I read a LOT of rom-coms, but this was my first CHRISTMASTIME rom-com. And because procrastination is my fatal flaw, I read it the first week of January. But it was delightful all the same!

I think it is amazing and kind of hilarious that Kate Callaghan usually writes dark fantasy, because she is very good at a genre that is essentially the novelization of Hallmark movies (KIDDING! I actually think romance is one of the hardest genres to write and I will lay my life down defending good romance authors). I am now very curious to read her other books......

I loved the tone of her writing: from the top it was upbeat and optimistic. I go absolutely feral for an enemies-to-lovers workplace romance (HR reps HATE me), so I was totally strapped in and ready to rumble when Klaus presented the fake-dating idea. Then the story went in a different direction from what I initially expected, which is great because I love being surprised. I took a star off for Klaus. Surprisingly, I did not have an issue with a hot Santa Claus romance (something to unpack later), but his character felt underdeveloped and fell flat for me. The ending also felt rushed; I wouldn't have minded an extra chapter or epilogue.

Thank you to Callaghan, the publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC.

The world building in this book was great, but for me the romance was lacking. I really couldn't tell you why these two characters are in love with each other, and the treatment of the death of the father felt really glossed over to me. This one did not hit for me.

Es una novela comedia romántica a todas anchas. Te vas a reír y pasar un momento increíble. Lo leí para la fecha navideña y fue lo mejor ✨

THIS is how you do a Christmas story! I adore everything about Christmas but I especially love well written Christmas stories! This book ticked all the boxes; grumpy & sunshine, enemies-to-lovers, fake-dating. AND Christmas magic! It was such a fun read that featured charismatic characters who you're bound to love one way or another. I especially loved how magical and vivid the author's descriptions were, quickly transporting you to a winter wonderland (I live in the Southern Hemisphere, so I LOVED the winter escape through expert story telling!).

The Naughty or Nice Clause By Kate Callaghan

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thanks to NetGalley for providing this eARC of Kate Callaghan's The Naughty or Nice Clause in exchange for an honest review.

This magical Christmas story with a touch of romance had a magical twist that I liked. This is a good example of the enemy-lover trope. It's one of my favorite tropes, and I loved the way it was handled. It's fascinating to see how subjective reading is. I enjoyed this book and will read more by this author. It was, in my opinion, a sweet and magical Christmas story.

The story is told in the third person and by no one in particular, though it appears to be mostly through Lyla's eyes. Lyla and Mason seemed to bond, first out of hatred, then out of passion. Lyla is strong and independent, and she sees the world through a traumatic lens. Mason is a typical Scrooge: he is powerful and known for being cold and cruel. The characters had depth, witty lines, chemistry, and creative construction, and the supporting characters, especially Kevin (Mason's brother), were great. I hope there are supporting characters or even information about Mason's family business. I was kept on my toes by the author's writing style, which was complex, clean, evolving, and passionate.

I love Christmas, especially the Hallmark movies and books, and this one was no exception. The book was released on November 8th, 2022, and it is highly recommended.

Happy reading!

Mysterious Shy 😎

I adore this book. Lyla's family toy business is on the brink of closure when her father agrees to take on an investor: Mason Klaus. Lyla can hardly tolerate him and they're always butting heads about decisions to be made. Case in point: the annual Christmas party. Mason won't have it, Lyla refuses to cancel, so when he leaves for the night, she and their employees throw a huge party.

A minor fire at the Christmas party means that Lyla's reputation is on the line, but Mason agrees to help her restore it if she'll go home with him for Christmas. She begrudgingly agrees, and is swept up in a magical journey and a secret: she's an outsider to his village, and the only way she'll be welcomed is if she and Mason are engaged. Forced to go along with the plot, Lyla soon uncovers many secrets about Mason's family

Kate Callaghan's north pole is so vividly described that I felt like I was there with Lyla and Mason. This is a perfect holiday read.

This was a quick and fun read. Some of it went a little too fast and things progressed a little faster in parts I could have wanted to go slower. Also I would have loved to see a certain character get a little more retribution, but I had to tell myself “this is a romance, not a revenge story”.

What if your partner in business asks you to be his fake fiance and he turns out to be the next Mr. Santa Clause?

Lyla owns part her family’s toy company together with Mason Klaus, a real scrooge. The company is slowly going under, and Mason isn't helping one bit to further improve matters. When the Company Christmas-party ends in a devastating fire, Lyla is heartbroken because this is game over.

But Mason sees this differently. He offers to help pay for the fix up but there is on condition, Lyla needs to go home with him on the holidays. By home, he means the North Pole. And she needs to pretend to be his fiance. But Mason has a huge secret.. He is none other than Santa’s son who is next in line to become Santa..

The synopsis of this book sounds so good... and it has all the elements to become a beautiful Christmas romance. But still it fell completely flat.
There was no chemistry between Lyla and Mason. And the dialogues in this story were horribly written. They were empty and fell flat. Maybe that is why I just couldn't get into their romance?

As a lover of Christmas, this book certainly hit the spot with the charm and essence of the seasons. A wonderfully written Christmas romance with enemies to lovers and a heavy dose of joy. I highly recommend this cozy read!

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks NetGalley for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

Note: There is no smut in this book. I missed it, but this didn't influence my review.

I finished this Christmas read in January because at 40% this story put me in a reading slump at the start of December. As this was an ARC I decided to push through and two starts are given only because I finished it.

The main characters were unlikable. Lyla was always behind on what is going on. She seems gullible, stupid and couldn't make any decisions or take care of herself in that matter. At 60% of the book when Clause mentions "The LIST" she doesn't know what he is talking about. COME ON! YOU ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SANTA"S HOUSE! IT IS NOT A GROCERIE LIST HE IS TALKING ABOUT! Gawd! And everything other characters said she turned to herself I give small example which is not in a book:
Klaus: "I broke my foot"
Lyla: "I broke my foot once,"
She did this with everything that was happening in the book to other characters, it was so annoying.

Mason was just jerk. He would give her orders and treat her like she is his child or property and then randomly say something nice to her. I know this was supposed to be enemies to lovers but the execution wasn't done right. I didn't feel any chemistry between them there was no romance at all.

The writing style was strange too. I felt like a 12 year old wrote this. The dialogues didn't reflect how real people talk and they felt forced and didn't flow naturally.

I am sorry I have to give such a bad review I really wanted to like this book.

I wasn’t feeling or buying the chemistry! I loved the premise of this one but overall it was meh for me

This book was cute! I enjoyed it, and I really liked the original take on Santa Clause. I do think that the characters fell for one another a little too quickly, and I would have liked to see a little more build up there.

This one was cute- if you enjoy reading romance. Especially holiday romance, then I think you’d enjoy this one for sure!

This was my favorite seasonal read! Loved this story! The pacing was fantastic and the characters were great. I wish the ending had come more full circle with her seeing the family again…. Loved the holiday spirit and the Christmas magic!

I absolutely loved this one! Had the perfect amount of holiday magic, cheesiness, love and the cutest supporting characters. I will say you can see the conflict coming in this one, but that didn't stop me from loving it. I would love to visit the North Pole again next year just to check back in on these characters! Such a fun holiday read.

This review has been added to Goodreads, Literal and Storygraph, as well as Barnes & Noble and Amazon. This will be posted to my instagram (@busywithmybooks_) within the week.

Thank you for allowing me to read this story!!

DNFed after 37%

This book wasn't really what I expected. It was really a slowburn and not much happened. I just couldn't get through this one.... How much i wanted to do it.

Thank you to @netgalley for the advanced copy.

Absolutely no chemistry between the leads, nothing to suggest they could ever be more than just two co-workers snarking at each other at every turn.

I made it about 20% before I gave up. Life is too short to not enjoy what you're reading, and I definitely wasn't enjoying myself.

Sad about this one though. I liked the potential it had. Shame about the execution.

Thank you Netgallery for the opportunity of reading this book! I thought this was such a cute and easy Christmas read! I loved the found family trope with Lyla and Mason’s family! I found the love connection a little slow but it was really good at the end 🥰

I read this one Friday and really enjoyed it! This was exactly the light hearted (ish) cozy holiday vibe I was wanting. It definitely could have opened some doors though 🌶️ 👀

✔️ Fake dating
✔️ Enemies to lovers
✔️ Warm cozy Christmas vibes

This was such a fun read, I was giggling left and right. When Lyla is forced to spend her Christmas with new CEO and crabby partner Mason Klaus, not only will life as she knows it change but the magic of Christmas takes on a whole new meaning. 🎄✨ Small town vibes and the loyalty some places have for tradition!

If you’re looking for a quick holiday read with all the feelings, this one is for you!

At first I was expecting a steamy holiday romance, but wow! I was so surprised with the fantasy aspect that I fell in love with the book!