I found this book disturbing. The male lead, Mason, was controlling and a bully. Essentially, he kidnapped Lyla and placed her in an impossible position, all the while telling her that it was her fault. Usually romance heroes like this grow and change, admitting their faults and failings. But not here. By the end of the book I was just as disturbed.

Starting off the Christmas reads with a bang!

I loved the premises of this book, the interesting blend of a special magical wonderland & a fake fiancee.

I thought the banter between the two MCs was funny and I enjoyed reading about what happened.

The plot was somewhat rushed and a tad bit predictable but I'm a sucker and enjoyed it anyway.

Overall its a cute book!

The Naughty or Nice Clause was a cute Hallmark-esque book to get you into the Christmas spirit.
Layla Smurfit and Mason Klaus are company rivals, having spent the last year trying their best to keep Layla’s toy company afloat. When Mason steals her away to his hometown for two weeks for Christmas pretending to be engaged, Layla soon discovers “Klaus” is his last name for a reason.
I enjoyed this book. It was a cute take on Santa Clause and the North Pole, with a little spice thrown in, too!
•Enemies to Lovers
•Fake engagement
•Workplace Romance

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishing team for this ARC!

This was meant as a sweet Christmas read and you definitely feel those vibes from this book! Mason and Lyla are work nemeses that exist to get on each other's nerves until an incident has them working together.

Unfortunately, the writing style wasn't for me. This was a story based on magical realism and the premise had so much promise! However, the execution wasn't well done and it felt like the story wasn't given enough time to build itself up. Everything happened too fast and what was supposed to be enemies to lovers was just...two seconds of enemies then they were into each other. I felt like you didn't really get to know the characters more than surface level and neither of them was memorable for anything other than being annoyed with each other. I definitely wasn't sold on the romance because they didn't really have chemistry. She was a doormat to an asshole.

Not my cup of tea but for those who enjoy the magical realism in holiday-themed fiction, this could be for you!

Who doesn’t love a good Christmas romance?

Lyla has a hard time reading her business partner Mason. When he threatens to change everything about her family’s company, she isn’t sure how much more she can deal with him. As it turns out, Mason needs Lyla’s help with his family business, the business of Christmas! When Mason brings Lyla to Yule and introduces her to his family, the Klauses, she begins to understand Mason more and more. This up and down love story will leave you in the holiday spirit!

This is one I couldn’t put down! I found myself being sucked into the story and feeling for each of these characters. This story has so much going for it but I do wish the ending gave just a little bit more to leave us with!

I thought I was in for a normal, sweet, holiday rom-com but I was pleasantly surprised with the magical element. I really enjoyed the world Callaghan created and the lore she brought in. While I do wish we got to see a bit more of the growing chemistry from the two MCs (rather than an Insta-hate-to-love; 50 extra pages would have been nice) I found myself really sad to be done with the book— I wanted more!

I’m giving this 3 stars only because of the premise. The execution was lacking and not enjoyable to read. While I am a sucker for enemies to lovers, and the synopsis of this novel was enthralling, when it came to reading the story, I was just thoroughly disappointed. Maybe my expectations were too high? But I felt the MC was portrayed as this bad ass who held her ground but I didn’t get that at all. It felt like the opposite. Yes, she had a little sass but that was about it for me.

What didn’t work for me, might work for others, so give this book a try.

thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review

a cute, enjoyable story about workplace rivals and the romance that follows. A fun holiday read

This book gave me the Netflix/Hallmark Christmas movie vibes.
Mason & Lyla start out as pretty cunning enemies. Mason has been sold a controlling 51% in Lyla’s family company by her father. It kind of bothered me that her father kept his plans and reasons from her. This fact made her instantly view Mason as an enemy. Their constant bumping of heads is understandable due to the circumstances surrounding the 51/49 share split, but the way that they both were constantly going behind the others backs and being cunning and deceptive…it’s a wonder that the business survived at all.
But…where the Christmas movie vibes really took over was their arrival to Yule. The form of travel was a creative form of Christmas magic and the Christmas wonderland they emerged in seemed so surreal. I loved how his family just embraced Lyla and made her fall in love with them & the town so easily. The relationship between Mason & Lyla slowly and awkwardly progressed. Mason seemed like a completely different person in Yule than he was in Dublin. Their disdain for each other seemed to evaporate in Yule…it’s a Christmas miracle, ha. I did enjoy watching Mason slowly fall for Lyla & seeing his sweet gestures for her, even though they just seemed to confuse her. Ultimately, hard decisions were made and with much compromise the world these two live in will look much different in the future.

I was utterly charmed, captivated and enchanted by this Christmas romance. Lyla and Mason are like two sparks waiting to ignite, despite their constant fighting. When Mason whisks her away right before Christmas, Lyla discovers his big secret, as well as realizing what is under his gruff exterior. Along with the romance, this is also a poignant book about family and loss, sprinkled with wonderful Christmas magic.

By chapter 2 I was craving hot chocolate and Christmas movies! This books is really sweet and I believe I’m going to read it again when Christmas getting closer (it’s 15th October). Also I liked the writing style. All in all 5⭐️

When I requested this book, I expected a Hallmark-like romance that would put me right in the holiday spirit -- and I was not disappointed!

Lyla and Mason hate each others guts and they are opposites in pretty much everything. Yet Mason pushes the hate aside after a drunken night and asks Lyla to come home with him for the holidays as he needs a buffer between him and his family.
Naturally, this leads to a lot of banter and slow burn romance. I'd say "if only this would end well", but we all know how it's gonna end!

I loved the writing and the setting. It's a fast-paced, comfortable story that's filled with Christmas cheer, pining, and a lot of popular romance tropes. In short, it pretty much had everything I love in a romance book! The slow burn romance went a bit toooooo slow at times for my liking (imagine me mentally shouting at these characters to just fucking kiss already!)

However, I found the characters to be a bit annoying at times. Lyla pretends to be a strong character, but whenever she meets the slightest bit of pressure, she folds in the blink of an eye. I would've liked her to be a bit stronger in that regard. Also Mason should really work on his listening skills. It would save him from a lot of hurt in the future.

All together it was a very entertaining read that I finished in an afternoon -- yes it was that addictive -- but I found the characters to be a bit lacking. That being said, it was everything my Hallmark-movie-loving heart loves and wanted at this time, so I was more than satisfied with this book!

Trope list:
- Enemies to lovers
- Office romance
- One bed
- Miscommunication

I immediately wanted to read this book based on the cute Christmassy cover and intriguing title. Who cares that it's still the beginning of October and Christmas is still several holidays away.

Lyla & Mason are co-workers who find themselves in a fake dating situation of his making when he returns to his home town. Their slow burn continues from the office to a magical winter wonderland setting the Christmas mood.

It was a refreshing spin on Christmas & Santa origin story, and the MCs story gave me Hallmark Christmas movie vibes. The ideal book to snuggle up to the fire place with a cup of hot cocoa and enjoy those Christmas feels.

Would recommend to people who love
- Slow burn
- Enemies-to-lovers
- Fake dating
- Magical winter wonderland
- 3rd person narrative

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read a free advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

One thing about me is that I will read holiday romances all year round. They’re some of my absolute favorite stories. So when I saw a Christmas enemies-to-lovers romance with a little touch of fake dating mixed in I knew I had to check it out and I have no regrets.

There were so many things about this book that I adored, but I think the most special aspect for me was the dynamic of the Klaus family. Even though Mason left home a decade ago he is welcomed back with open arms. There really isn’t any animosity, nobody tries to make him feel bad for leaving, and even though they’re all grieving they make sure Lyla feels welcomed. Especially Kevin, he really filled that quintessential little brother role and it was so endearing.

I also liked that Lyla was able to help the family in their grieving process because of her own experience in losing her mom. I think it made her the perfect person to break through Mason’s walls and get him to open up more.

My only complaint is that I could predict the big drama and breakup/reconciliation coming. Other than that this book was warm, cozy, and really sweet.

I read this book as an arc through NetGalley and the author in exchange for my honest review.

When Lyla's father retired as CEO of the toy company which has been in their family for generations, she was meant to receive his shares. Instead, she discovers the company is bankrupt and her father has given her shares to Mason Klaus, an investor known in the corporate world for his cold and callous nature. Much to Lyla's frustration, her only option is to run the company with him, despite their evident loathing for one another.
When Mason cancels the annual Christmas party, Lyla throws it anyway only for the event of the season to result in a terrible fire. With the offices and Lyla's credibility ruined, Mason offers her a deal: he'll forget her part in the disaster, but she must join his family for the twelve days of their Christmas holidays.
Taken to a fantastical winter wonderland, Lyla hopes that she might discover some of the secrets Mr Klaus is hiding, and maybe even a way to get her company back. However, when Mason introduces her to the secret village as his fiancée, she is horrified to realise she has no choice but to go along with the pretence because the cost of bringing an outsider to their magical land is far too high.
Wow totally gripping really enjoyable read totally recommend

This was the perfect Christmas book! It’s sweet, light-hearted, cozy, and definitely got me in the mood for Christmas (in the middle of October, no less). I really liked the premise and the magical/fantasy elements. I loved Yule and the small village vibes - it reminded me of a lot of some of the classic Christmas movies, such as The Santa Clause and The Grinch. However, I felt that the story and the characters were fairly flat and one-dimensional. I liked the main characters, but I felt like there wasn’t very much chemistry between them and the story was pretty predictable. But, overall, I enjoyed this book! It was a cute, fun read. I would definitely recommend it if you like slow burn, rivals to lovers, fake dating, and grumpy/sunshine tropes and if you're a fan of Hallmark Christmas movies!

*Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!*

I was really excited to read this book, because I love Christmas books. And the end of the 4th chapter to the beginning of the 5th chapter completely did me in. It became a culmination of every single thing I love about Christmas. I had no idea what this book was about other than it was Christmas book and I am so glad I didn’t know anything because it made the surprises all the more exciting. You will not regret reading this book!

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

First. It has been a long time since I've read anything with a more annoying main character than Lyla, or a bigger asshole than Mason, the other main character. And when you put the two off them together... oof. Let's just say I'm relieved this was a short book.

I absolutely hated how condescending he was to her, and I hated her complete lack of backbone. Lyla talks a big game, but backs down with little argument. He treated her horribly for most of the book, and she just accepts it, which is infuriating.

The "magical" setting was nice, but not nice enough to make this an enjoyable read,

An enemies to lovers holiday romance with a sprinkle of magic.

Lyla is co-CEO of her family company with the grumpy, ruthless Mason Klaus. When he cancels the annual Christmas party Lyla has enough and goes behind his back and hosts an impromptu one in the offices. When she runs into an inebriated Mason in his office and takes him home, he seeks her out the next day and asks her to be his buffer for the holidays back home. Little does she know he is actually from the North Pole, Santa is real, magic is real, and Mason wants her to pretend to be his finacee.

I myself love a holiday romance, and while this had such a good premise, the execution needed some work. The romance was not well established, the characters went from hate to love too fast with not enough build up. The plot and events were very predictable and gimmicky. The magic and the way it worked were not well explained. This book could be really great with more editing.

This enemies to lovers romance checked all the right boxes for a fun holiday read: perfect setting, grinchy male who falls for the holiday loving female, sweet family members, a misunderstanding that almost ruins everything, and a HEA.

Lyla’s family owns a struggling toy company, and her father brings in Mason Klaus to help clean up the finances and set the company back on the right track. After a work party gone wrong, Mason cleans things up and requests Lyla’s help going home for Christmas and facing his family that he hasn’t seen in 10 years. His family just so happens to live in a very magical winter wonderland, and Mason has some choices to make about his future while at home.

I loved the setting and adored Mason’s family. The book felt like a Hallmark movie in book form and was so fun to read! My one critique would be that the ending felt a bit abrupt and I could have used a bit more to finish the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Callaghan Writer, Independent Book Publishers Association for this holiday ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.