A spicy holiday read! I liked the premise and the characters but felt like it could have been a bit more thought out/longer in regards to the ending!

I enjoyed this read but I wish it had more Christmassy themes. If you want something spicy with some mention of porn. If that’s not your cup of tea I woukd skip.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy to honestly review.

What a great way to start off my holiday reading for the year! This one is definitely my favorite in the Christmas Notch series, and such a nice way to tie up the series as a whole. Julie and Sierra really hit their stride as a writing duo with this one, making the book a delicious blend of humor, heart, and heat. I look forward to whatever they cook up next!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed Sunny and Isaac together, they complimented each other well. There was something about the writing that didn't let me feel connected to the characters and I wanted that.

I received an arc through netgalley.

DNF at 25%.

I was hoping to be able to just read A Jingle Bell Mingle as a interconnected standalone BUT this isn't the case. There were many characters introduced like I should have know but I didn't know who they were. I feel like you need to read the entire series before starting with this
book. I was really hoping for a cute Christmas Rom Com. Also not a big fan of the book's openness about sex, bisexuality,

Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced copy. A Jingle Bell Mingle is available on September 24, 2024.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️.5

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager and couldn’t wait to dive in after finishing A Merry Little Meet Cute. (Yes, I know I’m missing Winnie and Kallum’s story - I’ll get to it!). I just love this world of Christmas Notch that Julie and Sierra have created and the characters have depth and are laugh out loud hilarious. Sunny and Isaac just made so much sense together but I really wanted to hit Isaac in the back of the head because it was so clear that he’s in love with Sunny.

This book gets 5 stars for me purely based on the sexy Sauron bit which had me laughing so hard I was crying and trying to explain to my mother what was so funny. Spoiler; she was giving blank stares. This book was hilarious and another amazing addition to this series.

Read This Book If…you think Hallmark movies could use a little spice (and kink!)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
A Jingle Bell Mingle by Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone

Genre: holiday Queer romance
Series: A Christmas Notch # 3
Spice Level: 5/5🌶, 5+ explicit scenes
Setting: small town in Vermont
POV: dual, 1st person, past tense
Tropes: roommates, widower, friends with benefits, one bed, he falls first, “good girl”

My Thoughts:
I think this ended up being my favorite of the series!! I will say, you need to read the first two books in the series for this to make complete sense, but I’ve loved every visit to Christmas Notch!

These two bisexuals first met at a one night stand threesome that was alluded to in a previous book, but now find themselves roommates in this charming (and a little kinky) small town.

I really enjoyed the plus size rep, the discussion of grief and finding love after loss, and the history/mystery of Christmas Notch.

These two were fighting their feelings for the entire book and had me pulling out my hair! Thankfully, the spice level is definitely up there and these two are hot, hot, hot!

If you’re looking for a bingeable holiday series, you’ve found it!

Thank you to the publisher for my advance copy!

I absolutely loved this! I honestly started with the second in the series before I realized it even was a series and it still worked out! These are such holiday must reads and the banter between the FMC and MMC are just *chefs kiss*!

A Merry Christmas all-around for the third book in the Christmas Notch series! Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone pen a delightfully funny and romantic holiday tale. Romance abounds in this diverse and body-positive romance novel.

Sunny, a part-time adult film actress, accidentally sold a script to the Hope Channel 6 months ago and is still uninspired on what to write. Issac, a former boy band heartthrob hasn't written any music since the death of his wife 5 years ago. Brought back together because of mutual friends, the two decide to lodge together for the winter in hopes that inspiration strikes them both. While the two search for a muse for Issac, and solve a Christmas miracle, the two begin to realize that maybe inspiration isn't as far as they thought it would be.
This book was hot, hot, hot! *insert fire emojis* Not only was the spice super detailed and sensual, but the book itself dove deeper into grief and loss. Both characters had lots of growth throughout the book, and it was a great balance of sex and self-improvement.

I have enjoyed the other holiday books in this series, and this one fit in well with the others. Isaac and Sunny made me really root for them, and I'm so happy to see how this entire series wrapped up too.

Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone always deliver a fun story.
A quick holiday read with a lot of spice!



Thank you to netgalley and avon & harper voyage for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ (2.5/5)

This holiday read didn’t quite hit the mark for me, and I’ll admit upfront that I didn’t realize it was part of a series when I picked it up. Jumping into the third installment without the context of the previous books left me feeling a bit lost. While the cover promises a cozy Christmas romance, the story leaned darker and felt more focused on physical chemistry than emotional connection.

The real standout of the book? Mr. Tummus, the cat. He stole the show in an otherwise forgettable plot. Unfortunately, the festive charm I was hoping for just wasn’t there.

Thanks to Avon, Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for the advanced copy. A Jingle Bell Mingle releases on September 24, 2024. If you’re interested, I’d recommend starting with the first book in the series to get the full experience!

We're returning to Vermont, with a Christmas setting and two amazing characters, Sunny who is an adult film actress and part time screenwriter, has recently sold her latest project to Hope Channel. And then we have Isaac Kelly, a former band boy, whose heart is broken and lives in the towns historic mansion. After a one-night stand following their best friends' wedding, they end up as unlikely roommates at his place and what follows is purely entertaining (literally was LOL'ing through a lot of this.) Whenever the grumpy and the sunshine start living under the same roof without thinking about doing the deed, they both start to wonder how long they can resist their attraction when they already know the pure passion they share?!?!?!
I really loved Teddy's POV as he attends the first book's characters, Bee and Nolan, because through them we meet Sunny & Isaac as their paths crossed and then the Christmas Spirit takes off...well, sort of. I did truly enjoy the grumpy x sunshine trope mixed in with a lot of steamy romance + Christmas!
I am not really sure what I went into this thinking, probably a little more on the traditional rom-com side, but I thought it was cute for the Christmas-y season and enjoyed the characters and their backstories in this as well!

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for a copy of this digital ARC!

MF
Bisexual MCs
Roommates with benefits
Nipple piercings
Grief (widower/orphan)
Idiots in love

Rating: 5/5 - I will reread this one
🌶️: 4/5 - there are more than a handful of explicit intimate scenes
🎄: 5/5 - this is a sexy version of a Hallmark movie

TLDR: Highly satisfying end to a series

I absolutely adore this series. It is mostly light hearted and fun but there are also heavy themes that are well addressed, in my opinion. I think this one covers grief in a really nice way. This book makes me laugh and brings me holiday joy. It's sexy and fun and also makes me cry. I really appreciate the consistent sex positive attitude this series has. The end of the series was really satisfying. I really think it was written with fans in mine which is always nice. Ultimately, I would recommend this series to anyone and everyone, but it will probably appeal specifically to people who are looking for a sex positive Christmas story and who can handle themes of grief.

Just in time for the holiday season! An adorable, feel good book, solid 4 star read. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

I really enjoyed this book! The steam, the emotions, the character development - all of it was fantastic. I think it was a little repetitive with how Sunny kept saying "I can't be his muse" throughout the novel but it didn't necessarily change my feelings about the book.

Thank you to the publisher and to net galley. I love this spicy series. In this book we are in Vermont following Sunny and Issac. This series really pairs emotional hard hitting topics with funny and light moments. It’s cute, it’s predictable but a fun addition to this series!

A Jingle Bell Mingle is the newest book in the Christmas Notch series and I’ve honestly had such an amazing time reading this series! Its centered around the holidays, bring the cheer and the spice (think hallmark with ALL the spice you didn’t know you needed). The characters have emotional depth and the cast of side characters are the best!my favorite book in this series!

I absolutely LOVED Sunny and Isaac’s story!

Sunny itched the scratch in my ADHD brain with her random rambles and in depth facts she dropped. The authors were true in there portrayal of ADHD in this character and I felt seen.

Isaac is our grump who is obsessed with the idea of having more but doesn’t know how to do it without feeling like he’s leaving something behind. His friends and family help to show him how he doesn’t have to lose his past while still moving forward and it’s comfort through grief.