A Jingle Bell Mingle

A Novel (Christmas Notch, Book 3)

De: Julie Murphy, Sierra Simone

Narrado por: Joy Nash, Zachary Webber

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Julie Murphy and USA Today bestselling author Sierra Simone who gave us A Merry Little Meet Cute comes a new holiday rom-com—’tis the season for second chances!

What happens when there’s no room at the inn and you and your potentially demonic cat become roommates with your grumpy one-night stand?

Part-time adult film actress/one-time adult film director/makeup artist Sunny Palmer has accidentally sold her very first screenplay to the Hope Channel. That was six months ago. Fast forward to a looming deadline, an uninspired Sunny has returned to the source of her inspiration in Christmas Notch, Vermont, to immerse herself in the local Christmas miracle on which her fever dream of a movie pitch was based.

Isaac Kelly, former boy band heartthrob and the saddest boy in the music biz, is the latest owner of the town’s historic mansion. After his years of heartbreak following his young wife’s death, Isaac’s record label is done waiting for new music. What better place to attempt his first holiday album than a snow-covered mansion where he can become a hermit in peace?

But after their best friends’ wedding leads to them waking up together in a freezing motel room with questionable wiring and a broken shower, Isaac takes a chance and asks Sunny to stay with him at his home. Surely the place is big enough that he’ll hardly see her or her unhinged cat. But when the two discover they’re both creatively blocked, they make a handshake deal: Isaac will help Sunny hunt down the truth behind the local lore, and Sunny will find Isaac a new muse.

And with these two opposites under one roof, there’s no way this jingle bell mingle could go off script…right?

©2024 Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone (P)2024 HarperCollins Publishers

Christmas Notch

Christmas notch is not your typical holiday town. With its adult film-star resident, her demonic cat and a fading musician you wouldn’t really expect to find the holiday spirit. But as Sunny and Isaac work to uncover a Christmas miracle in this small town they might find more than they bargained for

So lovely to finally have Zachary Webber in Christmas Notch!

A really fun last little trip to Christmas Notch. Both Joy and Zach gave such lovely performances. They kept me laughing (and occasionally getting a little teary) throughout. I’ll miss having these to look forward to, but am also excited to see what Sierra and Julie take us next!

I’m really loving this series.

It’s like Hallmark meets late night Skinamax. And I love it.
This particular story does take a look at life and love after loss besides it being a cute romcom . Which it does very realistically

Fantastic ending to the series

Overall: ⭐️ 5/5
Audiobook 🎧 5/5. ❤️ Zachary Webber
Spice 🌶️ 5 of 5, Explicit & Plentiful
Slow burn 🕯️ < insta-lust
Humor: 🤣 Hysterical!
Season: Christmas! 🎄
Setting: Small town, Vermont
Trigger warnings: No. Sensitive topics handled deftly.
Standalone: No. OK to skip novellas, but book 1 is essential.

FMC Sunny, 30, obese, bi, bestie of Bee, the FMC of book 1. Make up artist, porn star, and now writing a screenplay. ADHD, orphaned when she was 16.

MMC Isaac, 35ish, widowed when he was 30, former member of boy band INK. Bi, loner/recluse, intense grief and depression. Moved from Malibu to Christmas Notch, contractually obligated to write one more album. Zachary Webber narrates this book; he’s done nearly all of Abby Jimenez’s audiobooks. I automatically associate his voice with Cinnamon Roll MMCs.

I was SO excited to be approved for the eARC by Avon & Net Galley. I had already listened to the first two full length novels in the series and 5 star LOVED them a few weeks ago. Everything was still fairly fresh in my mind and I saw it as my own special birthday treat to start reading it a week before it came out. Life, of course, got in the way and I couldn’t finish reading it before the release. I prefer audiobooks anyway and I happily bought my own copy on Audible, especially since Zachary Webber was one of the narrators. Joy Nash had done an excellent job with the previous audiobooks in this series, and this book was no different.

I was mildly confused at the start of this book referring to the threesome One Night Stand between Sunny, Isaac, and Jack Hart. Initially I was wondering if it was in one of the novellas I skipped. I now think it was briefly mentioned in book 1; Murphy & Simone are such great writers that they give the reader various sprinkles of info about that ONS that resolved my questions.

As an older millennial, obese, and with a recent diagnosis of ADHD (3 years ago) I felt really seen. Some authors really hit the reader over the head with things about ADHD or fat phobia. Murphy & Simone have a light touch and it comes across as neurodivergence acceptance and body positivity without being preachy.

This is likely the end of this series. 😭 If Murphy & Simone team up again how about an Autumnal/Halloween series? But only after Sierra Simone finishes her Lyonesse trilogy because waiting a full year just might kill me.

THIS SERIES IS GREAT!!

Okay. Have you ever been watching a Hallmark movie and thought “wow.. I wish it would get a little R rated!?” WELPPP. This is the series for you. This is the 3rd & final book is this hilariously cute series.. so I highly recommend you read the first 2. (& the 2 cute little novellas in between)

This was my favorite though. I thought I loved Nolan & B…. But Sunny & Isaac steal the show! Truly though, each couple bring something different to each storyline! Each book has little crumbs of continuation from the previous books with our favorite couples, giving us insight to how they’re doing and where they’re at.

This really wrapped up the series nicely and put a cute little bow on this festive read. This definitely gets a 10/10 in my book!

So much fun! Great narration from BOTH

Finally they found a male narrator to match the absurdly talented female narrator. I was so annoyed with previous male narrators in the series and now they finally gave us one who can narrate female voices convincingly and do intimate scenes well.

Another Notch in the Holiday Romcom Belt

This was another fantastic holiday romcom that was brilliantly brought to life by the narrators and once again this book can be read as a standalone, but man if you know this town and these people, it is a massive payoff. I loved that we had two people who just Are hurting and want to escape from their pain, but can’t help fall in love. It feels so relatable and yet we love them for all their feelings. Sunny and Isaac are just the best and this was such a satisfying read.

Thank you for the JOY

Laugh out loud and so very cute. This listen keep me grinning and laughing so much I couldn’t turn it off. Only happy tears!!!

This series is SO GOOD !

I loved these books ! The characters and the banter were top tier ! I hope there is more !!!

That Photo Booth tho!

OK. I love Christmas Notch. I want to go to this wildly sex positive town where everything feels like Christmas all the time. Even the strip club is Christmas themed, and that's just so amazing. It never fails to bring me joy to think about it.

But I've noticed a pattern with these books that I'm finding does dampen my joy a touch. I had high hopes for this third installment. And don't get me wrong, I do love the bi representation in this series! There's a lot to be said for that. But the fact that the full novels are all MF, hetero-presenting couples, and only the novellas are MM and FF is definitely a choice. They tee'd it up perfectly to be a MMF throuple. But it wasn't meant to be.

Or it was, but we were like 50+ years too late? And WWII robbed us of what could have been? You've gotta read it for those details, but I would definitely watch that movie!