DNF at 47%

In my opinion, an enemies-to-lovers romance depends on the strength of the characterisation during the enemies dynamic - what substantial conflict is causing the main characters to consider each other enemies? What in the characterisation of each hints at how well they will eventually work together... and how does each need to grow before they will recognise their romantic destiny? That's a lot of heavy lifting for the enemies dynamic to do!

I love Christmas and I really wanted to enjoy The Naughty or Nice Clause. This book delivered on its Hallmark Christmas movie promise, serving the aesthetics of a secret Santa romance set in the North Pole (or "Yule"), unfortunately accompanied by the same somewhat bland characterisation that comes with those same holiday flicks. The narrative voice did not grab me well enough to look past the cartoonish feel of the enemies dynamic, which hindered my buy-in for the transition to lovers.

Though unfortunately The Naughty or Nice Clause couldn't hold my interest this holiday period, and reading this novel became an obligation rather than a pleasure, you may enjoy this book If you have a soft spot for Netflix or Hallmark Christmas movies. It's an easy read so it may be a good one to be able to pick up and put down during the busy holiday period.

Thankyou to NetGalley, CallaghanWriter and Kate Callaghan for providing an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

Lyla and Klause run a toy business together.
When Klause forces Lyla home with him she realizes he is more Clause then Klause. Can these 2 pretend to be engaged to help eachother.
I didn't think they really had chemistry. It was just all of a sudden they liked eachother.

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

I did enjoy this short, sweet romance for the most part. The romance was enemies-to-lovers, and it was clear Mason liked Lyla from pretty early on. It was a bit of a slow burn with lots of side plot. The ending was incredibly rushed, though, which was unfortunate because I would’ve liked a smoother resolution, but all the same, this was a light, easy romance read perfect for the holidays.

picked this up on a complete whim just based on the title and honestly i enjoyed this a lot more than i was expecting! but really i'm a sucker for enemies to lovers and especially fake dating tropes and this had both of those

overall i don't really have any strong feelings about this book but i enjoyed the romance and it gave me the magical christmas vibes i was looking for so that's a win to me!

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley. This is my honest review.

This book has a bit of a The Santa Clause feeling to it, and with the title, that's fitting. Lyla is the 49% shareholder in a toy manufacturing company that has been in her family for years, but her dad sold his shares to Mason Klaus, giving the controlling percentage to an outsider. Mason and Lyla butt heads like nobody's business because he wants to change all the things, including canceling the company Christmas party. Lyla wasn't cool with that so she used her own money to throw a party for the staff at the office. Things were going great until she saw Mason drunk as a skunk in his office and decided she needed to get him home before any of the employees saw him.

Next thing she knows, she's being whisked away to a mysterious location in her pajamas by a jingle bell. Of course she finds out the location is the North Pole, or Yule rather, and she has to pretend to be engaged to Mason, because otherwise her being there is very much against the rules.

I have very mixed feelings about the way the romance between Lyla and Mason developed. Parts of it felt very natural while other parts very much did not. Like the moment in the cabin after he played the Beast to her Belle felt natural, but his behavior while they were shopping for her didn't. But I mostly enjoyed the way it bloomed.

There were some mechanics about getting to and from Yule that made aspects of the story not really make sense as well. Like if you can travel to and from Yule by jingle bell, then why couldn't they just go back to Lyla's house to get her clothes? There are other details kind of along those lines that just didn't feel very thought out.

But this book did give me the magical Christmas feelings I was looking for, so overall I give it 3.9 out of 5 stars.

This was a cute story! It’s an enemies to lovers with a fake dating trope. It was definitely an interesting story. I haven’t read one like this before. I liked Lyla and Mason back and forth. They are very cute. There was no spice and they really didn’t have much interaction when it came to building their relationships. I think I would have enjoyed more of that to be honest. I also would have liked to have seen Natalie be put in her place. Overall it was a cute story I would definitely recommend reading. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to review this arc. I really enjoyed it this holiday season.

Part Hallmark Christmas movie. Part spicy romance. Throw in family drama and jealous ex and you have this awesome story. This may be my favorite Christmas book I’ve read.

Love the cute holiday vibes and the magic of the story and the family relationships throughout the book. Fun light romance. Easy read. Overall recommend.

The Naughty Or Nice Clause was such a fun holiday read. This definitely had Hallmark Christmas movie vibes. This Enemies to Lovers/Grumpy Sunshine trope romance features Christmas loving Lyla, part owner of a toy manufacturing company and the grumpy scrooge Mason her new co-owner who has a different idea of how the company should be run. While there is a little bit of romance in this book I think it's more of a found-family cute holiday read with an amazing take on the origin of Santa Clause. It was an enjoyable read, but I would have loved a little more banter and romance.

The story begins with Mason canceling the company Christmas party and Lyla going behind his back to throw the party anyway. The party results in a fire that could potentially damage Lyla's credibility. Mason offers Lyla a deal: Lyla will have to spend the next 12 days of Christmas with his family and he will forget her part in the disaster. What follows is a magical trip to a fantastical winter wonderland and one small catch Mason left out about how they will have to pretend to be engaged.

A special thank you to @NetGalley and Kate Callaghan for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I think this book was a great holiday refresh. The banter between Lyla and Klaus is hilarious and I love the sarcasm. The story could've used more of a reveal for the plot twist. I think some of the information had lackluster reveals. This book was easy to read and was lighthearted with some deep personal side plots. I enjoyed reading this book, I just had wished there was more substance. It seemed like there was some plot holes and I wished I got to see more of these characters. I think it could have been written at a little slower of a pace to build some suspense. I really did like this book and I would read another book by this author.

Such a Sweet Holiday Romance.

This is a good book to cuddle up with next to presents with a holiday drink. The author’s writing is fun and simple to read which makes the holiday spirit even better.

This was a fun Christmas romance with an interesting take on the magic of Santa Clause. I enjoyed reading about Yule and the village. Slow burn, enemies to lovers, fake dating, office romance, but make it Christmas? I’m sold.
3.5/5 stars.

I was drawn to this book partly because of the cover and partly because I kept seeing it and I didn't want to miss out on what might be a big holiday hit.

It was a little bit of a bumpy ride for me. There was little foundation provided to build the story upon. it relies on the familiar trope of enemies-to-lovers. But we are only given a little glimpse of the enemy part before quickly progressing to lover.

It is a short book so there isn't a lot of room for set-up. I didn't realize that they were in Ireland until a few chapters in. The characters don't have accents or use words that would indicate they are Irish - we had to be told.

A bit more time is spent on the world-building of Mason Klaus's village but even then it is pretty superficial. At times, I felt like this was a Hallmark movie wannabe - you know the Christmas movies that have the premise of a Hallmark movie but not the budget.

I did like the world of Yule. I liked that the author had a different take on the Santa Claus mythology.

I felt that the pacing was a bit rushed. It was as if the story was just there for the sex scene and we needed to hurry up and get there. The Naughty or Nice Clause does have a bit more heat but it is pretty much just one scene.

The obstacles to their relationship were often contrived and not overly inspired. You know the contract thing is going to come back to bite her. (While I'm on this point - why was she using Mrs. Klaus's email account. What email doesn't offer web-based access so that a user can login from anywhere?) At least when Lyla runs off it isn't because Mason yelled at her but because her cat got out.

This book had a lot of potential. I think a little more time and space would have made it a better book. If you are looking for quick, superficial read then this one is good for that.

My review will be published on Saturday, December 24 - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2022/12/4-christmas-novels-for-your-holiday.html

Such a great Christmas read! I loved the banter and rom com feel. The characters were fun and I loved seeing how the story progressed

I quite enjoyed this read up until the point of the "steam", it seemed really disjointed and like the author wanted to make the read sexier than she was used to. I also wasn't ready for the magical aspect of the book, took me completely off guard. But other than that, this was a fun easy read..

cw // death of a parent

If there is one word that can describe this book, it's magical. You start thinking it's gonna be something and you end up, like the main character, in a fairy tale. It was like reading a beautiful christmas movie from the 2000s and it was a lovely experience.
Lyla and Mason are complete opposites and see themselves in a situation where they have to pretend they are engagement to protect their secret that they actually can't stand each other. And if you know me, fake dating is my favorite trope ever, so i am a little biased. I loved watching them actually fall in love and most of the book got me giggling, twisting my hair and kicking my feet. Although Mason can be a douche when he wants to and Lyla can be very impulsive she always means the best.
The side characters are lovely and I wish we got to see a bit more of them, we got a couple lgbt characters which was a sweet surprise. I did miss more of her relationship with her dad being developed although that might've been the point.
The plot line was a bit cliche, which mostly didn't bother me cause i am indeed a sucker for cliches, but we also did get the classic "mean girl" who is in love with Mason and that part was a little meh for me.
The ending was a bit rushed, i wish we got to see Mason's POV and understand more of his characters, but at the end of the day it was a nice quick read for the holiday season, i absolutely adored it and it made me interested to check out more of the author's work. Even made me want a sequel, who knows?

Thank you NetGalley for sending me the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I loved the originality in this read. I found myself reading this but felt like some of the chemistry between the characters was missing. I enjoyed the story overall but did not feel their connection at some points in the book. I loved the home for the holidays vibe, the Mr. Klaus feel, and the story line. I think it is a good read for this time of year, and the book ended really strong.

Thank you NetGalley for an eARC of this read and for allowing me to share my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and CallaghanWriter for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“Fight with you, flirt with you - I’ll do whatever you want if it keeps you close.”

This book has all of my favorite tropes:
- enemies to lovers
- Slow burn
- Rivals on work
- Fake engagement
- Small town romance
- Christmas time 🎄

The protagonist Lyla has inherited half of the family's toy business. Unfortunately, however, the other part was sold to Mason Klaus, a handsome and arrogant man who hates Christmas.
In a moment of weakness Mason confides to Lyla his difficult relationship with his family, so she decides to accompany him to his family's village for Christmas break.
Once there, Mason introduces her to everyone as his future wife. Meanwhile Lyla will take the opportunity to discover the secrets of the Klaus family and get the total shares of her toy company..

The Naughty or Nice Claus is the perfect book for the Christmas time 🎅🎄
The story is bizarre but very funny and romantic.
You’ll be all in love with Mason madly.
I adored all the characters in this story that captivated me from start to finish.
You absolutely must read it!

I haven’t read many Christmas rom coms but I really enjoyed this one. It had a good combination of childhood memories of Christmas and adult perspectives. I did not see the whole bell thing coming but it was a pleasant surprise.

☑️ fake dating
☑️ enemies to lovers
☑️ forced proximity
☑️ one bed
☑️ he fell first AND harder


I liked this book and the penultimate chapter was EXCELLENT. However I was slightly disappointed by the epilogue as it just felt a bit anti climactic which was a shame. Overall a really nice easy read with good plot line and characters.

A pretty straight forward holiday romance. Although the romance was on the lackluster side. It would have been better if there was more development in the chemistry department. The pacing was fine but some parts felt a bit rush. It took me a couple of tries to finally finish the story. Overall, it was an average read. 3/5

Thank you to NetGalley, Publisher & author for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.