This was an unexpected delight! I don't usually love Christmas romances, but this one felt super fresh and fun and I really enjoyed reading it. I have read books by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone and enjoyed them, but what they can do together is truly fantastic. This book was sexy and fun and hot and passionate and did I mention sexy?

Nolan is an ex child star whose manager ran off with all his money leaving him with nothing but his bad boy reputation and a mother and sister in need of his help. He takes this Christmas movie job in a last ditch effort to help his reputation and make some money.

Bee has a successful ClosedDoor account as well as has made a name for herself in the porn community. However, when the opportunity to gain notoriety as Bee and not Bianca comes up, she jumps at the chance to appear in a wholesome Christmas movie even if she has to keep her life as a porn star secret.

Sparks fly when Bee and Nolan meet and I loved how well they completed each other. They both have their own reasons why they need this movie and they both have their own secrets. Still, they cant help but be drawn to one another. I love how Nolan and Bee have both fantasized about each other in different capacities but get to know the real person behind the persona. You have to suspend your disbelief quite a bit with this book, but that's what makes it so much fun.

I hope Julie and Sierra write more together because despite knowing their writing styles separately, they clearly write seamlessly together. A lot of Sierra's typically spicy romance is present here but also a lot of Julie's sensitivity and empathy. Julie has written some really wonderful books with plus size rep and this is no exception and Bee is so completely sexy and fantastic.

This was so much fun and I highly recommend it if you love romance, Christmas themed or not.

Thank you so much to Avon Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the Holiday romance I needed. We have so much here from body positive romance to sweet and sexy steam. I feel for Bee and Nolan hard. Imagine meeting your boy band crush when you're finally all grown up and you happen to be his cam-dream-girl and you're working on a sugary sweet holiday movie together! I mean what could go wrong?

I loved the silly town, the funny cast of characters, and the sweet romance that burned hot fast and made for an epic HEA.

What a fun and unexpected holiday read. It’s holiday without being too holiday! This one totally brings the steam and gives you the insights into the adult entertainment business via a Hallmark movie set.

Nolan and Bee are terrific together. I love how Bee is happy with her fat body and Nolan worships the ground she walks on.

This one is light on angst, heavy on the entertainment! Totally recommend.

Check out my more detailed thoughts below…
Characters: Our heroine is plus-size porn star turned Christmas movie lead, Bee Hobbes. She finds herself cast in this very pure Christmas movie with the help of a director she has worked with in the porn industry, Teddy. Both of them are ready to diversify their portfolio and hence the Christmas movie. I love her personality, the way she would go about this with such gumption was inspiring. She is incredibly loyal, and a great friend. I loved the dynamic of her being the single child of two sex-positive moms. The male lead is Nolan Shaw, the heartthrob Bee crushed on him when she was a teen. The former boy band member is post-scandal and low on funds. Hence he has booked the male lead in the Christmas movie. I loved his commitment to his family, his mom and his sister. He is an incredibly caring person and it was lovely to laud that kindness on Bee. This book had a wonderful cast of side characters. All the other people who worked in the porn industry felt so charmingly out of place on the Christmas movie set. Angel, Astrid, Luca and Sonny, I loved them all. Teddy was probably one of the best parts of the book. I loved his character and his attempt to diversify his work portfolio, and then having to resort to filling all the techie positions with his contacts from porn.
Setting: The setting is Christmas Notch, Vermont. A tiny town that is always decked out in Christmas decor for the sake of the movie industry. Everything was overly adorable and I loved all the overly Christmas stuff that seemed to ooze out of every aspect of the town. Even the strip club was called the North Pole and was super fun and corny.
Pacing: This book was slightly longer but I still found it went by at a good clip. The ending had a great amount of time to play out, something I find romance is not always that good at. So props to Julie and Sierra for some great pacing.
Romance: This romance had such an interesting premise. It was interesting that both of them had this familiarity with each other. That they had both fantasized about the other. Nolan was a fixture in Bee’s teenage years as her celeb crush. While Bee or Bianca stars in all of Nolan’s current fantasies as one of his favourite creators. So naturally, they had great sexual tension, and I loved how Sierra and Julie depicted that against the backdrop of a Christmas movie. This romance was interesting. The best part was Julie and Sierra’s care in depicting Bee as a fat person worthy of love. I was hoping for more steam than this book delivered. I have been reading Sierra’s indie work for years so I know what she is capable of, and I am gathering much of the fade to black stems from this being a traditionally published story. There was so much teasing of things like toys and tougher play and then none of it ever happened. Their first scene together was my favourite, I love how it really represented the fantasies and tensions they carried with them to work every day.

Okay I ADORED this book. Having plus size representation is incredibly important to me and this had that AND more! The story is filled with diverse characters and the story itself is *chef’s kiss*. And the steam in this book was perfect! I can’t wait to pick up a physical copy and read it again around Christmas!

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the chance to read an early copy of this book!

This book is exactly as cute and hot as I was hoping. The authors strike a light, fun tone writing this unlikely clash of the adult film industry and wholesome cookie-cutter Christmas movies, and there are lots of delicious encounters between our protagonists. There are a few areas that seem like they might be stressful--the health issues in Nolan's family and Bee's fear of horses are two that come to mind--but they all wrap up neatly with minimum trauma, making this a nice cozy read that happens to have a lot of steam. The book was a delight and I think it will be an instant classic with romance readers looking for the R-rated version of a Hallmark Christmas movie.

Bee Hobbs a.k.a. Bianca Von Honey is a very successful adult film star. Bee has always wanted to act but has been passed over for the role she wanted due to her being plus size. When her producer calls with the opportunity to star in the Hope Channel‘s new Christmas film, she is hesitant but knows this is her big chance. Also a plus in doing the film is her c-star will be Nolan Shaw, ex-boy band member who Bee might have a slight crush on.

Nolan Shaw has taken the starring role in Duke the Halls in hopes it will help clean up his tarnished reputation. He has been given strict rules on staying on the straight and narrow during the duration of filming and yes that means no sex. Which wouldn’t have been such an issue until his favorite adult film star Bianka fine honey is introduced as his new coastar.

If you are in the market for a steamy Christmas rom-com, look no further. I enjoyed this story but didn’t love it. I’m not sure what exactly it was that made me feel this way. So I don’t necessarily think I can say I recommend it. But if you are looking for a spicy holiday romance then this might be exactly what you’re looking for!

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an eARC of the story. As always, all opinions are my own.

Porn producer Teddy Fletcher is trying to transition into making Hallmark-like movies for the squeaky clean Hope Network. They don’t know his history, and he needs to keep it a secret. Former boy bander with a bad reputation, Nolan Shaw is the film’s romantic lead and needs this role pay for his family’s medical bills so he has to be on his best behavior. Plus-sized porn star Bee Hobbes wants to act in mainstream movies so she’s thrilled when the director pulls her head shot out of a pile Teddy didn’t mean for her to see. Bee’s hired to replace the female lead who had to drop out, but Teddy warns her no one can find out about her porn history. I think we can all guess what sort of hijinks might occur.

So there’s definitely a lot of steam, but there are also pretty immediate references to sex toys and the porn industry that made this book seem maybe more salacious then it is. It’s kind of a hysterical concept to be filming the equivalent of a Hallmark movie in the midst of all these hormones, and when a bunch of the crew can’t make it to the location, Teddy fills in with his porn crew which makes for a lot of funny scenes. Really serious themes are also explored about how women are held to different standards in the press, especially plus-sized women.

If you can get past the ludicrous foundation—because of course someone is going to find out—it’s a fun holiday book. I had a little trouble with how reckless and almost dumb the character’s actions seemed, but still enjoyed reading this one and think a lot of people will too.

Thanks so much to @netgalley and @avonbooks for an e-arc.

A Merry Little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone was a fun and charming holiday story with delightful characters. Bee is an adult entertainer who gets casts in a wholesome holiday movie and is excited but needs to keep her other job quiet. Then she finds out her costar is her once celebrity crush, Nolan. He is trying to restart his career and make better choices. So, imagine their surprise when they meet and their chemistry is insane! What are they to do? I loved their journey so much. This was a holiday romance with steamy chemistry, a lot of positivity and forced proximity. Such an entertaining and light read and one I recommend!

Happy reading!

A Merry Little Meet Cute has put the naughty in Christmas!
This story is tickled with a bit of fun, sprinkled with a touch of naughty and dusted with the perfect amount of romance. All this goodness and more happens when you throw together a porn star wanting a chance to be a part of mainstream movie and a washed up boy band pop star trying to revamp his tarnished image in a small town to make a wholesome Christmas TV movie.
Bee needs to keep her identity a secret and Nolan needs to keep his tarnished identity squeaky clean. She had a crush on him years ago. He is a dedicated follower of her site. Who would have guessed their two worlds would collide and be better than either of their fantasies would have predicted.
This story is definitely fun, filled with a interesting cast of characters, with an abundance of steamy moments, but ends on a more serious note as the backlash of their pasts come back to jeopardize not only the movie but their futures and possibly their careers.

this was super fun! love both authors. the characters were great, loved the setting. the chemistry was sizzling. really appreciated the sex and body positivity, though of course i expected it from both authors. such a great duo, hope they write more!

So much FUN

Secret affairs.
Mistaken identities.
Hot mess Boy Bander on a redemption tour.
Porn star going legit.
Sierra and Julie took a madcap 30's comedy, and made it filthy, sex positive, slightly insane un the best way.
I couldn't stop laughing, ad wondering how I can make my Christmases this much sexy fun.

5 ridiculous Christmas tree topper stars

A Merry Little Meet Cute was a non-traditional holiday story that focused on a non-traditional cast of characters, which I absolutely loved. The main female character, Bee, is an adult entertainer, who also happens to be a plus size woman. Nolan, the male lead, is a former teen heartthrob, who was part of a boy band. Together, the two characters come together to film the holiday film, Duke the Halls.

While I found many aspects of the story to be light, fun, and humorous, I also had a hard time getting into it. The steamy parts were just that - steamy. But I just didn't feel the plot captured my attention, even though I wanted it to.

-4.25 stars-

I LOVEEEED this. Truly this was like a spicy, well thought out Lifetime movie, in the best way possible. Bee was absolutely hilarious and I LOVED her character. Her and Nolan were literally dynamite. Nolan being Bee's number one fan quite literally killed me. There was a perfect amount of plot and spice. THANK GOD. Sierra Simone, the queen of spice, did not disappoint. Honestly, this was such a cute and fun book - perfect for the holidays too!

Thank you so much for the arc!

Naughty and steamy, this is the perfect holiday read! Bee and Nolan had amazing chemistry and love the positive spin on a plus sized love heroine. Julie always does us well. I enjoyed Julie and Sierra as a writing due. The writing was seamless and the story flowed well. I look forward to more from these two. Grab some hot cocoa and curl up with this one.

Looking at this cover it looks all innocent and cute but reading this book 🥵 and this book has hallmark vibes. But In a good way ! This book was hot af. I did not expect it !

Merry Little Meet Cute is a wonderful book with a fresh concept that made me happy. I loved how their was ft representation and it was never a bad thing, just a fact of life. I loved the bi rep, the sex industry rep, just honestly how this was a kinky, steamy, horny cup of hot chocolate with gingerbread cookies;) While, I do wish we had more steam and a little more relationship development, I enjoyed it overall!

This book is a delight! I love the dual styles of writing of both SIerra Simone and Julie Murphy. The close attention to detail that both authors take time for, both authors are good at emotional investment as well. But that Sierra Simone spice was NICCCEEE.
This book is also extremely sex positive, and sex worker positive, as it is a plus size p*rn star staring in a "hallmark" type of christmas movie. Then male actor trying to clean up his image. Both characters equally yet individually working towards a better tomorrow.
I also love the plus size representation! I will just keep this book alongside some favorite holiday themed reads, because it truly is a gem!

A (secret) adult film star and former boy band member get cast in what is basically a Hallmark Channel Christmas movie and lots of hot and hilarious incidents ensue. Plus size protagonist, bisexual main characters, lots of queer folks, mental illness rep- this book has it all and it was so well done and absolutely wonderful! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

Two novice actors with secrets get cast in what is basically a Hallmark Channel Christmas movie and lots of hot and hilarious incidents occur. Plus size protagonist, bisexual main characters, lots of queer folks, mental health rep- this book has it all and it was so well done and absolutely wonderful! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

Put this on your reading list because you MUST read it!