Thank you to NetGalley & CallaghanWriter for an ARC in return for my honest review.

2.5/5 stars!

The Naughty or Nice Clause was a cute holiday read. I like that this had a very different premise than other holiday romances I’ve read. However, this felt lacking in the romance category. I didn’t really feel a lot of chemistry between the characters, and some parts of the story felt overdone or repetitive, while others needed more. I liked the originality, the mix of holiday spirit, magic, & corporate america was fun!

This review will be posted to my goodreads! I will also post about it on my instagram story, @BookedWithLinds

I enjoyed this book. What a nice holiday saga. I enjoyed it so much. I put this author on my fav list.

Lyla is the daughter of a CEO of a toy company, so that means she should receive money, but instead she learns he’s bankrupt. Her shares are now given to Mason, a corporate investor. Much to her frustration she decides to become a thorn in his behind and do things he’s against.

This was a cute romance. Reminded me of a Hallmark movie I’d watch. It was a twist on a Santa story with an enemies to lovers trope. The only reason I didn’t overly love the story was the main character was a bit immature for me. She just lets anyone walk all over her and at times Mason came off super narcissistic. But all in all it was a fun holiday read.

❥No Spoilers❥


Rating- 3.5 ☆ ☆ ☆

♡This was my first holiday book I’ve ever read. I love the premise and the plot of the book. Very unique and creative. I had a good time reading it, I just didn’t love it.



♡Brief Synopsis: Layla absolutely despised her business partner Mr. Klaus! He is arrogant and a total Grinch when it comes to Christmas. When Layla decides to throws the staff a secret Christmas party. She is shocked to see Mason Klaus sitting in his office drunk. After deciding to help him home (even riding in an Uber with no shoes on)!!! Layla tucks him in and heads back home. The next morning at 7AM, Mason knocks on the door to reveal that someone accidentally started a fire at the office and is now has to be repaired. Completely furious with her, he decides she owes him and they she will accompany him back home after receiving news his father has passed. Layla reluctantly agrees, but had no idea she would be transported to a Christmas Village protected my magic!!!! Learning about Mason’s family history and the town of Yule will complicate things between them. Could she fall in love with a man she hates and believes is heartless?




♡Overall- I enjoyed the banter between Layla and Mason. I loved the Christmas vibes we got to experience and exploring the Christmas village. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the ending, but I did enjoy the story I just wasn’t in love with it. But I would definitely give this book a try if you love, office rivals, and Christmas spirit. I am grateful to NetGalley for receiving a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not mad about the current sexy Santa thing that's going on...
This was a fun holiday read, and it felt like a grown-up version of The Santa Clause (with some key differences, obviously!)

Ok. I absolutely LOVED this book.

It was such a cozy and naught and nice read and definitely 5 stars for me.

I love how attached I was to Klaus and Lyla in the first few pages and their hostility toward one another was so fresh and intense from the start. I feel like most of the time when I'm reading books I skim through the descriptions because it's just the same thing over and over again but I was hanging on to every single word with this one and I loved it.

I immediately messaged Kate with my praises and asked for a longer story because I need MORE of these two. The banter, the build-up to the SPICE, the characters (even the supporting characters were lovable) and the plot were just so cute and cozy. Definitely a great Hallmark-vibed Holiday read!

Definitely read if you love: forced proximity, enemies to lovers, WORKPLACE, fantasy romance and Hallmark movies. Love. Love. Love.

Thank you so much NetGalley & Kate for this eARC!!!!

This was a very cute enemies to lovers fake dating romance novella. I appreciated that it was able to cover so much in a short book. But somehow it was still a very slow burn. I loved the small town setting, and the whole idea behind the plot. This is a great Christmas read to put the reader in the holiday spirit!

I absolutely loved this book! If you love Christmas and hallmark movies you are going to love the story of Lyla and Mason. This romance novel has all the tropes office enemies to lovers, fake dating, forced proximity, one bed, slow burn. I couldn't stop reading, read it in a day. I was rooting for them to fall in love, there was magic, a gingerbread competition and nothing like the MMC old childhood friend to spice things up. I was so drawn to keep reading because I wanted to know what Mason was hiding, would he stay or would he go? Can they get past their hate for each other and let the possibility of falling in love a chance? Definitely recommend this book for your next holiday read!

Thank you for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a nice and festive read. Personally, I am into more angsty books with pining and just lots of feeling, so this was a bit lacking in that department but it is just a personal preference and not the author's fault. The ending also was a bit rushed. Despite all that, the book gives off perfect Hallmark vibes and I'm sure a lot of holiday readers are gonna love it.

Tropes: enemies to lovers, fake dating (engagment), grumpy/sunshine

This one just wasn’t it for me. The grumpy mean guys are never a hit. It’s giving “ he’s mean to u because he likes u.” Vibes.

What do you do when you run a toy business and your new partner is the epitome of the Grinch? Naturally when the Grinch tries to cancel the company Christmas party you go ahead and throw one anyways, consequences be damned. What's the worst that could happen? It's not like your drunk boss takes you away to a holiday hideaway that's top secret...or does he.

This was a cute enemies to lovers Christmas romance! It gave me Hallmark movies vibes. I also enjoyed the twists about the Santa Claus myth. It was a quick read which was nice, but I think I would have actually like it more if it was longer so the ending wouldn’t feel so rushed.

I did enjoy reading this Christmas book, it had the sweet holiday vibes. I did find it to be a bit slow for me but it was okay. It was still a lovely book.

DISCLAIMER: This review is in exchange for an ARC.

I almost DNF'd this book as the ending was a little predictable but it was a somewhat lovely Christmas read. The worldbuilding in this book is actually fabulous, with descriptions of the setting that immerse you into the story. I would put this book into the fantasy genre, but I expected it to be a rom-com.

I don't feel the relationship between the main characters was well built and it lacks the 'enemies' plot of the enemies to lovers vibe the author seemed to be going for. Right off the bat, when the main character was slating the love interest she was still describing how good looking he was which showed interest from the start.

It was a very heartwarming plot but seemed to drag on a bit.

It's a 2/5 for me.

Every year I like to settle down with a Christmas novel to get me in the spirit. It’s a struggle to find good books that aren’t too cheesy or predictable. The Naughty or Nice Clause was an absolute winner in my eyes.

I felt like the story was so unique and interesting and I couldn’t put it down. I flew through this book because I was so interested in the lore of the Klaus family. Lyla was so well written too, that were I to meet her in real life I’d like to be friends. I’ve no note about Mason either, once we got to know the real out-of-office version of him.

The author put a lot of thought into this book, and it shows. Not just in the plot but in little details too. I appreciated that she addressed little things, like how if you magically were transported away you’d still need products to style your hair (that’s a real issue I have!). And there was great consistency throughout, for example, the cat wasn’t just mentioned once and forgotten.

I became really invested in the characters and their relationships and I was so touched by this book. I’m recommending it to all my friends this year and I will keep it in mind for a long time. If you want a feel-good romance that has a fascinating setting and not just the same old Santa story, this book is what you’re looking for.

I received this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

This book was a bit like a warm hug when reading it and gave serious hallmark movie vibes!

I would have preferred to delve a little deeper into the character's personalities and perhaps to have a bit more spice however the story was addictive, festive, and fun! The storyline was somewhat predictable however that really didn't matter to me!

I would definitely add it to your list of festive reads this holiday season!

Going into this book I thought it was going to be your normal Christmas story. However, this was one of those magical Christmas stories that has you transporting into a special world. I love the authors take on what actually goes on at the North Pole it was way different from how other movies or books would describe the magic of Santa and what he does. You really fall for the family and how different they each are but also all so needed in their own way. Mrs. Klause! What a dream exactly what you would want her to be and so much more. For this not being the authors usual book type you surely wouldn’t know it after reading this.

This book was a romance/fantasy-lite novel, think The Santa Clause or probably more similar is The Santa Clause 2. You have the magic of Christmas but in a world where that magic is real.

This is a cute enemies-to-lovers romance that takes place in the charming, secretive village, Yule. Without giving away more than already is in the synopsis, this was a quick read that had really fun banter between the characters and some heartwarming moments. The ending was super rushed and didn’t feel complete to me, but it is what it is! Btw, the smut factor is low if that’s something you look or don’t look for in a romance.

Unfortunately this one wasn't for me. It is such a cute concept but I just needed more. The romance fell flat and I didn't believe it. I enjoyed the Christmas setting, the town of Yule, and Mason's family, but I just wanted more between Mason and Lyla. More moments, more conversations, more swoon, more everything.

If you enjoy Hallmark Christmas movies...this book is for YOU! As someone who isn't a fan at all of the annual movies, I LOVED reading this book! I feel it had really good pacing, I never felt like there was a time where I wished something would move along faster, and the descriptions of everything swept me off my feet and made me want to put Christmas decorations up ASAP! I felt really connected to the characters and really loved all of them. The combination of grumpy/sunshine, rivals-to-lovers (because they're not really enemies), and fake dating are just chef's kiss. The only thing I would really nag on is the ending. I felt the lead up was great, if maybe pushed along a little quickly, but the ending just felt so fast and underwhelming for me. It left me wanting just another chapter to really tie it up with a bow!

Overall, I HIGHLY recommend this read for an easy Christmas vibes book to kick off the holiday season. Heck, read it in summer to cool off, it's a good time!