A steamy Christmas book that could be read year-round!

For a book about with a porn-star protagonist, this book wasn't very sensual. There is plenty of sex, but it's mostly on the periphery. Most of the adult content comes from the jokes and the characters' back story.

The writing was super clever and witty. I laughed so often that I can confidently classify this as a true rom-com.

I loved the intelligent conversations and outlook about sex work and adult actors. So refreshing.

Our main couple were fans of each other's work before they ever met in real life, and I like that.

The main drawback for me was the grand gesture. This is a very specific pet peeve of mine, but I dislike when the protagonists are celebrities and they do a grand gesture, it doesn't work for me. Public grand gestures are rough generally anyway. That moment needed to be more private, since most of the conflict between the two characters was their public persona and image.

Included as a top pick in bimonthly September New Releases post, which highlights and promotes upcoming releases of the month (link attached)

"𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘦𝘥, 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺-𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘺𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘹𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘻?"

Fair warning, my friends: 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙩𝙮𝙥𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝘾𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙢𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 😂

A RECIPE FOR A MERRY LITTLE MEET CUTE:
------------------------------
1 part plus-size adult film star
1 part former bad-boy boy bander
2 cups of wholesome Christmas movie about a Duke and a time traveling kindergarten teacher
A dash of close proximity
A HEAPING mound of spice 🌶
A scoop of bi-sexuality
And 1 Happy Ending (pun intended)

But in all seriousness, it was definitely a little higher on the spice level than I typically prefer, BUT, I thought it was a great read - and as a curvy girl myself, I truly appreciate the representation.

Thank you Julie, Sierra, @avonbooks, @harpervoyagerus and @netgalley for the ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review! ❤

A Merry Little Meet Cute is my second novel by Julie Murphy and the first by Sierra Simone. I can sometimes be hesitant to read novels by two authors as they can sometimes feel disjointed, but these two authors created a very enjoyable tale. As the weather is still hot outside, it was nice to read a cozy Christmas story set in the gorgeous location of Christmas Notch, Vermont. The concept of this story sounded unique and entertaining, so I was excited that this story delivered on my higher expectations.

The story is dual perspective and follows our two main characters. Plus-size adult film star, Bianca (Bee) Hobbes, who performs under the pseudonym Bianca Von Honey on ClosedDoors (an Only Fans-type site) and works for adult film company, Uncle Ray Ray’s. When the company decides to expand their industry and begin making Christmas movies for the Hope Channel (a Hallmark-style one), Bee wants to take part. She ends up with a role in the movie “Duke the Halls” and will play opposite her teen crush, former member of the boyband INK, Nolan Shaw. As Bee needs to separate this new role from her former one, Nolan is also hiding a secret as he is a superfan of Bee’s ClosedDoors channel.

Nolan is trying to improve his public image from his former “bad boy” one while Bee is proud of who she is but is fearful others may judge her and fire her from the movie. The two characters meet and have instant chemistry as they each are secretly huge fans of each other. While the two of them get to know each other, it was difficult to comprehend if they truly matched or were just head over heels at the beginning because of the images they had of each other as fans. Their physical chemistry was very apparent from the start, but it seemed that there were not enough emotional intimacy going on between them. There was some between them, but, for me, it was overshadowed by the physical side. Without more emotional connection, for me, it came across that the two were euphoric and in love because they finally were with their idols instead of their actual selves.

The story features great body positivity and sex positivity. While there are many novels that feature sexual relationships and plus-size/fat main characters, it is rare to find the actual sex industry mentioned or even adult toy usage. Bee’s confidence and comfort with herself as a fat individual was well-written and realistic. As a plus-size reader, I loved how this was represented in the writing. The two main characters had great interactions with the secondary characters, with some positive and some negative. There were obstacles the characters had to deal with and I enjoyed that there seems to be room to expand this into a series featuring some of the secondary characters!

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Avon and Harper Voyager, Avon, for the opportunity to read this enjoyable novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

In this newest romance from Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone, Hallmark holiday movies meet OnlyFans content when a last minute casting change takes place. Bee Hobbes, an adult film actress, and Nolan Shaw, a former boy band bad boy, are both playing outside of type, but their chemistry is dynamic both on and off set. Both main characters are relatable and endearing, and the story skips along at a pleasant pace.

Bee is a porn star ready to try something new and be the lead actress in an upcoming Christmas movie alongside her childhood celebrity crush, Nolan Shaw. For Bee, the only thing is no one can know that she works in porn, especially the network and for Nolan, this is his chance to try and clean up his image.

When I saw that Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone were writing a holiday romance, I knew I had to read it! This book has good representation such as LGBTQIA characters, and a plus sized heroine. The story is very sex positive and there is a reoccurring discussion of mental health awareness/bipolar. I genuinely enjoyed all of the characters, and some of the side ones were actually my favorites (looking at you Luca and Sunny!). The story is centered around the production of a Christmas movie and even though Christmas time is happening during this same time that's not what this book is about. This book didn't really make me want Christmas and I think because of that, it fell a little flat for me.

This is not your average Hallmark feel-good Christmas movie – in a good way! Take an adult film star, her industry pals and a former pop star crush, shake them up in a snow globe and you have A Merry Little Meet Cute. This steamy, charming read takes us to a movie set in Christmas Notch, Vermont, where Bee finds herself cast in her first leading role with former boyband heartthrob Nolan, who both must harness in their promiscuous tendencies for the PG-rated Hopeflix Network. It was so much fun to see different characters and careers portrayed in a Christmas book, and the supporting cast made for some enjoyable, laugh-out-loud moments.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager, and Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone an advance copy.

I feel so torn, my expectation was a fluffy, maybe a little ridiculous, sweet story full of awkwardness and some mishaps. That's sort of what this is. It's not very light, Nolan has some heavy family issues that weigh things down a bit. There is some cute, flirty, awkward banter that I love .The Christmas themed strip club, Angel and Luca, and Sunny are exactly the absurd content I picked up this book for. While it (of course) has an HEA the journey there was a little more difficult than I was expecting.

The cute cover on this one fooled me! I was not expecting such a spicy romance!

However, it was highly enjoyable and I sped through it. The characters were clever and had me constantly laughing. It was also a perfect read for Christmas vibes at any time of the year.

I absolutely love Julie Murphy and her novels. I have never read any Sierra Simone books, so I am unable to speak on her previous novels. I think this book definitely could have a big fan base. I love the idea of a Christmas film being made storyline and I love the sex-positivity and love for plus-size women. However, I am not a fan of the gratuitous dialogue. Some people may like it but it’s just not for me. Like I said, I love the sex, but the descriptions and over-the-top dialogue just took me out of the story.

I also feel like Bee and Nolan had absolutely no chemistry except for the sex. It didn’t feel like they was anything happening to solidify their feelings outside of the sex, which was disappointing. Don’t get me wrong, sex is an important aspect to a relationship, but that is all they had. I wanted more outside of the bedroom.

Overall, I thought it was just alright. I was so excited for this story and expected more.

"Cowritten by #1 New York Times bestselling author Julie Murphy and USA Today bestselling author Sierra Simone - a steamy plus-size holiday rom-com about an adult film star who is semi-accidentally cast as a lead in a family-friendly Christmas movie, and the former bad-boy pop star she falls in love with.

Bee Hobbes (aka Bianca Von Honey) has a successful career as a plus-size adult film star. With a huge following and two supportive moms, Bee couldn't ask for more. But when Bee's favorite producer casts her to star in a Christmas movie he's making for the squeaky-clean Hope Channel, Bee's career is about to take a more family-friendly direction.

Forced to keep her work as Bianca under wraps, Bee quickly learns this is a task a lot easier said than done. Though it all becomes worthwhile when she discovers her co-star is none other than childhood crush Nolan Shaw, an ex-boy band member in desperate need of career rehab. Nolan's promised his bulldog manager to keep it zipped up on set, and he will if it means he'll be able to provide a more stable living situation for his sister and mom.

But things heat up quickly in Christmas Notch, Vermont, when Nolan recognizes his new co-star from her ClosedDoors account (oh yeah, he's a member). Now Bee and Nolan are sneaking off for quickies on set, keeping their new relationship a secret from the Hope Channel's execs. Things only get trickier when the reporter who torpedoed Nolan's singing career comes snooping around - and takes an instant interest in mysterious newcomer Bee.

And if Bee and Nolan can't keep their off-camera romance behind the scenes, then this merry little meet cute might end up on the cutting room floor."

Not ALL my Christmas reading can be about murder, sometime one needs a nice steamy romance.

A match made in steamy heaven, A Merry Little Meet Cute is an extremely fun (and steamy, did I mention steamy?) romance novel by romcom queen Julie Murphy and new-to-me Sierra Simone. I can't wait to see what this pair creates moving forward, and I'm so excited for romance lovers to get their hands on this early holiday release.

The story follows Bee Hobbes, who is a very confident, successful, and charming woman who has just been cast in a family-friendly holiday film (a change from her repertoire of very popular adult films that she has starred in over the years). She is cast alongside Nolan Shaw, an ex-boy band member with a supposedly sordid past and a heart of gold that is buried deep beneath the surface. Honestly -- could it get any better? The heat between these two is off the charts right from the first meeting, and there is never anything but a very fun mutual pining between the two.

I would absolutely watch Duke the Halls if it was released on Netflix (I'm a Jewish gal with a real penchant for bad christmas hallmarky movies). Both of the protags have families they care deeply about and that we get to see throughout the novel, and while I would usually love an expanded cast, I felt like some of these areas are where the book dragged a bit. Regardless, this is a great match for those folks that like to start their holiday decoration shopping at Target in October, and who have been humming "All I Want for Christmas is You" in their sleep. Thanks to NetGalley for an early review copy, all opinions are my own.

When I heard Julie Murphy and Sierre Simone were co-authoring a book I knew I had to read it, when I found out it was about a fat porn star I new I would love it. And I did love it. I was able to see scene that had a little bit of both of thei styles, it had the swoony Julie Murphy moments I love and it had that Simone style of spice, there was one scene in a movie set chapel and it was deliciously Sierre Simone. The love story between a fat porn star and a boy band member trying to clean up his image was wonderful. The romcom elements of this are absoutley wonderful, but where I think it really shines is in it handling of some of the trickier representation elements.
This book is the most sex positive book I have ever read. It is sex positive and sex work positive, and I really enjoyed that about this book. I also love that it dealt with the intersections of being a fat woman sex worker. Spoiler!! When the truth comes out, as it always does in stories like this you see the way he is treated versus how she is treated. He recieves some criticism and light hearted jabs and her character and her body are severely and cruelly criticized and it is stark comparison to the treatment he recieves.
I love the over all message of this book and there is one quote that really stuck out to me "I could be the love interest in a sugary sweet story and I could also be the object of desire. " It is a simple quote, but it really stuck out to me. The duality of Bee that is denied to her by the world because she is a fat woman. I love how this quote wraps up the main take away of the book for me and it also represents the work of these two authors and this wonderful collaboration between them.
Over all, I loved this book and it will be my spicy holiday comfort read.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book. I really excited to see what would happen when Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone teamed up. There were pieces I liked and there were definite misses. Overall this is a fun and spicy rom com but is very surface level.
Let's start with the good. I really loved Bea. She is that confident plus sized sexually liberated heroine I loved to see. It was nice to see her have such agency and how much she really wanted to be part of the movie. The premise of the story was fun and funny. I really enjoyed many of the side characters especially those involved in the porn industry. The whole town that this book is set in is great and that exact over the top theming you want out of a Christmas world. I do wish there was a bit more interactions with the locals besides at the North Pole.
Now on to the bad. I could not stand the hero. He was incredibly shallow and off the bat only really saw Bea as a sex object. Beyond his family, I saw nothing in him that I actually liked. There were plot points that never panned out to be anything like Nolan knowing about Beatrice Von Honey. Their relationship was built pretty much on mutual fan-girling for their public personas and sexual attraction. There wasn't any depth and the reader had nothing to root for during and after the third act breakup. I wanted a reason to want them together and I couldn't really find one.

Omggggg! I was thoroughly entertained.

Hilarious. Filthy. Sweet.
What more can you ask for?

Plus, the Z-man comment/ bbq discussion was so on point. Love it!

This honestly was really fun, super steamy and charming! I really enjoyed having a romance set on a made for TV Christmas movie set. I can see potential for sequels. Definitely a good choice for anyone looking for a super sexy but still lighthearted holiday read.

What a great story to get you into the festive mood.
Merry Little Meet-Cute is such a fun, cute story. I loved both main characters. They fit so well together. Loved the writing still, even if the first chapter did throw me off a little.

Bee & Nolan are two characters who couldn‘t be more unique. Nolan is this former bad boy pop star who‘s been in the press for many many controversial things and Bee herself has a controversial job for other people. I loved how we got to know both characters on their own and together aswell as their families.

I enjoyed this story and for me it‘s a great book to get into the festive spirit.

4⭐️

A Merry Little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone is a funny, laugh out loud Christmas themed rom-com with a lot of holiday spice added in. This is my first book by Julie Murphy, and what she and Ms. Simone have created is a wonderfully spicy holiday read with characters that are in need of a little reboot. So when you combine an adult film star, a former boy band heartthrob, and a hallmark like Christmas movie set be ready for the innuendos, the laughs, and the craziness to ensue.
Bee and Nolan are two characters that you will quickly fall in love with because of their relatable nature, sense of humor, and reasons for wanting to shoot their movie. Then what follows is a read that will be unforgettable! Well done to these two authors and I look forward to more books written by the two of them.

Okay this was indeed merry and very cute. Always love seeing plus size characters and this story was exactly the kind of holiday romance I enjoy. I will definitely be recommending this one!

This was really a cute unexpected funny and sexy book for the holidays. From a person who absolutely LOVES Christmas movies this was right up my alley. Now I know some people care what the actor’s real lives are like, but ne personally I couldn’t care less as long as the movie is good. I would definitely check out Duke the Halls.

We meet Nolan who is a has been pop star who is trying to revive his career by doing something wholesome – a Christmas movie. Then there is Bee who is in the sex industry and trying to break out into mainstream acting. The odds of them knowing each other were so slim, but alas Nolan knew all about Bee and he couldn’t wait to get to work with her. Their chemistry was undeniable, and their actions were quite entertaining and sometimes dirty. If you like the combination of a dirty Christmas movie with some great entertainment this is definitely the book for you.

I’ve never read anything from either author, but I thoroughly enjoyed their combined minds creating this wonderful read. Now I’m ready to watch some Christmas movies and I’ll wonder just a little bit in the background who these people really are and what happens backstage. You really can’t help but love the loyalty these friends/coworkers have for Bee and the joy they bring to one another. Really enjoyed this book.