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Santa’s Favorite
I’m Lucy, a law student with a part-time job as a personal shopper at Bergman’s, an exclusive department store in New York.
As Christmas is nearing, my employer has hired a Santa. I don’t appreciate the way he keeps looking at me until I find out that Santa is a woman…
I’m one of those people who doesn’t like Christmas and I have my reasons for that. But being in Santa’s presence brings out the holiday spirit, as well as the bad side, in me. So much so, that I soon find myself longing to be on Santa’s naughty list!
As Christmas is nearing, my employer has hired a Santa. I don’t appreciate the way he keeps looking at me until I find out that Santa is a woman…
I’m one of those people who doesn’t like Christmas and I have my reasons for that. But being in Santa’s presence brings out the holiday spirit, as well as the bad side, in me. So much so, that I soon find myself longing to be on Santa’s naughty list!
165 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 14, 2020
53 people are currently reading
429 people want to read
About the author
Madeleine Taylor
19 books114 followers Lise Gold is an author of lesbian romance. She has written several romantic novels and also writes erotica under the pen name Madeleine Taylor.
Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews
December 10, 2020
4.5⭐️ – Lucy doesn’t have the luxury to be spontaneous. After Christmas, she’ll focus on the exams and internships that will complete her law studies but for the moment, she’s taking advantage of winter break to put money in the bank by working full time as a personal shopper at an exclusive department store in Manhattan. She doesn’t have time to worry about Santa ogling her every time she walks past Santaland on the ground floor. When she finds out that this particular Santa is, actually, a woman, Lucy’s reaction to the ogling changes entirely. There’s something about Santa, an energy, she can’t resist. So when the woman – whose real name is Zelda – invites her over for sex, Lucy shocks herself by agreeing.
Madeleine Taylor's erotic romances are all about women discovering themselves and their true desires. With Zelda, who is a lot less pushy than she pretends to be at first, Lucy realises that she can be, in fact, spontaneous and a whole lot more adventurous than she ever imagined. And as usual with Taylor (who has recently been revealed to be a pen name for Lise Gold), what begins as “just” – albeit fantastic – sex grows into romance. That’s definitely Taylor’s forte, the way she turns scorching sex into convincing feelings.
I’ve come to expect a lot of Madeleine Taylor and with each book, she both confirms my expectations and surprises me. In this instance, neither character was who I expected her to be. Lucy is introduced as the innocent one whereas Zelda is older, freer and more experienced. Yet beneath her brazen demeanour, Zelda is the romantic one, the one who hopes for more, who believes in everlasting love. Lucy is the Grinch. A sexy and warmhearted Grinch, a Grinch with good reasons to her Grinchness, but a Grinch nonetheless. With the same easy and thrilling manner she introduces her to kinky sex, Zelda shows Lucy all that’s delightful in Christmas and in doing so, makes a real relationship worth considering.
Santa’s Favorite is both naughty and romantic, sometimes at the same time. If you’re looking to add some spice to your Christmas spirit, you’ve found it.
Madeleine Taylor's erotic romances are all about women discovering themselves and their true desires. With Zelda, who is a lot less pushy than she pretends to be at first, Lucy realises that she can be, in fact, spontaneous and a whole lot more adventurous than she ever imagined. And as usual with Taylor (who has recently been revealed to be a pen name for Lise Gold), what begins as “just” – albeit fantastic – sex grows into romance. That’s definitely Taylor’s forte, the way she turns scorching sex into convincing feelings.
I’ve come to expect a lot of Madeleine Taylor and with each book, she both confirms my expectations and surprises me. In this instance, neither character was who I expected her to be. Lucy is introduced as the innocent one whereas Zelda is older, freer and more experienced. Yet beneath her brazen demeanour, Zelda is the romantic one, the one who hopes for more, who believes in everlasting love. Lucy is the Grinch. A sexy and warmhearted Grinch, a Grinch with good reasons to her Grinchness, but a Grinch nonetheless. With the same easy and thrilling manner she introduces her to kinky sex, Zelda shows Lucy all that’s delightful in Christmas and in doing so, makes a real relationship worth considering.
Santa’s Favorite is both naughty and romantic, sometimes at the same time. If you’re looking to add some spice to your Christmas spirit, you’ve found it.
December 20, 2022
This was adorable as hell and steamy as shit. 😍 I didn’t think I’d like this as much as I did, but enjoyed the hell out of it. I loved our characters!
This is a f/f, holiday romance novella, that starts as a one-night stand of sorts but quickly turns into more. These two are opposites but complimented each other so well. And they couldn’t get enough of another.
Some moments had me tearing up. I think the author portrayed it really well what it’s like growing up with a single parent and showcasing how much that influenced our main character’s life.
On the opposite spectrum, you’ll be sweating because the romance was just too good!
I’m definitely interested in checking out more from this author.
This is a f/f, holiday romance novella, that starts as a one-night stand of sorts but quickly turns into more. These two are opposites but complimented each other so well. And they couldn’t get enough of another.
Some moments had me tearing up. I think the author portrayed it really well what it’s like growing up with a single parent and showcasing how much that influenced our main character’s life.
On the opposite spectrum, you’ll be sweating because the romance was just too good!
I’m definitely interested in checking out more from this author.
December 11, 2022
Had enough of Hallmark style sickeningly sweet Christmas books? Then this erotic novella with a grinch in the lead might provide a good change. There is plenty of steam (including some light bdsm), but there’s also some romance in the second half of the book. It’s written in first person from the POV of Lucy, which I normally like a lot, but with this book I kept wishing for Zelda’s (Santa) POV too. I actually liked Zelda best of the two MCs. A quick hot read.
December 12, 2020
I've read every book Madeleine Taylor has put out, and I'll continue to do so.
Her plots are engaging, the characters are engaging, and the endings always leave me satisfied. No pun intended...or was it ;)
Her plots are engaging, the characters are engaging, and the endings always leave me satisfied. No pun intended...or was it ;)
December 9, 2021
Santa Claudia.
I decided to read this novella with the sole purpose of getting the cover on my bookstagram. It's artistic and it's sensual and it's befitting of this sexy erotic romance about a personal shopper's rendezvous with Santa Claudia.
OMG, this story is HOT!
I decided to read this novella with the sole purpose of getting the cover on my bookstagram. It's artistic and it's sensual and it's befitting of this sexy erotic romance about a personal shopper's rendezvous with Santa Claudia.
OMG, this story is HOT!
August 16, 2024
➥ 1.5 Stars *:･ﾟ✧
Ewww! Anyway, this seems an odd choice of book, I know, but I'd heard the sex was well written and...I think I have a different definition of that.
This was corny and cringey. What I wanted from this was characters with chemistry and charm to get it on, but trust, that's not what this was.
Let it be known that smutty novellas should NEVER try to be love stories. All this talk about looking virginal in white too like, oh brother.
I wouldn't say this novella is that outrageously bad, but nothing about it was remarkable, except for the sad fact that the heroine says to the love interest...
...right after sitting on her face. I mean way to sour the mood and make a cheap attempt at depth.
The cover does not fit the character description but eh, I didn't like the characters either so! That's a wrap, just not for me.
"Do you flirt with all the women who walk past you?"
Santa looks around to make sure no one is listening, and then turns back to me, her eyes burning into mine. "Only with the one's I'd like to fuck."
━━━━━━━━━━━ ♡ ━━━━━━━━━━━
Ewww! Anyway, this seems an odd choice of book, I know, but I'd heard the sex was well written and...I think I have a different definition of that.
This was corny and cringey. What I wanted from this was characters with chemistry and charm to get it on, but trust, that's not what this was.
Let it be known that smutty novellas should NEVER try to be love stories. All this talk about looking virginal in white too like, oh brother.
I wouldn't say this novella is that outrageously bad, but nothing about it was remarkable, except for the sad fact that the heroine says to the love interest...
“My father left me when I was six.”
...right after sitting on her face. I mean way to sour the mood and make a cheap attempt at depth.
The cover does not fit the character description but eh, I didn't like the characters either so! That's a wrap, just not for me.
━━━━━━━━━━━ ♡ ━━━━━━━━━━━
December 10, 2022
I was pleasantly surprised that in addition to the hot sex scenes there was an entertaining story about the two MCs accompanying it. But the storyline is not the main focus of the book as you can guess…
Overall a nice X-MAS read.
Overall a nice X-MAS read.
December 15, 2020
Eh, wasn't my favourite. I enjoyed Madeleine Taylor's previous works. They are erotica. But for me it fell a little flat.
I found Santa aka Zelda to be a bit too forward. Which I know seems stupid for an erotica, when generally they're all about that sex - but honestly it just came across a bit too 'bad porno' with the whole "Hey, sexy - wanna f!ck?" which is basically what 'santa' does to Lucy.
Lucy *says* she generally hasn't orgasmed with partners, and has never used a strap-on. So imagine my surprise when they decide to use one for the first time IN A CLEANING CLOSET AT WORK.
Maybe I'm projecting my own issues, but I can't particularly imagine taking a giant purple dong for the first time in such circumstances. But eh, every woman is different, clearly. I get it, we're supposed to not think too much about it - but for me the logistics of that had me going WTF?
I found Santa aka Zelda to be a bit too forward. Which I know seems stupid for an erotica, when generally they're all about that sex - but honestly it just came across a bit too 'bad porno' with the whole "Hey, sexy - wanna f!ck?" which is basically what 'santa' does to Lucy.
Lucy *says* she generally hasn't orgasmed with partners, and has never used a strap-on. So imagine my surprise when they decide to use one for the first time IN A CLEANING CLOSET AT WORK.
Maybe I'm projecting my own issues, but I can't particularly imagine taking a giant purple dong for the first time in such circumstances. But eh, every woman is different, clearly. I get it, we're supposed to not think too much about it - but for me the logistics of that had me going WTF?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 31, 2021
3rd book by Ms Taylor that I’ve read ... Yes, it was hot with all the racy, sexy, steamy scenes. But frankly, I was just not invested and getting tired of the theme; girl meets girl, had steamy encounters, and more steamy encounters with strap-on and the likes and a HEA. I just needed more drama or angst I guess but that’s just me...
If you want something light, short, racy, sexy encounters with and age-gap, femme-butch theme in the background, then go for it...
If you want something light, short, racy, sexy encounters with and age-gap, femme-butch theme in the background, then go for it...
December 27, 2020
Cover to cover, this was so much fun. It was both a sweet and incredibly racy, sexy read. It was short and engaging and not something you should delve into if you have gramps snoring beside you on the couch and all your nieces and nephews trying to show you their Christmas presents. Ah....hard no. But by yourself cozied up in bed with a hot buttered rum beside you? Heck yes.
January 30, 2023
I enjoyed most parts of this book but there were others that didn't make much sense to me.
I wish there was more depth and character development when it came to Lucy overcoming her fears and insecurities.
I wish there was more depth and character development when it came to Lucy overcoming her fears and insecurities.
December 12, 2025
first holiday read of the season, yay!! didn't love it though, womp womp womp.
this christmasy romance is sweet and breezy. i love the idea of a sexy lady santa claus, and was pleased that things do go down while zelda is wearing the santa suit.
but there are a few details that gave me pause. our latina protagonist is described as having "exotic looks," YIKES. and it's kinda sketchy that her decade-and-a-half-older love interest is turned on by her dorm room, likes her looking "virginal," and wants her to roleplay as a cheerleader and a maid. BIG YIKES. i love a good age gap, but not like this!
i also did NOT care for the idea of zelda wearing a strapon at work while dressed as santa and having kids sit on her lap. please keep children far away from your workday foreplay! all small details, but ultimately i do not trust this author lol.
also, i know that spotty editing is par for the course with indie books, but i'm still of the opinion that if you're going to the trouble to publish your book, you should give it a proofread. all of the errors here were very distracting.
this christmasy romance is sweet and breezy. i love the idea of a sexy lady santa claus, and was pleased that things do go down while zelda is wearing the santa suit.
but there are a few details that gave me pause. our latina protagonist is described as having "exotic looks," YIKES. and it's kinda sketchy that her decade-and-a-half-older love interest is turned on by her dorm room, likes her looking "virginal," and wants her to roleplay as a cheerleader and a maid. BIG YIKES. i love a good age gap, but not like this!
i also did NOT care for the idea of zelda wearing a strapon at work while dressed as santa and having kids sit on her lap. please keep children far away from your workday foreplay! all small details, but ultimately i do not trust this author lol.
also, i know that spotty editing is par for the course with indie books, but i'm still of the opinion that if you're going to the trouble to publish your book, you should give it a proofread. all of the errors here were very distracting.
January 11, 2022
Oh wow! I loved everything about this! Smoking hot scenes, two incredible characters, and all the festive spirit you could wish for! New York City in the snow, a chick who manages to be sexy when pulling down a Santa beard from her outfit (I swear, each time she pulled it down to give a crooked grin, I melted!) and all the delicious sex scenes were just *chefs kiss* Loved it! I wish I could unread it and read it all over again, lol. A firm Christmas favourite!
December 9, 2022
Sexy, sizzling and sweet!
This novella about Lucy and Zelda really stirs the imagination.
This novella about Lucy and Zelda really stirs the imagination.
June 4, 2023
Lise Gold is one of my favourite authors and I can understand why MadeleineTaylor is her pseudonym. The story good, the writing excellent, content not really for me.
December 27, 2020
Madeleine Taylor has proven once again that she's very adept at delivering satisfyingly spicy reads. At first I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about Zelda - her entrance was a bit crude. But she turned out to be a great character and one Lucy would understandably fall for. I love Taylor's sexy novellas in that they aren't just about the physical - there are stories behind them. This one was a fun, steamy holiday treat and I'm glad the author decided to surprise us with one this year!
December 25, 2024
After all the sweet, slow-burn, academic, and not-too-spicy reading I've been doing, I almost forgot how good it feels to read lesbian erotica. It's easily one of my favorite genres, and this book represents it so well.
It's written beautifully; the plot is fairly short but relevant, and the spice is just right. Zelda and Lucy have great chemistry, and I really enjoyed how upfront Zelda is.
All in all, it's a good read—a great end to a wonderful Christmas for me.
It's written beautifully; the plot is fairly short but relevant, and the spice is just right. Zelda and Lucy have great chemistry, and I really enjoyed how upfront Zelda is.
All in all, it's a good read—a great end to a wonderful Christmas for me.
December 4, 2021
“I thought Santa didn’t give out presents to girls on his naughty list,” I joke.
“Are you kidding me?” She winks. “Santa loves naughty girls.”
HELP. I'm smitten! The thing about reading cheesy holiday romances is that I'm never really prepared when one of them bowls me over. This is far from perfect but SO cute and SO swoony and SO steamy; it's just what I was looking for in a Christmassy read. I was not expecting a book that includes Santa roleplay to make me smile so much and tear up a little, but apparently I contain multitudes.
The plot is similar to other seasonal romances: one character who hates the holidays and another who loves them come together and start falling for one another. I love the setup. Lucy is a law student working part time as a personal shopper in a huge, upscale department store, and Zelda is one of the Santas working at said store for the holidays. I wasn't sure how much I would like Zelda at first, with her boldness and almost obnoxious overconfidence, but she won me over pretty soon, lol. (And it helped that one of the first things she actually asks Lucy is if she'd like the over the top flirting to stop.) What follows is a really simple and sexy romance as they explore new things together, Lucy learns to open up a bit, and they spread some holiday cheer. I loved the quiet, more intimate scenes too, with them walking around a wintry New York and talking about their pasts.
Listened to the audiobook as read by Tessa Stavers and it was kind of a delight, and pushed this from good to really good. I LOVE her voice, especially for Lucy, and her reading made this doubly charming. I really enjoyed my time with this erotic romance; it was so fun. I'm gonna make it my mission to read all of Madeleine Taylor's backlist, at some point.
December 25, 2023
2.5 rounded up cause it’s Christmas Eve. Perfectly fine, and fun.
September 29, 2021
I like Taylor’s novellas. They are quick to read and pretty hot. However, they all seem pretty similar. Lots of the same situations in each book. Great short books to get away for a bit.
December 11, 2022
Excellent choice if you're looking for a short and spicy Christmas read
December 10, 2022
Who knew department store Santa's could be so sexy?! SANTA'S FAVORITE was a very steamy sapphic romance with a butch/femme pairing. Zelda is working as a Santa at Bergmans and she can't help but be attracted to the always put together law student, Lucy, who is working part time at the store. These two had so much sexual tension and chemistry and I loved watching them flirt and circle each other.
Zelda was confident, loved sex, and wasn't afraid to go after what she wanted; Lucy on the other hand was focused on her school work and reluctant to start a relationship with anyone. As they spend more time together, Lucy starts to remember what makes Christmas so special and they find themselves slowly drifting into dating even if Lucy won't admit it.
When it came to the bedroom, these two were super sexy and their time together was really steamy. However, Lucy keeps Zelda at arms length for much of the book and I admit I was frustrated by the way Lucy was starting to fall for Zelda but would constantly refer to their relationship as just sex. We didn't have Zelda's POV but it was clear how much she wanted to be with Lucy and I'm glad they were able to eventually work things out.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Favorite Quotes:
I have a huge crush on this woman who has somehow managed to get me into the utility room on my lunch break to do very, very naughty things with her.
- - - - -
It really is easy with her; I don’t have to try hard or stress about anything because being myself is good enough.
Zelda was confident, loved sex, and wasn't afraid to go after what she wanted; Lucy on the other hand was focused on her school work and reluctant to start a relationship with anyone. As they spend more time together, Lucy starts to remember what makes Christmas so special and they find themselves slowly drifting into dating even if Lucy won't admit it.
When it came to the bedroom, these two were super sexy and their time together was really steamy. However, Lucy keeps Zelda at arms length for much of the book and I admit I was frustrated by the way Lucy was starting to fall for Zelda but would constantly refer to their relationship as just sex. We didn't have Zelda's POV but it was clear how much she wanted to be with Lucy and I'm glad they were able to eventually work things out.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Favorite Quotes:
I have a huge crush on this woman who has somehow managed to get me into the utility room on my lunch break to do very, very naughty things with her.
- - - - -
It really is easy with her; I don’t have to try hard or stress about anything because being myself is good enough.
April 1, 2022
The erotic scenes are out of my comfort zone, but the writing is fabulous! The romance sweet and authentic, no contrived angst. Loved it.
December 15, 2023
Very meh. Not bad by any means, but a lot of telling the reader what’s going on
December 20, 2020
"Romantic, sexy, fun, magical and everything in between"
Lucy has a part-time Christmas job as a personal shopper in a huge department store and she's creeped out when she realises the ground floor Santa is making eyes at her. And then she discovers this Santa is a woman...
Banter and flirting ensue (marvellously written by Madeleine Taylor) and an after-hours hook-up soon follows.
Lucy isn't looking for a relationship and doesn't expect much beyond that first night, but as she finds herself spending more and more time with the girl in the Santa suit. Can the flirting and kinky sex (of which there is a lot!) lead to something more...?
This was a great read. The characters leapt off the page and were a joy to spend time with.
If you're looking for something sweet and spicy to curl up with this holiday season I recommend this delicious treat.
Lucy has a part-time Christmas job as a personal shopper in a huge department store and she's creeped out when she realises the ground floor Santa is making eyes at her. And then she discovers this Santa is a woman...
Banter and flirting ensue (marvellously written by Madeleine Taylor) and an after-hours hook-up soon follows.
Lucy isn't looking for a relationship and doesn't expect much beyond that first night, but as she finds herself spending more and more time with the girl in the Santa suit. Can the flirting and kinky sex (of which there is a lot!) lead to something more...?
This was a great read. The characters leapt off the page and were a joy to spend time with.
If you're looking for something sweet and spicy to curl up with this holiday season I recommend this delicious treat.
January 8, 2021
I was expecting nothing and I got a hot, funny, hot book.
February 28, 2021
I listened to the audiobook which is narrated by Tessa Stavers.
I enjoyed this book. Tessa does a great job of bringing the characters to life.
I still prefer the first two books 'The Good Girl' and 'Online.'
I enjoyed this book. Tessa does a great job of bringing the characters to life.
I still prefer the first two books 'The Good Girl' and 'Online.'
December 26, 2022
Sweet steamy kink
I enjoyed the heck out of this fun kink positive novella. I do love me an androgynous curvy muscular butch character. It loses points for calling the biracial Venezuelan/American character "exotic". That white gazey writing isn't cute, cut it out.
I enjoyed the heck out of this fun kink positive novella. I do love me an androgynous curvy muscular butch character. It loses points for calling the biracial Venezuelan/American character "exotic". That white gazey writing isn't cute, cut it out.
December 27, 2025
It was a cozy and fun read. I really enjoyed it and it put me into the Christmas spirit. I found it at times a bit monotone as nothing really happened plot wise.
December 20, 2020
I love this light and sweet but also very hot story of Zelda and Lucy. This time of the year there are a lot of Christmas Stories and most of them are really nice.
But this is a special one, because there is not much drama. Just purely hot, playful and also deep conversations.
Hot scenes with hotter characters.
Madeline Taylor always writes the hot stuff and it was a delight to have such a naughty and forceful Santa that is also so sweet and passionate.
Lucy is a perfect match for Zelda.
Also what a great Name „Zelda“! I love it.
If you’re looking for a steamy Christmas story with lovely characters in the City that never sleeps, you’re absolutely right!
But this is a special one, because there is not much drama. Just purely hot, playful and also deep conversations.
Hot scenes with hotter characters.
Madeline Taylor always writes the hot stuff and it was a delight to have such a naughty and forceful Santa that is also so sweet and passionate.
Lucy is a perfect match for Zelda.
Also what a great Name „Zelda“! I love it.
If you’re looking for a steamy Christmas story with lovely characters in the City that never sleeps, you’re absolutely right!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews