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!

Kallum and Winnie’s story is total delight. These characters are totally likable, lovable , and charming. The dialogue and witty banter had me invested in their relationship and rooting for them all the way! The romance sizzles as they can’t keep their hands off one another, but Winnie still had much to overcome from past heartache.

Retuning to Christmas Notch for another holiday film with our favorite not so Hallmark film family! This time it’s Kallum, former member of INK, and now owner of Slice, Slice Baby pizza. He jumped at the idea of starring in his own movie after his band mate had such a success with his own movie. His co-star will be Winnie Baker. She was the all-around girl next door until she was hit with scandal. She’s starred in several movies for the network, and now she sees her opportunity to rejuvenate her career. The only problem is, this movie is like nothing she’s done before. It’s a more adult movie for the network to launch Notch After Dark. When she confides in Kallum that she’s not sure she can actually go through with the nature of the film, he takes it as his own personal task to get Winnie through this film. Winnie wants to prove to everyone that she’s more than the squeaky clean person that everyone “knows”.
As usual, Julie and Sierra knock it out of the park. Christmas Notch tends to bring joy to all!

I absolutely loved A Holly Jolly Ever After! It was so cute, sweet and funny but still plenty spicy. Kallum is the best book boyfriend ever and not because he's perfect but because he's not. He's rocking a dad bod, considers himself not relationship material and finds himself accidentally hurting the woman he loves without even realizing. He's also super supportive, protective and genuine; just all around a good guy. I loved his character. Winnie is also very lovable and it was great reading about her journey to find herself and lose the feelings of shame that she was taught by her parents, ex-husband and Hollywood about her image, actions and the act of sex itself. The authors explore family dynamics, industry expectations/sexism and much more in this festive romance novel and it was very body positive and sex positive which I love to see. The writing style was humorous but the sweet scenes were genuine and the spicy scenes were well written. I highlighted so many great lines on my kindle! I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good romance with holiday feels, he falls first, co-stars with benefits and spicy scenes both real and scripted(:

Don't wait for the holidays to read, check it out now!
Thank you NetGalley & Avon for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was a huge fan of A Merry Little Meet Cute and was so pumped when I heard that book two would be out for this holiday season! Winnie and Kallum were so sweet and together and I adored them. Their vulnerability, love, and heat were what I love to see in romance. Since it’s a Julia and Sierra book, there’s plenty of 🔥 spice 🔥 to go around and holiday themed everything. Plus, I LOVED the takedown of purity culture that was SO prevalent in the past…it was as messed up IRL as it is in the book, though it sounds absolutely wild to read it now. I received an advanced reading copy, receipt of which did not impact my review.

This was a fun sequel to A Merry Little Meet Cute. Winnie is a great character and I really liked how this book dove right into purity culture and the struggle some people have to go through to overcome that sort of religious trauma. It was great to see Winnie learn to love her body and the way it can make her feel. I also really liked how supportive Kallum was of Winnie throughout this process. He did his best not to make her feel bad about her lack of knowledge and tried to make her feel comfortable both on screen and off. I couldn't help rooting for him to become more than just practice for Winnie.

4.5/5 stars
So excited to be back in Christmas Notch! This book was hilarious, swoony, and spicy.

Holly Jolly Ever After tells the love story of a disgraced good girl actress raised in purity culture and a former boy bander with a spicy home movie & chain of pizza stores making an “after dark” style holiday movie. Both are slightly uncomfortable in their new film roles, but both have reasons to accept the project to further their careers. This book is a standalone, but characters from past books do appear.

I couldn’t stop laughing while reading this book. Spicy lessons is one of my favorite tropes. There were so many awkwardly hilarious moments as Winnie figured out what she liked. I almost died of second hand embarrassment when Kallum caught Winnie experimenting to his movie, but swooned as he raced in and “came” to the rescue. I also loved how Winnie would give herself pep talks and remind herself to be a “brave little toaster.”

I can’t wait to see where the series goes next.

A Holly Jolly Ever After is the second book in the Christmas Notch series from Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone. It can be read as a standalone, but there are a number of characters from here you meet in the first book.

Kallum, a former boyband member, is ready to step back into the spotlight with a starring role in a Christmas movie. His costar is Winnie, a former child star, who did everything right but is still dealing with the fallout from her divorce from her cheating ex-husband. The two of them connect while filming and find that the chemistry they share isn't just on screen. I liked the dual POV here as you get to see their individual growth in addition to their growing feelings for one another.

The authors did a nice job with the pacing of the story and relationship development. I think this is my favorite book in the series so far.

I have enjoyed reading these two authors and what they collaborate to come up with is fun and new. I was looking forward to this one.

A return to Christmas Notch, this time around I will really looking forward to see what was yet to come and it did not disappoint.

The story introduces us to Kallum, a former boy band member who left "show business" to run his own pizzeria who happens to have a sex tape. Kallum is the star of a new Hope Channel movie filmed in Christmas Notch (YAY!).

Winnie, recently divorced has her own baggage is a costar and is struggling to find her way and she looks to do research on meeting expectations by watching Kallum's sex tape, hoping this will bring some answers and inspiration she is looking for. Kallum, we find out happens to have had feelings for Winnie for a long time, cannot refuse her ask help her.

The chemistry is off the charts and this is a fun and emotional read. I think it was a good add to the series and truly, who does not love a Christmas themed book this time of year! It has all the feels....

This is the story of Winnie and Kallum. Winnie is an actress whose reputation has been tarnished and gets offered a job to star in a sexy movie, which is in contrast to her her previously wholesome image. Kallum is her costar in the movie. They have to film many sexy scenes together. Winnie is very awkward and stiff during these scenes so she asks Kallum to coach her in the sex department. One thing leads to another... I enjoyed this book and recommend it if you're looking for a light hearted romance.

Kallum is a prior member of INK. It's a band that him and his two best friends started back when they were still in high school. Kallum loved touring and singing with his best friends; however, he always felt like the third wheel in a sense. He was the heavier, less talented one of the three so he made up for it by being the fun loving guy who didn't mind "helping" bridesmaids by being the good luck charm to finding their forever love. (There might be a naughty tape involved.)

Winnie grew up with purity drilled into her from not only her parents but the church. She married her husband right after turning eighteen and thought they would be together forever....until he cheated on her. Everyone tried to talk her into fixing things with her husband but there was a new Winnie on the horizon and she was going to start making choices and decisions for herself.

Winnie needed to find a way to get her life back on track after her image became tarnished. She wasn't the pretty little pure good girl anymore. Then in walks Steph, the perfect manager to turn the scandal into a new image and the money that Winnie desperately needed. So off to Christmas Notch to film a risqué Christmas movie opposite Kallum...the one man that started the downfall of Winnie's perfect image.

One of the first things you learn about Winnie is that she is so pure (thanks to her upbringing) that she had never explored all the possibilities in the bedroom. Even though she was married for over a decade, she never finished. Now she was filming a movie that required she fake it on screen and well that was not good. Not to mention her male costar is a viking come to life. Big hands, thick thighs and a beard. Attraction definitely wasn't their problem but the mental block that Winnie faced was sad in my opinion.

As someone who grew up in the church community, I totally get Winnie's struggles. There is a constant drilling into young women's head about purity. This book really dives deep into that. Seeing Winnie struggle to overcome those burdens is extremely relatable to a lot of women. What I truly loved to read about was Kallum's understanding and support when it came to those struggles.

The book is in two parts and I think the plot develops a bit more in part two. However, I feel as though the conflict that Winnie and Kallum face is kind of childish and not really realistic. As in, if it was a conflict that an actual couple in their thirties faced it would have been discussed and figured out within minutes probably. However, in the book it is drawn out and made to be more than it was. That's why I gave it a four star rating.

The spice is great in the book. Winnie had never "finished" and Kallum was the first to get her there but then they took the "research" to a whole new level for her. She pretty much lives out her teenage craze in her thirties because she finally realizes what she missed out on. Kallum was definitely the right partner for that as well.

Overall, it was a great book. You get spice, real life struggles, a caring MMC and of course plenty of Christmas. You should definitely add it to your winter TBR.

Love the shenanigans that happen in this little town of Christmas Notch, Vermont. Daddy Pizza Kallum is such a lovable , kind hearted , man-child. He is the K member of the INK boy band. He has his own insecurities that actually pull at your heart strings. And then we have Winnie the wholesome, god fearing, Hope Channel actress who fell from grace. And now she is on a path to the new Winnie with Hope after Dark. She has lived so long with her insecurities that she needs a teacher to help with her research. What entanglements can possible happen? Of course all the crew and family are back filming Santa Baby. This story and their journey to be together is EVERYTHING I didn’t know I needed. Just when I thought I couldn’t LOVE Kallum anymore he goes and sets the bar so high I can’t see anyone replacing my adoration for him. And Winnie, I can’t say enough from my wanting to hug her to yelling YEAH GIRL🖤🖤🖤. I love this riff raff of characters and the family they’ve become. And ummmm Isaac??? What’s up?

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: October 10, 2023

A very open door romcom that somehow blends Hallmark holiday movies and…softcore porn movies? I was intrigued by the premise of this opposites attract story and Kallum is lovely but I really struggled with Winnie’s character. She comes from a very conservative sexual past—she is in her 30s and has never had an orgasm—and it was borderline uncomfortable with how little she knew and how uncomfortable she was.l with everything. Then she suddenly isn’t and she’s down for everything a few days later. A bit of whiplash but plenty of steam!

A Holly Jolly Ever After is a frothy, fun and lightly steamy rom-com that is not too much on the "com", just the perfect balance with some lightly serious elements for an enjoyable, low-stress read. This is the second full-length book (there is a first full book and a novella before it) set in the Christmas Notch world.
Technically speaking, they do standalone, but the secondary and tertiary characters are not developed enough on their own in this book without having met them before in at least book one.
The hero of this one is Kallum, the best friend and fellow former boy band member of the hero from book one, Nolan, and he is just about the warmest, sweetest, kindest hero I've ever read. He is adorable, and a perfect counterpart to heroine Winnie, who is finally emerging from a lifetime of repression and controlling at the hands of her parents and ex-husband. I also loved Kallum's family and all of their appearances.
The book overall is probably more telling than showing, but it's the kind that works because the voices of the characters as they tell us are so interesting and the writing so intelligent.
The book/plot is not holiday-based, and a holiday does not even occur in it, but the movie they are filming is set in Christmas Notch, Vermont, a town deliberately Christmas-themed to cater to a Hallmark channel-esque movie production company and to Christmas-loving tourists.
I was happy to see the third boy band member, the sad one!, make an appearance in this one again. I am super eager for his book, especially following what occurred during his appearance.
So, again, a perfectly balanced contemporary romance with steam, definitely recommended if you are in the mood for that, and I actually liked this one more than book one so if you don't mind not having the side characters' backgrounds you could jump right to this one if you have a mind to.

We are absolutely going to work our way through all of INK and I certainly can't wait for another trip to Christmas Notch. While Winnie and Kallum are a bit more reserved than their predecessors, they're every bit as raunchy and dirty behind closed doors. This one certainly had a bit more religious trauma involved though and I felt so bad for Winnie. There's also a trope that I don't think everyone will enjoy, as well as some triggers that I feel like should've been disclosed.

Overall though, a cute and sexy holiday romance as usual!

*Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

Winnie is trying to start fresh after events have led to her "tarnished" reputation. She has decided to film a movie that is different from anything she has done in the past, a sexy Santa film. Kallum is a former member of INK and has also decided to be in the sexy Santa film. After admitting that she needs a little help with some things pertaining to the movie, Winnie asks Kallum for some advice. He tells her to do some research, but after some trouble with solo research, she asks him to help her. They do lots of research and enjoy their time while filming. Things start to heat up and feelings develop, but are they mutual or just one-sided?
I enjoyed this story and being back in Christmas Notch. I like how they both worked through their personal issues in order to be together. Winnie needed some time to find herself and really know what she wanted to do, for herself.

**Received an ARC and give my honest review**

Welcome back to Christmas Notch!!! Take a load off and settle in for all the laugh out loud moments and all the steamy sexy times!!

The stars of this Teddy Ray Fletcher Christmas holiday movie are Kallum Lieberman and Winnie Baker! He's a former boy band member/pizza mogul, and she's the uber wholesome actress since childhood....until she doesn't seem so wholesome. They are set to star in a Hope After Dark movie, aka a steamier Hope Channel movie. The only issue? Winnie needs some adult education! Kallum is more than happy to be her teacher.

Oh, these two are fantastic together! I absolutely loved A Holly Jolly Ever After!!

This is the second book in this series, and this is Kallum and Winnie’s story. Winnie a recently divorced actress, and Kallum, who is a former boy band member, reunite as co-stars for a steamy holiday film.
This is a well written opposites attract slow burn romance, with humor, witty banter, forced proximity, fun, and is a sweet and steamy addictive page turner.
I look forward to reading more from these talented authors’ whose work I highly recommend.

4.5 out of 5 stars!

I loved this visit back to Christmas Notch! Meeting your teenage crush is one thing, but working closely with them is quite literally on a different eve. Kallum and Winnie are trying to resurrect their careers/redeem their bad publicity by acting in a soft core Christmas TV movie. Having been raised in the the purity culture, Winnie is all kinds of awkward on camera. She enlists Kallum to be her tutor. The acting soon turns to real feelings, conflicted but real nonetheless. I was rooting for Kallum and Winnie to get their HEA. I loved how Kallum jumped in with both feet and how loving and supportive his family was no matter how many times he messed up. On the other hand, I felt for Winnie and how her parents were not accepting of who she was. I appreciated how the authors wove in Winnie’s disability, given insight to how narcolepsy can affect the individuals who live with it. I loved seeing the characters from the first book and how the authors wove them into this story. It’s one big found family.

I received a copy of this book at my request and voluntarily left this review.

Welcome back to Christmas Notch! I LOVED A Merry Little Meet Cute and couldn't wait to get my hands on this one!

After a tough divorce, Winnie is ready for a big comeback and what better way to do it than a steamy Christmas move?!? Enter Kaullum, former boy band, ready to rehab his image after a not so timely leak of a sex tape.

These characters are absolutely delightful and so so easy to love and root for! And it STEAMY with a lot of chemistry!! I loved the body positivity in this one too! And A+ to the take on purity culture 🤮

The second half took me a little by surprise, but loved it overall!