Wow, I was not prepared for how much I would cry during this book! Such a beautiful story about grief, and love after loss. And, of course, the usual Christmas magic and absurdity we’ve come to know and love with a Christmas Notch story.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review. I have read all of the series and I have to say this is by far my favorite! I like the banter between Sunny and Isaac as well as the ties between previous characters in other books. I love how hard Isaac is trying to take care of Sunny's feisty cat by creating a group chat thread seeking advice and buying food and toys he might like. I also love Sunny and Isaac having previous history and now being under one roof navigating their feelings.

Well this spicy little number wraps up Christmas Notch in the best way! It's spicy, funny, romantic, and all around a hilariously hot Christmas book! I have loved this whole series! Add it to your holiday shelf now!

Narrated by Joy Nash & Zachary Webber

Story Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (0-5)
Narration: 🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧 (0-5)
Overall: 4/5
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥 (0-5) I bump up for public places/outdoor spaces and butt stuff.

What I’m Starry-Eyed Over:
🤩 Beautiful narration, so perfectly cast for these grumpy-sunshine characters.
🤩 Laugh-out-loud funny, even among the grieving and depressed vibes.
🤩 Double bisexual representation.
🤩 The setting—Christmas Notch, Vermont and the infamous mansion!!
🤩 Wedding festivities and fun.
🤩 Steamy threesome memories. Second chance at a one-night-stand. So very needy, hot, and full of chemistry.
🤩 Forced proximity, roommates with benefits, and finding a muse—love that part of the plot! I also love the work part of the plot.
🤩 How they deeply adore each other and also get super horny because of each other—the emotional and physical connection is lovely and feels so naturally. ❤️‍🔥
🤩 Their safe words.
🤩 The photo booth. 🥵
🤩 CapriSun and Costco love! 🤣
🤩 Sunny’s character won this one for me! “Sunshine, when I’m with you, I feel like I can breathe, like I can live, like I can go.”

What I’m Wishing/Dizzy About:
💫 Widow/widower trope is not my favorite because I just really don’t like my MCs to feel second best. This whole story is focused on sad boy, widower Isaac—grief overload for me. I know it’s a case of it’s not you, it’s me.
💫 They’ve physically got it so bad for each other, but they really need some therapy. In the end, I’m not sure I believe in their HEA without them getting some therapy.

Unfortunately I had to DNF this. I found no chemistry between the characters and more of a "hey you’re here so let’s have sex” type of vibe. There also seem to be very little plot happening. Such a shame since I really liked book 1 and 2.

This is the 3rd book in a series, but can be read as a standalone.
Funny, sexy, and spicy to its core. I loved this book.
4 stars from me.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC

A three book holiday book series?! Spicy, humor and couples you fall in love with?! What more could I ask for! Jingle mingle could be a stand alone read but after finishing who wouldn’t want to go back and read the other two? High chemistry they try to fight but ended up together. Love Issac and the cats relationship as well, every great book should have a grumpy cat to accompany it lol! Will be a highly recommended book to any of my rom com loving friends. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read in turn for my honest opinion.

In "A Jingle Bell Mingle," Sunny Palmer, a part-time adult film actress and aspiring screenwriter, returns to Christmas Notch, Vermont, seeking inspiration for her screenplay. Her journey takes a twist when she becomes roommates with Isaac Kelly, a former boy band heartthrob facing his own creative block.

What unfolds is a charming and humorous tale of two opposites under one roof, navigating their shared struggles and unexpected chemistry. The story beautifully captures themes of grief, inspiration, and the magic of the holiday season.

With witty dialogue and well-developed characters, this delightful romantic comedy is a perfect escape for readers looking for festive cheer and heartfelt connections.

the queens of banter and spice have done it again, I would say this is the best book in the series as of yet. The storyline makes sense and the spice adds to the main plot, it call come back together full circle in the end.

Fun and sexy, festive and feisty, this group of characters deserve their happiness. The spicy scenes are good, but so are the sweet and melancholy parts. I'll definitely read the earlier books in this series. I received this ARC from Avon and Harper Voyager via Netgalley.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC of the next installment of my favorite book series in the whole wide world in exchange for an honest review :)

A Jingle Bell Mingle is the third and final book of the Christmas Notch series. The novel follows two "chaotic, nepo baby bisexuals" - Sunny Palmer, part-time adult film actress/director (and of course the BFF of Bea, the heroine of the first novel), and Isaac Kelly, the third member of the (ex)boy band INK and widower. Sunny has sold an unfinished screenplay to the Hope Channel, Isaac is writing a Christmas album to get out of his record contract, and they are both in a creative slump. Throughout the book, Issac and Sunny find solace in one another as they struggle to find inspiration to meet the deadlines for their respective creative endeavors.

Though opposites (Issac is the grumpy to Sunny's sunshine, no pun intended), they both have one thing in common: Isaac and Sunny are professionals at running away from their feelings. Sure, the sex scenes are excellent (the photo booth??!!!!!!!!), Issac chatting on Discord with little old ladies is absolutely adorable, the subplot of Teddy finally proposing to Steph is unbelievably heartwarming, and the reintroduction of the gingerbread lotion made me laugh out loud. But Murphy and Simone do a brilliant job at balancing the hilarity of a roommate-with-benefits scenario with finding love after loss, and the guilt one feels from moving on after such tremendous grief.

All the characters (new and old, main and side) are dynamic and well-thought-out. I loved being able to peek into the lives of the couples from the previous novels, and I appreciate the consistency of Teddy narrating the prologue and epilogue. I will say that (and this is my only negative critique) because the cast is getting so large; I do wish there was some sort of family tree or glossary of characters to refer to. At some point, I had to crack open my copy of A Holly Jolly Ever After to jog my memory. Nonetheless, this well-paced, "sweet and spicy" novel is very much worthy of a 5-star rating.

On one last sappy note, I'm forever grateful to the Bad Bitch Book Club for introducing me to the Christmas Notch series. In December 2022, I finished A Merry Little Meet Cute about 15 minutes before hopping on a Zoom call with fellow BBBC members for a virtual Q&A with authors Murphy and Simone. And if I thought I loved the book before, I was absolutely obsessed with it when I got off the call. I'm so eternally grateful to have attended that meeting, and I feel honored to have received this ARC. It's bittersweet that this series is over.

Overall, A Jingle Bell Mingle is a super cute romcom that will get you right into the holiday spirit.

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC of this book!

I will say this one is my favorite out of these books so far! (I accidentally skipped number 2) I adored the back story throughout this book with both Isaac and Sunny. The hunt for more detail on the Christmas Notch Christmas miracle and the backup from the cat thread (IFYKYK)... all helped create this adorable Christmas rom-com with some spice! This is an interconnected standalone in the small town of Christmas Notch, Vermont that will have you laughing, feeling some feels and feeling the heat between these characters.

Since one shared night, Sunny and Isaac haven’t been able to get each other out of their minds. Now they are both back in Christmas Notch and after a friends wedding they wake up together. While they are both creatively blocked, they agree to live each other and help each other out.
Fans of this spicy Christmas series will love the most recent installment. This book is filled with witty banter and steamy chemistry. But it also has more serious tones with both main characters working through grief. The found family in this series is filled with the quirkiest characters and I love it so much.
Thank you to Avon Books and NetGalley for the advance copy.

A satisfying end to the Christmas Notch "trilogy"!

Sunny accidentally sells a screenplay she has not actually written. To inspire herself, she needs to immerse herself in Christmas Notch and learn about the local legend. Isaac, professional "Sad boy" and 1/3 of INK, has lots of room in the old mansion he just bought. Even though Sunny and Isaac have had one, okay, no, two intense nights together, they can live together and just be friends, right?

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, hated the second, and was so glad that this book found the fun and heart again.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

3.5 I enjoyed this book! I thought it had the perfect splash of spice, plot, and holiday spirit to keep it interesting. It also helps that you get to know the side characters in the previous books. I LOVE a plus size lead that is unapologetic, and their entire existence is not about their weight. The book reps the LGBTQ+ community with both leads being bi-sexual. I really felt for both the lead's traumas in this. I do hate the self sabotage trope though, so I am knocking some off for that. Overall, it was a fun, quick, spicy, holiday read.

Fun, light hearted Christmas rom-com. The supporting cast really adds a layer of fun as they cross across the series. Love the series and this one is no different!

Another hilarious, romantic entry in the Christmas Notch collection! I liked this one the best so far - maybe because we've gotten to know all of the characters more by this book in the series, or possibly because Sunny and Isaac are "what's your damage" swoon-worthy and that's one of my favorite tropes. Great writing, funny banter and antics, and a happily-ever-after ending.

I may have jumped the gun with this book, first book of this series I read (didn't know it was part of a series beforehand). But....

100% recommend this book!
Fantastic read, Christmasy, spicy, cute, what more could you ask for this time of year??

Can't wait to dive in and start from book one!

I thought this was the perfect blend of Christmas and spice! The characters had depth to them and the town was straight out of a Hallmark movie! Definitely put me into the holiday spirit!

This book Sparkled brighter than tinsel!
The humor was spot on, but also had a few deeper themes like grief and loss. Isaac’s mourning and the introspective we get was gut-wrenching. Both Isaac and Sunny have been through pain and are hesitant to love again, but their chemistry is undeniable from their first one-night stand.

I loved how the were never awkward or tried to change for each other—they just fit. The forced proximity of not only living, but also working together in Christmas Notch, with their creative blocks and the mystery of the town’s “Christmas miracle,” only added to the tension and spicy (oh so spicy) moments that Julie and Sierra do so well! 😏

Sunny’s attempts at writing for the Hope Channel and Isaac’s retreat from his boy band fame create the perfect plot for their slow burn romance, and I loved how it all played out with a little dirty talk, some steamy scenes, and plenty of heart. (I mean, they had to stay warm somehow…right?)

The pace was spot on and had a great balance of humor with heartfelt moments, This one hit all the right notes for Christmas spirit, friendship, and scorching heat! 🔥