This was a warm & fuzzy holiday read, perfect for curling up by the fire and getting lost in the holiday spirit. I don't know that I would classify this as a 'romance' per say, but it was a fun read nonetheless.

The Naughty or Nice Clause was published early November 2022. Thank you to CallaghanWriter, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles, NetGalley and the author for the ARC.

This book was laced with candy cane crack because I couldn’t set it down! It was a lovely holiday read and I don’t typically enjoy holiday reads- It had great banter, a winter/Christmas atmosphere, blended with some heavy topics such as grief. I loved the take on Santa Clause and the deviation from the classic spin- Was it cheesy at times? Yes, of course, I could literally picture the hallmark movie scenes playing in my head, but it was a great time!

My biggest issue with it was the conflict, it didn’t need it. It felt like it was there for the sake of the romance book formula- I get it but at the same time, he was being so dramatic and I felt like it took away from the story, more than it added to it.

Read this if you want:
-Found family
-Christmas village vibes
-Rivals to Lovers
-Fake Dating
-One Bed Trope
-A fuzzy bingeable book (I read this so fast holy cow)
-SLOW romance

Thank you Netgalley and CallaghanWriter for gifting me a copy in exchange for my honest review!

I wanted to love this book. The setting of a magical little Christmas town was cute, I liked the side characters, it was a quick read.
But I didn’t vibe with the mains. Mason ran so hot & cold it became absurd. And Lyla… dang girl stop the hysterics and use whatever brain cells you have left to do some of that good old critical thinking. The man asked you to pretend to be his fiancee, that doesn't mean you're being forced to marry him. Chill.
I felt attacked when Lyla said that Mason likes “books way too much” because he has hundreds of books in his house, “like a madman”.
The story was underwhelming and would be rated a 2, but it gets an extra point for being set at Christmastime because this hoe loves to ho ho ho.

Thank you to CallaghanWriter & @Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

When you have a Christmas themed book, which is always leaning towards a "Hallmark movie' feel, the idea of a enemies to lovers rom-com set within the Christmas theme brought me right to wanting to read this book. Kate Callaghan wrote exactly the right humor within this book for a laughing through most of the character interactions. You can completely understand the initial animosity between Lyla and Mason, both really want the same thing but want to achieve it in entirely different ways. Lyla, as a driven woman who wants the company to succeed, keeps employees as the center of her focus, which is something that I appreciate in her. Mason, as an entrepreneur, focuses on the finances to be able to keep the company moving towards staying as a going - concern. If they took time to listen to what the other one said, half the initial chapter communication errors would have been solved. And what a communication set of errors! All of which are totally recoverable and addressed throughout the rest of the book.

I love Mason's family and Lyla's cat - all of whom add to the humorous interactions; and I have to say, thank you to Kate for not leaving the cat behind in the house. That little detail adds joy to my heart because sometimes the beloved furbaby is left behind (on accident), but still...

What I love most about this book: A unique thought that even the Clause family has needs and expectations, which Mason initially resists, and the fact that his siblings are so typical that it was hard not to laugh at their interactions. Having my own children helped me sympathize with Mrs. Clause, which I know brought a depth to this book that wasn't only about Lyla and Mason.

What I would have liked to have different: Nothing.

Thank you to NetGalley and CallaghanWriter for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I had so much fun reading The Naughty or Nice Clause!If you’re like me and you’re someone who loves Christmas and Hallmark movies, this is the book for you. You get to experience a new take on the North Pole and Santa Clause and it made me so happy. Throughout the book you get to learn about Yule and also experience all of your favorite Christmas activities like building gingerbread houses and the beautiful decorations. This book made me want to make some hot chocolate and start setting up my Christmas tree.

The Naughty or Nice Clause is packed with a bunch of my favorite tropes so if you love these as much as I do, I highly recommend this book!
- Enemies to Lovers
- Slow-burn
- Fake Dating
- Small Town
- Workplace Romance
- Forced Proximity

Aside from the joy of Christmas and the tension from the romance, we also experience some tougher emotions that give our main characters their depth. Both Mason and Lyla experience grief and tough family dynamics in their own ways. As sad as it was for our characters to go through those things, it also made them dynamic and imperfect which always make me love characters more.

If any of this sounds good to you, please pick up The Naughty or Nice Clause. The world building alone makes it worth it! I know I’ll be buying a physical copy as soon as possible.

This book was a very fun surprise.

At first I thought it was just going to be a cute workplace, Christmas romance but my shock when I realized (good shock).

This book has all my favorite tropes, workplace (sort of) romance, fake dating/fake engaged, forced proximity and secret identity. I liked it as much as I did because it was different from the romance books I normally read (the plot).

Who doesn't want to find out they've been teleported to Yule on the North Pole, THE place where Santa lives? As someone who loves Christmas, probably not as much as the main character though, I'd love to go there

Kate Callaghan’s The Naughty or Nice Clause is a fun Christmas romance centering on Lyla Smurfit and Mason Klaus, with a little magic thrown in. The book is overall lighthearted, although I must give a trigger warning because Mason’s father has just passed away. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, especially as it helps me get into the holiday spirit. I am excited to hear there will be another Yule standalone book next year and cannot wait to read it! Thank you to the author and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

If you are looking for a cheerful Christmas feel this would be a good pick!

This one lands somewhere in the middle for me. There were things I liked and some that I found not working for me.
* I liked the side characters, especially Kevin. The closeness of the family was adorable. I did not like the drama that one particular person created.
* I liked the setting. I loved all the surprises that came with traveling to this special place, about its meaning and connection to Christmas Eve. Nothing to fault there. Perfect!
* I liked the banter between the main characters. I believed in their connection. I did not like the "hot then cold then hot again" attitude from MMC.
* I liked the overall message of the story about family heritage and the responsibility that comes with it. I did not like that throughout the story one or the other was blindsided.
* I liked the happy ending but was disappointed with how fast everything unfolded. I wish there would have been a few more pages to explore the conflict, and reveal the purpose of all this happening in the first place (invitation to come along, secrets revealed, commitment, etc).

Overall, if you are looking for a light holiday read, I suggest you give this a chance!

The Naughty or Nice Clause
⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 11/8/22
Author: Kate Callaghan
Publisher: Independently Published
Pages: 237
GR: 3.73

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Kate Callaghan and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed the magical spin on this magical Santa Clause story with a twist of romance. This follows the enemies to lovers trope and it is done very well, one of my favorite tropes, and I enjoyed the way this one was done. It is endearing how subjective reading is. While some reviews were not positive, I still really enjoyed this book and would read other books by this author. I thought it was a cute, magical Christmas story. The story is narrated in third person, not from a specific person, although the majority of the time, it appears to be through Lyla’s eyes. I thought Lyla and Mason had a cute connection, chemistry through hatred at first, then through passion. Lyla is strong, independent, and sees the world through a traumatic lenses. Mason is your typical Scrooge, strong, and has earned a reputation of cold and cruel. The characters were well developed with depth, witty banter, chemistry, creatively built up, and the supporting characters, especially Kevin (Mason’s Brother) were amazing. I hope there are some spin offs from the side characters, or even the backstory on Mason’s family’s business. The author’s writing style was complex, crisp, evolving, passionate, and kept me engaged. I love Christmas and especially Christmas Hallmark Movies and Christmas books and this was no exception. This book releases today and I recommend picking up!

Not my favourite book but a lot of people will really love it. I will give it 4 stars even though it wasn't really for me. Try it and I am sure you will enjoy this.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC

fun book and good characters. Liked every minute of it this joy ride. My first by this author and enjoyed this book alot.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing an ARC of the book!
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I have to say I appreciate the authors efforts but unfortunately this was not my cup of tea.

The naughty or nice clause was not a favorite for sure this month, I disliked it in so many ways!

There was hope, and so much potential! Enemies to lovers, small town, magic vibes, and fake engagement!! But the main female character basically spends her time with the male's family pretending to be his fiance while he's busy working?

He's forcing her to lie after sweeping her off to the middle of nowhere? He saves her after she gets lost in the woods and a pack of wolves find her in the snow? There is so much trauma here from this book.

The writing style was good but the plot and the characters ruined it for me.

Unfortunately, I don't recommend. You could definitely do without reading this.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a quick perfect-for-the-holidays read. There were things I really liked about it (the entire idea of there being a town like the one described, the reason for the fake dating, Mason’s family dynamics, traveling by bell) but there were also aspects that didn’t really work for me (Lyla’s way of managing her business and then her constantly second guessing herself, Lyla and Mason themselves were characters I struggled to like, the lack of character development, no real chemistry between the characters besides a very basic attraction based on looks). I think many readers will enjoy this story but something was missing for me to really like it (I think it was an issue with the main characters, that I just never really liked them enough to care about them.)

first of all thank you to netgalley for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review!

i thoroughly enjoyed this book. it was everything i needed especially for this upcoming holiday season. it was quick and witty and all of the characters were so loveable even when they made you want to strangle them. totally recommend!

A tale of frost and cheer with an enchanting twist, the Naughty or Nice Clause is set to win all the Hallmark loving hearts this season.

The setting of Yule was the land of Christmas dreams, its magic coming to life with charm and beauty and all that unmasked holiday joy. Callaghan’s fresh interpretation on gift giving and the mystery of Klaus was exciting, and I loved the way these mild fantasy elements enhanced the spirit of the season.

Most notably, amidst all the wonder and cheer, I appreciated the space given for grief to roam as it brought Lyla and Mason - and the rest of the Klaus family - closer together. The comfort Lyla was able to provide, and the love and healing that was found through it added an additional depth to this otherwise lighthearted narrative. With its series of sweet moments, bittersweet interactions wrought with banter, and low-key drama, I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Yule. I only wish the pacing would have allowed a little more time spent with the Klaus family and witnessing Lyla and Mason break the bonds of their fake engagement and fall madly in love - especially with how swiftly the end resolution played out. That said, the world building and magic totally won me over and I will definitely be ringing the bell for my return trip next holiday season!

Riddled with all the classic Romance tropes, this slow burn has been carefully crafted into something that is warm and cosy, with a generous sprinkling of gold dust, and it’s all just a chime (or click) away!

I received an advanced copy of this book thanks to the author and NetGalley, and I am voluntarily leaving my honest review. 3.5⭐️

I received an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute Hallmark-ish story. A quick read with some fun characters. Although I definitely didn’t hate it, it wasn’t my favorite. I enjoyed the characters and the idea of the story. However, I do feel like there were some pacing issues and the ending seemed quite rushed. The romance wasn’t as solid as I would have liked. But again, it’s a cute and quick read.

Thank you Netgalley and Kate for the arc!

Fun, fast, and festive! My first holiday read of 2022 and it did not disappoint! Callaghan gave us a modern and interesting twist to the Santa Claus legend and boy, did I eat it up so fast.

Read this if you like:
- Fake dating (engagement)
- Enemies to lovers
- Forced proximity
- Slow burn
- A little bit of spice 🌶️
- Christmas vibes
- Fantasy/Magical elements

This book read like a cute little Hallmark Christmas movie, so if you like those, I definitely recommend The Naughty or Nice Clause!

Thanks to Netgalley and Kate Callaghan for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Pub date: November 8, 2022

Read this one in just a few days! This is a fun little holiday romance; not my most favorite but definitely got me in the mood for Christmas. 🥰🎄 the setting of Yule is perfect for those Christmas cozy feels and I did like the slow burn between the main characters. However, I felt the end was super rushed compared to the rest of the book and would’ve preferred a little more content there and less in the middle. 3.5/5 for me on this one ⭐️

The Naughty or Nice Clause is a quick, festive, and charming little Christmas novella. This book has a plethora of some of the best romance tropes: fake dating, enemies to lovers, grumpy x sunshine, even small town romance. The banter between Mason and Lyla was really fun. I also really enjoyed how Mason’s family was very sweet and welcoming to Lyla almost immediately.

This book does require a bit of suspension of disbelief as it contains a touch of magical realism. It’s also a bit cliche and predictable, but what holiday romance isn’t? If you’re looking for a Hallmark movie in a book, this is the one for you!

Ever heard of a hot Santa Clause? Well,here ya go!! Grumpy-sunshine at it's finest! Lyla works at her grandfather's toy company and Mr. Klaus is a 51% stake owner. He hates Christmas and even cancels the company's Christmas party. Lyla defies him and plans the party on her own. Little do they know that this will change their lives forever. This is like a grown up fairytale and a perfect way to get into the Christmas frame of mind.