I love this series. It's so spicy and funny and this book does not disappoint. Sunny and Isaac were such unique characters. Both are bisexual, dealing with grief and loss and have big creative blocks. While they think they can help each other get through their blocks, they end up falling into a friends-with-benefits arrangement. I enjoyed the subplot around both character's journeys with grief, especially how it focuses on the grief years after the event. I feel like no one talks about the first time you forget a milestone and the guilt that comes with that and this was handled so well.

My only real complaint about the book is that it felt a bit long. I found myself putting the book down or skimming because it didn't feel pertinent to the story. The steam was great, but sometimes it felt like it was just there for steam's sake.

Read if you like Friends to Lovers, grumpy/sunshine, sex-positive romance with LGBT representation, and plus-sized FMC representation Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review. This book releases 9/24.

Such a fun, heartbreaking, and joyful ending to this whackadoodle series. Isaac makes sadness look hot, and Sunny is an over-the-top manic pixie dream girl with tattoos and hidden depths. They’re my favorite. I love them. I love this book.

I did not realize this was part of a series when I requested it. It would have been nice to have some kind of information about that in the synopsis. I felt it was okay as a standalone aside from the prolog and epilogue. This book had some great spice! However, it was a bit long. I initially really liked Sunny and Isaac right off the bat, but as the book went on I liked them a little less. I think I would have enjoyed it more if it had been shorter. Overall an okay read, but I don’t think I will read any more of the series.

Thank you to Netgally and Avon and Harper Voyager for providing this ARC.

I wasn’t planning on reading this book all in one sitting, but all of a sudden a few hours had passed and I was turning the final page. I was just so completely swept up in the romance between Sunny and Isaac. I thought this had a great blend of serious, steamy, romantic, and funny moments. Sunny is staying in town to get inspiration from a local Christmas legend for her first screenplay. But when the motel she was planning on living in doesn’t pan out, she takes Isaac up on his offer to share his mansion. Isaac is still working through his grief after the death of his wife while trying to create new music. He enjoys spending time with Sunny (and hooking up with her) but he’s definitely not looking for love again… right?

Sunny and Isaac are both so obviously drawn to one another, but keep trying to play it off as not being love. That could be frustrating in another book, but I think it worked really well in this story because of their individual histories and hangups. I loved seeing them in all sorts of different scenes together. From them having sex to researching a local “miracle” to eating copious amounts of eggs to trying to find a new muse for Isaac and dealing with Sunny’s very particular cat. It was all so entertaining.

I also loved getting to learn the real story behind the local legend that Sunny was using as the basis for her screenplay. It just added a lot of magical, romantic Christmas feelings to the book. I’d love to be able to watch that movie. It was also great to see glimpses of the couples and characters from the earlier books in the series. I thought that the authors did a good job at balancing giving updates for where they are now without feeling like outside characters were taking over Sunny and Isaac’s book.

Hopefully Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone plan on writing more books together in the future. I love their brand of steamy romcoms.

3.75 stars rounded up

A Jingle Bell Mingle was a roller coaster for me. I think I probably should have waited until the weather was at least a little bit cooler and not 80 degrees because i think that it really hindered my desire to get into a christmas book! However, I still enjoyed the story over all.

I really enjoyed watching the main characters Sunny and Issac grow and connect in their relationship. Their friendship that turned to love before the realize it was so great. Their connection, the chemistry, and the way they supported each other was refreshing. Because this book had a few harder topics, im glad that there were some hilarious moments to break it up. However I wish that there hadn't been so many side plots and background stories because they were a little hard to follow and i found myself getting pulled out of the story.
This book is a great read for those who want a book with Christmas read with spicy romance, great characters, and moments that make your heart happy.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins publishing for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Noooo the end of Christmas Notch 😭 this series is so silly, so raunchy, but it works.

Isaac: sad grieving loner who buys the Duke the Halls mansion to get away from it all
Sunny: Jack of all trades, recently hired screenplay writer for the Hope Channel tasked with uncovering an old Christmas Notch legend
Both: can’t stop thinking about that one night they shared (even if it was a threesome)

This was a one night stand to roommates to benefits to lovers with many MANY side quests along the way. And of course we get plenty of action from our favorite lovers of Christmas Notch past.

TW: grief, but not too heavy, I found it very tastefully done

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book. It is a perfect holiday read. It’s cute, cozy like a Hallmark movie but with some spice! Definitely recommend this one! Another great book to this series!

DNF

In just the first chapter alone there are 20 different character/side character names introduced into the story. I have read the previous books in this series and was still completely overwhelmed and mostly lost.

After I finished chapter one I was so utterly confused I gave up on reading the rest of the book.

This series has made me laugh and cry and laugh again. I wish it would go on forever. I have loved each couple but these two really have my heart. I just dropped into the book on page 1 and didn’t even realize when I was at the end. I had a long book hangover when I was done and I just wanted to go back. I just so highly recommend this whole series but especially this book.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Part of a series. I recommend reading the first two books before reading this one because of all the side characters.
A sweet heartwarming story with lots of laughs with some emotional moments.
100% recommend.

4.5 stars! Thank you to NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for this advanced copy! You can pick up A Jingle Bell Mingle on September 24, 2024.

I loved the first few books in this series, and A Jingle Bell Mingle proved to be just as fun, sexy, and hilarious! Sierra Simone and Julie Murphy truly have an unmatched cadence and rhythm to their writing, and the way they develop characters and relationships are *chef's kiss*. I love how Sunny and Isaac bonded over their shared traumas but found new light and happiness in each other despite all they've been through.

The spicy scenes made me blush and kick my feet giggling. I loved the chemistry between the two (emotional and physical), and how sex-positive everyone in this universe is. The cameos from previous characters were so sweet, and the emphasis on friendships and familial relationships as well as romantic added even more emotional depth to this book.

If you're looking for a holiday romp with kick-ass characters, hilarious writing, and hella spice, this is the book and series for you!

This is my favorite book in the series! I really liked that it dealt with bigger topics of grief and mourning mixed with some spice. It made for an all around great holiday romance!

My love for these characters grow with each book. This one explores grief and love after loss and I cant get enough. Christmas Notch is my favorite place to go for the holidays

I’m about to take a bold stance:
This is my favorite Christmas Notch book.

Not only do we get some quintessential small-town romance tropes, but we also get the local lore and original Christmas miracle of Christmas Notch.
Sunny and Isaac are so imperfectly perfect for each other, each dealing with their grief in their own special way as they stumble through career drama and big life choices and into each other’s arms.
The spice was as hot and knky as ever! You’re never going to look at a bottle of gingerbread scented body lotion the same way again. Put this one at the top of your Holiday TBR.

My favorite so far from this series. Loved the spice and just in time to get into the holiday spirit.

This is the third book in The Christmas Notch book series and the last one I will be reading. This book follows porn star assistant Sunny and ex-boy band star Isaac. Isaac is still grieving the loss of his wife from several years ago and Sunny is still Sunny from way back in book 1.
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the opportunity to read and review this book which I am giving 2 stars.
While I enjoyed the first book and the second book was OK, this book departs from the behind the scenes making a Hallmark movie format to teaming up to solve a local legend mystery. Unfortunately I didn’t care about this local legend mystery at all and Sunny was a character best served by small doses. This one just didn’t work out for me.

This was such a fun read. Both main characters are working through some pretty heavy grief and mourning. They have hooked up in the past and just wanted to keep things casual because of shared friends. They end up being roomies with benefits and are both stuck on their current projects. They team up to explore a local Christmas mystery and end up falling in love in the process.

It’s a 4 and a half star book for me but this site doesn’t let me use a half.

I thought this would be a light holiday romp. As the authors describe the book, it's a raunch-com. The story had me absolutely confused for the first few chapters. It's because the book picks up where previous books in the series left off.

The story is mainly about Isaac, who was a boy-band member, but who is now grown, rich, and still a grieving widower, 5 years after his wife's death. He has the hots for Sunny, who used to do porn films. He's invited her in to be a roommate in his mansion in a small town in Vermont. They have a fantastic sex life, but he isn't interested in a long term relationship. But he does need a muse to help him get his last contractual album written and recorded. Sunny is trying to match him up with someone else. She is working on a screenplay about a legendary event in the small town's history.

There is a lot of sex. And it's Christmas time. This one wasn't for me, but other's have found it funny and engaging.

4.5 ⭐️. *kicking my feet in pure joy* (also did Capri Sun sponsor this book?) this book is absolute joy bottled up.

TY to Avon & Harper Voyager and Netgalley for an advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

Jingle Bell Mingle was the perfect addition to the Christmas Notch series. This story follows Isaac and Sunny who go from roommates to lovers. I loved the forced proximity. This series is fantastic!

Thank you NetGalley and Avon for the arc of this book!