An enemies-to-lovers, fake dating coworkers romance… except one of them is Santa Claus. The two main characters had too many close encounters with no payoff, and I don’t actually understand how or why they fell in love. We went from zero to 60 quickly, but there were a lot of potholes on the way. Plus the fantastical Santa construct just felt flimsy.

Rom-com meets science fiction meets fairytale magic

Lyla inherits her father's toy company only to realize it is not a thriving business. The business is bankrupt and a new co-owner has her father's shares The new owner is not touchy feely and has no plans to run the company with the holiday spirit Lyla wants. Then Lyla discovers a secret about her new business partner , one of magic and Christmas spirit. She is whisked away to another land and now needs to figure out if she can have it all with Mr Klaus

If you like rom-coms that delve into the world of science fiction you will like this book which requires some imagination and a leap of faith

While this book was pretty predictable, I still enjoyed it. It had a great story line and fake relationship romances just… they get me. I wish there was a little more spice in this book, but it was overall a great book to read during the holidays.

Thank you to Netgalley and Independent Book Publishers Association for the early arc!

Great book. It was the perfect holiday read. Romance mixed with imagination. Great story line that drew me in.

While predictable, The Naughty or Nice Clause was a pleasant, escapist read over the holidays. Lyla's family owns a toy company but when her father retires, he brings in Mason Klaus as majority shareholder instead of putting her entirely in charge, Lyla doesn't much care for Mason., who is entirely too businesslike for her taste.

When Mason tells Layla he's been estranged from his father and would like someone to go home with him when his father passes away, she agrees. Layla is suddenly transported to to a magical winter village. Upon arrival, Layla is introduced as Mason's fiancée and she plays along to help him out. Of course, her ulterior motive is to get her company back and Mason out of it.

The book was an entertaining read, Seeing the characters of Mason and Layla try to meet their own goals but then adjust to one another provides some funny and poignant situations.

Recommended for those who enjoy light reads and playful romance.

I really liked this book. It was cosy, comfy and atmospheric. The romance was adorable, lacking a little bit of spice though, but overall a fun holiday romance read.

If you liked "Just like Magic" by Sarah Hogle, you will like this book, romance, fantasy Christmas story. It is not as funny as Hogle's book, but you do get this fun little village with all it's Christmas wonder. This book brings out the kid in you and then add some romance. It was a fun read and I enjoyed it very much, I loved all the characters and really could see this played out in a movie.

Lyla's CEO father has retired from their family toy company and she is now meant to receive his shares of the company. But when the time comes she realizes the company is bankrupt and her shares have been given to an investor Mason Klaus ( lol! last name tells it all). He is also know in the corporate world for his cold and callous nature. But as they start to work together, everything seems to go wrong for Lyla and worries she will lose the company to Mason. Mason said he will forgive all that if she spends twelve days with his family for Christmas. She soon discovers there is more to Mason then this man that she butts heads with. Is he really the man she thought he was, and when you open your heart can you put in back together after the magic ends?

Thank you to NetGalley and Callaghanwriter for copy of this book for my honest review.

A fun and quick Christmas romance.
I loved that we got to go to the hub of Christmas itself,
I wasn’t keen on the MMC and would’ve liked more spice.
But apart from that a thoroughly enjoyable read!

I loved this holiday, stand-alone novella! It has all the best Christmas vibes and a beautiful romance.

The characters were interesting, detailed, and extremely diverse! They were beyond lovable and I truly found myself excited to read about them. There was so much representation in this novella that I really loved.

With some fake dating, forced proximity, found family, and rivals to lovers wrapped up in slow burn wrapping paper made this novella the perfect read.

Quite expected it to be a fast paced and hot Christmas romance story but it's actually a slow burn one and one of the cutest romance I've read so far! The magical world of The Yule and how the Clause really works for the outside world has sold me out. The small town-esque and festive spirit is everywhere too. There's some emotional part as well that's nicely done ( not too much or less). It's a fun read for me!

I really wanted to like this book as the synopsis seemed like it would be up my alley, but this just wasn’t a good book and I ended up not finishing it because it felt so poorly written and the story wasn’t great.

This wasn't anything that special, and I found the writing a bit childish. Still, it was a quick and easy read, which is what I wanted from it in any case.

I found the characters a bit annoying, and the story itself was somewhat predictable. But for a holiday romance, it did its job.

I'm still on the holiday reading train, so of course I had to add THE NAUGHTY OR NICE CLAUSE to my list, a Christmas workplace romance set in a Winter Wonderland. yes please!

The story truly felt magical, and I'm all here for a workplace romance with Santa's hot son and forced proximity environment. Overall it was a fun read just the lighthearted romance I was hoping for.

*many thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy for review

3.5 🌟
The book presents a retelling of the story of Santa Claus, and I have to say that I liked how they present the world and the things they told us; Despite having some differences, it still manages to convey a lot of magic and I found it original.

The location where much of the story takes place is Yule, which is a beautiful snowy town that made me want it to be real. It has his leader who watches over the town, a council, and a whole team behind Christmas organization.

In terms of characters, we have Lyla, who sees the family toy business as one of the most important things to her. She is strong, independent, and somewhat stubborn. Mason is a great businessman, but he has earned a reputation as cold, cruel, and mysterious.

We have the Klaus family, who I have loved a lot, they are very cute and different from each other, but without a doubt, my favorite has been Mason's brother Kevin, who in my opinion has been the best-constructed character, he is a cutie.

Lyla and Mason's relationship is somewhat difficult since they hate each other and have to share the administration of the company. On top of that, for twelve days they have to spend time together pretending that they are a couple and thus avoid getting into a situation that would bring bigger consequences for them (especially for an outsider like Lyla). As the days go by, they will get closer, getting to know each other and discover a version of the other never seen before in the office.

If I'm honest, I didn't like the romance very much, I couldn't feel enough chemistry between the characters, and it didn't make me sigh or want a similar romance. Although, yes, several situations between them made me laugh, in general, I felt their relationship was very forced and lack of connection.

As for the ending, it felt very rushed. I would have liked there to have more development, because since is a short book, it seems to me that it took too long for something to happen between them and then deliver us an ending that made me want more, maybe that would have helped me connect more with the characters and their relationship.

On the other hand, the theme of families and reconciliation is discussed a lot, something that is always good to keep in mind in the celebrations, its message about it is positive and beautiful.

In general, I would say that it is a tender story that probably does not have many novel elements, but I thought it was good to read at the time and soak up the Christmas spirit.

3.5 stars.

A cute read that definitely put me in the Christmas spirit. The romance felt a little sudden at times as if the characters were heavily influenced by their environment, which could also be influenced by the magic so I can give it a pass.

The two characters were adorable and I didn't find the family annoying like other books similar in the genre. They felt fleshed out and actually added something to the story. The bake off scene absolutely stole my heart. I was SWOONING. AND I NEVER SWOON. I also loved the evil ex. The drama was SCORCHING.

The grief storyline was a hard read in a good way. I lost an animal recently who we got as a christmas gift over a decade ago. It felt good that someone else was experiencing a hard christmas because it's such a great memory of the person who died and their connection to the person. Helped me deal with a lot of hard stuff when I felt I couldn't talk about it.

I also love gumpy x sunshine and this was a beautiful example of this. I wanted a bit more romance but It was still an alright read. Looking forward to more from this author.

A really cute holiday romance short story! I love the updated cover. The story was fun and easy. The perfect read during the holiday craziness. I loved the little splash of magic with the bells and the concept of the gold dust. The ex girlfriend gave it an extra boost of drama to keep you entertained. Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for a review.

Perfect for the readers who love a good enemies to lovers trope, a faking dating/engagement ruse, taking place in a small town! This book gave me hallmark romance movie vibes and I was here for it!

This is an cute and sweet holiday read! I am so glad I was able to snag a copy to get me in the Christmas spirit 🙌

The perfect holiday romcom! I love the enemies to lovers trope, especially at christmas time! The northpole was described so magically. I loved the inclusion of the toy business especially in a holiday read. It felt very hallmark, and was just what i was looking for!

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!

My thanks to the Publishers via NetGalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

I quite enjoyed this seasonal read set around Christmas. Telling the story of Lyla who finds that the future that she was expecting isn't quite going to plan as the family business isn't quite as successful as she had thought it was, it's struggling and what she was set to receive in the way of shares are passed on to Mason Klaus a man who her father thinks will be of use with his financial standing. It's clear that there is a mutual dislike of each other between the pair and they have to put that to one side as they both need to work with one another if they are to turn the business around. How long will they remain feeling this way about one another or will their feelings begin to change as time goes on?

If you like a read that takes you away from your day to day life and allows you to immerse yourself in issues that other people are experiencing, as they come to terms with trying to get along with one another, then this is the read for you. It has elements of fantasy as it's clear as you read it that it's not just a normal run of the mill romance. If this sounds like your kind of read then grab yourself a copy, a brew and settle down to join the pair on the journey that they take you on.