The Naughty or Nice Clause

By Kate Callaghan

What it’s about?

When Lyla’s father retired as CEO of the toy company which has been in their family for generations, she was meant to receive his shares. Instead, she discovers the company is bankrupt and her father has given her shares to Mason Klaus, an investor known in the corporate world for his cold and callous nature. Much to Lyla’s frustration, her only option is to run the company with him, despite their evident loathing for one another.

When Mason cancels the annual Christmas party, Lyla throws it anyway – only for the event of the season to result in a terrible fire. With the offices and Lyla’s credibility ruined, Mason offers her a deal: he’ll forget her part in the disaster, but she must join his family for the twelve days of their Christmas holidays.

Taken to a fantastical winter wonderland, Lyla hopes that she might discover some of the secrets Mr Klaus is hiding, and maybe even a way to get her company back. However, when Mason introduces her to the secret village as his fiancée, she is horrified to realise she has no choice but to go along with the pretence – because the cost of bringing an outsider to their magical land is far too high.

Can Lyla resist the devilishly handsome Mr Klaus and the enchanting village to win back her company, or will she give into temptation?

What I think:

If you’re after a fun, slightly silly, Christmas story with a sprinkle of spice and a happy ending this could be the read for you.

Mason Klaus is ruining Lyra’s Christmas. As the new CEO of her father’s company, he has banished Christmas spirit with cost saving measures that have even included cancelling the Christmas party. Lyra stages a rebellion and hosts a secret party at the office once Mason has left. Disaster hits the office when a fire breaks put and Mason is furious.

The feuding pair clearly fancy the pants off each other despite the fact that they appear to have nothing in common. The problem is amplified when Mason takes Lyra back home with him for Christmas. Mason needs her to pretend to be his girlfriend, in return Lyra will get her business back how she wants it.

Somehow, she is magically whisked to a secret Christmas village where it turns out that the Klaus family have got some pretty big festive secrets of their own.

This is a fun escapism that would make a perfect Hallmark style Christmas movie. I wasn’t a hundred per cent convinced by the romance between Lyra and Mason, but the Klaus family are fantastic, so it didn’t really hamper my enjoyment of the book. This is definitely one to snuggle up under a blanket with over the holidays.

Thanks to Netgalley for my gifted digital copy.