I have enjoyed reading these two authors and what they collaborate to come up with is fun and new. I was looking forward to this one.

A return to Christmas Notch, this time around I will really looking forward to see what was yet to come and it did not disappoint.

The story introduces us to Kallum, a former boy band member who left "show business" to run his own pizzeria who happens to have a sex tape. Kallum is the star of a new Hope Channel movie filmed in Christmas Notch (YAY!).

Winnie, recently divorced has her own baggage is a costar and is struggling to find her way and she looks to do research on meeting expectations by watching Kallum's sex tape, hoping this will bring some answers and inspiration she is looking for. Kallum, we find out happens to have had feelings for Winnie for a long time, cannot refuse her ask help her.

The chemistry is off the charts and this is a fun and emotional read. I think it was a good add to the series and truly, who does not love a Christmas themed book this time of year! It has all the feels....

This is the story of Winnie and Kallum. Winnie is an actress whose reputation has been tarnished and gets offered a job to star in a sexy movie, which is in contrast to her her previously wholesome image. Kallum is her costar in the movie. They have to film many sexy scenes together. Winnie is very awkward and stiff during these scenes so she asks Kallum to coach her in the sex department. One thing leads to another... I enjoyed this book and recommend it if you're looking for a light hearted romance.

Kallum is a prior member of INK. It's a band that him and his two best friends started back when they were still in high school. Kallum loved touring and singing with his best friends; however, he always felt like the third wheel in a sense. He was the heavier, less talented one of the three so he made up for it by being the fun loving guy who didn't mind "helping" bridesmaids by being the good luck charm to finding their forever love. (There might be a naughty tape involved.)

Winnie grew up with purity drilled into her from not only her parents but the church. She married her husband right after turning eighteen and thought they would be together forever....until he cheated on her. Everyone tried to talk her into fixing things with her husband but there was a new Winnie on the horizon and she was going to start making choices and decisions for herself.

Winnie needed to find a way to get her life back on track after her image became tarnished. She wasn't the pretty little pure good girl anymore. Then in walks Steph, the perfect manager to turn the scandal into a new image and the money that Winnie desperately needed. So off to Christmas Notch to film a risqué Christmas movie opposite Kallum...the one man that started the downfall of Winnie's perfect image.

One of the first things you learn about Winnie is that she is so pure (thanks to her upbringing) that she had never explored all the possibilities in the bedroom. Even though she was married for over a decade, she never finished. Now she was filming a movie that required she fake it on screen and well that was not good. Not to mention her male costar is a viking come to life. Big hands, thick thighs and a beard. Attraction definitely wasn't their problem but the mental block that Winnie faced was sad in my opinion.

As someone who grew up in the church community, I totally get Winnie's struggles. There is a constant drilling into young women's head about purity. This book really dives deep into that. Seeing Winnie struggle to overcome those burdens is extremely relatable to a lot of women. What I truly loved to read about was Kallum's understanding and support when it came to those struggles.

The book is in two parts and I think the plot develops a bit more in part two. However, I feel as though the conflict that Winnie and Kallum face is kind of childish and not really realistic. As in, if it was a conflict that an actual couple in their thirties faced it would have been discussed and figured out within minutes probably. However, in the book it is drawn out and made to be more than it was. That's why I gave it a four star rating.

The spice is great in the book. Winnie had never "finished" and Kallum was the first to get her there but then they took the "research" to a whole new level for her. She pretty much lives out her teenage craze in her thirties because she finally realizes what she missed out on. Kallum was definitely the right partner for that as well.

Overall, it was a great book. You get spice, real life struggles, a caring MMC and of course plenty of Christmas. You should definitely add it to your winter TBR.

Love the shenanigans that happen in this little town of Christmas Notch, Vermont. Daddy Pizza Kallum is such a lovable , kind hearted , man-child. He is the K member of the INK boy band. He has his own insecurities that actually pull at your heart strings. And then we have Winnie the wholesome, god fearing, Hope Channel actress who fell from grace. And now she is on a path to the new Winnie with Hope after Dark. She has lived so long with her insecurities that she needs a teacher to help with her research. What entanglements can possible happen? Of course all the crew and family are back filming Santa Baby. This story and their journey to be together is EVERYTHING I didn’t know I needed. Just when I thought I couldn’t LOVE Kallum anymore he goes and sets the bar so high I can’t see anyone replacing my adoration for him. And Winnie, I can’t say enough from my wanting to hug her to yelling YEAH GIRL🖤🖤🖤. I love this riff raff of characters and the family they’ve become. And ummmm Isaac??? What’s up?

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: October 10, 2023

A very open door romcom that somehow blends Hallmark holiday movies and…softcore porn movies? I was intrigued by the premise of this opposites attract story and Kallum is lovely but I really struggled with Winnie’s character. She comes from a very conservative sexual past—she is in her 30s and has never had an orgasm—and it was borderline uncomfortable with how little she knew and how uncomfortable she was.l with everything. Then she suddenly isn’t and she’s down for everything a few days later. A bit of whiplash but plenty of steam!

A Holly Jolly Ever After is a frothy, fun and lightly steamy rom-com that is not too much on the "com", just the perfect balance with some lightly serious elements for an enjoyable, low-stress read. This is the second full-length book (there is a first full book and a novella before it) set in the Christmas Notch world.
Technically speaking, they do standalone, but the secondary and tertiary characters are not developed enough on their own in this book without having met them before in at least book one.
The hero of this one is Kallum, the best friend and fellow former boy band member of the hero from book one, Nolan, and he is just about the warmest, sweetest, kindest hero I've ever read. He is adorable, and a perfect counterpart to heroine Winnie, who is finally emerging from a lifetime of repression and controlling at the hands of her parents and ex-husband. I also loved Kallum's family and all of their appearances.
The book overall is probably more telling than showing, but it's the kind that works because the voices of the characters as they tell us are so interesting and the writing so intelligent.
The book/plot is not holiday-based, and a holiday does not even occur in it, but the movie they are filming is set in Christmas Notch, Vermont, a town deliberately Christmas-themed to cater to a Hallmark channel-esque movie production company and to Christmas-loving tourists.
I was happy to see the third boy band member, the sad one!, make an appearance in this one again. I am super eager for his book, especially following what occurred during his appearance.
So, again, a perfectly balanced contemporary romance with steam, definitely recommended if you are in the mood for that, and I actually liked this one more than book one so if you don't mind not having the side characters' backgrounds you could jump right to this one if you have a mind to.

We are absolutely going to work our way through all of INK and I certainly can't wait for another trip to Christmas Notch. While Winnie and Kallum are a bit more reserved than their predecessors, they're every bit as raunchy and dirty behind closed doors. This one certainly had a bit more religious trauma involved though and I felt so bad for Winnie. There's also a trope that I don't think everyone will enjoy, as well as some triggers that I feel like should've been disclosed.

Overall though, a cute and sexy holiday romance as usual!

*Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

Winnie is trying to start fresh after events have led to her "tarnished" reputation. She has decided to film a movie that is different from anything she has done in the past, a sexy Santa film. Kallum is a former member of INK and has also decided to be in the sexy Santa film. After admitting that she needs a little help with some things pertaining to the movie, Winnie asks Kallum for some advice. He tells her to do some research, but after some trouble with solo research, she asks him to help her. They do lots of research and enjoy their time while filming. Things start to heat up and feelings develop, but are they mutual or just one-sided?
I enjoyed this story and being back in Christmas Notch. I like how they both worked through their personal issues in order to be together. Winnie needed some time to find herself and really know what she wanted to do, for herself.

**Received an ARC and give my honest review**

Welcome back to Christmas Notch!!! Take a load off and settle in for all the laugh out loud moments and all the steamy sexy times!!

The stars of this Teddy Ray Fletcher Christmas holiday movie are Kallum Lieberman and Winnie Baker! He's a former boy band member/pizza mogul, and she's the uber wholesome actress since childhood....until she doesn't seem so wholesome. They are set to star in a Hope After Dark movie, aka a steamier Hope Channel movie. The only issue? Winnie needs some adult education! Kallum is more than happy to be her teacher.

Oh, these two are fantastic together! I absolutely loved A Holly Jolly Ever After!!

This is the second book in this series, and this is Kallum and Winnie’s story. Winnie a recently divorced actress, and Kallum, who is a former boy band member, reunite as co-stars for a steamy holiday film.
This is a well written opposites attract slow burn romance, with humor, witty banter, forced proximity, fun, and is a sweet and steamy addictive page turner.
I look forward to reading more from these talented authors’ whose work I highly recommend.

4.5 out of 5 stars!

I loved this visit back to Christmas Notch! Meeting your teenage crush is one thing, but working closely with them is quite literally on a different eve. Kallum and Winnie are trying to resurrect their careers/redeem their bad publicity by acting in a soft core Christmas TV movie. Having been raised in the the purity culture, Winnie is all kinds of awkward on camera. She enlists Kallum to be her tutor. The acting soon turns to real feelings, conflicted but real nonetheless. I was rooting for Kallum and Winnie to get their HEA. I loved how Kallum jumped in with both feet and how loving and supportive his family was no matter how many times he messed up. On the other hand, I felt for Winnie and how her parents were not accepting of who she was. I appreciated how the authors wove in Winnie’s disability, given insight to how narcolepsy can affect the individuals who live with it. I loved seeing the characters from the first book and how the authors wove them into this story. It’s one big found family.

I received a copy of this book at my request and voluntarily left this review.

Welcome back to Christmas Notch! I LOVED A Merry Little Meet Cute and couldn't wait to get my hands on this one!

After a tough divorce, Winnie is ready for a big comeback and what better way to do it than a steamy Christmas move?!? Enter Kaullum, former boy band, ready to rehab his image after a not so timely leak of a sex tape.

These characters are absolutely delightful and so so easy to love and root for! And it STEAMY with a lot of chemistry!! I loved the body positivity in this one too! And A+ to the take on purity culture 🤮

The second half took me a little by surprise, but loved it overall!

Fun, fresh, and fiery! This book is a lovely edition to the Christmas Notch world and is such fun!

Spicy and flirty and full of romance!

This was an absurdly cute, ridiculously sweet romcom with a really heartfelt message about "uninventing yourself" and shedding the expectations that others put on you. Winnie is trying to free herself from the shackles of being the fallen pin -up girl of purity culture when she's cast as Mrs. Claus opposite Kallum, "the funny one" from INK, Santa Claus, in the Hope Channel After Dark's Santa biopic. Christmas Notch works its sexy magic on our lovebirds as slow burn turns to sex lessons turns to love.
It's bonkers, madcap fun with just the right amount of angst. and tons of Christmas spice. You're guaranteed to have a thing for red velvet and dad bods by the time you're done.

Kallum is a former boy band member turned pizza store owner who has recently had an untick in fame after the release of his sex tape. Winnie, who is famous for starring in a wholesome sitcom as a child, was known for her religious values…that is, until she divorced her childhood sweetheart. Ready to shake things up and get back into showbusiness, Kallum and Winnie are cast to co-star in a sexy Santa movie. Things get spicy after inexperienced Winnie, who is having trouble faking on-screen chemistry, enlists the help of Kallum for “research” purposes. When the distinction between “fake” chemistry and real feelings starts to blur, Kallum and Winnie must decide if their budding relationship can survive the real world after filming wraps.

A Holly Jolly Ever After is a spicy Christmas romance and whilst it’s a companion novel to Murphy and Simone’sA Merry Little Meet Cute, but can be read as a standalone. This would be perfect for fans of books like The Roommate by Rosie Danan, Window Shopping by Tessa Bailey, There’s Something about Merry by Codi Hall, A Photo Finish by Elsie Silver, The Nanny by Lana Ferguson, Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon, The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun, or Breakaway by Grace Reilly. Tropes in A Holly Jolly Ever After include spice coaching, good girl with bad boy, workplace romance, and accidental pregnancy. Important themes and topics present include religion, reputation, family and parenthood, appearance versus reality, female roles, sexuality, self worth, trust, miscommunication, marriage and divorce, body image, and narcolepsy. Potential trigger warnings to consider are cheating and complications during pregnancy.

A Holly Jolly Ever After is split into two parts. Part one of the book was enjoyable as it focused more on the emerging workplace romance between Kallum and Winnie, and their spicy “research”, whilst filming the movie. I personally thought that part one could have been the plot of the entire book as I found it to be more entertaining and engaging than part two. The second part changes the trajectory of the story and focuses more on the main characters struggling with some major life changes, but some readers may find it drags in comparison to part one. The prologue and epilogue of the book were somewhat odd as they focused on two side characters instead of the main characters and they didn’t feel relevant to the overall plot.

Even though I had some mixed feelings about this book, all of the Christmas and pizza related puns used throughout the book were fantastic as they added a touch of humour. The “Christmassy” film setting was delightful and thought that it was cool that, in part one, we get a a bit of a “behind the scenes look” at what goes into filming a movie. Lastly, there are some swoony and heartwarming moments at the end of the book that I think fellow romance readers will appreciate.

A Holly Jolly Ever After ended up being a lot more explicitly spicy than I was expecting. So, if you’re looking for a Christmas book with lots of steamy scenes, then you should definitely check out A Holly Jolly Ever After!

🄰 🄷🄾🄻🄻🅈 🄹🄾🄻🄻🅈 🄴🅅🄴🅁 🄰🄵🅃🄴🅁 🄱🅈

𝔸ℝℂ ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨

𝕋𝕣𝕠𝕡𝕖𝕤 / 𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕥𝕠 𝔼𝕩𝕡𝕖𝕔𝕥
Holiday Romance
Second Chance
Celebrity Romance
Fake Relationship
Romantic Comedy
Forced Proximity

ℝ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘- ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
𝕊𝕡𝕚𝕔𝕖- 🌶️.5

ᴀᴠᴀɪʟᴀʙʟᴇ - 10/10

I wanted to like this I really did but ugh I just could not get into it. I felt no connection to any of the characters. Something just felt missing half the time and unfinished.

I also wouldn’t really call it a holiday romance, they were only filming a movie set during Christmas.

What a fun return to Christmas Notch! This time we get to see ex-pop star current pizza man/sex tape god Kallum Lieberman get his HEA while joining the Teddy Fletcher universe.

Kallum embodies the cinnamon role hero with strong golden retriever energy. I just loved him even when he couldn’t stop sticking his foot in his mouth. But Winnie Baker … whew. Winnie Baker resonated so strongly with me with her upbringing absolutely steeped in purity culture and her fight to deconstruct that. The way her experiences are written demonstrate that either Sierra or Julie (or both!) have been there and wrote from experience. I did not love the second act plot twist but it did redeem itself a bit in the end. I wished Winnie would have been more open to Kallum’s attempts to communicate (however clumsily) and given him more grace earlier on in their story.

Content flags that could be potential spoilers: the purity culture references are strong so if those are triggering for you, read with care. There’s also accidental pregnancy with a miscarriage scare.

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Ex-boy band member turned pizza mogul Kallum is set to star in a sexy Santa movie after gaining notoriety after a sex-tape was leaked. Former child actor and all-around good girl Winnie is in a tough spot following her divorce and an illness that prevented her from starring in last year’s Christmas movie, and is now given the opportunity to rebrand herself by co-starring with Kallum. She’s super hesitant at first, but finally decides to give it a try. Upon her first meeting with Kallum and the movie’s intimacy coordinator, Winnie soon realizes she’s totally in over her head and has no idea how to portray sexual satisfaction on screen (having never experienced it off screen). She’s got plenty of homework to do there, but her super conservative purity-based upbringing is definitely creating a lot of blocks there. Kallum has his own insecurities of being the least sought after boy band member and always being looked at as a hook-up rather than relationship material. He’s totally excited to work with Winnie after having had a crush on her since they were teenagers. With Winnie’s insecurities in the bedroom, she asks Kallum to help her in that department, agreeing that it’s all for the sake of research and her performance in the movie. There’s definitely a lot of steam in this book, as Kallum takes on the role of tutor for Winnie. While the physical attraction between Winnie and Kallum definitely exists, neither of them are sure about their long-term compatibility, being total opposites in personality and in family dynamics. It’s takes a bit of emotional growth for both of them: for Winnie to learn to trust someone and for Kallum to behave a bit more responsibly. A super humorous read with tons of support from our favorite characters from Book 1 of the series.

This book was the perfect blend of funny, spicy, and heartfelt. I loved the idea of a "after dark" version of a Christmas movie, and the first half of the book while they were filming had me cracking up.

I loved Kallum and Winnie and how much they grew throughout the story. The development of their relationship during the story felt very real.

Overall, I really liked this holiday romcom. It was a little on the longer size and felt like some of it could have been dialed back a little bit.

This was a super fun, forced proximity, coworker romance that takes place on the set of a steamy holiday romance movie and sees recent divorcee and full-blown Christian actress Winnie taking on a new role in a steamy adult holiday movie with the former pop-star who helped trash her teenage reputation. Looking to finally enjoy the pleasures of orgasm, Winnie lets adult film star, Kallum teach her how to come while they fall for each other on set. Perfect for fans of Olivia Dade and great on audio, this was a standout holiday romcom that I loved on audio!! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!!