the mortal realm's forbidden boundary, into a terrifying world of cursed souls and grotesque creatures. In the grimly captivating sequel to Anathema, Maevyth and Zevander must navigate the perilous mortal lands to deliver Zevander from the clutches...
    By Keri Lake
    Paperback
    $2499
    Elsewhere:
    $2800
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    Psychotic Obsession
    From USA Today bestselling author and TikTok sensation comes the steamy, emotional dark romance spin-off that everyone is talking about!'Filled with TENSION, HEARTBREAK and ELECTRIC CHEMISTRY. This one will tear your heart right out of your chest before tossing it back in and sewing you up' No. 1 New York Times bestselling author Brynne Weaver'Leigh Rivers is THE QUEEN OF...
    By Leigh Rivers
    Paperback
    $2200
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Taming The Heart
    New Release
    Taming The Heart
    Taming The Heart is a steamy, forbidden-love cowboy romance and the third book in the CRIMSON RIDGE series by internationally bestselling author Elliott Rose. Being hired by a ranch for the summer sounds picture-perfect, right? Except your new boss is your every fantasy come to life—oh, and he's already accidentally seen your favourite "toy." I've always been a free spirit....
    By Elliott Rose
    Paperback
    $2000
    Elsewhere:
    $2800
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    Shield of Sparrows
    Accolades: AN INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - Feature film now in development at Amazon MGM Studios with John Wick screenwriter Derek Kolstad attached - Amazon Best Romantasy Books of the Year 2025 - Apple Books Fantasy & Paranormal Romance Novel Best Sellers 2025, #27 - Audible Top Ten Best Romantasy Listens of 2025 - Indigo Best Fantasy Books...
    By Devney Perry
    Paperback
    $6499
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    The Love Hypothesis
    The Love Hypothesis is the global phenomenon and debut novel from TikTok sensation, Ali Hazelwood. It is now available in a beautiful movie tie-in collector's edition featuring exclusive artwork from the Amazon movie starring Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman, plus two bonus chapters from Adam's point of view. As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn't believe in lasting romantic...
    By Ali Hazelwood
    Paperback
    $2499
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Deal
    Welcome to Briar U! Get ready for your newest obsession . . . Discover the addictive world of the Off-Campus series from The Queen of Hockey Romance, Elle Kennedy! Read The Deal now for the perfect fake-dating romance! She's about to make a deal with the college bad boy . . . Hannah Wells has finally found someone who turns...
    By Elle Kennedy
    Paperback
    $2499
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • I Hope This Email Finds You in Hell
    New Release
    I Hope This Email Finds You in Hell
    What could go wrong on a road trip to Hell? ⭐ corporate hell vibes ⭐ only one bed ⭐ a road trip through the underworld ⭐ forced proximity ⭐ slow burn romance 'A delirious, clever romp of a book. Best time I've had with a book in ages!' JENNA LEVINE Brie Benson lives life in survival mode, right down to...
    By Mackenzie Reed
    Paperback
    $2499
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Foxx
    New Release
    Foxx
    The third in a motorcycle dark romance series from self-published sensation and author of the beloved Silver Pines series, Paisley Hope. Aiden Foxx runs the Disciples of Sin motorcycle club with strict control and zero tolerance for weakness. A former Navy SEAL turned outlaw king, he lives by one rule - trust no one. Then Mia Tyler walks into his...
    By Paisley Hope
    Paperback
    $2399
    Elsewhere:
    $2800
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Someday Garden
    On Sale
    15% off
    New Release
    Lizzy's Pick Lizzy's Pick
    The Someday Garden
    The BRAND-NEW magical rom-com from Ashley Poston, bestselling author of The Seven Year Slip, now!💖 ‘Ashley Poston writes really beautiful love stories with just a sprinkling of magic’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Proud to say that I've never met an Ashley Poston book that wasn't a five-star read' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ * Sophie Drear never expected to fall in love. But over a summer in...
    By Ashley Poston
    Paperback
    $1700
    Elsewhere:
    $2499
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Tempting Venom
    New Release
    Tempting Venom
    Tempting Venom is the third in a dark hockey romance series from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Legacy of Gods series. When two ruthless enemies collide. My name is Preston Armstrong, and I'm the most depraved bastard you'll ever meet. I take what I want, ruin what I don't, and live exactly how I please....
    By Rina Kent
    Paperback
    $2299
    Elsewhere:
    $2800
    In Stock
    Ships today

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.

Romance lists from the team

Explore our curated lists from our heroes to find your next read!

The Latest at Book Hero

View all