Book number 5 in my Goodreads Reading Challenge is A Very Merry Manhattan Christmas by Darcie Boleyn.

‘Lucie Quigley hates Christmas. It’s the time of year when everything goes wrong in her life. So this year, when she’s asked to be a bridesmaid at her friend Petra’s Manhattan wedding, she jumps at the invitation to escape the festivities.

Dale Treharne has been best friends with Lucie for as long as he can remember. He’s used to looking out for his oldest friend and when she asks him to be her plus one, he can’t seem to find a reason to refuse. Instead, he sees it as a way to help Lucie get through what is, for her, the most miserable time of the year.

In New York, as the snow starts to fall, Lucie and Dale start to realise that their feelings run deeper than just friendship. But can they overcome their pasts, and make it a very merry Manhattan Christmas?’ (Thanks Amazon!)

That’s right, I returned to my Christmas themed novels (sorry, but December is just too long to wait!).  After the beautiful, but harrowing Code Name Verity, I needed a lighter read and this was the one to catch my eye.  A Very Merry Manhattan Christmas combines the vibrant city of New York with the story of two best friends whose love for one another begins to evolve (finally!) from a life-long friendship into something more.

As with many books of this genre, there were no surprises.  It was not surprises that I was looking for however, and this book delivered.  The blindness of one to the others feelings was expected, as was the expectation of others that they were meant to be.  The significant event of a wedding in New York threw them together, placing them into a situation that forced them both to explore their own feelings.

I must admit that I found Lucie to be a little annoying.  In fact she was annoying to the point that I wondered why Dale stuck around! I enjoyed Dale’s character though, even if I was willing him to move on for a good three-quarters of the book.  As we are now almost in April, the daffodils are blooming and the sun is shining, I would probably say that now is not the right time to read this book (although I am not trying to put you off – Christmas cheer at any time of year is always good!).  However once we hit November, when the shops have been full of Christmas for a good couple of months already but you are only just starting to feel Christmassy, give this book a read.  It’s a light, easy read that will be most enjoyable to you, sat beside the fire with a glass of wine and good slab of cake!

Rating: 📖📖📖