'I kept wondering what that body would feel like on top of me, his stomach and heavy thighs pressing me into the mattress while he___'

2.5 stars.

Winnie Baker was a child / teen star who married her childhood sweetheart. But things took a turn for the worse. She was fired by her agent, her husband cheated on her & now she has to find a way to pay back the studio who wont hire her. But now she's given the opportunity to star in a racy new movie for Hope After Dark. This goes against her puritan upbringing, but she needs the money, wants the work & might just be crushing on her male co-star.
Kallum Lieberman was one third of the boyband INK. He was known as the 'chubby' one. But was always popular with bridesmaids, specially after an infamous sex tape was leaked. He has always had a crush on Winnie & is more than happy to play her sexy Santa & even more than willing when she asks a sexy favour.

I really loved the first half of this book. Was funny, sexy & sweet. I loved Kallum, 'plus size' bear of a man who was more than happy to make Winnie happy with whatever she needed.
Enjoyed reading Winnie throw out her old beliefs & embrace her sexuality & learn not to be ashamed of her desire.

I was really enjoying the story up till a certain part, which included one of my least favourite tropes. But barring that I didn't like the change this caused in Winnie & her attitude against Kallum. The second part just didn't seem to have the same engaging whimsy to keep me invested in the characters or their story anymore. Found it started strong but didn't end strong & was a little too long.

Thank you to Netgalley & the authors for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley, publishers and authors for the digital review copy.

This was such a fun book! Kallum and Winnie are endearing and vulnerable and so complementary to each other.

The story was pacy and had ebbs and flows which I appreciated as something different in a romance book. It definitely packed in the spice!

There was a little repetition in some of the descriptions of characters and their physical traits, which could have been avoided.

Overall, a fun and frivolous romcom read that makes for a great escape from any holiday frustrations.

Overall, I found the book to be enjoyable with two very likable main characters and a strong start. The inclusion of sex positivity and the portrayal of the religious character were well-handled.

The book had some great spicy scenes that added to the overall appeal. However, I felt that it was a bit too long, and the miscommunication trope later in the story was somewhat disappointing. Additionally, I noticed that Winnie's character seemed to regress, which took away from the overall experience.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and provide feedback.

Sierra Simone and Julie Murphy have a very distinct spicy rom-com writing style that will appeal to readers who like a lot of steamy scenes and back and forth banter. The book deals with the ramifications of purity culture, features narcolepsy representation and draws on a lot of pop culture references. It's quite a long book, and despite the writing being enjoyable to read, I found the story pacing to be really challenging personally.

This was a steamy entertaining holiday read. I really enjoyed it and found myself laughing out loud a few times.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

This spicy Christmas read follows Winnie, a very innocent childhood star and Kallum, former INK band member and now pizza store owner.
Kallum has had a crush on Winnie forever and his day is made when he gets to star in a spicy Santa movie alongside Winnie.

You can't help but fall in love with these guys! Kallum was adorable and sexy and Winnie was very lovable and had great character growth.

This book heats up very quickly with some great saucy scenes. It gave me all the feels along with a roller coaster of emotions.
This is such a fun read and a must add to your Christmas reading list this year.

4.5 Stars

Winnie + Kallum

Winnie used to be a huge star. Ever since she was little she's been on TV. Faith-based, good, girl, pure TV. Then at just 18 years old she got married to her co-star. Everything should've been perfect.
But it isn't anymore ... and now, 14 years later, divorced, she's about to star in her first sexy movie ... with Kallum.
Kallum. Who was one third of the famous boyband INK ten years ago. The least favorite guy in the band. But after a very naked tape leaked, he's suddenly back in the public eye. And he loves it. He was a tiny bit bored owning a chain of pizza places in his Kansas hometown. But now he's back and what could be better than to star in a porny movie with his teenage crush Winnie!?

LET THE FUN TIMES BEGIN!

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That was adorable!
I loved Kallum. He's so sweet and normal-ish.
And poor Winnie. Growing up super religious has done a job on her.
They have a lot of research and training to do to get the sexy moments in the movie right. LOL!
I loved those two together. And I obviously loved the whole Christmas vibe. Vermont. The town. The snow and the cold and the cuddling. The co-stars!
I need Isaac's book asap!
I could so see these books on TV! But not on a faith-cult-channel thingy!! Netflix or HBO please!

► A HOLLY JOLLY EVER AFTER was such a sweet and adorable and sexy Christmas love story! Run to your nearest book dealer to get your own Kallum - this one is MINE!

I loved this book!

Even if it's July and it's very hot, the book made me come back in the Christmas period with hot chocolate, snow and small enchanted villages!

The characters are really great, well characterised, real and funny!

I also really liked the narrator of the audio book and got me involved in the story!

Highly recommended book for the winter season!

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with this ARC!

This was a fun, quick read - perfect for Christmas time. It is very lighthearted, full of really detailed (and HOT) smutty scenes. It's super fast paced. I enjoyed seeing how Winnie came into her own without her family and ex-husband in the picture. And the chemistry between Winnie and Kallum was amazing! Perfect for fans of super steamy romances. There just wasn't much to the story besides Winnie and Kallum's super steamy scenes.

Thanks to netgallery for the ARC. I enjoyed reading this book but I must admit it pushed the boundaries for me. The language, do people actually talk like that to each other? It was hot, too hot for me. Admittedly I tend to identify more with the main character Winnie's past life. I still enjoyed getting to know the characters. It starts and ends with characters who are not main to the story which is something different and the story is in two parts. I enjoyed the first part of the story far more than part two. After reading the story I found out it was part of a series. This was not evident reading the book it definitely reads as a standalone book.

Huge thank you to the team for allowing me to receive and read an ARC of ‘A Holly Jolly Ever After’, the second book in the A Christmas Notch series by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone.

Winnie was the golden girl of the Hope Channel until a scandal left her reeling. A series of events that’s led to this pivotal moment. Redefining Winnie needs to nail this film, with her hunky pizza loving co-star.
Winnie Baker and Kallum Lieberman (the very same Kallum, for the INK boy band, starring Nolan Shaw) come together to star in a new spicy ‘Hope Channel’ Christmas flick.

Winnie no longer needs to fake her on-screen pleasure, all thanks to Kallum and their ‘research’ for the film. Strictly for the research only!
Feelings catch and after the wrap of ‘Santa, Baby’, pizza loving, goofy Kallum needs to know where he stands with Winnie - Winnie the girl he’s had a crush on since forever.

I had the best time reading this book. Catching all the feels - it’s funny, it’s cute, it’s HOT! A man who loved to eat…. 🙌🙌
The roller coaster of Kallum and Winnie’s HEA is everything you didn’t know you needed. Absolutely adored this story and cannot wait for the next couple

It's Christmas time and the Hope Channel has a new holiday movie. "Santa Baby" stars Kallum Lieberman, former pop star, and pizza guy. His leaked sex tape as a hot Santa embarrasses his family. His co-star will be gorgeous Winnie Baker, whom he’s always had a thing for.

Winnie is the product of a religious family and has been recently divorced. She gets an offer to star in "Santa Baby," and she wants to overcome her priggish and staid background. She's watching Kallum's sex tape in her hotel room and he comes across her.

Kallum and Winnie do a lot of practice together! Winnie loves it. And it makes for great on set performances. There are many ups and downs in their relationship.

It's a funny, rip roaring fast paced story.

Thank you to NetGalley, for providing me with an ARC for an honest review of this book.

I recommend this lighthearted read to others.

The Christmas setting was really well written and I loved the idea of a full christmas town as a movie set. The storyline drew me in wanting to see if Winnie would discover who she was on her own without her parents, ex-husband, and the media always telling her who she is and how she should behave. The chemistry between Winnie and Kallum was great but overall it was too spicy for me, but I still think the book will be a hit for fans of super steamy romances.