The Naughty, the Nice and the Nanny

Holiday Brothers #1

by Willa Nash, Vanessa Edwin (Narrator), Aaron Shedlock (Narrator)

One week with one little girl—an angel, according to my staffing agency. Acting as the short-term nanny for a single dad should have been an easy way to make some extra cash. Until I show up for my first day and face off with a demon disguised as a seven-year-old girl wearing a red tutu and matching glitter slippers.

Oh, and her father? My temporary boss? Maddox Holiday. The same Maddox Holiday I crushed on in high school. The same Maddox Holiday who didn’t even know I existed. And the same Maddox Holiday who hasn’t set foot in Montana for years because he’s been too busy running his billionaire empire.

Enduring seven days is going to feel like scaling the Himalayas in six-inch heels. Toss in the Holiday family’s annual soiree, and Christmas Eve nightmares really do come true. But I can do anything for a week, especially for this paycheck, even if it means wrangling the naughty, impressing the nice, and playing the nanny.

Genres: Christmas, Romance, Holiday, Audiobook, Novella, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance

5 pages, Audible Audio

First published November 4, 2021

About the author

Willa Nash is Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling Author Devney Perry’s alter ego, writing contemporary romance stories for Kindle Unlimited. Lover of Swedish Fish, hater of laundry, she lives in Washington State with her husband and two sons. She was born and raised in Montana and has a passion for writing books in the state she calls home.

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Reviews

[Larissa Cambusano · Rating 3 out of 5]

so sweet & fluffy!! i’m a sucker for the single dad trope 😭

i wish there was more of a christmas vibe to it but it was so fun regardless!

[Carol [Goodreads Addict] · Rating 5 out of 5]

RATING 4.5 STARS

The Naughty, The Nice and the Nanny is book one in the Holiday Brothers series by Willa Nash. This is a fairly short, wonderful holiday book that warmed my heart. I believe this is only my third book of Willa’s and she is fast becoming a favorite!

Natalie Buchanan is twenty nine years old and is a professional nanny. She has finally decided to take some vacation time over Christmas but gets a request from her boss to please take an emergency job for one week only for a single dad with a seven year old daughter. She is assured that this girl is an angel but Natalie knows that if someone is trying to convince you that a child is an angel, she is probably anything but!



Maddox Holiday is the oldest of the three Holiday brothers. He has been living in Los Angeles but his family lives in Montana. He is divorced and has missed spending the holidays with his family so this year he and his daughter have come home for Christmas. He is planning to move there in the near future. His current nanny quit the day before and he needs someone to help with his daughter while he works.



Natalie had no idea the man she would be working for was “the” Maddox Holiday that she went to high school with. He was three years ahead of her but she had crushed on him all the way through school. Maddox didn’t recognize Natalie at first but he eventually does. And he very much likes the woman she has grown up to be. But, even more, he loves the way she is with his daughter.

These two fall fast but they both agree that when you know, you just know! But with a daughter still yearning for her mother, moving to a new town and all the upheaval in her young life, is now the right time for a new person in Maddox’s life? This was such a sweet story of finally finding the person you were always meant to be with. It is truly a story full of Christmas magic and a sweet little girl that will melt your heart.



Book two in this series is called Three Bells, Two Bows and One Brother’s Best Friend. It is Heath, Maddox’s younger brother’s book and I can’t wait to read it.

For more about this book and so many others, come and visit me at Carol's Crazy Bookish World.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Carol...

[Sonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Single dad plus nanny plus naughtiness

I’m aware it’s not Christmas time anymore 🤣, but this was free to listen to with my audible membership so I took the plunge.

Natalie’s (29) an experienced nanny and finds herself in a position to work for her childhood crush Maddox (32) who just came back to Montana to visit family. He lived away and is thinking of moving back home. He doesn’t exactly remember Natalie as well as she remembers him 😬, but it’s okay since she’s a professional at heart.

Maddox has a 7 year-old daughter Violet who tends to give all her previous nannies a challenging time 😬, and they all quit 😅🫣. But Violet has met her match with Natalie 💅. Natalie’s an expert and isn’t gonna let a child best her 💁🏻‍♀️.

Maddox quickly finds that Natalie is the perfect fit for their family.

Too bad he starts to realize that the feelings of admiration actually run deeper than he thought.

Guess who wants to be naughty now 😈👀.

What I liked: possible spoilers
—the natural tension 👀. These two want each other, even if it could be frowned upon since he works for her

—he’s not a manhoooooar 👏🏻. Maddox has been a dedicated father, so his priorities have been working and Violet ❤️

—the one full 🔥 scene. Even though it was initially a FTB, he has a fast refractory period that allowed a second 🔥 scene from not being FTB (albeit short)

—dreams and aspirations 🫶. I love that Maddox makes Natalie feel comfortable to follow her dreams and be more than just a nanny ❤️

—the connection between Natalie and Violet 🫶. Both girls didn’t have a role model mother in their lives, so they connected this way🫶

—with that ^^ I definitely laughed when Natalie got back at Violet as soon as Violet got her wet 🤣

—all you need is love ❤️. It always saddens me when kids have a parental figure that isn’t present in their lives ☹️ in this case Violet just wants attention and love, and Natalie is willing to give it to her

—how supportive the side characters are ❤️. Especially their families

—the epilogue 👏🏻. Soooo freaking cute!!!! Gah! It made me believe their HEA 🥹

—he’s JP 😈. MINEMINEMINE

What I wanted more of/didn’t like: possible spoilers
—more 🔥. Can’t believe the first time they’re intimate is a FTB scene 😐. I’m glad we get something after 🤣 cause I was gonna downgrade this 🤡

—Cece (Maddox’s ex-cheating wife) 😐. She irritated me so much 🤬. I’m glad Maddox didn’t let her try to bulldoze or influence his life 👏🏻. Good riddance 💁🏻‍♀️. Violet doesn’t need you! She has Natalie ❤️

Overall, I enjoyed this quick read ❤️

⚠️safety squad⚠️
-no cheating/sharing/omd
-mild owd: the H’s ex tries to cause drama. The H doesn’t let her though
-parent abandonment issues
-no condoms/they’re both clean/she’s on the pill/it’s been over a year for the h and about 3 years for the H
-HEA/epilogue/one year later

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

This was such a cute Christmas read! Single dad, temporary nanny, and adorable kid. I’m excited the other two brothers are getting books. Will get to them soon!

Audio book source: Audible Plus
Story Rating: 4 stars
Narrators: Vanessa Edwin & Aaron Shedlock
Narration Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Romance
Length: 4h 11m

[Ainhoa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Xmas season begins 😍🥳

It was a very entertaining short xmas story!!! 🎄

[Lilyya ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

[daniella · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was like a cute, bite-sized treat with a sprinkle of seriousness. While it didn't delve too deep, it still managed to keep me entertained from start to finish. It was a fun and enjoyable read that left me wanting more!

Tropes:
Small Town👒
Billionarie💸
Singer Dad👨‍👧

[D.L. Howe · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I’m not always a fan of romances that include a child, it’s such a touchy subject. But when it’s done well it’s adorable. And in this story, it was done exceptionally well.

The relationship between Nathalie and Violet, and the relationship between Maddox and Violet was just as important as it was between Nathalie and Maddox. It was definitely a burgeoning romance between all three and together they’re wonderful.

Also, all the secondary characters were great as well, even the ones we don’t like such as Cece.

As a parent, the worst sin you can commit is not following through on promises made. I feel so bad for Violet, she went through so much seemingly alone because even though Maddox is a good dad, he didn’t understand. Nathalie really was a God send for both of them.

Overall a cute, satisfying addition to my Christmas reads.

[Karla Martínez · Rating 3 out of 5]

por qué los papás solteros son tan sexys?

[myo ⋆｡˚ ❀ * · Rating 3 out of 5]

honestly didn’t even read like a christmas book

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Eh this was just okay. It didn't really feel super Christmas to me. The heroine is a nanny for the hero and they had gone to high school together. The daughter is a menace to other nannies but gets along with the heroine. Nothing felt really developed and I didn't care too much for the romance. I also didn't care when the drama with the daughter's mom came in near the end. I'm not sure I'll continue on with the rest of these novellas.

[Noi (in & out) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Single billionaire dad X Nanny.
The story was a 4, but the audio made it a 5.
A little insta-love (but aren't all holiday stories?).

Just saw this is currently on the audible plus catalog so I had to give it a go!

[Rozberry🍓 · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Naughty, the Nice & the Nanny - 3.75 stars
Three Bells, Two Bows & One Brother’s Best Friend - 3.5 stars
A Partridge & a Pregnancy - 2.5 stars

Sexy single dad + slightly quirky nanny with a heart of gold + feisty kiddo = a fun, sweet, flirty, Christmas time, whirlwind romance(the latter whirlwind par for the course of a novella).

[Jacob Proffitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Christmas romance where the main guy's last name is Holiday. A little on the nose, but that does set the tone. This is a fast read that doesn't waste any time to get right to the romance. It's a little too fast and skips some emotional development, but I was along for the ride.

Maddox and Natalie went to high school together where Natalie had a crush on the popular jock who never noticed her (as far as she knew). Now he has moved back home to Bozeman, Montana and needs help with his precocious seven year-old daughter. And Natalie is the best nanny in the agency so she gets tapped for the job.

And it's all fine. I mean, they fall for each other really fast. Days. But I want it to work so I'm along for that ride. There's some drama with his ex and with the heartweary daughter who is desperate for love and attention. But a lot of potential drama was averted with good sense and adult conversations and I'm all for that.

I'm giving this a really generous four stars. The relationship really did go way too fast. But I liked them enough that I'm going to roll with it. Plus, I liked Natalie's relationship with Violet (the daughter). Nash really nailed that and it was the linchpin for so much else. Plus, there's more in the series I'm now ready to give a shot. They're similar size, so I expect they're too fast and all, so I hope I like their protagonists as much.

A note about Steamy: There's an extended explicit sex scene where the author picks and chooses where to go detailed, putting this on the low end of my steam tolerance. It worked way better than it had any right to. Or maybe it was just really good storycraft to highlight the bits that forwarded the emotional arc. I dunno. It worked for me.

[glavreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

a perfect devney perry novella.

single dad + nanny + holiday magic = my perfect holiday read

i LOVE novellas no matter how rushed or silly they are - sometimes they're just the break we all need but she managed to pace these 200~ pages perfectly so it never felt rushed or instalove-y.

[Chelsea Humphrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun buddy read with Irina! It was less Christmas filled than I expected, but I fell in love with the Holiday family and can't wait to binge the entire series.

[Carvanz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so much fun!





Natalie was perfect! Usually, the heroine doesn’t weigh much on my enjoyment of a book but this time, I couldn’t help but fall in love with Natalie. She was fierce, independent and had a bit of snark running through her. Absolutely perfect for Maddox and the hellion he called daughter.





Maddox was absolutely swoony! His adoration of his daughter had me falling in love with him. When added with his relationship with his family, all I could think was that I wanted a Maddox of my own.





I laughed at the way Natalie knew just how to handle Violet. I would have loved to have had this story in a longer book just to watch the evolution of Violet and Natalie’s relationship. This has a lot of laugh out loud or grin like a loon moments. Surprisingly, it was relatively low on steam but I didn’t even realize it until this couple suddenly lit up the page. This is a slow burn with so much going on around this couple I hated to see it end.

To top it all off, this has an epilogue that solidified my absolute love for this book.

Dual POV
Safe no om drama; h not a virgin; H not a manwhore; ow drama is H’s ex who is mother of his child. She arrives and is judgemental but never causes a separation between h/H.
Triggers no apparent triggers

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Natalie Buchanan is working as a nanny to save money for college. She hadn't planned to work over Christmas, but when her boss tells her there is a single dad that needs a nanny for a week for his seven-year-old daughter, Natalie is happy to make the extra cash. Natalie soon learns that Violet Holiday is not the angelic child as she was described. She and Natalie have a face off on their first meeting. To make matters worse, Violet's father, Maddox Holiday, is the guy Natalie crushed on in high school. Of course, he never noticed her then. Will he notice her now?

The first book in the Holiday Brothers series is a cute contemporary romance with a Christmas setting. The story reminded me a little of The Sound of Music, but there was nothing new in this story. I listened to the audiobook. Vanessa Edwin and Aaron Shedlock did a good job with the narration. I'll probably continue with the series. My rating: 3.5 Stars.

[Crystal (Crystalreads2) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 300 of 2021 and such a great read. Another cute, fun holiday read from the Holiday brothers.

Natalie is a Nanny for hire and Maddox Holiday needs a Nanny for his spitfire daughter. Natalie is nanny number thirty-three. And Violet his daughter does try to get her to run, Natalie likes a challenge and sees she just needs attention from her overworked father and a mother figure. Since her mother is absent from her life.


I loved how Natalie won over a cute little girl and helped the family come together. And put Violet's feelings first. Kudos to Maddox for being so down to earth and didn't forget where he came from. These two make a perfect couple.

[CHAMPAGNE · Rating 4 out of 5]

i mean, what's christmas season without a little hallmark-y insta love cheesy romance?

This didn't give me that holiday kick I was hoping for but... eh, I'm a step closer so I consider that a win ❤️ this was sweet, I enjoyed it.

[mira · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐️

“Maddox Holiday.
The boy who’d been my crush.
The man who’d win my love.”

one of the best christmas books i've ever read! i'm just a sucker for the single-parent trope. i love romances that include children because it just adds all the love that christmas books should have.

this was a short and lighthearted read. if you are into christmas novellas then this is the ONE for you. there wasn't any drama (thank god) or any break ups just a whole book with no miscommunication or fights or cheating. safe to say that i may reread this again because of how cute this was.

update: changed my rating from 4.5 to 5 stars because this was AMAZING and def the best book in the holiday brothers series!

[Heroesinbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Natalie and Maddox Stars (and Violet).

Willa Nash (Devney Perry) has weaved her magic again and created a three book Christmas Kindle Nirvana that has me itching to go onto the next standalone in the series....but first , let me tell you about Natalie Buchanan and Maddox Holiday.



Maddox is a hot , self made billionaire who is three years older than Natalie and went to the same school as her when they were children. He never knew that she (and all the other girls) harboured a crush on the handsome eldest Holiday boy. Fast forward a few years and the now 32yo Maddox has returned to his hometown to be with his family. He and his 7yo daughter , Violet , have left L.A. after a nasty divorce and he has sole custody of her. Natalie is given the task of Nanny to the little girl that has seen off over 30 Nannies because she is such a handful.

I loved that Violet was not a little angel and she definitely tugged at my heartstrings.
Maddox is a very likeable Hero and he and Natalie went well together. It's very 'insta' but it works and I loved every page.
This book definitely brings with it all the feel good emotions of the season and I am excited to read Heath's book , Three Bells, Two Bows and One Brother's Best Friendnext.
If you enjoy single dad, hot billionaire, fun reads , then snuggle up on the couch, get your hot chocolate & biscuits and dive right into this Holiday Brothers Season. Enjoy!



Re read via audible December 2023. Love this series and it's perfect for all the best holiday feels! Excellent narration by Vanessa Edwin and Aaron Shedlock. Listening time 4h 11m so perfect to listen to whilst wrapping pressies and preparing for Christmas.

HEA? Yes. I was beaming from ear to ear.
Cheating? No.

[Salma · Rating 3 out of 5]

cute little novella

[Jenny Lovez Bookz · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐ Short & cute story about a single dad and nanny....although she was only the nanny for like 3days. This was ok, nothing too memorable and a bit of a snooze at times.

[Jade · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure why I enjoyed this one so much because I could hardly call it a Christmas book and Maddox had the emotional range of a teaspoon ... somehow I still like him as an MMC and I'm quite distressed at what that says about me. I must've turned 30 and unlocked the single dads attraction 🤷‍♀️

[Antonella · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5⭐

[пустунка · Rating 3 out of 5]

як для невеликої новели, то дуже непогано. краще, ніж могло бути. читалося легко, написано так, що цікаво читати. мені сподобалося, ��о тут була передісторія головних героїв, не лише секс у великій кількості. знову не вистачило історії, але хоч якісь загальні відомості були, і то добре.

Меддокс – батько-одинак та шкільне кохання Наталі, яка стала нянею його дочки. хоч і лише на кілька днів, але все ж. вони швидко вирішили, що бути разом – найкращий варіант, адже іскрило у них давно, і ця зустріч лише стала неминучим поштовхом в обійми одне одного. це справді непогано, як для різдвяної новели. без жодних очікувань я легко прочитала, навіть без роздратування.

3/5

[Anastasiia · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 ⭐️

Самотній татусь? Няня? Авторка Іденів? Так! Так! Так!
Непогана новела, дуже комфортна, кумедна та затишна. Атмосфери Різдва було замало, але мені сподобалась взаємодія між героями, розвиток їх відносин (хоча він був і швидкий, але це ж новела), і ця магія, де маленька дияволиця перетворилась на янгола за допомогою цукерок (дійсно ж магія).
І може мені також відмітити та переносити всі зустрічі на роботі, щоб заробити такі статки? В цьому ж секрет, так?)
Ой, непогана історія для зимового вечора.

[veronica ☽ · Rating 3 out of 5]

cute holiday romance!! nanny x single dad 🥰 first time reading that the kid is not sweet & angelic for the nanny lol Violet was a MENACE

[Анастасія ꒰⁠⑅⁠ᵕ⁠༚⁠ᵕ⁠꒱⁠˖⁠♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

В принципі книжка сподобалась, особливо взаємодія Вайолет та Наталі. Так, на початку Вайолет не хотіла щоб вона була її нянею, взагалі їй не вистачало батьківської уваги, і таким чином вона намагалась привернути. Мені сподобалося, що Наталі змогла домовитися з нею, щоб вона гарна себе вела. Мати Вайолет мені не сподобалась взагалі, їй було начхати на дитину, мені було шкода Вайолет, бо вона всеодно вірила їй. А ще вона мене дратувала тим, що ревнувала свого КОЛИШНЬОГО чоловіка до нової дівчини, а і на дитину їй начхати