Mason is brought in to help Lyla with her retired fathers toy company but they are total opposites. When Mason cancels the annual Christmas party, Lyla throws it anyway but it all ends in a terrible fire! Mason has a deal, if Lyla acts as a buffer when he goes to visit his family back home, he’ll forget all about her mistake. However, there’s a big cost to bringing an outsider home to Masons hometown, as its very secret village…

This was a really sweet Christmas book. I loved the amazing Christmas village that Lyla got transported to and I loved all the family love and support throughout the book. It was a great take on the classic romancey Christmas book with a bit of a twist. It was great for me because it was slightly fantastical but easy to follow. I loved how the story included both a magical Christmas land alongside a traditional toy store. A little slow-burn enemies to lovers with a bit of festive spirit.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘳 𝘕𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯-𝘵𝘰-𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴. The characters are well-made and even if I had a few moments where I could or could not dislike Lyla, I have to be honest and admit she grow on me at the end of the book and I felt a little bit of pity about how rude Klaus was to her at the end. And I have to defend Klaus too because he was heart-broken and he didn't deserve that, but that is what life means. And that's something I liked about this: how real they were about everything.

I took a liking to the whole Santa Claus idea, a little bit of magic, a little bit of fantasy and wholesome characters. I mean, definetely not my cup of tea - not always, at least, as I don't read all the time cute romance books but I had to read this one for it was such a cute description and all 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞/𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬
vibe hooked me up. And I don't regret a thing and as the author said: 𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐬 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞, so, ya, I liked it a lot. But maybe it was the whole family reunited idea that grow on me since the start. I was enjoying it so much because there is no extra conflict involved, they are just two grown up people doing child-ish stuff. I was so invested in Klaus's family and how closed they were and how quickly they tried to make Lyla their own. His brother was such a Goofy and I was there for his comments.

A more accurate note would be 3,5 ⭐ but it was a good book that I enjoyed a lot reading it. Things I will like to add are that I hoped to a more complex explanation as of how the magic worked and a little more less drama involving Natalie, Klaus's ex-girlfriend and how that was so out-of-the-blue (I mean, I would've kicked her ass out of the town if she was so morally-gray in such a lifely community). And I was relived there was such little spice to it because I feel like if there were more it would've destroyed the complexity of the couple. And as it is, it's perfect.

I recommend it to everyone who likes cute-romance stories with a touch of magic and a bit of fantasy and of course, Santa Claus and North Pole vibes.


(I brought the Kindle version of this book on Amazon and read and rated it on GR without mentioning Netgalley.)

This was such a FUN read! So much magic and Christmas spirit, it felt so real! I didn't want it to end. The characters were so well thought out and the oh-so perfect match. I love love LOVED it. It may be an every Christmas season read.

This book was so cute and warm.
I loved the story and the description of Yule and the traditions. I loved Mason's family and his banter with Lyla.
However, I felt like the characters needed more development, especially Natalie as the villain. Her motive is not really justified and she only has three scenes in the entire book, so we do not understand how her hatred of Lyla appeared.
Also the relationship between Mason and Lyla felt a bit superficial and rushed, especially at the end.
The ending of the book felt so rushed. The author added too much drama in very few pages at the end. First there was Lyla's "betrayal" (Mason's reaction to this did not feel justified), then there was her "kidnapping" by Natalie, then her return to her home city and then her second thoughts about returning to Yule. The drama could have been spread out throughout the book.
All in all it was a cute read which really put me in the Christmas spirit.
Really grateful for Netgalley for providing the arc for this book

The Naughty or Nice Clause by Kate Callaghan was a heartwarming and festive read that had me in the holiday spirit from the first page. The premise of a woman unexpectedly inheriting a Christmas tree farm and falling in love with the town's mayor was charming and well-executed. The writing was engaging and descriptive, and I appreciated the author's attention to detail in depicting the small town setting and the holiday traditions. The characters were likable and relatable, and their romance was sweet and satisfying. The only reason I'm not giving this book a five-star review is that I felt the conflict towards the end was a bit contrived and could have been resolved more smoothly. However, overall, I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a heartwarming and festive romance.

The Naughty or Nice Clause by Kate Callaghan is a delightful holiday romance novel with a twist of fantasy. Lyla finds herself in a difficult situation when her father's toy company goes bankrupt and her shares are given to the cold and ruthless investor, Mason Klaus. Lyla and Mason have to work together to run the company, despite their dislike for each other. When Lyla throws a Christmas party, it ends in disaster, and Mason offers her a deal to save her reputation. She must pretend to be his fiancée for the twelve days of Christmas and join his family in a magical winter wonderland.

The story is well-written with well-developed characters that you can't help but root for. Lyla is a strong and independent woman who is determined to win back her company, and Mason is a complex character with hidden depths. The chemistry between the two is palpable, and their banter is both witty and entertaining. The fantastical elements add a magical touch to the story, making it a perfect read for the holiday season.

The book does have mature content, which may not be suitable for younger readers. However, for those who enjoy a steamy romance with a happy ending, The Naughty or Nice Clause is a must-read. Overall, Kate Callaghan has delivered a heartwarming holiday romance that is sure to put a smile on your face.

I loved this grumpy sunshine romance, and I loved the Christmas magic that brought these two together. We have Lyla who is the daughter of the retired CEO of a toystore where she fully expected to take over- however she finds out that her father actually sold it to Christmas hating Mason Klaus. I loved the magical realism of this book where we are taken from our normal world into where Mason Klaus is from- Yule. Here Mason introduces Lyla to everyone as his fiancé, which could not be further from the truth. The thing I struggled with the most was that this did not seem like an organic love story and the romance felt very forced and unbelievable at times.

3,5 ⭐
This is a loooong way due. I enjoy the story more than I expected it to be 😆 it started with a promising trope of an office romance. I didn't prepare for a magical village at all 😭 thought it would be great as a Christmas movie adaptation. As the story goes by, I found it heartwarming, and I love the couple's banter. Their dynamic. The changes are subtle and it flows effortlessly. It was sweet and warmth. It was just enough.

This was such a fun holiday romance! Hilarious and sexy with a workplace romance? Sign me up!

When Lyla's father retired as CEO of the toy company which has been in their family for generations, she was meant to receive his shares. Instead, she discovers the company is bankrupt and her father has given her shares to Mason Klaus, an investor known in the corporate world for his cold and callous nature. Much to Lyla's frustration, her only option is to run the company with him, despite their evident loathing for one another.

When Mason cancels the annual Christmas party, Lyla throws it anyway - only for the event of the season to result in a terrible fire. With the offices and Lyla's credibility ruined, Mason offers her a deal: he'll forget her part in the disaster, but she must join his family for the twelve days of their Christmas holidays.

Taken to a fantastical winter wonderland, Lyla hopes that she might discover some of the secrets Mr Klaus is hiding, and maybe even a way to get her company back. However, when Mason introduces her to the secret village as his fiancée, she is horrified to realise she has no choice but to go along with the pretence - because the cost of bringing an outsider to their magical land is far too high.

This is a cute, spicy, and cozy holiday romance. It tried to be enemies to lovers, but I feel like that trope does best with a slow burn. This book fell more into the category of insta love. I did love the back and forth between the characters and I appreciated the tension. Overall, nice book

Loved this book as a holiday read! A slow burn that I couldn't wait to finish but didn't want it to be over! Gave me all the cozy feels!

The Naughty or Nice Clause is a dual perspective following the two main characters Lyla and Mason. It is a spicy fun twist on the north pole and the Claus family, but Santa has been a very naughty boy. This story is filled with Christmas tradition, magic and a snowy wonderland! It's an enemies to lovers story. I liked the banter between the characters, but the enemies' part of the trope did not last long at all, so it felt rushed and very insta love. I do feel like this book would make a great Hallmark movie. The writing was ok, and this book was definitely more about the Christmas season and the traditions with a more adult twist, then building a foundation for the relationship and romance. Overall, this was cute and there were some intense moments, but I really felt that there were some aspects missing for me.
I received this advanced ebook, via Netgalley. This review is my own honest opinion.

Another cosy, festive favourite!
A will they, won't they romance? I was waiting and absolutely hooked on finding out if Lyla and Mason would get together! A slow burn that I couldn't wait to finish but didn't want it to be over!

Loved this book as a holiday read!! I am always looking for books around the holidays with a romantic Christmas theme and The Naughty or Nice Clause did not disappoint. In Hallmark fashion, badness turns to goodness and hate to love, but with a very engaging set of characters and back story.

Our female main character hates the man who's taken over 51% of her family's toy business but feels bad for him when he has to go home for his father's funeral at Christmas so agrees to go with him.

She doesn't however know that his father was Santa Claus and he is going to magic her away to the North Pole while still in pyjamas and bare feet. And where everyone assumes she's going to be the new Mrs Claus and marry him.

The premise for this sounded really fun but the execution was a bit mixed.

The first thing is how insanely we'll she takes the fact they'll he's the heir to Santa. I feel like you would need a moment to digest that.

But my main problem is that the male main character is just a horrible man. He's so mean to her! The man for you, is not the one that makes you run away crying. She absolutely could have done better than a life with this man, even if he is now Santa!

I really enjoyed this Christmas time romance, the storyline was interesting and the characters were well written. I would highly recommend this book to everyone!

This book was cute. I liked the characters but I wish they had a little more chemistry. I love a good holiday read and this it the mark. No, it wasn't the most amazing book I've ever read but that is not why I read it. books like these remind me of the Christmas movies on the hallmark channel so you have to those expectations when going into a book like this. are parts of this book over the top and ridiculous? yes, but I am here for it and that is what I'm looking for. I really liked this book and its definitely worth the read around the holidays.

A nice cozy romantic Christmas story. This book gives all the Hallmark Christmas vibes from magically transporting to a Christmas wonderland where there are sledges, a handsome Santa Claus 🎅who is veryy hardworking 😂, a hearty family and community alongwith a sweet romance. Must read for all the warm loving, magical and romantic Christmas vibes.

Thank you to NetGalley for this fun and cute book! It was very light-hearted. It felt like something from a Hallmark movie. I always enjoy a romance that starts with fake dating and close proximity. I loved Lyla and Mason's chemistry. If you're looking for a sweet and quick holiday romance this is the one!

Cute holiday romance. I wanted to really love it, but it was just a like for me. The premise was good, but the book was missing some spark. The romance between Mason and Lyla just didn't crackle like I wanted it to.