3.5/5 stars, not perfect but a decent holiday read

This book definitely had some Christmas spirit, and lots of themes relating to family, but there were some things that just decreased my enjoyment of this book. I'm glad that I read it during this time of year though, because some aspects of the story really did get me into the holiday spirit.

While I know I mentioned that there were some things I didn't like about this book, for the most part I don't have a super positive or negative opinion. It just felt like a book I read, but something I would probably forget in the long-run. I was very interested as the synopsis promises enemies to lovers, a magical Christmas story, and things like that. Which it did deliver on some of those, the overall story felt very slow and it meandered around what I already guessed was going to happen at the end. It took me a while, but towards the end I did end up enjoying myself, I just felt that some parts of the story were so slow and not built up enough that it was hard to connect.

In terms of the romance, almost right away you could see tension between Mason and Lyla, but it felt almost forced. I think that there needed to be more buildup between them before the story progressed, as I just didn't see their connection. I didn't understand why they didn't like each other and why they still held attraction for one another, though I did end up enjoying their romance a bit later on. I just never thought they had enough chemistry for me to get behind them fully.

[TW: sexual harassment mentioned, death of a parent mentioned, alcohol and drunk moments, car accident mentioned, non-consentful kiss, allergic reaction, depiction of grief, attempted murder, blood (brief), animal attack, sexual themes, kidnapping, head injury]

I didn't know what to expect from this initially, id never heard of the author or read any of her previous book but i was pleasantly surprised.

This book was the best book ive read this christmas and i don't think ill find anything that will beat it. Everything was so cosy and festive! Its very well written with likeable characters, even the moody ones.

It was a real snuggle, cuppa and immerse yourself read! i might even read it again next year. i tried reading a few others but none seemed to even match up.

Ive looked at the authors other books since and it seems this is her first dabble into this genre. Id read another in this genre or similar if one was released.

Oh what a fun Christmas fantasy read! I truly enjoyed the romance though not like the Hallmark movies but cute enough to say “aww.” I was not expecting the special trip to Yule (the North Pole) but I was my favorite part especially with the amazing descriptions, I wanted to be there!

This novel has so much: a enemy to lovers romance, the love between family and that anything is possible when you just believe.

I recommend this read to anyone, especially if you love a good Christmas theme book with a sprinkle of fantasty. Thank you @netgalley for the ARC, run to get your copy out now.

2.25 I was not a huge fan of this one the character felt flat to me and the way the relationship began just did not make sense to me. This story follows Lyla a woman who randomly is chosen by Santa’s heir and her boss to go to the North Pole with him to become Mrs Claus only problem is they cannot stand one another.
This book had some cute moment and I usually do tend to love enemies to lovers and fake dating but for some reason I just did not care about the characters. I will say it gave me festive vibes but just not my cup of cocoa. I would like to thank net galley and the publishers for a chance to read this book for an honest review.

What if your partner in the family business asks you to be his finance and he turns out to be the next Mr. Klaus from the North Pole.
This is a book I wanted to love, this story feels original, and it was a really cute idea for a story. I mean, fake relationship with Mr. Klaus? But unfortunately, it fell a bit flat for me. The premise of the book sounded really good, and it just felt like something was missing from it all.

I love a good holiday book in December but this one…not so much.

I didn’t expect for this book to be fantasy and I think that was the main reason for my not liking it. I did not care for the writing style or the main characters and I was mostly bored while (trying) to read this. If you’re someone who likes holiday hallmark movies then I would say this book is for you, for me though…not so much. Dnf.

This book perfectly captured the magical spirit of Christmas! If you enjoy enemies to lovers, fake dating, found family, and a hint of spice, check this one out!

Thank you to NetGalley & Kate Callaghan for the ARC!

This was the perfect holiday read. It was such a fun and easy read. The magical elements caught me a little odd guard, but I loved every minute of this book. So so good!!

I wanted to love this one!
First, the names. I'm sorry but they were way to Christmas puny and just bad. The initial idea of the story was really good. Cranky guy working at a toy company and seems to hate all things Christmas, a jolly girl who loves Christmas so much it would annoy anyone. Sounds like a great grumpy sunshine plot. But, I wasn't a fan of the lying, the overly sweet, or the random come home for Christmas and pretend to be engaged to me in front of my whole town aka soon to be empire. I think if there was a better background on the MC's then the story of them would have been more believable to me.

Oh my god i didnt see this coming!! Klaus as Santa Claus family??!!
Lyla and mason are enemy in the office, they always bickering and bringing the worst in each other. Like a mirror. One party change everything, they make a deal and Lyla the one who surprised with everything involve by magic.

Yule is beautiful place where Santa work happend. Everything describe in detail make me can imagine the place clearly. I hope this book become movie oneday.

Thank you to NetGalley for provide this book, it is pleasure to review this book.

#TheNqughtyOrNiceClause #KateCallaghan #CallaghanWriter #IndependentBookPublishersAssociation #IBPA #NetGalley #ARC

I really enjoyed this one. I thought her take on the Santa Clause theme was very unique and different.

I wish it were longer. I really enjoyed all the characters and the Christmas feel to it.

Perfect for when you want something you can finish in a day. There's romance, Christmas and some fantasy wrapped in this book, and its perfect for the holiday season. Tons of tropes to pull you in: workplace romance, enemies to lovers, forced proximity and a few more. I enjoyed this title so much that I will go out and get a physical copy.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this cute, funny and romantic Christmas novel. It was predictable but a fun ride nonetheless.

3.5 stars

The book was cute but at times it was hard to root for the main character. I think some more character development was needed to get behind the romantic relationship between Lyla and Mason.

DNF at 47%

In my opinion, an enemies-to-lovers romance depends on the strength of the characterisation during the enemies dynamic - what substantial conflict is causing the main characters to consider each other enemies? What in the characterisation of each hints at how well they will eventually work together... and how does each need to grow before they will recognise their romantic destiny? That's a lot of heavy lifting for the enemies dynamic to do!

I love Christmas and I really wanted to enjoy The Naughty or Nice Clause. This book delivered on its Hallmark Christmas movie promise, serving the aesthetics of a secret Santa romance set in the North Pole (or "Yule"), unfortunately accompanied by the same somewhat bland characterisation that comes with those same holiday flicks. The narrative voice did not grab me well enough to look past the cartoonish feel of the enemies dynamic, which hindered my buy-in for the transition to lovers.

Though unfortunately The Naughty or Nice Clause couldn't hold my interest this holiday period, and reading this novel became an obligation rather than a pleasure, you may enjoy this book If you have a soft spot for Netflix or Hallmark Christmas movies. It's an easy read so it may be a good one to be able to pick up and put down during the busy holiday period.

Thankyou to NetGalley, CallaghanWriter and Kate Callaghan for providing an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

Lyla and Klause run a toy business together.
When Klause forces Lyla home with him she realizes he is more Clause then Klause. Can these 2 pretend to be engaged to help eachother.
I didn't think they really had chemistry. It was just all of a sudden they liked eachother.

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

I did enjoy this short, sweet romance for the most part. The romance was enemies-to-lovers, and it was clear Mason liked Lyla from pretty early on. It was a bit of a slow burn with lots of side plot. The ending was incredibly rushed, though, which was unfortunate because I would’ve liked a smoother resolution, but all the same, this was a light, easy romance read perfect for the holidays.

picked this up on a complete whim just based on the title and honestly i enjoyed this a lot more than i was expecting! but really i'm a sucker for enemies to lovers and especially fake dating tropes and this had both of those

overall i don't really have any strong feelings about this book but i enjoyed the romance and it gave me the magical christmas vibes i was looking for so that's a win to me!

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley. This is my honest review.

This book has a bit of a The Santa Clause feeling to it, and with the title, that's fitting. Lyla is the 49% shareholder in a toy manufacturing company that has been in her family for years, but her dad sold his shares to Mason Klaus, giving the controlling percentage to an outsider. Mason and Lyla butt heads like nobody's business because he wants to change all the things, including canceling the company Christmas party. Lyla wasn't cool with that so she used her own money to throw a party for the staff at the office. Things were going great until she saw Mason drunk as a skunk in his office and decided she needed to get him home before any of the employees saw him.

Next thing she knows, she's being whisked away to a mysterious location in her pajamas by a jingle bell. Of course she finds out the location is the North Pole, or Yule rather, and she has to pretend to be engaged to Mason, because otherwise her being there is very much against the rules.

I have very mixed feelings about the way the romance between Lyla and Mason developed. Parts of it felt very natural while other parts very much did not. Like the moment in the cabin after he played the Beast to her Belle felt natural, but his behavior while they were shopping for her didn't. But I mostly enjoyed the way it bloomed.

There were some mechanics about getting to and from Yule that made aspects of the story not really make sense as well. Like if you can travel to and from Yule by jingle bell, then why couldn't they just go back to Lyla's house to get her clothes? There are other details kind of along those lines that just didn't feel very thought out.

But this book did give me the magical Christmas feelings I was looking for, so overall I give it 3.9 out of 5 stars.

This was a cute story! It’s an enemies to lovers with a fake dating trope. It was definitely an interesting story. I haven’t read one like this before. I liked Lyla and Mason back and forth. They are very cute. There was no spice and they really didn’t have much interaction when it came to building their relationships. I think I would have enjoyed more of that to be honest. I also would have liked to have seen Natalie be put in her place. Overall it was a cute story I would definitely recommend reading. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to review this arc. I really enjoyed it this holiday season.