Earlier on this year I really enjoyed reading Something Old, Something New by Darcie Boleyn so when I was asked to take part in the blog tour for A Very Merry Manhattan Christmas I really couldn’t say no. It was a truly delightful book, a festive treat that was every bit as fabulous as I hoped it would be and that was by far my favourite of Darcie’s books to date.
For many people Christmas is a wonderful time of year, but not for Lucie Quigley who hates it for all the unpleasant and difficult memories it triggers. Someone who has always been there for her from a very young age through the best and worst times is Dale, Lucie’s best friend in life. When Lucie is invited to a Christmas wedding in Manhattan by an old friend from university she asks Dale to accompany her as her plus one who accepts the invitation and is keen to support Lucie, hopeful that he can help her to enjoy the festive season. As the pair spend more time together in Manhattan it doesn’t take long for them to realise that they both have feelings for eachother, but will either of them be brave enough to act on them?
What made this book stand out so much was the real depth it had to it and the way it managed to make me feel many different emotions, from happiness to sadness as I both laughed and cried my way through it. The book was full of characters who felt very real, who I felt entirely connected to and really did care about a great deal. As the story progressed and more of Lucie’s heartbreaking past was revealed my admiration for her grew and I was entirely glad that she had someone as wonderful as Dale by her side. I desperately hoped that things would work out well for them both.
Another aspect of this book that I really loved was Darcie’s beautiful writing style that never faltered once and was just as incredible as it was during Something Old, Something New. She wrote in such a way that there were many times when I felt as though I had been transported to Manhattan to be with the characters in the midst of the action with some wonderful and vivid descriptions. It’s made me want to pursue my dream of going to Manhattan even more than I already did previously and most certainly made for an unforgettable reading experience.
