What We’re Reading in December 2024

**CURRENTLY READING**

*A Jingle Bell Mingle*
by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone

You asked nicely, so Santa is delivering! Our December HoH Book Club pick is: Jingle Bell Mingle — a little Hallmark, a lottle horny, featuring a grumpy, “sad boy” MMC with “good girl” dirty talk and public intimacy.

A Jingle Bell Mingle is book 3 in the A Christmas Notch series, but it’s a stand-alone. I’ve read this entire series, yet, I was still so intrigued by all the other storylines that were teased in this book. Whether you read them before or after this book, you’ll want to dive into this series during the holiday season — it’s the perfect read for snuggling up by a fire with a mug of (spiked) hot cocoa.

Get your copy of A Jingle Bell Mingle (Amazon) and read with us.

What Victoria Loved

VICTORIA’S RATING: 4/5

WARNING: DO NOT READ THIS BOOK (or any book in this series) IN PUBLIC. Do as I say, not as I do. Because I’m pretty sure I’ve read all of these books in public and promptly had to skip over scenes and return to them when in the privacy of my own home.

An ex-boyband heart-throb and an ex-porn star turned Hope Channel movie writer come together (years after a spectacular threesome) when they reunite at their best friends’ wedding. And when circumstances lead them to become roommates in the magical town of Christmas Notch, well… did someone start a fire in the fireplace or is that just the steam radiating out of this book?!

You’ll laugh out loud as Julie and Sierra put to paper every thought you’ve ever had or act you may have been curious about (*ahem* Chapter 13 *ahem*). And by the end of the book, you’ll walk away with a list of life lessons:

Always carry singles — “You never know when you’ll stumble across a strip club.”
Dating tip: Ask them about their first pet. Whether or not they had one, you’ll find out if they have mommy or daddy issues.
Don’t settle.

The romances (YES, PLURAL) that are woven throughout this are so sweet and so steamy. I wish I had more details, perhaps more novellas? The characters will make you hot, they’ll make you scream, they’ll make you cry. But in the end, they’ll remind you that ultimately, the holiday season is about love and being around friends and family.

Get in the holiday mood with our HoH Holiday Playlist! (Spotify)

What the Book Club Loved

FIREWORKS & STEAM: 4.5/5
This book was a smack in the face — we hit SERIOUSLY hot steam in the first chapter. From the dirty, possessive talk to the variations of activity, it was an education. So much so, we were left stumbling for words as we did some research to confirm what exactly we were reading. The restaurant scent. The bathroom. The photo booth. The inn. It was a lot, but we. were. into. it.
WRITING STYLE: 3.5/5
A Hallmark movie meets a porno just about sums up this book. While it’s a perfectly wrapped story, there are a LOT of plot points, a LOT of characters to keep track of (the friend group, townsfolk, cat ladies, story characters), and a LOT of snow. That said, the setting was so wonderfully described, we were cold the entire time (but also desperate to visit this cute little Christmas town). And we were impressed by the authors’ delicate handling of the heavy themes discussed throughout the book; it never felt overwhelming.
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 3/5
We struggled to get into the characters at the beginning. It felt like they fit too perfectly into cookie-cutter tropes. But as we hit the heart of the book, their dialogue roped us in and we became invested in their relationship (and yes, we mean beyond their physical activities). While we were ultimately disappointed in the main characters’ emotional maturity arc, we were fascinated by the long list of supporting characters and their many plot lines — from the cat ladies who solved mysteries in their free time to the starring characters in the angel story — there was no shortage in personality.
THE LOVE STORY: 2.5/5
The main love story fell pretty flat for us. It felt one-sided — while Sunny fell in love and opened herself up to vulnerability, Isaac settled and was more invested in finding a muse than exploring his emotions. It felt like a mismatch and their resolution felt unresolved.

“This book is written as 50% porno, 50% hallmark movie. As soon as I realized that, I was like, ‘Okay! Yes. I get it.’”

- TAYLOR

If You Loved A Jingle Bell Mingle, You’ll Love These

A CHRISTMAS TOWN & THE LOVEMARK CHANNEL: How My Neighbor Stole Christmas by Meghan Quinn (Amazon)
If a Hallmark (or Lovemark) movie was a book, it’d be this one. From the first page you’ll be transported into a picturesque Universal studio set of a quaint mountain village giving Whoville + Hallmark + Stars Hollow with the softest powder white snow. Warning: You will never look at a candy cane the same after this book.
VICTORIA’S RATING: 4/5
A PORNSTAR ROOMMATE: The Roommate (Shameless #1) by Rosie Danan (Amazon)
A flirty, forced-proximity romance between a socialite and a very charming stranger with a notable professional prowess, who come together to tackle the stigma against female desire. It’s unexpected, fun and we can all benefit from some of these lessons.
VICTORIA’S RATING: 4/5
A LITTLE LOVE-TRIANGLE AMONG RIVAL HOLIDAYS: The Nightmare Before Kissmas (Royals and Romance #1) by Sara Raasch (Amazon)
Can I convince you to read this with one quote? “Every single one of those instances where I’ve seen joy on other people, I’ve been searching. Searching specifically for his joy. Because now that I’ve experienced it, it renders all past joy obsolete.”
VICTORIA’S RATING: 4/5

BY THESE AUTHORS:
- A Merry Little Meet Cute (A Christmas Notch #1) by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone (Amazon)
  Book 1 in this flirty series featuring a plus-size adult film star and an ex-boy band member who star in a squeaky-clean Hope Channel movie and they have to keep their secrets under wraps. It may sound sweet, but it’s definitely more naughty.
  VICTORIA’S RATING: 3/5
- If the Shoe Fits (Meant to Be #1) by Julie Murphy (Amazon)
  I stumbled across this book in the dollar bin at my local Goodwill, and what a pleasant surprise! This forced proximity romance (notice a trend?) happens on the set of a reality TV show where a body-positivity icon (with great shoes) may just fall for Prince Charming.
  VICTORIA’S RATING: 4/5
- Salt Kiss by Sierra Simone (Amazon)
  Another forced proximity, LGBTQ romance with a touch of darkness and forbidden love. This is basically the antithesis of The Christmas Notch series.
  VICTORIA’S RATING: 4/5