[PRE-ORDER] It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Murder (Kiss, Merry, Kill, #2) by Ally Carter

Release Date: 10/13/2026

holiday romance • enemies-to-lovers • cat-and-mouse • slow burn • forced proximity

A Christmas mystery, a decades-old rivalry, and a romance neither of them saw coming. When Ella Chambers finds herself at the center of a disappearance involving the wealthy Montgomery family, the last person she expects to need on her side is Liam Montgomery, the boy who has been tangled up in her life since childhood.

The Vibe

Ella has spent her life working hard, keeping her head down, and knowing exactly where she stands in the world. Liam, the wealthy heir she grew up alongside, has always seemed to occupy an entirely different universe. Their complicated history makes every encounter crackle with old grievances, sharp banter, and feelings neither is quite ready to confront.

Set against a picturesque mountain town during the Christmas season, the story combines cozy holiday atmosphere with a twisty mystery. As Ella and Liam are drawn into the search for answers, being forced into each other's orbit gives their long-standing rivalry a very different kind of tension.

Clever, romantic, wintry, and delightfully mysterious, It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Murder is perfect for readers who love Christmas romance with a side of suspense, complicated childhood connections, and a slow-burn love story wrapped inside a cozy whodunit.

Tropes & Tags

• Holiday romance
• Childhood enemies-to-lovers
• Cat-and-mouse romance
• Slow burn
• Forced proximity
• Childhood rivals
• Wealthy hero
• Small-town romance
• Christmas setting
• Cozy mystery
• Romantic mystery
• Family secrets
• Banter and tension

Books in Series (In Order)

• The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year, #1
• It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Murder, #2