Review: 'A Very Merry Manhattan Christmas' by Darcie Boleyn (2016)

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?
I was introduced to author Darcie Boleyn earlier this year when I got the chance to read and review her novel ‘Something Old, Something New’ (click here to read my review). I enjoyed that particular read and got excited when I stumbled upon ‘A Very Merry Manhattan Christmas’ on NetGalley and managed to get a review copy. I straight away liked the book cover, the title and the book description and already knew I’d enjoy the author’s writing style. The book gave me the lovely opportunity to step back into a bit of Christmas cheer as we are nearing the very end of 2016 and I planned on hopefully enjoying it until the very last page…!
Twenty-something Lucie Quigley has been through a lot over the years which has resulted in her definitely not being a fan of Christmas. When her good friend Petra asks her to be a bridesmaid at her December wedding in New York City, Lucie knows she can’t say no but it will be a difficult thing for her to do all by herself. Luckily her best friend Dale Treharne is willing to join her in Manhattan doing what it is he does best: being there for her whenever she needs some support. However, when they find themselves in the middle of New York during such a wonderful time of the year, other feelings start to come to the surface and Lucie starts to doubt whether she only sees Dale as a friend or actually something more…
New York is a simply fabulous setting for a festive Christmas story and combined with Darcie Boleyn’s writing ‘A Very Merry Manhattan Christmas’ is a thoroughly enjoyable fast-paced read. The story focuses on main character Lucie, who hates Christmas but will need to attend her good friend Petra’s December wedding in New York City. Luckily Lucie’s best friend Dale will be there to support her. I loved Lucie and Dale’s friendship; Lucie is a great character, easy to warm to, and Dale makes a wonderful book boyfriend. He’s a fantastic guy and I’m sure other readers will appreciate him and his gestures just as much as I did. The novel isn’t a really long-winded read; a lot of things are going on and the story held my attention throughout, making me finish it within just a few hours.
The story is told from both Lucie and Dale’s point of view, which always adds a nice touch to a romance novel, I think. It did take quite a bit of time before the characters actually arrived in New York, but when they did the story really kicked off and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I did feel the chapter division was a bit strange; there were a few really short chapters and several incredibly long chapters and I didn’t really understand why this particular division was made. However, that’s just a personal thing that didn’t necessarily affected the reading experience. All in all, ‘A Very Merry Manhattan Christmas’ is a fast-paced and festive Christmas romance that I can recommend to any chick lit/romance fan, and I personally hope we will get to read more by author Darcie Boleyn in the new year!

Rating:9/10

  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.