The Naughty List Manager: A Clean Cozy MM Silver Fox Christmas Romance

by Remy Fable

Naughty never looked so nice.Noel Frost has been managing Santa's Naughty List for two centuries, and he's very good at his job. Meticulous. Organized. Utterly committed to the rules. But there's one human who keeps appearing on his list every single year—Ezra Vince, a street artist whose "creative vandalism" arrest record is really just gorgeous murals bringing color to forgotten neighborhoods.

This year, Noel goes undercover to investigate in person. Just to verify Ezra truly deserves coal, of course. It has nothing to do with the fact that Noel's been studying Ezra's file (and photos) for years. Nothing at all.

Going undercover as a human in the city, Noel intends to catch Ezra in the act. Instead, he discovers a man who feeds stray cats, teaches kids art for free, and creates beauty in places that desperately need it. As Noel gets pulled into Ezra's world of midnight painting sessions and terrible diner pancakes, he starts questioning everything he thought he knew about naughty and nice.

And realizes he might be falling for his favorite repeat offender.

A heartwarming clean MM Christmas romance featuring a workaholic elf learning to loosen up, a rebel artist with a heart of gold, couples ice skating, midnight mural painting, and the kind of love that makes you question your entire filing system.

77 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 3, 2025

Reviews

[bookswithanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was actually so cute!!
It was very wholesome and I loved that it was so short.
I also loved Tinker very much and would love to read about him 😍

[Dee Layton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the most amazing cozy mm silver fox shifter romances I have ever read. I love Noel who is a OCD, work-a-holic elf that is always by the book following the rules no questions asked kind of elf. I mean when you've been managing the naughty list for 217 years I guess you kind of would be too. Then there is Ezra the rebellious, free willed, rebel with a heart of gold like no other. For 10 years Ezra has been on the naughty list. So Mrs Claus decides that she's going to send Noel to figure out what's going on, But that's when Noel's whole world changed. All of the things Ezra was doing on the naughty list that they considered naughty was actually the most kind-hearted, amazing things that anyone human could do for anybody else. Through this process they have their ups and downs and they fall head over heels in love with each other. I love how it ended though how Noel went from Always by the book to I'm more spontaneous elf. Overall this book was absolutely amazing the characters were amazing everything was just absolutely amazing. I love that this was a wholesome book so no spice which is nice to read from time to time. This is the first in the claus series and I'm excited to read the rest. Remy Fable has done an absolutely amazing job with these books and I'm so glad I found her and I'm able to read everyone.

[Tanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

"...Go see what this young man is really like. Then come back and tell me if he truly deserves coal in his stocking."
It was absolutely against protocol. It was wildly inefficient. It was a complete deviation from two centuries of procedure.
"I could leave tomorrow," Noel heard himself say.[loc. 61]

Short sweet Christmas m/m romance novella: Noel Frost, an elf, has been managing the Naughty List Department for over two hundred years. For the last decade, he's pulled the file of Ezra Vince, street artist and befriender of stray cats, who's been on the Naughty List for the last ten years. Noel is something of a stickler for the rules, but Mrs Claus sends him to investigate whether Ezra is actually Naughty or ... the other thing.

I was suffering from a surfeit of pre-Christmas crowds and hecticity: this was the perfect antidote. Nicely written, sweet, humorous and fun. There are more in the 'Claus Encounters' series...

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Noel has been the keeper of Santa's Naughty or Nice list form over 200 years. He has noticed that the same man has been on the list for the last 10 years. Mrs Claus suggests that Noel goes to Earth and checks out the man.
Ezra is a painter / artist who paints murals on abandoned buildings as well as helps the local neighborhood kids. Noel finds out all is not as it seems and the two get together.

[Kelsi Othoudt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet little treat!

This was super cute! I enjoyed reading this, it was a nice pallete cleanser between some darker books I've been reading, and I'm absolutely going to read the rest of the books as well!

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Noel is in charge of the naughty list and is curious about one adult person who has been on the list year after year, so he decides to visit the world and find out, and sees a whole new way of life. It's a sweet and amusing story.

[Princess Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Felix Unger and Oscar Madison

This book was everything that it claimed to be. It was quirky, funny and able to pull me out of a bad mood. If you've never seen The Odd Couple, play, movie or tv series, this is them!

[Ramona Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

very cute. very christmassy. very demure.
my cold dead heart felt something

[Alicia Laramore · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short, but cute Christmas romance about finding love in the places you least expect.

[Holly Kilis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a nice cozy holiday romance.

[Ravyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely short story about an Elf who dedicated most of his life working.
Mrs. Clauses sees this and Intervenes.

Cute. Quick. And maybe a little cheesy.