Decided to DNF- seemed liek a hallmark movie and nothing too original. Couldn't connect with the characters either

Back in Christmas Notch with Jingle Bell Mingle by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone! This third installment had me laughing and tearing up – such a perfect mix of humor and heart. Revisiting this series was like coming home for the holidays. If you’re in the mood for festive fun and feels, this is the perfect cozy read! #JingleBellMingle #ChristmasNotchSeries #HolidayReads 🎄

I read this book in one sitting. It was quick and easy. I was looking for a light Christmas book with spice added in. I liked the characters chemistry.

✅ Book 3 in a set of 🌶️ Christmassy/wintery books. You don’t need to read them in order necessarily but probably more fun if you do. Also probably easier to figure out who all the characters are in the prologue
✅ Sunny (blocked writer) & Issac (widower, retired boy band member)
✅ dual POV
✅ second chance romance
✅ cozy mystery quest
🌶️: yes. As with all the books in the series, this one is very sex positive

overview:
in the heart of Christmas Notch, we follow the story of Isaac and Sunny, who’ve both been memorable side characters along the way. Isaac, a former boy band member, has secluded himself in a mansion here, mourning his wife’s passing for the last five years. meanwhile, Sunny has returned to celebrate her best friend’s wedding and work on her screenplay, a project she’s determined to bring to life. when her motel room becomes uninhabitable, she and her cat move in with Isaac, igniting a holiday romance that neither saw coming!

my thoughts:
if Hallmark movies had a spicy, laugh-out-loud twist, A Jingle Bell Mingle would be it! Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone team up to bring us a holiday adventure packed with festive flirtation, swoony moments, and enough holiday cheer to make even the Grinch blush. this isn’t your typical small-town holiday romance though—the humor is spot-on, the characters are lovable, and the chemistry? Let’s just say it’s holiday heat at its finest🔥

the small-town setting and quirky cast are as delightful as ever, with ex-boy band members, adult industry professionals, wholesome TV movie cast and crew, and true crime fanatics all colliding in a way that feels like found family dialed to the max. and for fans of the series, we even get Teddy and Steph’s HEA as part of this story! it’s the perfect farewell to Christmas Notch and all its charming, unforgettable characters.

if you’re craving a spicy, feel-good holiday romance, A Jingle Bell Mingle will not disappoint!

read if you like:
spicy holiday romances, found family, forced proximity, second-night stands, and roommates-with-benefits

Kate’s rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
spice level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

I wasn't sure how to feel about this book within the first few pages. I have not read the other book(s) in this world so I think some of my initial confusion with characters was simply from the fact that this was my first introduction to them. Once I got more into the story, though, it was hard to put down! There was a LOT going on with the various backgrounds of the characters but there was such a seamless connection of the FMC and MMC that made the banter, spice and emotional development read as authentic and, ultimately, fun!
This may not be a book I gift to my mom, but it was a really fun jump into the holiday season.

I love this series - Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone truly have my heart with these holiday themed romances! Book three is just as steamy and light-hearted. I can't recommend these romances enough if you're looking for a non-traditional plot with lots of steam. Thanks to Netgally for the eARC :)

I had a great time with this book! I have read both of these authors before so knowing they teamed up for a Christmas series was really exciting.

This is the third book in the series, and I will admit it was a little slow for me in the beginning and I was overwhelmed with all the side characters and references to past books. I did not read the first two in the series so that’s on me and not the authors.

However, once the mystery and sleuthing began and Isaac and Sunny were teaming up and working together while simultaneously being roommates with benefits- I was all in. Sunny is a fantastic FMC- funny and strong and unapologetic about her wants and needs. Isaac’s nickname of “Sad Boy” was very fitting, but he’s just an introvert with a an old soul. I liked that both characters had baggage that they needed to deal with and both had a little maturing to do. The big fight near the end was heartbreaking, but I loved how Isaac realized he had really loved Sunny all along!

My heart also wanted to explode at the cuteness of them finding their way to the cabin on Christmas Eve, just like in the story they had been researching! Just a great full circle moment.

I definitely will go back and read the first two books in this Christmas series and will recommend to friends!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Yet again we head to the fictional town of Christmas Notch, VT, where all the Hope Channel Christmas movies are filmed, This time we get Isaac's story. I was intrigued with sad Isaac since book 1, and was so glad he finally received his HEA. The path to get there was filled with sexy banter and and snow melting steamy scenes. Perfect series for a hot toddy of holiday cheer.

Welcome back to Christmas Notch . . . One last time 🥲

I fell in love with the first book in this series 2 years ago after picking up A Merry Little Meet Cute on a whim. All three books are hilarious, super spicy, and emotionally rich. I especially loved how the first two books critique purity culture and “wholesome” media. As someone who was immersed in that life as a young adult and is now out, they nailed it so well and it’s incredibly cathartic.

In a Jingle Bell Mingle the themes still include bodyand sex positivity and still bring us back to the magical faux Christmas movie town, but this time the central struggle for both characters is grief. NOT that the book is a downer in any way, it is absolutely hysterical throughout, but I invest in Issac and Sunny as a couple because they have real flaws and insecurities. Watching them find their way to each other is exactly the kind of cozy pick me up I need.

In addition we get lovely cameos from characters in the previous books. I think the thing I love most about interconnected series is that by the end the family dynamic is widened and you forget how many old friends you have made along the way.

We all have different levels of 🌶️ we are comfortable with. Jingle Bell Mingle is a stretch for me. But what is 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ for me may be less ( or more) for you. I’m happy I didn’t know the first book was as spicy as it was ahead of time or I may not have read it. For me, I would have missed out on a great reading experience. Even so, there is more of it than I am used to and the scenes are more “creative” for sure. But they don’t take away from the pacing of the story (which is my usual critique when I think it’s too much).

Sex positivity was not a value I was used to embracing for a long time, but Murphy and Simone can write some smut! Sometimes embarrassing and silly? Sure. But also healing ❤️‍🩹

What a great way to start the season!

Thanks to @avon and @netgalley for an eARC of this book.

10/10 I loved how spicy this book was! We love a good Christmas story that involved threesomes, strippers, and pornstars! If you are looking for a little bit of holiday spice, this is definitely for you!

Another cute and steamy Christmas romcom. If you enjoyed the first two books in the series, you will enjoy this one. The themes are a little bit darker, but it still has a lot of comedy sprinkled in, and a little bit of mystery.

Thanks, NetGalley for the eARC.

Ah I am loving these Christmas books from these two! I hope we get one every year lol. This one brought a smile to my face many times. Loved the characters too. Definitely enjoyable and worth reading.

I LOVE these books. Every story is so refreshing. The perfect Christmas tale. This one is no different. I was so happy to receive this arc. I’ll read anything these ladies write. I loved the tropes and the plot. The characters were everything.

This was an amazing book and I look forward to more from Murphy and Simone! Such a good mix of romance and world-building.

I rated this book 4 ½ stars.
I believe it only lost half a point specifically because it had two major plots and both weren't hard to follow but felt like they were briefly abandoned and then brought back into the story.
I really did love the characters and the storyline. I loved the idea of Sunny chasing after a story in Christmas Notch, was so unique and yet SO insightful and inspiring to see from a fictional character. Isaac was a handful of emotions and I loved every second of his character development and just his genuine personality.
The PHOTOBOOTH SCENE 🙂‍↕️
Other things to note:
I WOULD'VE LOVED A THREESOME PROLOGUE SCENE.
NEEDED MORE SPICE / OR MORE EMOTION.
SUNNY'S CAT STOLE THE SHOW.
Would definitely recommend for anyone who wants a holiday spicy story.
Thank you NetGalley & HarperCollins for this e-arc!

A Jingle Bell Mingle opens with the marriage of Bee, divorcee and Hope Channel star marrying Kallum, the man of her dreams and co-star, in a wedding with an ice skating reception. Sunny, adult film star and assistant to producer Teddy, the brains behind the whole Hope Channel / AVN crossover, is looking to hook up, and is secretly delighted when “Todd” the local who swiped right on her, turns out to be sad and mopey widowed former boy band member Isaac, who she had a fantastic threesome with in recent history.

Their second one-night stand in Sunny’s seedy motel room is just as outstanding, and when Isaac sees how terrible Sunny’s flophouse is by light of day, he invites her back to his mansion to stay while he is supposed to be working on his next album and she writes the screenplay that she’s pitched to the Hope Channel. Sunny’s script is based on a maybe true local ghost story, and tracking down the truth behind the mystery becomes a thing Isaac and Sunny do together; in return, she tries to find him a muse so he can make his music. It turns out they are great at being roommates with benefits even though all they know how to cook are eggs: they are deeply compatible, close friends, have amazing chemistry, and share similar kinks.

His introvert nature is drawn out by her social skills. Sunny’s own losses (deceased parents) and legacy (she’s the heir to a diaper fortune and her brother, embarrassed by her sex work, wants her off the board) balance against Isaac’s (he lost the love of his life to pancreatic cancer and believes that he is irreparably broken and incapable of ever loving anyone again, and his creative mojo died alongside Brooklyn). They both want and fear a more than roommates with benefits situation.

The Christmas Notch setting, with its charming place names, perfectly timed snowfall, and beautiful scenery, is topped only by a side trip to an assisted living center in, where Sunny and Isaac get stranded during a blizzard while on a fact-finding mission. Recurring characters are consistent and require little reintroduction. This next book in the series advances the trajectory of tough as nails agent Steph with porn daddy Teddy (omg, his outfits – Hawaiian shirts and joggers, cargo sweatpants and bowling shirts).

This delightfully absurd seasonal series just keeps getting better. Everything is over the top, but Murphy and Simone know just when to pull back, and they balance humor, smut, affection, feminism, consent and agency without going completely off the rails. The writing is deeply emotional, screamingly funny, satirically wry, tender and spicy and passionate by turns. It’s clever and smart, full of allusions and pop culture references and callbacks to the previous books in the series. When Sunny stands up to her brother to advocate for her rightful place in the board, I wanted to cheer. I appreciated the plus-size figure and Jewish representation, as well. Plot points are neated wrapped up, as this is the final book in the trilogy.

The sex flirts with hardcore but doesn’t completely go there. I do understand why it’s just too much for some people, and maybe you have to be in right mindset to give this series a try, as it’s not for the faint of heart. Put this raunchy rom-com on your supersekrit Secret Santa wish list.

I received a free advance readers review copy of#TheJingleBellMingle via #NetGalley courtesy of #HarperCollins. This review will post on HLBB on 11/7/2024.

Other titles in the series:

A Merry Little Meet Cute (Christmas Notch #1)

A Holly Jolly Ever After (Christmas Notch #2)

It's not Christmas anymore without a smut-com from Sierra Simone and Julie Murphy! I love the annual visits to Christmas Notch and all the hilarity, happiness, and SPICE that ensues. This series always gets me feeling wintery-festive and delivers lots of hearts and laughs. A Jingle Bell Mingle is yet another clever, fun, and sexy Christmas fa-la-la romp, with a dash of mystery. It's fast and funny, and OH SO SPICY.

It was so great to be back in Christmas Notch, the wholesome and idyllic home of the "after dark" version of Hallmark. Here we have the story of Sunny, sexy, confident, and curvy screenwriter who is back in Christmas Notch, and Issac, former boy band star, now hermitted and all kinds of sad. They end up being unexpected roomies, and like all the stories in this book, what starts out outlandish and hilarious ends up having a whole lot of depth as Isaac and Sunny find a really powerful connection, an intense love, and some healing and hope in each other. The chemistry is delicious, and of course, the spicy be spicing. And like always, the writing is sharp, witty, emotionally dynamic, and beautifully penned. Not to mention- there's a scene-stealing cat.

I love this world- it’s fun, it’s sexy, its crazy, and I do love these characters, and I love starting Christmas each year with a smutty, sensational, and salacious visit to Christmas Notch.

“Just two people living with grief, but we didn’t have to carry it alone again”

This book was smutty…. Like smmmuuutttyyyy. But the sweet Christmas detective case and the friends to lovers plot was heart warming and very entertaining.

Such a great addition to the series. I love the vibes and story and it was perfect to get me in the mood for the holiday season. I hope these authors continue writing together in the future!