I appreciated that this was a more open story about "disaster bisexuals" (direct quote, don't @ me). They're both trying to clean up their respective reputations with an uber clean Christmas movie on the Hope Channel. I don't know how on earth they believed that people wouldn't recognize her from her other career. There was no shame surrounding their sexual histories and I liked that. They both made choices in their past and didn't regret any of that and honestly, that was so refreshing.

I didn't love this one as much as I expected to though. I didn't really feel like they connected on an emotional level at all. I certainly never want to smell gingerbread lotion ever again after how many times it was brought up alongside his ding dong.

Thank you to Netgalley, Avon, Harper Voyager, Julie Murphy, and Sierra Simone for a copy in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own.

As soon as I saw this, I knew I had to read it. I absolutely love Sierra Simone. Her books give me life and the steamy scenes and layers she delivers in each of her stories leaves me utterly captivated. I’ve never read Julie Murphy before, but I knew I was in for treat and I was not disappointed. This was the perfect combination of everything I love in my romance and everything I love about Hallmark movies (cheesy scenes check, insta-love check, hilarity check, check, check).

Bee was utterly amazing. She was so comfortable with who she is, what she does for a living and how she looks. I felt empowered just reading her because of this. Nolan’s brooding ex boy band ways was the perfect juxtaposition. And the fact that he wanted Bee and had no qualms about letting every single person know was chef’s kiss. I love when the hero doesn’t hesitate, he sees what he wants and just goes for it not caring in the least who finds out.

I honestly had so much fun reading this book. I laughed out loud so many times. And fell head over heels in love with these characters. This book was light, fun, flirty but also steamy and so very sexy. I adored the Christmas town setting it really put me in the holiday spirit even though Christmas is months away. Seriously I can’t wait to read it again around the holidays. There was a little bit in the middle that slowed down the pace and felt kind of sluggish and I was little bummed that the sex toy suitcase never came out to play, but other than that the book was magic.

I couldn't even make it through the prologue of the eARC, yikes.

"My butthole clenched." ... Why was this necessary in the middle of a conversation? It wasn't even in a sex scene, where I could've let it go.

I forgot just how ridiculous and immature Julie Murphy's writing is. This would've been better if it was only written by Sierra Simone.

If you like spice, this one is a pretty solid read! Porn star turned into a Hallmark movie is what the synopsis is across 99% of the reviews, and its pretty spot on. I wish we had more than two weeks with them (gimme some of that spicy suitcase action please), and I wish we had more time in general (this book read REALLY fast for me) but it was a super good read. AND the fact that two authors joined forces and knocked this one out of the park, made me laugh more times than appropriate for an airport, and had a plus sized sexy af MC, thank you <3

Many thanks to Avon and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Can I just say, before I get into the plot and premise, this book WAS SO DANG FUN! You know when you watch a movie and you can just tell that EVERYONE on set was just having the best time? This book feels like that. Sierra Simone and Julie Murphy must have had a ball writing this book because it radiates joy and bonkers amounts of fun.

Bee was 10/10 would kill for her, book girlfriend material. I will love her as an MC and all around heartthrob until the day I die. I also really enjoyed Nolan and think that they had smashing good chemistry.

There were so many nods to all sorts of tropes and truly wild situations that I couldn't help but have fun for this entire book. A Christmas movie staffed with porn workers (hilarity ensues), 90s boy bands, Hollywood starlets, subtle digs at ABC/Hallmark, boinking in a fake church, Christmas themed strip club. Plus it's just so well written.

If you've read this far, you're probably wondering: geez Lauren you're gushing about this book, why not 5 stars? 1) the grovel at the end just didn't do it for me. 2) THEY HAD A SUITCASE FULL OF SEX TOYS AND NEVER USED THEM! Automatic -1. I don't know what I've got to do to normalize use of sex toys in contemporary romance, but it makes me feel better to take a star for my own arbitrary rating system. MORE SEX TOYS PLEASE!

The best of both worlds (Christmas and Steam). I truly hope this is only the first collaboration by these authors. This book was was over the top hysterical (I couldn't stop laughing).. Sierra Simone is one of my favorites when if comes to steam, She know how to stoke the fires.
While plus size reads usually aren't my jam I feel in love with how Bee embraced her body and career. Nolan was your brooding bad boy who made no apologies wanting Bee.

This book captured my heart from page one. Is it too much to say that I felt like this book was written just for me?! For all the hallmark movie watchers, feminist porn enthusiasts, and chaotic bisexuals, this book is what holiday dreams are made of!

There are only two things that could make this book better:
1) if it were longer - 2 weeks of Bee and Nolan on set together just wasn’t enough for me, and they didn’t even get into her suitcase of sex toys!
2) Or if this book was real life. Because I really want to watch Duke the Halls now.

Moments where I found myself in this book:

“What tattooed, fair trade coffee drinkers with their body-safe silicone toys were also tuning in to sexless holiday schmaltz?” This one sure is!

“I hadn’t been so turned on by a kiss since Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart kissed at the end of Twilight with Iron and Wine playing in the background. (Turned out I wanted to be and kiss both Edward and Bella. I still mourn the fact that the porn parody of Twilight was shot before my time.)” I agree, whole heartedly (and this book was read at the same time that I picked up a copy of the Twilight series from my local used bookstore for a re-read!)

“we were dog-sitting Snapple, and Snapple turned any vibe into a something between trapped in line behind a customer who wants to talk to the manager and that scene in Return of the Jedi where Luke Skywalker has to fight a rancor with an old monster bone.”

I cannot recommend this book enough. I loved it. I absolutely loved it and I will absolutely be re-reading it at Christmas time!

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

I admit to being deeply intrigued by the idea of middle grade/YA/Disney retelling Julie Murphy teaming up with my favorite queen of Smutsville, Sierra Simone, for a book about a porn star in a Hallmark-style movie. The whole idea pretty much made my brain cells melt from overexertion trying to picture the result. The verdict? A Merry Little Meet Cute is a sweet-as-pie, sexy-as-sin, laugh-out-loud, delightful cocktail that highlights the best of both authors. Barkeep, please give me another - and make it a double!

The premise is this: Bee Hobbes works as a porn star and runs her own, very popular OnlyFans-type site under the name of Bianca Von Honey. Nolan Shaw is a former boy band member who took his bad boy image a little too far and ended up tanking his career. Both end up as the unlikely stars of the wholesome Hope Channel's next Christmas movie, Duke the Halls. Bee is keeping her Bianca persona a secret on set for obvious reasons, and Nolan is trying to rehabilitate his image to get his career back on track. The problem? The chemistry between the two is so immediate and overpowering that everyone watching them shoot their first kiss scene is treated to much more than a mere stage kiss. As is the way of rom-coms, hilarity, hijinks, and hanky-panky ensue.

I adored Bee and her confidence, her body positivity, and that she is profoundly proud of the work she does. Nolan is so loyal and committed to his family that I just wanted to wrap him up in a great big hug. I was thankful that these two acted as adults with actual communication skills, so that when all hell breaks loose, they are able to put the pieces back together in a mature way. But a note to the authors: if you're going to reference a suitcase full of sex toys, you'd better use them on the page! Also, I want books for every single one of the supporting characters.

I recommend A Merry Little Meet Cute for those who like their Christmas stories to be a little bit naughty, and to anyone who wants to know what the true meaning of Christmas is.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I thought the premise was cute - a porn star accidently cast in a Hallmark-type holiday heart-warming romance. But, eh. I got about a quarter of the way through, and just stopped. I still think the premise is cute. And I love books with body positivity and strong female leads. Maybe I am more of a prude than I care to admit. But this just isn't a breezy, contemporary, meet cute.

I liked the writing style - great dialogue and witty ripostes. I will look for more from this author.

Well my holiday reading started off very spicy and I am here for it! I love that Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone, two of my favorite authors, collaborated on A Merry Little Meet Cute. This story was like a Christmas Hallmark movie with a dash of the adult film industry thrown in. And I LOVE that we have a plus size FMC. This needs to be the norm for romance novels. I love how confident Bee came off and the sexual tension between her and her teenage crush Nolan Shaw just had the steam coming off the pages. I honestly wish this was an actual movie because I would watch it this holiday season. I will be telling all my friends that they must add this one to their holiday TBR. Many thanks to Avon and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was the perfect balance of everything I love in a spicy romcom and everything i love about cheesy hallmark movies! It had the over the top Christmas setting and names, but with a spicy flare I’ve never seen before in this setting! The characters were absolutely hysterical and I found myself laughing out loud constantly.

I totally fell in love with Bee. From how she embraced her body and her career in sex work to how she knew exactly what she wanted in and out of the bedroom and refused to settle for less. Nolan’s broody reformed bad boy yet total simp for Bee vibe was the icing on the cake. He wanted her and had zero issues making it known. I felt like they had such a mature relationship and communicated what they wanted and how they felt which I really loved for them.

I got a little stressed halfway through just waiting for everything to blow up and cause issues for them, so the middle dragged a bit for me, but overall I loved the book! Bee is an absolute icon and I can’t express how much I loved her representation as a plus size woman and a sex worker. The side characters also added SO much to the story and I can’t wait to learn more about them in future books.

I loved the entire premise of this book. Bee is a plus-sized porn star, trying to go main stream on a movie that is supposed to be wholesome, so the producers can't find out she's a porn star. Nolan is a former boy bander, who was Bee's teenage crush (and still is), trying to rehab his bad boy reputation. Both have a morality clause in their contract. Nolan figures he'll just watch his favorite porn star for relief instead and it turns out that it's Bee's alter ego, Bianca van Honey. What could possibly go wrong?

This book is explicit. It doesn't take these two long to get together and get together they do. Many times.
Have a fan at the ready. You're going to need it. If you've read Priest, I have a feeling you'll appreciate a scene in the book. ;)

My one qualm with it was that for a couple trying to be careful and hide their relationship, they really did a bad job of it. They'd say something about being careful and then they'd do something that would be a way of easily getting caught. And it'd have me rolling my eyes.

Overall, I enjoyed it. I was expecting something super steamy and funny with low angst and I got it. It was a fast read and a fun read. As a plus sized woman, I appreciated the body and sex positivity of it. I'd also love to see Sunny get her own book because I loved her.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager. I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

4.25 Stars

When Hopeflix Christmas movie star Winnie gets injured at a Burning Man-esque festival, someone has to step in to star in the latest movie, which also happens to be starring reformed boy-band bad-boy Nolan Shaw. And that someone is Bree Hobbes, aka Bianca Von Honey aka famous porn star. Oh my stars.

Y'all this was cute. Like a Hallmark/Netflix Christmas movie, you know where it's heading and the book does not even try to stray from that one whit - but it uses the classic rom-com formula to it's advantage while making some great commentary about the strengths of the genre. And oh yeah, the romance is pretty romantic, y'all. Eyebrows eyebrows. So yeah, my review for Julie Murphy's first adult book basically boiled down to "but where was all the sex?" and um, I do not have the same complaint about this book. I believe Sierra Simone is a romance author and I thought the sex scenes were pretty hot. I also liked the characters - Bree and Nolan are both sympathetic and you'll definitely find yourself rooting for those two crazy kids (who are in their early 30s, actually). The book is funny and warm and a little queer and it's...everything you'd want from a Christmas porn? Lol. It is like a Netflix Christmas movie with like, a lot of sex. And I have to say, even though this isn't necessarily my preferred genre, I really enjoyed it.

Netflix! Grab the Nicola Coughlin (maybe Vanessa Hudgens can be Winnie?) and the intimacy coordinators from Bridgerton and hop to.

4 stars Goodreads and 5 stars Netgalley - I really liked it and will be widely recommending it.

THIS WAS INDEED A VERY MERRY (AND CUTE) MEET CUTE!!!!!

This kinky little Christmas rom-com was so fun and had me laughing my booty off!! Bee Hobbes (aka Bianca Von Honey) is a adult film star who is accidentally cast alongside her childhood boy band crush, Nolan Shaw. What her and her producer are hoping is that no one will recognize her from her other platform since this movie is for a veryyyyy family friendly channel and it’s a Christmas movie, it’ll work right?!

But Nolan immediately recognizes Bee because… HE IS BIANCE VON HONEYS #1 FAN.

The story follows these two as they begin to film and as their burning chemistry starts heating up around them! The problem? They both need to be SQUEAKY clean as this movie is a fresh start for Nolan, and a dream for Bee.

Boy, was there was indeed some steam!!!! I expected no less from the queen Sierra Simone, but my goodness Julie Murphys writing definitely surprised me in the best way! It was my first of her books and I can easily say I’m a fan!

I am obsessed with Bee’s moms and her bestie, Sunny! There was some amazing side characters and I can’t wait for more books from these two authors! Y’all need to add this one to your Christmas TBRs!!

Spice: 🌶🌶

Indeed a "cute" story. It started a little slow for me as the plot was set up - how a porn star ended up filming a holiday movie for a hallmark-like channel. But once the action started with the two main characters, the story picked up and the book was hard to put down. A truly enjoyable story with the happy ending I want to see in a romance - especially a holiday themed one!

I received an advanced reader copy of A Merry Little Meet Cute from Netgalley.

This is a spicy rom-com about porn star/sex worker Bee who unexpectedly lands a role in a Hopeflix (think Hallmark Channel) Christmas movie opposite Nolan, a former boy band member who is working to rehab his bad boy image. Bee is told to keep her Bianca persona under wraps, and Nolan is told to keep it in his pants. Let's just say, that doesn't happen.

What I liked most about this book is that Bee is unapologetically and REALISTICALLY plus-sized. I've read books with plus-sized main characters where it felt like a small detail that was tacked onto the character. In this story though it's woven into the writing and feels very well done and authentic. Same goes for the sex worker part of Bee's character. The story was very sex-positive and supportive of people in that industry.

I thought the whole spicy Christmas book in general was kind of brilliant, and I'm wondering why there aren't more out there.

Unfortunately, that's pretty much where my appreciation for the story ends. The book has dual POV between Bee and Nolan, and honestly I could have done without Nolan's POV entirely. He was supposed to be a bad boy trying to clean up his image, but being in his head you see right away he's a nice average dude. Nothing really gave off bad boy to me. The story about the Duluth Olympics drama felt forced, like it was thrown in as a detail to be like, "see, he's a bad boy," but I was never sold on his reputation. I would have preferred to be kept in the dark and learn about his character from Bee's perspective slowly over the course of the book. Having both POVs also really cuts down on the sexual tension TBH. You know from the get-go that they've both been obsessed with each other for years, so there's very little build-up to their connection.

Also, holy side characters, Batman. There were far too many side characters, I kept forgetting who was who. Teddy. Sunny. Pearl. Gretchen. Steph. Angel. Kallum. Isaac. Jack. Luca. Nolan's mom and sister. Cammy. And more, I've just forgotten their names again again again.

One more complaint I'd like to lodge: why in the world did they mention Bee's suitcase full of sex toys over and over again if they weren't going to come into play at some point??

Read this if you're in the mood for:
-celebrity romance
-dual POV
-spicy romance
-Holiday romance
-coworker romance
-Plus size representation
-LGBTQ rep (both MCs are bisexual)

Honestly Sierra Simone can do no wrong. This was my first book by Julie Murphy and I really enjoyed it! I loved Bee and Nolan's chemistry. Their banter was just too good! It was such a fun holiday romcom!

This book is far more steamy than I anticipated it being. I have a co-worker that fast forwards through anything on the page when she's listening to an audiobook and I told her that this is probably not the book for her because she would miss most of the novel that way. That being said - I thought it was a fun book for the right reader. If you are only familiar with Julie Murphy's writing- this might be a departure for you content-wise.

This steamy Christmas romance was a delight to read. A porn star and a former boy band singer cast in a Christmas movie for a Hallmark-like channel attempt to maintain a squeaky clean image even as things heat up behind the scenes. I loved how casually queer this book was, with two bi leads and numerous LGBTQ side characters. A great holiday romance.

This ended up being the perfect summer read, but definitely had me craving the holidays. I love Julie Murphy's novels, and this was my first delve into SIerra Simone's writing, but I couldn't tell you where one author ended and the other began, except for the arguments of Texas vs. Kansas barbeque!
Bee and Nolan were layered, likeable characters, and I loved the comedic effect of having people from the porn industry share inside jokes, sometimes unknowingly. Sexy and fun, I can't wait to read this, again, curled up by the fire with a mug of gingerbread coffee to keep me warm. ;)
Thank you, NetGalley for the opportunity to review this eARC.