Absolutely adored book 2 in this quirky “Christmas” series.

Winnie and Callum are my kind of characters and the spice level in this one is H.I.G.H!! I loved how it pushes back against purity culture and champions women owning their sexuality. It’s hilariously funny, had some heartfelt moments and I loved it!

Dear Sierra Simone & Julie Murphy,

I enjoyed last year’s A Merry Little Meet Cute so much it made my Best of 2022 list, so I was keen to read the (second) follow up book about Kallum (the “K” in INK, a boy band featuring Isaac, Nolan and Kallum which broke up some years before). Unfortunately, A Holly Jolly Ever After did not have the same charm for me.

In book one, Bee got the role in “Duke the Halls” when wholesome actress Winnie Baker was stuck at “Unfestival”. A Holly Jolly Ever After brings Winnie back, to star in a Hope After Dark movie, “Santa Baby” with Kallum. The Hope Channel has embraced the success of feel good (and at least slightly ridiculous) movies a la the Hallmark Channel but with Cinemaxx steam (well, nearly). Kallum, of the infamous sex tape, has the opportunity to star with his long time crush, the pure Winnie Baker.

Winnie starred in many Hope Channel movies as well as other movies and TV shows produced by a Christian production company. She grew up on a TV show something like “Seventh Heaven” (but without the underage sex scandal). She was extremely sheltered and raised to remain “pure” until marriage; dating was not allowed – courting (which leads to marriage) was. She married her TV co-star, whose family run the production company. It was not happy marriage. Now divorced, after he cheated on her, Winnie has decided to become “new Winnie” and accepts the role in “Santa Baby”.

Winnie has never had an orgasm so simulating one is a challenge and draws less than ideal reactions from the cast and crew, ranging from guffaws to horror.

Kallum is the “chubby one” from INK. He was the clown but not the heart throb. After the unsanctioned release of his sex tape (he later licensed it) he is praised for his “dad bod”. Kallum’s sex tape involved a bridesmaid who almost immediately found her “one” (not Kallum). Since then bridesmaids and other women want a piece of Kallum as some kind of good luck charm to get their own HEA. Kallum is a means to an end and a good time on the way but he’s not, apparently, soulmate material. Kallum has some baggage about all of this, as one would, but it doesn’t really get much attention in the book. While specifically mentioned, he never has a conversation with Winnie about it. It’s magically fixed by being Winnie’s soulmate I guess.

Since INK folded, Kallum has created a career in Kansas as the pizza king with his “Slice Slice Baby” pizza shops. He loves pizza and his business but he’s also happy to do more acting and not averse to a comeback for INK somewhere down the line. Most recently there has been interest from an investor with deep pockets who wants to look at national and international franchising for SSB. Kallum supports (to a large degree, albeit not entirely) his family with his INK/Slice Slice Baby income. He’s a generous person who is happy to be in a position to help his loved ones.

Winnie has narcolepsy. I know that because the book told me so. So far as I can tell, Kallum still does not know because not only was there no explicit conversation about it in the book between the two, it wasn’t even hinted that one had occurred off page. In the end, Winnie’s narcolepsy seemed like a gimmick – which was disappointing.

Kallum has a sex tape and Winnie finds him attractive. Winnie has never had an orgasm and needs to simulate them successfully to give a good performance in “Santa Baby”. I think we all see where this is going.

After some “sex lessons”, Winnie and Kallum date for real and fall in love. But Winnie has been let down by men before. Her parents aren’t talking to her because she divorced her husband – even though he was a cheating jerk and she deserved better and she’s frightened that good-time, fun-loving Kallum is not responsible enough for a relationship. (IDK, surely the fact that he runs 4 successful pizza stores in Kansas ought to be a clue that he can in fact be responsible?) Anyway, the essential conflict of the story was about this and it took time for Winnie to believe in Kallum. I though it was a bit harsh, myself. I appreciated Winnie’s position but I think she didn’t really give Kallum a chance before she let her fears drive her. Still, it all comes right in the end.

Winnie has baggage from her upbringing and does a great job of letting go of the notion of “purity” and of sex outside of marriage being bad, etc. Perhaps this is unfair but I did not enjoy all the talk about purity rings and courting vs dating, religious and controlling parents and Winnie’s lack of autonomy until she was divorced. The narrative obviously rejects Winnie’s upbringing (and so do I, for the record) but it just didn’t feel fun to read about. It didn’t make me laugh like I did in A Merry Little Meet Cute. It felt heavy and glum and all too realistic and all to present-day. It was a bit of a downer for me. The earlier book had mental health themes but was so positive about the representation it was uplifting. Apart from Winnie getting out there wasn’t anything good about the religious stuff for me.

Between the things unsaid or left out and the religious stuff, I found myself less engaged in the read. A Holly Jolly Ever After was easy for me to put down.I did finish it and there were parts I enjoyed quite a bit. But overall, it was a disappointment compared to the high hopes I went in with.

Grade: C

Regards,
Kaetrin

Review: A Holly Jolly Ever After - Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone

I was very lucky enough to receive this as an ARC on Netgalley.

This is Book 2 of A Christmas Notch Series.

Kallum Lieberman is the funny one(TM). As the arguably lesser of the three former members of the boy band INK, he enjoyed his fifteen minutes of fame and then moved home where he opened a regional pizza chain called Slice, Slice, Baby! He's living his best dad bod life, hooking up with bridesmaids at all his friends' weddings. But after an old one-off sex tape is leaked and quickly goes viral, Kallum decides he's ready to step into the spotlight again, starring in a sexy Santa biopic for the Hope Channel. Winnie Baker did everything right. She married her childhood sweetheart, avoided the downfalls of adolescent stardom, and transitioned into a stable adult acting career. Hell, she even waited until marriage to have sex. But after her perfect life falls apart, Winnie is ready to redefine herself--and what better way than a steamier-than-a-steaming-hot-mug-of-cider Christmas movie? With decade old Hollywood history between them, Winnie and Kallum are both feeling hesitant about their new situation as costars...especially Winnie who can't seem to fake on screen pleasure she's never experienced in real life. She's willing to do the pleasure research--for science and artistic authenticity, of course. And there's no better research partner than her bridesmaid sex tape hall of fame costar, Kallum. But suddenly, Kallum's teenage crush on Winnie is bubbling to the surface and Winnie might be catching feelings herself. They say opposites attract, but is this holly jolly ever after really ready for its close-up?

The story explores themes of second chances, self-discovery, and the magic of the holiday season. It combines steamy romance with heartwarming moments, making it a perfect read for the Christmas season. The chemistry between Winnie and Kallum is palpable, and their journey from costars to something more is both entertaining and touching.

Murphy and Simone's writing is engaging, capturing the spirit of Christmas in a small-town setting. The humour and wit in the dialogue add depth to the characters and their interactions. The pacing keeps the story moving, making it difficult to put down.

"A Holly Jolly Ever After" is a heartwarming and steamy holiday romance that combines humour, second chances, and the magic of Christmas. Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone deliver a story of love, self-discovery, and the joy of finding unexpected connections during the holiday season. If you're looking for a festive and passionate read to get you in the holiday spirit, this book is a delightful choice.

I definitely recommend this book!!

Rating: 4 / 5⭐️’s

Co-writers Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone tackle the impact of purity culture against the backdrop of Hollywood. Former squeaky clean child star Winnie Baker has fallen from grace after her former co-star and husband of 14 years cheats on her and she divorces him. Meanwhile former 'funny one' boybander Kallum is living in his mid-western hometown running a thriving pizza chain. Both of them end up costars of a raunchy Christmas movie. The problem is Winnie has never had an orgasm, let alone experienced sex more than anything but a chore, so she ends up seeking help from Kallum, who had a notorious sex tape leaked.

A few chapters into A Holly Jolly Ever After and I ended up skipping to a few chapters before it ended. I found the start slow to get into and was wondering who this Teddy person is and why he was relevant and just couldn't get into it (the Teddy bits are the worst part of the book). Doing this is what not only saved this book for me, but actually made me appreciate this book more than I thought. I ended up going back to where I stopped and read it straight through.

While I didn't appreciate *that* trope thrown in to be part of the hurdle for Winnie and Kallum, I loved how sweet and charming they were together that I bought it. I just think the book would've been stronger if Winnie was given the room to discover sex and overcome purity culture without it.

Thanks to Harper Collins Australia and NetGalley for the ARC.

This was a fun book! Cosy Christmas vibes, steamy romance, and empowering characters overcoming their challenges.

It was great to see an exploration of some more complex themes (particularly around shame, narcolepsy, going against people's old perceptions and the influence of religion), although it would've been nice to see these all explored a bit further.

I have not read the other book in the series but I will definitely be adding it to my list.

Thank you to HarperCollins Australia, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Absolutely loved this book. I enjoyed the first book in the series but this one was next level. Love imagining a little cozy town that is Christmas all year round. 4/5 stars.

These two authors are a dream team - seriously. This is the second book in the Christmas Notch series that follows ex-band mates and best friends, Nolan, Kallum and Isaac as they live life after crazy fame.

In this book Kallum signs on to do a 'Hope After Dark' film with good girl Winnie, who is trying to embrace a new image after a messy divorce and the subsequent downfall of her pure public persona.

Kallum and Winnie have a little history and perhaps some pre-conceived notions of each other, but now they are acting out steamy scenes together, they start to get to know each other ... really well.

While the romance between Kallum and Winnie is faceted and super fun to read, the other characters really make these books for me. I can't wait to read more about Sunny, Teddy, Steph and Jack in particular. And I am so looking forward to hearing more about Isaac (and maybe his Brienne-of-Tarth adjacent bodyguard? Please? Don't leave me hanging!!)

I will say that while I loved Kallum, Winnie was a little hard for me to connect with, probably because of her background. I liked the way the authors gave her hidden depths but I found her a little too indecisive at times.

This book was so much fun to read with lots of hilarious, touching and steamy moments. Highly recommended.

Thanks to Harper Collins Australia, Netgalley and the authors for an ARC of this book. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Winnie, a child-star, born into a purity culture, throws herself headfirst into a whole new steamy world. Kallum, known for his infamous sex tape, INK member status and pizza business, jumps at the chance to film a movie with his childhood crush. Both Winnie and Kallum enter the magical place of Christmas Notch where they find love on their spicy journey of self-confidence and acceptance. 

This was such a cute Christmas story! I mean wow. I hate that I got sick and it took me a month to read this. All my free moments were spent reading this spicy yet completely wholesome story. I do, however, wish we got to see more of Kallum and Winnie in the epilogue as it felt like their story ended abruptly.

Regardless, Julie and Sierra created a beautiful story that was very captivating and wholesome at the same time. I really enjoyed following both Winnie and Kallum on their very spicy journey to finding each other. A Holly Jolly Ever After was a good 4.5-star read. 

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A Holly Jolly Ever After is so dang good... We get Kallum's story!!

Kallum and Winnie are pushed together while filming a movie in Christmas Notch. Winnie is embarrassed by her lack of orgasm experience... Something that Kallum happens to know a few things about.

I really enjoyed the return to Christmas Notch. It had all my favourite characters, plus heaps of new favourites. Winnie is such a cutie, but I found myself frustrated by Kallum's very clear immaturity in this book. I wish he wasn't portrayed in this way to this extent, but otherwise his character is a good time.

Love the spice in this book, I thought the scenes were written really well. Cannot wait to read Isaac's story (please let the next book be Isaac...!).

Winnie is coming of the back of a divorce. She thought she did everything right, she married her childhood sweetheart and even waited until marriage to be intimate. But now Winnie is ready to redefine herself and that is going to be as an actress in a steamy Christmas movie.
Kallum is the lesser known member of INK. He's out living his best life - dad bods, bridesmaids but now his sex tape has gone viral, he is well and truly ready take back the spotlight by staring in a Santa biopic with the Hope Channel. When they are cast together, their decades old history between them comes to the front. But suddenly, Kallum's teenage crush on Winnie is bubbling to the surface too and Winnie might be catching feelings herself.

The first half of this book was great! It was cute and funny, exactly what you would expect from a Christmas read. However that's it for me. As we reached the second part, it was all downhill. This is on the longer side for a spicy romance which can either be good or bad for you. Unfortunately for me, I felt like this was probably too long and third-act breakups had me with whiplash. I just didn't fall for the characters enough to make the long read actually worth it. I felt sometimes the characters were too immature and I just never had that click. Kallum was definitely my favourite, feeling like a big old teddy bear most of the time.

Check your triggers and tropes before diving into this one. If you were a fan of the rest of the series, this one will be just great for you! Thanks to NetGalley, Harper Collins Australia and Julie & Sierra for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. This one is set for release 12th October 2023.

4.5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, Sierra Simone and Julie Murphy for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This book was seriously amazing, I laughed so hard at time especially that in Santa, Baby, Santa's peppermint cum is what keeps the sleigh going all night, I nearly died.
On top of that, the rest of the story was enjoyable and felt relatable at times. This is my favourite Christmas read thus far this year.

If you’re after a raunchy Christmas romance, then this book is for you!
The storyline follows a bad boy versus pure girl as they make a movie together. The main characters are very different people from backgrounds that would normally not bring them together.
This book didn’t really hold my interest, I felt that the sex scenes were more than they needed to be and the connection between the characters was somewhat not real. I wanted to like this story more than I did, maybe if it was not as drawn out, or perhaps just seemed more realistic.

Thank you to Harper Collins, NetGalley and the authors for the opportunity to read this book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A Holly Jolly Ever After
By Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone

Description
Rom Com

This is my first book by these authors.

I really enjoyed this book it had a bit of everything some steamy scenes, humour, character development.
Winnie one of the main characters suffers narcolepsy which I had to google to find out that it's a chronic sleep disorder.

I you enjoy steamy books with opposites attract then I recommend this one.

This was a cute book!
I liked how there wasn’t any second hand embarrassment, but it was funny.
I liked Winnie and her journey.
I liked Kallum.
I did think I needed a little bit more of their background, and maybe a merry little meet cute is needed to fully get that.
I think the production company thing was a bit bizarre, but it brings sierra’s spiciness in.
A cute read.

This contemporary romance didn’t quite hit the mark for me, but it’s likely to succeed with a large number of romance readers.

Winnie Baker is in her thirties, and she’s done everything right all her life. And yet somehow, her life is in ruins: she’s divorced, unemployable, a public laughing stock, living in her friend’s pool house, and estranged from her family.

Winnie is not quite sure who she is now, or what she wants to do now, although she can certainly articulate a few things she doesn’t want. So she’s open to the suggestion that she should make a different kind of movie. She used to be one of the pet stars of the squeaky clean Hope Channel. Now the Channel has a new division – Hope After Dark. And they want Winnie to star in their first movie: a very raunchy “Santa Baby”.

Her co-star will be Kallum Lieberman, former member of the successful boy band INK. She’s met Kallum before, and it wasn’t good. On this second meeting, however, Winnie finds herself looking at him very differently.

One of the minor problems I had with this novel is that it’s pretty obviously a sequel. In terms of the story, this is complete and stands alone. However, it’s clear that many of these characters have appeared in another novel, and there’s an unsettling sense that I was missing things about the characters. This won’t bother readers who’ve read the first Christmas Notch novel, of course. It won’t bother some new readers, either. But it nagged at me a little.

The other minor hiccup is a personal thing – the sex was depicted so explicitly that at times it veered into crude. I personally prefer sex scenes that are a little less forensic. However, many readers will disagree with me. The scenes were well choregraphed and vividly written for those who like this style of writing.

Rather more importantly, I felt the novel was a little unbalanced. It felt like the first two thirds of the novel were all lust, and the development of the relationship was jammed into the last third. It’s a really nice romance, laced with some realistic depictions of problems and hesitations. I would have liked it to be spread a little more evenly through the novel, so that the relationship had more room to flower.

I also thought many interesting possibilities were raised, but then not explored. For example, Winnie has narcolepsy. And I really couldn’t figure out why. It didn’t have a lot to do with the story, and it’s never explored. As far as we’re shown, she never even tells Kallum. This had the potential to be an unique character trait and something that had to be dealt with – but it didn’t go anywhere.

There were a number of similar examples. The authors have given Winnie a really interesting background – and Kallum too, to a large extent. But neither is really explored here, and it feels like a wasted opportunity.

Still, perhaps I’m wanting this novel to be something it’s not. It’s a well written romance that’s heavy on the raunch and will probably delight readers looking for that. The story is self contained and complete, although as noted, there’s a few character things that feel incomplete. While I didn’t love this, plenty of other readers will.

I will publish this review closer to the publication date, and will return here then to add links to the reviews.

This is what I want in a Romance. It was fun, it was challenging, it felt real and was a romance I could see myself going back to time and time again.

The characters were all fun and amazing, they treated each other like people and had interactions I could actually visualise in my mind. The concerns and issues faced by them all were also real, and the drama which the main romance overcame was a real functional issue faced by real functional people. I feel I'm making a big deal about this point, however, it is really important to me to actually believe that authors can write a challenging romance beyond the couple just not talking to each other to create the drama and problem they overcome.

Winnie and Kallum were a dynamic which was wholesome and sexy but supportive all at the same time. Kallum and his relationship with his former band mates was uplifting and fresh. Winnie and her interactions with Addison were funny and heart warming. The way the authors explored sex and the sex industry in this novel was respectful and normalising. I can't say anything more positive about this novel as a whole and I would wholeheartedly be recommending this to people as soon as it releases. I wish I had physical copies already as I would be throwing it at everyone to read.

DNF. This wasn't at all what I was looking for, it's absurd and crass and that's just the opening chapters.
It was not advertised as an erotic novel, I blame myself entirely for not realising what content it would contain taking it entirely on the face value of the beautiful cover and the whimsical cutesy title.

Whoops.

I must say I really didn't enjoy this book. It didn't flow well for me and I found I got a bit bored with it. I'm not a huge romance reader but love some that seem more real and more fun.

Sorry to say this one just didn't work for me.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers Australia for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

What a fantastic follow up to A Merry Little Meet Cute. I was hoping I’d love this one as much as. I certainly did.

We meet Kallum who was in the band INK, now Pizza shop owner and actress Winnie as they meet when Kallum signs on to go star in a film with Winnie after a leaked private video of his goes viral.

Winnie however, has a few secrets which is limiting her performance within the movie and Kallum is ever so eager to help.

I laughed and awwed so many times reading this. I was sad for Winnie and her upbringing and how her life turned out but was so happy when she met Kallum and he was able to bring her out of her repressed shell.

I loved this one, definitely a fan.

A steamy and cute romance with a surprisingly more than a surface level dive into purity culture and how harmful it can be.

What I liked:
The contrast between the charming, yet slightly naive Winnie and the goofy, sweet Kallum who doesn't always think things through.
The "Christmas" setting
The spice and sex lessons.
Disability rep.

What I didn't like:
Parts of twist in the second act
Less comeuppance for Winnie's ex-husband than I would have liked.

Winnie is a former child star who was deep in the purity culture. After her "fall from grace" after a misinterpreted photo of her gets into the press and her divorce from her asshole ex husband, Winnie needs to send her career in a different direction. What better way than with a steamy Christmas holiday movie?

Kallum is the third wheel of his former band INK and has fallen out of the limelight somewhat to run his own pizza business. When a sex tape is leaked, catapulting him back into tabloids. He chooses to capitalise on this by starring in a sexy Santa biopic for the Hope Channel.

I found both Winnie and Kallum to be authentically written and the themes of the book to be well done and not to cliche. All in all a steamy, Christmas themed romp in the snow.