Daphne Noelle (Love the name alone!) is living her dream right now! She’s always wanted to open up a bakery, but since she can’t afford to do that, every year…for two months before Christmas, she has a pop up stand in an elite high rise building where she sells her sweet treats to all the employees of the building…along with other pop up vendors.AND. her shop is IN a Gingerbread House! How cute is that?!?

Tristan Knight is the head of an architectural firm in that same building. He’s a modern day Grinch with zero Christmas spirit. He would love to have all the vendors THROWN OUT of the building! 😮

And so it begins…

Daphne has enough spirit for both of them though…and she’ll try to spread it around.

Sweet, thoughtful, kind…these are just a few of the words I could use to describe Daphne…and her approach to life….so she’s not sure why the Grinch wants her gone!

Loved this Christmas themed story, and happy to receive it before the holidays!

#BakingItMerry by the one and only #SamanthaChase and narrated nicely by #MelanieMendez.

Thanks so much to #NetGalley and #DreamscapeMedia for an ARC of the audiobook which is due to be released in about TWO WEEKS on 11/19/24, so look 👀 for it then!!

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me!

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I loved this story about Tristan “Grinchy Grincherson” Knight and Daphne Noelle. I was lucky to receive a copy of the audiobook version and really enjoyed the narrator.

Daphne has a pop-up bake shop in the lobby of Tristan’s office building and she gets roped into helping cater his holiday parties and teaches him to love the holidays while she’s at it.

I love everything that I’ve read by Samantha Chase, and this latest book does not disappoint!

Daphne sets up a gingerbread bakery booth in Tristans office building and fireworks explode. He's extra grumpy and she's extra sunshine, but he eventually warms up. This book will quickly put you in a Christmas mood so grab your beverage of choice, favorite blanket, and curl up for a festive quick read.
Thanks to Samantha Chase, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Just pure perfection and the perfect narrators. I felt like it went by so quick but that's because I was fully emerged and enjoying it so much. I found myself just stopping what I was doing and sitting and listening to the story. I really loved the pacing and story telling and the narrators brought it all to life.

This was the perfect Holiday romance to get me in the holiday spirit. Daphne gets to have a pop up bake shop in the lobby of a downtown Raleigh building for two months out of the year and all the people who work there seem to love it...that is except for Tristan. Tristan is an architect who runs his families Raleigh office and he thinks the bake shop and the few other pop up shops make the lobby look like a traveling circus. He wants to have them all removed and even threatens to do so. Tristan winds up in a pinch with his family and Daphne is really the only person who can help him...in more ways that one. The more time he spends with her, the more he questions if he actually likes her and her cheerful self.

This was so cute and I loved the somewhat enemies to lovers storyline. We got to see Tristan and Daphne's families as side characters and I enjoyed them as well. He was a little stubborn in admitting that he was wrong about Daphne and her love for Christmas, but he made up for that in other ways. He also started to communicate better. I loved Daphne and her love for Christmas!

Thank you to NetGalley, Samantha Chase and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to read Baking It Merry.

This was a fun read to get into the Christmas holiday spirit. The characters were easy to get to know and the banter was a treat.

I do have a slight criticism for the audiobook: the narrator was hard to listen to at times due to pronunciation of words (ie, button) or how she finished sentences with an upward tone. However, it was not enough to stop listening as I wanted to follow the characters and see how the story ended.

**Baking It Merry**
by Samantha Chase
Narrated by Melanie Mendez

**A Small Town, Enemies to Lovers, Holiday Romance**

In a bustling office building, the atmosphere is filled with holiday cheer, thanks to a delightful little bake shop occupying the lobby. This cheery establishment is adored by everyone—everyone, that is, except for Tristan, the aloof architect residing on the top floor. With his tightly wound demeanour and disdain for anything festive, he dreams of a holiday season devoid of decorations and merriment.

For two magical months each year, Daphne Noelle gets to immerse herself in her dream as the owner of a charming pop-up bakery. Her shop, resembling an adorable gingerbread house, not only sells delectable treats but also radiates joy and warmth. Daphne thrives on the smiles of her customers as they indulge in her festive creations, revelling in the spirit of the season. Despite having successfully run her bakery for the past three years, this year presents an unexpected challenge in the form of Tristan, whose mission appears to be ruining her festive spirit.

Tristan has always appreciated the upscale elegance of the office complex where his architecture firm resides. However, each holiday season, the lobby transforms into a chaotic spectacle, thanks to the annual holiday market. For eight long weeks, he is subjected to the vibrant, almost cloying atmosphere created by the various booths, with the bakery being the worst offender. He finds the sight of the giant gingerbread house off-putting, and Daphne’s relentless cheerfulness only amplifies his irritation. Determined to preserve the sophisticated ambience of the building, Tristan makes it his goal to have her booth removed.

However, life's twists and turns lead Tristan into a complex family situation where he unexpectedly needs Daphne's help. Reluctantly, he finds himself begging for her assistance while promising to stay on his best behaviour in her enthusiastic presence. As he spends more time with her, navigating a series of awkward and hilarious situations, he begins to uncover the layers beneath her bubbly exterior. Far from being just a perky baker, Daphne possesses a depth and warmth that he hadn't noticed before.

This delightful story features Tristan—a grumpy, uptight architect intent on sabotaging Daphne's joyous efforts—and Daphne, the sunshine counterpart who embodies the magic of the holiday season. Their relationship evolves from enemies to something deeper, filled with playful banter and heartfelt moments. I have explored a variety of books by Samantha Chase, and I've consistently appreciated her unique writing style and the depth of her characters. Each story offers engaging insights that keep me coming back for more.

I predominantly listened to this enchanting audiobook during my drive to and from work and I found Melanie Mendez’s voice to be a perfect match for the story. Her narration beautifully captured the emotions and humour, enhancing the experience. The pacing felt just right, intertwining humour with warmth while celebrating the essence of the holiday spirit. This charming tale serves as a gentle reminder of Christmas magic and how love can blossom in the most unexpected of places. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone in search of a romantic escape during the festive season!

Baking it Merry is the perfect way for me to start the holiday season even if it was a little early. At the time of writing this, we are still a couple of weeks before Halloween so it was not the Christmas season yet but this book brought me right to all the holiday feels.

Enemies to lovers is one of my least favorite tropes so I was a little worried but I felt how it was done here was perfect. Daphne has a pop-up bakery in the lobby of a building. Every holiday season many vendors come in. Daphne has her shop set up like a gingerbread house that everyone seems to love except for Tristan. Tristan complains about Daphne and her shop until he finds himself in a unique situation that requires Daphne's help.

Another trope I usually don’t like is fake dating, well that’s exactly what Tristan needs Daphne’s help with when his parents mistakenly think Daphne is his girlfriend.

So many of these books have an unnecessary conflict in the final act. There is something like that here and it made me tear up with how it came to its conclusion.

I cannot recommend this book enough. You must check out Baking it Merry this holiday season.

It’s Christmas time which means Daphne is setting up hear yearly pop up gingerbread bakery in a downtown office building. She loves this time of year and being able to do what she loves and sell her baked goods. The only thing darkening her holiday spirit is the grinchy business man she keeps running into. Tristan doesn’t have a problem with Christmas but he hates how the whole business world seems to shut down for the month surrounding it and the kitschy pop up shops in his building lobby are a constant reminder. He is set on disliking them and everything they stand for, but when he needs Daphne’s help he’s forced to reconsider his stance. What starts out as hate quickly turns to something much better and suddenly Daphne and Tristan are facing a fake relationship that might just blossom into something more. Will this woman full of holiday cheer be able to help this grinch realize what the holidays are really about?

I am always up for a good holiday romance and this one was a solid one. It has all of the cozy Hallmark vibes and was a quick and easy read. I liked the storyline and characters. The progression from enemies to coworkers to fake dating to maybe something more kept me on my toes as the story played out. I was pulled in from the beginning and loved this cozy romance. This is a cute, sweet holiday romance that reads like a Hallmark Christmas movie. It’s the perfect way to get in the mood for the holiday season. If you are looking for a quick holiday romance give this one a try!

If you like grumpy/sunshine, enemies to lovers, fake dating, in your holiday books, this might be the book for you. It wasn't my favorite holiday book, but that's ok, it might be yours

Daphne is a part-time baker who sets up her booth at a holiday market in an upscale high-rise. Tristan is an architect for a firm in the building. Daphne has over the top holiday spirit. Tristan is a grinch. As things often do in romcoms, the two find themselves thrown together .

Cute holiday romance novel with grumpy Grinch and lovable sweet holiday lover baker. Easy to get into, but the MMC was too much of a pretentious douche that I wasn't rooting for him. HEA, but FMC could do better.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this earlier.

I don't even celebrate Christmas, but I enjoyed this. Our FMC is a super hard working baker who brings joy to those around her and doesn't put up with a local grinch trying to grump on her baked goods.

I received an audio ARC and literally listened to it all in one day because it was so devourable and fun! The narration is supremely well done and enjoyable to listen along to!

Baking It Merry is your typical holiday romance. It's an enemies-to-lovers story as Tristan isn't happy about the holiday pop-up shop that has been set up in the lobby of his office building. He seems particularly annoyed with Daphne whose bakery booth looks like a gingerbread house.

They are thrown together when Tristan needs catering for holiday parties and no one else is available. And soon they are hopping into bed together. This a a relatively clean read if I was rating its steaminess on a 5 hot cocoa scale - it would get 2 or 2.5 mugs as we do get some heavy kissing and sexy talk.

While the plot is predictable (which isn't a bad thing in a holiday romance otherwise there were wouldn't be 50+ Hallmark movies with the same plot). I liked Daphne and Tristan is likeable if you don't think too much about his behavior. He's grumpy but not Scrooge-level. While his behavior toward Daphne is pretty typical of romance novels, I don't find it attractive and couldn't understand why Daphne was.

I listened to the audiobook and it was easy enough to follow the story. I wish the narrator, Melanie Mendez, had done more distinct voices for the characters. I had paused the audiobook in the middle of dialogue and when I came back to it a few minutes later I thought it was Daphne speaking but it was Tristan.

If you are looking for a quick, romantic read this holiday season, then be sure to pick up this book.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Tuesday - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2024/10/baking-it-merry-by-samantha-chase-review.html

A cute cozy Christmas read that will have you craving sweet baked treats the entire book! While I did love this and loved the closed door romance of it giving a sweet Christmas read it’s probably one I’m good reading once! Very cute and can’t wait to listen to more


Daphne gave me “me” vibes when it came to her Christmas spirt and I loved the grumpy / sunshine of this book! Super sweet easy holiday listen!!

What an adorable, cozy read to get in to the holiday spirit. I loved the storyline of Daphne being a baker in the company office who comes across the Grinch of the office! Her cheery disposition was so much fun and I loved how she didn't let it slip when dealing with Tristan. She agrees to help him plan some Christmas events that his mother has pushed on him because he can't find any other bakers that have the time on such short notice. He quickly becomes dependent on her which leads to them fake dating to appease his parents. But naturally they can't fight the attraction for long even when Tristan was such a grump from the start and wanted nothing to do with her. I really enjoyed how their relationship came about to be a real thing, I think it all flowed so well. Tristan may seem like a grump on the outside but he truly just wanted Daphne to have everything she ever dreamed of. I definitely got that cozy Hallmark vibe throughout the whole story. You definitely know the story will have the happiest of endings but there was still some turmoil to endure to get there and it really kept me hooked in. A definite read when you need a heartwarming, hallmark vibe of a holiday read!

The narrator Melanie Mendez did such a good job of playing both roles. She put forth so much emotion so you could truly feel what the characters were feeling. I have been growing to love dual narrations for these dual POV books, but Melanie did a great job of separating the two characters to make them feel like their own.


Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

I’m normally not one to get into anything Christmas until after Thanksgiving, but I won’t lie, reading some holiday books is definitely getting me excited for all things Merry and Bright!

Baking it Merry by @samanthachaseromance is a fun audiobook to help get you into the holiday spirit! This charming tale features the sunny and spirited Daphne, who sets up a festive little pop-up bakery in the lobby of one of the big corporate buildings. Just as she’s getting finished with her set up she all but collides with the grumpy architect Tristan, who’s decidedly not a fan of the holiday cheer! As the book progresses the banter between the two, combined with a mix of hilarious mishaps creates some unexpected chemistry! Especially when they end up in an unexpected fake dating adventure!

Narrated by the talented Melanie Mendez, this cozy story is packed with laughs, heartwarming moments, and a sprinkle of holiday magic that will leave you feeling merry and bright! Perfect for a cozy listen during the festive season!

**While this is probably considered a closed door book, I would say that the door is opened a crack... and the intimate scenes felt a little excessive for my personal taste.

Huge thank you to @netgalley and @dreamscape_media for the advance audiobook copy of this book!

This was such a cute, merry read that was perfect for getting in the holiday spirit!! If a Hallmark movie was an audiobook, this would be it! I adored the Grinch/sunshine romance and how much Tristan redeemed himself by the end of the book.

Thank you to Samantha Chase, Dreamscape, and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to a free eaudio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Meh. Not great but not a dumpster fire. Daphne seemed great, very likeable. Tristan, not so much. Chase tried really hard to make him likeable, but I wasn't buying it. Just because he's ready to spew apologies doesn't mean he isn't toxic. He was a self-involved, inconsiderate jerk. Daphne deserved better. I didn't feel chemistry between them, and their argue/insult-each-other foreplay wasn't sexy. If you just want to read a Christmas book and don't need deep character development, this might scratch the itch for ya.

ALC Review:

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Daphne Noelle finds joy in baking and selling her holiday treats. While she loves spreading joy to those around her, there is no escaping Tristan, the building grump. If he had his way, Daphne and all the other vendors would be removed from his place of business. But when family demands leave Tristan as the host of multiple Christmas parties, he has no choice but to rely on Daphne’s expertise.

This is your quintessential holiday romance. Think Hallmark after dark. It is festive, cheerful, and at times downright steamy. While I am a sucker for the small town, grumpy/ sunshine, enemies to lovers tropes, I would have preferred a more clean version.

I mostly listened to this audiobook in the car. I found Melanie Mendez’s narration to be enjoyable. Unfortunately, there were some scenes that made me uncomfortable. Where it is easy to skip pages in a physical book, it is not so easy to do so on audio. There were times I had to turn the volume down to ensure no one heared the more explicit scenes.

Special thanks to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media, and Samantha Chase for allowing me to listen to this audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.

My thinks for the audio ARC goes to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media. I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Holiday Romance, Romcom
Spice Level: Sex on the page
Language: Peppered with mild profanity
Tropes: Grumpy/Sunshine

BAKING IT MERRY is a light Christmas read. It's a combo of "small-town values" butting against the big city architect. For some reason, I had thought this was a sweet romance without spice . . . yeah, I was wrong. But if you're looking for a spicy romance for escapism, I think this one will work for you. Some of the characters are overly sweet—which sometimes happens in both Christmas books and sweet romances. I liked how the mc was great at setting up parties and welcoming everyone. It was interesting how the MMC doesn't think he's doing well in comparison to his siblings, and I was curious of that would be resolved.

Happy reading!