Review: 'Miracle on 5th Avenue' by Sarah Morgan (2016)

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 housesit 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?
I usually prefer to only read Christmas-themed novels at the end of the year, but when I received this particular review copy several days after Christmas I knew I would not be able to just leave it until October! 'Miracle on Fifth Avenue' is the third part of author Sarah Morgan's fantastic romance series 'From Manhattan with Love'. I loved the first two parts of the series: 'Sleepless in Manhattan' (click here to read my review) and 'Sunset in Central Park' (click here to read my review), and have been waiting to finally check out Eva's story. So, this novel gave me the opportunity to step back into Christmas (and not just any kind of Christmas, Christmas in New York City) for a few days, and I have to admit; I was pretty excited...!
Eva Jordan is keen to spread Christmas joy wherever she goes, and Urban Genie, the events company she and her two best friends set up together, gives her the chance to do just that. With the prospect of spending the holidays alone, and the memories of her beloved grandmother who passed away over a year ago still making things a bit difficult, Eva says 'yes' straight away when she is asked to decorate and housesit an amazing apartment in the heart of New York. However, the owner of the apartment, crime author Lucas Blade planned to spend the holiday season without any interruptions, especially since he has a strict deadline. When Eva ends up stuck in the apartment because of a snow storm outside, the two are forced to spend some time together. Will Eva be able to convince Lucas Christmas isn't all bad and that there is also some good in the world, or is this a mission destined to fail?
I'm really sad that Sarah Morgan's 'From Manhattan with Love' series is coming to an end with this third and last instalment, but luckily she decided to go out with a bang because 'Miracle on Fifth Avenue' is another amazing read I couldn't get enough of! After reading more about Paige and Frankie in the first two books, it is now time to step into Eva's life and I have to say I was really looking forward to that. Eva is a hopeless romantic who always tries her best to stay positive, and I loved her character in the previous novels and was curious to learn more about her. She's also struggling with a few things, and I was really happy with this chance to read more about Eva and the possibility of love that comes her way. Lucas is a fascinating male main character, and I really enjoyed how we slowly got to know more about him and his background, and his reasons for doing and feeling certain things. 
While this is the third part of a series (and a series I can highly recommend), you can read this as a stand-alone novel without too much difficulty, I think. Sarah Morgan's writing is a true pleasure to read, as always; easy to get lost in, well-paced, and with a great dose of romance. As a reader that is familiar with the series and the other characters, I personally would have loved it if Frankie, Paige, Jake and some other secondary characters would have made more appearances in this last instalment, but I also understand the focus on Eva, because this is her story, of course. Yet, this is just a tiny little thing, and one that definitely doesn't make the novel any less good. All in all, 'Miracle on Fifth Avenue' is an amazing and sparklingly festive and romantic read by author Sarah Morgan; a great novel and a worthy ending to this fabulous series!

Rating:9,5/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Blog Tour: 'Sunset in Central Park' by Sarah Morgan!

In the chaos of New York, true love can be hard to find, even when it's been right under your nose all along… 
Love has never been a priority for garden designer Frankie Cole. After witnessing the fallout of her parents' divorce, she's seen the devastation an overload of emotion can cause. The only man she feels comfortable with is her friend Matt—but that's strictly platonic. If only she found it easier to ignore the way he makes her heart race… 
Matt Walker has loved Frankie for years but, sensing how fragile she is beneath her feisty exterior, has always played it cool. But then he uncovers new depths to the girl he's known forever and doesn't want to wait a moment longer. He knows Frankie has secrets and has buried them deep, but can Matt persuade her to trust him with her heart and kiss him under the Manhattan sunset?
Today I'm incredibly excited and also honoured to be part of the blog tour for Sarah Morgan's latest release 'Sunset in Central Park'! Ever since I got the chance to read and review Sarah's novel 'Some Kind of Wonderful' (click here to read my review), I've been a big fan of her work and I'm always looking forward to her next book. I loved her 'Puffin Island' trilogy and have now also fallen in love with her latest series, 'From Manhattan with Love.' the series focuses on three best friends Eva, Frankie and Paige and in this second instalment we get the chance to get to know Frankie a bit better. If you're as excited about this book as I am (and you should be!), be sure to visit some of the other book blogs that are part of the tour, you can find the links on the blog tour poster!
Twenty-something Frankie Cole wants nothing to do with love, romance or sex. After having had some bad experiences and an even worse example in the form of her parents, Frankie is satisfied with what she does have: a lovely apartment in New York City and a fantastic job where she gets to work with her two best friends who support her through thick and thin. Yet, no matter how hard Frankie tries, she can't seem to get rid of the butterflies she feels whenever she sees her friend Matt. There has always been something between them, but Frankie knows it would only ruin everything between them. But when Matt needs an extra garden designer for one of his projects, he's determined to get Frankie, not just because she's the best but also because it gives him a chance to finally convince her of the fact that they are indeed meant to be together...
Over the past 1,5 year or so I have really become a big Sarah Morgan fan and I'm glad to say 'Sunset in Central Park' has once again confirmed what a wonderful romance author Sarah is. This book is the second instalment of the 'From Manhattan with Love' series, which has a simply fantastic setting, namely the heart of New York City, and a group of three different and great female characters in the form of Paige, Eva and Frankie. In the first part of the series we were introduced to Paige and her story, but now it's Frankie's turn. I loved once again being reunited with these characters (and even a few familiar Puffin Island faces from Sarah's previous novels!) and while I would recommend starting this series at the beginning, you can also definitely pick up this novel as a stand-alone because there's enough description and background to make sure you can understand it all.
I really love the dynamic between the main characters in this series. Paige, Frankie and Eva are the best of friends, while they have very different personalities, and Matt and Jake add a good dose of male testosterone to the novel. While I have to say I had a bit of trouble with all the different issues Frankie seems to have (I did relate to her in some ways but it seemed like a bit too much for me), I did really enjoy her story. I loved how Matt simply knows he wants to be with Frankie and is willing to do everything necessary to win her over; the romance element in this novel is really great and the chemistry between Matt and Frankie is undeniable. Sarah's writing is, as always, amazing and so easy and comfortable to read. 'Sunset in Central Park' is another stunning, romantic, and simply wonderful read by the lovely Sarah Morgan; I love this series and can't wait to read Eva's story!

Rating:9,5/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: 'Sleepless in Manhattan' by Sarah Morgan (2016)

Great friends. Amazing Apartment. An incredible job. Paige has ticked off every box on perfect New York life checklist. Until disaster strikes and instead of shimming further up the career ladder, Paige is packing up her desk.

Her brother’s best friend Jake might be the only person who can help her put her life back together. He also happens to be the boy she spent her teen years pining after, and Paige is determined not repeat her past mistakes. But the more time she spends with Jake, the more Paige realises the one thing that was missing from her world all along. The perfect New York love story…

Last year I was properly introduced to author Sarah Morgan when I got the chance to read and review her three-part Puffin Island series (click here to read my review of the last part of the series, ‘Christmas Ever After’). I fell in love with Sarah’s writing style and amazing storytelling and have been looking forward to her latest release, ‘Sleepless in Manhattan’, for quite some time. The book is the first part of a completely new series, titled ‘From Manhattan with Love’ and set in the fabulous New York City, and the part was released on March 10th. I was lucky enough to get a review copy (thanks so much, Cara!) and couldn’t wait to start reading it!

Paige loves her life: she has a job within event planning she’s incredibly passionate about, she lives in a great apartment in the vibrant city of New York, and not only lives with her two best friends Eva and Frankie but also gets to work with them. But Paige’s life is unexpectedly turned upside down when instead of the promotion at Star Events she’s expecting, she receives the news she has lost her job. Suddenly, Paige, Eva and Frankie are without a job and clueless on how to move forward. With the help of her brother Matt and his best friend Jake, Paige and her friends decide to take the leap and start their own event business called Urban Genie. It’s a risk Paige knows she needs to take, but will she be able to make it work, not just for herself, but for her two best friends as well…?

‘Sleepless in Manhattan’ is an incredibly promising and great start to author Sarah Morgan’s new ‘From Manhattan with Love’ series and I honestly already can’t wait to read the next part. I have to admit I had pretty high hopes when I started this book, but luckily it definitely managed to meet my expectations. The book focuses on three best friends: Paige, Eva and Frankie, and this first part is Paige’s story. Paige has always been used to people being overprotective because of certain things that happened in her past; she’s trying to build her own life, and being fired from her event planner job seems to be the motivator she needed to start her own business. Of course it wouldn’t be a Sarah Morgan story without a great romance element in there, which comes in the form of Jake Romano, Paige’s older brother Max’s best friend. The sparks between Jake and Paige have always been there, but after Jake rejected Paige when they were teens, Paige has tried her best to forget about him. However, working closely together reignites the sparks in a way that is difficult to ignore for both of them.

Paige is a great main character; I loved her determination and feistiness, and easily warmed to her. Her best friends Eva and Frankie are completely different personalities, which makes them a great group of female characters to focus on, and I already look forward to reading their stories. New York is, of course, a fantastic setting and the author’s descriptions of the city really added to the story. Next to the characters and setting, there’s a captivating plotline and that great romance element Sarah Morgan does so well. Another reviewer named Sarah ‘the queen of romantic trilogies’ and I have to say I wholeheartedly agree. ‘Sleepless in Manhattan’ is a captivating and simply stunning story I never wanted to finish and a fantastic start to this new romance book series!
Rating:10/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.