*as always thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for the free book.

I struggled a lot to have a clear opinion about this novel, beucase there's something I've enjoyed very much, and something else that didn't satisfy me.
First of all, let me tell you that if you're looking for a lovable Christmas romance, this book is absolutely for you. I've really enjoyed the atmosphere and also that little addition of fantasy elements that makes the story "sparkle".
I haven't totally understand how this Klaus' thing worked, and how the village sustained itself - I think it needed a little bit more details here and there - but it was really cute. There were also entertaining moments that I've really appreciated, not to mention good secondary characters that increased my interest for the book. Lou, Kevin, Mrs. Klaus and the villagers mentioned where a good addition to the story. Then, the romance. I'm not totally convinced that the dynamics between Mason and Lyla were always clear, but from a certain point I was absolutely into them and maybe for that reason the end was....dissatisfying. I've read it thrice to be sure I didn't miss something, but I still really don't understand Lyla's decisions that leaded to such anticlimax final.
Same for the last chapters: after the predictable plot-twist, everything happened too fast. I think there was the need of few more chapters, expanding those moments so to give the story a good closing. But actually, I think that lots of details could and should have been deepened more (backgrounds, primary and secondary character's feelings included).
I don't know. I think the potential was really good, but there was still work to be done to improve it. Such a pity.

There is a lot going on in this story in terms of the "real" world and then the fictional world of Yule. The real world set up between Mason and Lyla is done very well. It feels like a solid, traditional enemies to lovers/grumpy male and sunshiney female working together and the heroine pulls the grumpy male out of his funk and helps him believe in the miracle of Christmas again.

Instead, what we see is Mason, who for pretty understandable reasons doesn't want to take on the level of Christmas excitement that is thrust upon him because of his birth order and family obligations. Once the supernatural aspect of the story happens, it doesn't feel quite as funny or entertaining and Lyla comes across as unsympathetic in it as the story progresses.

I think the story would've worked much better had the dynamics stayed the same in both worlds. The ending felt rushed and kind of anti climactic, but you can tell the author took a risk on this novel, which I commend her for. I didn't hate this novel, but I felt like the execution was a bit clunky.

This book was perfect for the holiday season! It had all the cute Christmas vibes, and the enemies to romance you hope for in a book like this. It was a quick read and captured me quite early on.

The downside for me was that I found myself questioning the Klaus character quite often. He would switch his opinions rather radically, while I (as a reader) couldn’t really figure out the insight into what drove him to those changes. It also meant that the ending felt rather rushed.

Other than that: supercute!

This was an okey read. I liked the romance bit quite a lot, but the fantasy bit was not as good as I had hoped. Overall it was a good read and I enjoyed it. Perfect christmas read.

When Lyra's father retired, he left his shares in the toy factory not to her but to a cold corporate investor, Mason Klaus. Following a disastrous party Lyra is tricked into pretending she is his fiancé whilst visiting his family.
This should have been a easy festive read with a classic love hate relationship. However I found myself hating the Klaus character. Coercion, lying and kidnapping did nothing to endear me to him. He bullied Lyra into getting his way too many times.
It definitely left me cold.

Enjoyable, fast short read that’s perfect for the holidays, complete with magic. Lots of tropes on tropes in this, which made for fun reading. However, the big issue to temporarily cause issues comes super late in the book and all of a sudden they’re happy. I do which we got a little more of the part where they started to actually like each other and they didn’t just get a happy ending so fast. No work, instant gratification is what it felt like.

TCalling all Hallmark movie execs - MAKE THIS INTO A MOVIE! I could not put this book down. It was funny, cute, and fantastical. Mason and Lyla's banter was perfectly hilarious. Callaghan wrote differences into the typical North Pole that made this story unique. It didn't feel like other seasonal books I have read!

Enemies to lovers trope of course, but I liked this one more than I usually do. Kevin was one of my favorite characters. He's young, unfiltered and his comments were perfectly timed to break up some of the more serious spots to keep it light. Also I want to be BFF's with Mrs. Klaus.

Super cute short fun Christmas story! If omg did I feel the tension in the air with Mason and lyla!! I’m sooo glad that got taken care of!! Super cute fun read for the holidays! Thanks NetGalley for allowing me to read!

I thought this book was so much fun! This satisfied my craving for a funny, cute Christmas romantic comedy. I genuinely enjoyed the characters. At the beginning I had a hard time being interested in Mason's moodiness, but as soon as we ended up in Yule, I was SOLD! Ugh, I love Christmas. This was such an enjoyable take on the North Pole and the family of Santa Claus, especially Santa himself not being around and us really getting to know Mrs. Claus (Klaus). I loved Lyla's sass and spark and I thought she was such a strong character. This book also deals well with grief without becoming too heavy to fit in the holiday romcom genre.

I only took off one star because I felt like the dialogue / scene descriptions were a little clunky in the first few chapters. It felt more like I was being told, rather than shown, what everything looked like and how I should feel about it. The book picks up and the dialogue and descriptions do feel more natural as the story progresses.

Definitely will recommend to my circle!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of The Naughty or Nice Clause by Kate Callaghan. This book was a bit of a roller coaster ride. At first I liked the start of the story and then it took an unexpected magical turn which I wasn't too sure about. I'm glad I stuck with it because Lyla and Mason's romance was super cute. The ending was a little bit rushed, but all in all it's a cute Christmas read.

This was such a cute Christmas read! Naughty and nice with the right amount of spice. I really enjoyed Lyla and Mason and would love to see how their lives continue at the North Pole.

Ahhh this book gave me all the feels! A little naughty, a little ice and all things Christmas. I loved Lyla and Mason and honestly, I didn't want the book to end, I wanted to hear more of their life as they continued at the North Pole. Such a cute Christmas book and I loved the Hallmark feels of it.

As an avid fan of Hallmark Christmas movies, the blurb of 'The Naughty or Nice Clause' ticked all of my boxes. Within a few paragraphs I was sucked in to the story, with it feeling a bit like a mix between Sally Thorne's The Hating Game and the Fred Clause movie.
However, I'm sorry to say that the further I got, the less I was gripped. I love the premise, the storyline, the twists on Santa's magic system, but the story felt underdeveloped and what should have been a slow-build enemies to lovers/fake dating romance instead ramped up to 90 miles an hour with no real connection felt between the characters. The romance didn't tug on my heartstrings and there was little opportunity for a reader to get invested in it. The story felt rushed from about midway through. I also have no inkling of where the title came from - it doesn't seem to fit with the storyline at all.
Ultimately this was a low stakes, frothy surface level romance. Easy Christmas reading, but not something I'd be likely to shout about.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

If you are looking for a holiday romance to check out then I highly recommend this one. I read this recently and absolutely loved it. This read is the perfect holiday romance and feels exactly like a Hallmark movie. Our two main characters are colleagues who don’t really get a long. Mason Klaus has a secret and he needs to go back home to his family for the holiday so he takes Lyla as his fake fiancée. This had tropes that I really love and I had so much fun reading this.

First Christmas-y book of December and it was PERFECT! I might be biased because this had all my favorite tropes in it AND im a sucker for a magically cheesy Christmas book [and movies - so if you're like me this is a book you will really enjoy]. This hit all the right marks and it was such a fun read, it had me laughing out loud so much. The banter in this book was literally PERFECTION! It was enemies to lovers, grumpy-sunshine, fake dating and forced proximity - all of the tropes were executed so so well. The setting of this book and the plot drew me in from start to finish. I honestly went into this book blind and I was pleasantly surprised with the added magic this book had.

Lyla and Mason could not be in a room long before they started fighting, screaming at each other; as hated enemies often do. Mason came into her life after her father retired as CEO of their family toy company and instead of giving Lyla his shares in the company he brough in Mr. Klaus [a.k.a Mason] so how can she not hate him for taking what was rightfully hers?! He was rude, closed-off, and worst of all a Christmas hater but Lyla wouldn't let him ruin her Christmas spirit. After a unfortunate office fire that resulted from her "defying" his orders the company office was closed for repairs until the new year. She is now faced with owing him a favor for lettings things get out of hand.

Mason offers her a deal to rectify her mistake and now she's in this magical winter wonderland her grew up in, stuck there for 12 days for the Christmas holidays. She wasn't going there without thinking of herself first and plotting ways to get her company back. But little to her surprise now she was seeing a completely different side of him, how he was with his family, a more stress free Mason was making her have all these complicated feelings; causing those hateful feelings towards him to start changing. "Can Lyla resist the devilishly handsome Mr Klaus and the enchanting village to win back her company, or will she give into temptation?" Guess you have to read to find out!!

Kate wrote super lovable characters and the chemistry was so great. You will fall in love with both Lyla and Mason but also his family and the magical town. This had an amazing ending and its worth the read. Great addition to you Christmas TBR!

Thank you to Callaghan Writer and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 out of 5. The name of this book really doesn’t make much sense with the actual book. Yes there is a list that appears once but that’s not what this is about. It sweet and a bit absurd at time but I cant truly say no to a romance with a sprinkle of magic. However there are better Christmas books out there and plenty I've reviewed here.

I was not a fan of the book. The dialogue was funny at times but overall I did not feel the romance between Lyla and Mason. They had the whole enemies to lovers Vive but overall the story was flat. And the ending was rushed. I was very confused on why it ended so fast but overall I would not read this book again. Thank you for the privilege of reviewing this book and the advanced copy.

✨𝓜𝓲𝓷𝓲 𝓑𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓡𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀✨

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and Kate Callaghan for providing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed reading The Naughty or Nice Clause. The Author, Kate Callaghan depicted the Idyllic “Yule” where Santas workshop can be found well. I wanted a bell and a Mason to transport me there ASAP. I also enjoyed Callaghan’s take on Santa’s Workshop and how the Naughty or a Nice List is curated and used each year!

It was a very slow burn, enemies to lovers, fake dating romance. I was yearning for Mason and Lyla to finally be together. When that moment came it was short and sweet! For me, this was more Nice than Naughty, so I’d recommend this to readers who enjoy watching endearing Hallmark movies while drinking a nice glass of eggnog or hot chocolate!

This is going to be my favorite holiday read this season - hands down! I read the ARC for this book and fell in love instantly with the banter between the two main characters, Lyla Smurfit and Mason Klaus.

This book had many of my favorite tropes: enemies to lovers, fake relationship, grumpy/sunshine, I hate everyone but you, forced proximity. The spice level was mild and it was just enough to keep me hooked and wanting more!

Lyla Smurfit (the name alone made me smile) was surprised when her father didn’t leave her the majority of their family’s toy company shares, once he stepped down and instead, gave them to an outside investor, Mason Klaus. To add to Lyla’s misery, Mason is the epitome of a Scrooge, and the past year working with him has been anything but jolly. When Lyla causes an office accident, Mason uses her guilt to force her into going home with him for the holidays…only, when she arrives to his home, she realizes that Mason isn’t who he has pretended to be at work. The Mason that Lyla sees is a kind, family oriented, Christmas-loving man. Can this be the real Mason? Is this a Mason she could love?

The moment this book started, I loved Lyla. It also helps she has a sweet, very well mannered cat, Jones, who doesn’t mind be held for long periods of time. Lyla is quirky, witty, and not afraid to stand up for what she loves/believes. As a fellow glasses wearer, I also enjoyed the references of her wearing glasses (and shared in her frustration of not having her contacts). I also liked that she was a bit curvier and taller than most usual MFC. With the references to the main characters living in Dublin, Ireland, I could almost imagine what Lyla would look and sound like should she be standing in front of me.

Mason Klaus is my kind of MMC. He has his life together, he’s a grump, and he hates everyone but Lyla. I love a man who is organized and knows what he wants, and that is Mason Klaus. It also helps that he is described as a muscular, handsome man with lots of presence. I love the transformation of his character in the eyes of Lyla and enjoyed rooting for them!

The world that Kate Callaghan creates in a short novel is something to be admired. It’s very difficult to craft a beautiful world full of imagery and magic in less than 300 pages, but she has done it. This book can be considered low fantasy and that alone made my fantasy geek heart happy.

Overall, I loved this book. It was a very, very cute holiday read and I am thankful to Net Galley for letting me get a copy early!

I loved the magic of this book!
The town on Yule and its people are so sweet that I just want to pack up and move there!

I love the grumpy sunshine romance between Lyla and Mason. There was just enough spice to keep you interested but not ruin a good clean Christmas book.

I'll be recommending this one. I REALLY enjoyed it!