✨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!

5⭐
Well that was a pleasant treat this holiday season. This is my second romance novel I have read, and the second five star read. I am a horror/thriller gal at heart, but you need to switch it up sometimes. The holidays make me crave something lighter, and happier. I loved this story so much. Lyla and Mason remind me of Lucy and Josh from my first five star romance. I loved my time with them, and in Yule. This was a hate to love story, which is becoming a favorite trope of mine I am finding. I loved their relationship, the magic of the town, and the twist on the Santa Claus story. Such a happy, warm, holiday read. I will definitely pick up more romances if this author releases another one.
Thank you to NetGalley, Kate Callaghan, and Enchanted Ink Publishing for a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This is such a perfect holiday read! It was so cute and funny! Also enemies to lovers and fake dating! Some of my favorite tropes! 100% recommend!

I'm not much of a romance reader but was itching for a cute, easy, festive romance and The Naughty or Nice Clause gives just that!

The world building is so magical and the side characters are especially delightful. Although I have to say I didn't like the guy MC therefore the chemistry seems a little off to me. This book might not be for everyone since the romance develops pretty slow and there isn't much 'spice', but I personally really adored it!

Received an ARC, thank you NetGalley and Kate Callaghan! This book was super cute! Fun and easy to read, a good read for the holiday season! I’m a sucker for the enemies to lovers trope.

This book was The Proposal but as a Hallmark Christmas movie....kind of. Admittedly this is not my genre but with Christmas just a few weeks away, I was feeling like a cute little holiday read. While I'm sure this is the right book for the right reader, I know it's not for me. A bit too much fantasy, not enough spice as I hoped there'd be, and a bit of a rushed ending. If you like cutesy holiday stories, this is the book for you. I'll stick to thrillers and murders. :)

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this. Happy Holidays!

CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!!
Received as an ARC through NetGalley.

I enjoyed this book as a nice little pre xmas story, but it honestly didn't blow me away. Enemies to lovers trope is difficult to be original with, but I really liked the whole universe of the book and thought the premise was very well thought out. I honestly wasn't expecting the magical elements, but maybe I should have guessed after seeing the main love interests' surname...?

Workplace romances are a trope that I enjoy, especially in the form of douchebag male ngl....and this definitely did that. Also had the 'he wanted her first' trope and the one bed trope so Callaghan really crammed them all in here! I will say that it spent a lot of time on their hatred for one another and then they seemed to have one (not spicy) sexual encounter and were suddenly in love. I do wish we had seen more of that build up and the transformation of enemies into lovers.

Of course someone does something to betray the other!!! Classic. I will say, he forgave her pretty quickly, but tbf she didn't do him as dirty as some character's have done in other books that I've read like this so I can't judge tooooooo much. I think that in her position, I probably would have done the same thing. Overall, Lyla's character was okay but a little bland. Klaus is obviously where the intrigue is because he is literally SANTA CLAUS (kind of) and I really enjoyed his family also. I wish we saw more of Kevin because I think he was my fave lol, notices everything and is just straight to the point.

I think overall, I liked this book because it's festive season and I love Christmas. But the story itself wasn't hugely impactful or life changing. I would still definitely recommend to anyone who wanted a nice Christmas story to read though. On a final note, I think it would have benefitted from more spice? But maybe that's just me!

4.5 stars rounded up!

Lyla Smurfit's father retired as CEO of the toy company that's been in her family for generations, and rather than receiving all his shares to the company, she discovers her father has split them between her and Mason Klaus, an investor in the corporate world. Mason and Lyla butt heads at everything, and when Mason cancels the annual company Christmas party, Lyla is infuriated throws it anyway... only for it to end in disaster. Mason offers her a deal: he'll take care of and forget the mess at the office, but she has to join his family for the holidays in his hometown. Taken to a fantastic winter wonderland, Lyla hopes she might uncover some of the secrets Mr. Klaus is hiding and get her company back, but Mason introduces her to the secret village as his fiancée and is forced to go along with the façade.

The beginning of the book took a bit to get going, but once they got to Yule (his hometown), I was totally sucked in. The descriptions of how magical this winter wonderland was everything I hoped it would be - cobblestone streets, snow-capped buildings, and people filled with holiday cheer everywhere. The way Mason let down his walls at home compared to in the office, I would have fallen for him if I were Lyla, too. He and his family seemed so lovely! My only complaint was that the ending felt super rushed and there could have been a solid 50 more pages to wrap it all up, but aside from that, I really enjoyed it!

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Lyla Smurfit's family has been running a toy company for a long time. They have a reputation for being cheerful, and treating their employees extremely well. Lyla is now the CEO, but the company is struggling, and she is forced to take on a CO-CEO, Mason Klaus. Mason and Lyla could not be anymore different. He's the definition of a grinch and Lyla's apartment is covered in Christmas cheer. After a fire and a drunken night, Lyla agrees to accompany Mason to visit his family. It's there that she learns that everything with Mason is not what it seems.

I thought a standout thing about this book, without giving it away, is the world. The world is so fun and vibrant, and all the Christmas references made me smile. Where I struggled with this story was the core relationship. I liked Layla, but it was difficult for me to like Mason at times. The 180 he does in the book seems a little too rushed. It was difficult for me to find their relationship believable. It also took a while for the relationship to get going, and by then it was even more difficult for to stay interested.

However, I loved all the side characters and what they brought to the story. It reminded me of some of the Christmas movies that I loved as a child.

I struggled getting into this book, but it was a fun holiday read. I’m glad I stuck with it. I appreciated getting and Advanced Copy! Thanks!

Pros:
-cute and unique premise
-the magical vibes were sweet for this Christmas themed book
-love an enemies to lovers trope
-the little brother Kevin was my favorite, he was funny, protective and charming

Cons:
-it fell flat and went too suddenly from hate to love, it just felt unnatural
-I didn’t feel the chemistry between the main characters
-the ending felt rushed

Well, I thought this was going to be better. But the way the male MC treated the female MC was just...awful. He did not redeem himself in my eyes. He was mean and degrading and just terrible. SO that really kind of destroyed the book for me. I didn't believe the romance at all. Some of the side characters were way better than the MC's.

This was a very fun and cute holiday romance perfect for reading in December. Mason Klaus (yes) and Lyla Smurfit (lol) co-run a company after Mason bought out Lyla's father's share. This company is a toy company. The two do not get along and after a holiday party goes wrong for Lyla, Mason swoops in to fix her problem. With a catch. Mason's father has died and he needs to run home but wants Lyla with him to take some pressure off him.

They get whisked to...the North Pole. Lyla learns about the town of Yule, and slowly falls in love with the cold, hard man she knows in the real world.

The world building was extremely cute and well done for a stand alone romance novel. I really enjoyed the setting and the characters.

My few issues with the book: The title was picked to be cute and clever, and less for having to have anything to do with the book. While there is a business that Mason and Lyla run together, the "clause" isn't even a plot point and the contract that is in the book, really isn't pivotal to the plot per say. The title just could have been better.

Second, the romance started off with a steamy feel, but then became sweet and predictable. I really wished this had more depth and steam. Especially if we're going to have taglines like "being naughty never felt so nice!"

Even with my gripes, this was overall an enjoyable Christmas romance and was great to get my holiday mood started!

The Naughty or Nice Clause by Kate Callaghan is what you would get if you combined "The Santa Clause" with "The Proposal". It is a delightful, joy filled romp that is perfect to start the holiday season! Following Lyla through the layers of magic, office mayhem, and family discord she encounters on her way to love draws laughs, tears, and. just enough Christmas spirit to make this a cozy read, but not overtop either. On top of that,, the tension, banter, and genuine dislike for each other at the beginning between Lyla and Mason allows for a little bit of spice that all books with a gingerbread competition need! I'll now be searching for the other books by Callaghan, and this will be joining my holiday bookshelf soon!

This is so cute!
Lyla and Mason absolutely loathe each other at work. Lyla throws a Christmas party. And due to a fire, Mason agrees to forget her part in said fire if she joins his family for Christmas. It turns out that he lives at the North Pole and is next in line to be Santa Claus.
I really enjoyed the magical spin on this Santa Clause story with a twist of romance. The beginning of the book took a little while to get going and I wasn’t sure this one was going to hold my interest, but once we good to Yule, I was totally sucked in. I loved the descriptions of the cobblestone streets, the cocoa, the wolves that protect the town, and all the snow.
Lyla and Mason had a cute connection and chemistry. Lyla is strong, independent, and sees the world through a different lenses tham Mason. Mason is a typical Scrooge, strong, and has earned a reputation of cold and cruel. The author’s writing style was complex, crisp, evolving, passionate, and kept me engaged.

Enemies to lovers with Christmas magic thrown in.

At first, I worried this book would feel too much like a Hallmark movie, too sappy, contrived, and just not for me. Initially I wasn’t a big fan of the two leads but after a few chapters I was hooked, I stayed up all night and only stopped so that I could sleep a little before work.

I really enjoyed the story once it got past the Christmas party drama and really loved the North Pole-esque magical village. I did find the ending a little rushed though.

If you want something cute, romantic and just a bit naughty to read this holiday season, I suggest the Naughty or Nice Clause.

I just couldn’t finish this book. Because of this, I can’t speak for the ending but I just got too frustrated with the lack of reality behind the characters’ decisions. I understand that a big part of this book is fantasy and that’s not the issue that I had. Instead, I was bothered by instances, like the decision to take this girl back to his magical family even though they supposedly hate and distrust each other, that seemed based on no thought or reason. This made reading this book a negative experience because I couldn’t believe that these people’s connection was based on anything emotionally mature or worth fighting for which is, in my opinion, the whole point of a romance story.

2.5⭐️ I love me a good Hallmark movie and literally anything with Hallmark vibes. So while I loved the plot and christmasy magic this book held, I didn’t love the characters or feel a connection with them. In true hallmark fashion everything was resolved in record time and there wasn’t was enough tension or angst.