What if your partner in business asks you to be his fake fiance and he turns out to be the next Mr. Santa Clause?

Lyla owns part her family’s toy company together with Mason Klaus, a real scrooge. The company is slowly going under, and Mason isn't helping one bit to further improve matters. When the Company Christmas-party ends in a devastating fire, Lyla is heartbroken because this is game over.

But Mason sees this differently. He offers to help pay for the fix up but there is on condition, Lyla needs to go home with him on the holidays. By home, he means the North Pole. And she needs to pretend to be his fiance. But Mason has a huge secret.. He is none other than Santa’s son who is next in line to become Santa..

The synopsis of this book sounds so good... and it has all the elements to become a beautiful Christmas romance. But still it fell completely flat.
There was no chemistry between Lyla and Mason. And the dialogues in this story were horribly written. They were empty and fell flat. Maybe that is why I just couldn't get into their romance?

As a lover of Christmas, this book certainly hit the spot with the charm and essence of the seasons. A wonderfully written Christmas romance with enemies to lovers and a heavy dose of joy. I highly recommend this cozy read!

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks NetGalley for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

Note: There is no smut in this book. I missed it, but this didn't influence my review.

I finished this Christmas read in January because at 40% this story put me in a reading slump at the start of December. As this was an ARC I decided to push through and two starts are given only because I finished it.

The main characters were unlikable. Lyla was always behind on what is going on. She seems gullible, stupid and couldn't make any decisions or take care of herself in that matter. At 60% of the book when Clause mentions "The LIST" she doesn't know what he is talking about. COME ON! YOU ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SANTA"S HOUSE! IT IS NOT A GROCERIE LIST HE IS TALKING ABOUT! Gawd! And everything other characters said she turned to herself I give small example which is not in a book:
Klaus: "I broke my foot"
Lyla: "I broke my foot once,"
She did this with everything that was happening in the book to other characters, it was so annoying.

Mason was just jerk. He would give her orders and treat her like she is his child or property and then randomly say something nice to her. I know this was supposed to be enemies to lovers but the execution wasn't done right. I didn't feel any chemistry between them there was no romance at all.

The writing style was strange too. I felt like a 12 year old wrote this. The dialogues didn't reflect how real people talk and they felt forced and didn't flow naturally.

I am sorry I have to give such a bad review I really wanted to like this book.

I wasn’t feeling or buying the chemistry! I loved the premise of this one but overall it was meh for me

This book was cute! I enjoyed it, and I really liked the original take on Santa Clause. I do think that the characters fell for one another a little too quickly, and I would have liked to see a little more build up there.

This one was cute- if you enjoy reading romance. Especially holiday romance, then I think you’d enjoy this one for sure!

This was my favorite seasonal read! Loved this story! The pacing was fantastic and the characters were great. I wish the ending had come more full circle with her seeing the family again…. Loved the holiday spirit and the Christmas magic!

I absolutely loved this one! Had the perfect amount of holiday magic, cheesiness, love and the cutest supporting characters. I will say you can see the conflict coming in this one, but that didn't stop me from loving it. I would love to visit the North Pole again next year just to check back in on these characters! Such a fun holiday read.

This review has been added to Goodreads, Literal and Storygraph, as well as Barnes & Noble and Amazon. This will be posted to my instagram (@busywithmybooks_) within the week.

Thank you for allowing me to read this story!!

DNFed after 37%

This book wasn't really what I expected. It was really a slowburn and not much happened. I just couldn't get through this one.... How much i wanted to do it.

Thank you to @netgalley for the advanced copy.

Absolutely no chemistry between the leads, nothing to suggest they could ever be more than just two co-workers snarking at each other at every turn.

I made it about 20% before I gave up. Life is too short to not enjoy what you're reading, and I definitely wasn't enjoying myself.

Sad about this one though. I liked the potential it had. Shame about the execution.

Thank you Netgallery for the opportunity of reading this book! I thought this was such a cute and easy Christmas read! I loved the found family trope with Lyla and Mason’s family! I found the love connection a little slow but it was really good at the end 🥰

I read this one Friday and really enjoyed it! This was exactly the light hearted (ish) cozy holiday vibe I was wanting. It definitely could have opened some doors though 🌶️ 👀

✔️ Fake dating
✔️ Enemies to lovers
✔️ Warm cozy Christmas vibes

This was such a fun read, I was giggling left and right. When Lyla is forced to spend her Christmas with new CEO and crabby partner Mason Klaus, not only will life as she knows it change but the magic of Christmas takes on a whole new meaning. 🎄✨ Small town vibes and the loyalty some places have for tradition!

If you’re looking for a quick holiday read with all the feelings, this one is for you!

At first I was expecting a steamy holiday romance, but wow! I was so surprised with the fantasy aspect that I fell in love with the book!

This was an okay holiday read but it just fell a little bit flat for me. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve read A LOT of Christmas reads in December but this just didn’t stand out.

My main issues with the book were the lack of chemistry between Mason and Lyla (I just didn’t see it) and the ending, it felt very rushed! I did love the town of Yule though!

2.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

My first read by this author so I didn’t know what to except but I was pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed this quick read. I loved the spin on Santa and the North Pole, definitely original. A bit of spice and some drama ending with a HEA made for a perfect Christmas read.

This was a great holiday romance! Work rivals and fake dating are some of my favorite tropes. I loved the lore behind Santa, and the whole Klaus family was great.

3/5

Overall, this book is a 3/5 romance. However, if you need a cute book around Christmas, then it is a 4/5.

I read this book on Christmas and it was a great Holiday read.

This book spins traditional Christmas and Santa themed stories in a unique way. The village at the North Pole is a town called Yule. Santa and the Clauses do not deliver toys. There are more than 1 sleigh. No elves in sight. Add a bit of magic.

This is a traditional enemies-to-lovers and fake-dating story. The romance was rushed but the setting and surrounding characters were well thought out. Kevin (the younger brother) was especially charismatic).

You could see the 3rd act conflict from a mile away. It was predictable and was resolved in another predictable way. It reminded me slightly of a Hallmark movie.

I think this book has a lot of potential and was worth reading.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I would round this up to 3.5 stars.

I liked the premise, the characters, and the plot. The whole different idea of what “Santa” represents and the village was great.

I think I had some issues with the short background we got between the love interest in the beginning. I would have liked more of a banter/ interactions in the beginning of the story.

Also the lack of epilogue and abrupt ending left me feeling the book was unfinished. I would enjoyed learning more to their relationship after the end.

I enjoyed the enemies to lovers aspect, but I was definitely not at all expecting the magical elements! Mason was 100% the definition of a grump, and I always like a good grump/sunshine story. A fun and quick holiday read!

Super cute! Even though I'd never heard of this author, the summary sounded cute, so I requested this book. It was a fun Christmas read that I would recommend to readers who are looking for something to get them in the holiday spirit.