A Magical New York Christmas by Anita Hughes

Today marks the beginning of the Christmas reading season!  For many, this may seem a little early. For those of us who read and review books prior to publication, this does not seem too early.  Many of you may not know Christmas books publish in September and October, so over the next few months I’ll be reading and reviewing what’s new for Christmas 2021 books.  Don’t worry it won’t be all Christmas, just the occasional holiday book to set you up for a wonderful season of reading.

My first book of this holiday is A Magical New York Christmas by Anita Hughes which publishes September 28/21. Set in the Plaza Hotel in New York City, this book will transport you to this iconic hotel during Christmas week. If you love a mistaken identity romance trope you will love it.   I know I did.

Plot Summary

Sabrina is a 26 year old struggling writer who has been selected to ghost write the memoir for Grayson Westcott during Christmas week at the Plaza Hotel. Grayson is a famous art dealer, but also spent years working as a butler at the Plaza.  The story is set in dual time periods – now and Grayson’s time working at the hotel as a young man.  As a fan of the Eloise books at the Plaza, Sabrina is fascinated to learn the relationship Grayson had with Kay, the author of the books.

Sabrina can’t believe her luck when she learns she’s been allocated a suite.  When she meets the handsome British visitor Ian at the bar of the hotel, she doesn’t correct his assumption that she’s another wealthy guest.  She’s especially pleased about this decision when she learns that Ian is part of the British aristocracy.  The fact is, he’s not.

Over the next seven days, Sabrina and Ian spend time falling in love.  Will they still feel the same way about each other once their true identities are revealed?

Book Review

I really enjoyed reading A Magical New York Christmas. The author vividly creates the setting of the hotel in all it’s wonder during Christmas week. The dual time periods tell a common theme of venturing outside your own comfort zone to achieve what you want in life.

The characters are well developed and very likeable.  Seeing the hotel and New York City through Sabrina’s eyes was captivating.  Grayson’s story provides a glimpse of a different time at the hotel where he also found romance with a young debutante. His relationship to Kay (the author of the Eloise stories) was one of an older woman imparting lessons she had learned in life.  I appreciated that Grayson then imparted these same words of wisdom to Sabrina.

The only part of the book that I found somewhat repetitive was Ian’s role in making sure his aristocratic buddy didn’t spontaneously propose while on holiday – something he had made a habit of doing in the past.  While this was a clever way to have Ian being mistaken for his royal buddy, the author carried this a bit too far for my liking.

What I Liked About A Magical New York Christmas:

• The setting of this iconic hotel at Christmas
• The dual time periods and romantic stories in each of these periods
• The underlying theme of stepping out of your comfort zone to grasp what you want in life.

I Recommend This Book To:

Those readers that enjoy romance set at Christmas.

My Rating:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Add A Magical New York Christmas to your Goodreads shelf

Acknowledgments:

Thank you to St Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for the honest review provided here.

Similar Books I’ve Reviewed:

Christmas in Vermont by Anita Hughes

Christmas Ever After by Karen Schaler

In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren

Thank you for reading and supporting my blog.  Let me know in the comments if you think this book is one for you.  As always, I hope that you have a wonderful day.