RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
SPICE: 🔥🔥

If you enjoy Hallmark holiday romances in literary form like I do, this is a good read to pick up.

Lyla Smurfit -- what a name -- has been trying not to strangle Mason Klaus ever since her father sold his shares of the family toy company to the stoic, grumpy man. He has been making significant changes, including canceling the annual Christmas party, much to Lyla's annoyance.

When she decides to proceed with the party anyway, it ends up burning down the building. Mason is willing to forget about the incident -- if and only if Lyla goes home with him and pretends to be his fiancé.

She agrees, but there is more to his family and village than Mason has let on. As she learns more and more about Mason and his background, she finds that her Scroogey co-worker's "Bah Hambug" attitude hides someone that earns her compassion..and maybe inspires an attraction?

This is a workplace enemies-to-lovers read with a magical fantasy component. The latter became predictable as we got closer to the reveal but experiencing what happens next is the best part. We get magic, mystery, some action, romance -- with a little bit of spice, and family love.

I love the chemistry between Mason and Lyla. Kate Callaghan infuses tiny flirty banter into their fights that hints at a mutual attraction beneath their animosity toward one another. The balance between animosity and flirtation starts to tip toward the latter as they know more about each other, and it was really fun to watch. The tension between them is just so hot that I really wish there was more spice, but that's totally a personal preference.

This is a standalone read. The pacing is uneven at times, but when it is spot-on, the storytelling really reels you in and gets you invested in the couple, the Klaus family, and the village. Listen, I know sweet holiday reads are not everyone's jam, but if that is yours, you might enjoy this one.

** I am voluntarily reviewing an advance copy of this book. Thank you to Kate Callaghan and NetGalley for providing an ARC. **

I had so many issues with this book. Let me start with the 2 main lead characters – Lyla and Mason both of whom I ended up disliking? Lyla because she had no backbone, she made decisions but then didn’t follow through on them. She felt bad and apologized for things she didn’t need to. A very big example is the third “breakup” act. What caused it was something that didn’t warrant the explosion, and then she apologized! Why?! For something she didn’t do? Urgh. This leads me to the male lead, Mason, someone who literally transports someone with magic and makes her lie, all the while treating her not nicely. I warmed up to his character only to completely loose it again by the end.

Another issue was the couple’s chemistry – they had None. There was nothing.

Also what was the whole point of Natalie and her having no consequences? Almost killing someone twice and nothing?? Perplexing.

The book had stiff and weird dialogues and was simply not for me.

I enjoyed Mason’s family very much though, all of them were sweethearts. I also liked everyone in the village, including the wolves 😊. They earned all the stars.

Huge thanks to the Author and NetGalley for the ARC.

This was my first Christmas book of the year and it’s definitely gotten me into the holiday mood!

I was quite disappointed in this book, I was under the impression that this was a romance but it wasn’t really. There was no sweet moments between Mason and Lyla and on top of that the chemistry wasn’t really there.

The ending felt pretty rushed especially considering the pace of the rest of the book.

I did really enjoy the Christmassy aspect of it though and I feel like it would make a great Christmas movie which I would love, the book unfortunately just wasn’t really for me personally.

**I received a ARC of this book through NetGalley in return for my honest review.**

A dreamy take on Yule, or what we commonly call the North Pole. Who knew that there’s an actual village where the Klaus family calls the shots, And instead of elves making toys, there’s rock farming and crushing into magical gold dust!

I’m getting ahead of myself here, my apologies! Lyla Smurfit is co-CEO of her family toy company. Her father sold shares to none other than the always perfect and always in the office Mason Klaus. Mason owns more than half the company, therefore feels he can make all the decisions without discussion.

Mason forbids the staff to throw their annual holiday gala. Lyla decides to pay for what’s needed for a party in the office. Except Lyla finds Mason unusually drunk and leaves her friend Sam in charge of closing up the office while Lyla gets Mason home. Lyla learns Mason is in this drunken state because he received a letter from his sister saying their father had passed away.

Next thing Lyla knows she’s being whisked off to really cold Yule while in her pajamas! Wait, what just happened?! Mason takes his time to explain what’s happening, but in a nutshell she eventually gets her warmer clothes at least! There’s so much to learn about Yule, but you’ll have to read the book to learn it all! Be forewarned, you’ll fall in love with it and will be sad when it’s over.

I give this book 5 out of 5 tiaras because of how much I enjoyed it! I promise you’ll enjoy it, too! What’s not to love with a sexy Klaus to hang out with for 258 pages!

Thank you to Kate Callaghan and NetGalley for providing an arc for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! I immediately felt like I was transported to a magically holiday wonderland and I couldn't put it down! It starts with a holiday party gone wrong at Lyla's company which she runs with the grumpy yet handsome Mason Klaus. In order to make amends Lyla goes with Mason back to his home town to face his family and friends who he hasn't seen in a decade. What Lyla thought was a visit home quickly turns into more than she bargained for. With a magical wonderland town, fake- dating, angry ex girlfriends and a town council set on not liking Lyla she has to decide whether the trip was worth it. Although the longer she stays in Yule, the more time she spends with the Klaus', and the more Mason opens up to her she begins to question her responsibilities back home and whether she should stay.

I loved all of the holiday cheer and who doesn't love a grumpy sunshine with fake dating? This was definitely a slow burn but I loved that they built trust and love for each other rather than just having hate sex. I really connected with the dialogue around losing someone and grief especially around the holidays and how life changes after someone is gone and how grief can manifest. The ending did feel a bit rushed especially considering that it was such a slow burn but all in all I really loved this book and it will be a Holiday reread for me.

I expected a fun and romantic story. I liked Yule and the Klaus family, but the story wasn’t anything special and I couldn’t really feel the chemistry between the characters.
It all felt a bit rushed and I didn’t enjoy the writing style. It was ok to put me into a holiday mood, but it’s not my favourite story.

Thank you to the publisher who provided me with an e-copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Loved it! With that being said I have read similiar stories about going to the North Pole (Yule in this story) but this was a little different. When you think about going to the North Pole you think of elves and toys for children. This story had neither...but it was still a good story.

The author changed the perspective of the North Pole and I kind of liked it. Well written and this was my first book by Kate Callaghan and it won't be my last. I liked how she used her imagination while the main characters are in Yule. I don't like to give away the story line so I won't. You can read the synopsis for that but I will tell you that the story flows quickly and the next thing you know it is done. I loved it from the start to the end.

The characters are wonderful and I really enjoyed Mrs. Klaus and her family. Lou is the kick ass sister to Mason and Kevin, Mason's younger brother, is very protective and funny. A great set of characters for a Christmas book. I really enjoyed reading The Naughty or Nice Clause....

If you want to read a Christmas story with a spin on Santa...then I recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and CallaghanWriter, Independent Book Publishers Association for allowing me to read an advanced digital copy of this book for an honest review. These are my words and my words only.

Ahhhh so I’m totally conflicted about this book. I absolutely adore romantic comedies that take place during the cold season and the premise sounded fun and exciting. However I struggled a bit getting through it. The dialogue fell a little flat at times and the characters needed a little bit more fleshing our.

I thought I'd love this because Christmas romance books are the best. But, nope, didn't like it.

For one, this plot has been done a thousand times and way better. But what really did it for me was the dialogue. It was beyond awful.

I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't really have much in the way of expectations for this book. It seemed Christmas-y and fun so I thought I'd give it a try.

Christmas-y it is. Fun it is not.

This book needed to stop and take several breaths. So much happens so quickly that it's hard for any depth to develop. Blink and Lyla will have been transported to the magical village of Yule. Blink - Lyla and Mason will have developed feelings for each other. Blink one more time - it's over. The pacing is beyond rushed.

There's potential here. The Klaus family are great, particularly Kevin. Lyla's backstory is solid. Even Mason and his motivations are good. The twist on Christmas magic and Klaus's role in the holiday is nice. But the dialogue is stilted and the romance appears from out of thin air. The ending is rather abrupt.

This is far from my favorite holiday novel.

First off, thank you Kate Callaghan and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of The Naughty Or Nice Clause! It was a very fun read and got me in the mood for the holiday season even though it's still autumn.

We meet Lyla Smurfit and Mason Klaus, who are co-CEOs of a toy company located in Dublin. They are immediately at each other's throats, Mason as a put together grumpy business man who hates Christmas in the city, and Lyla as a sort of eccentric sunshine woman who can't get enough of Christmas. Through a series of unfortunate events, Lyla throws a forbidden office Christmas party where she finds Mason drunk out of his mind reading a letter that says his dad has died. The night ends with her escorting a drunk Mason home and the office kitchen being set on fire. A furious Mason shows up to Lyla's house bright and early and demands that she rectifies the situation by returning to his home village for the holidays, pretending to be his fiancée. When they arrive to his magical village, Lyla gets the shock of her life when she finds how into Christmas his village is, and that she might just be growing feelings for her fake fiancé.

The Naughty Or Nice Clause was an overall cute romance book that had lovely grumpy/sunshine characters, fake dating, and lots of holiday spirit. I will say that I didn't enjoy the ending as much as I wanted to, and was left a little bit confused. There is a low fantasy element to this book (which I don't mind, I love fantasy!), and it was explained a little bit in the beginning of the book, but when it came back towards the end I think it needed to be fleshed out more to make the ending make sense. I feel like the ending was a bit rushed, and that having a few more paragraphs to explains intentions would have cleared things up, at least for me as a reader! I still enjoyed the book overall, and loved all the pining and flirty conversations that occurred throughout,

My final star rating is 3.75 and spice rating is 2!

Christmas Romance - M/F - Spice 2.5/5

Thank you to NetGalley and the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) for granting me an ARC for my honest opinion.

I really liked this cute Christmas romance story, its filled with gems like, grumpy / sunshine, fake engagement, found family, and a great Christmas vibes.

The banter and arguing between Mason and Lyla was irresistible and entertaining. The flirting is cute and steamy too. The Klaus family members added to the charm of the story and pulls it all together with that stick together family vibe.

Even with some heartache and grief along the way I was often smiling while reading.

From the beginning to END I was in absolute loveeee!!!
To the tension, the relationship, and to the bond was so beautiful to read and watch how they grew to love each other. This is definitely a book to read for Christmas and it definitely 100% sets the mood.

I’m not sure how i feel about this book. I liked the idea of the story, the concept of how they explained what the Klaus’s do. I liked the world they created and how they keep it a secret.

I love the marriage / relationship of convenience trope, so i had high hopes. It was giving the proposal vibes mixed with Christmas.

I didn’t feel any romance between our MCs, i felt like we went from hating each other to Lyla straddling Mason with no real build up. They had a fight and then Mason shows up saying he has regrets and they’re in love.. I felt like i was semi confused, semi felt like i was missing something.. but in the end I felt it just wasn’t a believable romance between the two.

Barring the lack of romance, i enjoyed the story line and the Christmas vibes.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for supplying an eARC in return for an honest review.

I will be honest, I had a hard time really getting into the book. I loved the concept though, I think it definitely was great premise for a holiday read, just wasn't for me.

I loved this book so much! Lyla and Mason's Christmas enemies to romance story is sweet, funny, and full of holiday spirit. Kate Callaghan knocked this out of the park with her wit and charm. Absolutely pick this one up for the holiday season.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an ARC copy of this book.

I LOVED this, the best way to describe it would be a cheesy, cute hallmark movie of a book.

Lyra our MC is the co owner of a toy company with a grumpy but handsome Mr Klause. She agrees to pretend to be his girlfriend when he goes back to see his family for the season ... in the north pole 🎅🤶

There was flirting, family, betrayal, it had it all. If you like romance and Christmas you'll love this

I didn’t feel like the romance had any chemistry, wasn’t a fan of the dialogue and the ending felt rushed.

I'm crying. I absolutely devoured this book within hours. The way that Kate Callaghan applied this Christmas world to modern times is wonderful. I wish the resolution at the end was a little bit more fulfilling, but it works out all right.

🔮 Genres: Contemporary romance, fantasy, holiday
💫 My rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
📅 Release date: November 8, 2022

QUICK PLOT: Lyla loathes Mason, the co-owner of the company she was meant to inherit 100% stake in after her father retired. He’s an absolute THIEF OF JOY, canceling the company Christmas party at the last second and planning to cancel holiday vacation time for the team too. Much to her dismay, Lyla finds herself agreeing to a deal with the devil – everyone can keep their paid holiday time, IF Lyla agrees to spend her holiday visiting Mason’s family with him.

THE GOOD: I was totally surprised by the full on alternative universe North Pole town where Mason grew up. I didn’t know there was a heavy fantasy aspect to the book when I picked it up so that was really cool and interesting. I liked the author’s vision for Christmas magic and it put me right in the mood for more cozy holiday reading. Also, if you’re a contemporary romance trope fan, you have so many represented here. We have fake dating, enemies to lovers, slow burn, and forced proximity.

THE CRITIQUE: There were a lot of things here that just weren’t believable for me as a reader – and no, I’m not referring to the flying reindeer! Outside of the fantasy aspects, the pacing and dialogue made this book difficult to become fully invested in. The dialogue feels stiff and unnatural to the point that I couldn’t feel any real chemistry between Lyla and Mason. I also go whiplash from how quickly this book went from “normal office holiday party” to “we’re magically stuck in the North Pole together” with no plot or character development in between.

FINAL THOUGHTS & RATING: My rating for this one is somewhere between 2 and 3 stars. It was a cute, fun palate cleanser after all of my spooky October reads. I loved all the romance tropes and the fantasy twist was interesting too. I didn’t love the relationship between the main characters though, and the pacing didn’t keep me running back for more. I’m all ready for snowy days and cozy reading now though!

Thanks to NetGalley and CallaghanWriter for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review!