Every once in a while you find a book that takes you on a magical holiday adventure in one of your favorite places. For me, this was A Magical New York Christmas by Anita Hughes. It is the week of Christmas in NYC and struggling journalist Sabrina Post has arrived at The Plaza Hotel for her newest assignment. She is going to interview the famous art dealer Grayson Westcott and be the ghost writer for his memoir. On her first night there, she meets Ian who is from Britain and who she believes to be royalty. They share some caviar and filtration before going on their separate ways. The hotel is only so big through and as they continue to run into each other, the attraction between them grows stronger.
I really liked the set up of this romance. Sabrina thinks Ian is British royalty when in reality he is the secretary and gate keeper of his best friend, Spencer who is from a royal family. Meanwhile, Ian thinks Sabrina is a wealthy business woman and that is why she is staying at The Plaza. Although both character have multiple times to tell each other the trust, something always seems to interrupt them. This adds a sense of mystery and comedy to the story as you wonder how things are going to turn out.
This story is actually told with two different time lines. The first is present day with Ian and Sabrina and the second is Greyson’s life in the 1960s. You don’t realize it at first but these two timelines are actually connected and in a very cute way. I love the descriptions of past and present NYC and the various locations which these characters visited. I have been to some of these places and loved the background of the holidays on them. Plus, I really enjoyed all the insight to The Plaza Hotel. I have walked past it multiple times and now after reading this story, I want to stay there to.
I adore NYC but have never been there during the holiday season. It was nice to imagine everything decorated and sparkling and see it through the eyes of these characters. The story takes place the week before Christmas and then continues into the week after Christmas with New Years. The timeline allowed me to get to know the characters and want all them to get their happily ever after’s amidst the sparkle. It was all just so festive and beautiful to imagine.
A Magical New York Christmas really is a beautiful adventure from beginning to end. I found myself becoming so engaged with the characters and their stories. The scenery was beautifully described and all of the relationships were built on strong foundations throughout. Some of these foundations were in flirtation, some were in admiration, and some were in friendship and devotion. Regardless of where they started all of them ended up being something to celebrate and find beauty in. It is such a sweet story. I’m sure it will brighten up any body’s day.
Rating: 4 Stars
**I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**
welcome to the zoo! 