a fun, sexy christmas read! i really liked the chemistry between the main characters and the way grief was handled and portrayed was really well done. my only slight issue was that there were a lot of side characters that i didn’t care for all that much. it’s probably on me since i haven’t read the previous books in this series, so if you have and are an avid enjoyer of it, you would love this book even more than me and i already really adore it! thank you to netgalley and avon and harper voyager for the arc for an honest review!

thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! I unfortunately could not get into this, I think this happens to be one of those stories where you have to read the previous books to get the full effect cause there were so many characters that weee being brought up and I just felt confused the whole way through

Welcome back to Christmas Notch, and its beloved characters!

Issac and Sunny have haunted each others thoughts since the night they shared with Jack Hart. Issac has bought a mansion in Christmas Notch to live out his life in mourning after losing his wife five-years ago. Sunny is back in town to celebrate the nuptials of her best friend, and to work on the screen play she pitched the movie company which they have optioned.

Forced proximity, lust and friendship drive these two into each other arms only real life "shit" keeps getting the way of their hearts. This love story touches on grief and worthiness. The spice and chemistry is off the charts for these love interests. The ending, oh Teddy the romantic!

I will miss Christmas Notch, and it fun, sexy characters.

Thank you, Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
Unfortunately I DNF after 40% in.

Isaac is a former boy band musician who lost his wife 2 years ago and is trying to find his muse to write songs again. He’s living alone in his mountain mansion.

Sunny is a former porn star and friend of Isaac’s best friend, who came into town to write a Hallmark type Christmas Miracle movie. She came to stay in town at a seedy Motel near Isaac.

I went into this story expecting a spicy rom-com Christmas story but found the story was not for me. I just didn’t see the connection besides the physical with Sunny and Isaac. Now if you love spice, bisexuality, and threesomes, that have some Christmas thrown in then this is for you.

This has been one of the most unique and fun series I’ve read in the last few years. Julie and Sierra wrote characters that are chaotic, but they are also seamlessly human.

You’ll find forced proximity, second night stand, roomies with benefits all wrapped up with a curvy heroine and a sad boy hero.

The supporting cast continues to be a highlight, I love how we get Teddy and Steph’s HEA as part of this series.

I ended up DNFing this book. The storyline was definitely not my cup of tea. Not enough plot for the amount of smut.

A Jingle Bell Mingle follows the spicy hijinx of former boy band heart-throb/widower Isaac and adult film star turned script writer Sunny as they investigate the origin of a Christmas Notch legend. Whilst uncovering the truth (and hidden secrets) of Christmas Notch lore, Isaac and Sunny have to learn to navigate the grief they have both been carrying with them. A Jingle Bell Mingle is a satisfying ending to our journey to Christmas Notch, VT.

Having read books by both of them, Sierra and Julie, I realize that this series is the perfect mix of both of their amazing minds. I also think it is a crime that they don't have more books together.

This book broke me but put me back together again, in the best way. I love how they manage to mix a super sexy cute and funny story, with big issues and tough feelings. I cried a lot with it.

I'm in awe of how much I've enjoyed this series and really, really hope that these authors write more books together in the future.


Thanks to the publisher and the authors for this free advanced copy.

Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone are back with a delicious third installment of their successful (and hot) Christmas Notch series.

Sunny and Isaac become roommates thanks to problems at the motel, and these roommates with benefits decide to help each other. Sunny needs help researching for a Hope Channel movie deadline, and Isaac needs a muse for his first holiday album.

The chemistry and banter are, as always, top tier. The spice was caliente.

This Christmas read is sure to melt a lot of cold hearts this holiday season.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon/Harper Voyager books for allowing me to read this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own.

I actually didn’t intend to post about this book until closer to release day (9/24!) but I cried for a good chunk of this book and felt very seen. So. Let’s get into it.

Yes this book is hysterical at times. And yes there’s a perfect amount of levity to break up the heavy topics. But mostly, this book is about learning to love after tremendous loss and opening up to the possibility of there being more than enough room for someone else. Isaac and Sunny are professionals at running away. Isaac with his reclusiveness and Sunny with her big, loud sunshine personality. So if you squish them into a snowy Gilded Age mansion during the holidays after a wedding one night stand, it’s probably going to get messy very quick.

And it does. They’re friends first and foremost (which I loved!) and the fall into love kind of happens before they even know it. (Although I argue we as the audience see it happening first in real time which is phenom writing). The sex? Hot! The old lady group chat? A delight! Teddy Ray finally proposing to his shark of a girlfriend? Obsessed.

But jfc the grief is done so beautifully. I won’t spoil the resolution of the Christmas Notch Miracle legend our MCs are looking into. But it made me cry stupid tears so. Do with that what you will heh.

But while these two are falling in love, they’re also realizing that grief doesn’t stop for anybody. But….neither does life. Or love. Or second chances. Or friendship. Isaac and Sunny have to learn to let each other in, but it’s more about them taking the risk and the bravery involved in taking a chance.

Lois Tonkins talked about “Growing Around Grief” in her 1996 article. Where grief doesn’t go away or shrink but life grows around it. Sunny and Isaac amidst capri sun binge sessions and sustainably caught lobster cat food grow around it. And I want to hug Julie and Simone for this book and these characters.

So sad this series is over. But what a way for it to go out.

Also the found p*rn family in this continues to be delightful and heart warming. 10/10.

Thank you to Avon and HCP for an arc copy! All thoughts are my own!

4.5 Stars. At the wedding of Bee and Nolan, pornstar Sunny is reunited with Isaac, the widowed reclusive former boy band member, whom she slept with two years prior. The pair still share a connection and after waking up in the rundown horror that is Sunny’s motel room, he insists she move in with him to the mansion he purchased in Christmas Notch, VT. While there, Sunny must work on the Hope Channel script she accidentally pitched while Isaac must write the final album he owes his label, but both have writer’s block. The two still can’t keep their hands off each other but Sunny doesn’t want to be Isaac’s muse and Isaac is scared of commitment after losing his wife, but the two can’t deny they have fallen for each other despite their best efforts.

After three books and two novellas, it is time to say goodbye to Christmas Notch and that fact makes me sad. I still find this series to be the best mix of humor and steam. Sunny and Isaac were absolutely delightful leads. I loved having both of their perspectives throughout the book. The two are opposites in the best way possible and I found their romance to be charming but also realistic (at least as much as a romance between a porn star and former pop star can be). I also enjoyed the subplot with the town’s historical Christmas mystery. As always the humor was top notch. I loved Isaac’s circle of true crime retirees and the pair’s love of Capri Sun. I am hoping that we get more books written by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone as a pair.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Jingle Bell Mingle is a steamy and clever holiday “raunch-com” that gives us two very complex characters. Along with the heat and humor, Sunny and Isaac are dealing with feelings of deep grief and sadness that keep them from exploring would they could truly be to each other. There’s a lot to unpack, with a lot of naughtiness and fun to keep things from getting depressing. It was fun catching up with characters from the other two books, and I highly recommend that you read all three books in order.

While this book was fine, I think I would have enjoyed it more had I read other books in the series. There are A LOT of characters and it was just kind of hard to keep everyone straight. Not a horrible book by any means, just I needed to read the other ones in the series to really enjoy it more.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Mix together one former adult entertainer, turned script writer, a former boy band member, turned sad widower, an overindulged cat, a collection of quirky secondary characters, and a town that is the epicenter of Holiday movie making and you get the third installment of the Christmas Notch series.

Sunny and Issac have a previous history (of the sexy kind) . Will that be the stepping stone to a HEA? Thrown together due to impending deadlines they do try and stay professional, but seem to fail miserably. With increasing pressure, to complete their projects, they end up in a number of situations that make it impossible to ignore their feelings (no matter how much they try)

This book was okay, but not my favorite. Unfortunately if you're not binging the series, it's difficult to remember the myriad of characters and backstories.

A Jingle Bell Mingle is the third and last installment of the A Christmas Notch series. This story follows Isaac, a former boy band member and young widower, and Sunny, an adult film star and screenplay writer.

This is your classic roommates to lovers tale but with 🌶️🌶️🌶️. In the acknowledgements, the authors refer to this book as a “raunch-com” which is very fitting! You have been warned 🤣 this one seemed even more over the top than the previous book in the series, in my opinion.

There’s a fun little side story of solving an old small town legend/mystery which I enjoyed, but there were so many other side stories that made the book feel chaotic.

As a note, you wouldn’t have to read all of the books in the series or in order to enjoy this, but former characters are referred to and do make plenty of cameos.

If you like raunchy romances set at Christmastime, you’ll love this one!

Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Pick up your copy on September 24th!

This was a really fun story to read. This was my first Christmas Notch story, so once I sorted out how everyone was connected I really enjoyed getting to know them more, and am excited to go back and read the earlier books!

I enjoyed seeing Isaac and Sunny grow individually and together, and how they both helped bring out each other’s strengths and creativity. I think that both of their journeys with grief, especially Isaac’s was really well portrayed.

The on-going Christmas Notch miracle mystery was also fun to follow along and see what was coming next. Overall this was a fun, cute, and steamy holiday read that I really enjoyed.

“I loved him. Not in the casual, uncomplicated way that I loved everyone else in my life. But in a tangled, hard-to-let-yourself-feel-all-at-once-because-it-might-hurt kind of way.”

Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager as well as NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy of this book! All opinions are my own.

Holy Hotness!! Is my face still red… because this holiday romance packs a spicy punch!!

Jingle Bell Mingle is such a fun book that absolutely got me in the Christmas spirit! Having not read the others in the series yet, I definitely felt a little lost at the start but I caught up quickly and ultimately didn’t mind reading out of order. The roommates with benefits storyline is steamy and the banter between Isaac and Sunny is both hilarious and perfect! This book also has a ton of small town charm and found family which are two of my favorite tropes. I should also note that there is a focus on loss as both characters are working through grief. Sunny lost her parents in high school and Issaac lost his wife. Although their deaths happen off page, they are still very much a part of their story.

If you are looking for a cute holiday read that is filled with spice and lots of sweetness then you should for sure add this one to your holiday reading list!!!

At this point, I feel like this series just gets more and more far fetched with every installment. Within the first few pages of the book the main characters have thrown away everything they said about the opposite sex and relationships and have what is definitely not a one night stand. I was excited to read Isaac's story, but I felt like he character strayed too far just for the shock factor of the sexual encounters the two characters have. I enjoy a good sex scene when it is warranted and has plot, this one had so many different plots and side stories I didn't know what to keep up with. My least favorite of the series, but what's a holiday season without a Julie Murphy/Sierra Simone combo these days?

If anyone has read the first two "Christmas Notch" novels, they certainly will know what to expect from this one - more hot, sexy scenes, and a few cute storylines to go along! This book returns us to Christmas Notch where Sunny, the former porn-star is holed up in a hotel room trying to write the next Christmas movie script for the Hope Network, and Isaac Kelly, the former boy-band heart-throb widower still mourning is dead wife is trying to write a Christmas album.

Of course, Sunny and Isaac fall into bed, but will they fall in love? I enjoyed reading this latest installment in the Christmas Notch series, and wish that there was more to come! Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy of this steamy rom-com novel. "A Jingle Bell Mingle" is scheduled for publication on September 24, 2024.

Review posted to Goodreads 9/3/24

A standalone spicy holiday romance novel in the Christmas Notch world, but I definitely feel like it should be read after reading the first two (or at least the first one). This follows Sunny, who is on a deadline to write her first screenplay, and Isaac, a former boy band heartthrob that has been unable to write music since the death of his wife 5 years prior. They both hope to gain inspiration for their works in Christmas Notch, but when they end up becoming roommates, maybe they end up finding inspiration with each other.

This series has always been extremely body and sex positive, which I do appreciate. There is bisexual representation and definitely no shyness around the spicy scenes. The character development completely lost me in this book. I liked Sunny's character, but the way Isaac handled his emotional baggage as a grown man... he may have become my least favorite male main character in a romance book. I did not find myself rooting for them and wanted Sunny to run far far away.

For a holiday book, the charm is not quite there (I think the first book felt more holiday-like). The best part was the story they were investigating for Sunny's script that kept me interested enough to keep reading.

My rating: 2.75⭐️

Thanks for the ARC!