Monday, June 6, 2016

[Review]: "Sleepless in Manhattan"

Sleepless in Manhattan by Sarah Morgan
Publisher: HQN Books (June 1, 2016)
Series: From Manhattan with Love, 1
Genre: Contemporary Romance

USA TODAY bestselling author Sarah Morgan introduces a sizzling new trilogy about three best friends embracing life—and love—in Manhattan 

Cool, calm and competent, events planner Paige Walker loves a challenge. After a childhood spent in and out of hospitals, she's now determined to prove herself—and where better to take the world by storm than in the exhilarating bustle of Manhattan? But when Paige is let go from the job she loves, she must face her biggest challenge of all—going it alone. 

Except launching her own events company is nothing compared to hiding her outrageous crush on Jake Romano—her brother's best friend, New York's most in-demand date, and the only man to break her heart. When Jake offers Paige's fledgling company a big chance, their still-sizzling chemistry starts giving her sleepless nights. But can she convince the man who trusts no one to take a chance on forever? 



Where to Buy*:
More Info:

Reviews of Morgan's Previous Books:

Sleigh Bells in the Snow (#1) -- TBQ
Suddenly Last Summer (#2) -- TBQ


My Review:





“Being hurt is part of being alive. It isn’t possible to live a full life and not be hurt at some point. You have to live bravely.”



Sleepless in Manhattan kicks off Sarah Morgan’s newest trilogy, this time covering three best friends from a small town making it in the big city. While they originally moved to New York to work at the same event planning company years ago, things go south and they all lose their jobs. Deciding to take control of their lives, they start up their own company instead, with a bit of help from Paige’s brother, Matt, as well as his best friend, Jake. Paige has loved Jake since she was a teenager, but when he rejected her back then, she vowed to never think of him as anything but her brother’s friend. And we all know how well that works out, yes?



There are so many reasons I adored this book. Morgan’s writing is great, first of all, and everything just flows smoothly, pulling the reader into the chaotically beautiful world of NYC and the community Paige and her friends have there. 




“Go to sleep and have really dirty dreams.”

“I think the term you’re looking for is sweet dreams.”

“No. Those are boring. Dirty ones are much better.”



I loved the friendships in this book, and how close Paige, Eva, and Frankie are. There’s always room for more strong female friendships in romance, really. Their interactions were great, too, and each woman has a different sense of humor. I loved getting to know everyone, not just Paige and Jake, and I’m very much looking forward to each of the following books in this series. 




Paige.

She’d been off-limits for so long it was ingrained in him to be careful. His hands were anchored by the contradictions swirling in his head. He wanted to take her instantly, and he wanted to take his time. He wanted to feast, and he wanted to savor. To rip off her clothes, to unpeel them slowly. The only thing that was clear to him was that he wanted all of her. All of her.



I also loved that while it is a romance, it was just as fun to follow this group of friends through their everyday lives in the big city, and the start up for Urban Genie (their new event/concierge business).



The romance is there, a bit slow to build since Jake doesn’t want to admit his feelings for Paige and Paige, having already been rejected by him once, doesn’t want to take the same risk twice, but most definitely present and well done. The sex isn’t particularly explicit; the scenes are open door, but also a bit vague at times, at least compared to most books I read. I personally prefer my romances a bit more on the spicy side, but I wasn’t at all disappointed by the chemistry here, and because I loved the characters, writing, and story, I didn’t mind that the heat was a bit lower than my usual read.




“Twice in your life you’ve told me that you love me, and each time I’ve handled it badly.”

“You were honest.”

“I wasn’t honest. I wasn’t honest with myself, and I wasn’t honest with you. But I’m being honest now. I love you.”



Frankie’s story is next and I already have an ARC waiting on my Kindle, which I’ll no doubt be diving into later next month (it releases in August, at least for the US).



For a truly delightful read – especially if you need a lovely contemporary romance for your summer vacation – don’t miss Sleepless in Manhattan. Morgan gives readers the perfect combination of friendship, strong and interesting women, a hero to sigh over, and a setting that’s captured even this small town country girl’s eyes. (Though as much as I enjoyed reading about NYC, I still would prefer never to live there; visiting in a book is enough for me.) 


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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Such a fun and charming book. When updating my reading status on Goodreads, I mentioned that this reminded me of some of Nora Roberts' books, which is never a bad thing, really. :) 

Also of note, I highlighted a lot of quotes; some fun interactions, some life quotes that really stuck with me, etc. Always a good sign.

Have you read Sarah Morgan?



Enjoy!


Until Next Time,


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  *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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