I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I am going to miss this series and these characters. I love how ridiculous they all are and how much fun they are. I really liked this book and I liked the side stories that went along with the romance. I am also a sucker when for getting to see the characters from the previous books and a glimpse at where they are now.

I don't think you really need to read the other books to be able to read this one but it would definitely help. There is a lot of characters and backstory that you miss out on.

This was my second dive into the Christmas Notch series and it did not disappoint! I'm not, by design, a romance reader; but I love the hilarious, spicy little side of Vermont that Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone have created. I really enjoyed that "A Jingle Bell Mingle" is a story within a story. Spicy scenes and a Christmas mystery? Sold! "A Jingle Bell Mingle" was different from "A Merry Little Meet Cute", and while both are great books, I loved the depth that "A Jingle Bell Mingle" had to offer.

I was ready for the laughs, the charm and the spice, but what I was not ready for was the feelings. Without giving spoilers to prospective readers, I struggle with some of the core ghosts that haunt the main characters. Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone did a wonderful job of putting those emotions on page.

The real sell of "A Jingle Bell Mingle" for me is the characters. I appreciate that Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone write plus sized female leads remarkably well, and it was an added bonus to see some LGBTQIA+ and Neuro Spicy rep in this one.

My one critique is that for me, the book is a bit long. But that was easy to overlook, as I read this in one sitting.

This will not be my last dive into the Christmas Notch stories and I cannot wait to return!

Thank you endlessly to NetGalley and the publisher who gifted me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting story. I honestly didn’t know what to expect since I didn’t read the first two books in the series but it was raunchy to say the least. Lol good read.

Sigh, where to begin. I DNF’d this book so fast. I wanted to like it as I did enjoy Priest by Sierra Simone but that’s where it ended. I didn’t like Saint. I’ve never read anything from Julie Murphy so can’t say anything about her writing.

I don’t know what I was expecting, I should have known better. It’s literally just a instalust book full of spice (I love a spicy book, but I need a bit of a slow burn first, some yearning to build up the desire). I didn’t feel any emotional connection between the MC’s. They meet and immediately have a one night stand and get after it like bunny rabbits for the rest of the book. The most far fetched and unrealistic storyline ever of an adult actress trying to be a regular movie actress meets wealthy musician. The FMC acts like a stupid teenager and has the maturity of boxed wine.

The prologue was not needed. This is touted as a standalone but with the prologue, it makes it sooooo confusing and I thought Teddy was the MMC for the first 15 pages with how much the authors talked about him in great detail. Also, the verbiage used throughout was tacky, immature and not funny. Maybe I just have higher standards to what i consider a romcom. Unless you personally like to be called “Tampon Strings” as a nickname, I’d steer away from this one.

I received an ARC copy of this from NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager.

This might be my favorite couple in the series so far—exactly what I needed this holiday season! The FMC and MMC’s chemistry felt genuine, and I loved the “sad boy” trope with Isaac contrasted against Sunny’s playful teasing. Plus, Sunny as a confident, bigger girl? Hell yeah! I absolutely loved the narrators, and while this book can totally be read as a standalone, I’d recommend the series as a whole for maximum enjoyment. It’s for sure Hallmark meets smutty, smutty, smut—overall, a sexy and jolly Christmas read!

This was a cute, spicy holiday story. The first book in this series I read last year and really enjoyed it so of course I wanted to read this one as well. I would definitely recommend checking this book out. It was a 5 star read for me.

We are back to Christmas Notch with all the sad-boy recluse energy, but maybe he doesn't have to be a sad boy for much longer with a little bit of sunshine...errr....Sunny. This was a fun and HOT holiday read with some real people issues underneath to give the characters some depth. I didn't get through this one as fast as some of the other Christmas Notch stories, but it still delivered on the holiday smutmas vibes.

This was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I feel like Murphy and Simone truly excel when they're tapping into the emotional heartbeats of their characters or giving their characters free reign to be their quirky selves. Where the book lacked was, sadly, in the romance department. Admittedly, I'm not a huge fan of smut, so my review is already biased because that was never going to be my favorite part of these series, but I did really like the connection between Winnie and Kallum in a Holly Jolly Ever After, so it's not like the existence of smut was the problem for me here. Rather, I had a hard time feeling the connection between Sunny and Isaac. Undoubtedly the physical connection was there, but I wish we'd had more time spent on building the emotional one. I thought they were both interesting characters on their own and found myself turning the pages without thinking when it came to their side-plots, but then I got a little bored during their scenes together. I think the pacing of the book too could have been tightened up; I liked the ingredients of the plot with overcoming loss, reconnecting with family, tracking down and old mystery, and going on fake dates, but all those elements didn't blend well together. This series still holds a special place in my heart. It's such a fun, whimsical time, and I'm really glad to have spent time in Christmas Notch!

A Jingle Bell Mingle is another (very) spicy yet sweet installment to the Christmas Notch series. Sunny and Isaac are opposites in so many ways, yet complement each other so well. I definitely recommend you read the rest of the series before diving in to this one, so that you have the background info on the characters - but it could work well as a standalone, too. Thank you to the publisher for the advanced reading copy, receipt of which did not impact my review.

Sweet, funny contemporary romance that takes place in a kitschy Christmas town. The story is lighthearted, but deals with some heavy themes (grief). The main romance is between Sunny and Isaac (both introduced in previous books), but storylines for side characters Teddy and Jack are also wrapped up in the book. Definitely read the first two novels and the novellas before reading this one for max enjoyment.

I didn't enjoy this book as much as the others in this series. I can't even really put my finger on why I feel this way. I read the previous books in one or two days. This one took me an entire week to read. Once I put it down, I just wasn't in a hurry to pick it back up. Maybe I was just in a slump or maybe I just wasn't in the mood for this book when I read it. Others may really enjoy it but it just wasn't for me.

Sunny was such a sweet and likeable main character and Issac was a cute hopeless romantic. This was a super quick read and perfect for other holiday season.

This was too cringe for me. Maybe it’s because I don’t find constant sexual innuendo funny? The romance was the only part of this story that made sense for me. Everything else felt so all over the place. Idk I was bored and underwhelmed 😭

Sunny Palmer is a screenwriter struggling with a screenplay she sold about a local Christmas legend. Isaac Kelly is a former boyband heartthrob dealing with the death of his young wife and trying to record a Christmas album. Both Sunny and Isaac, who had previously had a one night stand, are in Christmas Notch for a friends' wedding and to deal with their respective issues. After they hook up again, they decide to try and help one another – Isaac will help Sunny with the research for her screenplay and Sunny will help Isaac find a muse for his Christmas album. But will this friendship turn to more?

At first, I found this book a bit confusing. I have not read any of the other Christmas Notch books so it was a little confusing jumping right in with other characters who are not the main focus of this book. But ultimately, I was able to follow the plot, with a couple of insignificant holes that I assume are from the other two Christmas Notch books. I really liked the book, while I can't personally relate to an adult film star and the issues that come with that stigma, I thought the book was laugh out loud funny. I really enjoyed the banter between the characters. Both Isaac and Sunny were funny but also complicated with their own heartbreak and issues. I also really liked the depth of their relationship, which Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone did a good job at cultivating.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'd like to thank Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had a hard time getting into this book. I like both authors so this is hard for me to admit but this was a miss for me. In full confession I did not read the first two books in this series so maybe that's why I couldn't get in to this one.

This is probably my favorite in the entire Christmas Notch series!

Returning to Christmas Notch and the Hope Channel was a classically spicy, hilarious, heartwarming, sexy and festive ride. Sunny is a total delight of a main character, and while I was skeptical of Isaac and his sad-boy ways, I ultimately ended up loving him too. The chemistry between these two characters is absolutely steaming and jumping off the page. The banter drew me in and made me laugh at every turn, but this story also tackled some very complicated and dark grief feelings with grace and nuance. I found the third act conflict to be a bit more hurtful that I would have wanted, but I did find that Isaac brought it all back together well and didn’t leave me with a bad taste in my mouth long term.

If you’re a fan of wildly spicy Christmas romance, holiday antics, sex-positivity, big found families and idyllic holiday towns, you really can’t go wrong with this series! I’m sad to see that this is the last Christmas Notch book, but it will just serve as a reminder to me that I’ve got to pick up these authors other books soon! Thank you to Avon & Harper Voyager and NetGalley for this eArc!

I loved the first book in this series (A Merry Little Meet Cute), but the following books have had diminishing returns for me. I just don't love the characters in this one as much as I loved Bee and Nolan, and it's starting to feel too convenient that all these boy band members are getting their happily ever after in Christmas Notch. I think there was something about that first book that felt so fresh and so fun, but returning isn't really delivering that same magic for me.

That being said- I didn't hate the book by any means. Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone write great spicy scenes, and I love how inclusive and queer the cast is in this book (and in the past books). I also found the exploration of Isaac's grief to be particularly nuanced- it was probably my favorite part of the book.

I found Sunny to be...well...too sunny for my liking. A little too cutesy and peppy, I guess. Maybe I just like my leads to come with a lot of angst?

Overall, I think it's a good choice to end this series here- as they mentioned in the acknowledgements at the end. But I would love to see a new series by the same duo in the future!

What a great Christmas read in the series! You need to have read the previous one’s so that you could understand where this one picks up.

Rating: 3.5

A Jingle Bell Mingle is the final book in the Christmas Notch trilogy. This book features the love story between the final member of INK, Isaac Kelly, not featured in this series and former adult actress, now screenwriter, Sunny Palmer. Isaac and Sunny were previously introduced when they had a threesome at the end of A Holly Jolly Ever After. Grief is an underlying theme in this romance story that sees Isaac and Sunny working on their own separate grief journeys towards each other. I found this book the steamiest of the three novels and two novellas. While I found the storyline repetitive at times, I still enjoyed this story. I'll be sad to see these characters go, but look forward to revisiting Christmas Notch in the future.

I'm so glad Julie and Sierra are working together again on an upcoming series. They work really well as a co-writing duo. I can't wait to read what they come up together with next.

Thank you to Avon for a copy in exchange for review consideration.

I want 3 things in my holiday romances: fun, spice, and, well, the holidays. Sadly most of the holiday ones I’ve read this year have been lacking, but this one delivered. Sunny and Isaac were great characters with realistic issues that the authors handled with just the right amount of humor and levity.

If I’m being super picky, my one issue (question) was, why did the POV switch to Teddy at the end when before it had been either Sunny or Isaac? I’m assuming so the authors could wrap up everyone’s story nicely in a bow, but this could have been done differently. Certainly not a big deal, it just struck me as a bit odd. Overall a good read and would recommend to anyone wanting a fun holiday romance.