Don't let this cute Christmas cover fool you. This is smut wrapped in a Christmas bow. Literally. I can handle steam, but this was definitely blush worthy. The writing was great and super funny though! I was cracking up most of the time when the MC weren't sexing each other up. I am not too sure on the 'purity culture' trope but I did enjoy Winnie growing into her sexuality. I am all for women empowerment and exploring things in the bedroom. However, I did feel like the second half of the book was written in a different context? I didn't think it flowed with the first half and could've done without it. I kind of rolled my eyes when the "accidental incident" happened. I need to read the first book so I can compare!

I received an ARC of this novel through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I read Merry Little Meet Cute immediately prior to this one and went into with the expectation that it was much like its predecessor. I wasn’t let down and it had a lot of spice but also tackled some tougher subjects. I felt like both novels were a little off putting and look like cute little romance books, but are NOT. They are extra heavy on the spice, thin on plot, and way out there in terms of if these characters could be real people? I think these just weren’t for me, no matter how much I wanted them to be.

While Kallum Lieberman was part of a successful boy band, he always knew he was the least popular member. Still, he had his moments of fame. Now, Kallum owns a pizza chain and occasionally still thinks about the limelight. When an older sex tape of his goes viral, Kallum decides to capitalize on this moment and takes a starring role in a steamy holiday film for the Hope After Dark channel. His costar is his long time crush, Winnie Baker, and Kallum has to figure out how to rein himself in.

Winnie has always done everything that was asked of her. She was a child star when her parents pushed her, she married her childhood boyfriend at the age of 18, and she went along with her parents’ wishes and promised purity until marriage. Now divorced, Winnie is no longer a virgin, but she has never been satisfied and trying to pretend on camera what she has never felt isn’t going so well. Despite Winnie’s prior meetings and issues with Kallum, she is willing to do research for her part and Kallum knows he can’t possibly say no. Remaining professional is important to them both, but now that they’re catching feelings, all of the lines are blurred. Their relationship takes an unexpected turn and Winnie and Kallum will have to navigate what they both want for their future and decide if their attraction to each other is enough for forever.

A Holly Jolly Ever After is the next book in the Christmas Notch series and follows the same theme as the previous books, where the plot is centered around a company that produces more racy Hallmark-style movies. The series so far has been a mix of M/F and M/M pairings. This story is also similar to A Merry Little Meet Cute where Nolan, one of Kallum’s former bandmates, stars in one of the movies and falls for his costar. The idea in that book felt fresher and this book is too similar for me and not nearly as much fun as book two, Snow Place Like LA.

The book has two parts to it and I liked part one better than part two. Kallum and Winnie had met years ago at an awards ceremony, as Winnie was a child star and Kallum was in a successful band. They have a tie in that was the catalyst for Winnie’s “downfall” in the press and Winnie has always thought she didn’t like Kallum, but Kallum always crushed hard on Winnie. Now being costars in an intimate movie, they have some issues to work out. Or they should have some issues to work out, but communication is not their strong point. The main conflict in the first part is that Winnie doesn’t know how to have good fake sex, because she has never had any good real sex, and the pair have great chemistry and work on that part just fine.

There is a lot going on in this book below the surface, but much of it is never fully addressed. I was excited to see that Kallum was Jewish, but that storyline doesn’t really go anywhere and it just comes up a few times that he’s Jewish. Kallum now owns a successful pizza chain and all Winnie can think to ask him is if the restaurant is Kosher. Winnie has a medical condition that is disclosed in the beginning of the book, but for the sake of potential spoilers I won’t name it. However, it has had a huge impact on her life, it always will, and she never tells Kallum about her condition and I have no idea how or why that was overlooked. There is also a storyline with Winnie’s ex-husband that appears and then vanishes and Winnie’s parents then came off to me as two-dimensional characters. The pair get their HEA, but I felt a lot of the fabric holding their story together wasn’t as well constructed.

The book, like the previous stories in the series, opens and closes with Teddy, head of the movie production company, pining over his deep crush and sometimes hook up, Steph, the talent manager, as they have a very short story within the story. Kallum’s other former band mate, Issac, appears here as well, and there may be a story for him or Winnie’s best friend, Addison, that I would be interested in checking out as well, so I do hope there will be more books to return to this series again.

So sadly, this book only kept my interest for the surprising hot moments! I mean- candy canes mean something completely different to me now.
I wanted to love the characters, but things seemed weird and off, and downright immature at times. I can respect the lack of experience and the isolating ideology of Winnie's past, but things just seemed weird after the movie wrapped up.
Not my favorite, but cute enough to get through.

This was a cute spicy romcom that had a surprising amount of depth. I enjoyed the commentary on purity culture. I feel like the book really dragged at the 25% mark & never really picked back up.

Funny, steamy, cheesy and just an overall blast to read in a day. You don't have to read the first book in the Christmas Notch series to enjoy this one!

I was excited to read this after really enjoying the first book in the series. However after reading some reviews that shared about tropes involved in the second part and some other details - I realized unfortunately this one isn’t for me and I won’t be reading/reviewing. Thank you for the opportunity.

I wanted to love this one but the whole porn star film thing was just a lot for me. Especially mixed in with Christmas - just wasn't my vibe.

Though I didn't get to A Merry Little Meet Cute last year, I heard such good things that I leapt at the chance to snag an e-arc of A Holly Jolly Ever After, book #2 in the series. I'm also drawn in by opposites attract, and here for any romance novel that shows someone finding more pleasure in their life.

But I just do not care to read the entirety of a 432-page novel in which a woman who begins to FINALLY have good sex unintentionally gets pregnant, despite using condoms. That plot point is not for me. DNF

The beginning of A Holly Jolly Ever After was hysterical, steamy, and everything I wanted. I laughed out loud so many times and highlighted so many hilarious quotes. I love the "help me find my sexuality" trope. These scenes were so hot! I also loved how Winnie confronted trauma from her oppressively religious upbringing and previous relationship. We love a book that kicks purity culture in the pants!

I didn't love the turn the second half of the book took (the conflict could have been entirely avoided with some simple communication!), but I wanted to find out what happened to the characters. I certainly wasn't expecting Winnie's medical issues (tw for moms who have experienced miscarriages or near-losses pregnancies).

The ending was a bit abrupt--I wish the ending had a little more of Winnie and Kallum's happy ever after. Maybe we'll get to see a bit more of them in the next book, though?

I enjoyed this opportunity to return to Christmas Notch and can't wait to go back for the next book! Julie and Sierra make quite the team.

I loved the first half of this! I loved that Kallum was such a golden retriever with a heart of gold, and I loved Winnie's journey.

All the miscommunication and drama of the second half of the book did get on my nerves by the end and kind of ruined it for me.

Winnie Baker used to be America's Sweetheart, starring in a wholesome family sitcom as a teenager. Now that she's ended her marriage, she's struggling to find work and herself. She's always done the "right" thing, been the good girl, but she's not sure she wants to be that person anymore. Kallum Lieberman is a former boybander from the group INK, and he now lives a quieter life as the owner of a pizza chain in his hometown of Kansas City. When the opportunity arises for the two to star in a spicy adult Chrismas movie, they agree, with a lot of apprehension. Winnie just can't get comfortable filming the more racy scenes, so Kallum offers to tutor her. Can they maintain their strictly professional relationship, or will they find their holly jolly ever after together?

This type of book is not my typical read, but after the hype for A Merry Little Meet Cute (which I couldn't get my hands on through Libby, too many other people wanted it), I wanted to give it a try. I'm so glad I did! The story is adorable, very Hallmark but **spicy**. I love love LOVE Julie Murphy, and now I am a fan of Sierra Simone too. I hope they continue to team up to write more lovely holiday romances <3

I received this arc courtesy of NetGalley, in return for my honest review.

Kallum may not be the INK member everyone falls for, but he's the one before 'the one'. When he lands a role to work with Winnie Baker now his chance to be 'the one' but can Winnie overcome her purity culture and embrace her true self?
Love Christmas Notch and hope to get more of this series!
I received an ARC and this is my honest review.

What's the opposite of a slow-burn? This book is super spicy and a lot of fun. Great to see the interfaith representation!

4.5 stars. A very merry return to the world of Christmas Notch. This time our costars are Winnie and Kallum. She's a buttoned-up good girl trying to rehab the image her ex-boyfriend has besmirched in the press. He's the former boy band member who owns a popular local pizza chain. Together they're about to make a very NSFW holiday movie in a charming little town. Hijinks ensue.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

I really liked the previous installment in this series but this one fell a little flat. You can tell two authors wrote it and not in a good way. The first half of the book is great, it definitely started out as a 5 star for me but around the 60% mark it all went downhill very quickly and for very little apparent reason. It's also incredibly long for also very little reason? Overall it was just fine as a reading experience but frustrating because everything wrong with it seemed to be an easy fix (just cut out the last 150 pages).

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon/Harper Voyager for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this read a lot. Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone have written another fun romance! I liked how this one featured someone exploring themselves and sexuality later in life, as I feel this is something that happens to more people than we think. My biggest criticism of the novel is the surprise pregnancy. I was wary when I first read it, thinking it could just be used as a plot device to draw the characters apart and then back together. I didn't really appreciate that part of the story, but I did like that the authors did include some nuance to this plot line, but discussing options and exploring the reactions of more than just the main characters. Overall, a recommended read and purchase.

Christmas Notch is the place to be once again! I love this place, the movies they make there, and, of course, the peeps in the movies. Which this time is Kallum, former member of a boy band (and Nolan’s bestie) and Winnie, former virtuous family-friendly star. They are on two different levels (life experience-wise) but it’s so much fun reading their journey together. Sexy, spark-y, and tons of chemistry. Not to mention the humor & fun that’s always comes from Sierra & Julie. A must read & an add on to the re-read list!

Pros: The main characters, Winnie and Kallum were interesting and I appreciated how they each had their own unique backstories. I really liked that Kallum was a bigger guy (it’s still rare to see a fat male romance character) but that his body wasn’t a focal point of the story. Winnie’s purity past was fascinating and I think Simone and Murphy did a great job in showing the effects of religious trauma and how hard it is to unlearn things from your past. Like the previous book in the series, the town of Christmas Notch was adorable and for the most part, the supporting characters were great. I also believed the attraction between Winnie and Kallum and appreciated that the second half of the book focused on how to make a relationship work between two people who are very different.

Cons: Where to begin? The writing was kind of a mess, with characters popping in and out as if we, the reader, were supposed to know their backstories. The first half of this book was GREAT and then the second half went completely off the rails. I didn’t mind the surprise (not so surprising) twist half-way through, it was the other stuff that I didn’t like. The rewrites and different ending for the movie out of nowhere? Winnie’s parents just coming back into her life all of a sudden? Her ex-husband showing up? None of it felt cohesive. And don’t get me started on Winnie’s narcolepsy which is mentioned a few times but has no bearing or significance to the story whatsoever. What was the point?

Another fun, very sexy Hope Channel book!! I loved bring in this world, the small town where they film, and with some returning characters! I hope there's a third!