Publisher: HQN Books (November 29th, 2016)
Series: From Manhattan with Love, 3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
It will take a Christmas miracle for two very different souls to find each other in this perfectly festive fairy tale of New York!
Hopeless romantic Eva Jordan loves everything about Christmas. She might be spending the holidays alone this year, but when she's given an opportunity to house-sit a spectacular penthouse on Fifth Avenue, she leaps at the chance. What better place to celebrate than in snow-kissed Manhattan? What she didn't expect was to find the penthouse still occupied by its gorgeous—and mysterious—owner.
Bestselling crime writer Lucas Blade is having the nightmare before Christmas. With a deadline and the anniversary of his wife's death looming, he's isolated himself in his penthouse with only his grief for company. He wants no interruptions, no decorations and he certainly doesn't appreciate being distracted by his beautiful, bubbly new housekeeper. But when the blizzard of the century leaves Eva snowbound in his apartment, Lucas starts to open up to the magic she brings…This Christmas, is Lucas finally ready to trust that happily-ever-afters do exist?
Hopeless romantic Eva Jordan loves everything about Christmas. She might be spending the holidays alone this year, but when she's given an opportunity to house-sit a spectacular penthouse on Fifth Avenue, she leaps at the chance. What better place to celebrate than in snow-kissed Manhattan? What she didn't expect was to find the penthouse still occupied by its gorgeous—and mysterious—owner.
Bestselling crime writer Lucas Blade is having the nightmare before Christmas. With a deadline and the anniversary of his wife's death looming, he's isolated himself in his penthouse with only his grief for company. He wants no interruptions, no decorations and he certainly doesn't appreciate being distracted by his beautiful, bubbly new housekeeper. But when the blizzard of the century leaves Eva snowbound in his apartment, Lucas starts to open up to the magic she brings…This Christmas, is Lucas finally ready to trust that happily-ever-afters do exist?
Where to Buy*:
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Reviews of Morgan's Previous Books:
Sleigh Bells in the Snow (#1) -- TBQ
Suddenly Last Summer (#2) -- TBQ
Sleepless in Manhattan (#1) -- TBQ
Sunset in Central Park (#2) -- TBQ
My Review:
I enjoy Morgan's writing and this series has been excellent all the way through, following a trio of friends as they set up a successful business in NYC and find their perfect match along the way. Miracle on 5th Avenue is the final heroine's story, and I loved watching Eva fall for her total opposite.
Eva's passion is cooking, and she runs a blog and YouTube channel devoted to all the things she learned in her grandmother's kitchen as a young girl. One of Urban Genie's beloved clients asks Eva to decorate her grandson's apartment for the holidays and set him up with food for later. He's supposed to be at his Vermont cabin writing his next crime novel, but when Eva enters the apartment and starts working, she finds out she's not alone after all -- Lucas is hiding in the apartment to avoid everyone. It's a difficult time of year for him, as he lost his wife 3 years ago (though it seems things weren't perfect between them after all...).
Lucas doesn't want to deal with anyone right now, especially the bubbly Eva. He knows his grandmother was scheming to get them together, even if Eva knows nothing about the plans. Yet he can't deny Eva is a wonderful cook, and more importantly her presence in his apartment is a much needed muse to his writer's block. How long can he hold on to the claim that he only needs her as inspiration before he must admit that he really just needs her?
This was a great opposites-attract holiday romance. Lucas is very serious, a bit grumpy and cynical, and loves his bloody, creepy crime stories. Eva is warm and optimistic as well as a total romantic who hates anything scary. But they make things work and have good chemistry.
The moment the elevator doors closed they came together like magnets. His hand cupped her head and his mouth crushed down on hers, and all she could think was finally, finally. After that, everything blurred. She felt the erotic stroke of his tongue and the urgency of his hands as he shoved her back against the wall of the elevator, trapping her body against his. It was intense, impelling, and so exciting that all she could do was snatch in a breath and hold on. His kiss bordered on the rough but she didn’t care. She speared the silky strands of his hair with her fingers and drew him closer, desperately trying to drink in more of him. Somewhere in the distance she heard a muted ping and Lucas nudged her out of the elevator without releasing his hold on her.
The sex is not terribly explicit or hot, and only shows up -- briefly -- later in the book, but it is satisfying nonetheless. The tension leading up to it all was quite good. It's pretty typical for Morgan's books, so I knew going in that this wouldn't be a steamy hot read. I'm okay with that. :) Obviously, you have to realize that since I prefer my romances to be very, very dirty, my idea of "tame" may be someone else's "too hot". It's not fade-to-black here, but it's definitely more on the lukewarm side of explicitness.
I was a bit disappointed in the lack of interactions between Eva, Paige, and Frankie. That strong friendship was key in the first book, and even in the second, and was a good part of my enjoyment of this series. For some reason, it was more MIA in Miracle on 5th Avenue.
I highlighted quite a few lines while reading, which is very common with Morgan's books. Here's a few that made me smile:
"Mine will give your taste buds an orgasm.”
“You seem fixated on orgasms.”
“That’s what happens when you don’t get something.” She took the menus from him. “It’s the reasons diets don’t work. The more you deny yourself, the more you crave the very thing you’re cutting out. And before you say anything, of course I know I can give myself an orgasm, but there are some tasks I prefer to delegate.”
“So you’re on a sex diet?”
“It feels that way.
And:
"You wanted an orgasm. I’m here to make sure it’s the best orgasm you’ve ever had.”
“Honestly, any orgasm would be good.”
She was squirming under him but he pinned her flat, holding her still. “You need to lift your ambitions, sweetheart. Never settle for good when you can have great.”
Overall, a quick and charming romance to curl up with this holiday season. You can easily read it as a standalone, but 1 and 2 are good reads as well. There's a teaser in the end for Morgan's next release (another series, I believe, which sounds loosely connected to this trilogy) and I cannot wait.
4 STARS!
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I received an e-ARC of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley.
*Note: The quotes used belong to Sarah Morgan; TBQ's Book Palace does not claim them. Any mistakes or typos in the quotes are my own fault.
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If you want to see more quotes, I shared a ton on Twitter while reading.
Enjoy!
Until Next Time,
*TBQ's Book Palace is a member of both the Amazon and Barnes and Nobles affiliates program. By using the links provided to buy products from either website, I receive a very small percentage of the order. To read my full disclosure on the matter, please see this post!
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