Elfemies to Lovers

by Jennifer Chipman

The daughter of a runaway Christmas Elf. The son of Santa Claus. A whole lot of Christmas Magic. What could go wrong?

Ivy Winters

As the head elf at Santa’s Christmasland, I never expected to be butting heads with the new executive—or going on a date with him. But when he asked me to go home with him for Christmas, I surprised myself by saying yes.

Oh, and he’s from the North Pole.

And apparently, I’m an elf.

Teddy Claus

Training to take over the family business was no small undertaking, but for the last few years, I’d been working my way up through the ranks, mastering each branch of our enterprise.

But everything was different when I arrived at our Christmas themed amusement park and met her.

Maybe that was why I invited her home with me for Christmas.

It felt like I’d been searching my whole life for something, and I’d finally found it.

Maybe, what I’d needed all along was Ivy by my side.

Genres: Christmas, Romance, Holiday, Holiday Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Fantasy, Workplace Romance

274 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 15, 2024

Reviews

[naz · Rating 4 out of 5]

"𝑾𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒂𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕, 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒐𝒅𝒐𝒓𝒆?"
"𝑾𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏'𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘, 𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕?"

This was the definition of a Hallmark movie… but make it spicy! 🌶️🎄

The story is adorable! Teddy, son of Santa Claus himself, visits his family’s Christmas theme park and meets Ivy, the fiery manager who loves Christmas more than anyone, but has never even seen snow! After just one date, Teddy takes a leap of faith and invites her up to the North Pole. Oh, and did I mention she’s an elf?! 🤭🤭

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝗛𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸-𝘆? First, the ultimate meet cute and the whole “we went on one date, now I’m spending two weeks with you” vibe is so on-brand. Plus, Ivy’s never done traditional Christmas activities, so Teddy Claus makes a whole bucket list to change that! TOO CUTE!

I loved how the author wove classic Christmas activities into the story and obviously some she made them spicy! The romance between Teddy and Ivy is undeniable from the start, but both are a little afraid to move too fast. But hey, it’s Christmas, after all! 🎅❤️

I totally recommend this book to anyone who loves a holiday movie in book form. It’s fast-paced, Christmas-themed, and obviously a HEA! Basically everything Hallmark does best, and I ate it right up!

tropes
🎄Fated Mates
🎄Frenemies to Lovers
🎄Secret Identity
🎄Christmas Bucket List
🎄Spicy Hallmark Christmas

things I liked ˋ°•*⁀➷
-the term naughty or nice hehe
-the sleigh ride ;)
-dual pov
-the epilogue
-gingerbread house (specially the icing)

⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.
𝗽𝗿𝗲-𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱｡ꪆৎ ˚⋅ I want my brain to turn off and be jolly so.. let's do this

[buket · Rating 3 out of 5]

I LOVE CHRISTMAS SO MUCH🩷👼🏻✨🎄

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want a spicy Christmas romance between a girl who has no idea she's an elf and Santa's son, look no further!

Ivy loves Christmas and works at Santa's Christmasland in Florida, but her life definitely feels a bit lonely. When Teddy shows up as a big exec to oversee the Christmas park, he sees Ivy and immediately wants to know her more.

I will say, don't expect a full blown enemies to lovers here. They do butt heads just a bit in the beginning, but Teddy is so gone for Ivy and she falls pretty quickly soon after, so it's really about her learning the truth about Teddy and deciding what her future could really look like. There were some fun spicy scenes in the North Pole and this was just a fun, quick Christmas time!

[sabrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Creative plot but it just fell flat for me because it was so insta lovey

[Lorena ♡ (semi-ia)]

dnf @39%

i'm sorry but these two have no romantic chemistry (or chemistry in general), and the author was trying to force an enemies-to-lovers situation so bad that it didn't work and only made their interactions super awkward 😭 a shame because the cover and the setting of the story are adorable :(

[пустунка · Rating 3 out of 5]

різдвяний вайб тут і справді яскраво присутній. читати про цю підготовку до Різдва, а також спостерігати за виконанням списку бажань головних героїв було весело. теж захотілося скласти обов'язковий передріздвяний список для настрою 👉🏻👈🏻. я собі взяла на замітку його пункти :)

дуже миленько, з елементами магії та справжнього різдвяного дива. Санта Клаус, ельфи, олені, Північний полюс, подаруночки, романтика... все ніби гарненько й ненав'язливо, а от кінцівка трохи підкосила. загалом ніби й нічого особливого, але щось в цьому є.

3/5

[Jamie Clarkson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this and I had a great time with this book . I can’t wait to read more by Jennifer Chipman . Another author I like .

[Megan Tolley · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25⭐️ 2.5🌶️
Such a cute story! Ivy & Teddy were adorable! I loved how much this made me think of The Santa Clause 2 with Teddy using his magic to win over Ivy🥰 This book was magical and spicy and sweet! The MCs had great chemistry and I thought the whole plot was creative and cute!

[Shanna Ferris · Rating 4 out of 5]

• Christmas novella
• Small Town
• Low drama
• Boss/Employee
• Adorable checklist
• He falls first
• A cute spin on kidnapping
• Christmas charm
• Fated mates
• Slow burn 🌶🌶

“I’m glad I get to do all of this with you.” A warm smile filled her face. “I think that maybe Christmas means something more with the right person by your side.”

Sometimes you just need a break from heavy reads. And I can count on Jennifer Chipman to always have just what I'm looking for. Something short and sweet. Nothing too heavy or too much! With the cutest characters and adorably descriptive world-building! I was so excited when she announced that she was doing a cute Hallmark-style christmas story with SPICE!! And she didn't disappoint! This book was so freaken adorable. I loved following Teddy and Ivy through their adventures while they checked off things on their checklist they created together! 
 
Instantly, I fell for both characters! 
 
Teddy was so gentle with Ivy and the way he handled explaining their magical pull to one another. Ivy was fiercely independent, and unfortunately, that was a product of her childhood. But when Teddy stepped in, this man had zero issues making sure she knew she was no longer alone and she had someone to lean on! 
 
“Haven’t you learned by now that I like when you’re feisty, sweetheart? When you have those little claws out?” 
I rolled my eyes. “You’re insufferable.”
“Nah. You like it.”
 
The way he took care of Ivy was so sweet!!! But also the way she took care of him! 🎄

You won't regret getting to know these two in this adorable Christmas book! And don't let the cover fool you! Jennifer definitely packed some spice in this book! 😉

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨🎄📖 𝐄𝐥𝐟𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐉𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐦𝐚𝐧

“𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯, 𝘐𝘷𝘺 𝘞𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘣𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴. 𝘛𝘰 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘦 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦. 𝘛𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵.”

Ohmylanta! This is hands down my new favorite book by Jennifer Chipman! I’ve been on a holiday romance kick and this was seriously so dang sweet!

“𝘈𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵, 𝘐𝘷𝘺. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴.”

Ivy Winters is working at a year round Santa’s Christmasland. She’s always loved Christmas even though she didn’t have the happiest childhood growing up in foster care. She dreams about having a family. When she meets the owner’s son, Teddy, she knows there’s something special about him. He invites her to his hometown for Christmas so that she can experience the holiday like she’s always imagined.

Teddy Claus is caught in Ivy’s orbit from their first encounter. He knows there’s something magical about her, and he has his suspicions as to what that means. He makes it his mission to give her a holiday she’ll never forget!

This story was just so whimsical! The chemistry between Ivy and Teddy was great and when the spicy hit, it freaking IGNITED. Teddy was DOWN BAD.

“𝘔𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘗𝘰𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘐𝘷𝘺.”

I felt like there was the perfect amount of holiday magic and spice along the way!

“𝘕𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘺.” 𝘐𝘷𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘴, 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘦 𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘱 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘺𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘰𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳. “𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘺, 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘰𝘥𝘰𝘳𝘦?”
“𝘖𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶.”

Their Christmas Checklist was seriously so sweet and I want to check off all of those boxes with them!

If you love books FILLED with holiday magic and spicy sleigh rides, you have to go add 𝐄𝐥𝐟𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐉𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐦𝐚𝐧, to your TBR today!

𝘛𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘴:
🫶🏼 𝘏𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵
💞 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴
✨ 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘴 𝘔𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤
🎄 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘴 𝘓𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴
🔥 𝘔𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘶𝘮 𝘉𝘶𝘳𝘯
❤️‍🔥 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘺 𝘚𝘭𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘙𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴
🤭 𝘓𝘰𝘸 𝘋𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘢

[Heather myfriendsdontread · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was cute as crap!

I’m not gonna lie, it’s super corny and ridiculous, but I loved that it was a fluffy Christmas romance that was a fantasy. Most Christmas books are all contemporary, so I was very thankful I found this one.

He’s the son of Santa Claus, and she’s a human who discovers that she’s actually part elf. He takes her home to the North Pole to experience her first real Christmas, since she’s from Florida and also doesn’t have a family. Together they do all the fun, cheesy Christmas things until they fall in love. And it’s spicy too, of course!
It was a super fun read.

The only reason I gave it a 4/5 is because I don’t always like the way this author writes her dialogue or character behaviors. Whenever I read her books, I always have moments where I’m like, “what the actual fuck is happening here.” Some conversations and characters behaviors don’t always make sense to me, or are just plain stupid.
Like the way he broke it to her that she was an elf and he was from the North Pole. I was really looking forward to that part, but it wasn’t good. That could have definitely been better.

But it was still 100% worth the read to me. It was such a feel good story. I’d recommend it if you like corny as fuck romances like I do.

[Kaite · Rating 4 out of 5]

it’s was soooo good and cute Xmas romance book! 4.75 ⭐️

[Kaila · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hated this, it sucked and I have no idea why I kept reading it

[Olga Rudnitska · Rating 5 out of 5]

So adorable! And full of festive spirit!

placed in a modern world story about Santa's son and lost elf, travel to North pole, and a lot of Christmas to-do list.
The second part is soooo spicy, so be aware of it.

[Haily Volk · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5⭐️
1.5/5🌶️

STOP! This was so dang cute. The perfect holiday romance! If you’re looking for a short and sweet hallmark with spice, then this is for you!

This is my first read by Jennifer Chipman and won’t be my last. Ivy and Teddy have great banter and chemistry, I fell in love with them right away. Ivy Winters is working at a year-round Santa’s Christmasland and has always loved Christmas even though she didn’t have the greatest childhood growing up in foster care. Teddy is the owner’s son of this Christmasland and once they meet, Teddy knows there is something special about her and won’t leave until she comes with him to his hometown, so she isn’t alone on Christmas and to show her an experience she won’t be able to forget.

I absolutely loved the Christmas List they put together and crossed out everything before Christmas. He did everything to show her how magical this season is. Teddy was down BAD for Ivy. Her called her his wicked little poison Ivy. Ugh I love him. This was a perfect way to dip my toes back into holiday romances. I highly recommend.

Thank you, Jennifer Chipman and team, for this ARC 😊

Tropes:
♥️Spicy Hallmark Christmas
🎄Frenemies to Lovers
♥️Santa’s Son
🎄She’s Part Elf
♥️Christmas Magic
🎄Fated Mates
♥️He Falls First
🎄Spicy Sleigh Rides

[Shelby Westerdahl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ivy and Teddy’s story is absolutely adorable and packed with holiday charm! Ivy, a spirited manager of the photo department (and head elf!) at a Christmas-themed amusement park, has had her fair share of heartbreak. Growing up without big Christmas celebrations after losing her parents, she’s built a quiet, steady life.

Enter Teddy, a mysterious newcomer who’s secretly an executive at the park. He keeps his identity under wraps, but when he meets Ivy, he’s instantly captivated. Ivy, on the other hand, isn’t impressed at first—who has time for a charming stranger when you’re running an entire elf squad? But as they spend more time together, her walls start to crumble.

The tension builds when Teddy invites Ivy to his home, and she hesitates—can she really trust him? What is he hiding? Discovering Teddy’s secrets is as much fun as watching their relationship unfold. This book is full of heartwarming moments, holiday magic, and a sprinkle of intrigue. A must-read for cozy romance lovers!

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

They were never enemies!!!!

[Chenoa · Rating 2 out of 5]

They were never actually enemies and fell in love in two seconds

[Anastasiia · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 ⭐️

Грудень на календарі, тому я починала його з прочитання різдвяної історії.
Ця історія ідеально підійшла під атмосферу, яку я хотіла. Сніг, сімейне свято, магія та кохання.
Мені сподобалися головні персонажі. Їхні відносини починаються на гострому лезі ненависті, але з часом розкриваються так глибоко і правдиво, що просто неможливо залишитися байдужим. Їхні сварки — це вибух емоцій, але за ними ховається справжнє тяжіння, яке поступово трансформується у щось більше. Хімія між героями відчувається в кожному діалозі.
Особливо чарівною була різдвяна атмосфера: сніг, вогники та сцени, де герої вимушені працювати разом під час святкових заходів, додали історії тепла та трохи гумору. Це той момент, коли магія свята переплітається з магією світу ельфів, створюючи відчуття справжнього дива.
Сюжет місцями був передбачуваний, але авторка майстерно компенсує це несподіваними поворотами, які тримають у напрузі. Емоційні моменти справді зачіпають за живе, хоча мені хотілося трохи більше занурення у внутрішній світ ельфів.
Я отримала те що хотіла, непогана різдвяна історія.

[Bookishandbrewsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a spicy hallmark movie…

Very cutesy.

Ivy meets the handsome owners son while at work who charms her and convinces her to come home with him for Christmas by spoiling her with gingerbread muffins and coffee. I don’t judge, acts of service is my love language too.

Home turns out to be the North Pole and he is actually Santa’s son.

He convinces her to stay by consistently giving her his candy cane until the end of time I guess. Good for her.

[Tania Fernanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
Es una película romcom navideña hecha libro pero spicy

[Brittanica Bold · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the dedication is to anyone who “wanted their Hallmark movies to be a little spicier”, I knew I was in for a good ride!!

What I liked about the book:
1. Do not let this cute as hell cover fool you; this thing packs a punch with a bunch of dirty talk and multiple spicy scenes! Also, I have finally decided on my favorite microtrope: after they’ve done the deed, and he pushes his seed back in her. YUP! I’M A GONER EVERY SINGLE TIME!

A few of my favorite quotes for all you good girls and boys:

“It’s too much,” she cried out. “I can’t…”

“You can,” I murmured, coaxing her. “You’re doing so good, sweetheart. Look how well you’re taking me.”

----

“That’s it,” he encouraged, watching the spot where his length disappeared into my body. “Take every inch like the good fucking girl you are. Fuck. You’re always so wet for me. So tight. That pretty pussy so ready to be filled up.”

----

“Going to fill you up,” I promised. “Give you so much cum that no one doubts whose you are. So they all know you’re mine.”

2. I liked the representation that both Ivy and Teddy were lonely, despite being in very different situations. Ivy had lost all of her family at a very young age and was an orphan who never found a permanent home. Meanwhile, Teddy was surrounded by a bunch of love and people in the North Pole, but also felt very lonely.

I further loved how Teddy knew of Ivy’s backstory and spoiled the heck out of her! Not only could I feel that he wanted to because he truly liked her, but he wanted to ensure she had the best Christmas ever since she never had a real one, and he succeeded.

3. I loved the idea of the perfect Christmas checklist to do leading up to Christmas. All of the items were touched on in the book, rather than some being passively mentioned, which I loved! They also made for really cute dates for them to go on, which was super fun.

4. It just felt magical. From everything described and all of the experiences they had at the North Pole, the magic was palpable on the pages. This is a great escape read, especially going into the holiday season.

What I wasn’t a fan of:
1. While there was no third act breakup, there were a lot of miscommunication items and assumptions that got to be a bit much at times.

2. It’s Hallmark with spice, therefore some things just didn’t make a whole lot of sense, but I also didn’t care that they didn’t.

Thank you to Wordsmith Publicity and Jennifer Chipman for the opportunity to read this book. The thoughts and opinions expressed above are honest and my own.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25/5 ⭐️
2/5 🌶️

[Paola · Rating 3 out of 5]

no conecté con la historia pero fue un problema mío JAJAJA pero no quita que no fue tierno
aunque de enemigos no tenían nada, ojito👀

[Kaitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short fast Christmas read!!! A must for your holiday tbr!

[Carli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a cute Christmas Hallmark read!🎄❤️

If you’re looking for a quick, sweet, cozy read (with spice, don’t let the cover fool you) then you’ll love this book! This book was such Hallmark movie vibes & I would watch it in a heartbeat😍 Watching their relationship blossom as they checked off their Christmas list was so cute! I think I need to do a Christmas bucket list every year now because I loved reading all the things they did together as Teddy tries to win Ivy over! Would definitely recommend!!❤️

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕:
🎄Holiday Romance
❄️ Enemies-to-Lovers
🎁 Forced Proximity
🍪 Found Family
🎅🏻 Elf/Santa's Son
🔥 Spice

[cami · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bueno para pasar el rato.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

✨ARC Review✨

Hear me out...

I knew what I was signing up for when this was marketed as spicy Hallmark. I've also read a few other books/novella's from Jennifer so I thought I knew what to expect.

Where the vibes are truly spicy Hallmark, I was just not a fan of the execution. I think because we truly don't get any type of romantic development happening, things happen too quickly. Before we can even get to know the characters, we're already traveling to the North Pole and falling in love. I needed some depth to this.

I didn't have time to connect to these characters or really get a sense of character growth. I didn't feel chemistry between our two leads. It felt more forced than natural.

If you aren't looking for that then this is a really cute Christmas novella. The setting is adorable and the vibes are there. And that cover? I mean...that's kind of what sold me, it's stunning!!

A 2 star rating, FOR ME, means that I had to skim a lot because I simply wasn't feeling it. I just couldn't get into it. In this case, I couldn't stand the usage of "sweetheart" every two seconds, it turned me off quickly. I wasn't a fan of Ivy always answering with "Oh." The smallest and most minute details but they bothered me more than they should have. Things felt a little too juvenile for me and that really becomes a dealbreaker for me with most books. I can't even blame it for its cheesiness because that's what I signed up for. But I think mixing that in with everything else didn't help. Again, personal preference.

I wish I loved this more. I loved Spookily Yours and so I know that it's not the writing per say. I think it's a mixture of the tone and execution of everything else that lacked for me. I'm good with spice but I just couldn't picture Ivy and Teddy saying those things. It didn't fit their vibe, for me.

Thank you to Jennifer Chipman for the arc copy!! I do so appreciate the opportunity!

[The.BlondeReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

“𝖶𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝗈𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗇𝖺𝗎𝗀𝗁𝗍𝗒 𝗅𝗂𝗌𝗍, 𝖳𝗁𝖾𝗈𝖽𝗈𝗋𝖾?”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️|5
🌶🌶🌶🌶|5

OMG, what a book to start the festive season with! If you're looking for a fun, light, and spicy read, look no further!

Teddy was such an adorable MMC with a very filthy mouth 🥵 The Christmas Bucket List was one of my favourite parts of this book!

Then the spice 🥵 wow! Ivy wrapped herself up for Teddy 🫠 this book was spicing, and I ate it up!

Highly recommend this book for the Christmas vibes, plot, and spicy spicy scenes!

🎄Fated Mates
🎄Spicy Hallmark Christmas
🎄Only One Bed
🎄Secret Identity
🎄Found Family
🎄Christmas Bucket List

[Desiree · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was such a cute christmas novella, I think it’s a novella, lol. It begins with Ivy Winters, a manager at Santa’s Christmasland in Florida, who absolutely loves the holiday, and has some Christmas magic in her. Then, there’s Teddy Claus-en, the new executive visiting christmasland, who happens to be Santa Claus’ son. Teddy is able to convince Ivy to go home with him for the holidays, since she’s never truly celebrated them and makes it his mission to be the best Christmas she’s ever had. So, there’s magic realism here, a Christmas checklist, discovery of self and family, he falls first, boss x employee, spicy hallmark vibes, and of course a happy ending. It was honestly so fun reading this book, especially with the playlist playing in the background, it gave perfect Christmas vibes. I loved learning about the north pole, Ivy’s connection to the north pole, and getting to see Ivy experience Christmas things for the first time. also, I absolutely loved seeing Teddy be so sweet to Ivy and made sure all of her dreams came true and even more! this book is so perfect if you want a short, cute, sweet, and spicy book for the holidays or honestly anytime you want to feel like it’s Christmas.


Favorite quotes/scenes:

“There was no world where I wouldn’t come to her rescue if she needed it. What she didn’t know was that I would have searched the entire world for her.”

“Maybe part of me had grown used to the human realm, but it still wasn’t the home I loved. At least, that was how I felt until I saw Ivy Winters smile. Now, I couldn’t imagine being anywhere she wasn’t.”

“It gets lonely though.”
“All the traveling?”
“Constantly staying in hotels. Never being settled. I don’t think I even realized how lonely I was until…”
“Until what?”
“Until I met you.”

“You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, Ivy Winters. You make me want to do bad things. To break every rule I have. To want things I shouldn’t.”

“Maybe there was something to fate after all. Like I was meant to be in this place, right now, with him.”

“I hadn’t left any marks on her last night, but fuck, I wanted to. Wanted everyone to know who’s she was. My girl. My Poison Ivy.”

“if I was being honest with myself, I’d let this woman do whatever she wanted to me. She was an addiction, and I was quickly growing more attached to her than I should be.”

“What am I going to do with you?”
“Kiss me.”
She didn’t even need to ask—I always wanted to kiss her.

“Did she even know? How much she was in my thoughts, my mind, my heart? She was a deep itch I couldn’t possibly scratch, like poison ivy that had seeped under my skin.”

“Maybe what was crazier was the idea that I would give all of this up in a heartbeat if she didn’t want to stay. That I’d follow her anywhere she wanted to go. I didn’t need to follow in dad’s footsteps someday. What I needed was Ivy. Her laugh. Her smile. Those beautiful blue eyes locked on mine. Losing myself in her, in her body, every night. The future I couldn’t stop dreaming of.”

“it felt like all the pieces were falling into place. Like my mind had been this raging, constant blizzard, but now it had calmed. Like, for once, everything felt right in the world. I had the girl in my arms. My girl. And I never wanted to let her go.”

“I’d never thought of myself as a cuddler before, but that was before Ivy Winters. Now, all I wanted to do was hold her. To take care of her, whatever way she’d let me.”

“The entire town might have surrounded us, but I didn’t even notice. All I could see was him. My Teddy.”

“He was so good, like everything that was right in the world, and he was it for me.”

“My whole life, I think I’ve been looking for you. I could have come home after college. Started learning the ropes up here to take over for my dad.”
“But you didn’t.”
“No. But I didn’t. I decided to take my time. I have years to learn, anyway. But I knew something was waiting for me down there. I just didn’t know that something was you.”

“You and I have been destined from the beginning, Ivy. You were made to be mine, just as I was made to be yours.””

“Of course I’m yours. I choose you, Teddy. I choose this life with you. You’re stuck with me now, you know. Because you’re mine, Theodore Claus.”

“Anywhere you are, that’s where I’ll be too.”
“Good. I can’t think of anything better. I love you.”
“I love you, too, Theodore.”
They were the best words I’d ever heard. “Again.”
“I love you. I love you, Teddy.”
“I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of hearing that. I love you, Ivy Winters.”

“My girl. She was mine. My mate. The woman I loved.”

“I was opening a new chapter of my life, one full of love. Of a family who’d accepted me with open arms. I’d found exactly what I was looking for. Who knew all it would take was going home with Teddy and coming to the North Pole?”

Home. Home was being wrapped in Teddy Claus’s arms. I knew that like I knew it was the air I was breathing and that Christmas magic was real. “Take me home, Teddy.”
“With pleasure, my Poison Ivy.”

“When you know, you know. And I definitely knew with him. I’d known it since the first moment he asked me to come home with him, and I’d said yes. Had there ever been another choice for me? He was it. The man I was meant to be with. My fated soulmate. And I wanted this, too. This life with him.”

“I love you. My Poison Ivy.”
“I love you more.”
“Not possible.”
“No?”
“No. Because every time I see you, my chest fills with so much love I think it might burst.”

“Thank you for finding me. For giving me all of this.” A house, a home. A life I’d never imagined but always dreamed of. A family. Our family.