I picked this one up expecting a humorous and fun holiday read, but what I got was a big fat disappointment. I am guessing if you are reading this author and whatever series this novella ties into, it might make more sense, but in my opinion this one does not work as a stand alone novella. 
Basically, the story starts with a successful Irishman coming to a small American town after he learns the truth about his lineage. I won’t go into the details, but bottom line, he learns he was adopted and has relatives in the United States. There is a lengthy section about his family and all that which was boring. 
Griffin arrives in town and meets the town baker, Melody. Sparks fly when the meet until she learns who he is and why he is in town. Melody then throws up resistance because she doesn’t want her town changed. 
Later, Griffin visits her bakery after hours to talk to her. They sort of get to know each other while baking and the hostility turns into smexy time, and that is the gist of the novella.
I don’t know why this was billed as a holiday novella because there is only a couple of quick mentions of the holiday season. All the cheer and coziness of the season isn’t present. The romance goes from zero to sizzle in an instant and not much else happens. It wasn’t fun or flirty. It was downright boring. 
I would not recommend this at all if you are looking for a holiday novella. It has no holiday cheer and a ridiculous insta romance. Snooze.
I received a copy of this novella in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for this review. 
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.

This story needs to be a Hallmark movie!  I have read many books by Donna Kauffman and this novella did not disappoint me in the least.

You know what this is? It's the Hallmark movie we all needed in our lives in written form. I think that's the highest praise a romance novel can receive because I live for the Hallmark channel. 

Will she keep her small town life? Will he keep her and his dreams for a resort town? Well read the dang book and find out ok?! No seriously... read it.

Love Love Love this book!! I am rereading again and already bought a few copies for my book buddies!! Check it out!

His life took an unexpected turn that brought him to her village. She has a successful bakery/coffee shop that was her dead best friends dream. A contentious meeting has her trying to fight her attraction to him. He wants to charm her to his side of the changes. Can they change each the other's mind or will a not so secret affair change their lives forever?

Griffin want to change Hamilton into a resort town. Melody doesn't want the town to change. When she finds out who he is, she kicks him out of her shop. He's completely captivated on first seeing Melody and hearing her cursing. A heated exchange at a town council meeting has people of Hamilton wondering. Griffin stops by to make an appointment for a meeting to talk about the changes. He ends up helping her with her baking. A very passionate kiss leads to a night of passionate love making. Both Melody & Griffin reveal their pasts, while they're working. He can't believe how truthful he's being and talking about things he's never told anyone. That one night leads to many and them not wanting it to end. It's a well known secret that they're having a romance. Just before Christmas Griffin comes to tell Melody that he needs to leave for home. She's devastated by the news but when a proposal is forth coming and declarations made on both sides then a yes. Plans are talked about moving her and her business to his home town. Four years later a trip back to Hamilton shows how fast and much things have changed since they left. A memorial service is held for a recently deceased relative. As the cousins reunite for the service and reception all are delighted to see each other. A toast is made and a surprising announcement is made that full of joy and fear. 

Donna Kauffman's Hamilton series is brought to a close with the story of the unknown relative who wants to change his family's town. Only to be blindsided by the attraction and love for the bakery owner who is happy with her shop as it is. The instant attraction is what brings them together but the love for each other keeps them together. A story of love of home, and family shows that you can have both with some compromise and laughter even when in the beginning your strangers.

A kind of "love at first sight" theme, with the usual opposing sides of a situation, and steamy scenes.

I especially enjoyed Donna Kauffman’s novella, “Naughty But Nice” because I’m hooked on Hamilton and the continuing drama that surrounds this idyllic town and it’s mysterious benefactor. The latest newcomer is an Irish bloke named Griffin who takes a fancy to bakery owner Melody and her scrumptious confections. A delightful holiday read! I read a complimentary copy of this book provided by Kensington-Zebra through NetGalley and all opinions expressed in my voluntary review are completely my own.

I enjoyed reading Trevor and Emma’s story in Unleashed by Donna Kauffman, book one in her Hamilton Christmas series. This holiday love at first sight romance features Emma Lafferty and Trevor Hamilton. Emma is pet-sitting at the Hamilton House, for Trevor’s uncle, and expected the mansion to be empty. The trip getting there was difficult given the winter weather. However, once she arrives, she is surprised to find another person in the house when she was supposed to be alone.  Trevor came to the mansion while his uncle was away so he could search for a family secret, knowing he will find the answers somewhere in the house; he just wasn't expecting the pet-sitter to already be there. Thanks to a full-on blizzard outside, they are forced to stay together in the house while searching for that family secret. One thing leads to another and sparks are flying between Trevor and Emma; leading to them having a very good time.
 
Ms. Kauffman wrote a wonderful and moving story filled with sexual chemistry, wonderful dialogue, banter and endearing characters that is not to be missed. I highly recommend this book to other. 

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

This is the third installment of the novella trilogy. This is a re-release. The story is a great way to start off the holiday season and put you in the holiday mood. 

Donna Kauffman has been around for a while but the more you read of her the more you want to. 

You do need to read Unleashed and Lock, Stock and Jingle Bells before reading this story. 

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Another sweet Christmas story from Donna Kauffman.

Thomas Griffin Gallagher is a businessman and heir to the Hamilton family fortune who has big plans to turn the small town of Hamilton into a global entity.

Melody Duncastle is the town baker who wants Hamilton to remain the same and keep all of its small town charm.

Griffin’s Irish brogue is irresistible and, as much as Melody wants to resist his Irish charm, she finds herself falling for the man who has plans to “revitalize” her home town.

Naughty But Nice is a delightful addition to the Hamilton Christmas series.  Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book

A witty, funny, Christmas romance. 


Many thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

I've read a lot of Donna Kauffman's romance novels, and this short novel is a bit less interesting than the others.  The story picks up a minor story line from the "Lock, Stock & Jingle Bells" short novel, and expands it.  Griffin Gallagher is the heir apparent to the Hamilton Industries fortune, having just learned that he was adopted and that his birth mother was an heir to that fortune.  He has come to the small town of Hamilton, all the way from Ireland, to propose a "facelift" for the town.  He immediately crosses paths with (and finds resistance from) Melody, who runs the local cupcake shop.  But, a romance is kindled (really fast, by the way) and this forms the basis for the rest of the book.
I guess if you believe in "love at first sight" this might be believable, but I found that the physical part of the relationship happened a bit too fast for my liking.  And, it was a bit more graphic than I'd care to read.  I would have preferred to see a bit more romance than sex in their relationship.  But, some may find this just right.

by Maggie
4.0 out of 5 stars
Amusing Christmas novella
November 3, 2018
Format: Kindle Edition
I just finished 'Naughty but Nice", volume 3 of Donna Kauffman's Christmas novellas set in Hamilton Virginia. It was a satisfying ending to the trilogy and settled some of the dangling bits from the other two novellas. As with the others, this one is a light-hearted quick read with a cute guy, an independent but sexy girl, and sparks. I guess I am not as fond of the novella length as novels, I would have preferred a bit more development of the characters and story. It somewhat feels like the proverbial quickie....

Naughty but a Nice is the third novella in the A Hamilton Christmas series it was originally published in the Naughty List Anthology but is now being published as part of a Christmas Collection and it can be read as a stand-alone. 
Melody Doncastle runs a small town bakery she is happy and wants nothing to do with big ideas from a big developer problem is when Thomas Griffin Gallagher walks into Cups & Cakes there is an instant attraction will the attraction be strong enough to get past the development ideas....
I love Christmas and I love this series of Christmas Novellas, I hadn’t read any books by this author before I picked up the first in A Hamilton Christmas Novella Series but I can assure you I will be looking at her other works. If you live the holiday season do yourself a favour and one click these perfect holiday reads.

well written story.  I like the descriptions of different characters.  I can see this novel being adapted for a Hallmark Christmas movie.  Fans of romance novels and Christmas will enjoy this novel.

This is a Chrismas novella that continues the Hamilton story. It's the story of Melody and Griffin. Griffin has recently found out about his family connection to the Hamiltons and has come to the US with his panty melting brogue to try to save the business and town. Melody is not having any of it! His interference is not needed as far as she's concerned and Griffin can just shuffle off to Buffalo or wherever he came from! That is until she looks into his eyes and hears his accent. It may just be a little harder to harbor ill thoughts of him and his plan as her heart melts and her body warms up.
This was a great addition to the series!

This is the third novella in the trilogy where we meet Griffin, the young man whose secret we started to learn about in book one and got a more in-depth look into during book two.  Griffin decides to visit the town where his life started and hopefully while there he can add on to the empire he has been building. Melody is a baker who loves her small town life and doesn't want anything to change.  When Griffin and Melody come together fireworks explode.  You see there is an undeniable attraction between them but neither of them wants to give up on their life's expectations.  Follow along and see if the two can come together and be the amazing couple they know they can be or will their stubbornness get in the way?  This was a great romantic holiday read with an ending that brought three couples together in family and in friendship.

Naughty but Nice is the third in the series. It was a great end to the series. A quick easy read that ties up all the loose ends from the previous two.

Good story about a man who is all business until he meets a woman who teaches him how to enjoy life a little. Griffin is an Irishman who has come to the US to build a resort that is set to change the character of the small town where it will be located. Not everyone is pleased with his plans, especially bakery owner Melody.

There's more to Griffin than first apparent. He has concentrated on business and shut off his emotions because of the things he went through growing up. He never felt like he fit in and was bullied and abused by various family members. It was recently revealed that his father was adopted and Griffin has come to Hamilton to get to know his "real" family and learn about his inheritance. 

Melody grew up in Hamilton, then left to become a lawyer in Washington DC. She came home to support her best friend who was dying of cancer, found she liked being a baker, and took over the bakery when her friend died. She has done her research on what happens to towns after Griffin's company "helps" them, and she doesn't like what she sees.

Griffin and Melody strike sparks off each other from the beginning. There is a definite attraction between them. I loved their first meeting, as Griffin was in search of coffee. She made her displeasure with him and his plans quite obvious there and again at the town council meeting. I liked the way that Griffin went to her shop that evening to talk to her about it and ended up staying to help. Griffin was amazed by the desire he felt to tell her things about his past, things he doesn't share with anyone. Within a short time the two of them find themselves giving in to their attraction. It was interesting to see the two of them get closer, obviously falling for each other, while agreeing to disagree on the plans for the town. Melody believes that their relationship will last only until Griffin moves on to his next project and wonders how she'll handle it when he's gone. Meanwhile, Griffin comes to realize that what he feels for Melody is much deeper than he had ever expected. I loved seeing his big moment at the end, and how his feelings for Melody had changed his views of his family. While the story never had the big conflict that I expected from the opening scenes, it ended up being a pretty sweet romance.

Melody and Griffin are on the total opposite sides in the battle for changes planned for Melody’s home town. She thinks life in this small town is perfect as it is and is completely against the changes Griffin wants to bring in. Griffin has only the best interests of the town at heart, even if it does appear that he’s tearing down the past to build the future… on the surface, at least.

Naughty but Nice is a quick romance with a strong attraction between two people who view life in a small town very differently. Neither is totally right nor wrong, so the challenge becomes finding middle ground to allow the attraction between them to come to full life. I liked this one, especially as it wraps up the mystery that has flowed through this entire series. It’s short enough that I don’t want to say much… except that I enjoyed Melody and Griffin’s romance, and sparks certainly do fly between these two.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*