For a short little festive book, I didn’t expect too much, however I ended up loving this!

This has a grumpy/sunshine trope with a fake engagement, which are two of my favourite things to read. I loved Lyla and Mason’s relationship dynamic, as well as growing to love Mason’s family.

The setting of Yule felt so magical, like the feeling you got about Christmas when you were a kid.

It’s a low fantasy but it feels really cosy, and perfect for this time of year. It’s a nice, easy to read romance, and a book that I’ll definitely recommend to most people

This was my first Christmas read of the year and I’m so pleased it was! It was the perfect cosy heartwarming story, with so many of my favourite tropes. From enemies to lovers, a deliciously grumpy Mason Klaus and Lyla Smurfit have a lot of obstacles to overcome to find their happy ever after but the journey is such a sweet one. Through a fake engagement that forces them into close proximity, they finally get the chance to see another side to each other, and I loved it!

The story really picked up once they arrived in Yule, by a magical bell no less! I was lost in all the beautiful descriptions of cobbled streets, cosy stores and even reindeer pulled sleigh. Who wouldn’t want to be whisked away to this Yule wonderland!

I especially loved all the little sweet moments between Mason and Lyla, how he slowly let down his walls for her and revealing that underneath his Scrooge exterior he really has a heart of gold. I do truly love a good Grumpy x Sunshine trope. It’s not every day that you find out your boss is the next in line to become Santa Clause, but wouldn’t that be the best surprise?

Not to mention the rest of the Klaus family, oh I loved them all. Reading about how Lyla was accepted into the family was just as lovely as Mason and her love story!

Overall I really enjoyed this book, it was such a warm welcoming story. Perfect for this season and I’m so pleased I had the opportunity to read it!

A very cute addition to the holiday season. It's kind of like Santa Clause 1 and 2 but with lots of little modern twists. I loved reading about the magical city of Yule!

Great for anyone looking for a quick cozy Christmas read. There isn’t much depth to the characters and dialogue but it is a cute and fun story. If you are a fan of the enemies to lovers trope or a Hallmark style story with a happy ending, this would be the book for you.

First I want to say thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

Things I loved: it really put me in the Christmas spirit, the main character Lyla stays true to her independence and doesn’t bend at every whim to completely change her life, the reinvention of the meaning of Christmas is represented pretty uniquely and it’s well organized. Masons development was fairly solid and his ability to open up was well founded. The crazy ex was done pretty well.

Things I did not love: there’s a whole day lost on there somehow….I reread it a few times on chapter 15 when she goes to look for Jones the cat….it’s 7am when she shows him the office, just after she goes to look for the cat…and without an explanation of 12 hours passing it’s evening again, or maybe is t because of the storm, but why do they go to sleep after just getting up then anyways…I was confused. I also didn’t like the line “you never think” if a man had said that to me he would need to apologize for acting like an asshat which he does apologize but not for that sharp tongue and he should.

Overall this was cute, I don’t think their bond was quite as well described as it should be for me to feel moved, but I liked the non traditional ending too. Good read overall!

This book is like a Hallmark hug. I could definitely see this being a movie.

It was so, so enjoyable! Although I didn't see drop down, drag out, falling in love with you moments between the MCs, it was slow - and there. The book was more about finding family and family being the most important - from my eyes. Lyla found family after her moms passing and Mason realized how important his family is.

The book was well written and I wish I could read it again for the first time. A must read for the holiday season!

Lyla is not happy when Mason becomes a majority owner of her father’s company and they are forced to work together. She’s even less happy when he whisks her away for Christmas to act as a buffer between him and his estranged family- who just so happen to be the Klaus family.

What I liked:
-strong holiday vibes
-enemies to lovers
-cute side characters (big fan of Kevin, Mason’s younger brother)

I struggled with the romance in this book because I really didn’t get a sense of chemistry between the two main characters. It was still an enjoyable read and very seasonal but the romance definitely fell flat for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and CallaghanWriter for the advanced reading copy!

A fun new spin on a classic story of Santa Clause which is unusual as well as original. Lyla and Mason meet at work when Lyla's father sells his shares of the toy company to Mason to restore the company from potential bankruptcy. While they are working together, Mason initially makes hard changes to turn the company around that Lyla doesn't understand (or feels like they are mean and unfamiliar). Throughout the story, we learn that Mason has a secret and he chooses Lyla to share it with. Discovering this secret will change her opinion of Mason forever and when she realizes who he truly is and is exposed to the secret her life will be forever changed. As the reader flips through the pages they are taken on an adventure full of love, new journeys and self discovery. I rather enjoyed this book and rendition it kept me engaged and interested.

hank you to NetGalley, Kate Callaghan and the publisher for allowing me to read a free, advanced copy of this book.

This is the PERFECT read for the upcoming holidays and has me feeling very much so in the Christmas spirit. The Naughty or Nice Clause by Kate Callaghan is definitely a new favorite rom-com featuring office romance, enemies to lovers, happily ever after, and so much more. Lyla and Mason are the perfect example of love at first fight. Showing up to her doorstep to sweep her off to the magic of Yule?? He had her hook, line, and sinker, ladies and gentleman. (Me next?) Mason came off as an asshole at the start, but as you read the story, you could just tell that he had a soft spot for Lyla and was hiding how he really felt. Seeing him in Yule with his family, it’s easy to recognize how Lyla finally saw him for Mason, and not just as her co-CEO, Klaus. I loved this read and would absolutely read it again just to experience Yule and the love within it. Here’s to hoping I’m on the Nice list so I can get some of that good luck I’ve read so much about!

Thank you to Net Galley and CallaghanWriter for the free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review 🤍

The Naughty or Nice Clause was a cute Christmas romance. It definitely gave me Hallmark Christmas movie vibes.

The author does a wonderful job building the town of Yule for the reader. This story is full of Christmas spirit. I'm only rating 3 stars because I just didn't love the FMC and I was all the way invested in the relationship between Lyla and Mason. I also felt like the ending wrapped up too quickly.

Lyla expects to receive her father’s share of their family toy company when he retires, but she finds out the company is bankrupt and her shares have been given to an investor. To her frustration, they have been given to Mason who is cold, uncaring and your typical scrooge. Lyla’s only choice is to run the company with him even though they share a mutual distain. When Mason must unexpectedly return home to his village and family, he needs Lyla to come along and pretend to be his fiancé. Little does she know they’ll be heading to the village of Yule, better known as the North Pole. Can they see past their differences to convince Mason’s family, and each other, that their relationship is real?

I really liked the Christmas vibes and magic in this book, but I didn’t connect to the characters Lyla and Mason. I thought the plot jumped too quickly from their life in Dublin to the Christmas village with very minimal explanation. This was my first read by this author, I’d be interested in reading another of their books.

The Naughty or Nice Clause
Author: Kate Callaghan

eARC and Book Review
Pub Date: November 8, 2022
My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

In The Naughty or Nice Clause we meet Lyla, the daughter of a retired CEO of a toy company. Upon his retirement, Lyla was supposed to receive her father's shares of the company. Much to her surprise, they go to Mason Klaus - an investor known in the corporate for his "cold and callous nature."

When Mason cancel's the company's annual Christmas party, Lyla is livid. Going behind his back, she throws one anyways - only for the event to end in a fire that has damaged the building. Upon Mason finding out, he offers Lyla a deal - he will forget her part in the disaster IF she joins him and his family for the 12 days of Christmas.

Kinda-sorta agreeing to the idea (but not fully), Lyla finds herself transported to a magical winter wonderland, Yule. Just when things can't get any weirder, Mason surprises her by introducing her to the village as his fiancee! Turns out, bringing an outsider into the village is a huge No-No and the cost is far to high.

Through this adventure, Lyla has the hopes of getting her company back and maybe even finding out a little dirt on Mason. However, what she wasn't expecting was for real feelings to develop?!

At a glance, The Naughty or Nice Clause features:
- All the Christmas vibes!
- Enemies-to-lovers
- Fake dating
- Some Christmas magic (slightly fantasy)

-- This was a cute book and my first of the holiday season! It gave off such fun, festive Christmas vibes throughout. It was also an extremely fast, easy read - I read it while flying home.
-- While it was quite cute, it was not my favorite. It was fast, but almost seemed rushed at some points. Also, the romance was lacking. There was little chemistry between Mason and Lyla and their attraction towards one another just came out of nowhere (which sucks because I'm a sucker for enemies to lovers lol). I also felt the title was misleading. Being named The Naughty or Nice Clause, I was expecting some spice! However, there was very, very little and it wasn't anything special.

--- If you're a fan of Hallmark movies but want a twist of fantasy, this book is for you! It is a great way to dive into the holiday season with an easy read.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A great holiday read!!! Think The Santa Clause movies in book form! I enjoyed this one a lot and thought it was perfect for a Christmas escape! Loved the relationship of Mason and Lyla and enjoyed watching it develop!!

I unfortunately had to DNF this one. I couldn't get into the book because of the hero. I found him to be very rude, ruthless and cruel and while he may be redeemed in the book, I couldn't read anymore to protect my mental health. This will not stop me from trying the author again in the future. Thank you for the opportunity to read the title.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kate Callaghan for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Overall I liked this book, it was fun and magical, and definitely Christmassy, totally the vibe I was hoping for. I could totally imagine seeing it in movie form.

As much as I enjoyed it though, the ending felt incredibly rushed and unsatisfying. The author is clearly a great storyteller, but I feel like the book could have benefitted from a few extra chapters to tie it all up.

Lyla inherits her father's toy factory and it comes with a caveat - Mason, the new investor and part owner of this unnamed toy factory. Mason is cold, distant, and is making a lot of cuts that Lyla just can't wrap her head around. The straw that breaks Lyla's back is when Mason cancels the annual Christmas party. Lyla throws the party anyway and it results in the office catching on fire.

Now that there is nowhere to work, Mason offers Lyla an olive branch; he will forget her part in the office fire if she agrees to spend the next 12 days in his hometown as his fake fiance.

Mason whisks Lyla away to the true Hallmark movie town where everything evolves around Christmas. It's like the Christmas spirit threw up all over the people and town. Reindeer-drawn carriages, snow 24/7, and the shops only have Christmas-themed clothing and items.

The only way Lyla is accepted in this town is as Mason's fiance; she must keep up the ruse or suffer the consequence of having her memories erased once she learns of Mason's family's big secret.

Lyla has the decision to fall in love with Mason and stay in this Christmas land, or leave and get her company back.

This book left more to be desired. I was looking for a cute Christmas romance, and this was not it.

Normally opposites attract, but Lyla and Mason's romance felt forced. I didn't believe that they could truly be in love.

I really enjoyed The Naughty Or Nice Clause. It was such a fun Christmas time read - and the characters were so well written and enjoyable! They all have their unique quirks to them, which honestly make them more human. The two main characters have amazing chemistry and their connection was believable and uniquely their own! Such a fun cozy holiday romance!

THE NAUGHTY OR NICE CLAUSE was really cute! Lyla and Mason absolutely loathe each other at work (he’s her supervisor.) Lyla throws a Christmas party. There’s a fire. Mason agrees to forget her part in said fire if she joins his family for Christmas… and it turns out he lives at the North Pole and is next in line to be Santa Claus. Kind of left that last part out. 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 (the North Pole), 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. I loved the conflict of how Mason Klaus ran away from Yule because he was next in line to be Santa and wanted to have some control over his own life rather than being forced to follow in the family business. This was a cute Christmas read! 5/5 stars.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary ARC copy of this book from the author and NetGalley for review purposes.

Cute, highly recommended! Great holiday read!! I’ve been down this year, so initially… I have not been in the Christmas mood at all. But this book, has helped me a lot!! I’m a sucker for a good holiday book!!

I know that my review is going to be in the minority as this book as so many good reviews, however, it clearly wasn’t the book for me.

This time of year, I like to binge read festive, light weight reads (as my reviews show). However, I didn’t gel with this book. I hated the two main characters and the writing reminded me of the 50 Shades books which I found painful to read the first time.

I don’t mind reading romance, but I don’t enjoy fiction where the male lead is an egotistical bully and the female lead comes across as weak. Lyla is supposed to be a business woman, but makes last minute decisions with no thought process - this isn’t the type of female lead I want to read about.

I tried, but this book was a DNF for me after less than 20%.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.