I must say it took me no time at all to read this one. Easy to read and quite enjoyable this is a book about a real fantasy and does take you on a journey. It takes you from a real world to that of a fantastical Christmas wonderland.

With good characters who you can relate to at least a little bit this is a story that evolves and it is a Christmas story (I love Christmas!). It has its fun, its quirks and even some magic and it wasn't an over-the-top romantic read.

Enjoyable, fun, naughty and nice, Christmas and a wonderland. What more could you want. And easy read!

This was a cute read, but honestly probably not something I would read again. I loooove the cover art! The characters were fun and the premise is interesting. I just fell a little short in the delivery. It was missing the emotional tug I like in my romance novels. Overall, not bad, but not really my thing.

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for the eArc of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 3.5 stars.
Christmas and Fantasy?? Count me in. I was so excited to review this one. The premise was such a cute idea for a book and the world-building was pretty good. It was a little bit confusing in the beginning (as most fantasy books are) but once the first time traveling takes place, it was really easy to follow along with. I love the magical vibes that you get from reading this and it’s a good option for Christmas lovers. I feel like it was a tad bit rushed and everything involving Yule and the world of magic was thrown in way too soon. I would have liked more time as enemy coworkers. And lastly the world-building was so descriptive but I felt like the characters needed more depth to them. I didn’t really connect with either main characters and I would have loved to felt invested in them more.
There is lot of potential here for a super good book and I think with a little bit more editing it would amazing. It’s definitely worth reading this Christmas season.

If one of your guilty pleasures is the Christmas rom-coms that appear on Netflix in December, the undercover princes falling in love with the girl who runs the bakery, then give this book a go, you won’t be disappointed

Loving the Christmas spirit with this book. Super cute and fun, likeable characters and plot. Puts me in the Christmas mood 🌲 🎅 🤶

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.
Can Lyla resist the devilishly handsome Mr Klaus and the enchanting village to win back her company, or will she give into temptation?
This is a enemies to lovers romance. It appears that they can't stand each other just to make it apparent that this is not the case.
This fantasy come to life is a good romance.
I haven't read a book by this author before but will look for more.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

Mason and Lyla work at the same company where they butt heads and share a mutual dislike for one another. Mason gets a letter that says he needs to go home to his family for the Holidays, but he feels like he can't arrive alone, so he gets Lyla to go with him and pose as his fiancee. While visiting his family Lyla discovers the secret Mason has kept from her and also that she might have feelings for him she didn't know were there. This was my first Christmas read of the year, and I have to say, it was pretty good. There were definitely a lot of Hallmark-y elements, and typical romance tropes, enemies to lovers etc, but I still wanted to know what happened in the story. Great sexual chemistry/frustration between the main characters...I was just ready for them to hurry up and get it on honestly lol. This one has definitely put me in the Holiday mood, and I can't wait to load up my tbr with festive picks. I was thinking about only 2 stars because it was super cheesy, but I got up this morning wanting to read it, so I think that bumps it up to 3 stars. It was cute.

This was adorable! A real cosy wintertime read.

Mason and Lyla were the perfect grumpy x sunshine couple I needed and I love an enemies to lovers. The concept of the book, I won’t spoil it, was amazing and very unique. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything like that before so it was a real joy to be immersed in it and it worked so well.

The side characters were all so lovely (except maybe Nat… haha) and it was so cute to read a found family type story with Lyla and them. The magic behind the setting leaped off the page and it’s made me very excited for Christmas now!

I also want to say how much the dedication spoke to me and that I think it was another reason I loved the book so much.

The only reason this isn’t a five star review is that I felt like the ending was a little rushed - the last two chapters seemed almost unfinished? But I LOVED the rest of the book and can’t wait to pick up more by this author!

Enemies to lovers
Fake dating

Lyla is forced to work with Mason Clause when her father hands over his shares of the company. Mason comes across as rude, heartless, and an overall scrooge. When he cancels the company Christmas party Lyla decides she's had enough, she's going to throw this party whether he likes it or not. What she doesn't expect is for Mason to show up at the party drunk with a letter from his family regarding his father which sets off an unbelievable series of events.

This was such a cute holiday read and definitely has me ready for cozy winter days curled up reading.

[2.75] Thank you, NetGalley for this ARC! When I first saw the cover, I got really curious and excited. That was when I realized I love books with Christmas themes. The title's cute as well. It aligns with the theme, but I don't think it matches the story. Naughty or Nice Klaus would have better fit this because of the enemies to lovers trope and the grumpy turned nice Klaus. Also, I don't remember any naughty or nice clause mentioned or anything relevant to it. The one thing close to it is not given that much attention for the title to be based on it.

At first, I was confused about the traveling part. I admit I didn't read the entire description before reading the book, so I was surprised and confused, but when I understood what is happening, I got more excited for Lyla. The problem is her reaction to what is happening. It is just unexpected and a bit weird since she loves Christmas. I don't wanna elaborate as I might spoil the story, but you'll know when you read that part.

The first few chapters could also use more details about the two characters, like flashbacks to some of their worst fights or the first time they saw each other. This would help readers better understand how much they loathe each other and Lyla's motivation.

The book doesn't highlight Lyla's mission. It would have been more fun to read if the conflict was established well.

Also, Lyla is not likable. She doesn't understand privacy. She doesn't know how to assess risks. She has weird reactions to things. Mason, too. I don't know why he loves winking. It's weird. He is also a walking red flag. The words he says to Lyla… He is cruel and cold. I also don't feel the chemistry. I didn't feel connected to the characters tho I wish I did.

This is not hard to read as I was able to finish it and there are some really good parts, but most of the time I'm just confused about the characters' actions. I badly want to like this because I find it unique, but I think it has much to improve with the execution.

However, I'd still recommend this if you want a cozy, light read while you're sipping a cup of hot chocolate ;)

I was lucky enough to get to read this before it comes out on November 8th thanks to NetGalley and it did not disappoint! Reading this made me want to fast forward to Christmas, decorate my tree, and put on The Santa Clause to watch. I’m obviously a sucker for any romance based off my previous reviews, but adding Christmas magic into the mix is the cherry on top! the more romance I read though, the more epilogues I want to give us insight of the characters in the future and what happens next. I would’ve loved to see Mason and Lyla in Yule in the future. I loved both of them and loved Mason’s family even more, especially Kevin for having Lyla’s back the whole time. This is my first “holiday” romance and will definitely not be my last. I cannot recommend enough for anyone who wants a book that will give you the coziness of a Hallmark movie mixed in with a little bit of fantasy/Christmas magic!

An easy-breezy, lovely, and charming romance that'll hit shelves just in time for the holidays and make a great gift!

I absolutely loved this book so much as usual I got attached to the characters, this strong just pulled me in and I loved it is it Christmas time yet

Thank you to NetGalley and Kate Callaghan for letting me read this ebook before release!

The story reminds me of The Hating Game with a Christmas holiday twist.

The story wants me to be transported to Yule and live there. Although the pacing was a bit fast and not a whole lot of back story to the characters, I enjoyed the banter, romance development and grand gesture altogether.

A truly good, comfort read for the holidays!

I adore books with Christmas themes. I frequently chuckled because of the two's charisma and the incredible stress they seemed to be under.
It was a great book to read; it was engrossing, intense, mystical, and utterly unique; I had never encountered novels with this concentration, so it was wonderful to experience it all.

This one features charming characters and is a lovely holiday rom-com.

Enemies turned soulmates in this Christmas themed novel, I enjoyed the character dynamics between the main characters. I also enjoyed the original twist on Christmas legends.

A predictable plot, but heartwarming all the same. A light, loving read before Christmas
Rating: 4/5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Kate Callaghan for letting me read this ebook before release! This was definitely such a lovely little early Christmas present. On to the review!

I liked this book. I didn't love it, I didn't dislike it, I didn't find it "okay", I just liked it. This love story is basically a hallmark movie written as a fantasy. With maybe a little more open door action, but only like a crack. In general, it's a really cute book about two people who work together, hate each other, end up in a situation where they make a deal to visit one person's family... and fall in love. Perhaps extremely summarized, but the concept of the book is a typical romance storyline. Despite its typicalness, the characters and the writing are amazing. I felt like I was in Christmas, the descriptions were really beautiful and I could smell and taste everything in the book. I love food, so it was perfect. The characters are super funny and they feel really real. I smiled a lot and I blushed A LOT. I love flirting as much as I love food, so it was a great combo for me. As much as it did feel like a Hallmark movie, I just loved the energy, but I also love Hallmark movies so that's not a bad thing in the first place. I didn't really have any MAJOR complaints besides how fast the jump was in the book, and I wish it was just LONGER. So, let's dive in deeper.

I wasn't expecting the jump to fantasy, I didn't expected it at all. When it said "Taken to a fantastical winter wonderland" I just didn't expect it to be a basically different world! I suppose if I had finished the blurb and read "magical land," maybe I would have been more prepared? Even with preparation, I think the jump was fast. Too fast. This book definitely needed to be a hundred pages longer with a little longer intro, and then some in the middle/end.

Good thing to note is that I read this book in a whole day. I couldn't put it down. The characters are so lovable and I enjoyed them a lot. When I read the other reviews I could understand their qualms about Lyla and Mason, but I didn't necessarily note them while reading.

Some random things I had in my kindle notes:
- I hate Smurfit as a last name. I'm so sorry for people who have it as a last name, but I just... I dunno I didn't jive with it. I kept calling her Lyla Smurfette. This is a me thing and definitely not on the book though.
- His 1% more share in the business doesn't entitle him to make decisions by himself. I am not a business woman so maybe I don't know the reality of it, but this felt so dramatized and impossible and wrong. Like who the hell does that. Especially cancelling a Christmas party?
- Also, I genuinely don't know how these people could get so wasted at the party. Is that like a normal thing for corporate events? It's also super not fair it gets blamed on her later in the story??? Like no, these people are adults and they should know not to get black out drunk and burn down a building.
- Him flirting with her while drunk was HOT. Absolutely adored that. Wish we got more of the hate/love and a little more office life in the beginning. Like mentioned before, it felt rushed.
- She took a transition into a random magical world without her consent way better than I would. Still feel like this could have been slower or at least have her had more of a reaction. She just kinda went with it?? Like girl, your enemy just kidnapped you into a fantasy land? I'd be SCREAMING.
- The author has to be from Europe... she used cosy instead of cozy. It threw me off, haha.
- SHE WAS READY TO CHANGE HER LIFE IN ONE SECOND FOR THIS GUY SHE BARELY KNEW?? "Yet, despite it all, she would do any of those things if Mason forgave her." Excuse me sis, but calm down. Let's just think about where we were a week ago. Let's think logically about what you'll be doing. Maybe you're not close with your friends, or your dad, but still. Let's sit and think.

My final kindle note was about the ending, but that deserves it's own paragraph. What was this ending? I love the happy ending, but like I'm still confused on what the village does and I wanted to see it in action. I'm disappointed. I feel like it was so rushed and this world is created and revolves around this one day and then doesn't even use it in the story??? More ???? for this please. It's Christmas, I wanna see the magic!! At least add an epilogue with it, PLEASE.

This story was predictable. Like crazy predictable. I knew what was gonna happen every step of the way because it literally was a hallmark movie and a romance book combined. But I loved it. It was sweet, and funny, and I enjoyed the writing style. It felt magical and it was a fun read. I read in a day, I don't usually do that with books I dislike. I love the idea of this village, and the whole strawberry thing was fun too, even if it was such a minor plot point. Same thing with the ring. Obviously I'm avoiding spoilers here, but know that there are some really good scenes in here! My complaints pale in comparison to how much I smiled while reading.

I wish it was a more spicy, but that's just because I'm a spicy fan. I want all the sex scenes. There's really only one in the book and it's not very descriptive IMO. It's pretty basic. It reminds me of someone who wanted to write a sex scene but has only written closed door before. It was good, it was sweet, but I wanted more. I'm not asking for more intense even, I just wanted it longer, more descriptive, more loving and adoring each other's bodies. Like come on, we know Lyla looked HOT in that dress, let's explore it more. But again, I wouldn't mark it as a flaw in the book, it's just my preference.

Overall, this book is cute. I'm gonna recommend it to some people (Jelly Belly, you know who you are, you should read this) and it's gonna be definitely on my list for Christmas recommendations. It was a good book, I'd definitely read Callaghan again.

Rating System:
★ - Avoid at all costs. Don't even look at it.
★★ - I would recommend for people not to read it.
★★★ - It was okay. I might recommend for certain people.
★★★★ - I'd recommend it to most people.
★★★★★ - I'd literally gift this to someone. Must read.

This book skyrocketed my love for Christmas! Kate Callaghan's The Naughty or Nice Clause perfectly straddles the line of passion and hate. I loved Mason and Lyla's story and the development of their relationship. The interesting, modern take on the North Pole and the legend of Santa Claus brings forth a WHOLE new way of imagining Christmas.
The only things I would have loved to see more of was a better description of Lyla. I feel like every couple of chapters I was getting a new piece of what she looks like.
I still don't have a full image in my mind. I would have also liked a less abrupt ending, or maybe an epilogue. I feel slightly unsatisfied with how it concluded even though it was a HEA.
All in all I would definitely recommend this book for the holidays. It was fun and quick to read! Happy (almost)
Holidays!

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from CallaghanWriter and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Fun holiday rom-com with delightful characters.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc. This review is wholly my own.

Christmas with a fantasy twist? Not as much romance as would be indicated by the synopsis/

The story was just ok, but left me wanting more. There were so many points that I felt could have gone another way and it would have made the story better.

Hallmark meets Hating Game - but just not quite as good as you might expect.

But kudos for all the cozy feels!!!