This is such a fab little festive, grumpy x sunshine, workplace romance.

Lyla and Mason are co-owners of a toy company and rivals. At the Christmas party Mason receives a letter that says he must go home. But having not been home to his snowy village in 10 years he can’t face it alone and asks Lyla to join him. Lyla agrees in the hopes of discovering Mason’s secrets and a way to take over the company alone.

It’s so fun and gave me allll the Christmassy feels.
I think Kate Callaghan is a fantasy author so though this is a contemporary romance she has included a wonderful magical element that I felt worked so well. I wasn’t expecting it at all and I absolutely loved it ✨

It’s a slow burn so you have to be very patient whilst waiting for the spice but that’s ok because it’s only short and the MC’s are just so cute.

I absolutely LOVED this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and CallaghanWriter for the opportunity to read and review this book.

We start in an office where Mr. Klaus is basically ruining Lyla's life by dismantling her company. Her father retired and instead of giving her his shares he sold them to Mason Klaus who is a big grinch. Mason ans Lyla do not agree on anything. Mason insists he is just trying to save the company but Lyla is sure he is just cruel. Mason cancelles the company Christmas party behind Lyla's back and it's the last straw. She decides to host a party in the building and pay for it herself. The same night Mason learns of his father's passing and drinks himself drunk before returning to the office unable to get a ride home. Lyla makes sure he gets home but after she leaves a party goer leaves some pizza cooking and a fire happens in the building. Mason is MAD and shows up to her house early in the morning to yell at her about the fire and tell her he fixed it but now she has to help him. He has to go home and he doesn't want to go alone. Reluctantly she agrees and that's when the magic starts.

Mason Klaus' dad was THE Klaus and now Mason is supposed to take his place. Reluctance, drama, crazy exgirlfriend, fake relationship, etc. This book has so much fun to read tropes in it. 100% recommend. Absolutely loved. Easily 5 stars. Fingers crossed for more. At least an epilog.

#NetGalley #CallaghanWriter
#KateCallaghan #IndieAuthor
#Christmas #TheNaughtyorNiceClause

This was such a cute read. It was something lighthearted and the romance was easy to read. I enjoyed the festive feel of the book, it got me in the Christmas mood, a little more than I am already!

It was a friends to enemies read which I like but not as much “romance” as I would have liked to see from the characters. I felt there was a lot of tension (sexual tension, too) that needed to be explored more.

I wanted more from the book. I wanted the characters to have a little more depth and impact to them. I wanted the story to be a bit more formed and flowy. As much as I did enjoy the book, there was a lot missing for me to fully give myself to the book.

Thank you to @netgalley and Kate Callaghan for allowing me a copy of this book in exchange for an open and honest review.

If you enjoy Hallmark holiday romances in literary form like I do, this is a good read to pick up.

Lyla Smurfit -- what a name -- has been trying not to strangle Mason Klaus ever since her father sold his shares of the family toy company to the stoic, grumpy man. He has been making significant changes, including canceling the annual Christmas party, much to Lyla's annoyance.

When she decides to proceed with the party anyway, it ends up burning down the building. Mason is willing to forget about the incident -- if and only if Lyla goes home with him and pretends to be his fiancé.

She agrees, but there is more to his family and village than Mason has let on. As she learns more and more about Mason and his background, she finds that her Scroogey co-worker's "Bah Hambug" attitude hides someone that earns her compassion..and maybe inspires an attraction?

This is a workplace enemies-to-lovers read with a magical fantasy component. The latter became predictable as we got closer to the reveal but experiencing what happens next is the best part. We get magic, mystery, some action, romance -- with a little bit of spice, and family love.

I love the chemistry between Mason and Lyla. Kate Callaghan infuses tiny flirty banter into their fights that hints at a mutual attraction beneath their animosity toward one another. The balance between animosity and flirtation starts to tip toward the latter as they know more about each other, and it was really fun to watch. The tension between them is just so hot that I really wish there was more spice, but that's totally a personal preference.

This is a standalone read. The pacing is uneven at times, but when it is spot-on, the storytelling really reels you in and gets you invested in the couple, the Klaus family, and the village. Listen, I know sweet holiday reads are not everyone's jam, but if that is yours, you might enjoy this one.

This is a fantasy novel with strange grammar choices and even worse character quirks. Both primary characters are despised for entirely different reasons. Lyla, the FMC, is a complete pushover who feels she is the strongest, biggest powerful person around - to only backtrack and fold immediately when anyone applies even the slightest pressure to her or questions any of her decisions.
Mason, the MMC, is a pompous, arrogant guy - the embodiment of white, male, and straight dude - who spends the entire novel jumping from hot and cold with her, only to hate her for not reading his thoughts at every opportunity.

Despite all of this was a delightful and lighthearted read with holiday feelings. While I enjoyed the plot, I didn't connect with the characters. I also thought the conflicts were settled far too quickly. I was looking for a little more angst.

* I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review *

I am always down for a fun Christmas romp, especially if a Grumpy x sunshine trope is used. And workplace romance just hits different sometimes. This was a lot of fun, unpredictable and festive. A quick, digestible read with interesting characters and a lively concept. The perfect book to curl up with if you’re in a holiday book mood.

santa claus isn't real, right?

after a work christmas party is cancelled, lyla takes it upon herself to keep the christmas joy and host it herself in secret - although a drunk boss, and resulting fire wasn't in the plan. when mason turns up the next morning and whisks her away to a place that shouldn't exist, everything she knows is questioned, especially since she now has to play pretend fiancée! with christmas as she knows in the balance, can she tolerate her boss or will it become something more?


rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

my thoughts: if a book could be turned into a hallmark movie, this is it. with yule giving me feels much like elf with santa being real (or should i say klaus), it was a fun christmassy read that would be perfect for curling up in on a winter break. i loved the magical elements, and found them to be unique compared to a regular christmas romance novel, making it that little more unique!

i found that the ending of the book happened a little too fast, particularly after such a long buildup and world development and adventures to the cabin etc. it also felt that because of such a fast ending, masons hot and cold feelings towards her were all of a sudden gone, especially after snapping at her multiple times and blowing her off. as an enemies to lovers book, combined with office romance, and small town situation, i have loved to see a little more romance and maybe even more adventures around the town of yule.

Thank you to the publisher and author for the opportunity to review this book.

The Naughty or Nice Clause is a Christmas romance book with the enemies to lovers/fake dating tropes. There is a fantasy/magical realism element with the fictional town of Yule. Yule is a cozy town and this book is perfect for Hallmark/Lifetime Christmas movie lovers! This is a slow burn romance book with a love scene that's a 3/5 🔥 level.

This book felt slow to me and didn't hold my attention in the first half. I didn't particularly like the characters and felt the main characters lacked development. I usually am a big fan of the cheesy Christmas Hallmark type movie but this did not work for me.

This enemies to lovers, fake dating Christmas romance was a cute holiday read. It sort of gave me The Santa Clause 2/3 vibes.

Mason Klaus and Lyla are partners in Lyla’s family toy company but can’t seem to stop butting heads. One day Mason shocks Lyla by asking her to accompany him home for the holidays. Only the shocks don’t end there as Lyla is transported to the magical town of Yule (AKA The North Pole) and learns Mason is next in line to be Santa Clause.

Mason has a hard exterior but once you get past it you’re left with a teddy bear. Once that soft side came out it was hard not to swoon for him! And not only was Mason dreamy but I loved his family. The Klaus family were great additions to the story. I’m also starting to realize I have a soft spot for found family trope. It gave me all the warm fuzzies seeing Lyla forming bonds and being welcomed into the Klaus clan.

What’s stopping me from giving this a 5 star rating is the lack of relationship building scenes. We definitely got some good bonding moments towards the last chunk of the book but I was really missing those moments in the beginning. Also, we only got Lyla’s POV, I would have really loved to get Mason’s POV for at least a few chapters.

All in all, this was an adorable quick holiday read that leaves you with all the fuzzy feelings. This would honestly make a perfect Hallmark Christmas movie!

My Thoughts:

Being Naughty Has Never Been So Nice!

If you like lifetime or the hallmark channels you like this book. If your not already this book will get you in the holiday sprit between the romance and the Winter Wonderland feeling. It is a enjoyable fast read with a enemies to lovers romance that I love and I enjoyed that the author named her characters with a sense of humor and that Mr. Klaus was hot. I would recommend reading this soon . Thank you @netgalley and Kate Callaghan for letting me read this for my review I enjoyed reading it.

Absolutely LOVED this book. A lifetime christmas movie in book form, Kate Callaghan captured the christmas spirit perfectly along with romance and a little mystery. Thank you Netgalley and IBPA for this ARC.

I actually did not even read the blurb so I had no idea what I reading but I loved it anyways! It was cozy and interesting and I read it in a few hours which I love. It was exactly what I needed.

A super cute, fast paced holiday romance - could be straight out of a hallmark film. The magical elements to this story, set this small town setting apart and added that extra special holiday element.

I enjoyed Mason and Lyla’s dynamic - this featured some of my favourite tropes, a workplace, enemies to lovers, grumpy sunshine. The length of the story meant that this one was fast paced, with plenty happening to keep you engaged.

A solid pick for the holidays that I really enjoyed! Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this copy in exchange for my review.

This book was funny and fresh and I really enjoyed it! I hope to see more from this author soon. The magic aspect was a little weird but I'll forgive it because it's the magic of Christmas.

"The Naughty Or Nice Clause" by Kate Callaghan is absolute ENJOYMENT!! We have Grinch like Mason Klause and Christmas loving Lyla who were work partners and enemies. Everything changed when Mason whisked Lyla away on a magical adventure that changed their lives forever!!! LOVE THIS HOLIDAY BOOK FULL OF JOY, LOVE, LOSS,REGRET, HAPPINESS, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY THE FAITH IN MAGIC!!! 🎅

📙 THANK YOU to the Author, Publisher, and Netgalley for the e-book in exchange for an honest review!!

🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

#NETGALLEY
#THENAUGHTYORNICECLAUSE

First, I had some trouble getting into the plot. Even in a magical-element-intruding-the-normal-life book, there are ways to make it seem realistic. I did not feel like it was the case here and all the elements sequence felt unnatural. But all together the story was quite entertaining and the love story was cute. For an enemies to lovers, they did admit they liked each other pretty quick, which was refreshing. The end felt a bit rushed, despite the severals change of mind. In short, good idea, I just felt like some things could have been different.

I really enjoyed The Naughty Or Nice Clause. I think my favorite thing was the atmosphere of the town of Yule. I would love to live there! It has an enemies-to-lovers theme with Santa and Christmas mixed in. A perfect story for this time of year. The characters were well written although it did take me a while to warm up to them. It was fun to watch them grow emotionally as they slowly fell for each other. All in all, this makes for a great cozy Christmas romance.

Thank you NetGalley and Kate Callaghan for sending this book for review consideration. I appreciate the opportunity to read. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for my review.

Lyla Smurfit and Mason Klaus have a strained working relationship. From the moment Mason takes over half of Lylas failing family toy company, she despises him. Despite the festive surname, Klaus is a real Scrooge, and Lyla loves everything Christmas! When Lyla learns Mason has canceled the holiday office party, she decides to throw a secret party in defiance, but things get carried away and the kitchen catches fire. To make up for the mishap, Lyla agrees to spend the holidays with Klaus, acting as a buffer between him and his estranged family who he hasn't seen in over a decade. But what Lyla doesn't know is that Mason is hiding a huge secret -- his family is a fairy tale legend!

During the holidays, I enjoy reading a few, sweet, Christmas-y tales. I am a sucker for Hallmark Christmas movies, so finding something that translates into literary form is always a plus, and I don't mind a little spice thrown into the mix. The Naughty or Nice Clause promised to fulfill. I was so excited to read it. This story has some fun tropes: Enemies to lovers, fake dating/engagement, small town romance, and cozy holiday feels. The premise felt delightful.

However, I struggled engaging with the characters out of the gate. Dialog felt stilted and empty. Lyla is overly angry, it started feeling one note. It lent the early parts of the book a darker feel than I was anticipating (or craving) in a Christmas romance. I didn’t feel the characters come together in a satisfying way until 60% into the book. I much more preferred the back half than the first. If it were not an ARC I wanted to work with, I might have put it down partially read and never finished. (though I am glad I did finish.) There were so many fun little details though – like magical dust, protective wolves, an alternate reality/world only accessed by magic. All clever and unique ideas. I wish they were executed better, more fully. Maybe another editing pass is needed to capture all that the story could be to catch the front half of the book up with the back and flesh everything out more fully.

Things were a bit predictable, but that’s a given with a name like Klaus. The fairy tale elements were strong, so I could let that slide. Smurfit as a surname though? What do smurfs have to do with Christmas? This choice baffled and bothered me. I kept seeing her with blue tinged skin, and every time a smurf reference or her surname popped up, I was pulled out of the story.

The pacing is fast. I wish there was more sexual tension between Mason and Lyla so that when they finally GET there…it gives that AHHHH moment that makes enemies to lovers so delectable. But it appears that Mason has always felt this way (though its not shown much or well at all early on) and Lyla seems to change her tune almost overnight. A slower hint at what could be, would have been amazing.

So all that said, there were some things I really enjoyed that helped me see this read as a three star versus a two. The Klaus family is wonderful, and Yule is enchanting. Mrs. Klaus and Kevin stole my heart and any scene they were in, I enjoyed. I prefered the fantasy elements over the actual romance.

My favorite character is Natalie, but sadly, she sees so little page time! I would have loved seeing more of her manipulative and jealousy driven hijinks. More moments of her coming between Lyla and Mason would have been dishy, in the best of ways. We get peeks at this, little hints, wonderful scenes that brought needed conflict to the page. I wanted to see more! I enjoyed discovering the secrets of Yule. The romance improved as Lyla and Mason spent more time together, and we get to see other sides of Mason.

In the end, once I got toward the back half of the story, I enjoyed the book. It was a quick read with a unique take on the spirit and magic of Christmas.

If you are looking for a Hallmark book vibes but spicy, this is the book for you. It is a good holiday novel to get you in the mood for Christmas.
Lyla Smurfit (character's real name - not just a cute nickname like I thought at first), and Mason Klaus do not see eye to eye on anything, and Lyla views Mason as the enemy after her father gives him a controlling portion of their company. Lyla catches Mason at a particularly vulnerable time for him, and he ends up taking her back home to his family to get through the season of Christmas with someone by his side. Unfortunately, his hometown is very strict and doesn't allow outsiders, so they need to pretend to be engaged in order for Lyla to not have her memories removed. As they get to know each other, they realize they have more in common than they thought, and start developing real feelings. Add in a supportive family, some catty ex-girlfriend drama, and lost family heirlooms, and this is quintessential Hallmark vibes.
I am only giving it 4 stars because at times it was a little hard to follow the plot, it seemed a little jumpy. Some scenes did not seem to be very continuous as they jumped from one location to another, and other scenes could have been flushed out more. The ending seemed very rushed, and I would have liked to see an epilogue to see how they are making their relationship work. I also wished they would have added more spicy scenes as well, or at least expand more on their flirting between hating and loving each other.

This was not what I expected, which is neither good nor bad. The book is lighthearted and helps you to get into the festive spirit! I really likes the storyline and the twists the author gave to the Santa story. I also enjoyed the banter between the main characters. However, I didn't really feel the romantic connection between them. Most of the romantic scenes seemed to come out of nowhere. Due to this, the ending also felt a bit rushed. I also wasn't the biggest fan of how easily problems were solved. I'm not one for drama, but this was a little flat. It was a really cute story though, with a lot of new elements to it which was quite intriguing.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!