I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.


This book was cute. It made me feel all Christmassy-- I just wish there was a bit more of it, as it ended rather too abruptly for my liking.

A definite book for anyone who enjoys Christmas. And the different spin on the whole Santa Claus thing was well done

This was a quick and surface level Christmas story that I think had a lot of potential but mostly fell flat for me. The book felt more like a script for a holiday Netflix movie - heavy on the dialogue and Lyla’s internal thoughts, but breezing through details that would have expanded the characters and made the story more substantial. If you’re looking for some simple, cute Christmas magic, this may do the trick.

This was a very whimsical holiday read. The blend of realism and magical realism was nice and perfect for a holiday romance. There was a tiny amount of spice. Recommend for a magical, whimsical holiday romance.

This was such a fun holiday read! Everything you want in a holiday romance. 🎄 I read it in a day, staying up way too late to finish it. I’ll definitely be adding this one to my regular rotation for this time of year. Great cover, too!

This was so cute!! It was a great, quick read if you are looking for a fun and frothy story for the holidays!!!

Thank you Kate Callaghan for my review copy! All thoughts are my own.

If you’re looking for a romcom that has low fantasy vibes, I think this will fit the bill! I was surprised by the world building and it made this feel different from all the other holiday romances I’ve been reading recently. It felt very grounded and fun., while also including some tropes that I am obsessed with.

Synopsis:

“When Lyla’s father retired as CEO of the toy company which has been in their family for generations, she was meant to receive his shares. Instead, she discovers the company is bankrupt and her father has given her shares to Mason Klaus, an investor known in the corporate world for his cold and callous nature. Much to Lyla’s frustration, her only option is to run the company with him, despite their evident loathing for one another.When Mason cancels the annual Christmas party, Lyla throws it anyway – only for the event of the season to result in a terrible fire. With the offices and Lyla’s credibility ruined, Mason offers her a deal: he’ll forget her part in the disaster, but she must join his family for the twelve days of their Christmas holidays.Taken to a fantastical winter wonderland, Lyla hopes that she might discover some of the secrets Mr Klaus is hiding, and maybe even a way to get her company back. However, when Mason introduces her to the secret village as his fiancée, she is horrified to realise she has no choice but to go along with the pretence – because the cost of bringing an outsider to their magical land is far too high.” —StoryGraph

What I LIked:

The Premise + Setting—This book is kind of like The Santa Clause 2 but in a Rom Com form. I thought Yule was fun and charming and I liked the magic system they had in place. It’s sure to get you in the holiday spirit!

The Tropes—Fake Dating! Grumpy/Sunshine! Christmas Lover/Christmas Hater! All ones that I love. I wish there had been a little more depth to the characters’ relationship but the tropes were breezy and fun.

What Didn’t Work:

Pacing—Everything wasn’t that well developed so it felt rushed and slow at the same time.

Character Authenticity: 3/5 Spice Rating: 1/5 Overall Rating: 3/5

Content Warnings:

Grief, loss of a parent, estranged parental relationship, allergic reaction

This was sadly not the book for me. My first reaction was that the writing was a slouch to read, and I had to go back and re-read a lot. The story itself is cute and fine, but I think it’s for a different audience than myself.

First and foremost, I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC!

We all have that one boss that no matter what we do, they turn into the Grinch. That’s exactly who Mason Klaus is.. or so Lyla thinks…

When Klaus “takes over” Lyla’s family toy business; she sees him as controlling, cold and just downright against Christmas. Afterall, it makes zero sense as to why somebody who could hate Christmas if they are in the toy business.

When a letter comes for Klaus from his “distant” family… Lyla finds her cold hearted boss in a state of loneliness and a bottle of scotch.

Armed with the knowledge that Klaus is not a bad guy; Lyla takes it upon herself to not only take Klaus home safely, but to start changing her perception of the man who is in total control of her company.

Late in this novel you will see what you will deem as the antagonist(Klaus) return back to hometown to take care of some major family problems but under false pretenses…

With Lyla and Klaus… what could possibly go wrong… or in this case… what could possibly go right?

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 -what a cute Christmas read! Lyla and Mason Klaus are co-CEOs of Lyla’s family business, and they hate each other. When Lyla ~ accidentally ~ throws a Christmas party after Mason canceled it, he gives her one way to make it up- go home with him for the holidays. of course, his home is the North Pole, and to be allowed in, Lyla must become his pretend fiancée. Can Lyla convince Mason to take up the suit, therefore getting her company back, or will she fall in love with the magic of Mason’s family and hometown? this book got me in the Christmas mood, but found it to be almost too predictable- it felt like several famous Christmas movies all rolled into one. Pick this one up if you want a quick, cute rom com filled with magic and Christmas fluff!! a big shout out to NetGalley and CallaghanWriter for this copy!!

The descriptions and vividness of the North Pole were the perfect Christmas mood booster to help get me in the festive spirit. A relaxed and fast paced enemies to lovers and also some found family which is a trope I LOVE!! So festive and heartwarming! I wish I was there with the cafes and gingerbread and reindeers. Also plenty of subtle lgbt+ rep and diverse characters to mix up the traditional clause family. Big win!

I had fun reading "The Naughty or Nice Clause." Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I loved the atmosphere and world building that the author created, the winter wonderland vibe was spectacular. I really appreciated how well grief was depicted in a realistic and very honest way. I loved the side characters, Mason's siblings were delightful. I appreciated that there was LGBTQ and disability representation in this book. I didn't feel much of a connection between the main couple, and I would say that despite the title Clause was neither naughty nor nice.

For a short little festive book, I didn’t expect too much, however I ended up loving this!

This has a grumpy/sunshine trope with a fake engagement, which are two of my favourite things to read. I loved Lyla and Mason’s relationship dynamic, as well as growing to love Mason’s family.

The setting of Yule felt so magical, like the feeling you got about Christmas when you were a kid.

It’s a low fantasy but it feels really cosy, and perfect for this time of year. It’s a nice, easy to read romance, and a book that I’ll definitely recommend to most people

This was my first Christmas read of the year and I’m so pleased it was! It was the perfect cosy heartwarming story, with so many of my favourite tropes. From enemies to lovers, a deliciously grumpy Mason Klaus and Lyla Smurfit have a lot of obstacles to overcome to find their happy ever after but the journey is such a sweet one. Through a fake engagement that forces them into close proximity, they finally get the chance to see another side to each other, and I loved it!

The story really picked up once they arrived in Yule, by a magical bell no less! I was lost in all the beautiful descriptions of cobbled streets, cosy stores and even reindeer pulled sleigh. Who wouldn’t want to be whisked away to this Yule wonderland!

I especially loved all the little sweet moments between Mason and Lyla, how he slowly let down his walls for her and revealing that underneath his Scrooge exterior he really has a heart of gold. I do truly love a good Grumpy x Sunshine trope. It’s not every day that you find out your boss is the next in line to become Santa Clause, but wouldn’t that be the best surprise?

Not to mention the rest of the Klaus family, oh I loved them all. Reading about how Lyla was accepted into the family was just as lovely as Mason and her love story!

Overall I really enjoyed this book, it was such a warm welcoming story. Perfect for this season and I’m so pleased I had the opportunity to read it!

A very cute addition to the holiday season. It's kind of like Santa Clause 1 and 2 but with lots of little modern twists. I loved reading about the magical city of Yule!

Great for anyone looking for a quick cozy Christmas read. There isn’t much depth to the characters and dialogue but it is a cute and fun story. If you are a fan of the enemies to lovers trope or a Hallmark style story with a happy ending, this would be the book for you.

First I want to say thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

Things I loved: it really put me in the Christmas spirit, the main character Lyla stays true to her independence and doesn’t bend at every whim to completely change her life, the reinvention of the meaning of Christmas is represented pretty uniquely and it’s well organized. Masons development was fairly solid and his ability to open up was well founded. The crazy ex was done pretty well.

Things I did not love: there’s a whole day lost on there somehow….I reread it a few times on chapter 15 when she goes to look for Jones the cat….it’s 7am when she shows him the office, just after she goes to look for the cat…and without an explanation of 12 hours passing it’s evening again, or maybe is t because of the storm, but why do they go to sleep after just getting up then anyways…I was confused. I also didn’t like the line “you never think” if a man had said that to me he would need to apologize for acting like an asshat which he does apologize but not for that sharp tongue and he should.

Overall this was cute, I don’t think their bond was quite as well described as it should be for me to feel moved, but I liked the non traditional ending too. Good read overall!

This book is like a Hallmark hug. I could definitely see this being a movie.

It was so, so enjoyable! Although I didn't see drop down, drag out, falling in love with you moments between the MCs, it was slow - and there. The book was more about finding family and family being the most important - from my eyes. Lyla found family after her moms passing and Mason realized how important his family is.

The book was well written and I wish I could read it again for the first time. A must read for the holiday season!

Lyla is not happy when Mason becomes a majority owner of her father’s company and they are forced to work together. She’s even less happy when he whisks her away for Christmas to act as a buffer between him and his estranged family- who just so happen to be the Klaus family.

What I liked:
-strong holiday vibes
-enemies to lovers
-cute side characters (big fan of Kevin, Mason’s younger brother)

I struggled with the romance in this book because I really didn’t get a sense of chemistry between the two main characters. It was still an enjoyable read and very seasonal but the romance definitely fell flat for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and CallaghanWriter for the advanced reading copy!

A fun new spin on a classic story of Santa Clause which is unusual as well as original. Lyla and Mason meet at work when Lyla's father sells his shares of the toy company to Mason to restore the company from potential bankruptcy. While they are working together, Mason initially makes hard changes to turn the company around that Lyla doesn't understand (or feels like they are mean and unfamiliar). Throughout the story, we learn that Mason has a secret and he chooses Lyla to share it with. Discovering this secret will change her opinion of Mason forever and when she realizes who he truly is and is exposed to the secret her life will be forever changed. As the reader flips through the pages they are taken on an adventure full of love, new journeys and self discovery. I rather enjoyed this book and rendition it kept me engaged and interested.

hank you to NetGalley, Kate Callaghan and the publisher for allowing me to read a free, advanced copy of this book.

This is the PERFECT read for the upcoming holidays and has me feeling very much so in the Christmas spirit. The Naughty or Nice Clause by Kate Callaghan is definitely a new favorite rom-com featuring office romance, enemies to lovers, happily ever after, and so much more. Lyla and Mason are the perfect example of love at first fight. Showing up to her doorstep to sweep her off to the magic of Yule?? He had her hook, line, and sinker, ladies and gentleman. (Me next?) Mason came off as an asshole at the start, but as you read the story, you could just tell that he had a soft spot for Lyla and was hiding how he really felt. Seeing him in Yule with his family, it’s easy to recognize how Lyla finally saw him for Mason, and not just as her co-CEO, Klaus. I loved this read and would absolutely read it again just to experience Yule and the love within it. Here’s to hoping I’m on the Nice list so I can get some of that good luck I’ve read so much about!

Thank you to Net Galley and CallaghanWriter for the free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review 🤍