I loved this book! It was all over the place and kinda crazy but the story was heartwarming and the characters kept me coming back. I liked the story within the story, as well as the two love stories throughout. Great holiday read!

Dont let the cover fool. This was an interesting one to read since it was sad, and fun, and definitely a spicy holiday story. The underlying grief that both Sunny and Isaac are dealing with is interesting to explore and is what kept me reading because I wanted to see how it played out. It took me a while to comoletely read this story which is unusual since I usually never put books down or take breaks from them. It definitely wasn't the final book I was expecting after the first 2 books.

This book was cute way to end the Christmas Notch series! Sunny and Isaac's love story was full of laughs, shared experiences and spice... lots and lots of spice!! While the book was maybe a tad longer than it could've been, it was still a great holiday read!

This book was such a fun read! I am sad that the series is over, because living in this world has been so much fun!

Wonderful story, great character development, great writing! Highly recommend this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it

I honestly love a sad boy MMC. Sunny and Issac were cute together. Cute Christmas book! Just what I needed! 3 stars! Thanks NetGalley for the arc!

I love a Christmas/holiday story, but this felt like it drug on for a while. Just not a ton of meat and potato’s. Now, you don’t always need that, but for me - reading about a porn star and a former boy band heart throb didn’t work. I didn’t realize this was a book in a series and maybe if I had previously invested in the characters from previous books I would have enjoyed it more.

A sweet way to finish this series. I’ve really enjoyed all of the Christmas Notch series. This one, just like the others, is steamy and funny. It also has some lovely poignant moments. I loved the ending and scenes to wrap up Teddy’s story as well. Though I do question what grounds Isaac and Sunny’s relationship outside of the bedroom, I think their chemistry was palpable. I’m a bit sad to be leaving Christmas Notch, this idyllic wintery village.

A Jingle Bell Mingle by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone is sweet, steamy, and the perfect follow up to the A Christmas Notch series. Sunny and Issac are endearing, and the festive setting adds a fun touch to the story. While the story follows a familiar romantic arc, the heartfelt moments and connection between Sunny and Issac make it an enjoyable, cozy read. A great pick for anyone looking for a quick, holiday-themed romance with plenty of charm and heat!

I tried, I really did, but this was just a no for me. DNF. I enjoyed book 1 of this series, but this one just started out too strong.

I loved this one! It’s definitely spicier than A Merry Little Meet Cute, but I have zero complaints. 😏 🥵
It was so wonderful returning to Christmas Notch! As with the first book in the series, we get a fantastic group of side characters who add to the story’s charm. Familiar characters such as Teddy, Stephanie, Bee, and Nolan, as well as new characters like the strippers at the North Pole and the official Cat Advisory Text Thread. We also get plus size rep with our FMC, and both our MCs are bisexual, which I loved seeing. Sunny and Issac’s chemistry was apparent immediately and I loved them together. Even if they are both stubborn as can be. I could have done without the conflict towards the end, but as a stubborn person too, I get it I guess. This is one I’ll happily reread in the future.

Another fun holiday read by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone. They bring some sizzle to the holiday season with this cute read. I enjoy Julie Murphy so I will always pick up what she has written. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

The chemistry between the leads is undeniable—steamy dirty talk, sizzling hookups, and intense tension. He's a sad boy widower, former boy band member, and she's a former porn star, each with their own baggage. While I loved the heat between them, the constant miscommunication drove me crazy. His fear of heartbreak after losing his wife kept him from opening up, but their chemistry made it hard to put down. Too bad the miscommunication trope overshadowed it all.

Summary
Sunny, a first-time screenwriter, and Isaac, a grieving musician struggling to complete a Christmas album, team up to tackle their creative challenges. Along the way, they develop a connection that helps them face their personal struggles, with a touch of holiday magic woven into their journey.

Short & Sweet
A Jingle Bell Mingle brings a festive romance with heartfelt themes and charming banter but doesn’t quite reach what I wanted it to be. While there are touching moments, the story felt uneven in its execution.

In-Depth Opinion
While A Jingle Bell Mingle had an intriguing premise, I found the overall execution a bit inconsistent. Sunny and Isaac’s journey through grief and creativity provided some heartfelt moments, and their banter brought a lightness to the story. However, the prologue felt disorienting, especially as someone who hadn’t read the previous books, and the epilogue didn’t do much to tie everything together for me. The pacing was uneven, with moments that dragged and others that felt rushed. The Christmas miracle element added charm but couldn’t entirely balance out the areas where the story fell flat. It had its bright spots, but it didn’t leave a lasting impression.

Heartfelt and sweet, but still plenty spicy. A Jingle Bell Mingle has a bit more angst than the previous books in the series, but the hijinks from Uncle Teddy’s stable of characters help keep things light. The first book is still the best, but this ties a nice Christmas bow on everyone’s stories.

This is the third book in the series - I read the first book in this series a while ago, I haven’t read the second one yet. I believe it can be read as a standalone, but since many characters from the other books appear in this one as well, I would recommend reading the whole series (in order, unlike me hahaha). Both characters are openly bisexual which I thought was so great to see in a m/f romance, and I really liked both of them! Also, there is an adorable cat!!!! I really enjoyed that the plot revolved around more than just their romance, with them trying to solve this town mystery & Sunny trying to find a muse for Isaac’s music career by setting him up with dates (that are obviously unsuccessful). I really enjoyed the humor, quirkiness and the spice, but also the mention of more serious topics like grief. If you’re looking for a unique and fun holiday/winter rom-com with spice and humor I would highly recommend this one!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an early read copy. I read the 1st book in the series and probably should've read the 2nd before I started this one (3rd and final) but overall, I was able to catch up. I really loved Jingle Bell Mingle!! Great festive romance read with spice. There was a lot going on in the beginning and I found it a little hard to follow and become invested but once things settled down (maybe 40 pages in or so) and the story narrowed in on Sunny and Isaac, it went quickly after that. Sunny and Isaac are both sort of stuck in their careers (his as a recording artist, hers as a screenwriter for a script she accidentally sold) and end up supporting each other on their projects and commitments, plus they become roommates. The authors, Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone, have a perfect balance of romance with a deeper storyline about the characters tackling their emotional pasts and trauma together. The authors so skillfully intertwine the emotional aspects of starting a relationship with the physical attraction. Both aspects are compelling and make the relationship relatable and believable, and allow the characters to be loveable. I think I'll go back and read the 2nd too since I really love the ones I have read. Content warning for grief/losing a partner/parent + family relationship issues.

I wanted to love this book, but I couldn't. I did love the characters embracing their "flaws" but that ends my love for the book. I couldn't get myself to fully embrace this one.

I really, really enjoyed this book and am so appreciative to the Publishers & NetGalley for this ARC copy. I read Julie Murphy's other books in the Christmas Notch series but this one reminded me why I love them so much. Her writing style is so humorous with so much depth- you sometimes love ridiculous characters (who are obsessed with their dogs IYKYK) and you want, TRULY, the best for them. The sexual fluidity, some absolute xxx content, and people you root for intrinsically, as well as incredible holiday vibes? Recommend over and over again!

Thank you to Avon Books for the eARC.

I was disappointed with this one. I loved the first book. LOVED. The second…was good but not as good. And this one? I just lost interest and quit at around 60%.

Isaac and Sunny once had a threesome in the past (with another character that I can’t even remember his name) and have another fun night after a wedding, then they end up becoming roommates while they both are dealing with writer’s block. And then they just keep banging. Instalust for sure.

So the romance didn’t feel present. It was all physical all the time.

I definitely appreciated the bisexual representation and the body positivity…and Sunny’s cat, Mr. Tumnus. But not enough to keep me from moving on to another book.