🎄 A Jingle Bell Mingle ARC Review 🎄

3.75/5 ⭐️

This is the third book in the Christmas Notch series and dare I say, it’s the best of the bunch. These books are hilarious and delightfully spicy, but Isaac and Sunny’s story also had so much depth. I loved that this story brought in themes of grief and loss in addition to the hilarity we know from the first two books (and be sure to read the first two books, because this one dives right in and you’ll miss key context without reading those). I know spooky season is just starting, and before you know it the holidays will be here. This is the perfect book to enjoy this season and a mulled wine candle is just what you need to set the scene. Thank you to @netgalley @avonbooks @harpervoyagerus for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I'm giving this title 4.5 stars! I'm so sad to be finished with not only this book, but the entire Christmas Notch series! This was such a great end to a wonderful series. I've enjoyed all five of the books (if you count the novellas), but I think this one is my favorite. While I definitely have the opinion that rom-coms do not need to be more than 350 pages in length, despite this being over 400 pages I flew through it. We've only gotten glimpses of the characters of Sunny and Isaac in the other books but now it's their turn to take center stage. Sunny, much like her name, is a bright light in her friends' lives and has had a hand in almost all of their happily ever afters. So to finally see her get her own was so nice. Both her and Isaac had a lot of issues they needed to work out with themselves and in their own lives, and at times it was frustrating seeing them make the same mistakes over and over, their resolution was really well done. I love that the prologues and epilogues of the Christmas Notch series are always from Teddy's perspective and seeing him get a HEA was also great,

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for the ARC!

Sunny Palmer has a unique background in the adult film industry, alongside her role as a makeup artist. She pitches a story to the Hope Channel and becomes an accidental screenwriter. Sunny struggles with writer's block, and her deadline is looming. In walks Isaac Kelly, a former boy band heartthrob who has been going through the motions since his wife passed. When he discovers Sunny is staying in a questionable hotel, he invites her to stay with him at his mansion. The couple begins a friends-with-benefits relationship; what could go wrong?

Sunny's character is witty, resilient, and self-aware, with a demonic cat providing plenty of humor throughout the story. Sunny's eccentric personality balances Isaac's reclusive lifestyle and grumpiness. The forced proximity and grumpy/sunshine trope are central to their relationship. They make a deal to help each other break through their creative barriers. Isaac helps Sunny research the town's Christmas miracle lore for her screenplay while Sunny tries to find Isaac a muse for his holiday album. Their dynamic is sharp, filled with chemistry, and builds gradually, allowing the romance to bloom naturally. The holiday is perfectly captured, with the snow-covered, cozy town and festive traditions creating the ideal backdrop for a feel-good romance.

One of the book's strengths is balancing lighthearted humor with deeper emotional themes. Both characters deal with significant emotional battles, Sunny's career and sense of self-worth, and Isaac's grief. Together, they can heal and discover love. The fresh and quirky premise and the lovable characters created a fun and whimsical rom-com with laugh-out-loud moments and a sprinkling of holiday magic.

I received an ARC ebook for my honest review. Thank you, NetGalley and Avon, Harper Voyager.

I absolutely adored this book! The chemistry and sexual tension and banter was *chef’s kiss*. It took me a second to get into it, but in the meantime the smut right out the gates really kept me reading, and it didn’t take too long before I was all-in for non-smut parts as well. Definitely would recommend!

I’ve been waiting for Sunny and Isaac’s story and it didn’t disappoint! I love every book and novella in this series! A Jingle Bell Mingle is a fun, spicy and heartwarming read..

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC.

Probably my favorite in the series 🥰🥰 I loved these characters and their witty banter is adorable. I love that we've gotten glimpses of sunny and Issac in previous books and now we really got to understand them

I was excited for this after having read the first two in this series. You definitely need to have read them because no backatory is given and you are thrown into the large cast of characters. I am usually very into curvy female driven romance. I love how womens bodies are celebrated in this series, even describing thigh dimples as sexy. Amazing! I really enjoyed the first two books in this series. I also liked in book 2 that they explored male body diversity. The characters in the first two were well written, layered, and interesting. Unfortunately, I feel this book didn't live up to those. The characters were less nuanced and less likeable (more on par with the character develoment in those Hallmark Channel movies this spoofs). I wanted more. I was sooooo over the muse story line. The characters seemed much younger than people in their 30s. There were funny parts. Belief was definitely suspended to enjoy this one. The spice was 🌶🌶🌶🌶 as with all of these books. Very on par with Tessa Bailey, so if you like her, Hallmark Christmas movies, and plus size FMC this is for you. I love Julie Murphy and will continue to read wverything she writes. 3 stars. Thanks to Net Galley and Harpur Avon for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I had a really difficulty time getting into this book. It was confusing given that I hadn’t read the first 2 books. Thanks for the opportunity to read this!

I am not generally a romance reader but I read one of the other two in this series and wanted to give this a try. This was entertaining and would be an even better read come winter. I would recommend to anyone looking for a cozy seasonal romance.

I love this series. It's so spicy and funny and this book does not disappoint. Sunny and Isaac were such unique characters. Both are bisexual, dealing with grief and loss and have big creative blocks. While they think they can help each other get through their blocks, they end up falling into a friends-with-benefits arrangement. I enjoyed the subplot around both character's journeys with grief, especially how it focuses on the grief years after the event. I feel like no one talks about the first time you forget a milestone and the guilt that comes with that and this was handled so well.

My only real complaint about the book is that it felt a bit long. I found myself putting the book down or skimming because it didn't feel pertinent to the story. The steam was great, but sometimes it felt like it was just there for steam's sake.

Read if you like Friends to Lovers, grumpy/sunshine, sex-positive romance with LGBT representation, and plus-sized FMC representation Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review. This book releases 9/24.

Such a fun, heartbreaking, and joyful ending to this whackadoodle series. Isaac makes sadness look hot, and Sunny is an over-the-top manic pixie dream girl with tattoos and hidden depths. They’re my favorite. I love them. I love this book.

I did not realize this was part of a series when I requested it. It would have been nice to have some kind of information about that in the synopsis. I felt it was okay as a standalone aside from the prolog and epilogue. This book had some great spice! However, it was a bit long. I initially really liked Sunny and Isaac right off the bat, but as the book went on I liked them a little less. I think I would have enjoyed it more if it had been shorter. Overall an okay read, but I don’t think I will read any more of the series.

Thank you to Netgally and Avon and Harper Voyager for providing this ARC.

I wasn’t planning on reading this book all in one sitting, but all of a sudden a few hours had passed and I was turning the final page. I was just so completely swept up in the romance between Sunny and Isaac. I thought this had a great blend of serious, steamy, romantic, and funny moments. Sunny is staying in town to get inspiration from a local Christmas legend for her first screenplay. But when the motel she was planning on living in doesn’t pan out, she takes Isaac up on his offer to share his mansion. Isaac is still working through his grief after the death of his wife while trying to create new music. He enjoys spending time with Sunny (and hooking up with her) but he’s definitely not looking for love again… right?

Sunny and Isaac are both so obviously drawn to one another, but keep trying to play it off as not being love. That could be frustrating in another book, but I think it worked really well in this story because of their individual histories and hangups. I loved seeing them in all sorts of different scenes together. From them having sex to researching a local “miracle” to eating copious amounts of eggs to trying to find a new muse for Isaac and dealing with Sunny’s very particular cat. It was all so entertaining.

I also loved getting to learn the real story behind the local legend that Sunny was using as the basis for her screenplay. It just added a lot of magical, romantic Christmas feelings to the book. I’d love to be able to watch that movie. It was also great to see glimpses of the couples and characters from the earlier books in the series. I thought that the authors did a good job at balancing giving updates for where they are now without feeling like outside characters were taking over Sunny and Isaac’s book.

Hopefully Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone plan on writing more books together in the future. I love their brand of steamy romcoms.

3.75 stars rounded up

A Jingle Bell Mingle was a roller coaster for me. I think I probably should have waited until the weather was at least a little bit cooler and not 80 degrees because i think that it really hindered my desire to get into a christmas book! However, I still enjoyed the story over all.

I really enjoyed watching the main characters Sunny and Issac grow and connect in their relationship. Their friendship that turned to love before the realize it was so great. Their connection, the chemistry, and the way they supported each other was refreshing. Because this book had a few harder topics, im glad that there were some hilarious moments to break it up. However I wish that there hadn't been so many side plots and background stories because they were a little hard to follow and i found myself getting pulled out of the story.
This book is a great read for those who want a book with Christmas read with spicy romance, great characters, and moments that make your heart happy.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins publishing for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Noooo the end of Christmas Notch 😭 this series is so silly, so raunchy, but it works.

Isaac: sad grieving loner who buys the Duke the Halls mansion to get away from it all
Sunny: Jack of all trades, recently hired screenplay writer for the Hope Channel tasked with uncovering an old Christmas Notch legend
Both: can’t stop thinking about that one night they shared (even if it was a threesome)

This was a one night stand to roommates to benefits to lovers with many MANY side quests along the way. And of course we get plenty of action from our favorite lovers of Christmas Notch past.

TW: grief, but not too heavy, I found it very tastefully done

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book. It is a perfect holiday read. It’s cute, cozy like a Hallmark movie but with some spice! Definitely recommend this one! Another great book to this series!

DNF

In just the first chapter alone there are 20 different character/side character names introduced into the story. I have read the previous books in this series and was still completely overwhelmed and mostly lost.

After I finished chapter one I was so utterly confused I gave up on reading the rest of the book.

This series has made me laugh and cry and laugh again. I wish it would go on forever. I have loved each couple but these two really have my heart. I just dropped into the book on page 1 and didn’t even realize when I was at the end. I had a long book hangover when I was done and I just wanted to go back. I just so highly recommend this whole series but especially this book.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Part of a series. I recommend reading the first two books before reading this one because of all the side characters.
A sweet heartwarming story with lots of laughs with some emotional moments.
100% recommend.

4.5 stars! Thank you to NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for this advanced copy! You can pick up A Jingle Bell Mingle on September 24, 2024.

I loved the first few books in this series, and A Jingle Bell Mingle proved to be just as fun, sexy, and hilarious! Sierra Simone and Julie Murphy truly have an unmatched cadence and rhythm to their writing, and the way they develop characters and relationships are *chef's kiss*. I love how Sunny and Isaac bonded over their shared traumas but found new light and happiness in each other despite all they've been through.

The spicy scenes made me blush and kick my feet giggling. I loved the chemistry between the two (emotional and physical), and how sex-positive everyone in this universe is. The cameos from previous characters were so sweet, and the emphasis on friendships and familial relationships as well as romantic added even more emotional depth to this book.

If you're looking for a holiday romp with kick-ass characters, hilarious writing, and hella spice, this is the book and series for you!