A fun holiday read! It totally gave me the Hallmark movie feels in the best possible way. I loved the romance and magical Santa twist! Excellent!

Reading this book feels like stepping into a Hallmark movie (in the best way). It's such a perfect mix of light fantasy and contemporary romance, which I didn't realize I would enjoy but this was unexpectedly good. This is the perfect holiday read if you're in the mood for something different than typical Christmas-y romcoms, as this one has magic and a bit of a twist on the traditional Santa Claus. And tropes that include fake dating and rivals to lovers. Thanks Netgalley for the e-arc!

Layla Smurfit loves working at the toy company that was set up by her Grandfather. But it would be even better if she didn’t have to work with Mason Klaus, the co-owner who bought her Father’s shares to save the company from financial ruin.
Mason has had to make some tough decisions to save money but cancelling the Christmas party is the final straw for Leyla. She goes ahead with the party anyway but when it ends in disaster, Layla knows it’s all her fault.
Mason agrees to forget about what happened if Layla will go with him to his family home for Christmas.
Layla agrees, but his home is not at all what she expected and Mason is a totally different person there. As the magic of the village and the warmth of Manson’s family wrap themselves around her, Layla finds herself having to make a decision she never expected to face.
This is a lovely book, full of the warmth and magic of Christmas. So, follow Layla and embrace the village of Yule.

Love,love loved this book! It was so atmospheric I felt really Christmassy whilst reading this. I noticed this is book 1, can't wait to read book 2. Would definitely recommend

As the weather is turning to the colder and wetter season, it seemed more than fitting to get more into the mood of that with this book. Even if it isn't quite the season yet.

The Naughty or Nice Clause is a good inbetween read if you slowly want to get into the mood of the colder months and the upcoming holidays. It doesn't quite stand up if you look too closely though.

For instance I was expecting a bit more world building. Now I understand this is a low fantasy so I wasn't expecting much on the fantasy front. Though I did appreciate the deviation of what the family clause give out. But when you promise me a christmas town and a magical winter wonderland with a character that loves christmas, I am expecting a bit more dressing up. Lyla spends an awful lot of time in the cabin with his family and I did not get a good sense of the town or everything that they do to let Christmas happen.

Adding onto that I did find that the romance between Lyla and Mason didn't quite work. The slow burn went too quickly all of a sudden and with the way this was written I can't quite see how they actually love each other. Mason basically abducted her to his town and forced her to play his fiancee while Lyla was going to abuse the situation to get him out of the business. And only the latter was truly talked about. I wonder if they see any redeeming qualities in each other. I don't know. It didn't quite work.

Having said that, I did enjoy reading this for what it was. I just couldn't squint too close. But for an inbetween read this was fine.

Thank you to netgalley for sending me a copy of The Naughty Or Nice Clause in exchange for an honest review. This book was so cute and the perfect way to get into the holiday spirit. The setting felt so real and just made me want to cuddle up in front of the fire with a hot chocolate. The relationship development was real and believable, I will definitely be picking up more from this author.

It’s never too early to start reading Christmas books.

The book is a cute story that mostly takes place in Yule (Santa’s town).
I wanted to like it more, because I just read Potions and Proposals, which is great.

Lyla and Mason run a toy company together. She loved Christmas and he acts like a Scrooge (even cancels the Christmas office party).
Then he “takes” her to a magical small town and tells everyone she is his fiancé.

I know this is a romance, but it was not realistic that she fell in love with him after a few days, when she couldn’t stand him for a year. It can happen, but it felt rushed, even with the fake dating and forces proximity.

Also, the 3rd act breakup was unnecessary and everything was solved too easy.

I will still read the sequel 😁.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Is it too early to read Christmas books? Yes. Do I care? Absolutely not!! You know how you know it’s a good book? That you can read it year round and still love it and feel the warmth of the authors story and the spirit of the holiday.

This one has been on my TBR for so long and it was so stinking cute! I really enjoyed the banter between Lyla & Mason, and I can't wait to read the second book 😍

This was a perfect Christmas story filled with so much love and magic. I loved the concept of a secret village which keeps Christmas alive and uses gold dust instead of Santa dropping presents by climbing down the chimney though I love that myth too. I loved the vivid descriptions and details of their intricate works of the family business, the prying neighbours and not to forget the reindeers! I completely understood why Mason kept running away he just wanted a bit of control over his life and I don’t think they completely understood why.

Thank you you Netgalley for providing a this ARC!

Oh what a fun Christmas fantasy read! I truly enjoyed the romance though not like the Hallmark movies but cute enough to say “aww.” I was not expecting the special trip to Yule (the North Pole) but I was my favorite part especially with the amazing descriptions, I wanted to be there!

This novel has so much: a enemy to lovers romance, the love between family and that anything is possible when you just believe.

I recommend this read to anyone, especially if you love a good Christmas theme book with a sprinkle of realism.📚
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(thank you @netgalley for the ACR copy!

A cute and cozy Christmas love story, this was such a great book that put me in the mood for eggnog and Christmas ornaments! The writing was great and you can't go wrong with an enemies-to-lovers trope.

Thanks to Netgalley and the author for an eARC. Lyla wants to run her family company but when the company was in trouble Mr. Klaus came on to help. They argue about how to run the company and Lyla wants him gone. In his moment of need Lyla agrees to help him by going home with him for the holidays. She didn’t realize that meant going to a magical village and finding out there is more to Mr. Klaus than she first thought. A cute Christmas romance with magic, arguing co-workers, and healing from family pain. Enjoyed this cute story and can’t wait to read the next one.

Lyla is forced to share her portion of her father's inherited company with Mason Klaus, an investor that is known for being chilly and uncaring socially when it comes to how he runs his company. I mean, how could you argue the goodness of anyone who schedules work meetings for the Christmas holiday? Truly and unfortunately so yucky and shameful. Of course, these two cannot stand each other- it is evident that not many can withstand Klaus, per the entire premise of this book of course.
The Christmas party is CANCELED- but Lyla says no, we're partying regardless. Then- a fire erupts! Literally and emotionally, corporately etc. Mason promises her forgiveness on one condition- she follows along with his family to celebrate the 12 Days of Christmas. She agrees, reluctantly, but is immediately introduced as his fiancee. What is the cost if she doesn't follow along with his ruse? This is a certified HEA, and it is indeed lovely.
The characters are so cute- I LOVE the grumpy/ sunshine trope, even for a reader who typically never chooses romance. As Christmas is my favorite, I love cozying up with one as soon as the weather gets cool enough in my southern state to do so. The romance aspect left some to be desired, ,so I am rating this a four. The premise is unique, fun, delightful, and the town is so charming and cozy to me.
Plentiful thanks to the author and publisher for allowing me the eARC!

Lyla and Klaus have been work rivals since he bought her father's share of her family company a year ago. Furious that he has decided to cancel this year's Christmas party, she decides to change plans and have a party in the office. During the party, Lyla finds Klaus in his office drunk after finding out that his estranged father has passed away. Now his sister has asked him to return home and he plans to go through with it. Lyla noticing how drunk he is decides to help him get home since she couldn't in good conscience leave him there drunk. But in doing this leaves the office party unattended and that has unexpected consequences. Since Klaus is paying for the damage from the party, he says that Lyla has to accompany him home to be even. When she arrives at his home, she finds out that home is the North Pole, or Yule, and that she has been working with Santa Claus' son all this time. Lyla finds out more and more about Mason Klaus, which changes her opinion of him and has her falling for him unexpectedly. It was a fun, inventive and interesting read. I really enjoyed it and couldn't put it down when I got started with it.

This is a fun and interesting twist to the fake dating trope that is set in the holidays.

This is a book I wanted to love, this story feels original, and it was a really cute idea for a story. Unfortunately, it fell a bit flat for me. It just felt like something was missing from it all.

I didn’t see the romance between Mason and Lyla. I didn’t see the chemistry between the two. Mason felt so disconnected throughout the whole story that personally didn’t feel convinced they were meant to be together.

This book has it all - a Christmas story, more than a bit of magic, enemies to lovers, corporate jealousy, a grieving family brought back together and a nasty former girlfriend.

It reminded me a fair bit of The Santa Clause movies, except for the sexy parts. I enjoyed it a lot.

Cute and cosy Christmas romance!

A predictable but warming tale with enemies to lovers, reindeers and a troublesome cat.

I enjoyed the fast pace and the slow burn in this book, the smaller details of ice skating and the naughty or nice list were also nice touches.

This was such a cute Christmas love story. I didn’t want to put it down at all…and it had me in a Christmas mood in September. This is definitely one to pick up when you’re looking for that Christmas feel.

Lyla is part of a family that has run a toy company for generations. She inherits a bankrupt company and no shares, and must resign herself to helping run the company with a corporate, no-nonsense type named Mason. The two do not hit it off, and are at odds about numerous aspects of the company's culture and mission. Mason decides to cancel the Christmas party, and in turn Lyla keeps the party on - but then, a terrible fire results from the party. Mason offers her a deal - he will forget what happened, but she must join his family for numerous days of Christmas festivities. Lyla agrees, in the hopes of figuring out how she can get the company back - but then, Mason introduces her as his fiancé, which upends everything.

I just loved the descriptions in this book; the scene setting was really superb, and I felt like I was present. Plus, I loved the twist of Mason's family! Read the book to understand more!!

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.