Fun, fresh, and fiery! This book is a lovely edition to the Christmas Notch world and is such fun!

Spicy and flirty and full of romance!

This was an absurdly cute, ridiculously sweet romcom with a really heartfelt message about "uninventing yourself" and shedding the expectations that others put on you. Winnie is trying to free herself from the shackles of being the fallen pin -up girl of purity culture when she's cast as Mrs. Claus opposite Kallum, "the funny one" from INK, Santa Claus, in the Hope Channel After Dark's Santa biopic. Christmas Notch works its sexy magic on our lovebirds as slow burn turns to sex lessons turns to love.
It's bonkers, madcap fun with just the right amount of angst. and tons of Christmas spice. You're guaranteed to have a thing for red velvet and dad bods by the time you're done.

Kallum is a former boy band member turned pizza store owner who has recently had an untick in fame after the release of his sex tape. Winnie, who is famous for starring in a wholesome sitcom as a child, was known for her religious values…that is, until she divorced her childhood sweetheart. Ready to shake things up and get back into showbusiness, Kallum and Winnie are cast to co-star in a sexy Santa movie. Things get spicy after inexperienced Winnie, who is having trouble faking on-screen chemistry, enlists the help of Kallum for “research” purposes. When the distinction between “fake” chemistry and real feelings starts to blur, Kallum and Winnie must decide if their budding relationship can survive the real world after filming wraps.

A Holly Jolly Ever After is a spicy Christmas romance and whilst it’s a companion novel to Murphy and Simone’sA Merry Little Meet Cute, but can be read as a standalone. This would be perfect for fans of books like The Roommate by Rosie Danan, Window Shopping by Tessa Bailey, There’s Something about Merry by Codi Hall, A Photo Finish by Elsie Silver, The Nanny by Lana Ferguson, Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon, The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun, or Breakaway by Grace Reilly. Tropes in A Holly Jolly Ever After include spice coaching, good girl with bad boy, workplace romance, and accidental pregnancy. Important themes and topics present include religion, reputation, family and parenthood, appearance versus reality, female roles, sexuality, self worth, trust, miscommunication, marriage and divorce, body image, and narcolepsy. Potential trigger warnings to consider are cheating and complications during pregnancy.

A Holly Jolly Ever After is split into two parts. Part one of the book was enjoyable as it focused more on the emerging workplace romance between Kallum and Winnie, and their spicy “research”, whilst filming the movie. I personally thought that part one could have been the plot of the entire book as I found it to be more entertaining and engaging than part two. The second part changes the trajectory of the story and focuses more on the main characters struggling with some major life changes, but some readers may find it drags in comparison to part one. The prologue and epilogue of the book were somewhat odd as they focused on two side characters instead of the main characters and they didn’t feel relevant to the overall plot.

Even though I had some mixed feelings about this book, all of the Christmas and pizza related puns used throughout the book were fantastic as they added a touch of humour. The “Christmassy” film setting was delightful and thought that it was cool that, in part one, we get a a bit of a “behind the scenes look” at what goes into filming a movie. Lastly, there are some swoony and heartwarming moments at the end of the book that I think fellow romance readers will appreciate.

A Holly Jolly Ever After ended up being a lot more explicitly spicy than I was expecting. So, if you’re looking for a Christmas book with lots of steamy scenes, then you should definitely check out A Holly Jolly Ever After!

🄰 🄷🄾🄻🄻🅈 🄹🄾🄻🄻🅈 🄴🅅🄴🅁 🄰🄵🅃🄴🅁 🄱🅈

𝔸ℝℂ ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨

𝕋𝕣𝕠𝕡𝕖𝕤 / 𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕥𝕠 𝔼𝕩𝕡𝕖𝕔𝕥
Holiday Romance
Second Chance
Celebrity Romance
Fake Relationship
Romantic Comedy
Forced Proximity

ℝ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘- ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
𝕊𝕡𝕚𝕔𝕖- 🌶️.5

ᴀᴠᴀɪʟᴀʙʟᴇ - 10/10

I wanted to like this I really did but ugh I just could not get into it. I felt no connection to any of the characters. Something just felt missing half the time and unfinished.

I also wouldn’t really call it a holiday romance, they were only filming a movie set during Christmas.

Returning to Christmas Notch is always a pleasure, and with this book, it feels better than ever.

The story follows Kallum, a former boy band member who now owns a pizzeria and has a sex tape. Kallum is the star of a new Hope Channel movie filmed in Christmas Notch. Joining him is Winnie, a former child star struggling to break free from the purity culture in which she grew up.

Winnie, recently divorced and disgraced, suffers from narcolepsy and has never experienced an orgasm. For the film's sex scenes, she needs help from her and decides to watch Kallum's sex tape as part of her "investigation" of her. However, even after watching the tape, Winnie continues to struggle and asks Kallum to help her with her problem. Kallum, who has been in love with Winnie for a long time, cannot refuse to help her.

The chemistry between them is undeniable and the love scenes are intense and exciting. Look, it has a trope that almost no one likes, and I love it, so that was a win for me!!!

This is a fun and emotional read that will make you laugh and cry (but mostly laugh). Now, while this has all the vibes of a Christmas book, it's only because they're filming a Christmas movie, nothing more. Although yes, I can't deny that I felt all the vibes of this beautiful season while reading it.

Reading these two authors is always a pleasure and I can't wait for the next book in this series!

Thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!!

What a fun return to Christmas Notch! This time we get to see ex-pop star current pizza man/sex tape god Kallum Lieberman get his HEA while joining the Teddy Fletcher universe.

Kallum embodies the cinnamon role hero with strong golden retriever energy. I just loved him even when he couldn’t stop sticking his foot in his mouth. But Winnie Baker … whew. Winnie Baker resonated so strongly with me with her upbringing absolutely steeped in purity culture and her fight to deconstruct that. The way her experiences are written demonstrate that either Sierra or Julie (or both!) have been there and wrote from experience. I did not love the second act plot twist but it did redeem itself a bit in the end. I wished Winnie would have been more open to Kallum’s attempts to communicate (however clumsily) and given him more grace earlier on in their story.

Content flags that could be potential spoilers: the purity culture references are strong so if those are triggering for you, read with care. There’s also accidental pregnancy with a miscarriage scare.

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Ex-boy band member turned pizza mogul Kallum is set to star in a sexy Santa movie after gaining notoriety after a sex-tape was leaked. Former child actor and all-around good girl Winnie is in a tough spot following her divorce and an illness that prevented her from starring in last year’s Christmas movie, and is now given the opportunity to rebrand herself by co-starring with Kallum. She’s super hesitant at first, but finally decides to give it a try. Upon her first meeting with Kallum and the movie’s intimacy coordinator, Winnie soon realizes she’s totally in over her head and has no idea how to portray sexual satisfaction on screen (having never experienced it off screen). She’s got plenty of homework to do there, but her super conservative purity-based upbringing is definitely creating a lot of blocks there. Kallum has his own insecurities of being the least sought after boy band member and always being looked at as a hook-up rather than relationship material. He’s totally excited to work with Winnie after having had a crush on her since they were teenagers. With Winnie’s insecurities in the bedroom, she asks Kallum to help her in that department, agreeing that it’s all for the sake of research and her performance in the movie. There’s definitely a lot of steam in this book, as Kallum takes on the role of tutor for Winnie. While the physical attraction between Winnie and Kallum definitely exists, neither of them are sure about their long-term compatibility, being total opposites in personality and in family dynamics. It’s takes a bit of emotional growth for both of them: for Winnie to learn to trust someone and for Kallum to behave a bit more responsibly. A super humorous read with tons of support from our favorite characters from Book 1 of the series.

This book was the perfect blend of funny, spicy, and heartfelt. I loved the idea of a "after dark" version of a Christmas movie, and the first half of the book while they were filming had me cracking up.

I loved Kallum and Winnie and how much they grew throughout the story. The development of their relationship during the story felt very real.

Overall, I really liked this holiday romcom. It was a little on the longer size and felt like some of it could have been dialed back a little bit.

This was a super fun, forced proximity, coworker romance that takes place on the set of a steamy holiday romance movie and sees recent divorcee and full-blown Christian actress Winnie taking on a new role in a steamy adult holiday movie with the former pop-star who helped trash her teenage reputation. Looking to finally enjoy the pleasures of orgasm, Winnie lets adult film star, Kallum teach her how to come while they fall for each other on set. Perfect for fans of Olivia Dade and great on audio, this was a standout holiday romcom that I loved on audio!! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!!

Are you an elder millennial who loves all things 90s? Have you ever had or are currently working on your own religious trauma? Do you want to have a smutty good time while reading about Christmas hallmark movies? Well have I got the book for you!
This Christmas rom com had me in all the feels. The amount of times I cried over the coming to grips with religious trauma and relationships was….a lot. This book was also incredibly funny and sexy. Maybe even better than the first book in the series?
Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins for the ARC!
Hopefully Santa will bring book 3 next summer of Isaac and his bodyguard!!!!!! 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼

This second in the series has not disappointed. It is a feisty and entertaining story. Kallum is a member of the former boy band INK and now the owner of a pizza operation in his hometown. He is a wild child who is not afraid to live life to the fullest. Winnie is the total opposite. She has been repressed her entire life and just recently divorced the man she married at 18. The story becomes full of achingly funny scenes as the two characters renew their acquaintances and build a relationship. It is a page turning and wonderful story that readers will enjoy.

A spicy, sometimes steamy novel about two people trying to change their lives while making a Christmas movie. Winnie's struggling with the fact that she's never felt really free because of the purity culture she grew up in. She managed to avoid all the problems of a child star but she didn't have fun. Kallum, who was in a boy band, had too much fun and now he's leveraging a newly viral sex tape to get back into movie business. While the romance and intimacy parts of this might get the most attention, there's also a good theme about becoming your true self. Winnie's narcolepsy adds an interesting angle to her character. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. A light read that has a few twists.

My teen romcom loving heart absolutely adores Winnie Baker & Kallum💕 I mean what’s sweeter than meeting your teen crush?? How about hanging out & figuring out life together!

Christmas Notch weaves its Christmas magic with Winnie & Kallum. What starts out as research turns into so much more. We get to see sweet Winnie’s vulnerability & we get to see Kallum become the type of man he wants to be.

I love the Liebermans!! The whole dang fam is cool. I love that they support Kallum no matter what. Even when they are possibly disappointed they still give him nothing but positivity. Bubbie Jo & Poppy for the grandparent win!

A Holly Jolly Ever After is definitely a five Peppermint Stick read. Winnie Baker & Kallum ride that peppermint magic into a sweet HEA🎅🏻🤶🏻

These keep getting campyer and better with each story. Christmas Notch is absolutely the most amazing place where the most amazing magic happens-be it love, laughter, chaos or the elusive O's. Plenty of all of this throughout the story that had me laughing so hard nearly all the way through. But, more the humor, there is a seriousness that is perhaps unexpected but also turns out to be crucial life lesson. Being yourself is hard sometimes, but living other people's expectations of you is infinitely more difficult. Shaking loose the chains of the past, whatever it may be holding you back, is the only way to live a fulfilling life. Winnie and Kallum learn this the hard way, but their journey is a beautiful one in the end. And the steam? PLENTIFUL indeed. Squirmingly plentiful!

This is the first book of this series I have read, and it was easily read as a standalone and ends with a HEA. The bulk of the book is written in first person, alternating between Winnie and Kallum’s POV. The prologue and the epilogue are written in third person from Teddy’s POV.
Winnie’s character was very interesting to me. She grew up as a child star raised deep in the Purity culture. Married at 18 and always doing what she could to please everyone but herself, she is now 32, recently divorced, and ready to take control of her own life. Part one of the book was very engaging as Winnie makes deliberate decisions to counter her upbringing. There are a lot of emotions she must deal with along the way, especially regarding her estrangement from her parents. Inside, she will always be a child seeking parental love and harmony. As an adult, she fully recognizes the boundaries necessary for her own mental and physical health. It was fascinating. I loved reading as she learns about her body, her desires, her needs, and feels the many emotions that are new to her with Kallum.
Kallum is a little bit of an overgrown kid. He is the fun, big, teddy bear of a guy who always looks for the bright side. At times, he acts without fully considering the consequences. I really felt for his character. He is already half in love with Winnie before they ever start filming the movie. As he helps her learn about her body by meeting the needs that were never met before, there was never a chance that he wouldn’t be all-in for her. I loved him, but he and Winnie do not have an easy path to their HEA. He must prove to her that he can be the reliable adult she needs him to be. She must let go of preconceptions of what her life was going to be and embrace him and their found family to form a new version of the future of her dreams.
This was super steamy with several explicit scenes. Winnie’s awakening and Kallum’s commitment to her pleasure was wonderful to read. Part two of the book takes a twist into what is actually one of my favorite tropes. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel like I got very much of Winnie and Kallum together on the page in part two. They are each on their own journey and are interacting, but readers do not get the details of very many of those interactions. I would have loved to see more of them together as they navigate their relationship and prepare for their future. To me, that is what makes that particular trope so enjoyable to read. I would have rather seen them truly building something together before their HEA. The ending felt very quick, even though the book was long. I felt like that was because it went from tension through most of part two to “Boom-happy ending.” Overall, this was an enjoyable read that is only holiday because they are filming a holiday movie. (Most of the book takes place outside the actual holiday season.) I am still going to consider it my first holiday read of this season.

A HOLLY JOLLY EVER AFTER – Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone
Avon
ISBN: 978-0063222649
October 10, 2023
Romantic Comedy

Christmas Notch, Vermont – Present Day

Winnie Baker has been an actress for as long as she can remember. She co-starred in a family faith-based series that ran for years. Her family was religious, and she followed their beliefs by marrying her co-star, Michael. But after ten years, the marriage ended when she discovered that Michael was cheating on her. Her family is unhappy with her decision to divorce, so she has little contact with them. Meanwhile, Winnie has built a career as an adult filming Christmas TV movies and is currently employed by the Hope Channel. But after their recent foray into a racier romance theme, they want Winnie to star in one. She agrees and only learns later that her co-star will be former boy band star and notorious sex tape star, Kallum Lieberman. The problem is that Kallum played a major role in getting Winnie labeled a trashy teen after the video music awards years ago.

Kallum has built a life after music by opening a small chain of pizza restaurants in Kansas City. However, the chance to act and star in a movie for the Hope Channel is too good to turn down. The publicity, plus his past, will be good for business. He also has a reputation for having sex with bridesmaids at weddings. It is just a bad habit of his, and one was even videotaped, and it went viral. Instead of being embarrassed, Kallum copyrighted the video, and it is available everywhere. He remembers Winnie well from their teen years because he has had a crush on her since way back when. Working for Winnie is going to be a dream come true.

Winnie and Kallum seem like a mismatched couple in A HOLLY JOLLY EVER AFTER, but they are really like two riders in a storm looking for love. Kallum learns shortly after arriving that Winnie isn’t sure how she can do a movie that will require love scenes because she has never had a real orgasm. He caught her watching his sex video and decided to offer to help her out with her problem. It is purely using his fingers, but he is successful. Of course, she wants more “assistance.” Winnie and Kallum are soon embarking on a full-fledged “friends with benefits” affair. The man is definitely talented in the sex department and Winnie is enjoying herself.

There are plenty of sex scenes in A HOLLY JOLLY EVER AFTER as Winnie and Kallum get it on a lot. Of course, they are trying to keep it a secret because the paparazzi would go crazy if they found out squeaky clean Winnie was sleeping with wild bad boy Kallum. Adding flavor to the tale is the filming crew and friends of our couple. Readers will get a behind-the-scenes look at what goes on at movie sets. But most of the action is between Kallum and Winnie as they become more attracted to each other. Once the movie filming is over, will they go their separate ways?

An amusing and sexy tale right from the start, A HOLLY JOLLY EVER AFTER will tickle your funny bone as Winnie and Kallum stumble their way to falling in love.

Patti Fischer
Romance Reviews Today

A Holly Jolly Ever After by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone is a spicy holiday rom-com that tells the story of Kallum, a former boy-band star who runs a pizza shop, and Winnie, an actress.

The book is a charming holiday romp that is engaging, unputdownable, and full of good cheer. The authors have created a magical world that is perfect for the holiday season. The witty dialogue and quirky and fun characters make the book a joy to read. Kallum and Winnie's chemistry is electric, and their banter is hilarious.

The perfect combination of naughty and nice makes the book a great read for those who enjoy holiday rom-coms with a spicy twist. The authors have done an excellent job of balancing the steamy scenes with the heartwarming moments. The writing style is sexy, progressive, and hilarious. The authors have created a world that is inclusive and diverse, which is refreshing to see in a holiday romance.

Overall, A Holly Jolly Ever After is a recommended read for those who enjoy holiday rom-coms. The book is a joy to read, and the authors have done an excellent job of creating a magical world that is perfect for the holiday season.

Both Winnie and Kallum spent their formative years under the spotlight, her the darling of an inspirational (Read: religious) movie studio and him as the least popular member of a hit band. When he took a photo of her he where thought she looked cute, it gets tossed into the media world completely out of context. Just one of the ways her reputation is tarnished with through no fault of her own.

Fast forward, she's left the cheating husband she’d been pushed towards all those years ago and rebuilding her life and career on her terms. First step is a racy movie, costarring none other than Kallum who is weighing decisions about the future of his pizza empire against trying to revive his own fame.

Like I said after reading book one - this one is also “Fun, flirty, a little bit dirty” …more than a little bit, honestly!
More than that, it is also a well-deserved middle finger to purity culture, and love letter to all who have been through it and come out the other side (no little thanks to some education and a lot of therapy)
And even though this one surprised me with a trope I normally avoid like the plague - not saying which because it’s a spoiler - I still regret nothing.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon/Harper voyager for the arc!

Absolutely loved this story! Julie and Sierra have magic in their fingers to be able to write easy, sexy, and gut wrenching stories! These characters come to life in their books with real issues, funny characters, and enough sexy times to make your heart race!
Kallum was just as awesome as when we first met him in the first book. Winnie was so naive and held back from her controlling family and just wants to figure out life for once on her own terms. Kallum was eagerly along for the ride and made her feel safe and wanted.
The secondary characters were of course awesome and were great to see again. Can’t wait to see if there may be another Christmas Notch book in the works!

Thank you very much for the opportunity to read this book early! I really enjoyed it. I thought the writing was very well done, and the story kept me interested. I believe my students/patrons would also love this book and will be acquiring it for the library!