Lyla is the co-CEO of her grandad’s toy company. Mason Klaus was brought in as co-CEO to save the company as it wasn’t making enough money. To save more money, Mason cancels the annual Christmas party, which Lyla is extremely angry about. Lyla and Mason do not get on at all, they argue constantly and their dynamic is very much an office rivalry. Lyla decides to throw a Christmas party for the staff anyway, which results in a fire in the building. In the aftermath of the fire, Mason offers her a deal, he will forget about her part in the fire if she goes with him to his family home for the holidays, as he has received news about the death of his father. Mason has not bene home for the last 10 years because of an argument with his dad, so he feels like it’s his duty to return.

‘Fight with you, flirt with you – I’ll do whatever you want if it keeps you close.’

Lyla is taken to a magical winter wonderland, hidden from outsiders. Except she isn’t introduced as Mason’s friend, but his fiancee, because outsiders are forbidden to enter Yule. Lyla loves Christmas, where as back at the office Mason was the resident Scrooge. I loved watching their dynamic change as they both warmed up to each other. The tension between them was perfect, especially with a scheming ex-girlfriend thrown in the mix!

I really enjoyed this book and it added an extra sprinkle of magic to a normal Christmas romance!

I really liked this. It really was a cozy and fun read. The pacing was done fairly well;having both characters move from hating each other to falling in love.
I will say though, that last couple chapters felt rushed. I loved the family dynamic it was really refreshing reading about their interactions as well as the friendships that were formed.

This was a very quick, fun, festive and a fast paced read for me. I loved how relatable and entertaining the characters were. So overall, I had so much fun reading it

This is a cute and fast Christmas read.

Lyla and Mason their story is just incredible.

Mason is Lyla's supervisor.

When Lyla throws Christmas party. There turns to be a fire.

So they decide to make a sort of deal.

Mason forgets her part in it if she joins his family for Christmas.

But there is a twist. He is next in line for Santa Claus ....

This is a fun enemies to lovers story with the much needed Christmas / winter / snowy vibes.

I thought this book was cute. It was a super quick read and it was a really interesting idea. It felt like it was missing something though. I don't know if it was the ending (which I do wish there was more after) or if it was something in between, but I just wanted something a bit more. I think I spent more of the book worrying about the cat than anything else, but I did think the relationship development was sweet.

I thought this was such a unique was to look at Christmas and Santa Claus. I just wish there was a little more to the after. How did they make it work. What did the season look like the next year? Some sort of epilogue would have been great for some closure!

The premise of this is interesting - but the plot had so many holes, lack of communication, and intense jumping around. One - any cat owner knows a cat would not be calm through all of this (and what about his food and litter box?). Two - what’s the obsession with her not having shoes. Three - can she not get dressed first?

3.5 stars

I started this book right before exam season so maybe that explains why I wasn’t obsessed. The romance between the MC’s was mediocre but thankfully the interesting world building made up for it!! Also, I found that the plot rushed in some places, ESPECIALLY near the end, but it was an overall enjoyable book. If you’re in need of a quick Christmas read I recommend picking this one up!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!!

I thought it was cute. It’s a great book for the upcoming Christmas season. But I didn’t see how this could be a romance. That seemed to be missing in this book

on a cold miserable december day this book brightens up your day, it’s a magical trip to Yule with the grumpy boss who becomes much more!
a festive fun read

A Christmas gem! I was not expecting to love this book as much as I did, but reading each page made me fall in love with the "Santa Clause" story all over again. The author took a lovely deviation from the classic story and put a modern day twist on the "reality" of what really happens at the North Pole, while leaving plenty of magic. I enjoyed the snarkiness between the MCs in the beginning and how their story evolved. Mason Klaus is your grumpy/dismissive hero, while Lyla is a Christmas-loving soul with a big heart for her family business. The first three-quarters of the book are excellent. And I mean excellent! The story-line was one I just loved and I have read a lot of holiday books through the years. This is going to sound odd, I think, but I feel like I loved the overall story more than the main characters and their relationship. To me, it played out like a movie in my mind, and I loved the journey the author took me on. The side characters were enjoyable. The evolution of main characters felt like it peaked too early and then the rest was rushed, leaving me wanting more from them. Actually, there is an incident towards the end and from there it felt like the author was working with a word limit and had to get it all completed quite quickly. However, I still LOVED this book. So odd, right? lol. Therefore, I still want to give it five stars for the original story and all the warm and happy feels it has left with me. Will definitely want to read again.

The Naughty and Nice Clause is a cute and festive Christmas read! I love a grumpy/sunshine trope and this one really nailed it! My only complaint is how easy it was for these two to get over their issues. I love a good grovel and this one was lacking in that department.

- Holiday romance
- Grumpy/sunshine
- Fake dating
- Family secrets

Major Tim Allen - The Santa Clause (both one and two) vibes going on with this book!
Fun holiday read

The story revolves around Lyla and Mason. She is the biggest Christmas lover around and is trying to keep her family toy business afloat. Mason the the grumpy numbers man disagreeing with her every step of the way. Through a strange/drunken turn of events they wind up pretending to be together when he goes home for the holidays to help his own family business.

Apologies for the time it's taken me to post feedback on this book! Thank you for sending me a copy. Overall I enjoyed the book, but it did feel a bit rushed which I've noted in my Goodreads review (also posted on Storygraph)

I'd best describe it as lighthearted holiday fluff.

Thanks again!

I have been on a huge Christmas book kick his was a fun and light-hearted book, with merry festive vibes. While I enjoyed the plot, I didn't really feel a connection to the characters. I also felt the conflicts were too easily resolved. I was hoping for some more angst, I guess. Overall, it was a fun book for Christmas.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC!

The Naughty or Nice Clause was a fun twist on the typical holiday romance. Fitting more into the fantasy romance genre, the enemies-to-lovers/fake dating trope makes this a story with a lot of unique features. The book has everything you might possibly want in a Christmas romance, found family, jealous ex-girlfriend, business conflicts, and even the real Santa Claus.

The romantic feelings between the two main characters were not as fleshed out as I would have liked, there were some instances where the relationship progressed with little explanation, such as why Mason needed Lyla to go to his family home with him in the first place. I was able to just go with the flow, though, and enjoy the story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kate Callaghan for a digital copy of the novel. The opinions in this review are my own.

I was gifted this copy of The Naughty or Nice Clause by @netgalley and @callaghanwriter and it was an absolute perfect fit into my festive December reading! ⁣
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I am a sucker for cheesy Christmas rom-coms that are very Hallmark-y and this one hit the nail on the head!⁣
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I loved the magic concept that Kate Callaghan came up with and really enjoyed the play off of a traditional Christmas. ⁣
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If you need a quick, festive read with a bit of spice… this one should definitely go at the top of your list!

My feelings about this book fluctuated throughout. I started out having doubts since 2 of my least favorite tropes are involved: enemies to lovers and fake dating/engagement, plus I usually don't enjoy books by British authors, but this one was Irish, rather than English Not too far into it, I started to really enjoy the magicalness of it. then a little after 2/3 several f-bombs flew. I don't mind swearing if it is appropriate to the story, but in a Christmas story , it is almost never appropriate to swear much less the f-word; that just kind of ruined the book for me. I had been considering a 4, possibly 4.5 star, but I ended up giving it 3 stars and had I not enjoyed, so much of the book, the rating would have been lower.

Cute enemies to lovers romance, with lots of Christmas magic mixed in! This book was full of cheesy & cliche, and I was there for every minute of it!

This was a quick read for me, as it was easy to get caught up in the moment and enjoy the story. The characters also dealt with real life situations and more serious topics, which I think the author handled well.

I would definitely recommend if you are looking for a light, feel good Christmas read!

[Thank you to NetGalley and Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.]

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.5 stars

Plot moved too quickly. Marketing of the book being “naughty” didn’t live up to the hype. The relationship development between Mason and Lyla was awful. They barely talked to each other (Lyla was in her head the whole time) but somehow I’m supposed to believe they’re in love after 12 days? This could’ve been better if it was developed more.