Thanks to Netgalley and the author for letting me have a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I want to start off by talking about things I like. As I was reading this book I was listening to Christmas instrumental music and it made for an incredibly *chefs kiss* brilliant Christmas experience. I also liked how the author, and scenes in the story, were conscious that not everybody’s holidays are all wonderful, good, and happy. I enjoyed the Clause family, the found family elements, the magical elements, the town, and Jones. Oh and I also appreciated how there was wheelchair representation even if I don’t explicitly understand how that came about.

That being said there were some pretty decent sized things I struggled with in this book. It started off wonderfully I was so excited about the workplace enemies concept but shortly after that it sped up WAY fast, then it was followed by several inconsistencies within the story. Almost like the author was having so much fun in the world they ended up adding too much/getting confused, perhaps? Another thing was the romance. It really came out of left field and did not give good vibes. It gave me: I punch walls vibes. By the end I was actively rooting against the couple because they were so toxic.

Overall it was a nice Christmas read and I liked the world building and found family.

I really enjoyed this book and the twists that came with it. Decided to give this 4 stars because although we love a realistic ending where the MC doesn’t abandon their life for love, I wouldn’t have minded that happening.

*contains spoilers*

Understandably they had only been together for a little while but living in Yule seemed delightful. I was happy to see Mason open up some as they explored together. Natalie deserved to get her memory eased, she was absolutely terrible. It was wonderful how they were able to convince the counsel to allow a new set up regarding the travel back and forth.
Wish there was more insight into their interactions before the trip, as we just had a few.

Overall this was a cozy read right in time for the holidays. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity all views are my own

Lyla wants control of her family company. However, when he retired, her father gave the majority share to Mason. They do not see eye to eye.
After a disaster arises at work, thanks to the Christmas party he cancelled that she put back on, and a family emergency for Mason, he is able to convince her that she owes him. He asks her to return home with him to act as a buffer between him and his family. When they get there, he really had much bigger plans for what she needed to do.
Opinion
This book reminds me of a feel good Christmas TV movie. It has all of the elements needed for a cute story from beginning to end. I particularly enjoyed the twist on Santa Clause's job.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys curling up in a cozy chair and reading sweet romances.
Many thanks to Net Galley and Kate Callaghan for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Incredible, heartfelt and a completely unique spin on all things Santa Klaus 🎅

I was sucked in by Layla and Mason's story instantly, I assumed it would be a simply grump/sunshine festive romance but oh boy it was so so much more. I am keeping all fingers and toes crossed that this gets picked up by a Hallmark style production as this would be an perfect Christmas Movie to get you in the festive mood year after year. Pure bliss. Loved every moment.

Christmas is my favorite time of the year so it’s no surprise that I had the best time reading this from start to finish!

4.5 Stars
I never expected a christmas romance to make me feel as this has. Oh how I loved this. The characters were all so loveable and still made mistakes which I adored. The christmas and magic was so beautiful and some scenes just really made me sob. I didn’t expect this to be as sad as it was, making me cry IN PUBLIC. Topics of grief and parental issues were discussed so beautifully. Wow.

What a fun & magical book! Without a doubt, this is my favorite Christmas book that I have read so far this year! Definitely has a similar vibe as my favorite Christmas movies…Elf & The Santa Clause! Not to mention, the cover is super cute!!!

Mason Klaus was hired by Lyla’s father to help their family toy business from failure. Lyla sees Mason as a threat because he was given the majority shares of the company and is constantly butting heads with him. Mason receives some bad news while Lyla is hosting the company’s holiday party (that Mason canceled) and gets drunk. Against her better judgment, Lyla helps Mason get home…which ends up turning her world upside down! Mason needs someone to bring home and Lyla is the one he chooses!

I absolutely loved this book!. My one small complaint is that I would have loved to see a little more romance in this book..it is a super slow burn. The characters are well developed. I love everything about the setting and I really enjoyed the spin on what happens in Santa’s workshop! Enemies to Lovers Trope is one of my favorites and this does not disappoint! I would love to see where Mason & Lyla’s story continues…

I am rating this book a 4.5 star book but I am rounding up because it definitely has that Hallmark Christmas movie feel to it!

Thank you to NetGalley, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) and Kate Callaghan for the Advanced Readers Copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Candy canes, drama and a fake....

Lyla expected to inherit her father's business, but instead, she's on the outs because its now Mason Klaus'.
There's a lot of drama and tropes, like, a fire, a fake engagement, enemies to lovers, all set at Christmastime and comes complete with a secret Santa village.

This was a warm & fuzzy holiday read, perfect for curling up by the fire and getting lost in the holiday spirit. I don't know that I would classify this as a 'romance' per say, but it was a fun read nonetheless.

The Naughty or Nice Clause was published early November 2022. Thank you to CallaghanWriter, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles, NetGalley and the author for the ARC.

This book was laced with candy cane crack because I couldn’t set it down! It was a lovely holiday read and I don’t typically enjoy holiday reads- It had great banter, a winter/Christmas atmosphere, blended with some heavy topics such as grief. I loved the take on Santa Clause and the deviation from the classic spin- Was it cheesy at times? Yes, of course, I could literally picture the hallmark movie scenes playing in my head, but it was a great time!

My biggest issue with it was the conflict, it didn’t need it. It felt like it was there for the sake of the romance book formula- I get it but at the same time, he was being so dramatic and I felt like it took away from the story, more than it added to it.

Read this if you want:
-Found family
-Christmas village vibes
-Rivals to Lovers
-Fake Dating
-One Bed Trope
-A fuzzy bingeable book (I read this so fast holy cow)
-SLOW romance

Thank you Netgalley and CallaghanWriter for gifting me a copy in exchange for my honest review!

I wanted to love this book. The setting of a magical little Christmas town was cute, I liked the side characters, it was a quick read.
But I didn’t vibe with the mains. Mason ran so hot & cold it became absurd. And Lyla… dang girl stop the hysterics and use whatever brain cells you have left to do some of that good old critical thinking. The man asked you to pretend to be his fiancee, that doesn't mean you're being forced to marry him. Chill.
I felt attacked when Lyla said that Mason likes “books way too much” because he has hundreds of books in his house, “like a madman”.
The story was underwhelming and would be rated a 2, but it gets an extra point for being set at Christmastime because this hoe loves to ho ho ho.

Thank you to CallaghanWriter & @Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

When you have a Christmas themed book, which is always leaning towards a "Hallmark movie' feel, the idea of a enemies to lovers rom-com set within the Christmas theme brought me right to wanting to read this book. Kate Callaghan wrote exactly the right humor within this book for a laughing through most of the character interactions. You can completely understand the initial animosity between Lyla and Mason, both really want the same thing but want to achieve it in entirely different ways. Lyla, as a driven woman who wants the company to succeed, keeps employees as the center of her focus, which is something that I appreciate in her. Mason, as an entrepreneur, focuses on the finances to be able to keep the company moving towards staying as a going - concern. If they took time to listen to what the other one said, half the initial chapter communication errors would have been solved. And what a communication set of errors! All of which are totally recoverable and addressed throughout the rest of the book.

I love Mason's family and Lyla's cat - all of whom add to the humorous interactions; and I have to say, thank you to Kate for not leaving the cat behind in the house. That little detail adds joy to my heart because sometimes the beloved furbaby is left behind (on accident), but still...

What I love most about this book: A unique thought that even the Clause family has needs and expectations, which Mason initially resists, and the fact that his siblings are so typical that it was hard not to laugh at their interactions. Having my own children helped me sympathize with Mrs. Clause, which I know brought a depth to this book that wasn't only about Lyla and Mason.

What I would have liked to have different: Nothing.

Thank you to NetGalley and CallaghanWriter for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I had so much fun reading The Naughty or Nice Clause!If you’re like me and you’re someone who loves Christmas and Hallmark movies, this is the book for you. You get to experience a new take on the North Pole and Santa Clause and it made me so happy. Throughout the book you get to learn about Yule and also experience all of your favorite Christmas activities like building gingerbread houses and the beautiful decorations. This book made me want to make some hot chocolate and start setting up my Christmas tree.

The Naughty or Nice Clause is packed with a bunch of my favorite tropes so if you love these as much as I do, I highly recommend this book!
- Enemies to Lovers
- Slow-burn
- Fake Dating
- Small Town
- Workplace Romance
- Forced Proximity

Aside from the joy of Christmas and the tension from the romance, we also experience some tougher emotions that give our main characters their depth. Both Mason and Lyla experience grief and tough family dynamics in their own ways. As sad as it was for our characters to go through those things, it also made them dynamic and imperfect which always make me love characters more.

If any of this sounds good to you, please pick up The Naughty or Nice Clause. The world building alone makes it worth it! I know I’ll be buying a physical copy as soon as possible.

This book was a very fun surprise.

At first I thought it was just going to be a cute workplace, Christmas romance but my shock when I realized (good shock).

This book has all my favorite tropes, workplace (sort of) romance, fake dating/fake engaged, forced proximity and secret identity. I liked it as much as I did because it was different from the romance books I normally read (the plot).

Who doesn't want to find out they've been teleported to Yule on the North Pole, THE place where Santa lives? As someone who loves Christmas, probably not as much as the main character though, I'd love to go there

Kate Callaghan’s The Naughty or Nice Clause is a fun Christmas romance centering on Lyla Smurfit and Mason Klaus, with a little magic thrown in. The book is overall lighthearted, although I must give a trigger warning because Mason’s father has just passed away. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, especially as it helps me get into the holiday spirit. I am excited to hear there will be another Yule standalone book next year and cannot wait to read it! Thank you to the author and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

If you are looking for a cheerful Christmas feel this would be a good pick!

This one lands somewhere in the middle for me. There were things I liked and some that I found not working for me.
* I liked the side characters, especially Kevin. The closeness of the family was adorable. I did not like the drama that one particular person created.
* I liked the setting. I loved all the surprises that came with traveling to this special place, about its meaning and connection to Christmas Eve. Nothing to fault there. Perfect!
* I liked the banter between the main characters. I believed in their connection. I did not like the "hot then cold then hot again" attitude from MMC.
* I liked the overall message of the story about family heritage and the responsibility that comes with it. I did not like that throughout the story one or the other was blindsided.
* I liked the happy ending but was disappointed with how fast everything unfolded. I wish there would have been a few more pages to explore the conflict, and reveal the purpose of all this happening in the first place (invitation to come along, secrets revealed, commitment, etc).

Overall, if you are looking for a light holiday read, I suggest you give this a chance!

The Naughty or Nice Clause
⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 11/8/22
Author: Kate Callaghan
Publisher: Independently Published
Pages: 237
GR: 3.73

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Kate Callaghan and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed the magical spin on this magical Santa Clause story with a twist of romance. This follows the enemies to lovers trope and it is done very well, one of my favorite tropes, and I enjoyed the way this one was done. It is endearing how subjective reading is. While some reviews were not positive, I still really enjoyed this book and would read other books by this author. I thought it was a cute, magical Christmas story. The story is narrated in third person, not from a specific person, although the majority of the time, it appears to be through Lyla’s eyes. I thought Lyla and Mason had a cute connection, chemistry through hatred at first, then through passion. Lyla is strong, independent, and sees the world through a traumatic lenses. Mason is your typical Scrooge, strong, and has earned a reputation of cold and cruel. The characters were well developed with depth, witty banter, chemistry, creatively built up, and the supporting characters, especially Kevin (Mason’s Brother) were amazing. I hope there are some spin offs from the side characters, or even the backstory on Mason’s family’s business. The author’s writing style was complex, crisp, evolving, passionate, and kept me engaged. I love Christmas and especially Christmas Hallmark Movies and Christmas books and this was no exception. This book releases today and I recommend picking up!

Not my favourite book but a lot of people will really love it. I will give it 4 stars even though it wasn't really for me. Try it and I am sure you will enjoy this.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC

fun book and good characters. Liked every minute of it this joy ride. My first by this author and enjoyed this book alot.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing an ARC of the book!
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I have to say I appreciate the authors efforts but unfortunately this was not my cup of tea.

The naughty or nice clause was not a favorite for sure this month, I disliked it in so many ways!

There was hope, and so much potential! Enemies to lovers, small town, magic vibes, and fake engagement!! But the main female character basically spends her time with the male's family pretending to be his fiance while he's busy working?

He's forcing her to lie after sweeping her off to the middle of nowhere? He saves her after she gets lost in the woods and a pack of wolves find her in the snow? There is so much trauma here from this book.

The writing style was good but the plot and the characters ruined it for me.

Unfortunately, I don't recommend. You could definitely do without reading this.