Member Reviews
I was hoping to enjoy The Naughty or Nice Clause but unfortunately, I did not connect with the characters and found it to be a bit too sci-fi for a typical holiday read.
Thank you to CallaghanWriter and NetGalley.
Lyla's father was the CEO of their family toy company and upon his retirement she was meant to get his shares of the company. Instead she finds out the company is bankrupt and her father has given her shares to an investor named Mason Klaus. Her only option now is to run the company with him despite their differences. After Mason cancels the annual Christmas party Lyla throws it anyway only to have it result in a fire. Mason offers her a deal in order to forget the mess: she has to join his family for the twelve days of their Christmas holidays. He introduces her as his fiancé and she has to go along with it.
I thought this was a cute sweet Christmas love story. What made it a little different was the fact that Mason was next in line to be Santa and his family lived at the North Pole. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.
Thank you NetGalley and CallaghanWriter, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles for accepting my request to read and review The Naughty or Nice Clause.
Author: Kate Callaghan
Published: 11/08/22
Genre: New Adult | Romance | Sci Fi & Fantasy
I requested this as a way to broaden my reading into a previously avoided genre (romance). I saw a fluffy story centered around a holiday. Well, it was but the fun I was looking for wasn't there.
I went back over the synopsis and the usual key words were there: loathing, work against each other, and a ridiculous ultimatum. However, the story backfired. I'm not going to spoil. I will only say, I didn't like anything about the book, storyline or characters.
The cover was darling and inviting.
Thank you NetGalley for The Naughty or Nice Clause!
I loved this book! I thought it was a great holiday read and definitely filled my need for a great Christmas-y book!
The author did an awesome job of allowing readers to relate to the characters and root for them throughout the book!
This was a cute holiday romance! I love grumpy x sunshine and was really loving the Christmas aspects that help put me in the holiday mood during the Christmas season. Overall a cute read!
This was the perfect christmas read for me! I loved the grumpy x sunshine trope and the little recognizable details as well. Such as the bell to travel and the reindeers. I also liked the inclusivity of the LGBTQ+ community for one of the main characters sisters'.
I do felt like the beginning was a bit rushed to get to the plot. It felt more like two seperate storylines for me.
All together, I rate this book 4 out of five stars!
This was such a cute book I was checking out new Christmas romances during the holidays and this fit the bill perfectly! Can’t wait to get a physical copy to put on my shelf!
A CEO of a toy company getting whisked away to the secret Real North Pole by her workplace cranky nemesis? Sounds good to me!
This book had so much promise — I’ve been on a low stakes fantasy kick and was really impressed and endeared by the North Pole world that Kate Callaghan has created as a backdrop for this workplace enemies to lovers story. The hero, Mason Klaus, has brought our main character, Lyla, with him back to the North Pole after the passing of his father (YES, his dad is SANTA CLAUS). Mason’s homeland is a secret to all who do not live within its limits, so the two enter a fake engagement to prevent Lyla’s memories from being erased. Lyla becomes enchanted by the small town and all of its holiday spirit. It’s warm, it’s amusing, and it’s very cozy. However, the town is really the only bright spot in this holiday romance.
What starts off promising ends up bogged down by a main character who I had a lot of trouble rooting for in any way, a complete lack of chemistry between the two main characters, and writing that felt stilted and choppy. No amount of Christmas spirit could save it for me and no one is more disappointed than me…
What can I say about this book? It has all the tropes I love: fake dating, enemies to lovers and it takes place on CHRISTMAS!!! what could i not like??
I liked the main characters and thought they had a lot of chemistry. The romance between the characters left something to be desired but just a little, nothing that made me not enjoy the story. And can I say, again, how cool is it that is set on Christmas ? It has that whole Christmas vibe that I love.
Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for the ARC
THE NAUGHTY OR NICE CLAUSE By Kate Callaghan
Lyla was meant to inherit her father's shares in the toy company that has been in the family for generations, instead her father sells his shares to Mason Klaus.
😊What i liked -
✔ Christmas Romance/Fantasy Romance/Enemies To Lovers/Fake Relationship.
✔ I loved the friction between Lyla and Mason, their attraction was equally lovable.
✔ I am so glad I went in blind with this book.
✔ I absolutely loved Mason's family, they were quite different and colourful.
✔ This book gave a whole different perspective on Christmas gifts. This book was emotional, full of christmasy love and lots of smiles.
🤔What could have been better -
✔ Okay not a big could have been better so not mentioning.
📚Who Should read :
👶Beginners
💝Romance Lovers
🎄Christmas Romance
💞Enemies To Lovers
📈My Rating : 4.5/5
Thank you, Kate Callaghan for a copy.
This book came out at the perfect time. One of my favourite Christmas movies The Santa Clause came back with a TV show this year on Disney+ and the premise of this book kind of reminded me of that. Also, definitely the most festive romance I read this year, which is much appreciated.
This book built a good world but the romance was a little lacking for my taste. The ending also felt super rushed and left me dissatisfied in the end.
Cute holiday read, I definitely had some good laughs. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it. I read this as my holiday book for Christmas
An enemies-to-lovers, fake dating coworkers romance… except one of them is Santa Claus. The two main characters had too many close encounters with no payoff, and I don’t actually understand how or why they fell in love. We went from zero to 60 quickly, but there were a lot of potholes on the way. Plus the fantastical Santa construct just felt flimsy.
Rom-com meets science fiction meets fairytale magic
Lyla inherits her father's toy company only to realize it is not a thriving business. The business is bankrupt and a new co-owner has her father's shares The new owner is not touchy feely and has no plans to run the company with the holiday spirit Lyla wants. Then Lyla discovers a secret about her new business partner , one of magic and Christmas spirit. She is whisked away to another land and now needs to figure out if she can have it all with Mr Klaus
If you like rom-coms that delve into the world of science fiction you will like this book which requires some imagination and a leap of faith
While this book was pretty predictable, I still enjoyed it. It had a great story line and fake relationship romances just… they get me. I wish there was a little more spice in this book, but it was overall a great book to read during the holidays.
Thank you to Netgalley and Independent Book Publishers Association for the early arc!
Great book. It was the perfect holiday read. Romance mixed with imagination. Great story line that drew me in.
While predictable, The Naughty or Nice Clause was a pleasant, escapist read over the holidays. Lyla's family owns a toy company but when her father retires, he brings in Mason Klaus as majority shareholder instead of putting her entirely in charge, Lyla doesn't much care for Mason., who is entirely too businesslike for her taste.
When Mason tells Layla he's been estranged from his father and would like someone to go home with him when his father passes away, she agrees. Layla is suddenly transported to to a magical winter village. Upon arrival, Layla is introduced as Mason's fiancée and she plays along to help him out. Of course, her ulterior motive is to get her company back and Mason out of it.
The book was an entertaining read, Seeing the characters of Mason and Layla try to meet their own goals but then adjust to one another provides some funny and poignant situations.
Recommended for those who enjoy light reads and playful romance.
I really liked this book. It was cosy, comfy and atmospheric. The romance was adorable, lacking a little bit of spice though, but overall a fun holiday romance read.
If you liked "Just like Magic" by Sarah Hogle, you will like this book, romance, fantasy Christmas story. It is not as funny as Hogle's book, but you do get this fun little village with all it's Christmas wonder. This book brings out the kid in you and then add some romance. It was a fun read and I enjoyed it very much, I loved all the characters and really could see this played out in a movie.
Lyla's CEO father has retired from their family toy company and she is now meant to receive his shares of the company. But when the time comes she realizes the company is bankrupt and her shares have been given to an investor Mason Klaus ( lol! last name tells it all). He is also know in the corporate world for his cold and callous nature. But as they start to work together, everything seems to go wrong for Lyla and worries she will lose the company to Mason. Mason said he will forgive all that if she spends twelve days with his family for Christmas. She soon discovers there is more to Mason then this man that she butts heads with. Is he really the man she thought he was, and when you open your heart can you put in back together after the magic ends?
Thank you to NetGalley and Callaghanwriter for copy of this book for my honest review.