Meh. The smut in this was really good, but it felt like all smut and no plot. And within the actual plot, I felt bored

I adored the dynamic between sad boy Isaac and sunshine sunny. These two take griefs opposite spectrums and show how being with people you care about can let love back into your life without losing the memories of the past. I love how deep we got to feel these characters, especially Sunny, and I love how they overcame in their own lives to see this story through

I LOVED this book! What a cute follow up to A Merry Little Meet Cute. I did not read Snow Place Like LA, A Holly Jolly Ever After, or Seas and Greetings, but I had no problem picking this one up and diving in. I was a little worried I would have forgotten things about A Merry Little Meet Cute since I did read it about a year ago, but the author did a nice job of including enough to make me remember without it feeling like it was overly explaining. It was so fun to hang out with the characters again.
The dialogue throughout was enjoyable and even though at times it felt a little *over the top*, it just fit the story and the characters' personalities perfectly. I could not imagine them speaking or behaving in any other way. I devoured this book in two sittings. It was easy to read and such a fun way to start the holiday season off.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinions.

A fun and spicy Christmas book perfect to curl up with. This book is a nice way to enjoy Christmas time while exploring important topics. Grief isn’t something you would normally want to put in a book that’s about Christmas. You think Christmas and you think of the happiest time of the year but for some it’s not. Sometimes you need to lean on those around you.

My favorite part of a romance book is the banter and the ability to make me laugh. A great grumpy sunshine trope with a lot of spice.

I'm Sierra Simone trash and KNEW I'd love this! Very cute, funny, and spicy and its pacing is very well thought out. I can't wait to read others in the series!

"From #1 New York Times bestselling author Julie Murphy and USA Today bestselling author Sierra Simone who gave us A Merry Little Meet Cute comes a new holiday rom-com - 'tis the season for second chances!

What happens when there's no room at the inn and you and your potentially demonic cat become roommates with your grumpy one-night stand?

Part-time adult film actress/one-time adult film director/makeup artist Sunny Palmer has accidentally sold her very first screenplay to the Hope Channel. That was six months ago. Fast forward to a looming deadline, an uninspired Sunny has returned to the source of her inspiration in Christmas Notch, Vermont, to immerse herself in the local Christmas miracle on which her fever dream of a movie pitch was based.

Isaac Kelly, former boy band heartthrob and the saddest boy in the music biz, is the latest owner of the town's historic mansion. After his years of heartbreak following his young wife's death, Isaac's record label is done waiting for new music. What better place to attempt his first holiday album than a snow-covered mansion where he can become a hermit in peace?

But after their best friends' wedding leads to them waking up together in a freezing motel room with questionable wiring and a broken shower, Isaac takes a chance and asks Sunny to stay with him at his home. Surely the place is big enough that he'll hardly see her or her unhinged cat. But when the two discover they're both creatively blocked, they make a handshake deal: Isaac will help Sunny hunt down the truth behind the local lore, and Sunny will find Isaac a new muse.

And with these two opposites under one roof, there's no way this jingle bell mingle could go off script...right?"

I really wonder how the PR people at the "Hope" Channel will spin Sunny's past...

This was a great send off for the Christmas Notch crew! I adore this pair's writing romantic and poetic writing style. Their descriptions of emotions that are often in real life nebulous or abstract are so visceral and physical, and it makes for many great gut punch moments.

Winnie and Kal are still my favorite couple of the series. I enjoyed this romance and loved that idea that he's the cloud to her sunshine, even if i did wish there was a bit more groveling there at the end.

This is not a standalone book, which I realized fairly quickly lol. That’s on me, I don’t know how I didn’t realize. There was A LOT going on in the very beginning and I was highly confused, but after pushing through I started to understand. It felt strange reading a Christmas book in September, but I loved it. The perfect mix of naughty and nice. I loved getting to know the characters and watching them grow, and now am looking forward to reading the previous books as well. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

My favorite part of fall is the beginning of Christmas romance season! No, I will not take questions on this.

A Jingle Bell Mingle is the horniest Christmas Notch novel yet. And if that alone didn’t make me love it, its got a Prince reference, and a former boybander with a man bun.

“I’d never suffered from cute aggression and dire horniness at the same time, and it felt like my entire body was coiled and trembling with the simultaneous need to squeeze and to fuck.”

A Jingle Bell Mingle by @andimjulie and @thesierrasimone is out Sept. 24!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶🌶🌶🌶/5
🐈‍⬛👻📫📸🎸/5

CW: precocious pets, death of parents, drunk driving, death of a spouse, grief, holiday scented lotion, warm nuts, sexually active senior citizens

This may be my favorite book in this series! Not only is this book a Hallmark Movie waiting to happen it incorporated all the other books together in a merry mashup!

I really enjoyed the relationship between Issac and Sunny and the character development for both characters was well done. The aspect of solving the Christmas Miracle Mystery was a nice touch for this book. I felt that this book was more of a cohesive story than the other two. This book will get anyone in the spicy holiday mood. Like the book says "Merry Christmas for all and for all a naughty night!"

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this eARC for an honest review.

I did not hate this one, but I didn’t like it either. I think Sunny and Isaac were a great match and compatible, but the story itself was a bit flat for me. Sunny’s justification of not wanting to be Isaac’s muse because she thought he was still caught up in the grief of losing/loving his wife, while simultaneously trying desperately to push him onto someone else to fulfill the position just didn’t make sense to me, especially when he was already practically begging for her to do it. I get trying to guard her heart, but that plot point just didn’t make the most sense to me.

There were funny moments and definitely some raunchy moments that were enjoyable, but all in all, this was just an okay read for me.

This story is exactly what you need if you are looking for a spicy holiday treat. The bonus is that this is the third of a trilogy, and my favorite. These two authors never disappoint!

I loved this book!!! The characters, the story, the humor—I loved it all. All of the books in this series have made me smile, and I've enjoyed all of them equally and for different reasons.
Also, I've personally dealt with a lot of grief in my life and felt that part of the story was authentic and handled with care. I like that even though the author's books have romance and spicy scenes, there is an uncurrent of real life and complex pain that makes it feel layered and not just your typical romance novel.

I was thrilled to receive the ARC for “A Jingle Bell Mingle”! Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone deliver another hilarious and spicy love story. I’ve come to expect that from this dynamic duo, but what always surprises me is how much heart they pack into a story and weave in sensitive topics. Discussions of dealing with grief is throughout the story and handled in a delicate manner while keeping the overall book fun and uplifting. For fans of the Christmas Notch trilogy, the other couples (Bee & Nolan, Kallum & Winnie, Teddy & Steph) all make appearances and there’s even mention of Angel & Luca and Addison & Krysta for fans of the novellas. While I am sad the series ends with us book, I’m excited to hear the authors are teaming up for another ‘raunch-com’ series, and I look forward to reading more!

I absolutely loved this Christmas romance! Sunny and Isaac were such great main characters who not only had a crazy amount of chemistry but also had a lot in common in the things that they were working through in the book. The spice was so good and the found family in the Christmas notch series is some of the best in contemporary romance that I’ve read. It’s the perfect book to put you in the Christmas spirit and truly has everything: laugh out loud funny moments, heartwarming moments, sexy moments, and a cast of characters that are so lovable.

This is a perfect holiday read that is equal parts heartwarming and hilarious. Sunny has accidentally sold a screenplay to the Hope Channel and for the life of her, cannot finish it because of lack of inspiration. In comes Isaac. After a steamy night, their lives are turned upside down since Sunny has moved in with him. They agree to help one another out - Sunny will help Isaac embrace the local lore of the holidays for his album, and Isaac will inspire Sunny’s screenplay. These quirky characters get you laughing out loud through the book as their unexpected romance begins to bloom in the most idyllic setting of the festive holiday town. This book has humor, romance, and a touch of Christmas magic that is to die for.

I am not sure if it’s the book or just my lack of knowing the characters that made this a 3 star read. It was a good book, don’t get me wrong. I did not know it was the third in a series (my bad) and the cover or synopsis didn’t prepare me for the type of book this was so I was a little thrown from the very beginning. It seemed it started in the middle, there was so much going on right off the bat and so many characters I did not know, I definitely could feel right away that I was supposed to know what was going on. So it definitely isn’t a standalone book. But once I figured everyone out, I did enjoy both main characters, they were endearing and I did love the spicy and risky plot lines even if I was shocked at first. Thank you for the ARC copy and I’m definitely going to read the first two books in the series because I am invested now! I know I would probably rate this higher if I had read those other books first.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story! The widower back story made the drama between the two characters more believable. I enjoy Christmas Notch and hope to continue to enjoy more from this location and these characters in the future. The only thing I didn't like was that it had been a while since I read the last book in the series so when previous characters were thrown in, I couldn't remember much about them since the last time I read them. A little reminder of who they were at the beginning could have helped.

Okay I just want to start off by saying thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the ARC. I absolutely adored this hilarious Christmas romance. I loved the other books in the series. And this was a perfectly beautiful way to end it. I loved the ADHD representation and I also really thought the character growth, in particular for Isaac was OUTSTANDING. The grief was beautifully portrayed. I found myself completely engrossed in the story of the Christmas legend that sunny was dissecting for her screenplay. All in all, if you're looking for a sweet but steamy Christmas rom-com to get you into the holiday mood this winter. I would most definitely recommend

This was such a delightful wrap up to this cute series!

Isaac was always the mysterious recluse of the boy band trio, and it was so fun to get to dive into his head - and see him find his own HEA.

This was my favorite of the series, and I felt like the story was really engaging and felt a little more realistic, but without losing any of the whimsy of Christmas Notch.

If you’ve been following along so far, this is a must read conclusion!